Monday, May 03, 1999

River town making most of its levee

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Modern charm in Lawrenceburg

BY RACHEL MELCER
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The new levee walk is open, and a serpentine wall to the Ohio River is under way in Lawrenceburg. (Tony Jones photo) | ZOOM |

        LAWRENCEBURG — Strolling on the levee walk that opened last week alongthe Ohio River, officials and entrepreneurs look out and see the future of their city.

        Between the walk and the water, crews are pouring concrete for a serpentine wall and landscaping a new park. Historic markers will soon adorn each lookout point. And a barge is being readied for a concession stand and shops.

        Back toward downtown, master planners and historians are eyeing a three-block area along Elm Street where a conference center and hotel are to be built next year. The new facilities will be integrated into Indiana's oldest three-story brick building and a string of historically valuable 19th century row homes.

        “I think it's the greatest opportunity that we have for this generation and future generations” of Lawrenceburg residents, said Roland Horney, municipal development director.

        “By providing these recreational amenities, I think it's going to bring a nostalgia of the river back into our reach. And in doing that, I think it's going to be prompting the visions of the risk-takers, the entrepreneurs. And I think it's going to bring all kinds of new facilities into the area.”

        But not everyone in Law renceburg shares Mr. Horney's exuberance. Some say they have waited too long for visible signs of the prosperity promised when Argosy Casino and Hotel opened in 1996.

        “At this point, I don't think people are excited yet,” said Tom DeWees, chairman of the redevelopment commission. “This is step number one, that's what it is.”

        None of the projects would have been possible without gaming tax revenue from Argosy. Work on the riverfront projects alone will cost more than $2 million.

        While officials are spending big and planning bigger during this economic boom, they are prepared for a possible recession. A portion of the gaming tax money is set aside for a rainy day.

        “I've always said that this is the goose that laid the golden egg — and he might get constipated,” Mr. Horney said.

        In the meantime, the trick for city planners is to lure tourists from the casino into downtown businesses and attractions. Developers make inquiries at City Hall on an almost daily basis.

        Cruise boat operators have approached Mr. Horney about docking their Cincinnati-based ships in Lawrenceburg.

        Picturing Lawrenceburg as an “entertainment mecca,” Mr. Horney said the city is ready to play an equal part with Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky in the Tristate.

       

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