Newgate Mall Kiosk Touts Fieldhouse

Photos, videos, and beach toys lure shoppers to “show support”

By Dan Schroeder

Tipped off last week by a comment from an alert reader, I ventured into the Newgate Mall today to see the rumored kiosk touting Mayor Godfrey’s proposed Fieldhouse. On the first pass I walked right by it without noticing; perhaps I was distracted by the Piercing Pagoda or Famous Footwear. But on the way back I saw the kiosk’s other side which features a monitor showing a video loop. Around the monitor was a sprinkling of sports equipment and plastic beach toys, plus small copies of the four photo display boards from last December’s unveiling.

And there was one more thing: a small pile of nice glossy color cards to pick up. One side of the card lists the various facilities that the Fieldhouse would include, while the other side shows the architectural sketches and instructs shoppers: “To Show Your Support Please Visit www.ogdenfieldhouse.com”. This web site, of course, is the one that until recently dislayed the email addresses of the county commissioners, RAMP board members, and Ogden School Board members, asking supporters to contact and lobby these individuals. I now see, however, that the list of people to lobby has been removed from the site and viewers are merely asked to “email us with your support or questions at contact@ogdenfieldhouse.com or call (801) 629-8111.” That number, of course, rings in the mayor’s office.

Here are a few photos of the kiosk display, for those who want to save a trip to the mall (and to preserve its splendor for posterity).

More Useful Info On The Proposed Downtown Ogden Fieldhouse/ Velodrome

By: Dorrene Jeske

This is the report on an in-depth study of the plans for the downtown Fieldhouse/ Velodrome and a plan to make it into one that is world-class by civil engineering standards. Because of the length, it is being divided into two parts:

• Stephen Smith Fieldhouse Analysis and Alternate Proposal - Part 1
• Stephen Smith Fieldhouse Analysis and Alternate Proposal - Part 2

I was asked to put this report on the blog for Stephen Smith, who has significant engineering experience with public projects both in Utah and across the USA. I am happy to do it because I agree with many of the issues and questions that are presented in it.

In Godfrey’s haste to push the downtown plan, major issues/concerns have been overlooked. Please look at the report on the Business Plan and then contact our Weber County Commissioners to register your own concerns immedately.

RAMP Application Outlines Proposed Field House Financing - Updated

$15 million would come from taxing entities via RDA; $4.8 million from RAMP

By Dan Schroeder

The Ogden City administration is proposing to fund the $40 million field house project from a combination of public and private sources, as outlined in the RAMP grant application that it submitted Friday. The proposed funding breakdown includes:

• Extension of an RDA area: $15 million
• Private donors: $10 million
• RAMP: $4.8 million
• Ogden City: $3.2 million
• Weber County: $2 million
• Weber County School District: $2 million

The city’s RAMP application also provides itemized construction cost estimates from three sources, totaling from $33.8 million to $42.2 million. These figures include a new 416-stall parking garage but do not seem to include property acquisition or relocation of utility lines.

The proposed extension of a redevelopment area would divert property tax revenue from the various taxing entities to the field house project. Based on the $15 million total amount and the fraction of taxes that these entities currently collect, their lost revenues due to the extension would be approximately:

• Ogden City School District: $5.9 million
• Statewide School Basic Levy: $1.3 million
• Ogden City: $2.9 million
• Weber County General Fund: $1.9 million
• Weber County General Obligation Bond Fund: $280,000
• Central Weber Sewer District: $750,000
• Weber Basin Water: $430,000
• 911 and Emergency Service: $260,000
• Paramedic Fund: $190,000
• Mosquito Abatement District: $120,000
• Weber / Morgan Health: $100,000
• Library: $560,000
• Assess & Collect: $320,000

To make up for this lost revenue, the taxing entities could either raise their tax rates or cut services. The city’s RAMP application doesn’t specify the time period over which the $15 million would be collected; nor does it mention any interest on bonds that would be used to borrow against this future revenue stream.

Approval of the proposed RDA extension would presumably require a vote of the Taxing Entity Committee, whose members represent several of the larger taxing entities. In 2009 the committee approved a 12-year extension of the redevelopment area that includes The Junction.

The $4.8 million being requested from RAMP would constitute essentially all of the RAMP funds available for major projects for the next five years, until the RAMP tax automatically expires after 2015. Major projects are those costing more than $200,000, and generally account for one third of all RAMP allocations.

The city’s RAMP application provides no evidence that any funds have been pledged by the other proposed sources: Ogden City, Weber County, the Weber County School District, or the unnamed private donors.

A full copy of the city’s RAMP application is linked here (pdf, 1.9 MB). I obtained the application through a government records request submitted to Weber County on Friday afternoon, and I am grateful for the county’s prompt cooperation. In response to a similar request, Ogden City also offered to provide a copy of the application.

Update 1/21/11 7:28 a.m.: This article is also part of the discussion on Charlie Trentelman's Blogging the Rambler Blog:

• Wish I felt better about this velodrome thing

Surprise of surprises! Qualms about this nutcase project are evidently not limited to our Weber County Forum readership.

Update 1/24/11 8:00 a.m.: Per Dan S.: Today's S-E reports that the $15 million would come from a 5-year extension of tax increment collection from BDO beyond its scheduled expiration in 2019:

• Ogden want to extend BDO Projects

Field House Study Bypassed Competitive Bidding

Godfrey signed retroactive waiver last week; consultant funneled funds to architect

By Dan Schroeder

Documents recently released by the Ogden City administration indicate that the city bypassed the usual competitive bidding process when hiring Hotel & Leisure Advisors to perform a feasibility study for the proposed field house project.

Although a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the study was prepared by the city in late October, the RFP was apparently never published as the city’s ordinances normally require. Instead, Mayor Godfrey signed a waiver of competitive bidding procedures on January 11, 2011, after the study was completed. City Ordinance 4-2B-9(G) allows the mayor to waive competitive bidding requirements with justification, and requires that the city council be informed of all such waivers, but does not specify when the waiver must be signed.

