Aiming to rejuvenate life in downtown Baton Rouge, the proposed “Alive” would bring an infusion of entertainment, music and education to the Red Stick.The project will potentially create 23,000 permanent jobs and bring approximately 600,000 visitors to Baton Rouge each year, according to James Richardson, economics professor and leader of an economic assessment for a $900 million bond that would fund the project.Alive is a proposed plan for an education, research and entertainment complex that would incorporate the Mississippi River and Louisiana’s hurricane research, while increasing tourism in the city.Pending the approval of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Council on Sept. 2, the voters of East Baton Rouge Parish will have the opportunity to cast a ballot for a $900 million bond, which would include $225 million for Alive, according to ProjectIs co-founder Todd Teepell.The project — designed by Thinc Design — aims to be completed by 2016, Richardson said. “It’s a concept of bringing everything together,” Teepell said. “It’s educational, it’s informative and it’s also entertaining. It highlights and educates people on this area of the country.”The proposed plans for Alive include an amphitheater on the Mississippi River, which Teepel said could potentially become a top amphitheater in the country and would attract concerts that would otherwise go to New Orleans.Plans for Alive include partnering with the University to create a facility for researching the Mississippi River, Teepel said. Proponents of Alive are also discussing the possibility of a research facility for Southern University.Alive would also have a component that studies hurricanes, Teepel said.”Because of the components with the river, it will attract people who are specifically studying the Mississippi,” Teepel said. “It will also attract people who are studying hurricanes. At the end of the day, it’s a tremendous economic driver.”The educational park would have areas free to the public, as well as between four and five areas that would have admission fees of about $25, Richardson said. “It would really bring a quality of life to Baton Rouge,” Richardson said. “It’s hard to quantify.”The project would also bring a lot of interest from other businesses, Richardson said.The $900 million bond would also pay to fix drainage problems throughout East Baton Rouge Parish, build a new police station potentially in conjunction with a new sheriff’s station, synchronize traffic lights and install high-efficiency LED traffic lights, Teepell said.The bond is structured as a 30-year bond, but tying Alive into the bond project would help pay off the $900 million within 17.5 years — shaving 12 years off the payment, Teepell said. “It’s about bringing people back to understanding the Mississippi River,” Teepell said. “A lot of the major cities around the country are doing something similar to this or looking at doing something similar to this.”____
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