1 00:00:05,005 --> 00:00:06,974 - (female announcer)   Production funding for 2 00:00:06,974 --> 00:00:08,742 Behind the Headlines 3 00:00:08,742 --> 00:00:10,244 is made possible and part by: 4 00:00:10,244 --> 00:00:12,079 the WKNO Production Fund, 5 00:00:12,079 --> 00:00:14,014 the WKNO Endowment Fund, 6 00:00:14,014 --> 00:00:17,251 and by viewers like you.   Thank you. 7 00:00:17,251 --> 00:00:19,119 - The accelerating transformation of the 8 00:00:19,119 --> 00:00:22,256 Riverfront, tonight on Behind the Headlines. 9 00:00:22,256 --> 00:00:24,992 [dramatic orchestral music] 10 00:00:38,505 --> 00:00:40,274 I'm Eric Barnes, President and Executive Editor 11 00:00:40,274 --> 00:00:41,642 of the Daily Memphian. 12 00:00:41,642 --> 00:00:42,943 Thanks for joining us. 13 00:00:42,943 --> 00:00:44,378 I'm joined tonight by Carol Coletta, 14 00:00:44,378 --> 00:00:46,713 president and CEO of the Memphis River Parks Partnership. 15 00:00:46,713 --> 00:00:48,048 Thanks for being here again. 16 00:00:48,048 --> 00:00:49,049 - Glad to be here. 17 00:00:49,049 --> 00:00:50,384 - So you, as we tape this is, 18 00:00:50,384 --> 00:00:51,885 which is basically a week ago, 19 00:00:51,885 --> 00:00:54,621 you are about to open a number of new features 20 00:00:54,621 --> 00:00:56,757 and you got big, you brought some news 21 00:00:56,757 --> 00:00:59,159 with a big donation from the Hyde Family Foundation 22 00:00:59,159 --> 00:01:01,395 which has supported so many parks and green spaces 23 00:01:01,395 --> 00:01:03,463 and other things in the city, but talk about 24 00:01:03,463 --> 00:01:06,967 maybe what has opened, this new, this first new feature 25 00:01:06,967 --> 00:01:09,102 and how that has set the stage for what's to come. 26 00:01:09,102 --> 00:01:12,005 - Yeah, if you think about what most of us 27 00:01:12,005 --> 00:01:16,376 think of as the Riverfront, it's the river 28 00:01:16,376 --> 00:01:21,381 from Jefferson to maybe Georgia   or Carolina on the south. 29 00:01:22,549 --> 00:01:24,918 So you know, it's a big   expanse of riverfront 30 00:01:24,918 --> 00:01:28,855 that neighbors the   core city, right? 31 00:01:28,855 --> 00:01:30,324 The core downtown. 32 00:01:30,324 --> 00:01:35,262 So we are opening a five-mile   trail along the riverfront 33 00:01:38,765 --> 00:01:42,669 that will connect finally   the Wolf River Greenway 34 00:01:42,669 --> 00:01:45,305 on the north end of Mud   Island all the way down 35 00:01:45,305 --> 00:01:46,773 to Big River crossing. 36 00:01:46,773 --> 00:01:48,275 We've never had that trail. 37 00:01:48,275 --> 00:01:50,777 It's the most obvious trail in the city, right? 38 00:01:50,777 --> 00:01:53,347 - It's funny that it's very significant 39 00:01:53,347 --> 00:01:55,849 in part. - And it's the last one. 40 00:01:55,849 --> 00:01:57,751 - Exactly, because it's been talked about. 41 00:01:57,751 --> 00:01:59,286 I've lived in Memphis 24 years and I remember 42 00:01:59,286 --> 00:02:02,222 debates about this when I moved here. 43 00:02:02,222 --> 00:02:03,457 - Right. 44 00:02:03,457 --> 00:02:04,725 - And over the past five and ten years. 45 00:02:04,725 --> 00:02:06,159 Debates about why wouldn't there be. 46 00:02:06,159 --> 00:02:07,928 Study after study that came forward that you know, 47 00:02:07,928 --> 00:02:09,830 some people sort of cynically said oh yeah 48 00:02:09,830 --> 00:02:12,099 we spent X thousand dollars for a study 49 00:02:12,099 --> 00:02:14,201 that said put a trail along a beautiful riverfront 50 00:02:14,201 --> 00:02:16,470 and so how did you get that done? 51 00:02:16,470 --> 00:02:19,072 - Well in part, the pieces were there 52 00:02:19,072 --> 00:02:22,609 and so part of this is just joining up the pieces, 53 00:02:22,609 --> 00:02:27,614 finding the connection points among those pieces. 54 00:02:28,749 --> 00:02:31,018 Some of it is new and it's interesting. 55 00:02:31,018 --> 00:02:32,953 It's a collaboration of funders. 56 00:02:32,953 --> 00:02:35,322 The Hyde Family Foundation provided funding 57 00:02:35,322 --> 00:02:39,059 for some of those connections and the signage 58 00:02:39,059 --> 00:02:41,161 that was very necessary to doing the trail. 59 00:02:41,161 --> 00:02:44,765 The city of Memphis Department of Housing and Community 60 00:02:44,765 --> 00:02:47,401 Development did the part on the trail that goes from 61 00:02:47,401 --> 00:02:50,537 the coast guard along the west side of the flood wall 62 00:02:50,537 --> 00:02:52,339 which a lot of people have never seen. 63 00:02:52,339 --> 00:02:53,607 It's really stunning. 64 00:02:53,607 --> 00:02:56,943 And so along that part of the trail down to the 65 00:02:56,943 --> 00:02:59,913 Tennessee Welcome Center to the south 66 00:02:59,913 --> 00:03:02,716 and then the Community Redevelopment Agency 67 00:03:02,716 --> 00:03:06,286 came in and did some invitations 68 00:03:06,286 --> 00:03:10,791 on the east end of A.W. Willis Bridge over Mud Island 69 00:03:11,792 --> 00:03:14,494 to connect it better to Uptown. 70 00:03:14,494 --> 00:03:18,498 So ultimately, what we want to have is a great connection 71 00:03:18,498 --> 00:03:23,503 among all of the neighborhoods along the river 72 00:03:24,671 --> 00:03:27,207 as well as between two of our major trails now 73 00:03:27,207 --> 00:03:28,909 as Wolf River Greenway, 74 00:03:28,909 --> 00:03:32,646 you know, sort of roars to completion 75 00:03:32,646 --> 00:03:34,881 and Big River Crossing now just got better 76 00:03:34,881 --> 00:03:38,351 with the paved trails at, you know, in Big River Trails 77 00:03:38,351 --> 00:03:40,120 over in Arkansas, it's just, 78 00:03:40,120 --> 00:03:44,057 it really is a magnificent natural resource for Memphis, 79 00:03:44,057 --> 00:03:47,761 not only for Memphians, but also for visitors to Memphis 80 00:03:47,761 --> 00:03:49,529 since there's more recreation travel. 