The newly released documents also show that H&LA was contracted by the city to funnel $5000 to VanZeben Architecture “to develop a building plan and elevations” for the field house. Mr. Van Zeben has created several versions of architectural sketches of the field house over the last two years, and had previously indicated that he was not being compensated for his services. Here is one of his most recent sketches, which appears in the feasibility study report (click for a larger version):

A comprehensive records request

The newly released documents were provided as part of the city’s response to a formal records request that I filed on November 19, 2010, shortly after the city council approved $38,000 in funding for the feasibility study. My request asked for all city records pertaining to the field house since last April, and specifically asked for records of the feasibility study procurement process.

Although Utah law normally requires the government to respond to a records request within ten business days, Ogden did not begin providing responsive records until December 15, when it allowed me to view an uninteresting file of information that had been gathered on other recreational facilities around the U.S.

Field house emails and plans

A week later, on December 22, the city released a large stack of printed emails pertaining to the field house, from which I copied a small selection that seemed interesting (pdf, 1.2 MB). Some of the emails describe behind-the-scenes efforts at lobbying city council members, county commissioners, and the RAMP board to support the field house. Others describe attempts to solicit funding from the Utah Legislature and the G.S. and D.D. Eccles Foundation (with considerable help from Brad Mortensen of WSU). There’s an email from Greg Easton, dated May 22, explaining why the field house won’t work as an archery facility; and there’s a city-produced drawing showing a proposed alternate location for archery. Other emails reflect the decision to relocate the field house from the previously proposed location northwest of downtown, the subsequent push for a feasibility study, and some early communications with the consultant regarding the details of the study.

Along with the emails, I was given an earlier architectural sketch by Van Zeben, showing yet another possible layout for the field house interior (click for a larger version):

This version includes much less space for the water park. Also, like the later version shown above, it includes ground-floor retail spaces facing both 24th Street and Kiesel Avenue. However, the sketches presented to the public last December, and currently posted on the city’s field house web site, show no retail space. It isn’t clear whether that version was drawn before or after the one in the study report.

The emails also included this aerial photograph of the proposed field house site, showing the buildings slated for demolition and the various utility lines that underlie the area (click for a larger version):

The mayor’s narrative

On December 27, the city released a PowerPoint attachment (converted to pdf, 1.3 MB) to one of the previously released emails. Although this slide show, by Mayor Godfrey, is now out of date with respect to the field house features and location, it shows how the field house fits into the mayor’s larger narrative on “Ogden’s Economic Future”.

The presentation begins with photos of old, abandoned buildings indicating “four decades of decay”, then switches to exciting action photos of snow sports, water sports, climbing, and mountain biking. Next come photos of a rejuvenated downtown Ogden, with maps depicting projects that are supposedly “completed” and “in progress”. After describing the field house itself, the presentation ends with inspiring quotations on the virtues of risk-taking from Theodore Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy.

The feasibility study contract

Although my November 19 records request specifically asked for the full procurement file for the field house feasibility study, city officials apparently ignored this part of the request until after Christmas. On December 23 I sent a written reminder, and finally, on January 3, the city gave me a copy of the two-page RFP (which had already been published on the city council web site as part of its November 16 information packet). On January 6, I pointed out to the City Recorder that the RFP was undated, and asked for the city’s record of when it was published. The City Recorder then inquired with the Purchasing Supervisor, who responded with a one-line email: “Was not a formal bid. Estimated to be under $25K when the request came in.”

I immediately responded by pointing out that the city’s ordinance requires a competitive bidding process for professional services valued at over $10,000, not $25,000. The ordinance does use the word “estimated”, and it isn’t clear how big a loophole this opens for exceeding the $10,000 threshold. The feasibility study contract was for $38,000.

After another week, on January 13, the city provided me with a copy of the contract itself. The contract is dated November 24, 2010. Attached at the end is Mayor Godfrey’s memorandum, dated January 11, 2011, waiving the competitive bidding process for the consultant’s already-completed work.

Mayor Godfrey used a similar retroactive waiver in 2007 for the already-completed gondola fiscal impacts analysis. I do not know whether Mayor Godfrey has signed such retroactive waivers for other contracts, or whether there have been other contracts, over $10,000, that bypassed the competitive bidding process but for which it was never formally waived.

Still waiting for financial records

After nearly two months, the city’s response to my November 19 records request remains incomplete. For example, the city has not yet released all records of correspondence with H&LA, or any records of correspondence with the other consultant that it supposedly considered.

Furthermore, the city has not yet released any financial records pertaining to the field house project. My request specifically asked for records of financial transactions related to last spring’s Tour de Drome fundraiser, as well as records of payment for recent travel, by city officials and others, to comparable recreational facilities in Los Angeles and Kansas City. The City Recorder tells me that the City Attorney’s office “continues to work” on my request.

A Magical Unveiling of the Mystery Dome

Mayor, CAO, and architect proudly present new sketches.

By Dan Schroeder

The atmosphere was cold but festive at the downtown Ogden Amphitheater last night, with families coming to see the Christmas Village while children’s choirs sang on the stage.

And, as promised, the Field House “open house” piggybacked on the festivities with foam board displays on either side of the amphitheater entrance.

There were four displays in all, each guarded by a high-ranking city official (mayor, chief administrative officer, public works director...). But the displays were mostly redundant, each dominated by the same pair of fresh architectural sketches of the Wonder Dome’s upper and lower levels.

To the side of each set of these large illustrations was a separate board listing the amenities for a prospective user group: “Athletes”, “School kids”, “Families”, and “Senior’s” [sic].

There were also two tables full of iced Christmas cookies, inexplicably failing to attract much attention.

Attendance was dominated by a handful of true believers and a smaller handful of skeptics. City Council members Gochnour and Garner were there, rubbing elbows with administration members and constituents alike.

I made no attempt to interrogate the mayor, but I did ask quite a few questions of the architect, Dan Van Zeben. He explained that the sketches are oriented with north upward, so 24th Street would go across the top and Grant Avenue (to be vacated) would go right up the middle. The east side of the Wonder Dome would wrap around the Berthana Building, while the west side would displace the vacant building on the southwest corner of 24th and Grant as well as some land belonging to the Marriott Hotel.

