Public Disclosure Still Requested
I have not received a response to the following request sent last May. I still believe that disclosure is in the public interest. Update: The Council did recently repay the Water Fund for the money used to purchase land. See one of the June 16th postings.
To: Mayor and City Council
fro: Gene Wieneke
Ref: S.E. Quadrant Development
I had intended on presenting my comments at the last regular, cancelled meeting. I am out of the city Thursday evening and therefore request that you accept my comments at this time.
You have already invested eight million dollars in land acquisition and building demolition and the Sinclair station is yet to come. You still have the expenses for the theater's infrastructure, street reconstruction and a major parking problem. And, in the eight million I have also not included the money you are now expending for revamping the 120th and Grant intersection or the six million you have in mind for a parking ramp.
You have financed your expenses thus far by using the Water Fund, General Fund and property tax collections from many of our existing businesses. Through all this you have not presented the public with a detailed plan for the recovery of these costs let alone the profit you expect to receive starting decades from now.
You have taken a lot of ill advised steps that have led you into a situation that needs to be thoroughly and publicly analyzed and discussed. I have sensed that your lack of concern over the huge amounts you have sunk into the area comes from the belief that NURA's property tax revenues will bail you out. Let me remind you that its property tax revenue is coming primarily from North Metro Fire, School District 12, Adams County and our General Fund. It is not free money for you to waste on a very bad investment.
I would now like to address your parking problem, knowing that you have considered some options privately. You still have one option that you can control easily. Instruct the staff and developer to eliminate a parking ramp from further consideration. In November of 2004, Phil Nelson estimated a ramp would cost 3.5 million and have an amortized annual payment of $300,000. Now you are considering a ramp costing six million dollars. You, we, cannot afford it.
If you ever expect to get a return on the current investment, a parking structure is out of the question. Follow through on the scenario where the theater patrons and your future retail stores customers share a parking lot at different times of the day. Another option you could consider is to seek a partial variance from the parking regulations on a temporary, renewable basis if necessary.
In summary I ask you to take the parking structure off the table immediately and make your plan to recoup the present investment public in full detail. I would like to be better informed and I am sure others feel the same. You might also ask yourselves if your development plan will stand up to the scrutiny of the electorate. And, please do not tell me that NURA makes it own decisions. We both know better.
Thank you
May 23, 2006
To: Mayor and City Council
fro: Gene Wieneke
Ref: S.E. Quadrant Development
I had intended on presenting my comments at the last regular, cancelled meeting. I am out of the city Thursday evening and therefore request that you accept my comments at this time.
You have already invested eight million dollars in land acquisition and building demolition and the Sinclair station is yet to come. You still have the expenses for the theater's infrastructure, street reconstruction and a major parking problem. And, in the eight million I have also not included the money you are now expending for revamping the 120th and Grant intersection or the six million you have in mind for a parking ramp.
You have financed your expenses thus far by using the Water Fund, General Fund and property tax collections from many of our existing businesses. Through all this you have not presented the public with a detailed plan for the recovery of these costs let alone the profit you expect to receive starting decades from now.
You have taken a lot of ill advised steps that have led you into a situation that needs to be thoroughly and publicly analyzed and discussed. I have sensed that your lack of concern over the huge amounts you have sunk into the area comes from the belief that NURA's property tax revenues will bail you out. Let me remind you that its property tax revenue is coming primarily from North Metro Fire, School District 12, Adams County and our General Fund. It is not free money for you to waste on a very bad investment.
I would now like to address your parking problem, knowing that you have considered some options privately. You still have one option that you can control easily. Instruct the staff and developer to eliminate a parking ramp from further consideration. In November of 2004, Phil Nelson estimated a ramp would cost 3.5 million and have an amortized annual payment of $300,000. Now you are considering a ramp costing six million dollars. You, we, cannot afford it.
If you ever expect to get a return on the current investment, a parking structure is out of the question. Follow through on the scenario where the theater patrons and your future retail stores customers share a parking lot at different times of the day. Another option you could consider is to seek a partial variance from the parking regulations on a temporary, renewable basis if necessary.
In summary I ask you to take the parking structure off the table immediately and make your plan to recoup the present investment public in full detail. I would like to be better informed and I am sure others feel the same. You might also ask yourselves if your development plan will stand up to the scrutiny of the electorate. And, please do not tell me that NURA makes it own decisions. We both know better.
Thank you
May 23, 2006
posted by Gene Wieneke at
8:25 PM
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