GARY -- A massive Jackson Family Center boasting a Michael Jackson Performing Arts Center, hotel, housing and elevated rail will be built in Glen Park without Gary tax dollars, Mayor Rudy Clay said Wednesday.
The mayor, appearing at the Genesis Convention Center beside Jackson family patriarch Joe Jackson and Jackson Family Foundation President Simon Sahouri, acknowledged skepticism bred by years of failed attempts to build such a complex in Gary.
But Clay said City Hall is seizing an opportunity to realize a dream and build an economic development "magnet" that could pump new life into the King of Pop's distressed hometown. He said it's beyond politics, and he said ground will break early next year.
"This is not a promise," Clay said. "This is going to be done."
Hours after Clay unveiled the Jackson family's plans, an attorney for the executors of Michael Jackson's estate told the Post-Tribune the estate is planning its own "world-class museum" at a site yet to be determined. Howard Weitzman said Michael Jackson's name and image can't be used without the estate's permission.
"The Estate of Michael Jackson was never consulted about, nor is it involved in, the Jackson Family museum being proposed in Gary, Indiana," Weitzman said in a written statement.
Land transfer in progress
Less than an hour before Wednesday's Genesis Center news conference, the Gary Board of Public Works and Safety met to approve a land transfer to the Jackson Family Foundation under an agreement with the newly formed Jackson Development & Marketing Corp.
City officials said they were unable to provide a copy of the agreement Wednesday. Clay has said the plan has the endorsement of not only Joe Jackson but Katherine Jackson, Michael Jackson's mother.
City Controller Celita Green didn't name the specific parcels transfered during the meeting, but she said they are generally bordered by Interstate 80/94, 35th Avenue, Grant Street and Broadway.
City attorneys later said the land includes Gilroy Stadium and parts of South Gleason Golf Course.
Clay, Jackson and Sahouri unveiled an artist's rendering of the first phase of the Jackson Family Center for the media and public.
The drawing portrays a view from the southeast of what will contain the Jackson Family Museum and Cultural Center and the Michael Jackson Performing Arts Center and Concert Hall with Michael Jackson Memorial Pavilion.
It also contained images of an elevated train to be connected to the Adam Benjamin Metro Center, hotels and housing units. Clay said the foundation will establish scholarships for Gary students who don't have the means to further their studies.
"It's something my family and Michael have always wanted," Joe Jackson said.
Sahouri said the goal of the $300 million center is not only to cement the Jacksons' legacy but to improve Gary's global image. Clay said it will be a "magnet" that will draw people from all over the world.
He added, "The only thing that will stop this is Gary, Indiana, people."
"Sometimes people throw, should I say, poison in the soup," Clay said later, elaborating on that comment. "We don't want Gary citizens to throw poison in the soup."
Michael's Estate
Weitzman, whose office said he represents John Branca and John McClain, the executors of Michael Jackson's estate, said in a statement they have no connection to the Gary project, raising questions about the Michael Jackson Performing Arts Center.
"Michael Jackson's music, name, likeness, memorabilia and other intellectual property are assets exclusively owned by the Estate for the benefit of his children, his mother during her lifetime and charities as specified in his will," Weitzman wrote. "These properties cannot be exploited legally without written authorization from the Estate."
City of Gary Corporation Counsel Susan Severtson said Wednesday's news conference was a "first step," and any conversation that needs to be had with the estate can still occur.
"The city has worked under the impression that the Jackson Family is the direct line of contact with the estate and those individuals running the estate," Severtson said.
Asked about the legal issues surrounding the estate, Clay pointed out Michael Jackson is a member of the Jackson Family, and he referenced a commitment Michael Jackson made in 2003 to help build a performing arts center in Gary.
"Today the dream is going to come true," Clay said.
Up next
Sahouri said that dream will actually take between three and five years to build. First, he said, a feasibility study will be conducted on the project.
Clay said money won't be a problem. The project is privately funded by the Jackson Family Foundation, he said.
"Gary, Indiana's taxpayers won't be funding this project," Clay said.
Shovels "and bulldozers" will help the city break ground early in 2011, Clay and Sahouri said. Meanwhile, the mayor said he expects a "Niagara Falls" of people who will want to get involved in the project.
Developers might also be watching the actions of the Indiana Gaming Commission, which will soon decide whether to renew two gambling licenses held by Majestic Star Casinos. During Wednesday's Board of Works meeting, Green said a casino might become part of the project.
Most of all, Clay said he wants the support of the community, which he said has been down for so long it might not realize when things look up.
"We're going to make it happen for Michael," Clay said.