Commissioner Kummer, At your suggestion I decided to follow your point and poke around the Park's site looking for the P&L on this project. Given your description, I assumed this would be easy. As it turns out, I beg to differ. The information may be there on the Park site, but I did not find it after "a few minutes researching the issue." You must mean a research elsewhere. If not, please include the link in future emails if you are going to make the claim. If a full P&L is not on the site for public viewing, then I suggest you are fundamentally in the wrong. That in fact this is exactly what Mr. Stone is asking of you. Not just Mr. Stone. I think everyone in Minneapolis is demanding more public accountability and transparency from our institutions, and the Park Board is just not there.
For example check out the links below. http://www.minneapolisparks.org/default.asp?PageID=758 http://www.minneapolisparks.org/default.asp?PageID=4&parkid=176#303 These are links to Park projects. Where are the numbers? How much was invested? Are revenues expected to be recouped? If not, who is the intended audience? So on and so forth. This is the electronic age, and to steal a phrase, "The revolution will not be televised." The Parks need to share information on the net. My money is paying for these projects and I have a Right to know how it is being spent. Today, we have the technology to make it accessible. It is not, and this is a problem. I can't speak to the veracity of Commissioner Kummer's comments, but I can say the simple research was not enough, and the Park Board is not transparent enough. Jeremy Wieland Circulation Director Utne magazine Northeast -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of CAROL KUMMER Sent: Thursday, April 28, 2005 1:22 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [Mpls] (no subject) I was very disappointed to read the inaccuracies and misinformation contained in the recent attack on the Tin Fish posted by my opponent Jason Stone. If Mr. Stone had spent a few minutes researching the issue, he would have learned that all of the Tin Fish contract information is readily available as public information. Here are the facts: The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board did not make "significant improvements" to the Calhoun concession. The lease provides for the building "as is" to the Tin Fish. About $2,000 was spent on a sink and some wallboard that were out of compliance with the City's health code. All of the other improvements - equipment and furnishings - were done at the expense of the Tin Fish owners. The Park Board and the owners of the Tin Fish received quite a few compliments on the new furnishings, flowers and especially the food. The MPRB has no lease commitment to make improvements to and no plans to spend any funds on the Calhoun concession. As a governmental entity, the MPRB does not pay property taxes - I thought that was common knowledge. It is also specifically outlined in the lease agreement. The MPRB owns the building and maintains the exterior of the building (it did get a coat of badly-needed paint). The Calhoun building houses public restrooms which the Park Board continues to clean and maintain. The Tin Fish is responsible for all cleaning related to the concession area and pay for their own trash service. The Tin Fish pays 10% of gross sales less sales tax on the first $150,000, the percentage increases to 12% from $150,000 to $250,000, 15% from $250,000 to $450,000 and 17% after $450,000. The canoe rentals are also managed by the Tin Fish and pay the Park Board 78% of gross sales less sales tax. Six years of audited history at Lake Calhoun show losses ranging from $10,000 to $50,000...makes a $58,000 profit in 2004 look pretty good to most people. The initial term of the contract is through December 31, 2008. An additional term of three years is provided if the Tin Fish invests $100,000 in the facility by December 21, 2008. A three-year renewal option is provided if the Tin Fish invests 10% of the gross sales less sales tax for the period 2004 to 2008. Based on 2004 sales, this would be roughly $200,000. An additional three years is provided if the Tin Fish invests 10% of gross sales less sales tax for the period 2009 to 2001 - it's likely that more than $300,000 will be invested in the facility over the life of this contract. The menu and pricing, all signage, all improvements, the season and hours - all must be approved by the Board. Daily closing requires approval or a $500.00 fee is assessed, utilities are paid by Tin Fish, insurance and Park Board indemnification are required. The Tin Fish is an owner/operator team of husband and wife who work long hours. Additional staff are hired from the same employee pool that the MPRB used - mostly neighborhood kids. No union jobs are jeopardized. Mr. Stone asks what happens if the Tin Fish backs out of the contract before the Park Board has realized a "return". That "return" on the $2,000 spent on a sink and wallboard (which was required even if the Park Board operated the concession) was realized after about a week of the Tin Fish's opening. I will address the Board's concession history later - this is too long already. All the best, Carol Kummer Commissioner and candidate, Park District 5 Nokomis East REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[email protected] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[email protected] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
