The Harbor is Going out of Business

[ibelieve]

GoRockwall wrote:

<quoted text>The armchair council bashing is getting old. If you don't like the current council, organize a change. This thread is about the business of the Harbor. The city portion of the Harbor is kept up and is running well. The concerts are well organized and well attended. The problem is with the management company. The city does not set the rent, and according to others on this board is not responsible for the site management of the retail section. What the council can do is pull Whittle into a meeting and suggest to him that a new management company needs to be hired that knows how to run a retail center. Who runs The Legacy center in Plano? Call them up and ask them to Rockwall.

WHAT..and admit that the great City of Rockwall needs help managing its Habor !! You got to be nuts .

[Rockwall Republican]

GoRockwall wrote:

<quoted text>The armchair council bashing is getting old. If you don't like the current council, organize a change. This thread is about the business of the Harbor. The city portion of the Harbor is kept up and is running well. The concerts are well organized and well attended. The problem is with the management company. The city does not set the rent, and according to others on this board is not responsible for the site management of the retail section. What the council can do is pull Whittle into a meeting and suggest to him that a new management company needs to be hired that knows how to run a retail center. Who runs The Legacy center in Plano? Call them up and ask them to Rockwall.

This is about the Harbor, you see, the council and mayor got us into that totally useless piece of retail in the first place. Bad location, too much expense in building made rents too high, and a lack of vision to think forward. Yes, I would agree at this point about the subject of this discussion, "The Harbor is going out of business." The Harbor is inaccessible, and the powers that be thought everyone would overlook that little bit of defect in this project. Until a better way to get into he Harbor is devised, it's a Titanic.

[Local Guy]

I think "Go Rockwall" has been drinking a little too much of the council's koolaide. The Harbor IS on the decline. I don't think ANYONE disputes that. The city council AND the developer share the blame for this. You are kidding yourself if you think this is all Whittle's fault. It may sound like "arm chair quarterbacking" but I can tell you there are quite a few people that are fed up with our city leadership. It's way too early for anyone to announce they are running for office but people are thinking about it. Cecil & Scott have a little over a year left on their terms and they cannot run again. "Go Rockwall" seems to think everything in Rockwall is wonderful and nothing needs changing. Maybe "Go Rockwall" will run for office next time and then we will see if the voters agree.

Anyone that runs for city office next time needs to be prepared to deal with the Harbor's problems if they are elected. The Harbor looks pretty on the outside but when you peel back the layers, it's a big mess that we (the taxpayers) are stuck with.

[Lost in Space]

How can you say the Harbor is hard to find? It can't get much easier. It is very easy to see from I 30. Clearly everyone going to the movies and restaurants can find it. Certainly the huge crowds on concert night have found it. Being hard to find is not the problem. The city council is not the problem. The real problem is management. Run it well and business will stay.

[Yeah Yeah]

The harbor is expensive and I agree with the crazy old lady from Rowlett, it is a 'tub of concrete". Its overpriced, its not owned by Matt Scott but he sure the h-ell pushed for it. And I again agree with the crazy old lady from Rowlett that the harbor is a place for the wealthy to show their wealth and for teenagers to loiter and grope.

I try to avoid the harbor.

[GoAway]

Yeah Yeah wrote:

The harbor is expensive and I agree with the crazy old lady from Rowlett, it is a 'tub of concrete". Its overpriced, its not owned by Matt Scott but he sure the h-ell pushed for it. And I again agree with the crazy old lady from Rowlett that the harbor is a place for the wealthy to show their wealth and for teenagers to loiter and grope.
I try to avoid the harbor.

To all of you who constantly complain about Rockwall...go live in Mesquite, Duncanville, or South Dallas. Show me a better place to live for the price and if it does exist why don't you move there. Your constant bellyaching is really annoying.

[Rockman]

Did anyone at the City talk to the homeowners in any of previous Whittle's developments and how well they are not managed before forking over the money to support his first commercial development?

[ibelieve]

Rockman wrote:

Did anyone at the City talk to the homeowners in any of previous Whittle's developments and how well they are not managed before forking over the money to support his first commercial development?

Are you KIDDING ??

[Frequent Customer]

When I go to the harbor; movies, dining and concerts. I always notice alot of kids. The children love to play in the fountains. Lets face it parents will spend money on their children and show them a good time. This kind of reminds me of the Jersey Shore; socializing and fun. The Harbor Management needs to take a trip to Coney Island and the New Jersey Shore to get the full concept and experiance. Need more water rides, Nathans hot dogs, White Castle hamburgers, t-shirt shops, homemade donut shop (Duncan Donuts), a store that has local artist goods, an arcade. These are the things that has been a tradition back east and draws people back time after time. Just an idea.

[Kentucky Hillbilly]

After reading all these post on Rockwall---is that really a place I would want to move to????

[tee]

Rockwall doesnt need a tacky tourist trap.

[Mom_Pop]

It is a sore subject no matter where you are-from Lake Pointe Church to the YMCA parking lot, The Harbor represents misdoings. Community does Not care to do business with Whittle.
Bad decisions from the Birth of it to the number of local contractors that have been shut down from non-payment for it's construction. Local wealth almost refuses to support it while Whittle has ownership. The downtown merchants to Heath residents resent this gross misuse of Tax payers dollars during a time of growth in Rockwall-it added great potential and now it is a Titanic waiting to happen. There is a 40.sq-ft. price tag and he tries to make his loss for failed business on 20k+ finish out from deceased business'. The smell is a constant in almost every aspect of The Harbor. It has Valet taking valued front row parking 3 tiers up and I could go on and on at why it is sinking. I have supported it's merchants for a while and encourage those who can to try to help these small business' that like many of us "Mislead" by the beauty and opportunity in it's uniqueness for us- a lake town- to enjoy with our friends and family.
Can't go wrong with sitting on the bank watching a great sunset and the children playing in the water...

[rockwallian]

I would love rides, shirts, the whole 'tacky tourist trap' hot dogs all of it!

Frequent Customer wrote:

When I go to the harbor; movies, dining and concerts. I always notice alot of kids. The children love to play in the fountains. Lets face it parents will spend money on their children and show them a good time. This kind of reminds me of the Jersey Shore; socializing and fun. The Harbor Management needs to take a trip to Coney Island and the New Jersey Shore to get the full concept and experiance. Need more water rides, Nathans hot dogs, White Castle hamburgers, t-shirt shops, homemade donut shop (Duncan Donuts), a store that has local artist goods, an arcade. These are the things that has been a tradition back east and draws people back time after time. Just an idea.

[Bubba]

They need to open up a bait shop at the Harbor. Put some gilling stations around the park and have a good old fish fry.

[King]

Ridiculous that the Harbor's events were advertised in all the latest water bills and property tax (although kind of funny - here is a bill for 5k for your house and 200 for your water so come on out and spend some money at the harbor). Understand that the city has an interest in the harbor but doesn't seem right to other biz in the area, obviously if they paid for it then I have no prob, but my uneducated guess is they didn't.

[rockwall parent]

Harbor looking like a ghost town. Spokey place at night. City never thought about parking. Once again city tax dollars hard at work. And yes I know that part of the harbor is private however city has pitched in to make this thing work.