Legislation Item 5
Printed From: MiddletownUSA.com
Category: Middletown City Government
Forum Name: City Council
Forum Description: Discuss individual members and council as a legislative body.
URL: http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2806
Printed Date: Apr 28 2024 at 4:41pm
Topic: Legislation Item 5
Posted By: 409
Subject: Legislation Item 5
Date Posted: Mar 15 2010 at 12:07am
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From the Middletown City Council Agenda Tuesday 3/16/2010:
ORDINANCE NO. O2010-23 AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT OR CONTRACTS TO ACQUIRE AND DISPOSE OF CERTAIN REAL PROPERTY LOCATED AT 1607 CENTRAL AVENUE IN EXCHANGE FOR THE ACQUISITION OF 1316 VAIL DRIVE AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY. WHEREAS, the City Council desires to demolish the structure located at1316 Vail Drive in conjunction with another demolition project of properties located on Central Avenue adjacent to 1316 Vail Drive; and WHEREAS , the structure at 1316 Vail Drive presently houses MiddletownCustom Cabinet Co., and in order to demolish said structure, the City needs to relocate that business; and WHEREAS , the structure on certain real property located at 1607 CentralAvenue would be suitable for the relocation of Middletown Custom Cabinet Co., and is available for purchase; and WHEREAS , the City is willing to purchase the property located at 1607Central Avenue and exchange it for the property located at 1316 Vail Drive, and the owners of both properties have agreed to this exchange in principle Now...1607 Central was the former home of the Middletown Antique Mall.
I posted about their closing and the possible sale back on 4/21/09.
http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1231 - http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1231
My question is.........Whats Changed ?
Did Marty change his mind or develop amnesia ]
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Replies:
Posted By: swohio75
Date Posted: Mar 15 2010 at 12:19am
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Want to hear something even more disturbing?
This building was at auction several weeks ago. It sold for $50,000. According to Butler County Property Tax Records, the sale date was 2/19/2010. The city is paying $95,000. I don't think Marty is driving the bus on this one. My guess it's Mr. Robinette. |
Posted By: 409
Date Posted: Mar 15 2010 at 12:35am
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Yeah, I saw that on the BC website.
If the $95,000 includes moving costs, we're in the wrong business!!!
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Posted By: Mike_Presta
Date Posted: Mar 15 2010 at 1:03am
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Hey...whatsamattayou???
Don't ya know that the city can't let a little thing like an existing, on-going business stand in the way of its demolition plans?? And remember, this is part of the brand-spanking NEW plan for downtown: something about turning it into a quaint, olde tyme, 1900's village.
Now that's something that has never been tried before!!!
And let me think...didn't council just last year act on Marty's plan to authorize new "Olde Tyme" facades for all of the buildings down that way--all on the taxpayers' tab, of course???
So, what will the ACTUAL, TOTAL tab to the taxpayers for all of this be??? ------------- “Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012 |
Posted By: Mike_Presta
Date Posted: Mar 15 2010 at 1:05am
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Who was the buyer at auction? Who is the seller to the city? ------------- “Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012 |
Posted By: Mike_Presta
Date Posted: Mar 15 2010 at 3:08am
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I just read the workbook for the March 16 Council meeting. This whole EMERGENCY ordinance smells fishy!!!
The BOTTOM line of this whole deal???
One savvy flipper makes $45,000 profit on a $50,000 purchase at auction, after only a few weeks.
One existing business gets a FREE, much larger building in a better location.
The citizens of Middletown get one small abandon building, lose one new business to a neighboring community, and spend $95,000 PLUS the cost of demolishing the old building!!
This "emergency" seems to be a "rush this through before someone figures out who did what to whom" deal. JOSH and AJ: This is one that does NOT need to be an emergency...and MORE INFO is needed!!!
------------- “Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012 |
Posted By: randy
Date Posted: Mar 15 2010 at 9:13am
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You can read the entire agenda for the city council meeting here
http://www.middletownusa.com/view_news.asp?a=4923 - Middletown City Council Agenda For March 16, 2010 ------------- Call me for a www.CameraSecurityNow.com" rel="nofollow - www.CameraSecurityNow.com quote 513-422-1907 x357 |
Posted By: NRS
Date Posted: Mar 15 2010 at 9:35am
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Mr. Laubach & A. J. -
Will the City of Middletown siphon-off even more HUD NEIGHBORHOOD STABILIZATION PROGRAM funds for this downtown commercial acquisition/demolition deal?? We eagerly look forward to your probing questions at tomorrow's City Council meeting.
