CLEAR LAKE – The Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce gave a glowing “thumbs-up” to the proposed Mason City Renaissance Project.
Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce Director Tim Coffey said that the Clear Lake Chamber Board had an in-depth discussion about support for the two referendums on the ballot in Mason City – one for a lease between the city and Southbridge Mall for a multi-use arena, the other for $14 million in bonds to construct other parts of the project – and the board “unanimously supported” the project.
In a blog post on the Clear Lake Chamber’s website, Rachel Smith articulated the support of the pro-business entity. Read her post below:
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Most years, Election Day comes and goes without much fanfare. The only time I ever really acknowledge it is when I’m bombarded with Presidential ad campaigns at every turn.
But this year, there’s a special reason to mark your calendar to get out and vote in Mason City. That reason is the $10million bond issue vote for construction and renovation into the downtown project.
So, what does that mean exactly? Well, it means a 106-room hotel will be built in the City parking lot south of Younkers, which will be connected to the new Meredith Wilson museum. A skywalk will suspend over Federal Ave and link the complex to the current Music Man Square, which will receive its own facelift to serve as a hotel conference center.
So far, I’m totally sold. That right there should be enough to check the YES box on your ballot. But oh no… there’s more!
A multi-purpose arena will be built inside the vacant JC Penney store and serve as a venue for ice sports, concerts, sporting tournaments and more. An indoor/outdoor performance pavilion will be the new home for the Mason City Municipal Band and an enhanced Plaza entrance into Southbridge.
Whoa. This is incredible. And not just for the people of Mason City who get to beautify and upgrade their city, but for everyone in the North Iowa region. Can you imagine if our youth hockey league could host a regional tournament here? And the ice will only be seasonal. The rest of the year, the arena will host concerts, expos and sporting events.
Just think about the influx of people that will stay in our hotels, eat at our restaurants, realize they forgot to pack underwear and have to run to the store.
Seriously… people… this is a GOOD THING!!!
The other day, as I researched this very topic, I fell down the proverbial rabbit hole of online comments. The biggest concern it seemed was the increase of taxes. Well, the answer to that is a giant NO. If this passes, your property taxes will not increase. The new arena and pavilion will increase the assessed value of Southbridge, thus, their property taxes will be used to pay back the bonds for building the improvements.
But do you know what will happen if it DOESN’T pass? You property taxes will increase. Yup, you read that correctly. You see… the population of Mason City is shrinking, and with fewer people “pulling the cart” so to speak, YOU will need to cover the additional cost.
Okay, so if property tax money isn’t an issue, what is? The deeper I dug, the more I noticed comments like, “This is the LAST thing Mason City needs.”
Um… okay. So tell me then, how do you propose bringing in the millions of tourism dollars that have been lost in the last few years?
This is the answer. This is the breath of fresh air that Mason City needs to take a step in the right direction of growth and community development.
The Clear Lake Chamber stands behind this vote 100% and encourages the people of Mason City to really think about the future of their city. Get out and vote YES on November 7th!!
For more information go to www.masoncitysaysyes.com or check out the River City Renaissance Project on Facebook.
33 thoughts on “Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce blesses Mason City’s Renaissance Project”
This is the kind of people who want it. She can’t even comb her hair. https://youtu.be/YI_FCuk8GS8?t=12
Sadly misguided. No respect for money, taxes, her neighbors or anybody else opinion.
Most importantly what I have learned from all of this, Government is overstepping it’s intended function. Government has no business getting into building hotels or managing a for profit enterprise like the ice arena.
We want our City Government to take care Water, Sewer, Police, Fire, and Streets. Their focus should be on city services.
Building ice arenas for profit and hotels for profit are out of the scope and expertise of elected officials..
While I want progress I do not want FORCED progress. This whole thing is putting the cart ahead of the horse which is what Mason City always does.
Offer the tax dollars to Employers who will offer decent wages and grow the city properly. Hotels and Ice Arenas will follow naturally on their own without taxpayers paying for them.
I have to vote NO!
Why would we take development advice from a sales clerk? She obviously can’t even comprehend the numbers. Probably fine with $200 shirts, but that’s about it.
Have you noticed that so many of these “spokes people” have very close ties to the Mall and adjacent area?
Like Loni Dirksen, chief cheerleader for the Vote Yes campaign, is an employee of Bergland-Cram architects. And Bergland-Cram recently purchased the old Lapiner building right across the street from the Mall to the east.
Add Austin Peel, who’s at every one of these public meetings. He lives in Clear Lake, and works at Wagner and Wineger Architects, which was bought by Dean Snyder Construction, who will be the contractor if the vote goes through. As soon as DSC finishes their new addition, W & W will move there, so Peel won’t work in Mason City either, but the project will put money right in his pocket.
Tim Coffey, the Clear Lake Chamber director, is married to Pam Bergo, who sells her hideous crappy art out of a shop her family owns on the outside plaza by the mall. If the hotel etc gets built, he’ll benefit directly from it. It will put money right in his pocket, so he talked the CL Chamber into this phony endorsement. They should have looked closer before agreeing, and they should fire him now for dragging them into this conflict of interest mess.
