“Under budget and early.” Those descriptions aren’t often used together to describe big taxpayer funded projects.
But that combination has become the watchwords of the new Cleveland Convention Center and Global Health Innovation Center.
The convention center was already on track to open early on July 19. That was in time for the megaevent senior games, which will host some competitive events there.
Now comes word the center will be able to used June 1.
There will be some dinners and other gatherings, so called “soft” events, shortly after that.
MMPI Vice President Dave Johnson said, “It’s what you call a shakedown cruise. It’s when you take the building out for a spin.”
The center is 80 percent leased with hundreds of companies interested in the remaining space. Some is being reserved for tenants who want to move in in 2014.
And 76 Convention Center events are already booked.
Turner Vice President John Dewine has been a project overseer.
He credits the early finish to a good team executing a good plan.
“A lot of lessons learned, a lot of good approaches…at the end of the day, the project was under public scrutiny,” he said.
Dewine has been part of building Quicken Loans Arena, The Halle Brothers building modernization, the Medical Mutual Building and Key Tower and other big projects.
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article courtesy of Wkyc.com
