The siting of the 400 million dollar Medical Mart/Convention Center project is now said to be down to "location... location... location," with the addition of a third possible placement at East 55th and Chester. Both Crain's Cleveland Business and the Plain Dealer are reporting that County Commissioner Tim Hagan is floating that site in the wake of potential problems at both Tower City and the old Convention Center. Hagan's colleague Peter Lawson Jones says he doesn't want to rush into a decision he'll regret later.
JONES: It's very critical that we find the right site for the Medical Mart/Convention Center complex. Yes, we want to move quickly, but I can't say there is a specific deadline.
Jones says he'd like to see the Medical Mart up and running within two years and the convention center within a year. Attorney Fred Nance who heads the site selection committee is staying tight-lipped about the three sites while a cost benefit analysis is underway.