Almost every day I receive calls about nothing being done by any of Mayor Lorenzo Langford’s committees relative to improving Atlantic City. I keep saying they’re busy at work and people keep saying, “We don’t hear anything about what they’re doing.”
I cannot be specific, but I can tell you they are diligently going over ideas and concepts that can and should be done. They are also working to identify funding for the projects.
The committee on cleaning and safety has identified the Boardwalk as their No. 1 project. There will be a new lighting system for the Boardwalk with new poles and lights. Once announced, it will take about six months to complete. A landscaping program will also be put in place to enliven the Boardwalk’s appearance. Concerns about restroom facilities on the Boardwalk are also being addressed. It is my understanding they will be open with an attendant year-round in each facility 16 hours a day during the busy season and 12 hours a day during the winter months. The current restroom interiors will also be upgraded.
The events committee has concert-booking agents around the nation checking in with their proposed tours for a stop in Atlantic City. Outside of those that have already been announced — including a concert, a boxing event and the Caesars Tennis Classic — no others have yet to sign on the dotted line. However, it is my pleasure to let you know that Andrea Bocelli, one of the world’s outstanding classic singers, has his pen ready to sign for an appearance at Boardwalk Hall in December. Additional performers will soon be announced to appear here. Likewise, more information on the recommendations of these committees will be forthcoming soon.
Sands Selling Bethlehem Casino?
The Bethlehem Area News had a story last week that said, “The Las Vegas Sands Corp. is looking to sell its Pennsylvania casino less than a year after opening it on the former Bethlehem Steel land.” Disappointment with the Bethlehem casino’s early financial return has Sands’ officials turning their attention to Asia, where Sands is developing Macau and Singapore casinos. (Sands denies reports that it plans to sell its casino.)
A spokesperson for the Sands said the company’s focus right now is to get their Bethlehem property to perform better. They are in the process of initiating some new marketing programs and looking forward to getting ready for table games. They are working overall to improve the performance of the property. The casino reported a $2.1 million operating loss in the fourth quarter of 2009. The Bethlehem Express Times newspaper ran a story headlined: “Bethlehem officials want explanation from Sands’ plan to sell south side casino.” The story said, “The casino operators plan to sell Sands Casino Resort in Bethlehem just nine months after its opening is disappointing and perplexing news.” A city councilman stated: “It’s cause for concern. They certainly should answer some questions and come back before council at some point to talk about their intentions.” Many visitors to the Web site lehighvalleylive.com were also looking for answers. One visitor wrote, “This project was a ‘pig in a poke’ to begin with. Just look at it! It looks like a dump and is located in a dump.” Councilman Gordon Mowrer said, “In some ways I think we kidded ourselves from the beginning.” An editorial writer in the paper stated, “Any successor to the Sands in Bethlehem must follow through on the casino’s resort plans.” They also stated, “If this Sands does move on, it will be a bottom-line decision that isn’t all that rare in the gaming industry. Two of Pennsylvania’s slot parlors already have transferred ownership. Any report of the Sands’ departure is premature, of course. Although it’s suffered losses at its Bethlehem casino, it is yet to realize its potential, even in the troubled economy. Within a few months Pennsylvania casinos will be able to have more bettors with poker, blackjack, craps, roulette and other table games, as part of an expansion approved in December by the state legislature.”
I thought you might be interested in what’s happening in our neighboring state, where we’ve been led to believe everything is rosy with peaches and cream.
ACY Really Taking Off!
Last week, New Jersey Senate President Stephen Sweeney said that we needed to increase the use of the Atlantic City International Airport (ACY). On Monday, James Simpson, Gov. Chris Chrisite’s nominee for NJ Transportation Commissioner, told the Senate committee that he would push for greater use of the airport by passenger carriers and air-freight companies. This type of support for the airport from these two gentlemen is good news for its future.
Meanwhile, Spirit Airlines has announced that they will institute a daily flight to Detroit from ACY beginning May 20. Detroit is a Spirit hub and connects to several destinations. On May 1 Spirit will go from one to two daily flights to and from Atlantic City and Boston.
By the way, the present daily flight to Boston has a load factor of over 90 percent. WestJet Airlines, which offers flights to and from Atlantic City and Toronto four days a week, will begin flying daily on May 2. AirTran Airlines will continue to have two daily flights to and from Atlantic City and Atlanta and a morning flight to Orlando. There is a possibility they may increase their Orlando schedule. Sharon Gordon, South Jersey Transportation Authority’s effervescent executive director of marketing, has them working diligently to get a Chicago-Atlantic City flight scheduled. Several airlines have expressed interest in this route. It is anticipated that will happen in the near future.
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1. Gary said... on Mar 3, 2010 at 06:30PM
“Pinky, the season starts in a month and a half, that is me being SPECIFIC. I am very concerned about the future of this city and the apathy and same-old same-old attitude of our "leaders". Our Mayor and city council have done NOTHING for the taxpayers or children of this city, they appear to concentrate on hiring law firms, petty in-fighting between police and administration, internal pay raises and benefits, etc...If the over $200 MILLION dollar budget can't clean and improve this city nothing will but a complete overhaul of City government, public works dept.,and attitude of EVERYBODY concerned and involved in this city.