According to Mr. Van Zeben, parking for the Wonder Dome could be provided by adding more levels to the existing parking structure to the east, and building a new parking structure on the city’s parking lot behind the Marriott.

I asked Mr. Van Zeben if he had made any cost estimates for the Wonder Dome and he said yes, his current ballpark estimate of the construction cost is $28 million. This includes demolition of existing buildings but not land acquisition or parking. Council member Gochnour said she had heard a somewhat higher cost estimate, but it wasn’t clear whether that estimate might have included some items that Van Zeben was omitting.

Mr. Van Zeben also confirmed that he has received no compensation for his services related to the Wonder Dome over the last three years. I asked whether he has other contracts with the city and he said not at the moment, although he did do some work related to the renovations on the east side of Washington Blvd. Then he mentioned that he has recently been hired as the architect for the Kevin Garn Hot Tub Hotel. Although his client is Western States Lodging, he is hoping to be hired by the city as well to design the parking portion of the building. He is unsure whether the city will have to go through a competitive bidding process to hire its architect.

There was no mention of any results from the $38,000 study of the Wonder Dome proposal that the council agreed to pay for last month.

Update 12/17/10 5:30 a.m.: The Standard-Examiner carries its own morning story too:

• Ogden field house plan reviewed

Update 12/17/10 7:40 a.m.: Here is a very rough overlay of the Wonder Dome footprint on an aerial photograph of downtown Ogden. It appears that the building's eastern wing would reach all the way to Kiesel Avenue. The city would have to acquire property whose total assessed value is about $1.8 million, from five different owners (Pingree, Alvey, Cutrubus, Century Investments, and H & P Investments):

A 12/14/10 RDA/Council Meeting Heads-up

Will tonight's work session presentation be used as a "dry run" for Thursday's Magical Mystery Dome (Fieldhouse) Public Dog and Pony Show? That's our educated guess

Here's a heads up on tonight's Council/RDA meetings, which will be conducted in the following order (click the highlighted links to view the respective council packets):

1) Redevelopment Agency Meeting (6:00 p.m.). Looks like this one will be mostly held in closed session (out of public earshot, in other words).

2) City Council Meeting (follows RDA Meeting). The chief item on tonight's Council agenda will be a vote on a resolution and ordinance approving a Junction Hotel special assessment area. This one looks to be a likely slam dunk, inasmuch as the council already approved the primary hotel bonding ($9 million) just last week.

3) City Council Work Session (follows RDA & Council meetings). This is a meeting which might be worth a close look, as the council packet is littered with photos of velodromes, water parks and fieldhouses, "gleaned" by an obviously eager Boss Godfrey during (taxpayer paid) junkets to Kansas City and Carson, California over the course of the past month or two. Will tonight's work session presentation be used as a "dry run" for Thursday's Magical Mystery Dome (Fieldhouse) Public Dog and Pony Show? That's our educated guess.

We'll leave the lights on in the lower comments section as per usual, in the event that any of our WCF readers would like to post their pithy comments or snide remarks, before, during or after tonight's RDA/Council meeting events.

Update 12/19/10 6:38 a.m.: View the full Council amd RDA videos, via the Ogden City website:

• 12/14 City Council Regular Session
• 12/14 RDA Special Session

Field House Public Open House Set For 12/16/10

Gotta say we're feeling the buzz already, as the Godfrey Administration prepares to shove another multi-million dollar boondoggle down the lumpencitizens' throats

Thanks to a tip from Gentle Reader Jennifer, we're able to provide some interesting new information from Ogden City CEO John Patterson's Facebook wall. I looks like the big push for Boss Godfrey's Magical Mystery Dome (Fieldhouse Project) is well underway, with a public open house scheduled for Thursday, December 16:

Gotta say we're feeling the buzz already, as the Godfrey Administration prepares to shove another multi-million dollar boondoggle down the lumpencitizens' throats.

Be sure to mark your calenders, folks.

Update 12/15/10 3:30 p.m.: We now learn that the Magical Mystery Dome (Fieldhouse Project) Open House has been moved outdoors, to the Ogden Amphitheater of all places:

• Field House Open House

Standard-Examiner: WSU An Ogden Field House Booster?

Matthew Godfrey's Magical Mystery Wonder Dome changes, grows and becomes even more wondrous every time the SE asks about it.

By Curmudgeon

The Standard-Examiner has another story up on its website about the proposed Matthew Godfrey Wonder Dome [aka "velodrome," aka "field house"] which reveals considerably more detail about the plans, and which does some fact checking of Hazzonah's claims about it. And lo and behold, not all those claims are standing up to the fact-checking. For example this from the story:

Godfrey's characterization of Weber County as a partner in the field house is a bit of a "stretch" because no funds have been pledged, but the commissioners are supportive of the project in principle, said [Weber County Commissioner] Bischoff.

A bit of a stretch. How tactful of Mr. Bischoff.

And it seems, while WSU and the Ogden School District do support the proposal, both have been very careful to make it clear that support is rhetorical only, and includes absolutely no commitment of money to pay for construction.

And it seems Matthew Godfrey's Magical Mystery Wonder Dome changes, grows and becomes even more wondrous every time the SE asks about it. The story reveals for example that now the field house project involves adding two floors of parking to the Eccles Convention Center. [Didn't the city give away the existing parking structure, or a major part of it, to a private company about a year or so ago?] The new SE story reveals that the Wonder Dome --- in addition to hosting bike racing, tennis, jogging, soccer, swimming and "water park" activities [?] --- will also provide exhibit space for the Convention Center, to which it will be tied via corridors tunneling through the Berthana and Kiesel buildings leading to a skywalk bridge to the Center.

This is so exciting! What new wonders in the field house project will be revealed the next time the SE asks about it? A helipad atop the Wonder Dome for sky divers? I can hardly wait!

