This morning’s Press quotes developer Marshall Chesrown as saying, “No. All bets are not off” if NIC cannot come up with the $10 million to buy the Stimson/DeArmond Mill site for the Ed. Corridor by the end of next year. The article also said that Chesrown is “not moving forward with any alternative plans to develop the property if NIC can’t come up with the money immediately”. That’s great news.
Two important questions on this topic were asked at the NIC forum last Thursday evening:
1. Would you consider putting the Ed. Corridor issue up to an Advisory Vote of the people?
2. Why not float a Bond levy instead of taking Foregone taxes?
Both of these questions were answered with the need to hurry the decision because NIC’s budget must be set by the end of June; there would be no time for a vote or a Bond. They said NIC must have the money ready the moment the property becomes available or all will be lost.
And at last week’s dinner forum on the Ed. Corridor, sponsored by citizens questioning the process, nearly every panelist recommended not rushing into this decision. Dennis Wheeler, CEO of Coeur d’Alene Mines and Rep. Bob Nonini were especially vocal on the need for careful study and due diligence.
What do you think should be the next step for people on all sides of this issue?
Why would a developer buy the mill
site for an inflated 10 million,then hold onto it for a year,waiting for NIC to come up with the money?Then sell it to NIC for no profit.Why?He
wants something like a concession or
he has leverage against the city,so he can negotiate a deal down the road
on a future development,he has in store for this area.
Comment by kageman — May 24, 2008 @ 9:23 am
Everyone needs to step back, cool off, and keep asking questions about this proposal.
It seems to me the NIC Board of Trustees and the City government is behaving more like high-pressure used car salesmen than trustworthy public administrators. Thursday evening they more-or-less described their used car to us. We can’t see it. We can’t test drive it. We can’t have an independent mechanic check it over. We are told we must trust them and buy their used car now sight unseen and based only on their hope it might work, because it may not be available ever again. We are also being stampeded into accepting a bad dealer financing deal for a car we can’t see but must agree to pay for even if it turns out to be undrivable if and when it’s delivered. Thursday night they showed us a drawing of the proposed parking lot for their used car. They intend to pay $10M for the parking lot, but we still don’t know how much the car will cost. I thought I was watching a commercial featuring Cal Worthington and his dog Spot (turn on your computer’s sound to hear the commercial).
To get an idea of the complexities in a project of this magnitude and duration, flip through the University Place Management Review, more commonly called the “Prince Report” completed in 2003.
Comment by Bill — May 24, 2008 @ 9:56 am
From the article, a quote by Trustee Christie Wood:
But this has been planned for 20 years? If that’s true, Christie, why do you have to move fast now? Seems like you had plenty of time to plan for this. Unless it’s seriously untrue that it’s been planned for 20 years. So which is it?
Again, this merely echoes my feelings that the Trustees do not trust the public they were elected to represent. They fear us. And then Ms. Wood adds this gem:
Sounds like something a hack political advisor told her to say. The problem with that statement (one of many) is that Ms. Wood did not run her election on the Education Corridor platform. It wasn’t an issue. True, as an elected official she has the right to make the decision. But she also has to demonstrate leadership and accountability. Her statements in the paper show that she lacks both, as do all the trustees at this point.
Next election will tell. The public has a knack for remembering this kind of nonsense.
Comment by Dan — May 24, 2008 @ 9:58 am
I believe that this article also shows that no one at NIC is talking with Chesrown about this deal. That’s bad, no awful public policy. I had heard that only CdA Mayor Sandi Bloem is speaking with Chesrown. Can anyone confirm that?
Comment by Dan — May 24, 2008 @ 10:32 am
Not only do I find this disconcerting, but also wonder why the constant frantic rush to spend enormous funds without a vote of the people. The sale of this property came as no surprise. The NIC Trustees certainly had enough time to fully study the issue and draw up a rough schematic of the development of the site to present to the public for a vote. It appears that they do have the time contrary to what has been stated.
I also wonder why the Mayor is involved in negotiations with Mr. Chesrown on a property that lies in the county – as does his other mill site on the river. Could she be negotiating annexation issues concerning the other site at the same time? It is the responsibility of the college trustees and the college administration to negotiate this purchase not the Mayor of Coeur d’Alene.
Comment by Susie Snedaker — May 24, 2008 @ 10:38 am
Bill, OOH-RAH!! Your comments hit the nail absolutely right on the head. Your description of how
this group is using nothing but smoke and mirrors to sneak this project under the radar is so RIGHT ON.
So simply said, and a perfect description of events.
Comment by longshot — May 24, 2008 @ 10:50 am
Remember Duane Hagadone’s “gardens” project? It would have cost the taxpayers little or nothing, but it entailed re-routing a main downtown street. Mayor Sandi Bloem decided that it needed to go to a vote of the people. Mr. Hagadone disagreed and said the officials were elected to “make the hard choices”.
Now fast forward to the present and the Ed. Corridor issue. It will cost $10 million dollars just to start the project in the Fort Grounds, with untold millions needed after that. It will change the face of CdA forever. But Mayor Bloem now says NO to a vote of the people. She says elected officials need to “make the hard choices”. Hypocrisy in action.
Comment by mary — May 24, 2008 @ 7:59 pm
OOOOOOOH MARY,
touche’
Comment by concerned citizen — May 24, 2008 @ 8:22 pm
I agree with kageman. Why would a developer pay so much for this property and then not sell it for a profit. It doesn’t make any sense. Something is wrong with this picture. In the Press, when asked if he would sell the land to another developer for $20 million or even $30 million to cash in on waterfront property, Chesrown firmly said, “It is not for sale.” I wonder if a “private” deal has been made???
Comment by muffin — May 25, 2008 @ 8:39 am
Marshall Chesrown is a multi millionaire by giving things away? Hmm seems to me he owns a desirable piece of property he would love to annex and possibly with this annex it may qualify for a river district l.c.d.c.[lower case intended] border change freeing up a great deal of PUBLIC FUNDS for his corp. to make use of. so WE THE PEOPLE can pay for the infrastructure to benifit the already wealthy. with that being said seems to me the THE BACK ROOM is only open to the CHOSEN FEW so the public only gets the bone that’s thrown in hopes of appeasment. Has anyone heard anything as far as concrete plans and costs to build out the so called Education Corridor, with TEN MILLION just in property aquisition one would have to think that with ingress and egress and construction costs it would it be something like FIVE HUNDRED MILLION? If I rember the words to the song right it was tax the rich feed the poor not tax the poor feed the rich. Remember there are more of us than them so if we make our voice heard we can make a difference. BOYCOTT BEJING!
Comment by casper — May 25, 2008 @ 10:05 am
OH I FORGOT TO MENTION I STILL THINK PRISCILLA BELL IS A PLANT. MADE ME WONDER WHY EVERYONE ELSE SUDDENLY WITHDREW THEIR ATTEMPT FOR THAT POSITION?
Comment by casper — May 25, 2008 @ 10:57 am
Simple: Dr. Bell got her position by default. The “search committee” made a choice by not making a choice. I believe Dr. Bell was put into her position because they knew that she wouldn’t make waves and would get-along and go-along — the kind of person Dixie Reid would call a “team player.” The other guy who qualified went running away with terror in his eyes. Says a lot.
Comment by Dan — May 25, 2008 @ 1:22 pm