81 00:03:49,529 --> 00:03:51,465 - And just to clarify for people who maybe aren't as close. 82 00:03:51,465 --> 00:03:53,533 We write about it a lot and you obviously are very close 83 00:03:53,533 --> 00:03:56,303 and have been, Big River Crossing is the Harahan Bridge, 84 00:03:56,303 --> 00:03:59,272 the old bridge as a lot of people refer to it 85 00:03:59,272 --> 00:04:01,241 and the crossing over there to Arkansas 86 00:04:01,241 --> 00:04:04,778 over by Church of the River and back in Martyrs Park 87 00:04:04,778 --> 00:04:08,148 and so on and Wolf River Greenway reaches all the way 88 00:04:08,148 --> 00:04:11,351 from the, eventually all the way out to what, 89 00:04:11,351 --> 00:04:12,953 Ghost River. - Yeah. 90 00:04:12,953 --> 00:04:14,421 Just imagine that. 91 00:04:14,421 --> 00:04:15,856 - It'll connect all along the Wolf River through 92 00:04:15,856 --> 00:04:18,458 parks and so on and various sections of open, 93 00:04:18,458 --> 00:04:20,293 but a what, a $40 million plan that we've talked about here. 94 00:04:20,293 --> 00:04:21,862 You're not directly involved in that. 95 00:04:21,862 --> 00:04:23,063 - No. 96 00:04:23,063 --> 00:04:24,464 - That's not on your purview. 97 00:04:24,464 --> 00:04:25,732 - No, but we very much support it and connect to it. 98 00:04:25,732 --> 00:04:27,000 - Yeah. 99 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:28,535 - And I think all these connections 100 00:04:28,535 --> 00:04:31,171 make every single piece more valuable. 101 00:04:31,171 --> 00:04:32,405 - Yeah. 102 00:04:32,405 --> 00:04:34,674 That, this opening this green path 103 00:04:34,674 --> 00:04:36,610 that you just talked about, 104 00:04:36,610 --> 00:04:38,879 that is sort of oddly significant 105 00:04:38,879 --> 00:04:40,480 given how long it's been talked about 106 00:04:40,480 --> 00:04:43,116 and how hard it was to pull the pieces together 107 00:04:44,518 --> 00:04:45,785 and in part, you described that because you talked about 108 00:04:45,785 --> 00:04:47,888 in just talking about that five mile trail, 109 00:04:47,888 --> 00:04:50,090 you named four or five different entities 110 00:04:50,090 --> 00:04:51,958 who had to come together on that which is often 111 00:04:51,958 --> 00:04:54,294 seems to be the case with pulling 112 00:04:54,294 --> 00:04:55,829 these kinds of projects together. 113 00:04:55,829 --> 00:04:58,765 That is just a first very visible step 114 00:04:58,765 --> 00:05:00,534 and a whole lot of things are about to happen. 115 00:05:00,534 --> 00:05:03,904 So you have a plan of what, $50 to $70 million. 116 00:05:03,904 --> 00:05:06,506 Is that what you're looking for in investments 117 00:05:06,506 --> 00:05:08,708 in a whole range of things and maybe what we'll end up 118 00:05:08,708 --> 00:05:10,544 doing is kind of walk you through where you are 119 00:05:10,544 --> 00:05:11,945 with all the various parks 120 00:05:11,945 --> 00:05:14,447 from Tom Lee Park to updates on what people 121 00:05:14,447 --> 00:05:17,784 think of is is the Mud Island River Park and so on, 122 00:05:17,784 --> 00:05:21,254 but give the overall of this $50 to $70 million plan. 123 00:05:21,254 --> 00:05:24,558 - Well again, if you, just to say River Line is the first 124 00:05:24,558 --> 00:05:29,563 piece of this, of this new bit of work we're doing. 125 00:05:30,664 --> 00:05:31,865 I say bit of work. 126 00:05:31,865 --> 00:05:34,901 It really is the heart of the Riverfront 127 00:05:34,901 --> 00:05:36,403 and the heart of Downtown. 128 00:05:36,403 --> 00:05:38,238 Thus the heart of our city. 129 00:05:38,238 --> 00:05:42,142 So think about, we have the River Line that connects it all. 130 00:05:42,142 --> 00:05:44,277 We have a new what we call River Garden. 131 00:05:44,277 --> 00:05:46,980 It is in the old Mississippi River park, 132 00:05:46,980 --> 00:05:51,985 formerly Jeff Davis Park that runs to the west side 133 00:05:53,119 --> 00:05:56,690 of Riverside drive from Jefferson to Court. 134 00:05:56,690 --> 00:06:01,695 So it's at the north   end of what we think of 135 00:06:02,429 --> 00:06:03,663 as the Riverfront. 136 00:06:03,663 --> 00:06:05,131 That is, has been   transformed into 137 00:06:05,131 --> 00:06:07,200 what we call River Garden. 138 00:06:07,200 --> 00:06:10,637 That is, I will tell you,   it sets a new standard 139 00:06:10,637 --> 00:06:12,772 for what we think of as   public space in Memphis. 140 00:06:12,772 --> 00:06:15,308 It is just a beauty. 141 00:06:15,308 --> 00:06:16,910 It's a one block park. 142 00:06:16,910 --> 00:06:18,478 It's really sweet. 143 00:06:18,478 --> 00:06:19,713 It's right on the harbor. 144 00:06:19,713 --> 00:06:22,282 So from that park, you are both looking 145 00:06:22,282 --> 00:06:24,618 across the harbor into Mud Island, 146 00:06:24,618 --> 00:06:27,587 but you're also looking straight down the river. 147 00:06:27,587 --> 00:06:29,489 You can actually see how all of the rivers 148 00:06:29,489 --> 00:06:31,925 join together from that park, which I hadn't realized 149 00:06:31,925 --> 00:06:36,930 until we started building it, but it is an absolute beauty. 150 00:06:37,797 --> 00:06:40,033 It has all native plants, plants 151 00:06:40,033 --> 00:06:43,003 that will bloom again and again. 