Part 4 (last part)
** 9:30pm **
* New Business - continued
* Discussion of the Park Police move to the HQ building:
Interim super. Gurban drones about the "memo of August 10 which addresses this" and apologizes for not being able to be at the August 4 meeting [where this issue came up]. He says it is a space situation [current police facilities are over-crowded] and that a "couple of commissioners had stopped by the office" and were "polled." The plans for this move range from back of napkins to more. He formed a couple of "focus groups" to figure out the problem. He states no construction work downstairs in the HQ building has been done for such a move [several commissioners and members of the public heard rumors that such had happened].
Comr. Mason says that she has actually seen formal plans drawn up by an outside contractor for offices on the lower level of the HQ building for the Park Police. She wants to know the cost of the plans and the cost of actually doing the construction work and moving the police. Staff had told Mason that the work was to start on August 2[!] but did not know why it had not started.
Gurban says he is not prepared to answer those questions tonight but can prepare a report and answers. He claims he has always communicated the same information to all commissioners.
Comr. Olson defends Gurban's activities.
Comr. Young is concerned about money being spent on plans. Where is the fund from which this money is coming? How much is in it? How is it being spent?
Comr. Dziedzic [agitatedly] states that he has been in elected office since 197? (198?) and has never seen so much disrespect to [agency] staff. He says if it happens again, "I'm gonna get loud." Then he raises his voice and loudly and angrily says, "I'm gonna get real loud." Dziedzic then continues to loudly and angrily relate, "I remember a fistfight at a school board meeting..." making a fist with his own hand.
Comr. Berry Graves interjects: "Is that a threat?" [and it certainly sounded like a threat to me -- I was half ready to dial 911 at this point.]
Dziedzic [now bellowing and pounding the table with his fist] shouts, "That's a fact!"
Meanwhile Berry Graves is repeating her question, Comr. Olson is calling for order, ultimately having to bang the gavel repeatedly to get people's attention. There is a moment of pandemonium before quiet and order is restored.
Comr. Kummer says she thinks Gurban's action is fine, it is what he should do to do his job.
Berry Graves points out that the question is not whether solving office space problems is appropriate but rather that the whole financial deal approved by the board for the purchase of the HQ building was built upon the idea that the entire lower level would be leased out to other organizations/companies so that the lease revenue would pay off the loan (mortgage) on the building. To then remove that lease income by moving the police into the building without board approval is the problem.
Comr. Olson says they will get the figures for the building from staff.
Berry Graves says this problem could have been avoided had staff communicated with the board.
Comr. Hauser defends the move of the police department, and says the idea of having the police in the new HQ building was talked about [informally] in the past [but was not formalized as the lease arrangement was].
Comr. Dziedzic gives his "second speech" as he puts it, about trust being a two way street [and another characteristic is also a two way street -- was it respect? not sure]. He criticizes some elected officials without naming names.
** Meeting adjourns at 9:48pm to the relief of many. **
My opinion:
You may ask yourself if Walt Dziedzic's behavior really constituted a threat under the law. Put it this way -- I was merely in the audience taking notes and I actually felt a certain degree of fear for my personal physical safety while leaving the building and walking to my car. During the hubbub a woman sitting near me said aloud "we should call 911."
Chris Johnson, Fulton
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