New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung from New Braunfels, Texas • Page 33

1C New Braunf els Wednesday, Janaury 19,1983 Detroit's Renaissance Center in trouble DETROIT (3vp) It was compared to the Colossus of Rhodes and touted as a beacon of hope for one of America's struggling old northern cities. Unlike the ancient Colossus, which fell victim to an Aegean earthquake in 224 B.C., Detroit's Renaissance Center is in no danger of toppling. But it has fallen on hard times. The highly publicized complex wallows in an estimated $140 million of red ink. This month, its owners defaulted on a $200 million mortgage when the January payment was not made, even after a 10-day grace period.

The $357 million RenCen, as it is known to local residents, includes a cylindrical, glass-walled hotel surrounded by four matching 39-story office buildings. A multi-level shopping mall provides the base for the complex. The financing was a unique partnership of 51 Detroit-area companies spearheaded by Henry Ford II, who since has retired as chairman of the auto company which bears his name. It is uncertain just how much money was owed. "We have always maintained some cloak of secrecy," says Richard Routh, a spokesman for Ford Motor Land Development a Ford Motor Co.

subsidiary and owner of 65 percent of the property. "It is a private project." Ford first proposed the center on Nov. 24,1971. Eighteen months later ground was broken. The complex opened officially in April 1977, with Ford delivering the ribbon-cutting address.

Amid the optimism, he cautioned that the center itself would have to be a success in order to provide the impetus for a reborn downtown Detroit. Ford's caution was well-founded. Although the center served as headquarters for the 1980 Republican National Convention as well as the 1982 National Football League Super Bowl game, the complex struggled to attract people. "I think generally, Renaissance Center has had some positive effects Abe Lemons Former UT coach still has humor By JIM STAFFORD Southwest Times Record FORT SMITH, Ark. (AP) A telephone rings somewhere in Austin, Texas, and it is answered by A.E.

Lemons, better known as Abe by those who frequent places like Barnhill Arena or the Superclrum. What about this little item in The Sporting News, the caller asks the former University of Texas basketball coach. The item said: "There was a rumor that Abe Lemons would be offered the head coaching job at Oral Roberts if interim coach Dick Acres doesn't impress ORU's brass." "I can't work for Oral Roberts," Lemons said. "I smoke." So after 27 seasons 474 wins and 260 losses of coaching collegiate basketball, Abe Lemons remains, a former coach. His six colorful, controversial seasons at Texas brought 110 victories, 63 losses and provided those who delight in college basketball a blend of cpurtside entertainment and coaching genius.

Even University of Arkansas fans had their place for Abe. Oh, how they loved to spar with Lemons each season when he brought his Longhorns to Barnhill. After opening 14-0 last year, the Longhorns lost 11 of their last 13 games and finished seventh in the Southwest Conference. And Lemons was fired, though he remains technically associated with the university because of contractual obligations. For now, Lemons will settle for doing color commentary for ON-TV, a subscription television outfit that is televising a SWC basketball game each week.

It's not coaching, said Abe, but it's not unpleasant. "I think one reason I do it, I like anything connected sports. When you do it all your life it's hard to break away. Sure there's other things, but most of them don't interest me. It's not hard doing the color.

The guy that does the announcing has the hard work." He sees Houston and Arkansas as prohibitive SWC favorites. Arkansas is in the top 10 nationally, but Lemons agrees more with the The Sporting News, which has Eddie Sutton's Razorbacks ranked No. 31. "That's where (Arkansas) should be until they play somebody," Lemons said, although he hesitated to criticize a Razorback non-conference schedule that some say is too easy. coach that knows anything about the game is going to try to do the best he can in December, because if you don't have a good December schedule it's not likely you're going to have a good overall schedule.

"If you can find some teams you can beat and beat easily, you're better off doing that because people are not going to remember who you played. All's they're going to remember is your (record). As long as people come to see you you sell out all the time it doesn't make any difference who you play. "Eddie's smart. I don't blame him for doing what he's doing.

A coach is only as good as his record and there's no use over-scheduling yourself. There's no such thing as an easy schedule. Some are easier than others, but there's no reason for going out with a green team and playing Virginia. A loss never helped anybody." So the Southwest Conference should come down to Houston and Arkansas mixing it up for the league title March 3 at Barnhill, according to Lemons' forecast. And, Lemons is to be there as an announcer.