152 00:06:43,003 --> 00:06:47,240 So we have fields, we have this wonderful pavilion 153 00:06:47,240 --> 00:06:52,078 which leads to this observation nest that again 154 00:06:52,078 --> 00:06:53,680 gives you a view straight down 155 00:06:53,680 --> 00:06:55,382 the harbor and onto the river. 156 00:06:55,382 --> 00:06:57,217 You can see all the way to the dock 157 00:06:57,217 --> 00:06:58,852 and beyond the Tom Lee Park. 158 00:06:58,852 --> 00:07:01,187 We have hammocks underneath. 159 00:07:01,187 --> 00:07:04,024 We have a pavilion for dining. 160 00:07:04,024 --> 00:07:05,925 - And all this is free and open to the public. 161 00:07:05,925 --> 00:07:07,294 - Free and open to the public. 162 00:07:07,294 --> 00:07:11,464 It is really beautiful. - Right. 163 00:07:11,464 --> 00:07:12,299 - And we have hawk. 164 00:07:12,299 --> 00:07:13,767 We have our own hawk. 165 00:07:13,767 --> 00:07:15,769 Honestly, I saw him this week. 166 00:07:15,769 --> 00:07:17,003 - Was that planned or did it 167 00:07:17,003 --> 00:07:18,371 turn out there was a hawk there. 168 00:07:18,371 --> 00:07:20,240 - Apparently hawks have used, 'cause we're 169 00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:23,710 in the big flyway, right, the Mississippi River flyway, 170 00:07:25,145 --> 00:07:29,015 this hawk is ginormous and decides to sit in this tree 171 00:07:29,015 --> 00:07:31,618 at the south end of the park so when you see him, 172 00:07:31,618 --> 00:07:33,453 you cannot miss him. - Right. 173 00:07:33,453 --> 00:07:36,256 So you, and taking over this and people who 174 00:07:36,256 --> 00:07:38,591 maybe aren't, again, as close to this, 175 00:07:38,591 --> 00:07:39,793 there was the Riverfront Development Corporation 176 00:07:39,793 --> 00:07:41,695 which developed Beale Street Landing 177 00:07:41,695 --> 00:07:43,897 and had control I believe of Tom Lee Park 178 00:07:43,897 --> 00:07:46,566 and ultimately had the authority for a period of time 179 00:07:46,566 --> 00:07:48,168 over Mud Island River Park. 180 00:07:48,168 --> 00:07:50,570 Let's switch, so your organization is really 181 00:07:50,570 --> 00:07:52,706 the successor or the transformation of that. 182 00:07:52,706 --> 00:07:53,907 Is that a fair way to put that of the Riverfront, 183 00:07:53,907 --> 00:07:56,576 RDC as people might remember it. 184 00:07:56,576 --> 00:07:58,611 Let's talk about Mud Island. 185 00:07:58,611 --> 00:08:01,881 What, I mean, it is closed right now? 186 00:08:01,881 --> 00:08:02,882 Is that correct? 187 00:08:02,882 --> 00:08:04,117 Closed for the winter. - No. 188 00:08:04,117 --> 00:08:05,352 - Not Mud Island but the River Park 189 00:08:05,352 --> 00:08:08,288 and the museum and the amphiteater. 190 00:08:08,288 --> 00:08:09,789 We almost have to break it down 191 00:08:09,789 --> 00:08:13,059 and the monorail, the track that goes over the train, 192 00:08:13,059 --> 00:08:15,295 let's break down the various pieces of what's 193 00:08:15,295 --> 00:08:17,197 going on with what a lot of people, 194 00:08:17,197 --> 00:08:18,398 when they say Mud Island, 195 00:08:18,398 --> 00:08:19,799 they really think Mud Island River Park. 196 00:08:19,799 --> 00:08:22,669 - They do and Mud Island River Park, 197 00:08:22,669 --> 00:08:27,674 we decided this summer, that we would treat it like a park. 198 00:08:29,109 --> 00:08:32,345 So you can walk over to Mud Island all year round. 199 00:08:32,345 --> 00:08:34,781 You can walk into it, you can walk through it, 200 00:08:34,781 --> 00:08:37,751 but we've closed down for the season 201 00:08:37,751 --> 00:08:42,555 the museum and any food and-- 202 00:08:42,555 --> 00:08:44,391 - The big, not pool, but-- - Yeah. 203 00:08:44,391 --> 00:08:47,994 All that, we have to drain that or else it cracks. 204 00:08:47,994 --> 00:08:51,164 So we drain that for the winter, but still, 205 00:08:51,164 --> 00:08:53,566 what's interesting about Mud Island 206 00:08:53,566 --> 00:08:56,669 is you can still walk it, bike it, you know, 207 00:08:56,669 --> 00:08:59,406 you can use the scooter. - Model of the River, all that-- 208 00:08:59,406 --> 00:09:00,907 - Yeah, now it doesn't have water in it, 209 00:09:00,907 --> 00:09:02,342 but you can all the way to the southern tip. 210 00:09:02,342 --> 00:09:04,310 I saw people walking there today actually. 211 00:09:04,310 --> 00:09:07,914 So it still acts as a park like any other park. 212 00:09:07,914 --> 00:09:10,517 You can go in it freely, you can move around in it 213 00:09:10,517 --> 00:09:14,921 and so that is still an asset and we see runners 214 00:09:14,921 --> 00:09:18,558 and bikers and pedestrians use that all the time. 215 00:09:18,558 --> 00:09:19,793 - What is next then? 216 00:09:19,793 --> 00:09:21,194 Will those amenities open up in the spring 217 00:09:21,194 --> 00:09:24,230 or will they be renovated or? - Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. 218 00:09:24,230 --> 00:09:26,566 They will open up and they were freshened up. 219 00:09:26,566 --> 00:09:28,802 I mean the museum for instance was freshened up this summer. 220 00:09:28,802 --> 00:09:32,872 Closed for a couple of weeks and reopened and which felt 221 00:09:32,872 --> 00:09:36,543 lighter and fresher than it had felt in 40 years. 222 00:09:36,543 --> 00:09:38,044 It was great. 223 00:09:38,044 --> 00:09:42,315 So and there is more to come on Mud Island. 224 00:09:42,315 --> 00:09:47,320 We think that Mud Island can be, ought to be, 225 00:09:48,188 --> 00:09:49,689 it's a very special place. 226 00:09:49,689 --> 00:09:51,224 You're sitting out in the middle of Mississippi River. 