Monday Morning Emerald City News Roundup - Updated

Chime in on either of the two suggested topics below... or feel free to consider this an open topic thread

Just to get the conversation moving this morning, we'll focus on a couple of news items arising in the Standard-Examiner since our last WCF post:

1) The Standard reports this morning that the 2011 Ogden Municipal election is already heating up, with one prospective mayoral candidate, Ogden City Community Development Manager Johnny Ballard, already announcing his candidacy, and a second possible candidate, Godfrey sock puppet Councilman Brandon Stephenson weighing his options:

• One candidate to run for Ogden mayor, another considers it

So what about it, WCF readers? Are there any redeeming virtues which might make either of these prospective candidates worthy of Weber County Forum reader support at this still early juncture?

2) The Standard reported yesterday that "Easton Sports Development Foundation is continuing to work with the city to find a suitable site to construct a $2 million archery facility," although that company "has has abandoned plans for the field house because there would not be enough room for an outdoor archery range":

• Foundation targets Ogden for archery facility

Our initial gut reaction is that it seems odd that Boss Godfrey's field house plans would squeeze Easton out, inasmuch as this company appears to be the single identifiable private entity which actually did seriously hint at a substantial commitment of non-public funds to this project.

So what about it, gentle readers? Wouldn't it make more sense to locate the field house facility (if there is to be a field house at all) on a site more compatible with Easton's needs? Or should the lumpen taxpayers of Ogden (and Weber County) just grin and bear it, as the burden of funding this knuckleheaded project is heaped on the taxpayers' backs? We took the opportunity to walk the rumored field house site between 24th and 25th streets along Grant Avenue yesterday, by the way; and in our opinion, even a velodrome would be a "tight" fit.

Have at it WCF readers.

The world-wide blogosphere awaits your comments on either of the above two suggested topics... or feel free to consider this an open topic thread.

Update 11/22/10 10:30 a.m.: Thanks to the diligent googling of another sharp-eyed and alert WCF reader, we just now learn that Jonny (not "Johnny") Ballard is already running a rather unconventional 2011 campaign website:

• Jonny Ballard for Ogden City Mayor 2011

As fifties/sixties R&R legend Chuck Berry used to say, Go Johnny Go.

Standard-Examiner: Money Serves As Ogden's 'Bait'

It's probably easier to just "play along" with our mayoral prima donna than to suffer the inevitable Boss Godfrey temper fits, we guess

Remarkable lead editorial in this morning's Standard-Examiner, in which the SE editorial board offers (rather half-heartedly, we think) "cautious support for the Ogden City Council's decision to reallocate $38,000 in capital improvement funds to study whether it's feasible to build a field house in Junction City's downtown area" :

• OUR VIEW: Money serves as Ogden's 'bait'

It's apparent from the editorial board's careful choice of terminology that the Standard clearly recognises this percipient Hotel & Leisure Advisors study for exactly what it will be: a "rigged study," designed solely to serve as public/private investor "bait."

We're still scratching our heads wondering how its possible that our usually level-headed council could possibly be persuaded to play along with such a patently mendacious plan to produce what will no doubt be a glowingly positive feasibility study report.

It's probably easier to just "play along" with our mayoral prima donna than to suffer the inevitable Boss Godfrey temper fits though, we guess.

Added Bonus: There's a fine Grondahl cartoon accompanying today's editorial, by the way, which perfectly captures the "fantasy" aspect of this whole bone-headed project, we do believe:

• OG-WARTS

Don't let the cat get your tongues...

Important Emerald City Council/RDA Board Meetings Set For Tonight - UPDATED 3X

It appears that the Council/RDA Board stands poised to rubber stamp the financing for Kevin Garn's Junction Hotel Project
Updated Reader Query: Is our Ogden City Council slowly morphing into a Boss Godfrey rubber stamp?

Here's a heads-up regarding tonight's City Council and RDA meetings, where it appears that the Council/RDA Board stands poised to rubber stamp the financing for Kevin Garn's Junction Hotel Project:

What: City Council/RDA Meetings
When: Tueday, November 16, 2010; 6:00 p.m.
Where: Lincoln Elementary, 1235 North Canfield Drive

The full council packets for tonight's meetings are set forth below:

• 11/16 City Council Regular Session
• 11/16 City Council-RDA Special Session

For the benefit of bandwidth challenged WCF readers among us, here's a link to the portion of the RDA Board packet which specifically pertains to the hotel project:

• Abbreviated 11/16/10 RDA Board Packet

As per usual, we'll leave the lights on in our lower comments section, for anyone who'd like to comment on this topic before, during or after tonight's Council/RDA sessions.

Update 11/16/10 11:45 a.m.: One of our gentle readers reminds us that there's another WCF-topical item on tonight's council calender, i.e., a budget opening in the amount of $38,375, to be prospectively reallocated from the "CIP Futures Fund" to Boss Godfrey's proposed $38,000 "Fieldhouse Study," which we discussed on WCF yesterday. Check out this council packet excerpt for further details:

• Field House CIP Futures reallocation Council Packet excerpt

Fascinating to observe how the administration has deviously dodged a public hearing in this matter, by characterizing the transaction as a mere reshuffling of already "committed" taxpayer dough.

Update 11/17/10 7:45 a.m.: The Standard-Examiner reports this morning that the Godfrey administration scored a clean sweep last night for its ongoing pet projects:

• Ogden council OKs hotel proposal
• Ogden OKs $38,000 study for new rec facility

So what about it, WCF readers? Is our Ogden City Council reacquiring the lazy traits of our 2005 "Gang of Six" council, and slowly transforming into a another Boss Godfrey rubber stamp?

Update 11/17/10 8:35 a.m.: Per Dan S.: "Here's Cathy McKitrick's write-up in the Trib:"

• Ogden gives Garn go-ahead for hotel

"(Be sure to read the sidebar about the velodrome study approval.)"

Ed. Note: The Trib comments section ain't half bad either.

Update 11/25/10 6:52 a.m.: View the full Council and RDA videos here:

• 11/16 City Council Regular Session
• 11/16 RDA Special Session

Standard-Examiner: Godfrey Wants Study for Field House Proposal

What happened to the last location he proposed for this velodrome thing?

By Biker Babe

The Standard reports this morning that Hizzonah now wants to build yet another indoor water facility: to be included in the velodrome campus -- remember what happened with the last one?

