In Thursday's (6/17) Star Tribune Metro Section, page B6, an article by report Chao Xiong giving a lot more detail on this appeared. Unfortunately, this article does not appear in the online edition at the STrib's web site, so I can't point you to it. Instead I will quote and paraphrase it liberally below.
"At least four contractors have filed liens totaling more than $2.5 million against the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board for unpaid labor on a privately funded project on city land that failed because of financial troubles.
The companies said they weren't fully paid for work on the The Fort, a multimillion-dollar attempt to build an indoor skate park, climbing gym and meeting facility in Fort Snelling's historic Drill Hall. Phase Two of the project called for outdoor skate parks, two roller and ice-hockey rinks, and space for music events on the 6-acre site, according to the Web site for the Project's private developer, Fort Inc. [sic]"
The web site for this project and The Fort LLC can be found at:
http://www.fortsports.com/
Work started on the building in September but stopped in January when contractors were not paid. Work restarted a month later when more funding came through, but again financial problems caught up with it and all worked stopped for good in late April, according to Mark Dongoske, owner of Associated Construction, which filed a $1.7 million lien this past week.
"The Fort project was supposed to dovetail with the Park Board's **** $14 MILLION **** Leonard Neiman Sports Complex completed just across the street in 2002, said Don Siggelkow, the board's assistant superintendent." [emphasis added -- and we wonder why the Park Board is so broke they can't mow the grass or open beaches? Note also that the project was sold to the public as only costing $12 million in May, 2000.]
" 'We certainly aren't happy with the outcome, but there's nothing the board could have done to protect the contractors,' Siggelkow said." Nothing -- such as a performance bond, insurance or maybe doing due diligence on the financial viability of the proposed project before leasing the land, right?
The Park Board signed a lease with The Fort LLC in July 2002 agreeing to let them renovate and build on the site in return for 15% of the facility's monthly income as rent.
"Bob Naegele III, son of Minnesota Wild owner Bob Naegele Jr., initially invested several hundred thousand dollars in the project, Fort attorney Todd Duckson said." That's quite the contrast. The lead investor puts in several hundred thousand, but the contractors are out more than $2.5 million in labor costs alone for a project that is not even close to complete.
"Aside from Naegele's investment, financial backing for the project was not secured when the lease was signed, Duckson said. But the board was confident Fort Inc. would find the money before construction began, Siggelkow said." How many private landlords out there do business like this, leasing out property before demonstrated ability to pay?
The Park Board terminated the lease with The Fort LLC on June 1 after learning of the situation in early March, according to Siggelkow.
My opinion: The Park Board cooked the books and deceived the public when they spent $14 on the Sports Complex at Ft. Snelling. The Park Board cooked the books and deceived the public when they spent $6 million their new HQ building. The Park Board failed to do due diligence on The Fort project. The Park Board complains that due to cuts in LGA from the state, they don't have enough money to man the beaches, fill the wading pools, run the fountains and mow the grass. I think it's clear that the Park Board is focusing on giant, unnecessary "legacy" projects, which enrich a few people, at the expense of maintaining the park system that we have. The Park Board has abrogated its obligations, both moral and legal, to the taxpayers of this city to run the park system as it was intended.
In my perfect world, Commissioners Bob Fine, Walt Dziedzic, Marie Hauser, and Jon Olson are forced to resign. Commissioners Carol Kummer, Annie Young, Rochelle Berry Graves and John Erwin continue until elections next year, when the public will decide.
Furthermore, the following Park Board employees and contractors are summarily dismissed for malfeasance, conflict of interest, lack of ethics, misappropriation, misrepresentation, deception, arrogance and incompetence: "interim" superintendent Jon R. Gurban, assistant superintendent Judd Reitkerk and "counsel" and "lobbyist" Brian Rice. Assistant superintendents Don Siggelkow and Mike Schmidt are put on probation, and if strong evidence that they can straighten up and fly right is not seen in the next 6 months, they are likewise fired. A thorough investigation of Park Board operations will be made, and any other corrupt, unethical or otherwise incompetent personnel will likewise be fired -- and I do not doubt there are at least some, but I just do not have their names, yet.
Furthermore, the possibility of filing lawsuits against former Park Board commissioners and executives for misuse of taxpayer funds, conflict of interest, illegal acceptance of favors from private lobbying organizations and unethical behavior in the performance other their duties, including in particular Scott Neiman and Mary Merrill Anderson. I'd include Ed Solomon, too, but he's unfortunately dead. I'd probably even investigate people further back, like Patricia Hillmeyer, David Fisher, Tom Baker, Patricia Baker, George Puzak, and others.
I'd also investigate lawsuits against Jon R. Gurban and the Minnesota Recreation and Parks Association for illegal lobbying, illegal influencing of public officials, graft, corruption and bribery.
Line them all up and send them all to jail for stealing millions of dollars from the taxpayers over the past 10-plus years. The corruption and unethical "tone" at the Park Board actually goes back quite a bit further than 10 years, but it's probably not worth the money necessary to track down the guilty parties who are still alive (it's funny, the more I research this disgusting, stinking history, the more people I find who are dead).
Have similar feelings? Wonder what you can do? Here are some ideas:
1. Attend the Park Board meetings, usually the first and third Wednesday evenings of the month. Tell others what you see and hear there.
2. Demand satisfaction: contact any and all commissioners to ask questions, express your opinion and demand action; contact Park Board staff to ask for public data, such as budget information. File an FOIA action if necessary. Don't take no for an answer.
3. Support campaign efforts to vote the bad apples out of office.
4. Demand that a good superintendent be hired, and the new superintendent clean house -- they get to appoint something like 15 positions.
5. Visit http://MplsParkWatch.org/, get informed and express your opinions.
6. Have some good evidence of illegal activity? Call the State Attorney General's office and ask them to investigate.
7. Demand that Brian Rice's law firm be fired as both counsel and lobbyist. He is the single largest contributor to commissioner election campaigns. The conflict of interest is staggering.
8. Keep the pressure on. Take names, and mete out consequences.
Alternatively, do nothing, and continue to have your pocket book pilfered via property taxes and park fees to enrich and empower the corrupt individuals and their backroom pals.
"Mad as hell, and not going to take it anymore..."
Chris Johnson - Fulton
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