227 00:09:51,224 --> 00:09:52,659 I mean you know, it's pretty great and with the lighting 228 00:09:52,659 --> 00:09:54,861 of both bridges, you've got this great view, 229 00:09:54,861 --> 00:09:55,795 you're really close. 230 00:09:55,795 --> 00:09:57,997 I mean it's in your foreground. 231 00:09:57,997 --> 00:10:00,066 So how. - But the facility itself, 232 00:10:00,066 --> 00:10:01,801 anybody out there would say it's pretty dated 233 00:10:01,801 --> 00:10:04,571 even from some of the areas you're talking about. 234 00:10:04,571 --> 00:10:07,173 When you look at it, it feels dated, it looks dated. 235 00:10:07,173 --> 00:10:08,875 - Well, yeah and the funny thing is, 236 00:10:08,875 --> 00:10:11,611 I think Mud Island from a distance, 237 00:10:11,611 --> 00:10:16,616 actually looks less inviting than it is once you get there. 238 00:10:17,717 --> 00:10:18,885 - 'Cause there's a big facing wall. 239 00:10:18,885 --> 00:10:20,220 - Yeah, yeah. - It seems far away. 240 00:10:20,220 --> 00:10:21,955 It's removed. - It feels very brutalist 241 00:10:21,955 --> 00:10:24,224 and so forth, but when you're over there, 242 00:10:24,224 --> 00:10:26,192 I think there's really some beautiful spaces. 243 00:10:26,192 --> 00:10:29,195 I mean for instance, the grove of trees 244 00:10:29,195 --> 00:10:31,364 that has grown up on the west side, the river side 245 00:10:31,364 --> 00:10:35,001 of the amphitheater is absolutely stunning. 246 00:10:35,001 --> 00:10:37,070 I mean very beautiful mature trees. 247 00:10:37,070 --> 00:10:41,174 So all I would say is that most people 248 00:10:41,174 --> 00:10:44,244 in Memphis I find have very 249 00:10:44,244 --> 00:10:46,379 nostalgic feelings about Mud Island. 250 00:10:46,379 --> 00:10:48,147 You know, we all went there at one time 251 00:10:48,147 --> 00:10:53,119 and so we sort of, there's something to love about it, 252 00:10:54,621 --> 00:10:57,156 there was a sweetness about it, but people are restless 253 00:10:57,156 --> 00:11:00,159 about what it oughta be for the future. 254 00:11:00,159 --> 00:11:01,561 - I would actually say there's this nostalgia 255 00:11:01,561 --> 00:11:03,563 tinged with disappointment. - Yes, I agree. 256 00:11:03,563 --> 00:11:05,765 - It never achieved, it was one of those things 257 00:11:05,765 --> 00:11:08,368 that getting kind of off-track here, 258 00:11:08,368 --> 00:11:11,604 but it was one of those things that went back to a feeling 259 00:11:11,604 --> 00:11:14,507 in Memphis that you couldn't, that big projects went wrong. 260 00:11:14,507 --> 00:11:16,142 People would say that about, when I moved to Memphis, 261 00:11:16,142 --> 00:11:18,711 people would talk about how the Pyramid was supposed 262 00:11:18,711 --> 00:11:21,281 to have a roller coaster and it was supposed to be 263 00:11:21,281 --> 00:11:22,849 all these great things and it actually was kind of okay 264 00:11:22,849 --> 00:11:24,284 and they would say the same about Mud Island 265 00:11:24,284 --> 00:11:27,687 and as other projects started up, say the green line, 266 00:11:27,687 --> 00:11:29,255 the transformation of Shelby Farms, 267 00:11:29,255 --> 00:11:31,591 Overton Park, you know, all these things 268 00:11:31,591 --> 00:11:33,393 that we have been talking about downtown, 269 00:11:33,393 --> 00:11:35,895 people would constantly on the show and in reporting 270 00:11:35,895 --> 00:11:38,998 we would do, they would refer to well, 271 00:11:38,998 --> 00:11:43,236 but, you know, Mud Island or well, but the Pyramid, right? 272 00:11:43,236 --> 00:11:47,373 And so what can be done to kind of, with Mud Island, 273 00:11:47,373 --> 00:11:50,843 to erase that history of a bit of disappointment 274 00:11:50,843 --> 00:11:53,446 into updated or is that just its own sort of 275 00:11:53,446 --> 00:11:55,982 planning process that's gonna take more time? 276 00:11:57,450 --> 00:12:00,553 - It's a really interesting question because you know, 277 00:12:00,553 --> 00:12:01,754 I don't want to get too wonky. 278 00:12:01,754 --> 00:12:03,723 - We can, it's Behind the Headlines. 279 00:12:03,723 --> 00:12:05,024 - Oh okay. - You can do it. 280 00:12:05,024 --> 00:12:07,060 - It's about 40 years old, right? 281 00:12:07,060 --> 00:12:10,063 And it was, I have to tell you, 282 00:12:10,063 --> 00:12:12,899 I was there when Mud Island was built. 283 00:12:12,899 --> 00:12:16,603 Mud Island was built to be Bicentennial Park. 284 00:12:16,603 --> 00:12:17,971 You know this? - I did not know that. 285 00:12:17,971 --> 00:12:19,172 - There you go. 286 00:12:19,172 --> 00:12:20,673 A bit of Memphis history. 287 00:12:20,673 --> 00:12:22,842 It was supposed to be a $21 million bicentennial park 288 00:12:22,842 --> 00:12:24,077 dedicated to the history 289 00:12:24,077 --> 00:12:25,578 and folklore of the Mississippi River. 290 00:12:25,578 --> 00:12:29,415 Can you tell I made a few speeches about it years ago? 291 00:12:29,415 --> 00:12:31,884 And as the expense grew, 292 00:12:31,884 --> 00:12:35,922 the timeline was lengthened for building, for construction. 293 00:12:35,922 --> 00:12:40,927 Costs went up and as it lengthened, 294 00:12:42,028 --> 00:12:45,932 the program didn't change architecturally, 295 00:12:45,932 --> 00:12:50,937 but the programming and the promotion of it changed. 296 00:12:52,138 --> 00:12:56,509 And so it was sold in the end as a theme park, 297 00:12:56,509 --> 00:12:59,145 but it was never designed as a theme park 298 00:12:59,145 --> 00:13:01,714 and so you have these sort of two conflicting visions 299 00:13:01,714 --> 00:13:04,751 of Mud Island from the get go. 300 00:13:04,751 --> 00:13:08,788 Now fast forward or slow forward 40 years later, 301 00:13:08,788 --> 00:13:11,791 you've got aging infrastructure that really 302 00:13:11,791 --> 00:13:15,428 has not been, I mean it's a city asset. 