The Observation Deck

Ellen Malonis wrote:

I have sat down with two groups over the past two years that wanted to do something. I know that it is also on the radar screen of city hall.

Very cool...if it could not be a private theater, it perhaps could be a community center (the north side of the arcade is on the Madison bus line). I've also imagined it would make a neat church building.

Ellen

Maybe a church. Though both groups that I talked with wanted it for a nightclub. Parking killed both and the city is well aware that they have a great piece of property that is worthless without parking.

The floor is graded like old theaters, so to level it would cost not just a lot of money, but kill possible space.

FWIW


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Lakewood Observer, and Senior Editor of the FreeTimes Michael Gill has a pretty good quick look at what is going on with the Beck Center. It would seem that Lakewood native Cecil Yates might have been the one that put the bug in the Beck Center's ear about moving for the money so that he could bring in a strip mall featuring an Applebees.

Michael hurried the story, that broke here almost three months ago, to this edition of the FreeTimes so to beat a press release due to be issued by the Beck Center this Friday about the move.

Meanwhile we have two other Observers working the phone trying to talk with Bob Stark who is vacationing in Aspen right now.

Lessons to be learned, do not turn your back on developers, and we must keep Lakewoodites on the board of Lakewood projects, developments, and organizations. Because those that do not live here, are only here for the money, not the lifestyle.

Of course this good news should offset the news that broke today about the recent kidnapping at gunpoint and rape of a woman from Crocker Park in broad daylight.


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I'm interested in what Lakewood would want in the form of an arts center and what Lakewood could really support. It's great to have arts and culture and lifestyle amenities but is it realistic to have something on a large scale such as this? The city has always been unique but what is the real identity these days? The arts festival does well and draws a great crowd but could this be maintained throughout the year?
Beyond, the wants to fashion our city into something that is cultural and such is there the necessary push from the local residents to ensure its survival? We seem to be struggling to keep a half price movie theater open, is there really that much traffic to see live performances and art exhibits?

First, let’s give credit to Bill Call for his wake up call to board for capturing a development with some legs and definitely worthy of open source processing, if only to give city officials some measure of the vox populi.

Bill’s initial post says, “The opportunity to keep the Center and help it grow still exists. A successful effort will take a proactive and aggressive campaign by City officials….â€Â

Are they closing some elementary or middle schools in Lakewood? Those locations, or buildings, might make a good venue for Beck-ish activities.

ryan costa wrote:Are they closing some elementary or middle schools in Lakewood? Those locations, or buildings, might make a good venue for Beck-ish activities.

Ryan

I know of two groups that had plans for McKinley. The best plan I saw had the front becoming an art gallery, the auditoriums used for music and plays, the rooms were turned into beautiful lofts for art types. They had about 3.5 million ready to pay for the building, and a history of successfully doing this in other locations.

The other was as far as I know just talk, and I knew that type of stuff.

As far as the Beck, I talked with a couple friends still in the entertainment business, and they thought the place was only a small change and a liquor license away from turning a solid profit, as a for profit group.




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Why would anyone think an Applebees on Detroit and Rockway would be a success? There is a brand new one two miles away at Westgate. Besides, the restaurant business has been hurting with the slump in the economy and if gas hits $3 this summer, as they are predicting, I suspect dining out and other discretionary spending will decrease further. I wouldn't invest my money in that scheme.


BTW, Cecil Yates is a developer? I thought he was the bar manager at that bar by Dairy Queen? What is he?

Grace O'Malley wrote:Why would anyone think an Applebees on Detroit and Rockway would be a success? There is a brand new one two miles away at Westgate. Besides, the restaurant business has been hurting with the slump in the economy and if gas hits $3 this summer, as they are predicting, I suspect dining out and other discretionary spending will decrease further. I wouldn't invest my money in that scheme.


BTW, Cecil Yates is a developer? I thought he was the bar manager at that bar by Dairy Queen? What is he?

Grace

Cecil has done a couple small developments, most of them pretty nice. I like Cecil, but always questioned this one. It would find a business district diving deep into residential areas. What would the fall out be on West Clifton, Wayne, Rockway etc.?

The actual plan had the Beck moving backwards, not leaving. But from Mike's article it would seem that he might have talked of them moving.

My single biggest problems with developers is, by nature they must develop.


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I see that Cecil Yates is a member of Lakewood Alive. Are they aware of, and in favor of, Mr Yates "putting the bug in Beck's ear" to move out of Lakewood?

Doesn't seem to me that a long-standing and well-regarded arts institution leaving our city in any way bodes well, if even in public perception of the move.

Grace O'Malley wrote:I see that Cecil Yates is a member of Lakewood Alive. Are they aware of, and in favor of, Mr Yates "putting the bug in Beck's ear" to move out of Lakewood?

Doesn't seem to me that a long-standing and well-regarded arts institution leaving our city in any way bodes well, if even in public perception of the move.

Grace


First, we do not know for a fact that Cecil put the bug in their ear. It would just seem that from Mike Gill's column, that he might have been.

I go back to developers must develop. Where you and I see a field, they see a mall. Where you and I see doubles, they see singles, where you and I see families, they see strip malls.

I have seen a bunch of plans for Lakewood, and I have only seen one that I would give a 10 to, and that plan has been largely ignored. All the others with the exception of the Cliffs, and Rosewood seem to fall way short of any common sense or logic.

Developers look at things and think they need to be developed or redeveloped. It is a mindset. Like Economic Development. It becomes a mindset and if a little ED is good, a ton much be better. But I have often wondered if the entire city has been looked at.

One thing I get a kick out of is the thought that ED will reduce our taxes! The city needs every penny it can lay hands on. I cannot see any come back in the form of checks. Better service maybe, more police maybe, a check? never.

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However it happened, are we to be excited that a cultural institution is replaced by an Applebees? Or whatever chain?

"Hey Billy Bob, guess what? We got rid of that Beck Center and got us an Applebees! Yee ha!"

Ken

Raises some very interesting thoughts.

Would I trade the Beck Center for a Bob Stark office, I hate to say it but yes. Beck could go to Crocker(10 minutes away) and we would enjoy all the same things with the exception of convience. While getting a solid tax payer.

But change that office building with a strip mall and I get a little edgey.

An office brings in bodies, families, and residents and the tax revenue that comes with it. As we know from the Grow Lakewood study, our future is in residents and offices NOT retail.


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a liquor license would help. I'd enjoy seeing theatre and show choir performances much more with a glass of wine in hand.

The Beck has been a Lakewood institution for as long as I can remember. It has been an asset to the community, providing a firm “fine artsâ€Â

Back to a sore subject.......

The relocation of Beck to Crocker Park is made possible because most of the cost of automotive transportation is paid by taxpayers and not by those who enjoy it. Taxpayers have bankrolled the buildout of exurbia by building the necessary infrastructure, and by paying the costs of keeping Middle East oil flowing to the U.S. So Westlake thrives while Cleveland and its inner-ring suburbs suffer.

I've written about this before. If the costs of motoring were borne by the motorists and not by the taxpayers, Lakewood would be thriving and Crocker Park would not exist. I find it ironic but unfortunately not surprising that the vast majority of Lakewood residents cringe at the thought of a gasoline tax. Well I guess this is a case of “you better be careful what you don't wish for, you might not get it......â€Â