Wanna improve the River Greenway? Bulldoze John Morrell’s.
I had an interesting conversation with a reporter yesterday about the River Greenway project, we compared notes and came to the same conclusion; the city doesn’t have a clue what they are doing yet. As you know, the city just recently took out bonds for several projects, one was for the River Greenway. The night the council voted on the appropriations they asked City Planning director Mike Cooper what the money will be spent on (over $5 million) he could only account for a pedestrian bridge and the demolition of an old RR bridge. When asked what the rest would be spent on he said, upgrades like park benches. $3 million dollars for park benches? Wow! In other words, Mr. Cooper doesn’t have a plan, or at least it hasn’t been handed to him yet . . .
This is where the story gets interesting, remember a few years back when the Chief Misleader, King Dave Munson had a closed door meeting with Cherapa Place developer Jeff Shisterschnitzel(sp)? Well, supposedly during that meeting a contract was drawn up, some things in that contract are well known;
–Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Jeff received over $50,000 from the city for an option to buy land next to Cherapa for a new Event Center
–Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Jeff received a $400,000 interest free loan from the city for help with developing Cherapa
–Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Tipping fees were waived at the city dump for waste from the ZIP feed demolition
Boom! The sound of taxpayer’s heads make when they find out how much money the city is giving away to a private developer in the disguise of quality of life project.
But there is also some things in the contract that we don’t know about but have some suspicions;
–Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Did Jeff request the $750,000 pedestrian suspension bridge to be built over the river? Suspiciously being built right next to Cherapa?
–Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Is Jeff calling the shots on the other improvements of the Greenway and that is why Director Cooper could not answer the simple question?
Of course the last two are speculation, but wouldn’t it be great to see that contract and what was promised to a private developer? Gawd only knows.