Parkview Park
Posted by Jeff Pruitt - 9/11/08 @ 4:22 pm - Filed Under Featured, Local Politics
What’s Going Down(town) (via Common Sensibilities) reports that the naming rights to the Harrison Square baseball stadium have been sold to Parkview for $300k/year.
This is definitely good news but it’s unfortunate the city put the $300k number into the management agreement as that essentially defined the worth of the rights to potential bidders. That part of the contract should have been kept confidential and who knows, maybe the city would’ve received $500k or more.
Either way, the fact that they got a deal is good news. For those of you wondering, per the agreement, half of the money will go to Hardball Capital and the other half will go into a stadium maintenance fund…
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35 Responses to “Parkview Park”
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I am so outraged by this I have to calm down before I have one more stroke. I will be back later.
Not sure what made you so angry - perhaps my capitulation on HS has mellowed my attitude toward the project…
I am going to try and stay cool about this.
1-Parkview is a not for profit. They pay no property taxes on millions of dollars in buildings. Luthern does.
2-Parkview gets additional tax abatements as partners in a number of doctor office buildings here in Fort Wayne. Luthern does not.
3- $300,000 would provide thousands of seniors with yearly supplies of drugs that they can not afford on SS and small retirement incomes, even with Medicare.
4- $300,000 would supply tens of thousands of home bound meals and the ways of delivering them.
5- A fraction of that would allow PTC to continue some bus service to those who have it as their only mode of transporation.
6- Provide some help to the thousands of patients who have insurance but the coverage does not cover everything. What is left Parkview has no problem of sending the remaining balance to collection agency. Which hurts the person’s credit rating. We won’t talk about how quick these collection companies will sue someone and attach their wages. BTW, Parkview splits what the agency recovers.
7- This would cover 5,000 of those who don’t have as much or are laid off, with utility bills.
8- Try sending 70 kids to Ivy Tech for a year.
9- Provide Indiana/Purdue with grant money for additional research.
10- You would think their cost of services would be a fair amount less then for profit Luthern. It is not. Why? Because they are top heavy in management. If they where for profit they would get purchased in a heartbeat, gutted of the over loaded top management, and resold at a huge profit.
11- Buy unknown number of portable heart defibs to stock public buildings.
12- Help buy fire gear for all the volunteer fire departments that are in their market area.
I could go on and on but I think you get the picture.
Fort Wayne PD rolls a great deal of cars on any call that Parkview calls in. They pay nothing.
Fort Wayne FD rolls a huge amount of equipment everytime an alarm goes off. They pay nothing.
What happen to the C of C that said every business supported this project. They could not form a group of members to fund this and call it C of C Field.
What happened to Sweetwater? I thought their President/Owner was one who spoke that this was a much needed project. Guess his profit line stops at his pocket.
What happened to all promoters who, with great glee, dropped the name of the company they owned or ran?
What happened to ALCO? What happened to Tower Bank?
I think I rasied crap about it when Parkview leased a sky box as being wrong. Well it has gotten bigger.
I am not sure but they may even get additional tax breaks over for profit companies with regards to Indiana and the IRS taxes. I do not know so I will let it slide.
I’m with Jeff (surprise!). 300 seems a little low to me.
Just the facts J.Q.
I love your post!
Welcome to the new order…Socialism.
What a crock! A local non-profit who has been in the process of moving OUTSIDE the Fort Wayne city limits! They are leaving very little at their State St. address. So what was so wrong about a ballpark that was easy to get to, had plenty of parking, and was paid for? I remember when Parkview (at that time it was Methodist Hospital) was located within 4 blocks of our unnecessary new stadium. Doesn’t PARKVIEW STADIUM sound dumb? $300,000 per year out of your pockets if you use Parkview. I say DON”T USE THEM - We have at least three non-Parkview options - Lutheran, St. Joe and DuPont - I sure will avoid any Parkview visits during the rest of my life - AND YOU SHOULD TOO!
You know you do have a choice of whether to form a non-profit or not…
I too will avoid Parkview visits the rest of my life . . . and any other hospital for that mattter. But I couldn’t care less if they secured the naming rights to a ball park. In fact, it sounds to me like they are using the agreement to create an opportunity to provide health information, services and good dietary options to the public at a very visible venue. Kudos to Parkview for thinking of new ways to reach out to today’s public and youth and hopefully help them make better decisions that will reverse the ever growing waistlines, cholesterol and blood pressure of our region. Oh yeah, and I think it’s officially going to be called “Parkview Field.”
