Latest on MJJC

Gary Mayor to Announce "Move Forward" For Jackson Center *Merged*

GARY, Ind. — An ambitious plan for a museum, theater and casino campus to honor pop icon Michael Jackson in his hometown is showing few signs of progress, and some city officials say they think it's all but dead.

The city partnered with the Jackson Family Foundation in June 2010 in hopes of building a $300 million megaplex dedicated to Jackson in the city he left in 1969.

But months have gone by with little action, and questions remain about whether the foundation has the tax-exempt status required for it to receive 300 acres of city land.

The Times in Munster reports that Internal Revenue Service records do not list any tax-exempt Jackson-named group in Indiana.

Gary Economic Development Director Joel Rodriguez says the project is still in its preliminary stages.

http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/c8c36306576a4146b3afc609989e0557/IN--Jackson-Museum/
 
Memefan said:
But months have gone by with little action, and questions remain about whether the foundation has the tax-exempt status required for it to receive 300 acres of city land.

The Times in Munster reports that Internal Revenue Service records do not list any tax-exempt Jackson-named group in Indiana.

Gary Economic Development Director Joel Rodriguez says the project is still in its preliminary stages.

http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/c8c36306576a4146b3afc609989e0557/IN--Jackson-Museum/
Click to expand...

I doubt that this project will be finalized. :fear:
 
Bridgett_361;3407192 said:
Good question,how you would ever manage to get a casino built / run by a non-profit group?
Can this happen?
Click to expand...

I did find an example from wiki..but this is run by a city, which built horse- and greyhound-racing tracks, then a casino and a hotel...in order to boost the economy through tourism. while I can see this working for a municipal authority, I'm a bit more dubious about it working for a charity...(JFF).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystique_(casino)


There is an article here:
http://www.internet-poker.co.uk/Pok...diana-Charity-Casino-Deemed-Illegal~3997.html

that suggests that Indiana does not allow non-profit groups to run casinos unless they are veteran or fraternal groups.

Extract:
Jan 22, 2011

The Parnell Poker Palace in Fort Wayne, Indiana may have existed to help support White’s School of the Arts Community Development Programs. But it has since been shut down as an illegal gambling operation, and five people have been arrested in conjunction with the investigation into its activities.

The school was a non-profit organization operating out of an old middle school building. It offered athletic and educational programs as well as a health clinic to the local community.

Originally, White’s School of the Arts was allowed to host charity gambling, being considered a “qualified organization” on the basis of being a non-profit group. However, the state of Indiana changed its laws regarding charity gaming, restricting it to only fraternal and veteran groups.
Despite the change in the law, the school continued to host gambling from noon to 3 am three days each week. Five men were eventually arrested when it was determined that the Parnell Poker Palace was no longer legally allowed to host gambling. Included in the five men was RW, founder of the School for the Arts.

“I have hurt and I have failed those people I tried to help,” said W during his sentencing on Friday.

W was sentenced this Friday, receiving a suspended sentence and two years on probation. W was convicted of corrupt business influence and unlawful charity gaming contracting.

Even if the school had been considered a qualified organization, other aspects of the gambling operation would still have run afoul of the law. Several investors helped to finance the Poker Palace, and those investors took part of the profits, meaning that not all of the proceeds were going to a charitable cause. In addition, dealers and pit bosses were paid cash; under state law, no one at a charity gaming facility may be paid a salary.
 
Last edited:
Not so surprising developments in this

Michael Jackson complex in Gary, Ind., still largely a dream

Jackson's father holds out hope for the ambitious project in the pop superstar's hometown two years after his death, but hurdles remain.

By Andy Grimm, Chicago Tribune
July 9, 2011, 9:34 p.m.
Reporting from Chicago— As Michael Jackson fans this summer mark the two-year anniversary of his death, a group led by his father holds out hope it will deliver on promises for a $300-million tourist mecca in Gary, Ind., the battered steel town that was the pop superstar's boyhood home.

