The view from the Idea Center

If you were building a new home, would you settle on a site without knowing how the location might affect the final price tag?

If you were a banker , would you give a loan to a potential home builder without getting an estimate on the costs?

I imagine your answer to both hypothetical scenarios would be “no.”

At a Monday Cleveland City Council committee meeting, councilmembers expressed similar sentiments about the  city’s plan to build a new police headquarters on a nearly-vacant, 10-acre site along the Opportunity Corridor that’s under construction on Cleveland’s East Side.

As ideastream’s Nick Castele reported, council members pressed officials from Mayor Frank Jackson’s administration for details, including how much the new headquarters would cost.

They didn’t know.

“Is it prudent for us to lock into a location if we don’t know the cost?” Ward 12 Councilman Anthony Brancatelli asked.

City officials said they’d know more once they get an idea of what the police department wants and needs. Currently, city officials are talking about a campus-like setting that would consolidate police operations, offer space for community events and provide ample parking.

Chief Calvin Williams has suggested the site offered the police department “a clean slate.”

Council members, meanwhile, seem worried about a blank check.
 

See you bright and early tomorrow morning on the radio,
Amy Eddings

Need to KnOH

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Your ideas

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