[...] Parkview Park (Fort Wayne Politics) [...]
Chad - You are so involved with professional baseball that I am surprised you would make a statement like you did - linking any activity of any level of professional baseball to “public and youth — making better decisions” about lifestyles. The use of drugs for enhancement of athletic prowess in baseball has been very much in the opposite direction.
And what about the medical insurance organizations - are they “on-board” with paying bills for their insured members when a provider is handing out income in this manner?
I don’t see how you can say this is all for good.
I am still in a rant about this…..
Let us see. Parkview’s income comes from insurance companies, taxpayers via patients, medicare, and medicad…..
Let see Alco is going to supply beer to the park. Alco had enough money for a sky box. Alco sales a product that is known to cause drinking problems for some. Often drinking problems result in health problems. Parkview treats those health problems. Nice full circle outside of who pays for the health care of the person with the drinking problems that ends up in the hospital….
Just think $300,000 divided by $10 equals 30,000. Divide the 30,000 by 4 equals 7,500. That is how many people they could supply a full year of off patent drugs from Wally World… Keep in mind Wally offers many drugs for $10 for 90 day supply
We could build five Habitat homes a year in the Renn. area a year. With the reduced payments coming back in that in ten years they could be building six or seven homes a year….
What the sad thing is we will all go to the vote the next time all these clowns run and vote for them again because they have a damn “D” or “R” next to their name. Maybe we deserve this crap because we end up endorsing it….
Hay Jeff, now you understand why I am a tad ticked off?
PS - You Democrats are stupid in the Gov race. There is two things out there you guys are missing that would rattle Mitch and the voters. No, I am not going to say what they are because I am scared JLT will go through the cash reserve the state has built up but then again I think Mitch has screwed us in the long run. Just wait until after the election for that one to drop.
Oh, did you see some of the clowns down state are proposing adding sales tax to services and do away from all property taxes. Just think business will no longer be paying property taxes. Now that is a nice thought….
Can you see your $50,000 hosptial bill having an extra $7,000 added to it… Enjoy
Kevin, see I have issues with both sides.
This is all crazy. What the hell does Hardball Capital care? In Fact, what does the Mayor, City or County Council care about ethics?
JQ,
I knew there would be people upset about Parkview’s not for profit status. I approached this post from the point of view of the city and for the city this was good news.
Although I do think they mismanaged the contract by putting the $300k number in it.
Jeff, this is the present city mis-management, that has allowed the Baseball Stadium to acheive the next step in “our Hardball Capital/Parkview
Baseball Stadium.”
It’s time to open the finance books and see
who is accountabile for this dream. And please,
show us the sources to owns the Baseball Stadium.
I think the public wants to know.
Parkview is a private entity. What they do with their own money is their own business. I do wonder why hospitals spend money on advertising: “Gosh I was thinking of having my friend Ed do my coronary bypass, but that commercial for that hospital changed my mind.” Do they attract enough paying customers with the commercials to justify the expense? Maybe they do, I wouldn’t know. I am a tad hesitant to criticize hospitals; all that rugged individualism goes out the window when you need surgery.
What they call their ballpark is irrelavant to me. I prefer to call the park “Field of Schemes”.
The point is most city baseball stadiums seem to be owned by previous government officials as in
the last city Mayor, or last/present goverment officials and their cronies.
Is Fort Wayne approaching Socialism just wondering who is in charge of the park called
…..”Field of Schemes”
Tell all us tax payers. We all need to call each and every politician on to the field.
I think you understand.
I got up and I am still ticked off. This is so wrong and Robert Enders is also wrong. Robert, Luthern hospital is a private entity.
The hallmark to why Parkview believed this was project to support.
1- To help the ball team provide healthy food to the fans… Is that not a function the ball team owners would “promote on their dime” to draw paying fans and helping make a profit.
2- To hire a outside person skilled in selecting healthy food. Maybe 16 hours of labor at $25 dollars an hour. That is about $400.00 over $300,000.
3- To cover the cost of the first aid stations during games. Let see, the Coliseum hires people to do this same thing. The cost is rolled into the rent/lease of those using the building. Those people include the cost in their ticket price.
