Standard-Examiner: "City Fine-tuning Ogden River Project Details"

The Standard Examiner prints yet another hilarous "Godfrey announces that he expects to announce" story

By Curmudgeon

The Standard-Examiner has finally gotten around to following up on a story it printed two weeks ago which informed its readers [source: Mayor Godfrey] that an un-named developer newly chosen for the River Project [to replace the Mayor's earlier disastrous choice of Mr. Leshem] would submit a development plan to the city by the "end of the week." The end of the week came and went. No plan was submitted. Another week went by. No plan. Now the SE has, at last, followed up on the first story with a new story that includes an explanation --- kinda sorta --- from the administration of why no plan has yet been submitted:

• City fine-tuning Ogden River Project details

The Godfrey administration's new story is that it hopes that a development plan will be submitted "soon." [It is unclear whether "soon" in Godfrey-speak is a longer or shorter period than "by the end of a week."] It seems the developer, who the Mayor still will not name [though he hints he has two more waiting in the wings if the current un-named developer decides the project is too risky to get involved in] is "fine tuning" things. What things?. Arranging tax-increment funding to pay for key parts of it. From the story:

"Discussions between the administration and the developer currently center on how tax increment financing may be used to assist the river project, said Godfrey." [A synonym for "tax increment funding" is "public subsidy."]

The story two weeks ago noted that 60% of the property in the River Project area is still owned by the Leshem and associates group, and that it hasn't been figured out how that uncomfortable fact will be handled by the new [un-named] developer, provided enough public funds can be provided to entice him to take on the project. And what has today's story to say about that problem so clearly identified in its story two weeks ago? That it hasn't been figured out yet how it will be handled by the new [un-named] developer.

And of course the new story ends with the SE's traditional ending for SE River Project stories: "Lesham could not be reached for comment."

And the beat goes on....