Last year, Joe Jackson and Gary Mayor Rudy Clay announced plans for the Jackson Family Center on 300 acres of city-owned land. The plans included moving the 1,000-square-foot Jackson house a few blocks to become part of a complex with a museum, performing arts center and perhaps a casino.

"The plans are moving along," said Orland Park, Ill., businessman Odie Anderson, who said he was the local point man for Joe Jackson's group. "We are in the process of hiring contractors."

The city still is hopeful Jackson's development group will be able to deliver on the glamorous proposal, which developers promised would bring more than 700,000 visitors and $150 million a year to a city that began a long, steep decline about the same time the Jackson 5 hit the charts with "I'll Be There" in 1969.

But Gary also set out numerous hurdles for Jackson's group, not least of which was securing financing for the project and the rights to Michael Jackson's likeness — which is closely guarded by the late performer's estate.

Michael's mother, Katherine Jackson, joined Joe Jackson as an officer in the Jackson Family Foundation, a not-for-profit organization incorporated in Joe Jackson's home state of Nevada in 2010 to lead the Gary project. Although Katherine Jackson draws an allowance from her son's estate and will inherit half of it, Joe Jackson was estranged from Michael for years and received nothing in his will.

Asked whether the estate had any involvement in a proposed Gary museum, Howard Weitzman, the estate's attorney, replied via email, "No!!"

Tax records for a nonprofit organization that merged with the Jackson Family Foundation in December list no assets or income. In corporation documents in Nevada, a for-profit development and marketing corporation created by Joe Jackson's group lists capital of $75,000.

The Jackson Family Foundation was required to provide proof it had attained federal tax-exempt status and complete a feasibility study for the project by January. It has done neither, Gary corporation counsel Susan Severtson said.

Further clouding the future is the fact the project's biggest booster, Clay, did not run for reelection. His term ends in January.

Jackson's attorney, Brian Oxman, acknowledges the project has encountered "obstacles."

"I know Joe has always wanted to do something in Gary," Oxman said. "That's where his life was. That's where his family was born. Who knows what can be done?"

Jackson died on June 25, 2009. On the second anniversary of his death last month, hundreds of fans gathered at the old family house in Gary to listen to music and remember the entertainer.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-michael-jackson-museum-20110710,0,6404140.story
 
ivy;3433454 said:
Not so surprising developments in this

Michael Jackson complex in Gary, Ind., still largely a dream

Jackson's father holds out hope for the ambitious project in the pop superstar's hometown two years after his death, but hurdles remain.

By Andy Grimm, Chicago Tribune
July 9, 2011, 9:34 p.m.
Reporting from Chicago— As Michael Jackson fans this summer mark the two-year anniversary of his death, a group led by his father holds out hope it will deliver on promises for a $300-million tourist mecca in Gary, Ind., the battered steel town that was the pop superstar's boyhood home.

Last year, Joe Jackson and Gary Mayor Rudy Clay announced plans for the Jackson Family Center on 300 acres of city-owned land. The plans included moving the 1,000-square-foot Jackson house a few blocks to become part of a complex with a museum, performing arts center and perhaps a casino.

"The plans are moving along," said Orland Park, Ill., businessman Odie Anderson, who said he was the local point man for Joe Jackson's group. "We are in the process of hiring contractors."

The city still is hopeful Jackson's development group will be able to deliver on the glamorous proposal, which developers promised would bring more than 700,000 visitors and $150 million a year to a city that began a long, steep decline about the same time the Jackson 5 hit the charts with "I'll Be There" in 1969.

But Gary also set out numerous hurdles for Jackson's group, not least of which was securing financing for the project and the rights to Michael Jackson's likeness — which is closely guarded by the late performer's estate.

Michael's mother, Katherine Jackson, joined Joe Jackson as an officer in the Jackson Family Foundation, a not-for-profit organization incorporated in Joe Jackson's home state of Nevada in 2010 to lead the Gary project. Although Katherine Jackson draws an allowance from her son's estate and will inherit half of it, Joe Jackson was estranged from Michael for years and received nothing in his will.

