Thursday, February 04, 1999
Mall roof debate grows political
Commission looks at several plans
BY JANET C. WETZEL
The Cincinnati Enquirer
MIDDLETOWN — The debate over whether to raze the roof on the City Centre Mall is slipping into a political squabble.
On Wednesday, after spending hours in a commission meeting Tuesday hearing more details on mall proposals, Paul Nenni sent fellow commissioners an e-mail summarizing his conclusions on how to decide the mall's fate.
His comments evoked a strong response from Commis sioner Gerald Banks, who called Mr. Nenni's decisions premature and baffling.
“It's becoming strictly political, and that disappoints me,” Mr. Banks said Wednesday. “Politics should be left out of it. This has to be a business decision.”
In his e-mail, Mr. Nenni urged commissioners to act “relatively soon” while interest rates are at a 30-year low.
He also proposed limiting spending to about $12 million; not to pay relocation expenses for mall property owners; not to reconstruct or restore storefronts on unoccupied buildings; and to consider demolishing buildings that have little development potential.
He said he does not want to hear more information about a plan proposed by local entrepreneur Perry Thatcher.
But after seeing that e-mail, Mr. Banks fired back a response calling Mr. Nenni's stand “shortsighted and prejudicial to our agreed process.” He also said some of Mr. Nenni's conclusions were “unfair and unjust.”
“You obviously feel that you have the necessary expertise to make these decisions yourself without any help, but I seriously doubt that you do,” Mr. Banks wrote Mr. Nenni.
Commissioners have long said they want to get the city out of the mall business at the best possible price.
Of the several proposals presented to commissioners, a $17 million plan — dubbed Plan D — that calls for removing most of the mall's roof, restoring building facades, reopening Central Avenue and adding a farmers' market appears to be the favorite.
Commissioner Fred Sennet said the board needs more information before deciding.
“I think there's a temptation to get it over with,” Mr. Sennet said. “ ... But I don't think it's becoming political. Paul's been on commission longer than the rest of us, and he has a lot of good ideas.”
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