DISQUS

Juan Pardell · 11 months ago

If approved, one can reasonably conclude the Corpus Christi City Council is either very corrupt, or just plain stupid.

Juan Pardell · 11 months ago

Also, Prevratil is basing his projected tourist numbers based upon what? He states, much of this will come from repeat customers of the surrounding Corpus Christi area. Has anyone looked at the demographics of that city? The median income for a household in the city was $36,414, and the median income for a family was $41,672. Males had a median income of $31,863 versus $22,616 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,419. About 14.1% of families and 17.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.9% of those under age 18 and 15.5% of those age 65 or over. (source Wikipedia). It doesn't take a math whiz to figure out those income levels will not generate $20 million per year.

Ron Jackson · 11 months ago

I am worried for Corpus Christi Now.

Dennis · 11 months ago

Corpus Christi is a vacation destination in South Texas with its proximity to San Antonio and Houston. People travel from other states as well to vacation there--I remember family trips from Tulsa to spend a week on the Gulf, plenty of families in Oklahoma and Texas--as well as Louisiana, still plan spring and summer vacations for the area. We sometimes get jaded as to what is a tourist destination here in Southern California--as we get jaded to other ideas our fellow Americans in other regions hold; Corpus is a legitimate vacation spot for many. It is also a haven for Snow Birds, which skews many of the numbers from Juan as to median incomes for residents as their population grows considerably in the winter with semi-permanent residents from the upper Midwest most of whom are retired.

I have no idea if any attraction backed by Prevratil or any one else will draw over a million visitors; I do know they have a very strong tourist and 2nd/vacation home population. Personally, if there were an attraction that would draw that many people the only way I would invest is if he were not involved.

Juan Pardell · 11 months ago

I never questioned if Corpus Christi is a prime vacation destination. I did question whether the income levels of the city's residents are enough to draw the 1.6 million visitors that Prevratil is claiming will visit his Spirit of Corpus Christi project. After all, he projected that based upon hypothetical repeat customers from the immediate area.
Whatever the case, it appears he is using a trick that worked many times with the Long Beach City Council. Remember how many similar projections were made regarding the Aquarium and Pike projects? I guess it fair to say those annual attendance numbers never materialized.

Willbr459 · 11 months ago

I live in Corpus Christi and I have concluded that they are too stupid to be corrupt so your conclusion should be the Corpus Christi City Council is just plain stupid. They have been flogging this dead horse for years now and the only developer they could get to bite on this losing Memorial Coliseum proposition was your beloved Queen Mary CEO Joe Prevratil. He has them eating out of his hands right now and has even told our fine city council that he probably would withdraw the company's proposal if the council doesn't vote to begin negotiating a contract with him during its meeting today 02/10/09. This month, our city consultant (we do nothing for ourselves in this town) estimated it would cost $7.2 million to $9.3 million to bring the building up to code, remove asbestos and repair the roof. Those estimates don't include an estimated $1.5 million in engineering and professional fees. Then your Queen Mary CEO Joe Prevratil wants another $5 million from our fine city up front and on top of this before he works his magic. So you guys just thought you had problems over there. I say you need to write off the $4.1 million that he still owes your city and call it a day. This guy has now become our problem and $4.1 million will be a drop in the bucket compared to what is about to happen in this city.

Will

Willbr459 · 11 months ago

I live in Corpus Christi and I have concluded that they are too stupid to be corrupt so your conclusion should be the Corpus Christi City Council is just plain stupid. They have been flogging this dead horse for years now and the only developer they could get to bite on this losing Memorial Coliseum proposition was your beloved Queen Mary CEO Joe Prevratil. He has them eating out of his hands right now and has even told our fine city council that he probably would withdraw the company's proposal if the council doesn't vote to begin negotiating a contract with him during its meeting today 02/10/09. This month, our city consultant (we do nothing for ourselves in this town) estimated it would cost $7.2 million to $9.3 million to bring the building up to code, remove asbestos and repair the roof. Those estimates don't include an estimated $1.5 million in engineering and professional fees. Then your Queen Mary CEO Joe Prevratil wants another $5 million from our fine city up front and on top of this before he works his magic. So you guys just thought you had problems over there. I say you need to write off the $4.1 million that he still owes your city and call it a day. This guy has now become our problem and $4.1 million will be a drop in the bucket compared to what is about to happen in this city.

Will

Dave in Alamitos Beach · 11 months ago

So Corpus Christi pays Joe 5 million right now? If so, I think "right now" would not be the best time to write off 4.1 million, I think it would be best time to collect it! Thank you Jesus, er, Christi!

Juan Pardell · 11 months ago

Dave. What you're suggesting amounts to a ponzi scheme. LOL

Willbr459 · 11 months ago

Maybe you have a point, maybe just maybe he found a way to pay off his debit to your fine city, pocket $900,000 for himself, and stick Corpus Christi with the bill. Well it will be glory days for Long Beach and crying times for Corpus Christi. So all of you Long Beach people get your lawyers all fired up because our fine City Council decided to vote to go forward with the negotiations and I hope you guys over there get your hands out. I finally saw this guy on the news last night and he is smooth. So IF he takes our fine city for big bucks, which it looks like he probably will, I hope someone from your area is standing right there collecting your money. I really wish someone from your fine city would contact someone from our not so fine city and let them in on this guy and what he is really all about. Our local paper is the Corpus Christi Callertimes and you can blog there also so please go to callertimes.com and help tell everyone in our city what happened in yours because no one is really saying anything about it over here and when they do it is only in passing. I keep pleading for someone to make it stop and they all just keep marching forward.

Jim McCabe · 10 months ago

Willbr: I handled the legal aspects of the Queen Mary for the City of LB for some ten years. Joe made claims that he could come up with financing for big projects in LB. He never came up with anything to my knowledge. I doubt that he will come up with anything for Corpus Christi. Get someone there to ask him for some EVIDENCE that he has the financial backing he claims. He's sure not going to put in his own money.

Whatever your city does, they should NEVER pay up any of their money until he has put up his. I'd wager that that is not what he proposes.

Good luck. You will very much need it.

Willbr459 · 10 months ago

Here is the address to the Corpus Christi Callertimes: http://www.caller.com/

They have an article running today about a petition to tear the Joe Prevratil coliseum down. There is nothing new on any progress with the project. Everything went real hush hush all of a sudden.

Come on over and blog away!

LB City Girl · 10 months ago

Willbr, I went to the website, but couldn't find a pertinent article there to comment on...do you know if the Caller Times has written on Prevatil? and then, please send the link!