By Gentle Curmudgeon
Well, this one takes the cake. I've not been overly impressed by the efficiency and ability of the Godfrey administration overall, as you all know, but I have to admit this one left me speechless. It seems the Godfrey administration successfully convinced the City Council [acting as the RDA board] to sell city property for half a million dollars to a company that didn't want to buy it! A company that is not interested in buying it and has said so flat out. Here's the lede paragraph from Mr. Schwebke's delightful story in this morning's Standard Examiner, Top of Utah front page:
OGDEN — The Ogden Redevelopment Agency agreed Tuesday night to sell a portion of the Shupe-Williams property for $268,142 to enable Chianti Holding LLC, the parent company of Contempo Ceramic Tile Corp. to build a new showroom andBut wait, it gets better. On the Godfrey Administration's recommendation, the RDA board refused to sell the land to the Union Station Foundation, which does want to buy it; and instead, agreed to sell it to the Godfrey-endorsed company which doesn't want the land.
warehouse. There just one problem.
Chianti has no plans to purchase the land that encompasses about an acre on Wall Avenue, according to Richard Pease, president of the company.
“We would like to stay where we are,” said Pease, adding of Contempo Tile is happy with its facility at 1938 Lincoln Ave.
“We are not buying it (the Shupe-Williams) property.”
I am telling you, they couldn't make up stuff this good on Saturday Night Live, the Daily Show or Letterman. [I wonder, is that how Mayor Godfrey earned plaudits as a major mover and shaker by a N. Utah business magazine lately... by offering to sell city land to people who don't want to buy it? Wow! Talk about innovative leadership!]
But wait... it get's even better. Having agreed to sell one parcel of land to a company that doesn't want to buy it, the Godfrey administration also plans to sell a second parcel at the same site to the same company... which doesn't want to buy that parcel either. From the story in this morning's SE: The city also plans to sell a second Shupe-Williams lot to Chianti Holding for about $242,000, said Community and Economic Development Director Dave Harmer.
Harmer seemed taken back when informed Tuesday night by the Standard-Examiner following the RDA vote that Chianti Holding had no plans to buy the properties.
Harmer said he would contact Scott Brown, the city’s business development manager who has been handling the land sale, about the status of the Chainti Holding’s interest in the property. Brown did not return a phone call Tuesday night seeking comment.
This is the administration that wants us all to trust its business expertise and judgement to make the non-existent Peterson Plan a success in Ogden? Yes sirree Bob, I can see businessmen and investers lined up clear to Vernal just waiting for the chance to let Mr. Godfrey, Mr. Harmer and Mr. Brown lead them in investing in Ogden.
Update 12/21/06 6:20 a.m. MT: Scott Schwebke follows up yesterday's Shupe-Williams bungled sales approval story with slightly more information this morning. Chianti Holdings still hasn't actually committed itself to buyng the property, but owner/principle Jan Kucera does at least hedge a little bit, indicating that his company is interested in the property, at least. The main obstacle, it appears, is Boss Godfrey's insistance that Chianti donate all profits (equity)from the sale of its current property to the city, Inasmuch as Chianti says it needs these monies to build-out a new facility, this presents more than a minor obstacle, we would surmise.
And the city council, which is regularly treated by the Godfrey administration as a troublesome and unnecessary "fifth wheel" of city government, appears actually united for once, taking umbrage at being made to "look like a buch of goofballs." As an added bonus, Gang-of-Six holdover Comrade Safsten frankly admits that he is "befuddled" -- something many of our regular readers had long suspected.
Meanwhile, Scott Brown insists it's all but a done deal, notwithstanding the patent denials of Chianti's CEO and controlling shareholder. And Dave Harmer calls it business as usual. And the Shupe-Williams story moves from the realm of the strange, to that of the bizarre.
