Std-Ex Cartoon by Calvin Grondahl
For some odd reason we're experiencing a profound case of deja vu here at Weber County Forum this morning. The grand schemers down at city hall have promised they'll bring jobs to Ogden; and they seem to be delivering on that. Surely employment prospects around Ogden are improving, for members of the legal profession, at least.
As Scott Schwebke reports this morning, Ogden City is mired in yet another lawsuit. This time the City is a plaintiff. At issue is the alleged failure of the named defendant, a New York demolition company, to have adequately performed the demolition work on the old mall structure, and the failure to have discovered and removed the leaking underground fuel tank which one of our sharp-eyed gentle readers tipped us about last week.
Where this will all end is anyone's guess; but here's one prediction that we can all take to the bank. Additional demolition work and the mitigation of the toxic spill will result in further delay and increased project costs. To top it all off, everybody will have to wait for the State Department of Environmental Quality to investigate and work out a mitigatory plan. And we already know the State DEQ moves like molasses. The eneluctable delay cost spiral begins (or continues.) This project, conceived and approved on an already strained budget, again devolves into the great unknown.
So what say our gentle readers about all this? Are these the kinds of things that would have been foreseen and prevented by competent and experienced real estate developers? Are these new problems the natural and probable result of the incompetence of our claque of "visionary amateurs" at city hall? Where is Stuart Reid when we need his reassurance? Isn't he the one who got us into this mess? Is there room for the incessant optimism we hear from the boy geniuses at city hall, or is this latest glitch the first glimmering of the proverbial "straw" that will "break the camel's back?"
So many questrions; so few answers.
Let's hear our gentle readers' two-cents on this!
15 comments:
I have been wondering, and now am wondering even more, about the status of the bonds and loans. I would think that this would have been the responsibility of the city to disclose insofar as these dealers and lenders are concerned. They are probably not too happy about this.
Remember when GE Financial backed out of funding this project, requesting further environmental tests? GE Financial is probably feeling vindicated right now, but as for the rest of them...
It's no wonder the city has filed suit against the demolition contractor, because the city itself might find itself having problems with the lenders if this is one of those things where the owner has the responsibility to disclose and ignorance is no excuse.
I wonder if, in this demolition contract, there were a certain amount of feet below ground they were to go when demolishing. This seems a bit odd, but one would think that especially on a site like that one, it would be necessary. Also, the site was given a clean bill of health by the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, wasn't it? Quite a few entities involved with this one.
And since there are municipal bonds involved, there might be some other interested parties.
This might entail a bit more than cleaning it up and being behind schedule, I am thinking.
The article said, I think, the suit was filed in July 2005.
And we are just learning about it now?
Why?
Have you seen the piles of concrete rubble with rebar that were trucked to and are still on the Ogden Hinckley Airport from the vacant city site after the old mall buildings were demolished?????
One day we are going to have to pay a big pile of dough to have them trucked from the Airport to be disposed of properly. In the meantime, take a drive out to the Southwest corner of the airport and see for yourself.
According to Ogden City officials, it seems the demolition contractor was supposed to have disposed of the rubble and was paid his contract fee before anyone discovered that the rubble was still on the site.
The current Lord Mayor, who was also the Mayor during the takedown of the mall site, is the official responsible for overseeing Ogden City government functions.
Evidently he was out to lunch while this debacle took place.
Nice catch, Curmudgeon! So this is an Old Lawsuit, not just a response to this latest tank fiasco.
So even though we have a lawsuit pending against this company for failure to adequately demolish, or whatever we are doing----we went ahead with construction??
This could be interpreted as us Knowing that that risks such as these existed, but going ahead anyway.
Not looking too good.
Have you seen the garbage written about Sir-godfrey over at The Good in Ogde blog? What a crock!
This mayor planned this toxic dump thing from the beggining! He wanted to build the mall on the toxic site so he can demolish the new mall in 10 years to clean up and then build another mall.
In light of all that is now coming to light in re: the old mall site and related matters, I hereby call upon the City Council adopt a resolution declaring "The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight" to be the Ogden Mayor's Office "Official Movie."
Jennifer, Jennifer, Jennifer - I think you are quite safe and contaminate free. This is not, after all, toxic chemcals.
So, when is the RECALL meeting, folks???
Rudi-
Not need to be gleeful about a toxic spill! You seem to delight in seeing bad things happen to our town. Really--you delight in seeing bad things happen to Mayor Godfrey!
How petty! One day you'll get yours. People with such an attitude always get there's.
Sad!
It seems like the only thing we can do as loyal Ogdenites is to continue to shine the light on the cockroaches in city government,
That and hope and pray that there is minimal problems at the mall site, and that it can go forward to a successfull completion as soon as possible.
It is going forward regardless of what we, or common sense, dictates. Therefore, the quicker and less problomatic it is, the better off all of the citizens of Ogden will be.
We are going to take it in the shorts for $20 million bucks any way you cut the cheese, so lets pray for a good outcome, and a money making deal in the end.
As long as Boyer stays in the game we have a fighting chance...
I dunno, anonymous, but it seems to me that it wouldn't hurt a bit for you to consider the humor of the situation.
Methinks you may be wrapped a little too tight.
In another hundred years, none of this will matter to any of us ;)
Your are right....
It is hillarious that a toxic tank broke on the old mall site. I always think it is hilarious when projects get set back and when toxic spills happen in our community.
I guess I just missed your WCF, Hat the Mayor, Bitch about everything, "I'm the smartest guy in town" HUMOR.
Boy oh Boy, the little anonymous sailor man, er bell hop, is all over the blog these days with his lame attempts at satire.
He just can't seem to understand that it is not the busted tank that is funny - it certainly isn't - but that the humor lies in the bumbling gang that can't shoot straight at city hall. He probably doesn't laugh at Steve Martin movies either.
Being that he has his head up the mayor's kiester clean to his shoulders it is no wonder he can't see anything real or funny about the tragedy unfolding in Ogden. The only thing he seems to know is the same old shit the mayor feeds him!
Frank -
No matter what happens before you...all you see is "Shit". The reality isn't so.
Anonymous, you are crude and rude and contribute zilch to the discussion. Maybe it's all you know how to do. Maybe it's just your character, your make-up. Maybe you're just that kind of guy, someone who needs to see his words but whose words are mean spirited and written to offend.
Whatever it is, it would be nice if you woul either clean up your act or crawl back into the sewer pipe you came out of. Hard ball controversy is one thing, but gutteral ineptitude is another. I'm sure anyone who read your Post #9 on the opening thread would agree. It's unfortunate, but writings such as yours casts a palor over the entire community. No wonder Ogden gets no respect from the powers to be and is a laughing stock at the Legislature.
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