• Godfrey wants study for field house proposal

The article also states he wants the velodrome (er ... field house ...) between the Marriot and the Hampton Hotels ... um, aren't there already buildings and businesses there such as: oh yeah! The Lighthouse Lounge, Soul & Bones BBQ, D&R Spirits, HogDen, Bangkok Garden, La Casada, Coggins Larreau & Lythgoe, PC, Gandolfo's and the Federal Building ... just to name a few? And what happened to the last location he proposed for this velodrome thing? Or was there a dream location for it? I can't remember, since he never did the October promotion thing Patterson promised.

Editor's addendum: Looks like a fertile topic for morning discussion. folks. Who will be the first to chime in on this subject?

Velodrome Fundraiser Canceled?

What happened to Mr. Patterson’s promise?

By Dan Schroeder

Regular readers of Weber County Forum will remember Ogden City’s Tour de Drome event, held on May 1 to raise money for the proposed velodrome and field house. Readers may also have noticed that we haven’t heard much about the velodrome in the last several months.

Now, as October draws to a close, let’s recall some of what was said back in May. Quoting from Scott Schwebke’s article:

The Tour de Drome wasn’t expected to be a big money maker and was aimed at creating a buzz regarding the velodrome and field house project, said [Ogden CAO John] Patterson. “It's the number one high-adventure priority (in the city),” he said....

Another larger bike tour to raise money for the field house and velodrome is scheduled for October, said Patterson.

Yet despite Mr. Patterson’s promise, here we are at the end of October and there’s been nary a word about this “larger bike tour”.

Could it be that the velodrome is no longer the city’s “number one high-adventure priority”?

Or could it be that the event was canceled because somebody at the city finally realized it’s illegal to put on a fundraiser and divert the proceeds to the Ogden Community Foundation?

Or could it be that the fundraising effort for the velodrome has gone underground, avoiding high-profile buzz-creating events, to better keep the money hidden from the city council and the public?

Until we hear more through official channels, the floor is open for readers to share gossip and speculation about the velodrome.

Standard-Examiner: World Cup Archery Event Drawing Attention to Sport, Dollars to Ogden Area

Amidst all the World Cup Archery hoopla, we just wanted to help the Emerald City Lumpencitizens connect the dots

There's substantial Standard-Examiner front page ink this morning for "this week's Archery World Cup event as Ogden becomes the first American host site in the five-year history of the competition":

• World Cup Archery event drawing attention to sport, dollars to Ogden area

Illuminating quote from one of the big honchos involved with this event:

Greg Easton, president of the Ogden World Cup Organizing Committee, said a multitude of factors went into the decision to bring the event here. Those include the right facilities, a pro-sports city focus, summer weather, the support of Ogden city officials and the local business community, and the size of the city.

Here's the part Mr. Easton left out, gentle readers. This event is obviously a warm-up for the Godfrey Administration's next full court press for the construction of a downtown velodrome.

After a little Googling, we've discovered that Mr. Easton is also a board member of the Easton Sports Development Foundation, the same foundation which was mentioned in connection with last year's rejected RAMP application as a proposed $2 million donor for Boss Godfrey's pie-in-the-sky $15 million velodrome project.

Amidst all the World Cup Archery hoopla, we just wanted to help the Emerald City Lumpencitizens connect the dots.

In the "sales" racket, the "try it before you buy it" approach is what's sometimes known as "the puppy dog close".

Who will be the first to comment?

Tour de Drome Follow-Up

Released documents reveal planning details, future plans, and more mayoral travels.

By Dan Schroeder

Two months ago, as the date for the Tour de Drome bike ride approached, I got curious and submitted a GRAMA request asking the city for all records related to the event. A week later I received a copy of the city’s $5,000 contract with event organizer Cindy Yorgason. But it took several follow-up requests, and another six weeks, before the city finished responding to my request.

The remainder of the city’s response consisted of a thick stack of printed email messages and their attachments. From these, I’ve selected and uploaded a small selection that seem reasonably interesting:

• Press release
• Special event application
• Meeting notes
• Contact list
• Emails

The documents paint a fairly complete picture of how the Tour de Drome event was planned, what kinds of expenses it incurred, and who was involved. They also include a few tidbits about the velodrome project itself, the mayor’s velodrome-related travels, and future fundraising plans.

Most obviously, these documents highlight the depth of Ogden City’s involvement with the Tour de Drome event. It was the city that hired Yorgason. Planning meetings were held in the Municipal Building, and Yorgason regularly reported her activities to CAO John Patterson and several other city staff. In fact, eleven city employees are included on the list of contacts that Yorgason circulated, and several others are named in emails due to their peripheral involvement. The required Special Event Application names Patterson and Events Coordinator Carolyn Brierley, in addition to Yorgason, as the responsible parties. The official press release begins with the words “Ogden City presents...”.

Nevertheless, it is equally clear that most of the money involved with this event was laundered through the Ogden Community Foundation. Although the city handled some of the money, especially during the early planning, OCF was brought in at the beginning of April and invoices for expenses were then redirected to them. This means we’ll probably never know exactly how much was spent on the event, or exactly how much money was raised. But in all likelihood, the total expenses were less than the initial budget of $10,000, while the total revenue was not much over $5000. Whether OCF will absorb the net loss is unclear.

An obvious next question is whether this arrangement with OCF was legal. Or more generally, is it legal for a city to put on a fundraising event for the benefit of a 501(c)(3) nonprofit? I suspect that the answer is no, but higher authorities are unlikely to get involved this time, given that the event actually lost money.

However, this event isn’t the end of the story. The same people are continuing to hold regular meetings, planning for another, bigger velodrome fundraising event in October. Presumably the proceeds from that event will also go to the Ogden Community Foundation.

And finally, it’s always interesting to learn about Mayor Godfrey’s globe-trotting adventures. Yorgason told me on May 1 that she had accompanied Godfrey and Patterson on a recent trip to see the Los Angeles velodrome. But now it appears that the mayor may have since taken a much longer trip, to Switzerland, to visit a velodrome located there. Let’s hope that a real reporter will dig up the details on these trips and tell us how much we’re paying for them.