4- To promote blood drives. Dahhhh, how many ads could they buy on local radio, TV, newspapers, and cable systems to promote blood drives at the Red Cross. They could spend just under $6,000 a week in those ads, reaching far more people then at the ball park.
5- To promote their name in the community. Yahhhh. I am sure a the family that has a hospital bill at home that amounts to thousands of dollars will be saying, “That is my hospital!” Of course they will be saying it from the outside because they will not be able any longer to buy game tickets.
6- How many pounds of food could our local food banks purchase with that money? To help put food on the table of some families that just had their bread earner get out of hospital that is can not return to work and has no income.
Just to be up front with everyone. I have always been a champion of Parkview Hospital.
I can not believe the Board of Directors of Parkview gave their blessing to this.
As for Mayor Henry. What a bunch of crap for him to go on local televsion and say that Parkview believed they had to jump on this because others where wanting in. Right… I may be dumb, but I am not stupid.
What is sad, I don’t feel any better.
@John B. Kalb - Why would it surprise you that I am optimistic about an organization trying to help people improve their lives? I wish every organization would have such lofty goals. Baseball is not alone with regards to substance problems - they’re just the most obvious (next to WWE - but they don’t have a monopoly exception that Congress can dangle as a threat). Even with that being the case, not once have I read or heard about any of the individuals who use such drugs to have obtained them from a hospital. The hospital has a responsibility to educate on counter practices. It’s unethical pseudo physicians that provide these drugs to users. What’s more, if you observe, most of the folks who get caught are international players who lack a lot of the eduction that organizationsl like Parkview are trying to provide. Now, with all that being said, this is a great move for Parkview. We’re entering an era where medical services will be in high demand as a major segment of our population ages and employers force their employees onto high rate deductible plans and Helath Savings Accounts. We as consumers WILL need to start making choices in our helth care and hospitals.
Mr. Kalb, good luck with your one-man boycott of Parkview. Boy, this is really going to send a message.
This is great news. Parkview Field sounds good to me!
You are a bitter bitter man Mr. Kalb. Lighten up and enjoy life.
Mr. Green Jeans: If responses to this post are any indication, it sure sounds like I am NOT a one-man boycott - and, yes, it should send a message to Parkview - why not move your whole organization out of Fort Wayne - It looks like most of it is anyway - such as 1) headquarters north of city limits - Parkview North, Parkview Huntington,Parkview Lagrange,Parkview Noble, Parkview Whitley, Parkview Women’s Health Center also north of the city limits. I guess we should thank the users of these facilities for contributing toward the Fort Wayne City owned, but unnecessary, new baseball stadium because Parkview doesn’t print money they get it by charging users and their insurance companies.
Chad: Mark McGuire, Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens - these are “international players”?
And you think that our young people will pay more attention to Parkview ads and promos than to the “stars” of Major League Baseball? Dreamer!!!
Your comment about “entering an era where medical services will be in high demand” is about 20 years late - this began many years ago.
Mr. Kalb you are really really going to stick it to them. Wow. I hope they will survive this.
Somebody called me a dreamer! Not to sound cynical, but thank you. The world needs more dreamers and less apathetic people who do little else than resist change. And by the way, dreaming is free.
Mr. Kalb, Let me get this straight. If god forbid, you are in an accident at Coliseum and State street and you have life threatening injuries, will you, out of your sheer hatred for Harrison Square, instruct the ambulance driver to drive past Parkview and to take you the 10 miles out to Lutheran? If your answer to this is not “Yes”, well then, your all talk and no walk.
Chad and Mr. Green Jeans…. I will tell you what. The next time I have someone ask for a donation to help pay for some child’s life saving transplant or operation that insurance does not cover I will tell them go see Parkview. They seem flush in money and can do it for free….
Then I will open my billfold and give what I can afford.
If Parkview ever thinks I will talk favorable about them they are wrong. I will tell everyone if I need a hospital is go to Dupont North over Parkview North.
My family has used Parkview as a hospital of choice for over 30 years. My mother did and my father does. But I will encourage him to now go to Dupont North. As for my two of my sisters I will do like wise.
I just sent back my membership card to Parkview Seniors (55+ age) Club and told them why.
Will that break them? Nope! But I will feel better knowing I tried to right a wrong.