Asked whether the estate had any involvement in a proposed Gary museum, Howard Weitzman, the estate's attorney, replied via email, "No!!"

Tax records for a nonprofit organization that merged with the Jackson Family Foundation in December list no assets or income. In corporation documents in Nevada, a for-profit development and marketing corporation created by Joe Jackson's group lists capital of $75,000.

The Jackson Family Foundation was required to provide proof it had attained federal tax-exempt status and complete a feasibility study for the project by January. It has done neither, Gary corporation counsel Susan Severtson said.

Further clouding the future is the fact the project's biggest booster, Clay, did not run for reelection. His term ends in January.

Jackson's attorney, Brian Oxman, acknowledges the project has encountered "obstacles."

"I know Joe has always wanted to do something in Gary," Oxman said. "That's where his life was. That's where his family was born. Who knows what can be done?"

Jackson died on June 25, 2009. On the second anniversary of his death last month, hundreds of fans gathered at the old family house in Gary to listen to music and remember the entertainer.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-michael-jackson-museum-20110710,0,6404140.story
Click to expand...


Awww... :lol: Of course this will never see the light of day. :fear: Thanks for posting Ivy!
 
Re: Michael Jackson Performing Arts Center - announcement for "a major move forward" expected 6/2/10

marc_vivien said:
I wonder if they have the approval from the estate to use MJ's name ?
Click to expand...
If it's called the Jackson Center they don't need the approval from the Estate, but I'm sure they do
 
[h=1]Jackson family center developer still needs not-for-profit status[/h]By Michael Gonzalez Post-Tribune correspondent August 31, 2011 4:48PM


GARY — Simon Sahouri still has a job, and the Jackson family complex planned for the Glen Park neighborhood will still move forward, somewhat.
Mayor Rudy Clay quashed rumors of Sahouri’s dismissal by Joseph Jackson, father of the late entertainer Michael Jackson. Clay also promised more extensions for Sahouri, a Las Vegas-based publisher and promoter, and the Jackson Family Heritage Foundation to get their paperwork together.
“I can say there has been a wild rumor going around, and I’m going to put it to rest,” Clay said. “Simon Sahouri is still on the job.”
Sahouri, who on Wednesday described himself as a long-time friend of Joe and Katherine Jackson, said he still is the head of the foundation, a not-for-profit corporation charged with building a complex honoring the late Michael Jackson and his family on 186 acres of land ready to be given, free of charge by the city, to the cause. That acreage is the portion of land that can hold buildings, Sahouri said. More land is available, but it cannot support any structures or is not open for development.
Gary city attorney Susan Severtson said she is not so sure Sahouri and the foundation are on the right track, however. Per an agreement with the city in June 2010, Sahouri and the foundation had one year to provide the proper IRS documentation indicating they have not-for-profit status.
No status, no free land, according to the deal.
“(Sahouri) has not met those requirements to date,” Severtson said.
The city expected to do business with the Jackson Family Foundation. The Indiana Secretary of State lists several Jackson Family Heritage Foundations on its website.
The city has already twice extended key deadlines for the paperwork, and, as of Wednesday, there were no more requests by Sahouri for additional extensions, Severtson said.
Sahouri also played with merging the foundation with Positive Action, another not-for-profit association in Gary, but that would not have been acceptable to city officials, Severtson said.
Sahouri said he will meet with Severtson and other city officials to work out any differences.
He also said he and the Jackson family are determined to build the project in Gary.
“We want to make sure everybody in the world knows about Gary, Indiana, and let them know this city exists and is thriving,” Sahouri said. “In any project, if you don’t have obstacles, it’s no fun, but we are moving forward.”


http://posttrib.suntimes.com/738606...eloper-still-needs-not-for-profit-status.html
 
Memefan;3472491 said:
Gary city attorney Susan Severtson said she is not so sure Sahouri and the foundation are on the right track, however. Per an agreement with the city in June 2010, Sahouri and the foundation had one year to provide the proper IRS documentation indicating they have not-for-profit status.
No status, no free land, according to the deal.
“(Sahouri) has not met those requirements to date,” Severtson said.
Click to expand...

