There were several articles of extreme interest for Ogdenites in today's Std-Ex -- all of them "hidden" on the front page of the "C" section, which for inexplicable reasons is third-rate to the "Sports Section"....
The first was a Scott Schwebke report entitled "Task Force: RDAs Ok, need scrutiny".
What's happening with this "task force" is that they want to dismantle Tax Increment Financing for RDAs, and reallocate it to the other Big Spending beauracracies and taxing entities who are "champing at the bit" to find more money to spend. Without protected RDA TIF funding, Ogden folks...expect Ogden City to remain a deteriorating community forever. Now that the power of "Eminent Domain" is gone, TIF financing is the only powerful tool left to reconstruct our Ogden downtown area. Good riddence to Eminent Domain, I say, BTW. It was a nuclear device that stepped too hard on Individual liberty.
As for Tax Increment Financing -- It's a useful and powerful tool that doesn't hurt anybody. It only attracts private development, and reduces and mitigates property owners' tax bite.
The second Schwebke article: "Cinema complex next for mall site?" Our Mayor has been telling us there are developers waiting in the wings. Seems he's been telling the truth, contrary to the dire warnings from the "oppose everything" camp. At least one experienced private developer has now gone public, it seems:
"OGDEN -- The head of the company that developed the Gateway Mall in Salt Lake City said he is working to line up tenants for a proposed complex that would include restaurants, shops, offices, housing and a multiscreen cinema at the site of the former Ogden City Mall.
Steve Ostler, chief executive officer of the Boyer Co., discussed his firm's plans during a work session with Ogden's Municipal Building Authority regarding efforts to revitalize the downtown mall site.
Ostler did not divulge the identities of the prospective tenants or offer specific details on the proposed complex, but he said the multiplex theater would have stadium-type seating and a state-of-the-art sound system.
Construction on the first phase of the facility could begin this summer, he said...."
[...]
Full article
Rumor also has it that Larry Miller is ready to make an announcement today, regarding his proposed investment in Ogden's downtown center.
Could it be true that Mayor Godfrey was right all along?
What a blow that would be to the naysayer camp.
Comments, please!
Update: 5/18/05 SL Tribune article.
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10 comments:
It's pretty obvious that the petition people are running scared.
If they had the signed petitions, why didn't they submit them? And why do they claim they didn't do so based on legal advice?
I think the people of Ogden voted on the Recreation Center with there feet.
Anything's better than that dirt lot we have downtown.
I'm an Ogden citizen, and I attend City Councel meetings every now and then.
Can anybody tell me who's the little ratty chipmunk looking guy who runs the three minute clock?
It seems like the only thing he pays attention to is that.
Is he an actual councelman or just the timekeeper?
My home girl from work turned me onto this site and the first thing I see is this Exonerrate the mayor shit. I say hell no. if he did the crime he should go to jail just like he does to the brothers who he dont cut no slack with. I know dudes in the slam who dream of having the skinny little dude in the cell with them. Hes a punk anyway.
I know this isn't the question but I think any thing this Schlepke guy writes is shallow bull shit any way you try to read it. He sure isn;t in the same league as the McKittrick gal who baled out on the SubStandard and went to the Tribune. If you want to know what goes on in Ogden you have to read an out of town paper. Even the Tribune beats their ass on a regular basis.
Oh yea, I forgot to address the question of exonerrating the little lord mayor. I think the jury is still out on that one. If you look at the fine print no body has signed anything yet. Boyer only said they are excited - not signed up. Larry Miller is still silent on the deal. I think that the 800 pound Gorrilla, acting through their agent Stuart Read, talked Boyer into coming in to throw the Mayor a bone cause he was taking so much heat about not having a developer on board. Remember, nobody wants something to happen at the mud hole more than the Gorrilla!
They are still trying to justify issuing bonds for the Wreck Center. the bond deal is based on the incredibly lame "feasibility study" prepared by Fat Jacks themselves. They of course are the major beneficiaries of this public largess. If you have ever seen a real feasibility study you will know what a joke this one is.
The whole deal and the way the thing has been put together stinks. None of it makes much economic sense and as the old saying goes, You can't polish a turd! People are just not going to be going to down town Ogden to live, work, play and skydive! The older empty nesters won't do it because of the safety issues and the memory they have of the old Ogden - especially the creepy and unsafe parking structure. The newer home buyers are young people starting families and they sure as hell don't want to live, and raise kids in a walk up apartment in the middle of a bussiness area. Who does that leave? Poor inter city folks who can;t afford what this place will cost, and Cosmopolitan hipsters, and there is a severe shortage of them in Utah! The vision includes a huge number of offices. Where are they going to get all the high end companies, law firms, etc that would move there and would want to pay the kind of rent that will be required of new fancy buildings. Maybe Ogden will grow enough in twenty years to absorb this much new office space downtown but it ain't gonna be in time to make this plan work. As far as I can tell nobody has done a serious feasibility study that addresses all of these questions.
