End of an Icon

By Trudy Balcom

The former Pink Elephant Motel perched on the bluff above the river and the Lady Luck Casino is an eye-catching icon that has been a part of Marquette’s identity for 40 years. That era is coming to an end.

At the close of the Marquette City Council meeting on Sept. 15, Lady Luck Casino Vice President and General Manager Todd Steffen announced that the company plans to apply for demolition permits for the structure within 7-10 days.

“I wanted to take this opportunity to announce this publicly,” Steffen told the council.

The council was visibly taken aback with the sudden news.

“This just sets us back on our heels, this is not good news,” exclaimed Councilwoman Mary Jo Pirc.

“This is short timing, seven to 10 days is pretty drastic without trying to get involved on the local level,” said Mayor John Ries. Steffen did not answer several of the council’s questions, saying that as a publicly traded company, there was certain information he could not reveal in a public setting.

Ries’ father, Bob Ries, built the motel, which originally opened in 1970-71. A portion of the structure is cantilevered out on steel beams that Ries reclaimed from scrap.

The 25-unit motel was part of the property purchased by Gambler’s Supply for the Miss Marquette riverboat casino operation in November, 1994.

The motel has been remodeled several times over the years. According to Steffen, the casino has spent $335,000 on the structure for safety and interior upgrades since 2000.

Still, there is no elevator in the building. All rooms must be accessed by climbing stairs. Hallways are narrow, and there are stairs even inside some rooms. None of the rooms are wheelchair accessible, or compliant with the American With Disabilities Act (ADA) construction requirements.

In the past, it was the casino’s policy to place their VIP customers in their own motel first, then in other area motels when their motel was full. That is happening less and less, Steffen says, as customers specifically request placement in other motels, often because they cannot climb stairs. The average age of casino guests is 61.

Steffen told the council that the casino would be happy to sell or donate the property back to the city after the demolition.

The council went into closed session to discuss possible purchase of the property and other options at the close of the Sept. 15 meeting. The council did not take any action after the meeting re-opened. In accordance with open meeting laws, Steffen did not take part in the closed session.

According to Lady Luck, six people are employed at the hotel. Two jobs will be transitioning to the casino and other employees are encouraged to apply for open positions with the company. Steffen says that a severance package will be offered to any who choose to leave the company.

The decision to demolish the structure Steffen said, came as part of the planning for the remodelling that has accompanied the re-branding of the casino from Isle of Capri to Lady Luck. The $3 million project began last year after Isle of Capri decided to revitalize the Lady Luck brand and use it at their smaller properties. Steffen said that the discussions on the motel’s fate began in mid to late August. Steffen said that he was consulted and participated in the decision to close and demolish the motel in meetings with other corporate staffers.

This postcard view of the Pink Elephant Supper Club and Motel was probably taken in the early 1970s. The blufftop location of the motel is part of it’s appeal; it will also be part of its undoing. (Photo courtesy of John Ries)

He declined to state the specific reasons why the company had decided to demolish the structure, stating only that bringing this particular building up to ADA code was not an option. He said he was not sure if the company had developed any specific cost estimates for making the necessary upgrades.

Lady Luck has no plans presently to seek another location and build a new motel, according to Steffen. About five years ago Isle of Capri sought a permit from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to fill in wetlands adjoining the casino’s parking lot in order to build a new hotel. The effort brought out some local opposition, and the permit was denied. The casino also made an effort to purchase the nearby Frontier Motel, but that effort was unsuccessful. Area motels, including the Frontier, will likely benefit from the closing of the casino’s motel.

The blufftop location the motel currently occupies may be of interest to local Great Places organizers, who are planning to build a replica of the observation tower which once crowned McGregor Heights. The City of Marquette may be interested in other options. The city stands to lose about $20,000 in property tax income when the motel is demolished.

“We’ll have to wait and see what the real estate looks like,” said Mayor John Ries.

Ries said he will be sorry to see the building come down, but with so few rooms, he  understands why remodeling the motel may not be cost-effective.

