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Originally Posted by ThePaulitician
Detroit is such a run down city that unfortunately does not have the means to rejuvenate.
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Ouch.
I'm really disappointed to see that consistently negative views of Detroit as one of the new homes of the Championship event. I'm also disappointed to see so many people in the FIRST community speaking on stereotypes/perceptions before doing their research.
Detroit is a beautiful city, with a rich history of technological innovation. It is home to the largest concentration of FIRST teams in the world. Our Governor is very, very committed to making FIRST successful and rebuilding the economy of Michigan with a STEM foundation. Detroit is coming back, in a very tangible way.
In case you missed it, here is what's going down in Detroit in the next few years before Championships arrives:
- $300,000,000 in road construction projects in the next year
- M-1 Lightrail system being constructed downtown to improve public transportation
- $650,000,000 project that includes a new Red Wings Stadium in Midtown, near Ford Field and complete renovation of the surrounding 45 city blocks to connect Midtown and Downtown. This renovation includes demolition of most buildings, and the construction of residential, small business, and corporate spaces. An additional 2 mile radius around this area includes plans for repaired roads, sidewalk installation, street-light installation/repair, and landscaping.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ThePaulitician
I also feel that inclement weather could prevent flights and mess up competition scheduling.
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There's not much inclement weather in SE Michigan in late April. Snow is sometimes a vague possibility, but it will in no way be severe enough to impact flights or competition scheduling. The likelihood of a tornado in St. Louis is higher than severe weather in Detroit in late April.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ThePaulitician
Not to mention, with the mass amounts of people coming into town, how are there going to be enough hotels to facilitate to everyone? I'm not saying this out of paranoia of being in dangerous areas, but in Detroit, the entire west side is slowly becoming a ghost town. Are teams going to have to stay in the abandoned houses or are they going to have to stay 1 hour west in Livonia, Ann Arbor, etc?
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Really? Abandoned houses? That's a little unnecessary.
Detroit is not becoming a ghost town. Real estate prices are skyrocketing, population has stabilized and is increasing, and things are looking up. And, for the record, Livonia is not an hour away. It's less than a 30 minute drive straight down I-96 Express.
I get that people have an ingrained picture of Detroit in their minds, but reading through CD over the past few weeks I'm getting frustrated by all the nonsense being spouted about my (and many others') home. Frustrated by FIRST's decision? Fine. But keep in mind that you're talking about a place that a huge chunk of the FIRST community holds near and dear to their hearts.