Looking for long-range vision: New Orleans and state officials plan to draw up a long-range vision for an important part of the downtown area near the Louisiana Superdome and City Hall. The Times-Picayune reports officials want to create a development plan for a section extending from the Superdome and New Orleans Arena to the former Charity Hospital and Veterans Affairs Medical Center. This area includes City Hall and other public buildings. Andy Kopplin, the city’s chief administrative officer, told the City Council that the plan will integrate ideas on how to “knit together a vital part of downtown.” New Orleans is contributing $100,000 for the study.
Sale set for October: The Monroe Motor Speedway, a race car track mired in bankruptcy, will be sold at an auction in October. The (Monroe) News Star reports that the track will be sold at an auction on Oct. 11. The $6 million track was built in 2008, but it was plagued by rain-outs after it opened and then was hit by management turnover. The last race at the track was held in June 2010. Maas Companies Inc. of Rochester, Minn., will conduct the auction on behalf of BizCapital, the lender who provided financing to build the racetrack off Interstate 20. The 55-acre property features a .375-mile concrete oval track banked at 12 degrees and a 4,000-seat grandstand and suite building along I-20.