Mike -
Thanks once again for your probing questions regarding this interesting real estate deal.
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Posted By: Hermes
Date Posted: Mar 15 2010 at 11:24am
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Who brokered this deal ? Was a real estate agent/office involved ? ------------- No more democrats no more republicans,vote Constitution Party !! |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: May 07 2010 at 11:40pm
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Posted By: rngrmed
Date Posted: May 08 2010 at 12:50am
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I understand there are different parts of the budget...but the City has money to purchase these 2 buildings when we can't afford enough firefighters and police officers? For real? This is where our priorities lie? Shuffle money from our street funds to buying businesses to tear down?
From what I believe Diver bought the building Mike. Is or has his supply store going out of business? I think in one of the previous plans you discussed on here it shows his building (Diver's) as greenspace. Wonder if there are more dealings going on in this case...
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Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: May 08 2010 at 8:36am
| soleadd13- what the he-- does your post have to do with the subject matter? Get off and stop gumming up the works bud. |
Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: May 08 2010 at 8:42am
None of this "swapping of properties" and real estate transactions is true. We're simply "misguided and mis-interpreting" their intentions. Remember, our city leaders said years ago that they are not in the real estate/property ownership business. Billy Becker, on several occasions, has said it is a bad idea. Yeah, right!  Oh, what liars they are.
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Posted By: Hermes
Date Posted: May 08 2010 at 10:24am
Vet - I'm ashamed of you !! Calling city hall liars ! Now you know none of this is going on. It's hear-say and no one on council or in the hall knows anything about this deal.
It's those people on that MUSA board that stirs up trouble and starts rumors !! As soon as that "re-education camp" is constructed they'll all be sent there !! We must put a stop to dissent & the falsifiers of our great community and bring everyone in line with our idealogy of  ------------- No more democrats no more republicans,vote Constitution Party !! |
Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: May 08 2010 at 12:42pm
But.....but.....Hermes... I like to stir up trouble and start rumors.  What will we do on this site, if they take that away from us?  Oh, and as to their "re-education camp" and being sent there.....got to get past the guns first if they want the old Vetter. I was wrong when I called them liars. I apologize. Please allow me to rephrase my original statement. They are liars and  's !
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Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: May 09 2010 at 3:55am
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Vet |
Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: May 09 2010 at 7:37am
| No Vivian, haven't been downtown in at least 2 months. Pretty much locked into a routine of going to work and taking care of the wife every day. Boring, but necessary routine. What's going in John Ross? |
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: May 09 2010 at 6:24pm
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Vet It seems the City is restoring the old John Ross building for a new Art Center.
Question: Are they using the 2 million left in the downtown funds for this project? |
Posted By: swohio75
Date Posted: May 09 2010 at 9:55pm
How do you know it's the city doing the work? I mean they gained control of the Property, but that doesn't mean they are doing or paying for the work that's being done. |
Vivian Moon wrote:Posted By: Mike_Presta
Date Posted: May 10 2010 at 12:41am
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swohio:
The city is ALWAYS doing stuff like this!!!
They always cry about going broke. They never have money for infrastructure or public safety.
But they ALWAYS seem to find money to do this kind of stuff for their friends (and a little always seems to get "lost" along the way, doesn't it Russ???) ------------- “Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012 |
Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: May 10 2010 at 6:28am
You know, IMO there is a bit of irony in all of this. On one hand, we have the city leaders bringing in as much Section 8/low income as they possibly can to operate the city in lieu of creating revenue from jobs/company taxes. And, on the other hand, we have the same city leaders promoting cultural events such as an "Arts District/Center" in the downtown area with the intention of attracting "upscale-wine and cheese people"-aka people who appreciate "the finer things in life". Seems to me, given a stereotypical scenario, that the two philosophies clash a bit, don't they? Aren't they more or less polar opposite themes for the city? Don't know too many government assisted programs that have "culturally elite" people participating, do you????  I'm confused.....do they want the city to be like the "hills of eastern Kentucky and Appalachia or do they want the city to move in a more "upscale" direction? Quite a difference here.
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Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: May 10 2010 at 8:13am
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Posted By: Hermes
Date Posted: May 10 2010 at 9:43am
Vet - Excellent points Vet ! Maybe the artsy thing is nothing more than a facade to make everything look good ? Window dressing ?
