WINONA, Minn. – Plans for a swanky rooftop bar at the riverfront hotel being built downtown have been scrapped. Hotelier Mike Rivers, an investor in the project, said the tightness of the site precludes using a crane to hoist construction materials to the roof. The alternative, to build a temporary six-story construction elevator, would be prohibitively expensive, about $250,000, he said. Rivers also noted in an interview with the Winona Post that a rooftop bar would be usable only a few months a year. “Financially, it’s just not even close to working,” he said, also noting that rooftop access by stairs from the fifth floor would mean cutting out as many as eight revenue-producing guest rooms. What’s this mean? No whisky sours or vodka martinis with a breezy rooftop experience overlooking the Mississippi River main channel. It also signals that the hotel’s financial break-even point is expected to be tight and also that the developers, Rivers included, are eager to recoup their investment as quickly as possible.

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