Has Piedmont been Reimbursed for Blair Park Costs?
Residents Request Response from City Council –
At the February 19 City Council meeting during the Public Forum, two Piedmonters inquired about the status of reimbursement of associated City costs by the private group that proposed constructing sports fields in Blair Park. The private group, Piedmont Recreational Facilities Organization, (PRFO) promised that their proposed sports facility would involve no cost to City taxpayers.
Piedmont resident Ralph Catalano asked for an accounting of the “at least $400,000” PRFO owes the City under their reimbursement contract with the City. (The 2011 PRFO agreement with the City was executed on August 12th and disclosed by the City to residents several weeks later, in late September, at the urging of one of Piedmont’s Council Members.)
Catalano requested a public hearing by the Council on the future allocation of public funds. “Is it time for us to have a general conversation about where we’re going? About the course of public expenditures?”
Another resident, Aaron Salloway, repeated his previous quarterly requests for an accounting of the cost to the City of the Blair Park sports facility proposal by PRFO. He said it is time for a final report. He requested that this accounting include the amount of staff time devoted to the project, as well as any reimbursement amounts received from the PRFO.
Links:
- PRFO Reimbursement and Indemnification Agreement
- City’s “Surprise” Agreement with PRFO
- Another Private Deal Between City and Blair Park Proponents
A final report is a good idea and should eventually be produced; however, it is not yet time for that. First, the accounting of what the PRFO owes (and promised to pay) to the City of Piedmont (“Accept the Gift!” !!!) needs to be done. That accounting can not be considered complete until the story poles that are still in Blair Park are removed (because the actual costs of removal will not be known until that has been done), or until a legal agreement has been made between the City and PRFO that PRFO will directly pay the contractor who does the work. Such an agreement would have to include completion dates and penalties for failure to meet those dates.
The City Council rescinded its approval of the project ten months ago. Why haven’t the story poles been removed? The cost of their removal should have nothing to do with the City’s budget; it is PRFO’s responsibility. So, what’s the holdup?