MASON CITY – The Mason City council and other officials discussed two possible hotel options for downtown Mason City Wednesday night – but no vote was taken on either option.
The City of Mason City advertised Request for Qualifications (RFQs) to build a Downtown Hotel and Conference Center in cooperation with the Iowa Reinvestment Act program. The City received two responses to the Request for Qualifications (RFQs) in response for a Downtown Hotel and Conference Center. The two statements of qualification are presented below as information to the public.
G8 Development
Gatehouse Capital
At the city council work session and the special council meeting that followedWednesday evening, a citizen who attended told NIT “many people (were) ready to speak, myself included, in favor of Gatehouse, but no opportunity since no vote was being taken. The council itself only got the info 24 hours ago!”
The city disclosed just prior to the meeting that San Diego developer Philip Chodur’s G8 Development had finally procured the necessary financing that had evaded him for years that would supposedly allow him to move forward with building a hotel.
A source told NIT that councilman “Bill Schickel pushed to wait for a vote until the next council meeting… Trout recommending and Bookmeyer pushing G8 … Schoneman and Hickey would vote that way, apparently. Schickel, Lee, and Adams wanted to wait to vote, and seem to favor Gatehouse.”
In connection to the “Renaissance” project that includes the possible hotel, the city is still pursuing an arena in the Southbridge Mall and will seek approval from voters for $18 million in bonds to help build and lease the new structure.
More to come on this developing situation.
A property search identifies 20+ properties owned by Joe Chodur. Many have downtown addresses.
Joe is a realtor with Holtz. Philip is fraud wanting to build a hotel.
Brothers?
Yes.
The city is spending 1.24 million dollars on new heat\ac at city hall. WTH?
They have also budgeted 7 million dollars of your tax money for a in-needed and in-wanted parking garage that has NOT been voted for by the taxpayers. How many firetrucks would that buy? How many new police cars would it buy? How many fees would it cover? Then they want more tax dollars.
With all the questionable actions going on by the Mason City government and the very obvious false statements made by the council about no local tax money being spent, I would hope that a concerned citizen of the town would grow some balls and ask at point blank range to the council’s face what they consider the $500,000 from the county supervisor’s is? It’s obvious that this is 100 percent county taxpayers money!!!
I own the property on 4th and Massachusetts near east park, and chodur owns the property next to mine. I feel like i have watched the city tractors clear his sidewalk more than once. I wonder if he gets a ticket, or if its on the house since hes one of the good old boys trying to use small towns to feed his credit line?
Seems we have witnessed employees of a business on the pedestrian mall clear snow from in front of Mr. Chodur’s vacant store front on an occasion or two, as well.
He has bought a lot of property downtown on speculation contract. How much under the table is difficult to know.
I will tell you this much..city employees cannot hack Joe Chodur. Let’s just say he’s not a “manly” man !
Goggled the bank that Chodur is working with and you find that it is a internet based only bank. Interesting for sure.
WE NEED MORE COWBELL! enough said.
They need to name this project SNAKE OIL
The longer this project drags on, with all its twists and turns, mystery and secrecy, public confidence has plummeted. Just one farce and fiasco after another. This mayor and city administrator need to go.
Why is the city spending our money and time on a project that has not been approved by the voter’s?
Swampland in Florida for sale – possibly motel and parking ramp sites available – How stupid are the brainwashed democrats in Iowa – you lost 25 million on the Mason City Mall of America – now your ready to be smoked and mirrored again – Just like Manly and STERLING ACRES – turned out not SO sterling – Invested a couple of million and gave it to the contractor for work preformed – 2 Homes on that project – part owner of Iowa Northern RR and The contractors relative – no one else can afford it. Both owners are receivers of Manly taxpayer money – Thanks Regan Banks -mayor at that time We see HE’S BACK as city councilman – hope he does’nt think people are stupid enough to make him mayor again – of course the dem’s and deep state will try their best to get their man back in as smokey the mirror man.
Lets take it to a vote. We can end this non-sense NOW. How can the city trust or do business with the Chode now, after all his shenanigans.
I wouldn.t be surprised if Gatehouse sued us, just another lawsuit and more taxpayer $ down the drain…
LAST STRAW! THis project has been a mess from the start and really has little public support and should be ended now. Mr Trout should be fired for incompetence. This farce will not pass the public referendum anyway. We can regroup and get new and less expensive ideas with public input, hopefully with a new mayor and council.
Sorry Matt, but here’s the real story: Gatehouse Capital, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, a well-known, and experienced hotel developer, has been working since August 2016 on a proposed plan to build a hotel in the south parking lot of Southbridge Mall and connect it with a skywalk to The Music Man Square. The hotel would have an indoor pool, fitness center and food and beverage outlets. “The Music Man Square would be converted into a conference center with a 6,500-square-foot ballroom, a 1,500-square-foot banquet/catering kitchen, classrooms and breakout rooms. The streetscape would remain.” But guess what, Trout never informed that public, or city council, about the Gatehouse Capital prospect, NEVER! But what the heck, he told Bookmeyer, and like everything else they held this from us.
I smell favoritism and a possible kickback on Trout and Crookmeyers part. Nothing those two do surprises me.
If this is the case, why was the city council still dealing with Chodur? He didn’t default until Oct 31, 2016, why were they talking to another developer about building when they had an “agreement” with Chodur?
Thank you for that update
Not only did Trout not disclose this, he then tells Gatehouse it is a no go because the City has a lease with Southbridge and must provide 996 parking spaces. This is bullshit, there have never been more than 100 cars in that parking lot and there is a huge empty lot across the street to the west and the south lot isn’t used either. Gatehouse and Snyder construction should sue the City for the hours they have on this project and Trout withholding information. What is the real story with this Chodur guy and why are they sticking with him?
I smell kickback all over the place!
Something really stinks here !