The mayor just talked about new revenue streams tonight, watch out commoners.

Marting's Building transaction was just another way of funneling the public tax money to the private and businesses sector like they do many other public funds annually, local, state and federal monies.

Like the Hotel Motel taxes, the Block Grants and much more we don't know about. The Water Supply distribution where that District gets our city water for pennies on the dollar and we pay the dollars, etc. And the big users get great discounts and we the "little people" pay the load for the corporations.

And then there's the Tax Abatements where they get "welfare" from out tax monies???

I definately agree with tellthetruthwontyou's comments. Too many historical beautiful buildings were torn down to build new, when so much more could have been done with those buildings, i.e. the schools. These buildings could have been used to house the homeless, or to contain offices and so much more. Don't tear City Hall down. It is a beautiful, historic building that should be fixed up, and definately maintained. But then we have the problem with the Marting's building that the city just "had to" purchase and it stands empty. I would say the same thing as another person said, use the Marting's building to house City Hall and turn the current City Hall into some kind of museum all about Portsmouth.

I know this particular issue is not on the polls today, but please for the sake of our city, everyone go to the polls today.

Honestly, I don't care how you vote, just vote.

Show our government that we are not a bunch of sheep to be led to our slaughter without at least voicing an opinion on the matter.

My one year old grandson knows what NO means why can't city council understand the word? NO MartingS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

wpbent,

You are in Scioto County, nothing estimated, nor planned, just vote for the bundles of money to flow their way, they will spend it.

It was at least with the Kalb Administration, if not before, just pass the ordinances, we'll tell you about it later, but Kalb never did, and was not in his office when a councilman went to see him about anything.

Of course, he and the council was on the same side, corruption, making good bad, and at the "unelected" directions sucking off our taxes and fees, etc.

Don't loose your rationality, etc. you may live somewhere where that is practiced, but not in Scioto County until a bunch of them go to jail, but that's guaranteed not to happen with the current City and County Solicitors, and Auditors.

Sorry for you bad luck.

How about build a new building on the lot next door by the bridge. Nobody would be inconvenienced and they can just move their crap across the street. Make a convention center on the first floor so there can be revenue when things come to town and then get a leadership that will go out there and get stuff here.

Here they go some more, keeping Up the tradition of the PDT's and it's publisher (Mr. Clark in this case) being the surrogate government and dancing around that which a real government should but in reality being a puppet of the "Unelected" like the city council is.

The people voted down the Marting Building twice and the Adelphia building once and voted a cap of $100,000 on the city council, keeping the "children" under control.

Now this positioning and gossiping, etc. PDT's...

It's all corruption, making good bad.

Don't have to be a rocket scientist for this. Everyone but the elected leaders get it, why?

Let's see some realistic numbers. How about three estimates on what it would take to restore the present building and three estimates on what it would cost to rebuild. All I have seen so far is a lot of talk. Numbers/money speaks. I have been in the present building many times and it is disgusting. It is old and smelly. I love the architecture and would hate to lose that, but the present building as is, is not safe.

I live in Phoenix,Az, i was born and raised in Portsmouth and have watched it fall apart over the years. We as people of the world have a commitment to repair and refurbish everything. That being said the City Fathers should repair and bring the city building up to code and show it's citizens that they are willing to keep Portsmouth true to who she was in the past and better in the future.

If one drives around Portsmouth, there are 1,000's of homes and buildings built in the 1800's. They are still in great condition and being used today.

Why is that ? Their owners have kept them up via maintaince. The City of Portsmouth Goverment has continually year after year let this building run down. Go look at the Post Office on Gay Street, it was built within 2 years of the City Building and its as good as the day it was built. Because they do their maintaince.

Any private citizen in this town who owned the City Building as their own, would have kept it up, because the taxpayer doesnt get lucky enough to have fellow citizens build them new buildings, so owners have no choice but to keep their buildings up.

The City has let this roof leak for years, until the previous Mayor said enough, and had a new roof put on it. Also this City Council a couple of years ago, had a new roof put on the Martings Annex, which is part of their $2 million dollar Martings purchase. They put a roof on that empty building and left the city building to leak.

All in hopes it will fall down so you will build them a new one. They holler asbestos. What house or building in Portsmouth doesnt have asbestos in it from this time period ? They holler mold, well why did you all replace the roof when it leaked and you would not have mold now.

Drive by the city building, there are metal / steel windows in the building, they have turned brown with surface rust. They have not been painted for years, because the city does zero maintance. It would take no more than a few gallons of paint and a few brushes. But no, they do nothing.

The $2 million dollars they spent for the Martings building that appraised for only $400,000 could have been used to do repairs on the city building. They took care of their buddies when they bought this building, even bought it without the customary 3 readings and passed it as an emergency, with no citizen input. Then the courts ruled the sale void, and the city goes back and buys the building a second time.

They were offered the former N&W Railroad Dept for only $1 they didnt want it. Several Portsmouth City Schools were torn down, but they didnt want them. They were good enough for children to attend, but not good enough for City Offices.

Fix the current city building. Do what the rest of the citizens of Portsmouth do. Which is repair your property and keep it in repair !

Begin by utilizing the 2006 City Building Committee's report as a template for jump-starting a plan for the future.

So, where is the poll?

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Editor's Note: It's near the bottom of the home page, on the right hand side.

i believe the city hall should be replaced with new taking in mind the historic design of the original, and taking in mind parking. citym offices could be temporarily housed in several city owned locations: the juvinile center,the martings building,the old ohio power building,or room could be leased from the many empty office buildings in portsmouth.

I say to the powers that be;

The city has long abused and demolished structures that reflected the culture and architecture of better days. "Man up" and refurbish this structure and move the Southern Ohio Museum into it. To see your shameful history of demolishment go to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo0otpLfsoI