Clear lake doesn’t get a vote and should stay out of our business.
And if they did they would vote YES. Progressive vs Regressive.
Thanks for the laugh! I wouldn’t describe Clear Lake as progressive either. Both towns are very conservative and very adverse to change. I think the difference is Clear Lake is civil about it where Mason City is a circus side show of childish behavior.
Absolutely false and the joke is on you. Clear Lake enthusiastically approved the McKesson project sight unseen and the corp remained anonymous up until the end. That’s beyond progressive its visionary
Clear Lake is not progressive. The town has also been losing population for decades. The attack on its historic building stock over the past decade (to make a parking lot for a bar and a cruddy bank building) is also not something a progressive city would allow.
They certainly have not been good stewards of their legacy but until or unless the lake goes dry they are sitting on a pile of gold. They are just as conniving as the Mason City power brokers but are wise enough to have their pissing contests in private.
Say what you will about Clear Lake. I will say this, CLEAR LAKE HAS VERY HIGH PROPERTY TAXES.
I would say that is REGRESSIVE. I would not want to live there!
My Observation,– Clear Lake has a very low tax rate. 28.29 compared to mason cities 35.62. Clear Lake has the 119th lowest rate of iowas 943 cities. Are you just stating your assumptions as facts? Do some research…
The new arena and pavilion will increase the assessed value of Southbridge, thus, their property taxes will be used to pay back the bonds. Sounds good on paper, but the mall is thousands behind in taxes now so addin more on isn’t a guarantee that they will pay those new taxes.
What you describe is not a risk to the success of this project. If the mall owner fails to pay their property taxes, the city/County will still get 100% of the deliquant money from the tax sale.
Here is corruption 101.
The mall’s assessment has been set artifically low at 1-1/2 million dollars and is currently supposed to pay $48,500 per year. It’s current property value is about 7-8 million. It would cost over 20 million to build.
Our corrupt public officials have set the malls value artifically low to use the difference between the old valuation and the new valuation to pay for Corruptassiance Project.
The TAXPAYERS of Mason City are already being scammed and their tax dollars diverted to create this project
The state auditor should be brought in and this should be investigated. Someone should go to jail!
Hey dummy, the valuation of real property for tax purposes is supposed to be at 100% market value (market value is not construction cost). Since the mall just sold for $1.5M, it’s a pretty easy exercise to determine its fair market value.
Wrong! you are the dummy on this one.
I would be willing to give him 2 million dollars for it right now! If you think the mall’s market value is 1-1/2 million dollars you don’t know anything about real estate.
Then why didn’t you pony up the $2M when it was for sale? Because you don’t have $2M and no lender would give you a little an on a declining by asset like a indoor shopping mall.
I don’t know how more clearly this can be explained to you dullards…For tax purposes, the value of real property is supposed to be set at 100% fair market value. That’s the value a willing seller and willing buyer would agree to (it is not construction cost, it’s not annual revenues).
The mall just sold between a willing seller and a willing buyer for $1.5M dollars. That is it’s fair market value.
Because I was not made aware that the mall was in bankruptcy court.. You can bet your sweet ass Mason City Officials did!
What is a head shaker is the Judge allowed this to go for 1-1/2 million dollars.
That’s what it’s worth! $1.5M was what a willing buyer and seller agreed it’s market value was. What don’t you comprehend about this? The fact you say you would pay $2M is irrelevant. You don’t have $2M and no lender would give you a loan for $2M to buy a indoor shopping mall that operates in the red.
Property taxes are based off market value. Market value is $1.5M
And you don’t have a clue how Assessors set property valuation. I do!
Please enlighten us then. how does the assessor determine taxable value?
A skywalk will suspend over Federal Ave??? they already got it wrong, birds of a feather flock together. sure clear lake wants it they will reap some of the fruit without spending a penny, why wouldn’t they
You are all just pissed because Clear lakers are Winners and I am not just talking about high school football here.
Clear Lake knows how to bring in good industry with good paying jobsto town. The first step to success is a population with a good attitude that looks to the future and doesn’t live in the past.
Mason City is full of negative people that are velcroed to the past and businesses can defenetly see that.
The outcome of this opportunity that is before the voters of Mason City will go a long way to tell potential new bussenesses that are looking to relocate or expand what Mason City is all about, progress of the future or living in the past, it is up to you Mason City. How will you react?
Hard to love your neighbor when they stick their nose in your business. What the hey, Clear Lake isn’t going to get their property taxes raised. It’s Mason City taxpayers that are going to take it in the shorts.
I could care less about Clear Lakes blessing.
Read the article from former city admin pat mcgarvey, that will open your eyes to this!
Clear Lake doesn’t get a vote and should mind their own business. Of course the chamber is for it, they are the ones to gain with nothing in it.
I really don’t trust the POPE either !
If Clear Lake is so enthusiastic about it, why don’t they kick in a few bucks? Same goes for the airport. Know why its not the Mason City Regional Airport, like the Fort Dodge Regional Airport? Because it isn’t. Clear Lake won’t contribute any money for it. Most of the people who use it for their private planes live in Clear Lake, not Mason City, but they want us to pay for it. Same with this. Either put up or shut up, Clear Lake.