If anyone ever tells you that developing property is easy or boring, they are lying!

I won’t open old wounds on the subject of the Bridges development, but it’s safe to say that Jerry Trooien bet the farm on the project, and it cost him dearly.  Trooien entered into Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection last year hoping [...]

I was pretty sure this was going to happen, but now I’ve heard the building owner (The Brooks Group) has been out searching for a new tenant to replace the failed start-up, Steins & Vines.  I’m not positive if our little downtown could support another Liquor store, but maybe Lenny Russo could help place a [...]

Some MAJOR progress being made in the Smyth building at 9th & Temperance Streets!  This will be the new home for BioMedix, which I mentioned back in the New Business Alert post back in November.  Great to see some new life in this neck of the woods.  Maybe it will help remind the city to [...]

The Bridges of St Paul, The mega development that was slated for the “wrong side” of the river was killed just over three years ago. Why do I bring this up today? It’s because the developer, Jerry Trooien has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Can you imagine the mess that project would be [...]

Today ushered in a new era in parking meter enforcement.  Currently these high tech, credit card taking meters are only installed along Wabasha between 6th and Kellogg.  But more are coming!

So let’s look at the good first:

#1.  Takes credit cards.  What do you mean you don’t keep a roll of quarters in your pocket?  This [...]

Got a message from our local police department to be on the lookout for missing copper caps, about 16 of them from the Chicago Great Western Building along Kellogg (almost underneath the Hwy 52 Bridge).  This is the first copper theft I can think of in downtown – although the new fire station headquarters had [...]