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For most, it's the principle. Taxpayers pay for the venue, the owners walk away with the profit. Every business owner would love that. "You build it, I take home the money." But.............if they don't build it in your city, they'll build it somewhere else leaving your town boring and stagnant. Personally, as a taxpayer, I'm all in. I don't want to feel like I have to travel to Chicago for for something to do, and I haven't in 15 years. Fort Wayne is a case in point. In 2007, they leveled a 15 year old baseball structure on Coliseum Blvd. in favor of a ballpark downtown in which 90% of our residents were against. The result? A minor league ballpark that has ranked #1 in the country at all minor league levels nearly every year since it's dedication in 2008. Massive downtown growth with approximately 2 billion in new infrastructure. A plethora of new restaurants including Ruth Chris Steakhouse. Coffee houses, shopping venues, several new apartment complexes, three new hotels, and a vibrant new family friendly scene on our natural rivers that run through downtown. Resident's in Fort Wayne don't feel like they have to go to Chicago, Indianapolis, or Cincinatti, for a downtown experience anymore. They just take the 15 minute drive to downtown, pay $1 an hour to park, and have a great time. More money is invested in our own town without having drive 2 or 3 hours only to invest it in someone else's. More and more out of towners are starting to consider Downtown Fort Wayne as a weekend destination. For those you who reside in the Indianapolis area, I say build it. I mean, they're going to build it anyway. Quit bitching, go enjoy it, and support the economy in the process.

This soccer stadium project has been talked about for a few years. It has always been presented as "privately funded" no public dollars. Then, as always, when any project is near finalization the thruth comes out. But at least we're still being taxed on the Hoosier (yes Hoosier) Dome.

Indy has become a major convention city...but the city is short on hotel space. We have an amazing football stadium, with few restaurants around it. But we do have an old factory taking up primo space on the White River that could and should be used for something more beneficial than an eyesore. You call it a Trojan Horse....I call it moving forward investing in a city that needs it. I chuckle when people living outside of the Indy metro area complain about local government involvment and higher taxes. Doesn't cost you or Muda a darn thing. Don't come here if you are worried about a few more cents added on to your meal. My guess is that you don't come here much anyhow, so not sure why it matters one bit if the city is working to better itself.

I’m just going to say it and I know it’s going to make some angry…and some of you already don’t like me INDIANA IS NOT A FUN PLACE TO TRAVEL TO. Everyone knows it. Ffs I’ll never understand why Hoosiers stand in the way of making their own state/area more interesting/fun for everyone The smaller cities such as Evansville are struggling with violence and drug usage…the other destinations are either college towns like Bloomington/South Bend or places like French Lick which are slowly fading into being forgotten. And by reading some of these comments….it just seems like some would rather have nothing at all than to add just 1 thing that would make people want to stay in Indiana….and those same people are likely older and not even the intended audience for something like this. speaking anecdotally…a very large percentage of my classmates from high school and college have left the state for places like Tennessee and Florida. The ones staying I’ve noticed are often tied to factories/mining/agriculture with next to none in Healthcare/entertainment/or just entrepreneurship in any capacity. some of you may have no interest in projects like this and will never go watch a soccer game…but your grandkids and great grandkids one day might. You’re going to want your grandchildren to have all the opportunities life could offer…you’re going to want them to go to great school….you want them to fall in love with other bright creative minds who are driven to make a positive impact on this world….you want them to raise a healthy family in safe neighborhoods We all want these things, but if you don’t foster an environment that welcomes these things, the future generations are going be raised in hardships and struggles…and the kids who rise above those challenges are going to continue to leave to find success elsewhere

The nattering nabobs of negativity always remind me of these muppets:

My absolute favorite was from a place in Fort Myers Beach; Hoosiers in Paradise. The owner is a retired Firefighter from Indy. He used a beer batter rather than the usual breaded coating. I really hope he brings the place back after Ian. I have not heard any updates. But a lot of damage was done to the building it was in. WTHR did a story about it a few days after Ian hit. Here is a great picture of the tenderloin.

Thanks for sharing your story. What you've been through will make you appreciate your successes even more. Congrats for digging out. My parents were the ones who dug out and I got to benefit from their efforts. My daughter is a nurse practitioner and my son-in-law is fluid in multiple languages and has his MBA and a great career at Lilly. He was raised in LA and they have both expressed an interest in moving there. With their resumes they would have no problem finding great careers out there. Their biggest complaint is the lack of entertainment in Indy. They are exactly the types of people we want/need to stay in our communities and a development like this -- if done properly -- would go a long way to keeping them interested. I've also been involved with enough commercial real estate developments to recognize that there are two types of communities, those that subsidize development and those that get left behind. Public Private Partnerships are all the rage as are tax abatements. When you know how they really work it is funny/frustrating to listen to others complain about them. This is potentially a great move for downtown but I don't know the players involved and I think Indy's mayor is pathetic. Hope they pull it off.