303 00:13:15,428 --> 00:13:17,730 We don't own the assets as the partnership, right? 304 00:13:17,730 --> 00:13:19,832 The 501c3 that we run doesn't own it, 305 00:13:19,832 --> 00:13:21,701 but we maintain it, we operate it. 306 00:13:21,701 --> 00:13:25,605 So we're operating on 40 year old, you know, infrastructure 307 00:13:27,273 --> 00:13:32,211 and nobody has an appetite to renew the infrastructure 308 00:13:32,211 --> 00:13:34,714 because of the program, right? 309 00:13:34,714 --> 00:13:36,616 Nobody believes in the program 310 00:13:36,616 --> 00:13:40,353 that the assets were built to support. 311 00:13:40,353 --> 00:13:42,655 Thus, you have to say is there something 312 00:13:42,655 --> 00:13:47,193 you can layer on to asset as it exists 313 00:13:47,193 --> 00:13:52,198 or at some moment, is there a reason to radically change 314 00:13:53,366 --> 00:13:55,868 the asset, right, alter the asset, 315 00:13:55,868 --> 00:13:58,237 which we know is gonna cost a whole lot of money. 316 00:13:58,237 --> 00:14:02,108 We think we may have an interesting 317 00:14:02,108 --> 00:14:07,113 three to five year holding plan for the island 318 00:14:08,247 --> 00:14:10,917 and we're working on that now, but we'll see. 319 00:14:10,917 --> 00:14:12,418 - Are you gonna talk about or that's still? 320 00:14:12,418 --> 00:14:14,554 - I'm not because there's still too many unknowns 321 00:14:14,554 --> 00:14:17,356 and last thing I want to do is promise something 322 00:14:17,356 --> 00:14:20,460 we can't deliver, but there are a number of people. 323 00:14:20,460 --> 00:14:21,994 - That's never happened about the riverfront before. 324 00:14:21,994 --> 00:14:23,563 - Yeah, right, well okay. 325 00:14:23,563 --> 00:14:28,434 But there are a number of people who have advanced ideas 326 00:14:28,434 --> 00:14:32,972 in the recent past and now again because the excitement 327 00:14:32,972 --> 00:14:35,541 of the Riverfront is growing and people who you know, 328 00:14:35,541 --> 00:14:39,245 have ideas are now feeling like well wait a minute, 329 00:14:39,245 --> 00:14:41,981 maybe we could bring this forward. 330 00:14:41,981 --> 00:14:43,282 Maybe now the time is right. 331 00:14:43,282 --> 00:14:44,917 So we're listening to those ideas, 332 00:14:44,917 --> 00:14:46,586 we're working with some folks. 333 00:14:46,586 --> 00:14:48,321 We'll see what we can come up with. 334 00:14:48,321 --> 00:14:50,690 - Let's shift down to to Tom Lee Park, 335 00:14:50,690 --> 00:14:54,160 the big park opened where Memphis in May takes place. 336 00:14:54,160 --> 00:14:58,197 You've got, I think you've hired architects, right? 337 00:14:58,197 --> 00:14:59,232 Is that correct? - Yes. 338 00:14:59,232 --> 00:15:00,700 - For Tom Lee Park. - Yes. 339 00:15:00,700 --> 00:15:03,302 - And looking at some of the plans which are on your website 340 00:15:03,302 --> 00:15:06,939 and some of the ideas, there's a lot of criticisms 341 00:15:06,939 --> 00:15:09,942 of the space that's just sort of a plain wide open space. 342 00:15:09,942 --> 00:15:12,612 There's not a lot of shade so in the summer it's very hot. 343 00:15:12,612 --> 00:15:15,515 There aren't really amenities there particularly. 344 00:15:15,515 --> 00:15:17,550 I mean there's a little bit, but not a lot of amenities 345 00:15:17,550 --> 00:15:20,353 whether it's playgrounds or a band shell or whatever 346 00:15:20,353 --> 00:15:22,088 could go in there so what happens 347 00:15:22,088 --> 00:15:24,390 next with that big expanse? 348 00:15:24,390 --> 00:15:26,526 - Well, let me jump back one minute. 349 00:15:26,526 --> 00:15:27,994 - Sure. 350 00:15:27,994 --> 00:15:30,396 - 'cause you skipped five blocks of Riverfront. 351 00:15:30,396 --> 00:15:31,631 - Yes, okay. 352 00:15:31,631 --> 00:15:32,565 - With a historic cobblestone landing. 353 00:15:32,565 --> 00:15:34,100 - Okay, sure. 354 00:15:34,100 --> 00:15:35,668 - And I just think it's important for people to know. 355 00:15:35,668 --> 00:15:37,670 - Yeah. - That project is funded. 356 00:15:37,670 --> 00:15:39,138 It's starting. 357 00:15:39,138 --> 00:15:41,274 It should start about, we think first quarter next year 358 00:15:41,274 --> 00:15:45,144 and all of those cobblestones will be, you know, 359 00:15:45,144 --> 00:15:48,414 all the holes and patches and there's no edge to it 360 00:15:48,414 --> 00:15:50,850 so the cobblestone keeps slipping into the water. 361 00:15:50,850 --> 00:15:54,253 The utility poles stick up everywhere. 362 00:15:54,253 --> 00:15:56,956 All those utilities will be put underground. 363 00:15:56,956 --> 00:16:01,060 All the cobblestones will be patched and renewed 364 00:16:01,060 --> 00:16:05,097 so that our, the largest, we have the largest historic 365 00:16:05,097 --> 00:16:07,767 cobblestone landing in the country and I think 366 00:16:07,767 --> 00:16:10,703 we will be, all of a sudden instead of being this 367 00:16:10,703 --> 00:16:14,207 kind of like really ugly five block long patch 368 00:16:14,207 --> 00:16:18,477 of prime real estate, all of a sudden, that gets fixed 369 00:16:18,477 --> 00:16:21,347 and it becomes a connector which is really exciting. 370 00:16:21,347 --> 00:16:23,950 - Let's stick with that for a second. 371 00:16:23,950 --> 00:16:25,451 It gets patched, which again is one of those things 372 00:16:25,451 --> 00:16:26,919 that have been talked about for as long as I can remember. 373 00:16:26,919 --> 00:16:28,487 - Yeah I know. 374 00:16:28,487 --> 00:16:30,456 - What would happen with the cobblestone. 