GREEN MOUSE SAYS: Emissions, omissions, intermissions -- whatever. Anyone seen that cigar box?

The Green Mouse (it's "viridi mus" in Latin) has a hobby. The mouse follows the money, and the trail usually doesn't lead to places that are all that surprising -- pay-to-play schemes aren't exactly a game of chess -- but at times something turns up that causes even the Sagua Berdea (Basque) to shake his head in amazement.

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Consequently, the Mouse says the county auditor's office may not be the only place that a financial misfeasance scandal is afoot. Let's just say there's a lot of scrambling on the north end of a certain floor of the main building at 300 Hauss Square. Is it felony or misdemeanor? And if so, would Keith Henderson prosecute?

What's the penalty for that?

Forced resignation?

Disqualification from future ballots?

GREEN MOUSE SAYS: Is the price tag escalating for our luxury City Hall at the Reisz Furniture building?

Patiently awaiting the arrival of warm weather, which might lessen the pain in his sacroiliac joint, the Green Mouse was thoughtfully nursing a beer downtown when a conversation broke out nearby.

Know that in the Mouse's world, an "earbud" is what blooms when quotable quotes drift his direction.

The gist of this overheard chat was the actual condition of the former Reisz Furniture building, long neglected but now the focus of a rehabilitation effort intended to transform it into a City Hall suitably luxurious for Dear Leader's habitation.

Toward this end, the Denton Floyd construction firm is supposed to purchase the building, repair it and lease space to the city under a "rent to own" arrangement. Press releases have been issued, and some incumbent councilmen have started plotting their cubicle decor.

The laudatory plaques have been submitted for engraving.

However, what the Green Mouse heard suggests that the tableau isn't quite as rosy as depicted thus far. In short, the building's structural deficiencies might be greater than anticipated, requiring additional wheelbarrows of cash, and requiring those media packets to be updated.

If so, one immediate question is whether this was suspected from the start, or only recently uncovered during preliminary site work. As Bostonians in the vicinity of the Big Dig surely would attest, the devil possesses no single detail quite like cost overruns.

Are we looking at a similar scenario here? At least one prominent local contractor refrained from past rehab possibilities owing to his assessment of the building's condition.

As they're fond of saying on the Internet, does anyone know what's going on?

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Previously at NAC:

ON THE AVENUES: Return to sender; decency is such a lonely word ... the sounds of silence reign o'er me.

Speaking of diversionary facades: "The Anti-Gay, Anti-Choice Politics of The Knights of Columbus."

ON THE AVENUES: Super Tuesday shrapnel – or, tiptoeing through the tulips with Dan Coffey, now THE face of historic preservation in New Albany.

Reisz Vote Buy Bonanza: "The News and Tribune asked to interview Mayor Jeff Gahan and was instead referred to statements in a news release."

Told you so: "New Albany in talks to relocate City Hall to Reisz Furniture building."

GREEN MOUSE SAYS: Is Denton Floyd acquiring the Reisz building for use by a relocated NA City Hall? We think a deal is imminent.

GREEN MOUSE SAYS: Dine Company + 302 Pearl Street buildout = ?

The Green Mouse was staggering eastbound on Market earlier this afternoon after a yummy meal of Aladdin and Cuban rum, and spotted this Dine Company truck's crew working inside the as yet unfinished suite at 302 Pearl Street.

Dine Company | Restaurant Equipment and Supplies | Louisville, KY

Dine Company is the source for all your foodservice & restaurant equipment, furniture, restaurant supplies, and commercial kitchen design.

Other portions of the building have been up and working for a while.

RENOVATION UPDATE: You know, that building where Walgreen's and SS Kresge used to be (302 Pearl Street).

We're going to crawl out on a limb here and suggest that when the Dine Company is tricking out your floor space (in this case, Matt Chalfant's), it's probably leading to a new eatery, not an insurance office. We've heard lots of rumors, ranging from tacos to tequila.

If you'd like to contribute to them, the Green Mouse is listening.

Eminent domain? Is an Ohio River marina yet another Gahan expenditure on the down low?

The Green Mouse has received this note via the rumorama.

What's with this guy and water? Is it Freudian? First a bricks and mortar water park, then unaddressed storm water flooding taking the place of neighborhood splash pads, and now a marina.

The city has filed an eminent domain lawsuit against the owner of riverfront property near the 10th Street terminus. The city wants the riverfront property on the water side of the flood wall for the new "city marina."

What new city marina?

John Rosenbarger and David Duggins told him they'd already filed 25 such suits, and won them all. "We're very good at this," they threatened.

Bragging about stealing 25 properties from citizens? And what about crippling future property taxes through all the TIF bonds?

Is there a council person reading who'd like to do his or her job and verify these eminent domain lawsuits, as well as plans for a marina?

Because we KNOW you're reading.