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Crains
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Username: Crains

Post Number: 8
Registered: 08-2007
Posted on Tuesday, August 14, 2007 - 1:10 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Talks for Palace Sports & Entertainment to buy a 90 percent stake in the operation of Freedom Hill Amphitheater in Sterling Heights look unlikely to restart before 2008 after recent developments in a federal lawsuit over the venue.
http://crainsdetroit.com/apps/ pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070813 /SUB/708130349
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Raptor56
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Username: Raptor56

Post Number: 31
Registered: 05-2007
Posted on Tuesday, August 14, 2007 - 1:20 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I don't think the Hillside guys would know what to do with themselves if they weren't involved in some sort of lawsuit. Between the City, the County, and Palace, they've been tied up for about 5 years now. Lot's of free news article advertising though.
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3rdworldcity
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Username: 3rdworldcity

Post Number: 871
Registered: 01-2005
Posted on Tuesday, August 14, 2007 - 1:28 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

The "Hillside guys" (Joe Vicari of Andiamo et al) have made millions as a result of favorable judgements in their lawsuits, primarily from Sterling Heights. Good for them. It's good for all of us that some of these arrogant municipalities who could care less about the law get whacked now and then.
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Raptor56
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Username: Raptor56

Post Number: 32
Registered: 05-2007
Posted on Tuesday, August 14, 2007 - 1:53 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I've been following the saga off and on over the past number of years. Sterling Heights City Council got poopooed by a small group freedom hill neighborhood residents for not keeping the noise requirements much above a whisper. As a result the former city manager decided to mount his high horse and make life difficult for Hillside. Problem was, the city already agreed to and signed a contract. can't renig. Rather than settle a losing battle, the city litigated the heck out of it and withheld a liquor license. Once that was all done (hefty chunk of money from SH), the money strapped Macomb County decided they wanted to keep most of the parking revenue for themselves, even though Hillside was in charge of staffing the parking lot and collecting the fees. There was also some sort of contract issue going on with that as well. More litigation. In the mean time, the parking issue was the straw that broke the Palace Entertainment merger's back. Of and that former Sh city manager is no longer employed with Sterling Heights. Something about false education degrees on his resume. I think he now works for some down river city.

Personally I am happy to see business owners standing up for themselves under the weight of over bearing cities.

On a similar note, anyone know what the current state of Troy Hooters liquor license is?
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Gistok
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Username: Gistok

Post Number: 5094
Registered: 08-2004
Posted on Tuesday, August 14, 2007 - 2:15 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

If Palace Entertainments were to get control of Freedom Hill, it would give them control of all the outdoor concert venues in the metro area outside of Detroit (DTE, Meadowbrook & Freedom Hill).
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Sirrealone
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Username: Sirrealone

Post Number: 25
Registered: 01-2007
Posted on Wednesday, August 15, 2007 - 3:08 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Until a couple of months ago, I lived about a mile away from the venue so I followed the goings on closely.

The $30,000,000 award was ridiculous. I agree that the city took things too far with trying to cut down on the noise, but there is NO WAY that the lost income totaled $30m. The award was another example of people taking advantage of the legal system in the country. The award should have probably been a few million. I mean, really, did their bottom line suffer $30,000,000 by not getting to sell drinks for a summer?

I actually didn't realize that the owners were the same owners as Andiamo. That might make me re-think giving them our business. The fact that they keep suing everybody, after already making more money than they probably thought possible on the first lawsuit, just shows greed.

Let's put it this way, these business owners do not appear to be "suffering" one bit so I'd re-think how much sympathy they get.

Hooters in Troy was settled and they have their license, btw. They were able to transfer the license from the old John R location rather than transfer the old Wagon Wheel license. They also had to take down all the signage away from the building, and make the signs on the building smaller.
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Wash_man
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Username: Wash_man

Post Number: 465
Registered: 05-2006
Posted on Wednesday, August 15, 2007 - 8:56 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

"Hooters in Troy was settled and they have their license, btw. They were able to transfer the license from the old John R location rather than transfer the old Wagon Wheel license. They also had to take down all the signage away from the building, and make the signs on the building smaller."

...and tear down the outdoor deck so the Hooter girls wouldn't be seen outside.
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Wash_man
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Username: Wash_man

Post Number: 466
Registered: 05-2006
Posted on Wednesday, August 15, 2007 - 8:59 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I think Gary Roncelli owns most of Hillside. He has mega cash. Roncelli Construction (new building at GM Tech Center, church in Detroit on Grand River, etc.) that's him.

(Message edited by wash_man on August 15, 2007)
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Gistok
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Username: Gistok

Post Number: 5113
Registered: 08-2004
Posted on Wednesday, August 15, 2007 - 9:31 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

3WC, unfortunately, it's the arrogant folks like former Sterling Heights City Manager Steve DuShene that (mostly) caused the problems, then leaves (he was booted for falsifying his resume), and then the taxpaying voters are stuck with higher assessments in order to pay off the lawsuit.

It's one of the reasons I don't like the unelected "City Manager" form of municipal government. They are only accountable to the city council, and not directly to the voters.

Of course that's not to say that the same scenario can't happen under a strong mayoral form of municipal government. Just look at Detroit!
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Mikeg
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Username: Mikeg

Post Number: 1082
Registered: 12-2005
Posted on Wednesday, August 15, 2007 - 11:09 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I think that the responsibility for the Freedom Hill fiasco can be laid at the feet of:
- the Macomb County Parks and Recreation Commission and the Macomb County Commission itself, for turning a small, passive park on the banks of the Red Run into a commercialized operation. The City of Sterling Hts and the County were at odds on the intense development of this park from the get-go.
- the city staffer who drafted the Sterling Hts. noise ordinance and failed to stipulate the appropriate dB scale to be used in taking noise measurements
- the SH City Council which took the Hillside lawsuit personally and failed to settle out of court to cut their losses, like they typically do on rezoning and other issues. The thought they would win, and took a big gamble and eventually lost, big-time.

The only blame for Steve DuChane in all this should be for letting the faulty noise ordinance get approved by City Council.
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Raptor56
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Username: Raptor56

Post Number: 47
Registered: 05-2007
Posted on Friday, August 17, 2007 - 2:10 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Part of the justification for the $30,000,000 reward was not only the loss in ticket sales, but the loss of cash from the deal with Palace Entertainment that fell through due to the various lawsuits and circumstances. Personally I think it was a big mistake in general taking this former park with a nice sled hill and turning it into Pine Knob Jr. Adding a small band shell ala Dodge Park (also in Sterling Heights) would have kept the "parkness" while adding additional entertainment and value to the area.
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Sirrealone
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Username: Sirrealone

Post Number: 29
Registered: 01-2007
Posted on Friday, August 17, 2007 - 3:42 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

So now that the deal appears to be going through after all, albeit a couple of years later, do you think they'll be giving that portion of the $30mil back to the city?

Didn't think so.

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