Standard-Examiner: Godfrey Seeks $1 Million Taxpayer Bucks For A Friggin' Ogden Bicycle Track

In the current tough economy, does Ogden City have enough loose change layin' around to throw another million bucks down another Boss Godfrey project rat-hole?

OK, folks. Here we are mired in the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, with arguably much more economic bad news on the way, and then we stumble upon this morning's Scott Schwebeke story, reporting on the latest knuckleheaded development being cooked up down at Ogden City Hall:

• Godfrey seeks funds for velodrome in Ogden

That's right, folks. Mr. Schwebke informs us this morning that Boss Godfrey is moving forward with another crackpot taxpayer funded scheme and that the Godfrey administration will soon be "asking the city council to set aside $1 million in future capital improvement funds for construction of a velodrome and field house in downtown Ogden."

Our ever-confident Ogden CAO John "Pureheart" Patterson assures us, of course, that this is actually a terrific idea:

The earmarking of $1 million will help leverage private donations for the facility slated to be built on about 11 acres west of Wall Avenue and 21st Street, owned by developer Gadi Leshem, said Patterson.
Patterson is confident funds will be obtained from donors, enabling construction to start in spring 2011 and conclude in 2012.

Seems we've heard that same old line before, no?

Yeah! Right here... in this 4/24/08 WCF story!

The city has already received $200,000 in Weber County RAMP tax funds and a pledge for an equal amount of money that would be raised by Jeff Lowe, a renowned ice climber and executive director of Ogden Climbing Parks, which would manage, operate and maintain the tower, John Patterson, the city’s chief administrative officer, said during the work session. [Emphasis added].

(The upshot of course, is that once Ogden City had a little "skin in the game," a torrent of private Ice Tower donations would follow.)

But now, with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, we know how that all worked out, don't we.

Over on the Std-Ex website, Std-Ex reader Ogdenite also asks a couple of very good questions and makes a couple of savvy observations:

• Why are taxpayer dollars even being used on this asinine project?
• How many people do you know that would even use a velodrome track?
• Mayor Godfrey needs to quit playing fast and loose with public money and work on actually leading Ogden City.
• Monuments to his ego and projects for his construction company buddies do not serve the citizens of Ogden well.

Howbout it gentle readers? Would any amongst our WCF readership address Ogdenite's concerns? Amidst an economy where most individuals and governments are scrambling to make ends meet, Does Ogden City have enough loose change layin' around to throw another million bucks down another Boss Godfrey project rat-hole?

More questions...

• Will our City Council fall for the same old Administration con game a second time around?
• Will the Little Lord on Nine, who still remains afflicted with a bad case of Peter Pan Syndrome, ever grow up?

So many questions... so few answers...

And the beat goes on...

100 Ride in Damp Tour de Drome

Event organizers remain confident that Velodrome will be built

By Dan Schroeder

Despite the light drizzle, about 100 riders showed up at the Ogden Rodeo Grounds this morning for the start of Ogden’s “Tour de Drome” bike ride.

The ride began at 9:00 a.m. and continues throughout the day, following designated routes through Weber and Davis Counties. Riders choose one of three distance options, from 27 miles up to 104 miles. In addition, about six children participated in a two-mile “Fun Ride” along the Ogden River Parkway.

Ogden Chief Administrative Officer John Patterson was among the riders. He said he and his wife Cindy intended to do the 27-mile ride, but they had gotten a few funny looks from the other riders because they had brought their fat-tired mountain bikes instead of the customary road bikes with skinny tires.

Aid stations along the Tour de Drome route are being sponsored by Costco, Roosters, Subway, and Taggart’s Grill. Three local bike shops are providing additional support.

The purpose of the event is to raise money and awareness for Ogden’s planned Velodrome, an indoor bike racing track. The city contracted with Cindy Yorgason, a experienced bike racing enthusiast, to organize the event. Two weeks ago, Yorgason took Patterson and Mayor Matthew Godfrey on a trip to see the nearest comparable facility, in Los Angeles. This morning, Yorgason expressed excitement about Ogden’s planned Velodrome and said she is confident that it will be built. She said the next event to promote the Velodrome will be held in the fall.

Registration for the Tour de Drome was handled by Carolyn Brierley, Ogden City Events Coordinator, with help from other city employees and volunteers. Brierley said that 90 riders had pre-registered for the event, not including the six children who did the Fun Ride. Although registration was scheduled to end Thursday night at midnight, the deadline was extended to allow on-site registration which brought in another 15 riders.

The cost of registration was $50, so the event apparently raised $5250 in registration fees, plus small additional amounts from Fun Ride participants, merchandise sales, and donations. According to Brierley, the proceeds from the event are being “run through the Ogden Community Foundation” because the city needs a 501(c)(3) charity for that purpose.

Patterson also confirmed that the Ogden Community Foundation (OCF) would receive the proceeds from the event. He said there was no contract between Ogden City and OCF to ensure that the funds would be spent on the Velodrome, but that OCF is run by good people. Patterson declined to name any of the individuals who have control over OCF.

Another of the Tour de Drome riders was Charles Trentelman, an avid cyclist and reporter for the Standard-Examiner. When asked if he knew where his money was going, he answered, “for the t-shirt”.

Update 5/2/10 10:00 a.m.: Here's Schwebke's writeup in this morning's Standard-Examiner:

• Bike race aims to create buzz for downtown velodrome

Don't let the cat get your tongues.

Standard-Examiner: Tour de Drome Fundraiser Kicks Off This Morning

This morning's fundraiser raises a few technical questions

This morning's Standard-Examiner provides an interesting story this morning, concerning The Tour de Drome, a fundraiser for a proposed $15 million field house and velodrome in Ogden, which is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. today at Lorin Farr Park, 1691 Gramercy Avenue:

• Ogden's Tour de Drome offers 3 bike routes; fundraiser sets off today

Except for this morning's SE story, this event has been mostly under the public radar screen. However gentle reader very skeptical did tip us off earlier to an interesting discussion on this topic occurring at the end of last Tuesday's 4/27/10) City Council meeting:

...The 100 mile Bike ride to raise funding for the Mayors Velodrome project was discussed in Council meeting tonight. Pureheart Patterson said that the Ogden Community Foundation is handling the funds generated from the event, he stated that it is a fund raiser, and that the corrupt foundation will bank the expected $15,000 from the event.

