By David S.
I note this from the council packet for tomorrow's Ogden Redevelopment Agency meeting:
• Redevelopment Agency Agenda PacketThe Administration is seeking authorization for the Executive Director of the Redevelopment Agency to purchase property located at 153 18th Street,commonly referred to as Ogden Chrome & Bumper.
Acquisition of the property is vital to the success of the (ever-languishing taxpayer sinkhole known as the) Ogden River Restoration Project and for future development along the river. The property is also located along Wall Avenue, which has been targeted for redevelopment.
Purchase price and relocation costs total $242,000 which will be drawn from FY2010 funds. (Pay no attention to this - - the mayor will claim it's not really real money.)
PURCHASE PRICE: $192,000, the MAI appraised value established by Free and Associates, on October 6, 2009. $50,000 relocation costs. Total $242,000.
(With no provision for environmental cleanup so the mayor can preserve his reputation for being cavalier and irresponsible.)
In addition to the current purchase, staff have obtained options to purchase the two other Ogden Chrome parcels located at 145 18th Street for $235,000, and at 1802 Wall Avenue for $175,000.
Options run through August 31, 2012. At a future date, the consideration of these acquisitions will be brought to the RDA Board.
It is proposed that the Board authorize and approve the Executive Director to execute and take all actions necessary to effectuate an Agreement of Purchase and Sale with MCK5 LLC regarding the purchase of the parcel of real property located at 153 18th Street, Ogden, Utah.
So in summary, another long-time Ogden manufacturing business will soon be shown the door at taxpayer expense, joining Big Bubba's, Superior Welding, Bloom's and many other functioning, taxpaying businesses driven out of town because they didn't fit the boutique image of Ogden's elites and their toady mayor. In their place will be more new Class A property with "Available" signs, and vacant lots filled with weeds, together with more debt, more money wasted.
I suppose we should be grateful that our mayor is at least creating so much downtown "open space".
Heaven help us when the bill for all this spending comes due.
