Final Conclusions

Throughout this blog I have tried to objectively show the both the risks and potential benefits. There was the talk of the old memorial baseball stadium and how the situation would be handled. The new stadium will hopefully be used year round. The total cost is substantial at around 130 million. There are risks associated with this project. There are also many potential benefits and when compiling this blog I began to see more clearly the potential benefits. The outcome of Harrison Square will not be known until 10 years down the road when we can more accurately assess how the project helped or hurt the Fort Wayne area.

Construction Continues

Harrison Square construction continues to go forward. The hope is to have the area ready in early 2009. This pace is a bit behind the original plan, but construction is going well. There are several areas that are near finishing. If anyone is interested in the virtual flythrough it can be found here in a previous post of the blog.

Year Round Use

According to cityoffortwayne.org there are talks of ways to capitalize on the new baseball stadium year round. I believe this is essential to the success of this entire project. There are talks of being able to have meetings, receptions, concerts, and other activites using the stadium suite areas. If this comes to fruition I feel it certainly makes the cost of the stadium more justifiable. It also would create traffic year round for the downtown area and would allow for a more electric atmosphere in and around the city. Hopefully the stadium and its 30 million dollar amenities are put to good use for the good of the city.

Take a Look

For anyone interested in seeing the potential of the Harrison Square project, here is a link to a virtual fly through via the cityoffortwayne.org website.

http://www.cityoffortwayne.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1298&Itemid=1168

Reasons for Approval

The reasons for approval were simple. Whether you agree with the Harrison Square project or not, the reasons it passed were based on potential. The Harrison Square project is an appeal to big time businesses and corporations. The driving factors behind Harrison Square project is intended to launch the city of Fort Wayne into the future, while trying to increase the area for big business and companies. The city is hoping to attract big business and be able to keep them here in Fort Wayne. The hope is to be able offer high paying jobs for those in the area, while at the same time growing as a community. The benefits are hopefully an increase in high paying jobs, an increase in economic growth, and increased global awareness.

Memorial Stadium

This was one of the first things I looked at when deciding to research the Harrison Square project. I feel as though the city of Fort Wayne showed a lack of foresight in what to do with the previous stadium. Memorial Stadium was built in 1993 and is still a fairly new stadium. Memorial Stadium's cost was a mere 6 million, and has long been paid for. The city of Fort Wayne has talked with a few potential buyers in hopes of selling Memorial Stadium, but, have yet to secure a buyer. There has also been talk of destruction to the stadium, which would be a shame since it is still a very up to date stadium.

Why Baseball?

When doing my research paper at the beginning of the year, this subject was brought up several times throughout my research progress. People questioned why baseball for downtown? What about something else, was there anything else besides baseball that could draw people to the downtown area. Well during a Q & A session with the media those on the Harrison Square project were asked that question. There response was "Because it works!" The Fort Wayne wizards will draw people to the downtown area. But only during the summer months. Will the new stadium be of use for anything during the winter months? Hopefully it will, if not, what will bring people to downtown Fort Wayne?