There's an interesting debate to be had regarding the extending the skywalk,. I'm particularly interested in the Lake Ave extension because I work in the Technology Village and see the benefits of being able to walk indoors, however my place of work will not directly benefit from increased foot traffic to our office. It will be nice for visitors to be able to park in our ramp and the only time they would "have to spend outdoors" will be from their car, to the elevator.
I haven't found any great maps showing the exact plans but will be interested to see how this progresses and the effects in our building. I know there are people on both sides of the fence but could see businesses in the Tech Village asking for security to be increased. They are already on high alert with the warnings of robberies in Kenwood, stabbings in Hermantown.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Duluth Omnimax On Its Way Out?
First Lehman Brothers, then GM, now the Duluth Omnimax. This is a good thing, a separating of wheat from chaff. They've been operating at a loss since their first year, according to the DNT story below, and besides, an IMAX theater contributes little to sustainable growth in the city regardless. It was tourist bait to begin with, and tourists never bit. Ho hum. The DECC can devote its resources to more profitable ventures now.
If they were smart they'd nip the Hockey Hall of Fame talk in the bud, though, which sounds like Failed Tourist Trap Redux.
Duluth's Omnimax may be near end
By: Brandon Stahl , Duluth News Tribune
When it opened in 1996, attendance at the Duluth Omnimax Theater exceeded expectations — for about two months. Since then, the 270-seat theater has never lived up to its billing, and has operated in the red for several years. With another shortfall predicted for 2008, Dan Russell, the director of the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center, said when the lease is up in 2011, the Omnimax is likely to be turned into something else. “Obviously, I wish the numbers were doing better,” he said. “As we look back, despite the feasibility reports, Duluth probably isn’t big enough to support a full IMAX theater.” Initial estimates said the theater would draw 220,000 to 270,000 visitors a year, according to officials cited in News Tribune stories during its planning. But in its first full year of operation, it instead drew only a little more than 194,000 visitors, its biggest year. Attendance and sales have dropped steadily since then, with budget numbers from the DECC showing the theater projected to take on a $1,000 loss this year. That will be at least its fourth straight year of losses dating back to 2005, totaling $200,690. “To be honest with you,” Russell told the Duluth City Council last Monday, “we’re just hanging on.” Russell said Duluth’s IMAX theater isn’t the only one having financial problems. Indeed, according to IMAX’s SEC filings, the company’s revenue and stock prices have been plunging. IMAX spokeswoman Sarah Gormley said, the company is experiencing “unprecedented growth” with 240 theaters expected in North America by the end of the 2010, triple the number from 2007. “Duluth’s IMAX theatre is not operated by IMAX Corporation, but we consider them to be a good partner and look forward to working with them,” she wrote in an e-mail. Russell cited two reasons for the local theater’s disappointing performance: competition for the same audience from the Great Lakes Aquarium and the Lakes 10 Theater. But, Russell noted Lakes 10 brings $200,000 a year to the DECC, helping to offset losses from the Omnimax. What would be next for the theater if it closed? Russell said that’s still up in the air, but early talk centers around expanding Lakes 10. It also has been mentioned as a new location for the Hockey Hall of Fame, Russell said. “We have a very valuable asset in a perfect location with plenty of parking,” he said. “There are many options to do with the space that will contribute revenues to the DECC for years to come.” Russell said next year should bring more attendance as “Mysteries of the Great Lakes,” which includes footage of Lake Superior, opens in February.
If they were smart they'd nip the Hockey Hall of Fame talk in the bud, though, which sounds like Failed Tourist Trap Redux.
Duluth's Omnimax may be near end
By: Brandon Stahl , Duluth News Tribune
When it opened in 1996, attendance at the Duluth Omnimax Theater exceeded expectations — for about two months. Since then, the 270-seat theater has never lived up to its billing, and has operated in the red for several years. With another shortfall predicted for 2008, Dan Russell, the director of the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center, said when the lease is up in 2011, the Omnimax is likely to be turned into something else. “Obviously, I wish the numbers were doing better,” he said. “As we look back, despite the feasibility reports, Duluth probably isn’t big enough to support a full IMAX theater.” Initial estimates said the theater would draw 220,000 to 270,000 visitors a year, according to officials cited in News Tribune stories during its planning. But in its first full year of operation, it instead drew only a little more than 194,000 visitors, its biggest year. Attendance and sales have dropped steadily since then, with budget numbers from the DECC showing the theater projected to take on a $1,000 loss this year. That will be at least its fourth straight year of losses dating back to 2005, totaling $200,690. “To be honest with you,” Russell told the Duluth City Council last Monday, “we’re just hanging on.” Russell said Duluth’s IMAX theater isn’t the only one having financial problems. Indeed, according to IMAX’s SEC filings, the company’s revenue and stock prices have been plunging. IMAX spokeswoman Sarah Gormley said, the company is experiencing “unprecedented growth” with 240 theaters expected in North America by the end of the 2010, triple the number from 2007. “Duluth’s IMAX theatre is not operated by IMAX Corporation, but we consider them to be a good partner and look forward to working with them,” she wrote in an e-mail. Russell cited two reasons for the local theater’s disappointing performance: competition for the same audience from the Great Lakes Aquarium and the Lakes 10 Theater. But, Russell noted Lakes 10 brings $200,000 a year to the DECC, helping to offset losses from the Omnimax. What would be next for the theater if it closed? Russell said that’s still up in the air, but early talk centers around expanding Lakes 10. It also has been mentioned as a new location for the Hockey Hall of Fame, Russell said. “We have a very valuable asset in a perfect location with plenty of parking,” he said. “There are many options to do with the space that will contribute revenues to the DECC for years to come.” Russell said next year should bring more attendance as “Mysteries of the Great Lakes,” which includes footage of Lake Superior, opens in February.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
New Fuse Duluth Study Results in Shoulder-Shrugging All Around
Survey: Duluth is nice, but lacks jobs, vibrant social scene
