Our warm weather is waning but it’s been busy week around here in terms of local and national events. In addition to everything else, LCDC met last week to give $10,000 to study building a sports complex in Riverstone’s 2nd pit. And Tony Berns’ letter in today’s Press said they have no perceived conflicts of interest on their board!
Any comments, ideas or questions to share?
Of course they want a new sports complex in Riverstone paid for by you the taxpayer. They want Mc Euen Field. This would give the LCDC good reason to take it if this were to be built.
Comment by concerned citizen — September 26, 2008 @ 1:25 pm
Yes, CC, but the proposed idea is for a sports ARENA in Riverstone along with one or two baseball fields on the Atlas Mill property just over the LCDC’s current district lines. Chesrown owns the Atlas Mill, so I’m sure LCDC will have to annex that into their district, right after the city annexes it, just so they can give money. (I actually could support the idea if no LCDC or public money was going to it.)
McEuen Field? Well, of course the baseball field would have to go to the Atlas Mill site and rumor has it that there’s a parking complex, probably mostly underground or very low level, planned for the tennis court spot. Then they could convert the current parking to green space which would be much nicer for the Charlie Nipp-Steve Meyer building to look over–they own the Bank of America building and nearby parking lots that are right across from the park.
And don’t get me started on the Gateway project which is near the Kroc Center, across from the convenience store that Deanna’s son owns. Everyone is in line. What happened to capitalism?
Comment by mary — September 26, 2008 @ 3:02 pm
the riverstonehenge facility will be designed for the ego of the stone man himself. you need to understand the hubristic vision of the great stone man. study his passions and you will understand what tony berns does, his ego is the key. think world class, think amazing, think stupendous. then add ten percent.
Comment by TheWiz — September 26, 2008 @ 4:17 pm
one little hint about stonehenge at http://cdapress.com/articles/2008/09/27/news/news05.txt
Comment by TheWiz — September 27, 2008 @ 6:53 am
To TheWiz: Thank you for that interesting info about Riverstone. What’s more amazing than John Stone suddenly kicking the City Link Bus park-n-ride out of Riverstone is that our City Link officials had NO WRITTEN AGREEMENT with him. The Mayor and Wendy Gabriel are both quoted as saying it was only a verbal conversation! And now they’re all surprised he would change his mind.
Comment by mary — September 27, 2008 @ 8:45 am
So much for
“I’ll scratch your back you scratch mine.”
More like
“Please oh please CdA and the LCDC I NEED your funds to develope this property. I’ll do anything to get your help. Now that we are done I do not need you anymore. Please remove your riff raff from my property.”
Comment by concerned citizen — September 27, 2008 @ 9:09 am
But, CC, that’s the funny thing: John Stone is probably going to come back to LCDC and ask for help with Riverstone Pit #2, where they want to put the sports arena. Unless he’s sold that off to other people and THEY will go to LCDC.
But in any case, Riverstone has received about $8 million in tax increment financing deals. John Stone is a business person trying to get as much out of the system as is legally possible. Our city & LCDC officials are supposed to be looking out for our benefit, not John’s. But that has not been the case.
Comment by mary — September 27, 2008 @ 9:36 am
Folks, remember who you’re dealing with. Not Stone, but the city. They have a habit of not telling the whole story to the public. In this case, there are parking regulations (enforced or not, they exist). Stone must come into compliance to continue opening his shops and condos. Citylink riders will have to find somewhere else to park. And you know darn well that if the City waived the parking rules, we’d be all over them for granting favors.
Then again, we did not put the City into that position.
Open government. Try it. It works.
Comment by Dan — September 27, 2008 @ 10:05 am
Hey, they can use the KROC CENTER! Citizens have a right to park at the Kroc Center anytime we want because the LCDC gave them our tax dollars to make the parking lot. The officials involved actually said, on the record, that the public can park in that lot anytime for any reason.
And maybe our leaders could get an agreement in writing this time, so the Tribe won’t have to waste another $10,000 printing schedules that suddenly change.
Comment by mary — September 27, 2008 @ 10:11 am
Now folks, don’t get to anxious about all of this. The city and tribe will find a hub for the transit and LCDC will kick in the funds. No problem.
Comment by Gary Ingram — September 27, 2008 @ 10:17 am
I know better, it’s too, not to.
Comment by Gary Ingram — September 27, 2008 @ 10:18 am
No written agreement. Amazing. Wendy Gabriel gets paid six figures a year. So does Tony Berns. Are we getting our monies worth? How does the Tribe feel about all this?
Hmmmm, not sounding happy to me.
Not sounding happy to Stone’s man either.
But what is the real story here? Is it a failed public-private partnership? Is it a developer who doesn’t want bus riding low end customers in his pretty new live-work-play urban commune for the privileged? Is it a spat between the LCDC and the Inside Connection types and those same developers? So many questions, so few who care to ask in the working media.
What is the next crack in the wall? Government revenues are down, way down. Who gets laid off? What is the morale at Silly Hall like now?
Comment by Pariah — September 27, 2008 @ 10:57 am
What did everyone think of Wendy Gabriel’s letter to Matt Roetter? Nice how she can attack a citizen over ‘rumors’ eh? And copy many others in an apparent effort to diminish his reputation. Sleazy is my opinion. Yours?
Comment by Pariah — September 27, 2008 @ 11:13 am
I’ve personally had experience with Ms. Gabriel, in her official capacity. She promised confidentiality in what was termed a “personnel matter”, even though I was never employed by the city, but I felt it was a direct attempt to smear my reputation. Her pledge of confidentiality lasted less than a few hours, when all the (slanted, fabricated) information was splashed across a gossip blog. Then she had the audacity to call me and accuse me of putting it on that blog. Of course her claim was completely false.
Comment by mary — September 27, 2008 @ 12:07 pm
Wendy can slime citizens with immunity. How nice.
Comment by Pariah — September 27, 2008 @ 12:17 pm