I take offense Vet to your statement about "upscale wine & cheese people", Grandpa made the best wine I ever drank from a mason jar and I don't consider myself "upscale". 
(We never ate cheese with our wine, just a bologna sandwich ) ------------- No more democrats no more republicans,vote Constitution Party !! |
Posted By: swohio75
Date Posted: May 10 2010 at 9:49am
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VM and MP – Yes, the building is now in city possession per BC Auditor’s office with an effective date of April 13, 2010. There is no purchase price so one can assume they didn’t pay for it. Now I don’t recall any legislation at past City Council meetings authorizing the expenditure(s) of remodeling this property. Do you? I am sure MP reads each meeting’s packet very thoroughly. Such expense would require a piece of legislation authorizing work, no? Tax credits? Façade improvement grants? Same thing. No legislation at this point. So we can assume no local (i.e. Middletown) tax dollars have been used at this point. It’s my understanding that this is the desired site for the much-talked about Pendleton Arts Center. I do not know who is paying for the remodel and work. |
Posted By: spiderjohn
Date Posted: May 10 2010 at 10:38am
| swohio--it is my un-official understanding that the city is paying for this re-furbishing possibly out of an old mall or roof removal fund. This may or may not be true. Still--more public funds to benefit a ptivate business organization? So much for the city being broke. lol |
Posted By: Bill
Date Posted: May 10 2010 at 10:56am
| I'm not familiar with this Pendleton Arts Center. Can someone elaborate? Why is this needed when we have MAC? |
Posted By: Bobbie
Date Posted: May 10 2010 at 11:26am
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You do not have to have a sell price listed in the county site. Do not take for granted that they did not pay. If you noticed - foreclosed homes do not list a sell price. But if the city owns it - they have some dealing in the renovation. They are very good at moving money around. |
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: May 10 2010 at 11:50am
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swohio75
It is my understanding that the spending of the Downtown Fund does not need the approval of City Council. This is also the case with the $5,000 grants/gifts for the front facades of the building in the downtown and the business loans...none of these tranactions went before City Council. I believe these were approved by Mr. Kohlers office before so maybe now it's Mr. Adkins office.
Either way I reeeeally don't understand how Middletown will support a large art center with a "Family Dollar" population? No business man in his right mind would do this deal soooo the City must be footing the bill. |
Posted By: swohio75
Date Posted: May 10 2010 at 7:23pm
If it involves the awarding of contracts or the purchase of real estate, it sure does. |
Posted By: wasteful
Date Posted: May 11 2010 at 10:23am
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Is this the same city that just 3-4 weeks ago used the "Bankruptcy" word, if the Public Safety levy isn't passed in 2012. We need an Art center like a hole in the head at this time. Most likely we will get the this is all grant/stimulus funds etc., as usual.
If this is true the cities priorities are definitely misplaced.
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Posted By: Sports Mom
Date Posted: May 11 2010 at 3:00pm
| SW, If HUD funds are being used (ie facade grant, etc.) they would still receive bids and approve contracts but this would not have to be approved by Council. Council approved the activities in the plan submitted to HUD so the Community Revitilation dept. gets bids and awards contracts without council |
Posted By: Mike_Presta
Date Posted: May 11 2010 at 7:34pm
Not exactly true!!!
I'm a bit under the weather, so I'm not going to look up the exact statute, but I assure you that the City Manager has the authority to authorize many types of expenditures under a certain amount. (I can't recall if it is either $15K or $10K.)
It is rather simple to get around such limits, if one really wants to do so. For example:
It's not too difficult to end up with 20 or 30 times your DoA ("Delegation of Authority"--the term used in the private sector for the amount an individual is allowed to execute in one contract or purchase order on behalf of the company, usually substantially higher than in the public sector.)
Of course, I am NOT suggesting our very OPEN and HONEST city officials would ever utilize such measures here in Middletown. Then again, I don't recall there every having been a public vote by council on the improvements (either labor or material) to the parking lot across from the Bi-Centennial Commons.