Chamber brings funding problems before the councils

By Trudy Balcom

McGregor-Marquette Chamber Board President Cheri Leachman and Board Treasurer Mark Groom attended the city council meetings for both Marquette and McGregor last week with the same request. They were seeking an additional $12,000 ($1,000 per month) from each city for a total of $24,000 to help cover the costs of the salary of Executive Director Sasha Dull.

Leachman and Groom brought a long list of Dull’s accomplishments and duties to each of the meetings.

Leachman said that she was concerned that without a raise, Dull might seek other employment.

“We’ve got someone who knows this place, a known product,” Leachman said. She noted the praise lavished on Dull by the executive producer of the film “16 to Life,” Terry Trimpe, for her work on behalf of the area after the screening of the film in Elkader recently.

Both cities already offer general support to the Chamber. Marquette gives $8,400 per year in support of the Chamber; McGregor designates the proceeds from the city’s hotel/motel tax. Funds from that tax are paid quarterly, and amount to about $15,000 per year. In addition, the Chamber received $2,500 from each city for part time seasonal office help during the summer.

At the August meeting of the McGregor City Council, the Chamber made a request to receive an advance on the $3,000 which the city regularly pays them in September, a portion of the hotel-motel tax funds. The council agreed to make the payment ahead of schedule.

In a telephone interview, Leachman said that the Chamber, just like any of its member businesses, is at the mercy of the economy. Although she felt that area businesses generally supported the work of the Chamber, she said that Chamber membership is viewed as “discretionary” spending.

Leachman said that membership is holding steady, but costs are going up. The Chamber is currently in the midst of a membership drive, and dues for 2010 are set to go up.

Her appearance before the two councils, Leachman said, was an effort to temporarily shore up the Chamber’s finances and to keep Dull onboard as director. If the cities can cover her salary, the Chamber can then devote the rest of their funds to their operating budget.

Dull, said Leachman, has not requested a raise or said that she is considering leaving the Chamber. Funding for the pay raise was requested, Leachman said, “…strictly because we felt the need and we value everything she has brought to the Chamber.” Leachman also told the councils that at $24,000, Dull’s pay was below competitive rates for communities of a similar size.

Both councils balked at paying an additional $12,000 each.

The Marquette Council tabled the matter until the October meeting. The McGregor Council passed a measure to pay an additional $400 per month contingent upon Marquette passing a motion to match this amount, and with a stipulation that the funds can only be used for Dull’s salary. Council members from each city praised Dull’s work.

Leachman called the offer from the McGregor council a “good first step.” But she said she knows the Chamber must rebuild their finances, and cannot rely on extra handouts from the cities.

“We need to do some strong recruiting, that is the plan. We don’t want to have to rely on ongoing support,” Leachman said.

Not much competition
in upcoming city elections

By Trudy Balcom

City elections in both Marquette and McGregor will offer some change, but not much in the way of challengers. Only one candidate has filed for most open seats in each city’s elections.

In Marquette, with one exception, only incumbents are running. Incumbents Rinda Ferguson, Tracy Melver, and Mary Jo Pirc are each running  unopposed to retain their current seats. Ferguson was appointed at the August council meeting to take the seat of Darren Matthew, who resigned to take a job out-of-town.

Mayor John Ries, who has served for four terms, has not filed for re-election. Former councilwoman Norma Mason is running unopposed for his seat.

In McGregor, change is coming. But only two candidates have filed for three open council seats. Joe Collins and Jason Bogdonovich have filed to run for the council seats held by Gay Hallberg, and Jason Solberg.

Councilman Ryan Johnson is running unopposed for the mayor’s chair, as Roger Knott has declined to seek re-election. Since the regular candidate filing deadline has passed (Sept. 17), the only way the third council seat will be filled is by a write-in candidate, or by appointment after the new council is seated in 2010. Similarly, any challengers for council or mayor’s seats will also have to stage write-in campaigns. Elections will be held Tuesday, Nov. 3.