Pancakes And Politics: Costly Unfinished Jail Project Takes Center Stage

DETROIT (WWJ) -  Questions on topics ranging from the unfinished downtown jail project to investment in Detroit punctuated the Thursday meeting at Pancakes and Politics.

In an informal poll,  74 percent of the business and civic leaders attending believe that work on the Wayne County jail should stop to make way for new construction.

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan telling the audience that the investment already made in the unfinished jail makes it a complicated situation.

"There's a $150 million into the site but the other thing is this; I know that when Dan Gilbert gets set on something, he goes in a straight line and I hope they make the site work-out - but if it doesn't work out, we've got other 10 acre sites in the downtown Detroit area," said Duggan to laughter and applause.

When asked, Wayne County Executive Warren Evans said that taxpayers 'shouldn't be footing the bill for a new soccer stadium' in downtown Detroit -- when the subject of the long-vacant jail site was addressed.

Arn Tellem, vice chairman of Palace Sports and Entertainment, said they haven't given up on the site.

"We are doing an analysis -- we agree that we don't want the taxpayers to foot any more costs or foot the bill and we are hoping after we do the analysis that we'll find a way to make it work. It's the perfect site to put a soccer stadium," said Tellem.

Tellum says he's hopeful something will work out to make the stadium work. Evans says a new soccer stadium would involve dismantling the jail, juvenile center and the courthouse. He says completing the jail would be cheaper than building three new buildings.