Also, as others have pointed out, many items authorized by council are very general!!! The actual expenditures are then controlled completely by members of staff. For example, consider CDBG funds. Council might authorize $500,000 in CDBG money for "beautification" in a low-income area along S. Main. Members of staff could then OK applications for these funds from anyone in that area. They might even OK applications for $60K to $80K from owners of very large homes in the S. Main Historic District that just happen to fall within the same boundaries and are owned by, say, City Department Directors or bank vice-presidents. Of course I am not suggesting that this happened. I'm just saying that it could happen and it illustrates the way money could be spent without a specific, public vote by council. Then again, does anyone remember any votes of the SPECIFIC individual applications for CBDG money?
Perhaps Russ Corolus could provide information on some of this. ------------- “Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012 |
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: May 12 2010 at 6:07am
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Ahhh Mike
You always make my day a little brighter... Remember last year when Mr. Adkins came before council and declared all of |
Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: May 12 2010 at 8:11am
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§ 209.06 AUTHORITY OF THE CITY MANAGER; PURCHASES. (a) Signatures on contracts, etc. The City Manager or, in his or her absence or disability, the person designated by him or her to act as City Manager, is hereby named and designated as the proper officer of the City to sign contracts on behalf of the City, to affix the corporate name of the City to all bonds or other evidence of indebtedness of the City and to affix the Seal of the City to all papers requiring such Seal. Said documents shall be first approved as to form and correctness by the Law Director.(b) Authorization of City Manager. The City Manager may authorize the Assistant City Manager or any department director to sign contracts on behalf of the City when the monetary obligations to the City do not exceed five thousand dollars ($5,000.00), provided that funds for such contracts have been properly appropriated. Said Contracts shall be first approved as to 2008 S-2 34City Contracts § 209.06 form and correctness by the Law Director. The City Manager shall grant the within described authority to the Public Works Director in writing and for no longer than a one-year period.(c) Southwest Ohio Purchasers for Government Association.(1) The City Manager, through the City Purchasing Agent, is hereby authorized to join the Southwest Ohio Purchasers for Government Association, the charter and bylaws of which Association are attached to original Ord. O87-21, passed February 3, 1987. (2) The City Manager, through the City Purchasing Agent, is hereby authorized to make purchases, for the City, of commodities or items costing less than twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000.00), through such Association, provided that funds for such purchases have been properly appropriated. (3) The City Manager, through the City Purchasing Agent, is hereby authorized to make purchases, for the City, of commodities or items costing twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000.00) or more, through such Association, provided that: A. The competitive bidding procedures of the Association have been used in such purchases; B. Funds for such purchases have been properly appropriated; and C. The City Council approves the final purchase price of each such purchase on its consent agenda or by separate motion. (d) State programs.(1) The City Manager, through the City Purchasing Agent, is hereby authorized to make purchases, for the City, of goods or commodities costing less than twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000.00) through program of the Ohio Department of Administration Services (ODAS) and the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), provided that funds for such purchases have been properly appropriated. (2) The City Manager, through the City Purchasing Agent, is hereby authorized to make purchases, for the City, of goods or commodities costing twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000.00) or more through the ODAS or ODOT program provided that: A. The procedure set forth in Ohio Revised Code have been followed regarding such program; B. Funds for such purchase have been properly appropriated; and C. City Council approved the final purchase price of each such purchase on its consent agenda or by separate motion. (e) Purchase of real property.(1) The City Manager is hereby authorized to bid on and purchase, at County Sheriff’s foreclosure sales, real property, the rehabilitation of which property was performed with Community Development Block Grant Loan Funds (Rehabilitation Revolving Loan Fund). The City Manager may bid up to the amount of the remaining balance owed to the City on such rehabilitation loans, the amount of senior liens on such property and court and sale costs. (2) The Director of Finance is hereby authorized to expend moneys for such purposes from the Rehabilitation Revolving Loan Fund, as authorized by the current appropriation legislation. (Ord. O97-129, passed 11-18-1997; Am. Ord. O2003-28, passed 4-1-2003; Am. Ord. O2006-35, passed 5-16-2006) |
Posted By: Hermes
Date Posted: May 12 2010 at 9:53am
With this declaration of being a "slum" why in the world do we need or want an art center ? With the decisions and ideas coming from "the hall" I can't help but wonder who are the crack heads, alcoholics, meth addicts and paint huffers. Could be one or two heroin addicts down there too as far as I know. Or would an addict even make decisions like what we see coming out of "the hall" ?  ------------- No more democrats no more republicans,vote Constitution Party !! |
Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: May 12 2010 at 11:14am
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I'm confused myself Hermes. Seems we have a conflict in place here. The city doggies are doing a fine job bringing in the "Ghetto Theme" with their pet project of keeping fed assisted people in their buddy's Section 8 houses. And.....at the same time, these same people, who are wanting to create the country's largest ghetto, are promoting the very best "pinky in the air/snooty people only/caviar eatin' champaign drinkin'" fine arts district for our welfare town. Kind of a conflict of styles for the town theme, wouldn't you say? Do any of the 's running this town REALLY know what they want or what direction they want this town to go? OR.....OR....are they trying to come up with a new dynamic program where they try to incorporate a little "artsy culture" into the Section 8/low income community here? If so, it reminds me of the Three Stooges episode where the rich folks take in the stooges and try to make them gentlemen. Great laughs....kinda like the city management.