By: Patrick Garmoe , Duluth News Tribune
Fuse Duluth's survey of area young professionals was released this week. A new survey shows that while young professionals think highly of their quality of life in Duluth, they wish the city was more business-friendly and offered a more vibrant after-hours scene. That was the bottom line from the second annual survey of 217 young professionals primarily in their 20s and 30s, many of whom are part of Fuse Duluth, the local business organization geared toward those generally between ages 20 and 40. The survey results were released this week. Eric Hill, 37, one of the respondents of the survey, wasn’t surprised that more than 75 percent of those surveyed didn’t think Duluth provided a broad choice of places to work or an entrepreneur-friendly environment. Hill said that stems in part from people too often trying to compare us to the Twin Cities. “Duluth is not a bustling hub of activity like Minneapolis,” he said. So here there’s generally fewer places to work and more people who remain at those jobs longer, leading to younger workers not able to advance as quickly. “One of the big pulls of the big city is their infinite possibilities,” said Drew Digby, a Northeast Minnesota labor analyst with the Department of Employment and Economic Development. “We’re right on that cusp of being a town the size where it’s hard to have choices for professionals in every area.” Digby said some of the older business leaders in town at times take a negative attitude toward new business ideas, which probably plays into people’s perceptions of Duluth as an unfriendly place for entrepreneurs. Hill said that while the area might not have as many jobs, that lack is offset by other benefits such as short commutes and close proximity to the outdoors. “You get a lot of value without having to deal with a lot of the big headaches of a larger city like Minneapolis,” Hill said. The community’s “vitality” also is considered lacking by slightly more than half of those who responded. That figure didn’t surprise Digby. “We don’t have lots of great ‘third places,’ ” he said, defined as meeting spots like bowling alleys, coffee shops and parks where lots of people interact outside of work and home life. While the Lakewalk is a third place, because a lot of people congregate on or by the Lakewalk, many trails and parks in the city are geared toward the solitary hiker, Digby said. Hill thinks there’s a lack of spots where people in their 20s and 30s who don’t want to hang out in a bar can go. Digby appreciated that 59 percent of respondents considered the area a diverse place where lots of residents get involved in community life, saying it’s an important factor showing the city is open to future growth and change. “We’re definitely above average for a town our size,” he said.
I'm still not sure what it is these guys do exactly other than do surveys that tell us what we already know, but after two of these it's apparent that they don't have any solutions. Most dismaying is that they don't seem to have any advice for what the community at large can or should do to promote growth in Duluth. The main issues Fuse points to are those relating to perception, not to actual growth. People need to stop comparing Duluth to Minneapolis, older residents shouldn't perceive younger generations as a threat and they should try to see growth as a good thing. Maybe that's been the problem all along, we should imagine we're in a much smaller town and just let the icing flow when we're pleasantly surprised.
By: Patrick Garmoe , Duluth News Tribune
Fuse Duluth's survey of area young professionals was released this week. A new survey shows that while young professionals think highly of their quality of life in Duluth, they wish the city was more business-friendly and offered a more vibrant after-hours scene. That was the bottom line from the second annual survey of 217 young professionals primarily in their 20s and 30s, many of whom are part of Fuse Duluth, the local business organization geared toward those generally between ages 20 and 40. The survey results were released this week. Eric Hill, 37, one of the respondents of the survey, wasn’t surprised that more than 75 percent of those surveyed didn’t think Duluth provided a broad choice of places to work or an entrepreneur-friendly environment. Hill said that stems in part from people too often trying to compare us to the Twin Cities. “Duluth is not a bustling hub of activity like Minneapolis,” he said. So here there’s generally fewer places to work and more people who remain at those jobs longer, leading to younger workers not able to advance as quickly. “One of the big pulls of the big city is their infinite possibilities,” said Drew Digby, a Northeast Minnesota labor analyst with the Department of Employment and Economic Development. “We’re right on that cusp of being a town the size where it’s hard to have choices for professionals in every area.” Digby said some of the older business leaders in town at times take a negative attitude toward new business ideas, which probably plays into people’s perceptions of Duluth as an unfriendly place for entrepreneurs. Hill said that while the area might not have as many jobs, that lack is offset by other benefits such as short commutes and close proximity to the outdoors. “You get a lot of value without having to deal with a lot of the big headaches of a larger city like Minneapolis,” Hill said. The community’s “vitality” also is considered lacking by slightly more than half of those who responded. That figure didn’t surprise Digby. “We don’t have lots of great ‘third places,’ ” he said, defined as meeting spots like bowling alleys, coffee shops and parks where lots of people interact outside of work and home life. While the Lakewalk is a third place, because a lot of people congregate on or by the Lakewalk, many trails and parks in the city are geared toward the solitary hiker, Digby said. Hill thinks there’s a lack of spots where people in their 20s and 30s who don’t want to hang out in a bar can go. Digby appreciated that 59 percent of respondents considered the area a diverse place where lots of residents get involved in community life, saying it’s an important factor showing the city is open to future growth and change. “We’re definitely above average for a town our size,” he said.
I'm still not sure what it is these guys do exactly other than do surveys that tell us what we already know, but after two of these it's apparent that they don't have any solutions. Most dismaying is that they don't seem to have any advice for what the community at large can or should do to promote growth in Duluth. The main issues Fuse points to are those relating to perception, not to actual growth. People need to stop comparing Duluth to Minneapolis, older residents shouldn't perceive younger generations as a threat and they should try to see growth as a good thing. Maybe that's been the problem all along, we should imagine we're in a much smaller town and just let the icing flow when we're pleasantly surprised.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)