After a months-long battle in the court of public opinion and a successful ballot initiative (one that was abandoned when opposition leaders withdrew petitions late last month), the Cavs confirmed that work has begun.
Passersby will begin to see “fencing that has been erected to establish a perimeter for a staging area for cranes and for initial exterior foundation work that will transform the north side of the arena, along Huron Road and Ontario Street,” the Cavs told Crain’s.
The news arrives today, one day before a deadline imposed by the NBA. League officials had said that if construction didn’t begin by Sep. 15, Cleveland would no longer be considered as a host city for the All-Star Game in 2020 or 2021.
The expansion is estimated to cost roughly $140 million before interest. The county is working on a new bond issuance — the last one fell through in the face of the voter referendum — but it’s unknown when the county will have the money on hand.
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This article appears in Sep 13-19, 2017.
Maybe the “lost” plans for Dan Gilbert’s Casino Project Phase II will somehow be found in some of the debris — and he can then get moving on that forgotten promise.
Dan Gilbert is busy rebuilding downtown Detroit with Phase II Casino money and the rest of the loot he rakes out of NE Ohio.