375 00:16:30,456 --> 00:16:32,258 - And patch sounds bad, but I mean replacing cobblestones. 376 00:16:32,258 --> 00:16:33,526 - Yeah, and will there be amenities? 377 00:16:33,526 --> 00:16:34,927 Will there be paths, will there be trees? 378 00:16:34,927 --> 00:16:37,496 What, besides patching, what's going on there? 379 00:16:37,496 --> 00:16:40,666 - Well what it makes possible is activity at the foot 380 00:16:40,666 --> 00:16:43,803 of the cobblestones when we do this work. 381 00:16:43,803 --> 00:16:46,973 So that's really important because that begins 382 00:16:46,973 --> 00:16:49,141 to activate the harbor in an exciting way. 383 00:16:49,141 --> 00:16:50,610 I mean think about it. 384 00:16:50,610 --> 00:16:53,279 We've got a still water harbor that you can go out, 385 00:16:53,279 --> 00:16:55,514 I mean even a novice can kayak, paddleboard, 386 00:16:55,514 --> 00:16:59,051 do all kinds of activity on the water, 387 00:16:59,051 --> 00:17:01,687 but we, it just goes unused. 388 00:17:01,687 --> 00:17:03,756 Why would you leave a major water resource 389 00:17:03,756 --> 00:17:07,326 at your city's front door unused? 390 00:17:07,326 --> 00:17:10,596 So I think that's an exciting part. 391 00:17:10,596 --> 00:17:12,098 The other part that's exciting is at the top 392 00:17:12,098 --> 00:17:14,433 of the cobblestones today, 393 00:17:14,433 --> 00:17:16,269 there is a cobblestone walk way, right? 394 00:17:16,269 --> 00:17:17,770 There's a sidewalk. 395 00:17:17,770 --> 00:17:20,573 It's pretty narrow and now with the introduction 396 00:17:20,573 --> 00:17:24,377 of scooters and bikes, it's just simply 397 00:17:24,377 --> 00:17:26,812 does not accommodate that kind of traffic we're getting 398 00:17:26,812 --> 00:17:29,148 which the traffic's great, but we need, you know, 399 00:17:29,148 --> 00:17:32,218 more of a promenade to connect it. 400 00:17:32,218 --> 00:17:34,754 So that's another thing we'll be working on 401 00:17:34,754 --> 00:17:37,156 is how do you make a much more 402 00:17:37,156 --> 00:17:40,192 generous walkway along the whole... 403 00:17:40,192 --> 00:17:41,861 now that doesn't sound very sexy, right. 404 00:17:41,861 --> 00:17:43,396 Connections never do. 405 00:17:43,396 --> 00:17:44,864 - Well neither did the green line. 406 00:17:44,864 --> 00:17:46,365 - Neither did the green line and I think that's why 407 00:17:46,365 --> 00:17:48,534 we always undervalue them when we're planning them 408 00:17:48,534 --> 00:17:50,636 and talking about them and then you know, 409 00:17:50,636 --> 00:17:53,773 once they're done, we're all like well duh. 410 00:17:53,773 --> 00:17:54,707 - And so you say funded. 411 00:17:54,707 --> 00:17:55,641 How is it funded? 412 00:17:55,641 --> 00:17:58,911 - It was funded by TDOT money, 413 00:17:58,911 --> 00:18:00,980 the Tennessee Department of Transportation 414 00:18:00,980 --> 00:18:05,985 with transportation dollars and the city of Memphis. 415 00:18:06,852 --> 00:18:08,120 - City of Memphis, 416 00:18:08,120 --> 00:18:09,088 not private funding on the cobblestones. 417 00:18:09,088 --> 00:18:10,323 - No, no. - Okay. 418 00:18:10,323 --> 00:18:11,757 - City of Memphis has to provide, 419 00:18:11,757 --> 00:18:14,827 to make the state funds work, the city had to provide 420 00:18:14,827 --> 00:18:18,064 I think a 1 to 10 match. - I got you. 421 00:18:18,064 --> 00:18:19,498 - It's great. 422 00:18:19,498 --> 00:18:20,733 - 90% coming from the state and 10% from the city. 423 00:18:20,733 --> 00:18:22,568 - It's a great deal to the city. 424 00:18:22,568 --> 00:18:24,103 Now, Tom Lee Park. 425 00:18:24,103 --> 00:18:24,937 - We'll move down to Tom Lee Park. 426 00:18:24,937 --> 00:18:26,205 No, that's great. 427 00:18:26,205 --> 00:18:27,373 We're skipping over Beale Street Landing 428 00:18:27,373 --> 00:18:29,041 which I do want to come back to, 429 00:18:29,041 --> 00:18:30,476 but let's just talk about Tom Lee Park. 430 00:18:30,476 --> 00:18:34,013 What kind of changes are being discussed? 431 00:18:34,013 --> 00:18:38,184 - Yeah, well Tom Lee Park is a bit of a stranded asset 432 00:18:40,920 --> 00:18:43,823 at the moment, right and not only is it flat as a pancake 433 00:18:43,823 --> 00:18:46,492 with very little shade, it's also, 434 00:18:46,492 --> 00:18:51,497 it doesn't feel joined up with the rest of Downtown, right? 435 00:18:52,665 --> 00:18:54,100 So it doesn't make the real estate, 436 00:18:54,100 --> 00:18:57,803 the adjacent real estate valuable in the way it should 437 00:18:57,803 --> 00:19:00,239 because of the lack of connections again, right? 438 00:19:00,239 --> 00:19:01,907 - Valuable in terms of dollar value 439 00:19:01,907 --> 00:19:03,409 or valuable as sort of amenity? 440 00:19:03,409 --> 00:19:05,544 - Well both because amenities do have dollar value. 441 00:19:05,544 --> 00:19:10,149 And what I mean, so the best amenities to build 442 00:19:10,149 --> 00:19:14,320 in a downtown area, you want things 443 00:19:14,320 --> 00:19:17,423 that people want to use everyday 444 00:19:17,423 --> 00:19:19,358 like Memphians want to use everyday. 445 00:19:19,358 --> 00:19:21,727 When they use it everyday, they want to live near it. 446 00:19:21,727 --> 00:19:24,397 When they want to live near it, then they want to work near it. 447 00:19:24,397 --> 00:19:27,800 So that's where you get the real, you know, juice, 448 00:19:27,800 --> 00:19:32,271 is to create something that is used everyday 449 00:19:32,271 --> 00:19:35,508 or weekly, regularly by locals. 