Make Convention Hall Modest, Affordable

So now we redesign. In July 2007, Architect Martin Kimmel, of Kimmel Bogrette, brought five possible floor plans to the Convention Hall Committee meeting. He returned to the Committee with two redesigned plans, both showing an exterior that would have looked at home here at the turn of the last century. In August 2007, the Convention Hall Committee selected the façade with a 1917 flair.
Option 1 floor plan featured four retail stores with a great hall of 8,500 square feet—just slightly larger than the current hall—just about keeping the same footprint. He offered another option for a limited second story. At that time, the cost of the single story, option one convention hall would be $6.7 million, and adding a second floor would increase costs $1.5 million to $2.2 million.
We had a Convention Hall Committee working to ensure the plans would not jeopardize our historical status. As far as I know, Cape May is still on the watch list. Are we not? And. What is the status of the CRDA $3-million grant?
With all these delays and missteps has the City lost that option? What was wrong with these options presented by the architect? Very little. According to the Architect Kimmel, there was a slight disadvantage to the entranceway located on the side of the facility and the building would not be symmetrical. What happened next?
The referendum group ran door-to-door to put it on the ballot to obtain signatures and we all know who signed it first. This was the first significant delay. Then, the special interest groups wanted more and more. A bigger, better, and modern design—more seats, more stage, more this, and more that. The community building became a performing arts center. We were denied the CAFRA permit because the building was too big. What is wrong with this picture? Plenty.
We have delayed the construction; delayed the use for our families; delayed the shopkeepers and business people from the income that would be generated; delayed the use of our community groups and the potential use for our visitors.
We lost money on the rental income from the Solarium when every penny counts in the budget for the taxpayers. The referendum vote was sold to us in the midst of one of the largest collapses in our economy since the Great Depression.
If we had gone forward with the Convention Hall in August 2007, the town would be opening the Convention Hall this Fourth of July.
We do not need to look around and cast blame. We do not need to redesign this building. This is all past and done. What we do need to do is obtain the original designs for a modest, affordable, and sustainable Convention Hall and community center for Cape May.
JAMES WYATT
Cape May