I agree with muda, there should be 0 tax payer dollars spent building a soccer stadium. its hardly even a real sport. money would be better spent elsewhere hell they don't even like turf, all you need is an open grassy area some bleachers and enough beer to forget you ever went to a soccer game.

I remember talking with my dad when I was in high school, early 80s, one time we were driving back to visit my grandmother; his mother-in-law. The discussion turned to Social Security somehow and I asked him about the idea of Social Security going bankrupt. My dad talked about the ins and outs of the financing of the program and all the bits and pieces about it and how politics often latches on to it. As we pulled into my grandmother's driveway, I recall my dad's final thoughts on the subject ... he said, even if he never lived long enough to get his benefits or they went bankrupt he was content to know that his contributions were aiding my grandmother and the "folks across the street" ... my grandmother lived across the street from the "old folks home" where she often volunteered her time helping "those old people" who were younger than her. 🙂 My dad died almost 35 years ago as a young man ... and his Social Security payments are still helping my mom.

Wow, somebody is angry. I guess Indiana is the only state, and Gibson the only county, with such sad tales. Green Bay must be a true utopia on earth, even though it looked pretty much like any other dirty midwestern town when I drove through it on my way to the Michigan U.P. a few months ago. And I pay more in state and federal taxes than you probably ever will, sonny. You see I earned my college degree at an Indiana university, left the state for almost eight years, then freely chose to move back. Have been gainfully employed in a highly technical field ever since. As for "entitled brats', yes, those of you who insist that the only way to visit a "nice" football or soccer arena is to have the taxpayers foot the bill are the ones with the entitlement mentality, not I. Like most socialists you have no problem forcing everyone to pay for something that will only every be enjoyed by the few. Government has been picking the winners and losers this way for decades, and it needs to stop. You however, flee the state your grew up in and then have the unmitigated gall to moan and complain about how crappy Indiana is. You, young sir, are part of the problem. And frankly you have zero business posting on this message board. Why don't you actually move back to your "beloved" Gibson county (funny how you use the word "beloved" to describe the H.S. but seem to despise most everybody there) and be part of the solution, sharing your supposed $200,000+ wealth and experience with the poor and downtrodden there?

Sport of the future. For the last 40 years.

Yet another proposed boondoggle funded primarily by the taxpayers. Just say no.

Sounds like your dad understood the assignment and was a great man. you work hard and with dignity to give more than you take….AND you pass down those lessons to life. I apologize if what I’ve said here today is coming off as altruistic or anything else but I’m just tired of seeing people gatekeeping opportunities for future generations because they have entitlement to the taxes they pay. Everyone pays taxes…some people just believe they are entitled to dictate how every dollar is spent. at $1B, the cost per resident for the entire state of Indiana would be less than $160 per person…and that doesn’t even factor in commercial properties that also pay taxes. I think I saw only the Indy area would be paying for it but the end result is still not that much money. Most people who have the audacity to complain probably pay more in annual fees on their credit cards than what this would cost over multiple years. that lack of perspective coupled with the entitlement really gets me

I am one of the millions of people. I donate my time, talent, and treasure on at least a weekly basis to a small number of community organizations, and have for over 25 years. What about you?

@Grover that's a great point! We tried to schedule around the Glazier Clinics as much as possible, it just gets hard to find open weekends in Feb, and then March is IFCA and a month's worth of different school's spring breaks. The bottom line though, is I agree, gotta try and avoid the wrestling State Finals, it's such a cool weekend! At least Coach Rad didn't schedule it on Easter weekend like I did last year!

A very good site for the review of the breaded tenderloin sandwich: https://breadedtenderloin.wordpress.com/

The city needs projects like this to prevent further drain on talent. If it follow's Muda's plan it will become little more than a wasteland in no time flat. I'm glad my tax dollars are being used for something positive for a change.

Elanco is going to be developing the old GM Stamping Plant grounds for their new Corporate HQ. That would be directly across the river from this project. Elanco's CEO is dedicated to turning that area around. The Company I work for owns some industrial buildings near there off of Harding Street that we would love to flip to Co-Working office space if Elanco's presence changes the market in the area. For now they're being rented for industrial use.

I've been hearing that soccer was about to explode in popularity since the 70s. This seems pretty ambitious but I'm glad they're doing it.

Yes Steve Weber has accepted the offer from Marshall, (Illinois) as head coach of the Lions. Steve was a line coach with Martinsville last year and enjoyed a great season with the Arties. This after several years at the helm of Bedford N.Lawrence, and many years of success at Linton. Glad to see Steve back as a HC.

No, and we will likely never know but this is the most recent “incident” and is cited in Kyle’s article. FWIW, CG swept Carmel at all three levels in boys basketball this year for the first time in school history. Just bad timing and looks weak on Carmel’s part. It’s insinuating that CG somehow has a culture problem which is sketchy at best. The conspiracy theorist in me says this is Carmel virtue signaling in order to appease the MIC 6 and pad their application.

There’s more to the story…gotta be.