Business
G-BAD Losing Streak Intact
October 22, 2008 
The G-Bad Boys at the Greater Boise Auditorium District got hold of a new reporter at the Daily Paper and were able to lull him into publishing “disinformation,” about the need for a new convention center.
District Manager Pat Rice was quoted saying there is a great demand for an expanded convention center. He claimed the Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association was forced to hold its annual meeting in Salt Lake City due to space limitations. NOT TRUE.
Somebody got it wrong. The GUARDIAN checked with the Outfitters & Guides and learned the group has NEVER held a meeting in Salt Lake. Their last meeting was at the Riverside Hotel in Garden City.
When the GUARDIAN noted the Center On The Grove had more space available than the hotel, a spokesman for the Outfitters said, “Not AFFORDABLE space. The prices down there at the Center On The Grove are OUTRAGEOUS!”
The G-BAD has failed in every attempt to build a convention center and conducted an illegal ad campaign using public tax money to promote passage of a bond. The Idaho Supreme Court ruled the use of public money to promote one side of a ballot measure is not in the public purpose.
Voters have twice turned down bond proposals and each private developer that has been involved with the group has pulled out. The latest delay is due to an “undisclosed illness” of developer John Q. Hammons. Hammons is probably suffering the same upset stomach as the rest of the development community.
At least he didn’t blame it on a crooked stock broker in Paris like the Frenchman did at Tamarack.
The District had announced grandiose plans to offer up public assets to the hotelier as part of a “private public partnership.” Until developers are willing to put up their own cash and not rely on concessions and use of public assets, we are sure to see more failures like the BOISE PIT at 8th and Main, Tamarack Resort, and all those “planned communities” that aren’t.
AFTERNOON UPDATE–Looks like the Daily Paper reporter is going to take a lump or two on this one…got too much info tossed at him and not enough comprehension.
THURSDAY UPDATE–Statesman ran a correction fessing up that the reporter got it wrong. The name of the group that didn’t rent space was America Outdoors, a trade association, not the Idaho Outfitters. As noted by a reader, the national boat show, the Republican National Convention and the International Car show also have not rented convention space in Boise.
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Comments & Discussion
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Oct 22, 2008, 10:06 am
Not only is demand down but travel down, which means attracting outsiders to Idaho conventions will be touch. Don’t belive me? Here is a note from the equity firm Kauffman Brothers: “Yesterday after the close American Express, the world’s largest business travel agent, reported a significant slowdown in business travel volume, a view echoed by the 2nd-largest agent Carlson Wagonlit and confirmed by a recent survey of corporate travel buyers. “
Oct 22, 2008, 10:47 am
“…Voters have twice turned down bond proposals…”
You mean voters have failed to meet super-majority requirements, don’t you?
Oct 22, 2008, 11:10 am
Hammons is probably suffering Hole-In-Wallet Syndrome.
As the daily pointed out, the existing hotels are suffering from too many competitors chasing to few customers. Not exactly the time to be dishing out millions of bucks in an out of the way market in the middle of a recession.
Oct 22, 2008, 11:40 am
Cynic, why does that matter? Under current election laws, more people didn’t want the issue to pass than wanted it to pass.
If the Center On the Grove was filled to capacity and couldn’t accept any more meetings/conventions/parties/activities, that would make a stronger case for the new convention center. However, that isn’t the case. Local hotel owners are screaming we are overbuilt relative to hotel rooms. Have you ever noticed why there is a “slug” of new hotels just west of Eagle? You think it may be to avoid the Boise City Hotel Tax? How many more activities could be attracted to Boise if the Grove made their rates more “realistic”? How many more would be attracted if the CCDC started offering “partnership” deals with the Grove? What about utilizing the current hotel owners rather than just giving someone a “list”? How many members of the DBA would benefit from “catering” a little more to convention attendees, as opposed to the “here comes the cruise ship” mentality they have now. When there is NOTHING additional that can be done to utilize the existing convention facilities, THEN come to the voters! Until that time, roll up your sleeves down there in the “convention centerland of Boise” and get to work!!
Oct 22, 2008, 1:55 pm
Cynic–
On the first G-BAD bond election, they didn’t get even a simple majority. When they did the illegal campaign funding with tax dollars they got a majority, but not the constitutionally mandated 2/3.
In defense of the Guardian, the super majority is a very LOGICAL requirement because if at first they don’t succeed, they can try try again. Once it passes, there is no opportunity to repeal a bond. That’s why it is SUPPOSED to be difficult to pass.
The dis information in the Statesman is a good example of WHY safeguards like a 2/3 are needed.
Oct 22, 2008, 3:19 pm
G-Bad should first get prostitution legalized in Boise or at least de-criminalized. They would have a better case for building a convention center.Our hotels would fill up fast. Oh,and to compete with Portland OR convention center, get full on nudie strip clubs that serve alcohol leaglized. I don’t see the family values conventioneers knocking Boise doors down.
Oct 22, 2008, 3:26 pm
John Q Hammonds was also the original developer for the downtown hotel. Instead the Grove Hotel was constructed by West Coast Hotels (?). I remember Hammonds dithering back then, is he in, is he out – always asking for yet another concession.
It’s not surprising that this hotel is on hold as well.
Oct 23, 2008, 2:18 am
Well, despite all you cynics and nay-sayers, I know there are thousands of people all over the world right now planning their next big connections for whenever their economic situation improves a bit.
I can hear the moderators of meetings saying, “OK, sales are up, profits are up, and we’ve just received corporate board-level approval for a convention, and we can go anywhere we want to.
“For example, we could go to Las Vegas, Nevada, or Atlantic City, New Jersey, or Honolulu, Hawaii, or Boise, Idaho, or …(Interrupted by shouts of “Boise, Boise, we want to go to Boise; you don’t need to list any more, we want to go to Boise, Boise, Boise!)
Honest. I can actually hear them.
Of course, I also can hear Santa chewing out his elves for not working fast enough, and the Tooth Fairy saying, “What the hell am I supposed to do with all these old teeth I’ve collected?” and Jesus saying to his Dad, “Well, Allah, your peace earth plans didn’t work out too well, did they? So now what — and if you think I’m going back down there to try again, forget it.”
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go feed the Easter bunny.
Oct 24, 2008, 2:15 pm
How about an underground convention center, resort and planned community with the entrance at the hole/BOISE PIT at 8th and Main?
One of the National or International Car Shows in Boise would be excellent! Many beautiful cars and women under one roof or in one area!
Oct 24, 2008, 4:03 pm
Many give the airlines 3 years before they all go bankrupt and most air travel ceases to exist.
Oil prices will start to climb again soon since the speculative froth has been removed, and ‘Peak Oil’ will make the long term outlook for any sort of mechanized travel bleak.
Maybe we could go ahead with the new ‘convention center’ and just equip it to handle the masses of homeless, jobless people that will be created in the coming months.