Mr. Sahouri is obviously talking out of the side of his neck.

I mean, they can't even get the correct documentation needed to official call themselves a Non-Profit Organization, but they think they are capable of conducting a THREE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLAR project. Yeah, Okay.
 
Does Gary have a light railway? I'm assuming that in order to have a 'light rail station' there must be track and other places to go......?

I'm surprised there are no apparent links to 'fraternal or veterans groups' as required for Charity gaming. I wonder if there is some connection to the sudden appearance of student dorms for Indiana University...might these have 'fraternal group' links? Or perhaps there is some possible public funding source for these as part of the larger scheme. Similarly for the proposed station...I imagine there might be public transport funding for this?


No thrills yet at Michael Jackson Museum site
Tuesday, November 22, 2011

November 22, 2011 (GARY, Ind.) (WLS) -- Questions swirl about the future of the multi-million dollar plan to honor Michael Jackson with a museum in the city where he grew up.

In the two years since his death, plans have been in the works for a museum complex to honor Michael Jackson in Gary, Indiana.
Amid missed deadlines and more promises, the site that has been set aside is still an empty field.
"I think that it can happen... I just want to see it happen for the people of Gary," said Gary Mayor Rudy Clay.

It has been Clay's big push: to bring fans from all over the world to the hometown of the Jackson family. In the summer of 2010, it seemed like everything was off to a good start.
"We are coming back, and we're bringing something back," said Joe Jackson.

Since then, the Jackson family created both a foundation and a company - dedicated to bringing the Michael Jackson Museum to Gary.
"They have assured us that they definitely want the City of Gary to be their final destination point," said Gary Economic Development Director Joel Rodriguez. "It could be Gary's Navy Pier."

Today, the proposed site is empty. Instead of the Michael Jackson Museum, there's an abandoned stadium, empty fields, and a city golf course.

For this 186-acre site, project organizers still have big dreams.
"This is a destination, worldwide destination that people will come [to] from all over the world," said Simon Sahouri of the Jackson Development and Marketing Corporation.
Sahouri works for the Jackson family, leading the effort to create the Michael Jackson Museum complex.

Now, in addition to the museum, he is planning for a performing arts center, a light rail station, and an amusement park. Sahouri also wants to create student dorms for the nearby branch of Indiana University and carve out a piece of the land for a potential land-based casino.

"The first phase, most probably [is] going to cost about $300 million," said Sahouri.
So far, no donations to the project have been reported on the foundation's federal tax forms.
Sahouri says he has interested investors, but would not disclose any names, saying that despite not actually raising any money, he has promises.

While he expects a new "preliminary master plan" in four to six months, he's still unclear as to how long it will actually take to build the site.
"I don't think it's going to be ten years or fifteen years, and I would like to see it while Mr. and Mrs. Jackson are still alive," said Sahouri.

Gary mayor-elect Karen Freeman-Wilson ran on a specific plan to revitalize Gary that she called "The Blueprint." It did not include the Michael Jackson site.

She says that while she is open to a way to honor the "King of Pop," she would need to see a feasible financial proposal to move forward with the project.
"To expend resources that are already limited, I would have to have a compelling reason, and as we sit here now, I don't have that reason," said Freeman-Wilson. "Quite frankly, in order for the city to continue to hold land, they have to really, really deliver on what they are promising."

The Jackson family missed deadlines to set up a not-for-profit corporation that city officials originally wanted to donate the land to, so the development is now being managed by the family's for-profit corporation.

Freeman-Wilson says if the project falls through, her administration will find other uses for the land.

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?se...gments&id=8442413&rss=rss-wls-article-8442413
 
Last edited:
myosotis said:
Does Gary have a light railway? I'm assuming that in order to have a 'light rail station' there must be track and other places to go......?