As per your mentioning SJTA the state just released an audit calling it SHOCKING the amount of waste and fraud. The same was found of AC government, this is one of the major hurdles we must all over come and stop. We are all in this together it's just a shame our "leaders" appear to be in it for themselves.”
2. Dan said... on Mar 3, 2010 at 07:24PM
“So what your saying is nothing is being done, just talk. We already know many things that need to be done, just do it. To many chiefs and not ANY indians. Our infrastructure is starting to crumble before my eyes and I'm afraid to look at our underground infrastructure.”
3. Ashley said... on Mar 3, 2010 at 09:26PM
“Pinky, you have the Atlantic City attitude ingrained in the deep recesses of your brain. You must take action to accomplish something, I think AC is waiting for someone else to turn things around. Well, no one is stepping to the plate, no one. How can anyone live in a city that is dangerous unless you're in a casino? How can you wake up to abadoned buildings and trash? Life is short make your environment beautiful, it can be done.”
4. Wad said... on Mar 3, 2010 at 09:33PM
“People get government jobs so they can sit on their rear ends and flap their gums. Very few (I'm being charitable here since "none" is closer to reality) actually want to work for living.
So you all act surprised that they are doing what they expect of themselves.”
5. Wad said... on Mar 3, 2010 at 10:01PM
“People get government jobs so they can sit on their rear ends and flap their gums. Very few (actually "none" is closer to reality) ever wanted to work for a living.
So, why do some of you sound surprised that they mostly sit and flap?”
6. Alan said... on Mar 3, 2010 at 11:09PM
“After reading Ashley's post regarding it being dangerous, I was somewhat puzzled because I clearly remember reading that Atlantic City has a pretty good crime rate especially when you take into account all of the visitors in the city on any give day. I think the perception is of crime in Atlantic City is much worse than the realitiy. On the other hand, a city like Orlando has a much higher crime rate than Atlantic City and people perceive it as being safe because of the way it looks. I did some research and this is a blurb I found regarding crime in Atlantic City. "Throughout the casino era, Atlantic City’s crime has trended lower than the average U.S. municipality’s, even amid a huge new influx of visitors and commuters: Violent crimes rose 27 percent in the United States from 1978 to 2008, but rose only 4 percent here. Thefts dropped 4 percent nationwide in the same period. In Atlantic City, they fell 43 percent. "”
7. Alan said... on Mar 3, 2010 at 11:36PM
“The problem with crime rates, especially for a city like Atlantic City with a population of only 40,000 is that the crime rates are based population. Last I heard Atlantic City had more than 35 million visitors a year, so there are many more than 40,000 people in the city on any given day. Vegas has roughly the same number of visitors a year as Atlantic City. The additional crime that comes to AC as a result of those visitors skews AC's crime rate a lot more than the crime rate of Vegas and other cities that draw visitors because those cities have a much higher population. Even with this, we see in my earlier post that the crime rates in AC are pretty good relative to other cities.”
8. Ashley said... on Mar 4, 2010 at 07:38AM
“By dangerous I meant walking the streets and getting hit by a vehicle, have you ever been to the walk? The worst pedestrian design you could imagine. Seriously, AC has the perception of being dangerous which is just as detrimental as the reality. The NATIONAL image of AC is very negative.”
9. Anonymous said... on Mar 4, 2010 at 08:19AM
“Plus that Broadway Hall is the worse venue I have ever been to. Gone there for a concert when it first opened and a few times afterwards sitting in various sections No matter where you sat it was a nightmare.I've been to many, many venues for concerts all over the States and Europe (including the one at Trump which is much better). The Broadway Hall is the pits.”
10. Kevin said... on Mar 4, 2010 at 02:15PM
“Boardwalk Hall is "the pits"?? Seriously? I've always had a tremendous experience in the hall be it for wrestling, Disney on Ice, the circus, concerts, you name it. I've never had a bad experience and there's not a bad seat in the house. Now, if we could only get shows like Disney on Ice and Ringling Bros. Circus to come back to town.....”
11. Jason said... on Mar 4, 2010 at 03:15PM
“If the city and it's workers actually did what they are supposed to do the city would look alot nicer. Maybe pick up a broom, cite abandoned buildings, change a lightbulb.”
12. Sammy the Gypsy said... on Mar 5, 2010 at 07:01PM
“Pinky -->> Andrea Bodeli, gimme a break, none of my friends want to see her. Whatever happened to the good stuff that used to come to town - wrestling, roller derby, an O'Jays concert. These casino people just don't get it. My friends and I would love to have something to do besides walk around Chelsea Ave looking for the B&B Lounge.”