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Posted By: spiderjohn
Date Posted: May 12 2010 at 12:21pm
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you might also check the current relationship between the city and the MCF/Mr.Gordon.
When I was a member, we voted on allowing Mr.Gordon to approve and pay grants from $5,000 and under, without board/committee approval. I don't care for this type of thing for the exact reasons and examples mentioned by Mike P above. But not wanting to make waves and go against the flow(it happens occasionally), I voted with the majority since my vote wouldn't have altered the decision, and at that time I had no other reasons to doubt Mr.Gordon's intentions.
At that time, the City manager was developing a close relationship with Mr.Gordon and Mr.Scorti, asking for both sizeable and smaller grant requests for municipal pet projects. This also led to confidentiality concerns because the city did not want their grant requests and project intentions made public. I posted(on this site) the specifics of a municipal request for the MCF to fund the salary of a "downtown czar" at $80,000+ to work on downtown projects while being headquartered at the city building. It was also stated at that time that this "czar" would be under city control while not on the city payroll, and this was necessary because ED's Mr.Robinette would ONLY be working on east end renaissance projects.
So--you might want to examine the role of the MCF in any financing, though it is private and not under taxpayer scrutiny. Still--if you contribute to the MCF, you MIGHT want to know exactly how your $$ is being used.
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Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: May 12 2010 at 2:24pm
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Last weeks City Council Meeting |
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: May 12 2010 at 2:30pm
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Spider
At the last council meeting Judy stated the they had received a $15,000 MCF grant for the Middletown Cemetery....HOWEVER....she didn't say anything about the $20,000 MCF grant for the Community Center.
I was told that the City didn't have time to write the grant for the cemetery...so the next question is...who wrote the grant for the Community Center? |
Posted By: Hermes
Date Posted: May 12 2010 at 5:04pm
I love Middeltown !!
It just keeps getting better !!!  
Next thing you know the city will want a "street car" like Cincinnati.  ------------- No more democrats no more republicans,vote Constitution Party !! |
Posted By: DuaneGordon
Date Posted: May 12 2010 at 5:39pm
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I've never posted on this message board before, but I felt some errors in what Spiderjohn stated and insinuations in his posting could not be ignored. Primarily, it should be clarified that the Foundation has never given me any authority to singlehandedly approve any grants.
The Foundation has for at least the past decade, possibly much longer, delegated to a subcommittee consisting of the executive director, the board president, and the board vice president the authority to approve grants of $2,000 or less without taking the matter to the full board. The reason behind that authority had been to allow the Foundation the flexibility to respond to emergency needs in the community as they arise instead of requiring everyone wait two to four months before a decision is rendered on a grant application for a small, immediate need.
The board almost two years ago increased this limit to $5,000 and shifted responsibility for all grant requests of $5,000 or less to this subcommittee instead of the Distribution Committee, but that was due to the fact that the Distribution Committee and Board of Trustees were being inundated with requests for $1,000 or $2,000 or $3,000 that were taking hours to discuss and resolve, and they wanted to instead focus on the larger grant requests ($10,000 or $25,000 or $50,000 applications) and ensure time was available to adequately vet and evaluate these larger requests that have a much greater impact on the community.
In making this adjustment to procedure, the board actually greatly increased the degree of oversight over what had been in place. Under the previous executive director, there was no limit on the amount that the subcommittee could award in a year, and there was no requirement that the board even be notified of grants paid using this method. So, theoretically, the subcommittee could approve 500 grants of $2,000 each, spending $1 million without ever letting the board know about a penny of it. The new procedures capped the annual amount that may be spent using this method and required that all grants paid through this process be reported to the full board every quarter for retroactive approval.