Being the curious type, we viewed the council video (select the 4/27/10 meeting and fast forward to 42:06), in which Councilmember Van Hooser asked the following probing questions of Ogden CAO John "Pureheart" Patterson:

1) Who is the major sponsor; is it Ogden City?
2) If it is Ogden City, where are the funds to be kept?

Patterson's response was typically non-responsive and rambling, although Mr. Patterson nevertheless did manage to let this pertinent info slip outta the bag:

1) Ogden City Community Foundation will "provide banking services;"
2) Ogden City is funding $5,000 to pay the "event chair";
3) It's anticipated that registration fees ($50.00) will cover all costs of the event; and,
4) It's also anticipated that the event will yield $10-15,000 in net proceeds.

As to the question of whether Ogden City is the event's "major sponsor," Patterson managed to entirely duck that question. Nevertheless, it's fairly evident from various other online sources, here, here and here, that Ogden City (and NOT The Ogden City Community Foundation) IS the major sponsor of today's event, and that the taxpayers of Ogden City therefore have a legally-colorable claim upon this money.

So here are the questions we'll ask of our readers this morning:

Given The Ogden Community Foundation's troubling past fiduciary performance, why has the Administration designated OCF to hold the event fund proceeds? Does Ogden City need a private organization to hold what would appear to taxpayer funds? Is an arrangement of this nature ethically proper? Does this arrangement comply with accepted accounting procedures? Why can't Ogden City hold and administer these funds through its own banking resources? Wouldn't it make more sense for Ogden City to be carrying these funds in its own bank account and on its own books, where the city council can keep a close eye on these monies, rather than squirreling them away down the OCF rodent-hole? Does this arrangement amount to a ruse on the City Administration's part to prevent these funds from being claimed as city revenue? Does the Mayor's Office have the legal authority to shuffle these monies off to a private organization in the absense of City Council approval at all?

So many questions... so few answers. Time to put on your thinking caps.

Perhaps our gentle readers can enlighten us on the true meaning of all this, in our lower comments section.

RAMP Funds Dog Park and Adventure Park, Not Velodrome

Two out of eight Ogden City proposals are funded

by Dan Schroeder

On March 10, the Standard-Examiner reported that this year’s Weber County RAMP grant recipients had been chosen and approved. But the article gave few details on the many approved projects, and said nothing about the proposals that were rejected.

For those who are curious, here is the full list of recreation, art, museum, and park proposals funded this year by RAMP using the 1/10 cent sales tax that we approved in 2004. The list includes trails, playground equipment, exhibits, concerts, and a variety of other projects totaling over $1.8 million. RAMP also allocated $239,000 in non-competitive “municipal grants” to the county and its municipalities, according to a formula based on population. Each municipality can use its municipal grant to reimburse costs of any eligible projects.

Ogden City submitted eight proposals for competitive RAMP grants, summarized in the table below.

As you can see, only two of these eight proposals were funded by RAMP, and neither of those was funded in its entirety. In addition, Ogden can use its municipal grant of $82,865 for any RAMP-eligible projects.

Ogden’s two funded proposals are both for park enhancements along the river parkways. First, the city will develop a 2.6-acre off-leash dog park in Miles Goodyear Park, along the Weber River Parkway on the west side of town. Second, the city will create an “adventure park” of unusual children’s playground equipment along the Ogden River Parkway near Lincoln Ave., in the River Project area.

The city’s RAMP applications (linked above) for these two funded projects are strikingly different. The dog park proposal provides a vividly detailed site plan and budget, corroborated by an outside architect. Even so, less than half of this proposal ($60,000 out of $124,048) was funded. The adventure park proposal, on the other hand, provides no site plan and no documentation of the expected costs. It does include a brief budget that itemizes site preparation and fencing, but two thirds of the budget is in a single line item titled “play structures”. These are described in the text of the proposal simply as “cable rope play structures which are connected using rope bridges and zip lines” surrounded by “inverted climbing rocks”. There are no illustrations of this equipment, no price quotes, and not even a named vendor. Given this vagueness, I’m surprised that RAMP has approved $155,000 in funding (nearly 80% of the requested amount) for this project.

The city’s unfunded proposals are equally interesting, as they give us a glimpse of the administration’s current goals and priorities.

The Outdoor Classroom/Sustainable Energy Demonstration Project would be an enhancement to the USU Extension Botanical Gardens at the MTC Park. The proposed budget includes $50,000 for the outdoor classroom and $150,000 for energy demonstration equipment including a solar array, wind turbine, and hydroelectric generator. This appears to be a serious but high-cost proposal.

The Ogden City Snow Park proposal, on the other hand, is not ready for prime time. The intent is to create a winter recreation area on the city’s property along Park Blvd. near Madison, just south of the Ogden River. (I think this is the site that was formerly intended for the “high adventure campground”.) The snow park would offer sledding, tubing, snowboarding, and skiing, with a rope tow system and tube rentals. But the details are far from clear. The city’s application includes no site plan, no documentation of the expected $100,000 in costs, and no operating budget. It doesn’t even say whether snow park users would be charged a fee.

Three smaller proposals were also rejected. One is for portable snowmaking equipment to be used for events such as the recent WinterFest. A second is to put a roof over one of the river parkway bridges, to give it that quaint New England look. And a third is for the annual Paddle Festival at Pineview Reservoir.

Last but certainly not least is the city’s audacious request for $3 million, over six years, for the proposed “field house”. This is essentially the same as last year’s rejected velodrome proposal. New twists include a “field floor” that can be used for indoor soccer, basketball, and other sports; two adjacent outdoor soccer fields; a mezzanine fitness track; and a Boys & Girls Club activity area. The proposed location is now on a wedge of land between 20th and 21st Streets west of Wall Ave., currently owned by Ogden Mall Development Co. of Chatsworth, California (probably associated with Gadi Leshem). Despite the enhancements over last year’s proposal and the additional $900,000 cost of acquiring this land, the project’s total cost has somehow dropped from $15 million to $12 million. And whereas last year’s proposal included a two-page itemized budget, this year’s much shorter budget lumps the entire construction cost into a single $10.5 million line item. There is, however, one important similarity between this year’s proposal and last year’s: neither provides any evidence that the city can raise the millions of dollars of additional needed funds.

