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Archive for December 20th, 2006

Dec 20

4 Comments

Welcome to the New CenLamar

During the past nine months, CenLamar became a destination for those seeking information and commentary about life in Central Louisiana, and as the site grew and developed, I learned a few lessons about the blogosphere.

This new site is a response to those lessons, and I hope that, as this site expands, readers will be able to take advantage of our new features.

The original CenLamar, located at cenlamar.blogspot.com, will still be accessible and searchable. I’m not deleting the old blog. But I am starting fresh.

Commenting:

Although anonymous commenting may have generated some lively conversations and debates, ultimately, this site strives to become a serious resource, and however wise and knowledgeable many of those anonymous commenters were, they often confused the conversation (Wait, was that a response to Anon 2:30 or Anon 5:15? Or are those two bloggers one in the same?).

For those of you who want to keep up the conversation but don’t want to use your real name, have no fear. Just register your own user name! It’s simple and painless, and you’ll be able to pick up right where you left off.

New Features:

As you may have noticed, this site has a few new features. Please let me explain.

Until now, club owners and events promoters lacked a venue to publicize upcoming events in a coherent, easy-to-read fashion. Sure, they could take out an ad in the local newspaper, but often, it’s cost prohibitive. CenLamar now features a Nightlife and Music section (linked right up at the top), which will allow free publicity for upcoming concerts and events. (Look for this section to be upgraded, but for now, if you want to promote an event here in CenLa, just post a comment).

Additionally, CenLamar features a section for free classified ads, which will function similarly to the nightlife section (and which will also be upgraded in the near-future).

Open Forum:

You may also notice that CenLamar now has an open forum section, a virtual free-for-all in which bloggers can post whatever is on their mind. Check it out.

Team Blogging

There’s one other big difference. CenLamar will now be written by a team of writers, not just Lamar White, Jr. If you’re interested in writing for CenLamar, please submit a writing sample and a letter of intent to lamarw@gmail.com

Dec 20

CenLamar Has Moved!!!! And Changed!!! Check out …

CenLamar Has Moved!!!!

And Changed!!!

Check out the new CenLamar at: www.cenlamar.wordpress.com

Don’t worry the domain’s coming soon.

Enjoy exploring.

By the way, this site will remain as CenLamar’s archives.

Dec 20

3 Comments

John Schneider, New Owner of the Hotel Bentley, Answers Six Questions for CenLamar

Schneider Claims Bentley to Be Restored to Former Grandeur

Lamar: What first attracted you to the Hotel Bentley?

Schneider:

Brace and I trace our family roots to Bayou Chicot and Turkey Creek respectively, therefore, the status of the Bentley as the area’s most prominent historic landmark has been long known to both of us. In our prior dealings with Bob Dean involving Baton Rouge downtown properties, he had suggested that we take a look at the Bentley. We politely set aside that notion until Harry Silver and Martin Johnson made an impromptu visit to our offices in late July and passionately requested our assistance in returning the Bentley to economic commerce. Although we tried to emphasize to them that all of our focus, energies and resources needed to be on our Baton Rouge properties, we ultimately could not ignore their arguments of timing, civic pride, legacy and economics. Therefore, we elected to use our cache with Bob Dean for the mutual benefit of all parties by signing the purchase agreement.

Lamar: Where Would You Like to See the Bentley in Five Years? Ten?

Schneider:

We have developed a goal for the Bentley that encompasses both a five and ten-year perspective. Our goal is for the Bentley to be the anchor of a thriving, vibrant, revitalized downtown Alexandria that is a destination location for CENLA residents, Louisiana citizens and national and international visitors. The achievement of this goal will produce civic pride, legacy and economic benefits.

Lamar: What’s Going to Happen to the Bentley Room and the Mirror Room?

Schneider:

Our intent is to bring back both rooms to their original grandeur.

Lamar: Will You Be Reducing the Number of Hotel Rooms?

Schneider:

Preliminary planning calls for us to make renovations to the public areas and approximately half of the 178 rooms prior to the spring opening. Once the renovation is complete on these rooms, the renovation will commence on the other rooms. The entire renovation cycle is targeted for completion in time for a formal grand opening of the Bentley coinciding with the 100th anniversary of its initial opening on August 10, 2007.

Lamar: What Types of Cosmetic and Decorative Changes Will You Be Making?

Schneider:

We are currently meeting with our design consultants to establish the specific cosmetic and decorative changes that will be incorporated into the renovation plans. Our design goal is to return the Bentley to its original grandeur reminiscence of the vision achieved by Buddy Tudor in his 1984 renovation program.

Lamar: How Has the Community Responded to Your Plans?

Schneider:

The community support has been the principal reason why we elected to ignore those initial thoughts that we should continue to solely focus our time, resources and energies on our Baton Rouge projects. We held our initial press conference last August on the steps of the Bentley for the dual purpose of announcing the signing of a purchase agreement as well as to gauge community support.  If community support was not evident, we had a 30-day window out of the purchase agreement. The crowd in front of the Bentley and on the steps and rooftop of City Hall convinced us that there was a need and desire to return the Bentley to economic commerce. We were sold on our mission and we have not looked back

Dec 20

4 Comments

Big Changes in Store for CenLamar As promised sev…

Big Changes in Store for CenLamar

As promised several months ago, CenLamar will be moving away from the blogspot address and onto its own domain, www.cenlamar.com. But there are many other changes in store, and I just wanted to give you guys fair warning:

  • The new CenLamar will not allow anonymous commenting. But don’t freak out, anonymice. You’ll simply need to register a user name (or several user names), and you’ll still be able to write under a pseudonym.
  • The new CenLamar will feature an interactive, team-blogged nightlife and music section.
  • The new CenLamar will also feature free classified advertising. Kinda like our own miniature Craig’s List.
  • And most importantly, the new CenLamar will be written by a group of writers. If you are interested in writing for CenLamar (sorry, we can’t pay you yet), send a writing sample and a letter to lamarw@gmail.com.
  • One more thing: the new CenLamar will graduate from the blogger software onto WordPress, which is way cooler and much more intuitive.