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Mayor Gluba gearing up for Dock debate, fights to cut developer loose

Davenport Mayor Gluba said on Sunday, he will do everything in his power to remove Todd Raufeisen from the Dock Renovation Project. The Dock Renovation Project ...

Davenport Mayor Gluba said on Sunday, he will do everything in his power to remove Todd Raufeisen from the Dock Renovation Project.

The Dock Renovation Project has been in the works for two years. Todd Raufeisen, The Dock’s developer, has planned a three-story, $11.2 million dollar project that will include restaurant, retail, and office space.

Mayor Gluba has always been against the project and said he's concerned the City of Davenport "might become embroiled in a spider's web or sticky fly paper situation that will only lead to more problems down the road if [the city] allows Raufeisen or his contractors to start any work on the building."

The mayor said the City Attorney confirmed that Raufeisen did not have a firm financial plan ready by deadline.

"[Raufeisen] did not get his financing. He was supposed to have his financing in place the 24th of June and he still doesn't have it. He's had three extensions and it's like baseball, as far as I'm concerned, three strikes and you're out," said Mayor Gluba. "

However, council members disagree and say the mayor needs to give Raufeisen the benefit of the doubt.

"[Raufeisen has] made a lot of headway but this is not an easy project. If this was an easy project we'd have all kinds of people jumping ahead of him," said Gene Meeker, Alderman at Large for the Davenport City Council. "It's going to be a nice project for Davenport."

Mayor Gluba disagrees.

"It'll detract from the riverfront, it'll detract from the Figge. It's the wrong place, wrong size, and shouldn't be done," said Mayor Gluba.

The mayor said he is in favor of tearing down the old Dock Restaurant but wants a different development plan from Raufeisen's. He also worries Raufeisen's past with other city projects will lead Davenport to disaster.

"I believe the City must all learn the full ramifications of this project before it goes any further. Otherwise, I'm afraid we are setting the City up for a lawsuit, which based upon Raufeisen's past record he seems often to get into with public entities such as ours," Mayor Gluba said. "Lawsuits are expensive to defend, and I do not want to see the City allow itself to get drawn into such litigation. He has a clear record of doing this with other public jurisdictions."

The mayor also said there is no way Raufeisen will be able to legally start construction on the Dock early next week, as he had planned, because Raufeisen does not have a demolition permit yet.

The mayor intends to address the City Council on the matter at their next meeting on Tuesday, June 30, 2015.

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