13. Robert Gilbert said... on Mar 5, 2010 at 10:28PM
“25 years ago Steve Wynn rode into Las Vegas on his white horse and took a town that was in trouble and starting to gain the reputation as seedy and fading (sound familiar) he changed it by not just building a 1st class resort but with a spectacle starry magicians Siegfried and Roy. Yes looking back at it now that show seems cheesy... but at that time it was theee must see event in Vegas, I was there I know. People and celebrities from around the globe came into Vegas to see this event nightly. Steve knew what he was doing by laying down the gauntlet with this production, and sure enough other casinos in town upped their game, and the big winner eventually was the town itself that now has some of the greatest entertainment in the world... Now lets look at Atlantic City's entertainment scene.... a headliner here and there and a slew of cheap productions shows during the summer. Atlantic City needs to give people more of a reason for coming here, Its time to dust off those showrooms.”
14. Eric said... on Mar 6, 2010 at 04:13AM
“As far as the Sands in Bethlehem, Pa. they probably didn't build a resort type casino because of Pa.'s tax rate on gross earnings. "While Pennsylvania's 55-percent gross tax rate is in line with most states' racetrack-casino taxes, it is the highest rate in the country for stand-alone." (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) Now that Pa. is adding table games some of the casinos are lobbying for lower tax rates on the table games. It's not realistic to expect Atlantic City style casinos in Pa. Steve Wynn rode into Philly this week to save the Foxwoods Casino project. He said he only became interested when Pa. allowed tables games with a 14% tax rate. Before allowing table games he said "...at 55%, the only feasible casino would be a slots-in-a-box." (Phila. Inquirer). Now he wasn't specific in his plans for Foxwoods, I expect it will be a nicer slots in a box. No plans for a hotel at this time. Atlantic City beats Pa. casinos in style by a mile. A.C. needs to fix and exploit it's strengths.”
15. Joel said... on Mar 7, 2010 at 09:03AM
“Sammy is 100% right. There has been a major drop off in talent level
coming to the Atlantic City area since Scott the Pot stopped producing shows in the town. Wrestling's best, Karl von Shotz and singing groups
like the 5 North Quintet always filled Convention Hall. Pinky, do you think
you can help push for a return to 25 cent jitney rides? This would help bring
a lot of people down to the Inlet area, viewed as America's next great neighborhood in Architectual Digest magazine.”
16. Larry the Casino Guy said... on Mar 7, 2010 at 11:36AM
“I agree, we need big production shows back in this town to attract mid-week play at the very least. But most casino marketings VP's in Atlantic City will say "those don't work" ...so I would suggest to them to get on a plane and travel out west to that little town out there called Las Vegas to see how they "make it work" ...or just wait till the surrounding casino markets in the northeast start doing production shows too... and then there is nothing left to attract customers to Atlantic City. Its done.”
17. Chris said... on Mar 10, 2010 at 11:10AM
“Well, another week goes by and still no action being taken, unless you count police layoffs and lawyer hiring in City Hall. That should help our tourist trade. The City that refuses to act.”
18. Linda Nybo Andersen said... on Mar 18, 2010 at 08:19AM
“It is easy to blame the authorities for not doing anything. The public should start doing something themselves. The tourist trade would help the local economy, but in order to get more tourist, the public should stop hating anyone who looks different. I was persuaded to come to Atlantic City and Pleasantville, but now I have learned that Pleasentville is not at all pleasant. Why? Yesterday 2 guys in a car stopped to harrass Leon Matthews aka Neon Leon aka King Lion. He feared that he would be shut down, just because of his look. It is his image. He is a great star in Europe and home for a while.They thought he was gay. Luckily the police turned up. Great, but what happened? They just looked at their driver licence and let them go. Then looked at Leon's ID and let him go. Had it been in Denmark the police would have taken down their names and warned them, if anything happens to Leon, they would know where to find them. So I am shocked by both the two guys and the police. Stop hating.”
19. Linda Nybo Andersen said... on Mar 18, 2010 at 06:19PM
“Yes, I am still shocked. I thought that U.S.A. was not the Wild West any longer, but it is. And the way the police treated that incident reminded me of two American films, namely "Convoy" and "Easy Rider". If anything happens to him it will hit the headlines in Europe and no one will go to Atlantic City. Bad publicity.”
20. Linda Nybo Andersen said... on Mar 19, 2010 at 02:50PM
“I am shocked again. Suddenly you hear the loudspeaker in Wall Mart asking all black people to leave the premises. And they do it. I thought that Martin Luther King had put some sense in the Americans. "I have a dream" and my dream is that this will stop very very soon. I am not proud of being white after this incident. I hope that the police will look into this.”
21. Anonymous said... on Apr 6, 2010 at 11:26PM
“Sammy the Gypsy : you are seriously unschooled about Andrea Bocelli. All of your friends are idiots, and so are you. Andrea Bocelli is a MAN, and a beautiful one from Italy, at that. Noone, including Provorotti could match his splendor. Atlantic City would be lucky to have AB come, any city would. Reading how you all talk of AC, I'm surprised he's consider it. I live in Orlando and I'd be surprised if he came here. Our performing Arts Center couldn't hold his voice”