They are just forging ahead on a wing and a prayer. Something they can get away with because the major bulk of the money will be free to them - yup you guessed it - the good old American taxpayers will absorb most of the cost and subsequent losses of this ill advised scheme!
I think the Mayor should still twist in the wind until the entire mall is built and fully occupied. I wouldn't bet a buck against a million that any of us will ever see that happen. He shouldn't get a free pass based on some verbage pumped out by another insider like Boyer no matter how good it all sounded. Remember the city and Boyer are in bed together out at 2nd Street. Also the Army Criminal investigation still has not been resolved. Hell these guys all might be in jail next year at this time! I hope so...
So where did you get this crock of shit that the task force wants to dimantle Tax increment financing for RDA's. and reallocate it to other beauracracies? Your as bad as the punk mayor at making stuff up out of thin air. Are you on his payroll? If not you ought to be!
Your next line about Ogden remaining a deteriorating community without this TIF funding is also a bunch of BS.
The only real legitimate and powerfull tool for the reconstruction of Ogden is good old free enterprise. You ever heard of it you friggen Commie bastard?
This insedious Tax excrement financing hurts everybody that pays taxes. Especially when used for retail. Retail does not create wealth, it follows wealth. TIF takes money out of the County, Schools, and every other entity that divides up our property tax. When these corrupt bastards that run cities rip off the TIF then the other entitites come up short and have to raise our property taxes just like Weber County did this year. So it's the Counties that take the bad rap for raising taxes and these sleazy creeps like Godfree and Read get a free ride cause people don't know how the scam really works!
Get your head out of your ass and look at reality. Your following the Mayor's NeoCon line so closely that you can't see the real world. This NeoCon - central planning - good for the people bull shit is straight out of the old Tax and Spend liberal democrat play book. Kissing cousins to all out socialist dogma. The only difference between these new commies and the old is that the new guys ain't got no heart and soul! The old liberal central planners at least were concerned about the poor and disinfranchised among us. All you new ass holes want to do with them is kick them out of their homes so you can give the land to Wal-Mart.
You guys suck!!!
Anony Mouse
While Anony Mouse does make sense with his position vis-a-vis the Tax Increment Financing I hope that he would tone down the way he presents the information.. If he were to sit down with the Mayor and City Council members and discuss this with them in a non-confrontational way I am sure they would see his point and seek out other financial ways to go about the renovation of down town Ogden. Reasonable people are always amenable to reasonable input and I do believe that our city is being run by reasonable people. His approach will, and probably has, turned them off. His message is clear and correct however his approach will defeat his position. Remember you can catch more bees with honey than you can with vinegar.
Betty
Wake up and smell the roses, it's spring and you appear to have slept through the winter. Your argument seems to be based on the premis that we have "reasonable" people in office in Ogden city government. The sad truth is that we don't! They are not only un-reasonable but they are also incompetent in the positions that they occupy. They subscribe to the theory of free money which is the main symptom of the RDA disease which has swept city governments accross American the last few years. There is no amount of reasonble discussion to be had with these people. They are locked down in their minds and what is very dangerous is they have the key to the public cash register and they truly believe in what they are doing. In other words Betty, they are self rightous idiots with access to almost endless public money and they possess zero business sense with which to guide their spending. A horrific combination in relation to the tax payers who have to foot the bill for their incompetence.
Anony Mouse
Shivers
The ratty little chipmunk also carries the jock of the bigger duffus chipmunk that he sits by and sucks up to. That one I think they call the chipmunk in charge. It's not a very big jock as there is not much to put in it. The big one also doubles as the resident buffoon. Together they do a marvelous Rats on a treadmill act. I think they even performed it once or twice on Channel 17.
The ratty looking chipmonk guy who minds the clock at city council meetings is one Co-chairman Jorgensen. His priority is clock watching instead of "listening" to his constituents. The clock is rude and illustrates the contempt that the Rabbit Holers have for the public. Matt Hatter, the mayor, could issue an executive order to "hide the clock," but he too seems impervious to what the message of the speaker is. Years ago, there was a game show on TV called "Beat The Clock." Who'da thunk the good people of Ogden would be forced into playing that game today? Is there any mystery to the fact that there are so many potshots being fired at the Rabbit Holers? Me thinks not.
Sadly, Jorgensen can't keep the proper time, even with the clock, to witt: the Public Hearing sessions allow the speaker 5 minutes in which to make his point; while the Public Comment session allows but 3 minutes. Good old co-chairman Jorgensen runs EVERYTHING at 3 minutes, and this guy's second in charge, one heartbeat away from being the council chairman. Ain't that a comfort?
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