450 00:19:35,508 --> 00:19:38,344 So we, you know, we believe that's the kind of resource 451 00:19:38,344 --> 00:19:39,578 Tom Lee Park has to be. 452 00:19:39,578 --> 00:19:41,747 We're looking at it from bluffs to banks. 453 00:19:41,747 --> 00:19:46,719 We've commissioned Studio Gang, which did the 454 00:19:46,719 --> 00:19:50,823 Memphis Riverfront concept to be the lead firm on that. 455 00:19:50,823 --> 00:19:55,027 The good news about Studio Gang is they see this asset 456 00:19:55,027 --> 00:19:57,963 very much as part of a much larger picture 457 00:19:57,963 --> 00:20:00,800 of the Riverfront and of Downtown and of 458 00:20:00,800 --> 00:20:02,234 south Memphis and north Memphis. 459 00:20:02,234 --> 00:20:06,605 So they look at this asset in context, 460 00:20:06,605 --> 00:20:10,676 in a context that maybe just a park designer would not. 461 00:20:10,676 --> 00:20:12,278 They have brought on Scape Studio. 462 00:20:12,278 --> 00:20:15,448 Scape Studio is a landscape architecture firm. 463 00:20:15,448 --> 00:20:17,683 They will be doing a giant amount of work 464 00:20:17,683 --> 00:20:19,418 because in the end, this is a park, 465 00:20:19,418 --> 00:20:21,320 but it's much more than a park. 466 00:20:21,320 --> 00:20:24,290 It's a civic, it's a major civic statement. 467 00:20:24,290 --> 00:20:26,025 It's the first thing a lot of 468 00:20:26,025 --> 00:20:27,226 people see when they enter Memphis. 469 00:20:27,226 --> 00:20:30,129 So that, the timeline on that is we are, 470 00:20:30,129 --> 00:20:33,232 we've announced the firms, they are at work. 471 00:20:33,232 --> 00:20:36,135 We've seen about two to three weeks of work on their part 472 00:20:36,135 --> 00:20:39,371 and just the early look is super exciting. 473 00:20:39,371 --> 00:20:42,541 I think they're headed in the right direction 474 00:20:42,541 --> 00:20:45,411 and the right direction is to join this up, 475 00:20:45,411 --> 00:20:48,080 you know, up the bluff, make you know, 476 00:20:48,080 --> 00:20:51,317 so you don't have these stairs to nowhere, right, 477 00:20:51,317 --> 00:20:54,120 and you've got ways to go up and down the bluff. 478 00:20:54,120 --> 00:20:55,855 - Well and it's not even stairs to nowhere. 479 00:20:55,855 --> 00:20:59,191 It's stairs to a very, very-- - Busy, yeah. 480 00:20:59,191 --> 00:21:03,562 - Busy and to four lanes where people are driving 481 00:21:03,562 --> 00:21:04,797 very fast. - Very fast. 482 00:21:04,797 --> 00:21:06,198 - Typically into work late or out. 483 00:21:06,198 --> 00:21:08,667 There's kind of a parkway kind of situation, 484 00:21:08,667 --> 00:21:10,136 coming down a hill. - Expressway situation. 485 00:21:10,136 --> 00:21:11,370 - Yeah basically. 486 00:21:11,370 --> 00:21:12,872 You're coming off the expressway, 487 00:21:12,872 --> 00:21:14,607 down one of the few hills, major hills in Memphis. 488 00:21:14,607 --> 00:21:16,809 What are the plans there in terms, 489 00:21:16,809 --> 00:21:19,879 there was an effort to go down to two lanes 490 00:21:19,879 --> 00:21:21,580 and try that out some years ago. 491 00:21:21,580 --> 00:21:24,917 It was met with mixed reactions. 492 00:21:24,917 --> 00:21:27,353 Is that on the tables, changing 493 00:21:27,353 --> 00:21:30,489 the traffic flow of that, Riverside Drive? 494 00:21:30,489 --> 00:21:35,494 - Well most major cities in the country, in the world, 495 00:21:36,695 --> 00:21:39,732 have realized that river fronts have better uses 496 00:21:39,732 --> 00:21:42,201 than to carry fast moving cars. 497 00:21:42,201 --> 00:21:43,736 Not to say they shouldn't carry any cars, 498 00:21:43,736 --> 00:21:46,438 but fast moving cars on a waterfront 499 00:21:46,438 --> 00:21:47,840 does not increase the value of 500 00:21:47,840 --> 00:21:50,776 the waterfront of the adjacent property. 501 00:21:50,776 --> 00:21:53,879 There are two pieces of evidence that I think 502 00:21:53,879 --> 00:21:55,181 are really important. 503 00:21:55,181 --> 00:21:59,318 One is the study of the results of that test 504 00:21:59,318 --> 00:22:02,555 you just mentioned because that test was very abrupt. 505 00:22:02,555 --> 00:22:04,290 There was no design involved. 506 00:22:04,290 --> 00:22:08,360 It was just close the west side of the median 507 00:22:08,360 --> 00:22:10,229 on Riverside Drive, pinch it down to two 508 00:22:10,229 --> 00:22:13,532 lanes and see what happens And three things happened. 509 00:22:13,532 --> 00:22:14,733 It's interesting. 510 00:22:14,733 --> 00:22:18,537 One is traffic still moved faster 511 00:22:18,537 --> 00:22:21,373 than the speed limit on two lanes. 512 00:22:21,373 --> 00:22:25,144 Two, there was no discernible increase in traffic 513 00:22:25,144 --> 00:22:27,413 throughout downtown so it's not like you reduced 514 00:22:27,413 --> 00:22:30,115 the traffic and created traffic jams, 515 00:22:30,115 --> 00:22:34,320 and three, accidents increased slightly, 516 00:22:34,320 --> 00:22:37,823 but the severity plunged because it was more like 517 00:22:37,823 --> 00:22:42,094 a backend, you know, kind of situation 518 00:22:42,094 --> 00:22:44,196 where it was more of a tap than the big accidents 519 00:22:44,196 --> 00:22:47,433 you were having when cars were moving at high speed. 520 00:22:47,433 --> 00:22:51,804 So that's one piece of evidence that gives us suggestions 521 00:22:51,804 --> 00:22:53,439 about what could happen in the future. 522 00:22:53,439 --> 00:22:55,341 If you make changes, go ahead. 