The SE story focuses on it being managed (but not built) privately
By: ND
Informative article in the Standard-Examiner today about the recently released Fieldhouse Feasibility Study:
The SE story focuses on the Fieldhouse being managed privately... of course if it was such a good idea it would be built privately... the numbers wrangling on the profit it will make is ridiculous... 78k on 6 million... no room for errors there....
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15 comments:
ND:
And the report says the project requires addition of adequate parking [the footprint for the fieldhouse/velodrome/waterpark/jogging track/tennis courts will eliminate parking now available for Historic 25th Street customers in the lot south and east of the Marriott]. Administration wants to provide that parking with a new multi-level parking garage, the cost of which is not included in the feasibility study, nor are the annual operating and maintenance costs for the parking garage figured into the feasibility study either. Those costs can be substantial. Remember, just a couple of years ago the city gave away title to the parking structure on Keisel to a private company because, the city said, it was losing substantial money paying for the annual maintenance and operation of the parking garage.
well, of course they had to run this one in the SE -- we have a very thorough accounting of the release right here on the Forum
js, BB
Funny how they don't mention the funnelling and wrangling in the obtained emails....that might take a little work ya know..
That's right, ND. Those emails are a real eye-opener.
Wonder how the WSU staff feels about being in them....being treated like little pawns in the spider web....
ND:
It isn't the WSU athletic staff's involvement that's the problem. If they think the FH will work to the athletic program's advantage, particularly if they can get someone other than WSU to bankroll an indoor practice field for the football team, then their lobbying for it doesn't seem out of line to me. Nor is the administration's assessment of the the battles for leadership of the Republican majority in the legislature out of line. Any city administration with projects it wants the state to fund would be foolish not to assess various leadership candidates and draw conclusions about who would best serve the city's interests in office.
What I've found most interesting in the emails so far is that they illustrate the contempt the administration has for the Council and for particular members. If I were Mr. Blair, for example, I'd be royally pissed off when I saw the Administration's emails regarding him. They make no bones about the fact that they think he can be effectively handled with a free lunch with the WSU AD and a call from Coach Mac. That they're convinced that's all it will take to swing his vote on a $40 million dollar project makes it just how clear not only how little respect they have for him, but how much contempt they have.
If I were Mr. Blair, I'd be incensed. I wonder if he is.
Crum....I think you said it alot better than I did.....
Two recent letters to the Standard regarding the Field House:
Letter from Cindy Yorgason
Letter from Jody Smith
Cindy of course is not paying taxes in Ogden so she's all over it and has been drinkin the kool aid....Jody makes a EXCELLENT point about WSU bucko's....
From one of the Mayor's e-mails:
"We are also working on two big projecis, one of which we call "The Fieldhouse" that will bring significant numbers of
new people downtown and should help create the proverbial rising tide."
I'm sorry, Mr Mayor, but wasn't the Salomon Center supposed to bring significant #s of new people downtown and create the proverbial rising tide? Either it has failed, and you should own up to that, or you lied about what it would accomplish to begin with.
Anon:
Exactly. The fact is the Administration's business judgement has proven to be poor again and again and again. The River Project was another that was going to bring people downtown and create a rising tide. The selection of Mr. Lesham to make it happen was disastrous. And the project is still moribund. The Junction has not turned out to be the downtown revival generator it was supposed to be.
How many times are we going to double down on bets that didn't turn out as the Administration assured us they would?
Mayor to Scott Sloan, owner of the Marriott Hotel:
Hi Scott,
Thanks for your email. l'm very sorry you feel this way. lf I, or any member of our team would have had any idea that you would have felt this way we certainly would have forwarded you a copy of the press release eariy on. For what it's worth, I didn't get a copy beforehand either, i just read it in the paper as you did.
I would think this effort would be far rnore important in a "big picture" way for you than an advanced notice on a press release.
After Scott had written the Mayor:
Matt, I am a bit disappointed that there was not even a consideration my way to just clue
me in before the "official" announcement in the Examiner. As your biggest hotel in the city and north of Salt Lake City, and as your biggest player in convention and leisure business, I guess I expected more than just being blindslded by the article in the paper. As much as I have worked to bring the hotel back into the community as a player instead of a sideliner and with what you have recently asked for my assistance in regarding the field house project...
I guess I will just have to accept that my $8M in revenues next year are not part of the big picture for Ogden. I am just disappointed...
Way To Go Uronner !!!!!!!!!! Way to keep the big players in the loop!
Bee:
Thanks for posting the email clips. The Mayor's community development operation is starting to look like a Keystone Kops movie. Someone needs to ask of the Administration what Casey Stengel asked of the woefully inept New York Mets he managed: "Can't anybody here play this game?"
The funniest thing about the exchange between the Marriott owner and Hizzonah is Hizzonah's whining "My staff didn't tell me either!"
Kinda makes ya wonder who's in charge, doesn't it?
Or if anybody is?
"My staff didn't tell me either!"
What a joke. Boss Godfrey is the #1 micro-manager on the planet.
Glad to see there is a huge potential for profit on this new facility. Supposing we never have to maintain it or replace anything then it will only take approximately 77 YEARS to repay the initial cost. Maybe my kids can come to the celebration when Ogden celebrates breaking even on it. My oldest will only be 86 YEARS OLD!!!!!!
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