Finally, all grants approved via this method are recorded in the Annual Report that the Foundation publishes every year (available online at http://www.mcfoundation.org/MCF_Annual_report.pdf - http://www.mcfoundation.org/MCF_Annual_report.pdf ) and are also disclosed every quarter in our press release of grants paid. The most recent quarter's list is available online at http://www.mcfoundation.org/pr-grant0510.htm - http://www.mcfoundation.org/pr-grant0510.htm and was also published Sunday in the Middletown Journal. We do not, however, single out which grants went through this process and which were decided by the full Distribution Committee and Board (which sometimes will take a request for greater than $5,000 and approve awarding less than $5,000), so not necessarily all grants of less than $5,000 were decided in this manner.
We have approved close to 40 grants using this method over the past six quarters that it has been available, and only four of those were for municipal requests: two of Abby Ison's summer programs for children, one project at the community center, and one park project.
Finally, I'd submit that I don't really have a special relationship with any city official any more so than I have with a few hundred other individuals in the city. In fact, I think I've spoken with Vivian Moon more in the past few months than I have the city manager. Also, the Foundation is not involved in any of these property swaps or financing deals and such on which this topic focuses.
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Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: May 12 2010 at 5:51pm
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As I have said many times before...without the support of the Middletown Community Foundation the Middletown Cemetery would still be a weed field. Mr. Gordon has given me two grants within the past 6 months, one was an educational grant and the other was for the cemetery. |
Posted By: DuaneGordon
Date Posted: May 13 2010 at 3:17pm
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Spiderjohn, noticed that your response had been deleted where you said that the clarification I gave was correct and you wondered about the amounts of grants given to the city under my tenure at the Foundation and those of my predecessors. But I took a few minutes to research the answer for you, so I thought I’d post it anyway. When looking at the numbers, granting for the city has actually remained pretty constant since inception. Since I came here, I’ve overseen 10 quarterly grant cycles that have resulted in $1.3 million of distributions approved from the Foundation’s unrestricted grantmaking pool. Of these, 20 grants totaling $150,000 were paid to the city, roughly 11 percent. The largest of these were $25,000 to purchase materials for low income homeowner repairs, $24,500 for police training, $21,450 to replace the control system of the carillon bells, and $20,852 for a handicapped-accessible playground next to the Dream Field in Goldman Park. Kay Wright oversaw about 30 quarterly grant cycles during her time at the Foundation, resulting in $3.5 million in grants awarded over that time. Of these, 32 were to the city totaling $375,000, again roughly 11 percent. The largest of these included $50,000 for the Douglass Park splash pad and $200,000 for the bike path along the river (which we’re still paying off). During Norm Hayes’ time at the Foundation, it looks like he oversaw about $1.7 million of unrestricted grants, of which about $200,000, again about 11 percent, went to the city. This included buying the showmobile used at concerts, trees for Smith Park, the plaza fountain, welcome signs, and flags. These numbers don’t include programs of ours that would not be able to make grants to the city (such as scholarships or endowments we hold for specific nonprofit organizations) but do include all of our unrestricted grantmaking for which we accept grant applications. |
Posted By: spiderjohn
Date Posted: May 13 2010 at 3:43pm
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Correct Mr.Gordon.
I deleted that posting.
Thank you for your time and explanations.
You have made many excellent choices since your arrival, and I should concentrate on the positives.
The MCF change in leadership would seem to break the connection that was evolving during my brief tenure with the organization.
Still--I read no mention of the Paducah trip, or the 2nd ward project headed by Mr.Scorti(conflict?) that was holding funds during my tenure with MCF, or any similar "projects". We could have differing definitions of city-funded or city-related granting, however you have been most gracious in explaining your situation.
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Posted By: Bill
Date Posted: May 13 2010 at 3:51pm
| thanks Mr. Gordon, that's helpful |
Posted By: DuaneGordon
Date Posted: May 13 2010 at 11:55pm
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Glad to share the information, Spiderjohn and Bill. We try to be as open as possible with our work in the community and if anyone wants to know anything about us, I enourage them to call and ask -- or just drop by and chat with me.
