Bass Pro

Channel 2 did another update this morning. Evidently, it’s just around the corner.

“The intention is there. Bass Pro is still committed to doing a store in Buffalo,” said Bill Collins, who sits on the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation, also known as the waterfront panel.

Guys, it’s a fricking store. Not, say, an international bridge involving homeland security issues. Figure. It. Out.

But then there’s this news:

Right now, Watts Engineering and Architecture is in the middle of a three month survey of the building, looking for substances like mold and asbestos. Waterfront panel authorities say a pre-development agreement now being worked out with Bass Pro, the step before a final contract, will spell out a cost limit for cleaning up the Aud. If it will cost more than the limit to prepare the building for a store, the deal could be called off.

So, we’ve got a MOU, which will lead to a “pre-development agreement”, which is a “step before a final contract.” I guess that’s some kind of progress.

On the eve of the fifth annual BassEye Celebrity Challenge Fishing Tournament in Buffalo, Channel Two News asked Bob Rich, Junior, about the status of the project. As a personal friend of Bass Pro founder Johnny Morris, Rich and his family are credited with encouraging his interest in Buffalo.

“This is a complex issue and it’s a complex project,” Rich said. “It takes time to do it right, but I’ll tell you what, Bass Pro knows how to do it right.”

Whatever.

When does the e-Zone open?