'Armored centipede' guards road workers HOUSTON (AP) A mobile crash barrier being used to protect Texas highway workers sounds like the answer to a riddle it has 20 tires, one guardrail, seats 45 and weighs 14 tons. The Big Armored Centipede, with five attached station wagons and a guardrail bolted to one side, acts as a fence between workers and moving traffic, said Hunter Garrison, district maintenance engineer for the Texas Department of Highways and Public Transportation. But the barrier, acquired in January by the Houston office of the highway department, was sidelined almost before it could be used because of work cutbacks. "Wo found it is applicable to Houston, but we reduced a lot of our highway work for a while and couldn't use it," Garrison said. "Now we are doing more and will certainly use it more." The return of the Centipede is a welcome sight for highway department workmen, who must perform their duties in the midst of high-speed traffic.

employees say they felt this is the safest thing we've ever used," Garrison said. "The peace of mind of the workers is just as important. I've had some say, 'It looks funny but I'm sure happy it's The Centipede was developed by Don Ivey, Hayes Ross and Ted Hirsch, researchers at the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas University. The lead car in the brightly painted entourage can be driven comfortably at 45 to 50 miles per hour, and can give workmen a barrier of protection, Highway department officials hope to use the Centipede on lengthy projects as the department expands its work load. Department spokesman Dick Kabat said increasing highway workman injuries also contributed to the recent work slowdown.

Much of the repair work was being done on Sundays, but Kabat said the department now is "running out of Sundays and has prospects for more funds." The Centipede has been used twice, but no accidents occurred that might have demonstrated the barrier's protective capabilities. on downtown, but not nearly enough to overcome the absolutely awful economy," says Gary Sands, associate professor of urban planning at Detroit's Wayne State University. "It brought a lot of people downtown to see it. But apparently not enough have come back." Last April, hearly five years to the day of the formal dedication, Ford announced the planned sale of Renaissance Center to a group headed by Theodore Netzky, a Chicago attorney and accountant, for $505 million. The sale has not been completed.

Both Netzky and Wayne Doran, president of Ford Land Development, have declined to comment. Published reports persist that the Chicago group is having difficulty arranging financing. Doran met last week with lenders in New York about restructuring or reducing the payments. Refusing to elaborate "because of the sensitivity of the thing," Doran said more' discussions would be held soon. He gave no timetable.

The building's current financial problems are not its first. The mortgage was renegotiated in 1980, said Albert Abend, a spokesman for Aetna Life and Casualty Co. of Hartford, one of the lenders. "What we tried to do was give them breathing room," he said. Aetna, John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance of Boston, and Equitable Life Assurance Society of New York hold about equal $50 million shares.

Travelers Insurance Co. of Hartford holds a $30 million share, and Ford Motor Credit Co. holds a $20 million share. Office space consistently has been the strongest part of the center, holding at about 96 percent occupancy, spokesman Routh says. Hotel occupancy, according to a prospectus sent by the Netzestors, is about 60 percent: "That's not good enough," Sands says.

And the retail space, known as "The World of Shops," has failed to live up to expectations, fluctuating at only about 60 percent capacity. Although some 95 retailers remain, 20 su come and gone since the center opened, GRANZIN'S MEAT MARKET HOURS: 8-6 CUSTOM CURING BUTCHERING 49 BS IB. Butter Krust Bread, Grade A Eggs SIRLOIN STEAK 1.99 T-BONE 2.89 Beef Chops Blade Cut CHUCK 1.09 Shoulder 1.69 Rump 1.89 Beef Stew Meate 1.89 HarnbUrgeriean Chuck Ground 1 .49 Pan Sausage Mk 1. Country 1.89 Country 1.05, FRESH LIVER FRESH SPARE RIBS LB. IB.

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many of them specialty shops offering expensive items while the jobless rate in Detroit, flow at 17.1 percent, tinued to increase. Center officials are trying to make the shopping area more palatable to traditionally blue-collar residents. Still, the confusing circular maze of stores fails to draw crowds of shoppers like competing suburban malls, where people have the choice of department stores and where parking is more free. The center's task was made more difficult with the closing Monday of the huge downtown J.L. Hudson store, the last major department store in the city's downtown area.

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