I found it interesting to read in the Charlotte Observer this morning that there is a “bidding war” going on for the Coliseum. The latest bid came in at almost $24 million dollars. Yet, the property only appraised in the mid-teens last year.
Here in Asheville there is a debate raging over what to do with our Civic Center. The John Locke Foundation recently issued a report outlining ideas and feedback for local leaders here to consider. The report was thrown aside by City Council without so much as a thank you. (But the PEOPLE here appreciated the effort…)
The reason the report was cast aside by the local elected officials on the Civic Center Task Force was because the idea of privatizing the old broken down tax money pit was something they were not interested in entertaining. Asheville City Councilman Jan Davis (Chair of the CC Task Force) was perhaps the most outspoken – declaring that it was a waste of time to even talk about it because no one out there wants to buy civic centers or coliseums. He pointed out that no one was lurking around asking to buy the Asheville Civic Center.
I guess he doesn’t read the Charlotte Observer…… I can’t wait to pass along this story to my listeners today. You can listen to “Take A Stand!” live in the web between 3-6pm on wwnc.com .
(PS: Thanks to Chad Adams for coming on the show yesterday in the middle of a hornet’s nest of a debate. People in our area are really getting stirred up. It would be great to see The John Locke Foundation offer even more citizen support on these types of issues. You’re seeing what happens when people have alternative information made available to them then what the governing majority in Asheville force feeds to the public.)
