Ballpark making a big difference in St. Louis

[kman]

Downtown baseball Now, before its too late.
By KEVIN COLLISONThe Kansas City Star

The Hilton in downtown St. Louis is so excited about its new neighbor it’s changing its name to the Ballpark Hotel and undertaking a $16 million face-lift.
I know. My family had to navigate through the interior construction to reach our room during a recent stay over spring break.
Across Walnut Street from the hotel, the $350 million new home for the St. Louis Cardinals was nearing completion. The new Busch Stadium is expected to be ready for the Cardinals’ home opener April 10. Much remains to be done, but the grass was in and the ballpark light towers blazed in the night.
Next to the new stadium, construction has started on the $450 million Ballpark Village project being developed by the Cordish Co., the Baltimore firm that’s also doing the Power & Light District in our downtown. When completed, Ballpark Village will include 1,200 residences and 450,000 square feet of retail space.
People are excited in St. Louis about the new ballpark and what’s happening around it. It will join the city’s other major sports facilities located downtown, the Savvis Center arena, which opened in 1994, and the Edward Jones Dome football stadium, 1995.
The city’s revival was honored earlier this month by the Washington-based Partners for Livable Communities. The Entrepreneurial American Leadership Award cited St. Louisans for “their radical transformation from a downtown losing its spark to one that is thriving in the new millennium.â€

[kard]

Wow.  Someone hijacked the presses last night.  Two articles that could be seen as to weaken the argument for TSC renovations in the same day (the impending sewer project being the other)?

Great article.  One thing he didn't mention was that the renovation of the Old Post Office involved the demolation of the Century Building, which was on the Register of Historic Places.  It was demo'd for...a parking garage.

I can't wait to get out there to catch a few games--it's going to be great.  Go Kards!

[kcdcchef]

Wow.  Someone hijacked the presses last night.  Two articles that could be seen as to weaken the argument for TSC renovations in the same day (the impending sewer project being the other)?

Great article.  One thing he didn't mention was that the renovation of the Old Post Office involved the demolation of the Century Building, which was on the Register of Historic Places.  It was demo'd for...a parking garage.

I can't wait to get out there to catch a few games--it's going to be great.  Go Kards!

no, actually he hijacked it himself. that is not the title of the piece. he changed that. lets hope the star catches wind of it.

the con piece yesterday is what any newspaper does, they will allow the oppositions voices to be heard.

[KCMax]

Wow, nice to see someone not drinking the renovations Kool Aid. I can expect Kevin Collison to without a job soon.

[kard]

no, actually he hijacked it himself. that is not the title of the piece. he changed that. lets hope the star catches wind of it.

the con piece yesterday is what any newspaper does, they will allow the oppositions voices to be heard.

The two I articles I was referring to were this thread's and the sewer projects.  Not the editorial from yesterday's paper.

[kcdcchef]

The two I articles I was referring to were this thread's and the sewer projects.  Not the editorial from yesterday's paper.

and how is this editorial really adding fuel to the fire, unless you are a dt ballpark supporter? number one, kman changed the title of the story to amuse himself, and you guys, number 2, this is a series collison has been working on for 4 years now, on other cities downtowns, and, this is with the exception of the edward jones dome, one of the biggest, and most exciting things st louis has done for their downtown, of course he will write on it.

[kard]

I am confused.

I said I was (and I still am) surprised the Star would run these two stories at this point in time, and also together in the same day's news.  I thought you were saying I mentioned the editorial from yesterday...if not then I just misunderstood.

Good observation on the name change--I didn't notice it until you pointed it out.  The thread title is correct, though.

But anyway.  I am VERY surprised the Star would run the sewer piece AT ALL before the election with what I've seen them writing lately.  You know how I feel about Q's 1 and 2.  I've also said for years that I think the Star is one of the more well-made papers I've read (I have gotten around a little bit).  However, their coverage of the stadium issue--excluding the Editorial pages--has bothered me a bit.  Of course as an editorial board they have an opinion--good.  But their coverage could flat out be more critical of the issue.  Maybe I've missed it, but I haven't seen any "what if" scenarios discussed and I haven't seen any "what would it take/cost to get ready for the Super Bowl" stories.  They need to ask more questions.  It seems most of their "hard news" outside of columnist's columns and the editorial pages have been very "cheery."  Warm fuzzies are not required when dropping $700 or however many million dollars.  I hope they criticize the heck out of a DT park if it ever makes it any further, like they have done in the past, and I hope they do the same with the sewer issue.  What they put out today on the sewer issue was just a primmer--there's a lot more info to dig up (a not so funny pun...).

At any rate, the Star has irritated me in the last month by not being critical on the issue.  Call me biased because I'm in the No camp--I am.  They haven't convinced me with their hard news or their idiotic editorials that this particular vote is the right one.  They need to try a little harder.

That said, with how they've been going on the last month, I would not have been surprised to see them hold both of those stories.  Which pisses me off that I could think the Star would do such a thing.