523 00:22:55,341 --> 00:22:57,276 - Yeah well, just with the few minutes left, 524 00:22:57,276 --> 00:22:59,144 the other big part when we talk 525 00:22:59,144 --> 00:23:00,646 about Tom Lee Park is Memphis in May. 526 00:23:00,646 --> 00:23:03,215 So the music festival, the barbecue championship, 527 00:23:03,215 --> 00:23:06,685 you know, they dominate, pretty much take over the park 528 00:23:06,685 --> 00:23:10,322 for what, a month or so or month plus for all those events. 529 00:23:10,322 --> 00:23:14,927 Are they, how do you make plans for Tom Lee Park 530 00:23:14,927 --> 00:23:17,596 that incorporate Memphis in May or does 531 00:23:17,596 --> 00:23:19,098 Memphis in May go somewhere else? 532 00:23:19,098 --> 00:23:21,233 - I hope Memphis in May doesn't go anywhere else. 533 00:23:21,233 --> 00:23:24,470 We've been working, I don't wanna speak for Memphis in May. 534 00:23:24,470 --> 00:23:25,537 They can speak for themselves. 535 00:23:25,537 --> 00:23:26,972 - Yeah, correct. 536 00:23:26,972 --> 00:23:31,377 - Well let me say that we have, we met with Memphis in May 537 00:23:32,778 --> 00:23:34,847 early, we went through a series of design discussions with 538 00:23:34,847 --> 00:23:39,652 Memphis in May to understand what their needs were. 539 00:23:39,652 --> 00:23:41,086 Their specifications were for 540 00:23:41,086 --> 00:23:42,755 the Music Fest as well as Barbecue. 541 00:23:42,755 --> 00:23:47,760 We did early designs to show how those needs could be met 542 00:23:49,161 --> 00:23:51,630 and again, we're still working with Studio Gang, 543 00:23:51,630 --> 00:23:54,466 they did that work with Memphis in May. 544 00:23:54,466 --> 00:23:59,338 They are working again to make sure that the needs are 545 00:23:59,338 --> 00:24:03,208 not only met, but exceeded but you can still have 546 00:24:03,208 --> 00:24:06,345 a great park the other 50 weeks of the year 547 00:24:06,345 --> 00:24:08,080 when Memphis in May is not in the park and so 548 00:24:08,080 --> 00:24:13,085 I really don't believe there is a choice to be made. 549 00:24:14,286 --> 00:24:15,587 You know, ooh do we serve Memphis in May 550 00:24:15,587 --> 00:24:17,890 or ooh, do we serve citizens 551 00:24:17,890 --> 00:24:19,925 who want to use the other 50 weeks. 552 00:24:19,925 --> 00:24:23,796 I think what we have to design for is meeting both 553 00:24:23,796 --> 00:24:28,400 and making great festival grounds and a great park 554 00:24:28,400 --> 00:24:30,336 and I think we can do it. 555 00:24:30,336 --> 00:24:32,671 - Just, a couple minutes left, Beale Street Landing. 556 00:24:32,671 --> 00:24:35,407 How many, another project that 557 00:24:35,407 --> 00:24:39,578 sort of disappointed in some ways, you know, it took longer 558 00:24:39,578 --> 00:24:41,780 than people thought, but there are a whole lot of 559 00:24:41,780 --> 00:24:44,850 tour ships or boats, river boats coming in there. 560 00:24:44,850 --> 00:24:46,685 Where does that stand? - And they're increasing. 561 00:24:46,685 --> 00:24:48,187 - And they're increasing. - And they're increasing 562 00:24:48,187 --> 00:24:50,823 and you know, you're seeing now some more contemporary 563 00:24:50,823 --> 00:24:53,659 river-going boats which is great. 564 00:24:53,659 --> 00:24:56,462 We also have a huge number of excursion boats, 565 00:24:56,462 --> 00:24:58,764 you know, the Memphis Queen Line, 566 00:24:58,764 --> 00:25:01,867 both of which are important to creating activity. 567 00:25:01,867 --> 00:25:04,837 We also hae, by the way, a very successful green roof 568 00:25:04,837 --> 00:25:07,139 and a great splash pad that is 569 00:25:07,139 --> 00:25:10,309 used by families every single day. 570 00:25:10,309 --> 00:25:13,946 What's not, what never worked in Beale Landing 571 00:25:13,946 --> 00:25:15,848 is what's underneath the green roof. 572 00:25:15,848 --> 00:25:17,349 It feels kind of subterranean. 573 00:25:17,349 --> 00:25:20,519 It feels tunnel-like and trying to figure out what-- 574 00:25:20,519 --> 00:25:22,020 - The restaurant, they had never been able 575 00:25:22,020 --> 00:25:23,288 to pull off a restaurant there. 576 00:25:23,288 --> 00:25:25,391 - No and I think that's not because 577 00:25:25,391 --> 00:25:27,025 we didn't have the right restaurant 578 00:25:27,025 --> 00:25:29,528 or the right, you know, golf cart and all the things 579 00:25:29,528 --> 00:25:31,663 have been tried because really good, 580 00:25:31,663 --> 00:25:34,433 I mean Patrick and Denny Riley tried it, 581 00:25:34,433 --> 00:25:36,201 and they're two of the best. 582 00:25:36,201 --> 00:25:41,206 So I think what we need to do is reimagine 583 00:25:42,574 --> 00:25:45,778 what's underneath the green roof, reconsider that 584 00:25:45,778 --> 00:25:50,716 and think about what new uses work there. 585 00:25:50,716 --> 00:25:52,217 - Very briefly, 15 seconds. 586 00:25:52,217 --> 00:25:56,822 There are, a bunch of boat ships, parked in the harbor, 587 00:25:57,990 --> 00:25:58,924 some of them kind of junky-looking by 588 00:25:58,924 --> 00:26:00,125 I think most estimations, 589 00:26:00,125 --> 00:26:01,693 some of them are still working and owned. 590 00:26:01,693 --> 00:26:03,896 Is there plans for getting those out of the harbor? 591 00:26:05,030 --> 00:26:07,132 - We are, Memphis Queen Line, those are 592 00:26:07,132 --> 00:26:08,367 owned by Memphis Queen Line. 593 00:26:08,367 --> 00:26:10,969 They are cleaning up now 594 00:26:10,969 --> 00:26:14,072 and yes, we'll get there. 595 00:26:14,072 --> 00:26:15,307 - Okay. 596 00:26:15,307 --> 00:26:16,241 Thank you Carol, thank you for being here. 597 00:26:16,241 --> 00:26:20,679 Thank you for joining us. Join us again next week. 598 00:26:20,679 --> 00:26:23,415 [dramatic orchestral music] 599 00:26:30,589 --> 00:26:32,591 [acoustic guitar chords]