So once again, the RAMP application process has been both productive and informative. Undoubtedly, readers will have their own opinions on the quality of the city’s application materials, and on which projects were worthy of funding and why.

The floor is now open for any and all such comments.

Vision Meets Reality

Sixteen Godfrey chickens that haven't exactly hatched

By Dan Schroeder

The Standard-Examiner recently published a commentary by Mayor Godfrey, bragging about some of his accomplishments and reminding us of his "high adventure" vision for Ogden's future. In response, I'd like to thank the mayor for giving me this opportunity to publish a little list that I've compiled.

When an elected official has been in office for nearly a decade, I think it's appropriate to judge his visions in light of his record. Mayor Godfrey's record has its bright spots, as he repeatedly reminds us. But to get the full picture, we need to look at what he actually promised once upon a time--and compare those promises to the current reality.

So I offer this modest list as an additional basis for community discussion. I don't claim that the list is complete, or that it fairly represents the mayor's full record. Nor do I mean to give the mayor all the credit for either the original promises or the difficulty in fulfilling them. (In many cases the news media played a significant role in puffing up our expectations.) Still, all of these projects are closely associated with the mayor's "vision" for Ogden, and the list is long enough to refute anyone's contention that these shortcomings are due merely to occasional bad luck, or to the recent economic downturn.

Here, then, are some of the facts that Mayor Godfrey's commentary didn't mention:

Project	Then...	Now...
River Project	"Construction on the ambitious river project, in the works since early 2001, should begin in 2005, with the recent approval of a developer's agreement between the Ogden Redevelopment Agency and Cottonwood Partners Management LTD." (January 16, 2004)	Except for the Bingham's building, there has been no new construction in this 60-acre area. The residential blocks have been virtually abandoned and plagued by a series of arsons.
Ernest Health	"Done deal" according to a news article based on statements from the Ogden City administration (June 7, 2008).	Ernest missed its deadline to finalize the land purchase; property is back on the market.
Midtown Hotel	"An Orem company plans to begin construction later this year on a $100 million hotel at The Junction downtown development." (January 10, 2008)	"Canceled".
Ashton Square	"Construction is slated to begin in August and will last about 14 months." (May 24, 2007)	"It's off the table for now and for the foreseeable future."
Earnshaw Building	"Construction on the Earnshaw Building is slated to start within a couple of months and end in about a year." (February 21, 2006)	Construction has slowed to a crawl. Signs in the windows promise that the first tenant, Deseret Books, will move in later this summer. The owner owes over $24,000 in delinquent property taxes.
Junction Leases	Lease revenues from Boyer were projected to bring the city over $300,000 annually by 2010. The Ogden City administration was willing to pay Boyer to add two more floors to its office building because they "wouldn't have much difficulty leasing" the space (May 31, 2006).	Even at four stories, the office building is mostly unoccupied and its only tenants are those that moved from across the street. Overall, the Boyer properties have generated no lease revenue for the city and "there is not anticipated to be any in the near future."
Junction Property Tax	"In the year 2015 ... the redevelopment district expires and community entities begin receiving the full benefit of the tax income from The Junction." (Newspaper advertisement from mayor's office, May 31, 2007.)	At the request of the Ogden City administration, the district's expiration date has been extended for an additional 12 years. Some taxing entities will receive partial "mitigation payments" during this time, but the rest will receive no tax revenue from the Junction.
Windsor Hotel	"Ogden Properties ... is conservatively estimating the project to be finished by spring next year" (June 24, 2007). In a development agreement with the city, the building's owner pledged to comply with all "applicable rules, laws and ordinances".	After the city council declined to amend an ordinance to increase the height limit on 25th Street, the owner canceled the project and threatened to demolish the building.
American Can Building	Was to have housed Mt. Ogden Scientific, Fresenius Medical Care, and 1st Contact Technologies (April 23, 2005).	None of these "high tech" companies ever moved in. The building has been renovated and a portion is now occupied by Amer Sports, but much of the building remains vacant.
Adam Aircraft	Promised to bring "hundreds of new jobs" (March 16, 2005).	The 55 Ogden employees were permanently laid off in January 2008. The company ceased operations soon thereafter, and its taxpayer-subsidized 91,000 square foot building is empty.
Ryan McEuen Amphitheater	"It is hoped that the amphitheater will open in 2008 to coincide with the completion of a commuter rail line... Patterson said." (September 10, 2006)	The site is still occupied by a landfill and a portion of it is posted for sale. Patterson says the city is "continuing to work" on the project, but McEuen says there is "no timeline for construction".
Ice Climbing Tower	"It will go up this year", said John Patterson (April 25, 2007).	$200,000 RAMP grant had to be returned to the county because matching funds were never raised.
High-Adventure Campground	"Campground for rock climbers may arrive soon in Ogden" (July 23, 2008).	Work on the campground began in September 2008 but abruptly ceased soon thereafter and has not resumed after nearly a year.
Velodrome	Mayor Godfrey "is hopeful that fundraising can be completed by the end of next year, enabling construction to be finished in 2011." He predicts that the city's contribution will need to be "more than $100,000". (September 6, 2008)	No funds have been raised yet for this $15 million project. The city's $2 million RAMP application was rejected in early 2009. The application promised that the city would contribute $2 million.
Via Ferrata	Supposedly open to the public for a $25 fee (November 18, 2005).	Never got a business license from the county.
Malan's Basin Resort	"The next few months will see trail work start on a new ski area entirely on private land at Malan's Basin which will be completed in time for the 2007 season" (Ski Press Magazine, August 19, 2005). Plans for the resort were to be made public by fall 2005.	Some ski routes have been cleared of trees and brush, but no other construction has taken place and no plans have been released.

Reader comments are, of course, most welcome. Should other items be added to this list? How can we better understand the difficulties that the mayor has encountered in carrying out his vision? And most importantly, where should Ogden go from here?