I'm surprised there are no apparent links to 'fraternal or veterans groups' as required for Charity gaming. I wonder if there is some connection to the sudden appearance of student dorms for Indiana University...might these have 'fraternal group' links? Or perhaps there is some possible public funding source for these as part of the larger scheme. Similarly for the proposed station...I imagine there might be public transport funding for this?


No thrills yet at Michael Jackson Museum site
Tuesday, November 22, 2011

November 22, 2011 (GARY, Ind.) (WLS) -- Questions swirl about the future of the multi-million dollar plan to honor Michael Jackson with a museum in the city where he grew up.

In the two years since his death, plans have been in the works for a museum complex to honor Michael Jackson in Gary, Indiana.
Amid missed deadlines and more promises, the site that has been set aside is still an empty field.
"I think that it can happen... I just want to see it happen for the people of Gary," said Gary Mayor Rudy Clay.

It has been Clay's big push: to bring fans from all over the world to the hometown of the Jackson family. In the summer of 2010, it seemed like everything was off to a good start.
"We are coming back, and we're bringing something back," said Joe Jackson.

Since then, the Jackson family created both a foundation and a company - dedicated to bringing the Michael Jackson Museum to Gary.
"They have assured us that they definitely want the City of Gary to be their final destination point," said Gary Economic Development Director Joel Rodriguez. "It could be Gary's Navy Pier."

Today, the proposed site is empty. Instead of the Michael Jackson Museum, there's an abandoned stadium, empty fields, and a city golf course.

For this 186-acre site, project organizers still have big dreams.
"This is a destination, worldwide destination that people will come [to] from all over the world," said Simon Sahouri of the Jackson Development and Marketing Corporation.
Sahouri works for the Jackson family, leading the effort to create the Michael Jackson Museum complex.

Now, in addition to the museum, he is planning for a performing arts center, a light rail station, and an amusement park. Sahouri also wants to create student dorms for the nearby branch of Indiana University and carve out a piece of the land for a potential land-based casino.

"The first phase, most probably [is] going to cost about $300 million," said Sahouri.
So far, no donations to the project have been reported on the foundation's federal tax forms.
Sahouri says he has interested investors, but would not disclose any names, saying that despite not actually raising any money, he has promises.

While he expects a new "preliminary master plan" in four to six months, he's still unclear as to how long it will actually take to build the site.
"I don't think it's going to be ten years or fifteen years, and I would like to see it while Mr. and Mrs. Jackson are still alive," said Sahouri.

Gary mayor-elect Karen Freeman-Wilson ran on a specific plan to revitalize Gary that she called "The Blueprint." It did not include the Michael Jackson site.

She says that while she is open to a way to honor the "King of Pop," she would need to see a feasible financial proposal to move forward with the project.
"To expend resources that are already limited, I would have to have a compelling reason, and as we sit here now, I don't have that reason," said Freeman-Wilson. "Quite frankly, in order for the city to continue to hold land, they have to really, really deliver on what they are promising."

The Jackson family missed deadlines to set up a not-for-profit corporation that city officials originally wanted to donate the land to, so the development is now being managed by the family's for-profit corporation.

Freeman-Wilson says if the project falls through, her administration will find other uses for the land.

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?se...gments&id=8442413&rss=rss-wls-article-8442413
Click to expand...


Surprised? Not. Jackson family and non profit dont seem to go well together.

As for Gary being all the sudden a worldwide destination, I think they are dreaming. Except for people making an occasional pilgrimage on Jackson street, the majority of people will go to L.A.
 
Ben said:
Surprised? Not. Jackson family and non profit dont seem to go well together.

As for Gary being all the sudden a worldwide destination, I think they are dreaming. Except for people making an occasional pilgrimage on Jackson street, the majority of people will go to L.A.
Click to expand...

That's right LA or Vegas. I thought they had forgotten about this doomed idea, but I guess it was wishful thinking. This may be something like the Neverland theme hotels backed by papa Joe.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top