No, I didn't include the Paducah trip in these numbers, but that was not a "city" project. That was an idea from the end of Kay Wright's tenure. I inherited and oversaw implementation of it when she left. The Foundation's only expense, though, was a few hundred dollars to rent the bus to take the group down there. About 60 or 70 community leaders were invited including pretty much all major property owners downtown, all MCF trustees, the leaders of several arts organizations in town (since Paducah's redevelopment focused on the arts), representatives from area banks, Realtors, representatives from other area foundations, all city council members, the city manager, representatives from South Main Street's historic district since it borders downtown, representatives from the Chamber, the media, historical society, and several others. If I recall correctly, about 25 were available to go. They each paid their own way (hotel, meals, etc.), and we covered the bus rental. While it hasn't resulted in any real business developments -- yet -- the trip did spur an ad hoc downtown committee of the Foundation that continued to meet for about a year, and it was the discussions from these meetings that helped convince the city to commission a comprehensive downtown redevelopment land use plan, which was done with city funds, not foundation money. Another direct result of the trip was inclusion of downtown in the United Way's Place Matters project of neighborhood redevelopment, and that has a few promising small-scale projects that are now in the works as a result. It also helped get discussions started with the Penndleton Arts Center that is supposed to be coming to Middletown, but I've not been directly involved in that, so I really don't know any specific details on it other than what's been reported publicly about it .
On the "Second Ward project headed by Scorti," I think you may be confusing two different things. The United Way's Place Matters program is focusing mostly on the Second Ward, and we supported it via a grant to Miami University last year, but Scorti was not involved in that and it has never been "holding money" from us.. However, a project at the time that was headed by Scorti was Middletown Promise, which is city-wide, not Second Ward. That project, for which he is board president, is hoping to secure private donors to fund a scholarship program that would cover tuition for all graduates of Middletown High School. It was modeled after a similar program in Michigan and the goal was to use the leverage of a free college education to attract middle class families to the city, but it had no involvement of the city administration at that time, so it wasn't a "city project" and consequently wasn't included in the above numbers. This was also one of Kay Wright's projects that I inherited. At her final Board meeting in 2007, the Board committed to support this project. At my first Board meeting in 2008, that grant was finalized and formally approved to fund half of the program's first-year operations, which were to focus on conducting a feasibility study to determine whether it was possible to raise the money to do the full project. Shortly thereafter, the program hired Kay Wright as its part-time executive director, but her tenure there ended in less than a year and the program went on hiatus. It recently regrouped and began working again on the feasibility study.
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Posted By: spiderjohn
Date Posted: May 14 2010 at 7:05am
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Thank you again for the clarifications, Mr.Gordon.
The MCF makes a large # of grant choices.
As with anything else, some don't function as hoped.
Your spin above was very good.
We all must use lemons to make lemonade.
You reference many of Ms.Wright's projects as baggage left on your doorstep.
I thought her leadership to be very good.
Some might view the Paducah trip as non-producing(after the fact, of course), and similar results with the south end project still in development as you mention.
Still--you do your best to make the right call, and hope for the best as to results.
Your record is pretty good so far.
jmo
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Posted By: Dead man walkin'
Date Posted: May 14 2010 at 7:15am
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Spirit says that Middletonians will be getting hoodwinked once again Tuesday night. ------------- "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil" (Psalm 23) |
Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: May 14 2010 at 7:44am
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Vivian- the Swallens Building- didn't Perry Thatcher say he had an interested party that wanted to pursue the Swallens Building? Then, after his statement, it faded into the sunset as to interest, right?
Bike Path property- can the city tell a property owner that he can't build on his property if it is properly zoned? The city can't use the old "emminent domain" crap and seize his property for the bike path, can they? Does the city just make up property rules on the fly as the need arises? What's the deal with this? South Park- Common sense, perhaps?.......evaluate the need before spending the money. How many people use South Park? Do the people who use South Park use the amenities that are there now? If the numbers merit the cost, then spend the money. If not, there are plenty of potholes to patch. Divert the money to the streets. This money might patch a hole or two. Lord knows, they are good at "diverting" money, right Mr. Carolus? Renaming Sunset?- Don't we have a park out by the water tower off Manchester that needs a name? How about that becoming Armbruster Park? It's in an area of town where he lived and didn't he have a hand in getting that developed? Don't remember. JMO |
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: May 14 2010 at 10:49am
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VietVet
Swallen's Building - Walter Leap said he had four quilified buyers over the years for the Swallen's Building and the City turned down all the deals...now we the citizens get to foot the bill for the million dollar demo bond. I have also been told that the bank building has now been offered to the Middletown Historical Society. Was this building ever put up for sell by Mr. Thatcher? Bike Path - Vet I believe if the City buys all his frontage to the property his property will then be landlocked and therefore he will not be able to build on it. The value of his property will go down and the only people that he can sell the rest of his property to are his neighbors on each side. He stated before council that he didn't want to sell his property beacause he wanted to build on it later....Keep your eye on this deal. |
Posted By: Bill
Date Posted: May 14 2010 at 1:18pm
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It wouldn't surprise me if all Thatcher's buildings. including the Manchester Inn, are handed to the city for $1.