Mr. Green Jeans - Because of the situation, assuming that when this happened Parkview still had an emergency room on State Street, I would say OK to a trip there. But, in all likelyhood, I am willing to bet that it will not be more than 5 or 10 years before Parkview closes up everything on State Street - then it would be faster to go to St. Joe.
But Mr. Jeans, I already two years ago, crossed off Parkview (and any owned by them) from my non-critical hospital care, because they are more “takers” than “givers” under their present management - not at all like it was when my mom worked there(from Methodist to the State Street campus). And I don’t “hate” Harrison Square - only the stupidity of destroying a perfectly good baseball stadium to enable the owners of a class A minor league professional team to profit at the expense of the taxpayers of our city.
And Chad - What do you know about John B. Kalb? The “little else than resist change” must come from some in-depth knowledge about me, unless you are just stereotyping me in your dreaming. Some dreams turn into nightmares - I can list some recent ones from Fort Wayne. Also, unless I am mistaken, Chad, you don’t live in our fair city, but in Auburn - or am I mixing you up with another Gramling? If you do live in Auburn, I don’t see any of your property taxes going to pay off the lease/bonds on this boondoggle.
John-I respctfully retract the “resist change” statement. I did place you in with a large contingent of unsupportive folks who deserve the label. My apologies. I guess I have read so many negative comments from you on various blogs that I jumped to that conclusion. Yes, I do live in Auburn which is why I have refrained from commenting on most Harrison Square items. But I guess I do have a right to an opinion - which also is free - and I don’t view the endeavor as a nightmare or a boondoggle. What’s more I contribute to the economic culture of the area both through my consumerism and emplopyment. That’s gotta account for something, even if it is a small fragment.
Mr. Kalb, I just have one more thing to say to you about Harrison Square GET OVER IT!!! (this is shouted at a very high decible level while simultaneously pounding my head against a concrete wall). The rest of the community is moving on!
While I don’t agree with everything he says, I’m on Mr. Kalb’s side on this and I definitely don’t think folks should tell him to “get over it”. I read this blog to see many different points of view.
Mr. Green Jeans, I don’t think “shouting at a very high decible level” is doing you any good; however, your statement “pounding my head against a concrete wall” probably is doing you some good. Keep it up!
I don’t think I can agree with the “definitely good news” assertion of your post. For Hardball Capital? Probably. For the City? Who knows.
The only information released so far is our share of the revenue. There is no information about the expense side. General Motors had billions in revenue last quarter. If there was no expense side to it’s ledger, things would be great.
Mark,
Good point. I’m working on it…
Mark - What do you mean by “our revenue”? ALL of the $1.5 million that the city “gets” goes into the “maintenance fund” which can only be used for upgrade or repair items requested by the stadium management - which will be Hardball Capital for at least the life of the contract which contains an automatic renewal for lots of years. And this applies to any management group that Hardball may sell out to at any time in the future - which could be a very short time - see how long Hardball owned the team (Salem Avalanche) in Roanoke, VA (2 plus years) and the other that they claimed to have purchased - but you can’t find any record of them doing it, in Savannah, GA - (Sand Gnats)
Yes, John, the revenue does all go to the fund. We are not even allowed to net out the money we have to pay to Hardball for the cost of providing Parkview with the advertising they get. That will be paid out of general revenue.
I applaud Parkview for doing this. Just as I applaud Parkview for investing in Ft. Wayne, Columbia City, Huntington, LaGrange and Kendallville.
Parkview reinvests in OUR community. Lutheran is owned primarily by WALL STREET. Their profits go to their investors, leaving Ft. Wayne.
Parkview commits TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS every year to providing charity care to the uninsured. Lutheran, St. Joseph and DuPont do not come anywhere close to providing healthcare to the uninsured on the scale that Parkview does.
Parkview is being an excellent corporate citizen. I applaud Parkview for doing so. I hope to see Parkview continue to thrive in our communities.
Interested observer
Well I hope then open a homeless shelter under the stands of Parkview Park like a good corp. citizen.
Maybe they can provide some hot meals for the homeless that will walk around Parkview Park, that is until the police run them off.
Lutheran, St. Joseph, and Dupont pay property taxes. Which part of goes to the various townships to help pay people’s rent and put food on their table before they become homeless.
[...] above quote is by John B. Kalb on the Fort Wayne Politics Blog. I have had mixed emotions about this ever since the announcement last Thursday. What I have [...]