Fresno City Council to decide fate of Old Armenian TownAugust 17, 2011 - 14:49 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Fresno City Council on Thursday, August 18, is expected to debate a decade-old question: What is to become of downtown's partially finished Old Armenian Town? The concern is that the once-grand dream of a modern office complex and cultural center in the heart of Fresno's original Armenian neighborhood could turn into another multi-million-dollar disappointment for taxpayers. Old Armenian Town "is still on a burner," Council Member Larry Westerlund said. "But I can't say it's the front burner. This certainly isn't the best economy for the project to happen." The council, sitting as the Redevelopment Agency board, is slated to discuss a small part of the project – whether to award a contract for about $24,000 to demolish two empty RDA-owned buildings on the northwest corner of N and Santa Clara streets, in the middle of the 10-acre project site. On June 30, the council tackled another Old Armenian Town issue when it decided to try again to find a contractor to move five century-old houses the RDA owns at the site and restore them. The houses are to be hauled less than a block to their permanent home on the southeast corner of Santa Clara and M Street, Fresno Bee reported. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Mirzoyan says meeting with Bayramov was “constructive” At the moment, Ararat Mirzoyan said, there is no basis for additional comments. OSCE vows support for Armenia “in all three directions of security” Achieving stable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan remains a priority of the OSCE, said Ian Borg. 151 detained as civil disobedience campaigns continue in Yerevan Citizens have been blocking streets in the Armenian capital, demanding Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation. France welcomes Armenia-Azerbaijan meeting in Almaty France has welcomed the new round of negotiations between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan. |