EVANSVILLE - The revised Downtown convention hotel is still pegged for construction in August or September, according to city officials.
Construction blueprints on the five-story, 240-room hotel and parking garage are complete, and lead contractor Hunt Construction of Indianapolis is soliciting bids from subcontractors. Those drawings remain subject to state-level approval, a process city officials said will take about 30 days.
Developer HCW has reapplied to Hilton for a DoubleTree franchise on the hotel property and expects approval in August, said Nick Cirignano, a city attorney. A DoubleTree flag had been granted on the prior 10-story design, but that project last year was deemed too expensive to go forward.
The new design has a ground-level restaurant and bar, conference space and an outdoor swimming pool. The prior design, which had more than 250 rooms, had a rooftop bar and indoor pool.
City officials say the new design is on a $60.85 million budget.
The new construction drawings were hauled into Tuesday's Redevelopment Commission meeting, although they did not require a vote by that panel, and no discussion about the drawings was listed on the meeting agenda.
Cheryl Musgrave, a Redevelopment Commission meeting member who questions the city government's ability to pay its $20 million share of the hotel project, said the drawings were brought to the meeting for the media's benefit, but not that of the general public.
"This was a media event — just for you," Musgrave said. " ... This was kept from the public. I'm offended by the lack of transparency."
Randy Alsman, president of the Redevelopment Commission, said he did not learn until late Monday that hotel construction drawings would be brought to Tuesday's meeting, but they are available to anyone wanting to see them.
"What was done here today was to let the public know they're here, and they're available," Alsman said.
Steve Schaefer, chief of staff to Mayor Lloyd Winnecke, said he received notice last weekend that the construction drawings were complete, and he notified City Council President Dan Adams.
"We brought the plans to the ERC meeting to let the world know the plans are done," Schaefer said.
Also Tuesday:
Department of Metropolitan Development staff told the Redevelopment Commission there has been no interest yet from anyone interested in leasing the former CVS building at 800 N. Main St. The city bought the building for $535,000 as part of a plan to renovate North Main Street with a protected bicycle path, a new parking map and streetscape work.
The CVS property is envisioned as a public, off-street parking area in the North Main Street redesign, but city officials said they would also gauge community interest in leasing the building.
The Redevelopment Commission voted 5-0 to hire Nick Jahn of VS Engineering — an Indianapolis company with an Evansville office — to coordinate all utility relocation, traffic and related tasks as the Downtown hotel and medical campus projects.
Jahn's fee for a year is not to exceed $113,320, and he is to be paid on a billable basis.
"He's going to make sure all trains run on time," said Kelley Coures, Department of Metropolitan Development director. "He will work with the sewer department, Vectren, so that all that work is coordinated and all falls through the same timeline."