Local businessman Wink Hartman, owner of Chester’s Chophouse at the Waterfront in east Wichita, wants to put a high-end sister restaurant in the empty Wichita Boathouse but has felt snubbed by City Hall so far.
Tearing down the Boathouse doesn’t appear politically feasible — thank goodness.
As we said in our editorial today: “To quell the rumors, the City Council should send some clear signals about its intention to save the building and give more details about the request-for-proposal process planned for spring.” And when Hartman makes his formal pitch on Dec. 12, council “members and staff need to give him a close and respectful hearing.”
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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30 Comments
What? To save the thing we have to turn it into a restaurant for the well off?
Thanks but no thanks Mr. Hartman. We already have plenty of places too expensive for most folks to eat.
oh, but JR!!The POOR MAN felt snubbed.Awwww.
The strategy of the City is to neglect the building until it becomes blight. Then tear it down and give the property to a member of the Good Old Boys Club.
I like the idea. I may not go there regularly, but for special occasions. There are lots of places that we travel all the way to Wichita to go to for anniversary/birthday celebrations. We love the dinner theatres (Mosley’s the most).
I thought the boathouse was a stupid idea to use it for what they intended, but a restaurant could be an attraction. They just need something extra to make it someplace interesting.
Dinner theater – interesting …
Two floors; might they do regular restaurant on one floor and theater upstairs? Perhaps add some sort of tour boats outside on the river?
It would be a great place for a Seafood restaurant, as well as a building that could host 2-3 dining facilities accessible to all / most income levels — great location to the riverwalk etc …. the city should / could insist that it be accessible to a variety of income levels / tastes …
I think Wichita needs a good Greek, and a Polish / Slavic facility — it has way too many fried food and steak houses ….
But I wonder if someone in city government hasn’t been bought and paid for by some large development interest that would rather line their pockets with condo / apartment loft money. I wonder why the Beagle doesn’t do us a favor and get the donation records for the recent elections and publish them — include contributors for the most recent city council and mayoral election — I suspect the listing would / could raise a few questions of who is actually behind the no casino vote, and the arena plans …
but to expect that from the Beagle is naive — it would equate to responsible / responsive jounalism — and we know better based on their most recent election coverage and endorsements …
Quit calling it the Boathouse! That definition calls for rental boats, a dock or slip.
When it just a building a Billionaire supported but didn’t cost Millions and now the City owns for meetings, it should meet the bulldozer real soon.
Replace the structure being fought about with something responsible as its name will describe.
If its a two story riverfront restaurant and meeting place okay.
WaterWalk was given ownership/partnership of the area and what they decide to do, in theory, has already been decided.
This “love” for a structure that wasn’t defined is nonsense!
Is there another place for real boathouse, possibly. That’s what we’ll love. Rental place for boats to use on the river, slip or dock, and restaurant, meeting space.
Since the City owns it why don’t we just sell it to the highest bidder? Why give it away to a Good Ol’ Boy?
Maybe if we “built” a river, the problem would solve itself.It’s depressing to see the river behind Century II needing mowing! Not a very memorable sight for the city.
WaterWalk group will be spending ten times as much in the area is why.
They are already the highest bidders contractually.
In theory, not in speed, since WaterWalk is bogged down in paperwork and red tape.
Why doesn’t Hartman hold off with his cash, until a new boathouse location is found and designed. There he could put a riverfront restaurant in another location.
It shouldn’t be far from that spot somewhere on west side of the river ? They have to pick a new spot that would work for a real boathouse based the river floor.
It should be sold instead of given to anyone. That would be a load of crap. As for the name, I like the name. If they serve only seafood, I’ll never ever come. You can do it as a seafood restaurant, maybe like REAL coastline restaurants do it, but leave some items for the rest of us who think seafood is icky lol.
What better thing, the midway between the two coasts could serve specialty items from both coasts? I always hear you can’t get food like that around here.
So a marine themed dinner theatre with authentic dual coast seafood and steak boathouse and boat rental dock.
Yeah I kindof like that.
OH OH OH or they could rent GONDOLAS
Is it legal to use an air boat on the river? Not the huge ones used in Florida swamps. Smaller boats. Smaller fans. Use it from that location, Maple or Lewis street bridge heading south.
“Maybe if we “built” a river, the problem would solve itself.It’s depressing to see the river behind Century II needing mowing! Not a very memorable sight for the city.”Posted by: gster | November 14, 2006 at 02:46 PM
heh… I keep chuckling everytime that image pops into my mind.
