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FYI – The Indianapolis Regional Airport is in Hancock County not Hamilton County.
Thanks for catching this, John. I’ve updated that line.
Correct, it is what was formally known as “Mount Comfort” airport before the purchase and name change by IAA.
A helipad would be an even worse use of downtown real estate than the Fever practice facility.
Surack could build this within a mile of downtown and no one would notice.
Chuck Surack is a part owner of the Indy Eleven soccer team. As much as he wants to keep the heliport in its current location, he also wants to “….stymie Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett and his administration’s efforts to accrue land for a soccer stadium project.” There’s no love between the city of Indianapolis and Indy Eleven
Every time I drive past the totally stalled Indy Eleven stadium site, I’m reminded of how little evidence I’ve seen that Surack cares one whit about the Indy Eleven outside of protecting the helipad.
I’m also surprised Surack hasn’t convinced Mike “Chopper” Braun that the state should use taxpayer dollars to take over the helipad, in order give Braun another place to land on his taxpayer funded flights from his taxpayer-funded private helipad in Jasper.
I am glad Chuck is doing this. The Mayor is a corrupt politician and is doing this to block Indy Eleven.
Exactly right. This was a pure multi-millionaire political grudge play. The purchase price is pennies to him. He rolled the dice, and lost.
I believe there’s no love lost because Ozdemir, it turns out, will never be able to deliver on an MLS franchise and all the legislative legwork done by the city for a soccer stadium project doesn’t financially work a minor league soccer team.
Hogsett messed up by trusting Ozdemir and not verifying he was acceptable to MLS years ago, and now Hogsett seems destined to fail when it comes to delivering an ownership group acceptable to MLS. It seems like the only option he’s got is something involving the Simon’s, and if that falls through, I’m not seeing a Plan B.
For those defending Indy 11, it appears Ozdemir is free to build his stadium and development. but evidently can’t make it work so wants more City $. the admin appears to have correctly moved to another site and MLS chance.
It will be interesting if that attitude towards the Indy Eleven changes if pro soccer decides to not grant a franchise to Indy after playing them along and seeing how high they are willing to jump.
What people refuse to acknowledge is the reality that the Indy Eleven will never, ever, land an MLS franchise as long as Ersal Ozdemir is the majority owner of the team. The MLS has been clear as they can be on that front, and Ozdemir has tried and failed twice. We will only have minor league soccer as long as he’s in charge.
Hogsett’s first mistake was not having those discussions with MLS after the first failure at landing a franchise and determining he needed a different ownership group. In the interim, the cost to buy in has gone from high to quite high.
Maybe Chuck Surack could move the heliport to the site that was going to be the soccer stadium temporarily until he can find a suitable long term spot.
Chuck needs to stay Fort Wayne.
Agreed. His companies are in Ft. Wayne so stay there. If he thinks Jetsons vehicles are a good investment then build a facility elsewhere. He really just wants it so that he and his billionaire buddies can chopper in to be seen at big time events (as.well as to stick it to the mayor). Good luck with the albatross office building and the crappy little hotel you bought.
Not sure what Chuck was trying to accomplish besides sticking it to the mayor but there’s so much more he and Ozdemir could do constructive. Why not get the contract to develop a sports complex and entertainment district around the new stadium? High rise mix use developments ect. Capitalize off the project in other ways instead of fighting to undercut the city
One mayoral administration after another – they keep deleting our transportation options. Meanwhile in China you can get ramen noodles and an ice-cold drink – or whatever – via air in minutes as you wait on a bench for the high-speed train. Good on Surack for his forward-looking stance. What a mistake to shut the heliport.
I’ve seen a lot of speculation about my interest in saving the downtown Indianapolis heliport, and I want to be clear — this isn’t about politics or personalities. It’s about preserving infrastructure that serves the broader community today and positions Indianapolis for the future.
The heliport is a unique, FAA-approved downtown aviation asset — one that connects the city to business, medical, and emergency services, and could play a critical role in next-generation air mobility. Cities around the country are investing in this kind of capability, not removing it.
My offer to purchase and modernize the facility was simply an effort to keep that option alive for Indianapolis. I believe in working with city leaders and stakeholders to find solutions that strengthen our communities. This isn’t about “sticking it to” anyone — it’s about vision, safety, and making sure our city doesn’t close a door it may wish it had kept open. Chuck
I think it’s worth noting for everyone stating “Ozdemir could never secure an MLS bid” to ask themselves, where was that information circulated? Surely it wouldn’t have been an local administration directly against him in securing an MLS team… I mean, I know for a fact that our local administration has been “above approach” in all things – right? All this comes down to is PR wins and losses for groups and us taxpayers are dealt the terrible cards. I for one would MUCH rather have had activation towards the White River, but now this administration has fumbled the bag TWICE on making that a reality (Waterside + Eleven Park). We need change from the current local administration to get some integrity back in play.