Mrage- You could use an air boat if it didn’t draw more than 3/16″ or so of water!
“WaterWalk group will be spending ten times as much in the area is why.”
Oh? Is that the big groundbreaking in August I heard was supposed to happen?
Sell the entire property complex to a REAL private-sector developer who will do something instead of waiting for more tax handouts.
Seriously- I meant to buy a kyak and go up and down the river this year but never got to it.
Right, rent boats so people can stir up the polluted waters of the arkansas green-slime road. Maybe rent full body, self contained breating suits to go with the boats?
OR . . . bring in some “Big-Time Chain” type outfit, pay them to come in, then piss and moan because no one goes there. Then raise taxes to pay for the whole mess.
Yep, the city council got it goin’ on, sho-nuff. They oughta be comming up with some real wing-ding ideas, dontcha think?
You can’t expect the City to do anything to it. There have been several proposals, except one and move on.
About the river needing to be mowed because the grass is growing on the banks because the waster is low, it is purposely low because of the River Corridor construction of the Keeper of the Plains.
JM – “OR . . . bring in some “Big-Time Chain” type outfit, pay them to come in, then piss and moan because no one goes there. Then raise taxes to pay for the whole mess.”
I think they are already doing that.
I certainly hope that airboat idea goes no further! Those things are incredibly noisy….
Use shallow-draft craft similar to what they use in Disneyworld – propelled by cables under water.
That’s the problem… council members will listen respectfully and staff will blow him off.
It would be nice to see him pack the council chamber like the GOBN companies did for their Communist WaterWalk.
Dang it, put up a Boston-style, high end chowdah house and seafood restaurant and dinner theater. Get it, boathouse+seafood????????
V.L.R.B!!
The city management is full of a bunch of idiots! Every other city in the country that has a body of water running through it makes that their center of attraction.
They are lined with restaurants, condos, high-price office towers. What does Wicita do? Half the time the dam it up and it becomes a mudddy flatbed.
Wichita State Crew used to row out of the boathouse but the city and during the summer there were sailing classes and rowing lessons. But rather than nurture this attraction, the city got greedy and demanded a price for the use of the boathouse facility. The crew team is a club sport with very few funds so they definately had no money for rent. The result? The city kicked them out! Oh sure, Mayor Mayans has no problem trying to resurrect a dead football program but screws over an existing, viable sport.
Why do you think movies based on the east coast always open with a crew team or scullers out on the river? Because it lends a touch of sophistication to the area. When people see other people out enjoying the river it gives them a sense of pride.
With the way the riverbed is all dried up and muddy, perhaps the city will hold Monster-Truck rallys. Much more appropriate for our community.
I applaud Wink Hartman for his attempts to open the cities eyes but I fear they all have their heads stuck up their collective asses. But ask yourself why the city-sponsored and managed WaterWalk project has only managed to produce a not-so-solvent sporting store and a parking garage while the Waterfront, which is privately being developed, has dozens of buildings and people actively trying to get space there?
And to JR at the top of this post. I’m sure there are plenty of McDonald’s and CiCi’s Pizzsa for you and your Whiskey Tango clan…
Maybe instead of dinner theatre, they could do something more classy like singers and a dancefloor?
Ahhh piss on you too Biz!
The Boathouse is a public facility.
Hell your own post is two faced.
I’m bitching about a public facility being talke about to be sold off to accomodate the rich.
And you?
“But rather than nurture this attraction, the city got greedy and demanded a price for the use of the boathouse facility. The crew team is a club sport with very few funds so they definately had no money for rent. The result? The city kicked them out!”
Awwww.
Your elitist college activity can’t pay the freight in doodah? The FEW can’t pay a fee to the many to indulge themselves?
And I’M the bad guy for defending the many against the excesses of the few and their fancy restaurant?
Freaking hypocrite.
I think they should just give it to Episcopal Social Services. Or if they will lease it to me for $1 a month, I’ll be happy to convert it into a Day Center for the homeless.
Another upscale restaurant.. just what we need… NOT! I live a mile from Wink’s Chophouse.. and have NEVER been there… I can’t afford it!
I do have a question though…if the city does sell it, do the taxpayers get a refund?
Naw, that’d never happen. How about they get a discount on the next pet project?
I do see where JR is coming from, however, I’m not rich by any means, but I like to indulge once a year or so- get to go out on a date with my hubby and feel like a grown up. :D