More demolition!
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Posted By: wasteful
Date Posted: May 14 2010 at 4:01pm
| Knock'em Down. |
Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: May 14 2010 at 4:59pm
 Detroit Shrinks Itself, Historic Homes and AllDETROIT—Wrecking crews are preparing to tear down a landmark 5,000-square-foot house in the posh neighborhood of Palmer Woods in the coming weeks, a sign that Detroit is finally getting serious about razing thousands of vacant and abandoned structures across the city. In leveling 1860 Balmoral Drive, the boyhood home of one-time presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Detroit is losing a small piece of its history. But the project is part of a demolition effort that is just now gaining momentum and could help define the city's future. Detroit is finally chipping away at a glut of abandoned homes that has been piling up for decades, and intends to take advantage of warm weather and new federal funding to demolish some 3,000 buildings by the end of September. Mitt Romney's boyhood home is among 3,000 derelict structures Detroit plans to demolish by the end of September as it attacks blight and crime. Mayor Dave Bing has pledged to knock down 10,000 structures in his first term as part of a nascent plan to "right-size" Detroit, or reconfigure the city to reflect its shrinking population. When it's all over, said Karla Henderson, director of the Detroit Building Department, "There's going to be a lot of empty space." Mr. Bing hasn't yet fully articulated his ultimate vision for what comes after demolition, but he has said entire areas will have to be rebuilt from the ground up. For now, his plan calls for the tracts to be converted to other uses, such as parks or farms. Even when the demolitions are complete, Detroit will still have a huge problem on its hands. The city has roughly 90,000 abandoned or vacant homes and residential lots, according to Data Driven Detroit, a nonprofit that tracks demographic data for the city. After a stuttering start, caused by a dispute over the disposal of asbestos from demolished homes, the program is just now gaining pace. City officials say they aren't sure how many structures ultimately need to be torn down. The mortgage crisis compounded Detroit's economic decline, leaving nearly 30% of the city's housing stock vacant, according to Data Driven Detroit. "Neighborhoods that are considered stable are now at 20% vacancy," said Deborah Younger, a development consultant involved in the demolition effort. Until recently, the city didn't have the funds to tackle its growing list of houses slated for demolition. But $20 million in federal funds, primarily stimulus dollars has helped to kick-start the effort. Demolition, particularly of historic buildings, is a sensitive issue in Detroit, often leading to wrenching battles between developers, residents, city officials and preservationists. But many residents are now pleading with the city to tear down decaying structures that are attracting crime and repelling home buyers. However, some still worry that the sort of large-scale bulldozing that the city is now talking about will forcibly dislocate longtime homeowners and preclude any chance of a comeback for Detroit. "The city has never done this before," says Ms. Henderson, the Building Department chief. "We had to make a culture change." The demolition of the Romney family home is the first of its kind in Palmer Woods, a high-end enclave in northwest Detroit that was developed at the dawn of the U.S. auto industry and housed many of its pioneers. Palmer Woods has just a handful of vacant properties among its 292 homes, according to residents. It's one of the anchor neighborhoods that is critical to the success of Mayor Bing's right-sizing effort. |
Posted By: spiderjohn
Date Posted: May 14 2010 at 8:06pm
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OK Mr.Gordon, I have said little to support my thinking, while you have done fairly well laying out your activities and justifying them.
Now--let's get to the cold honesly of these efforts and the situation:
The MCF and the Chamber continually trumpet the value,efforts and future of the area formerly known as "downtown", while we both know that the MCF and the Chamber would both like to leave that area for greener pastures. The MCF has a sweet deal to stay in the Manchester for now, while the Chamber can't get anyone to take their building.
Despite constructions,de-constructions, road changes, new facades, new businsesses(most quickly gone after a short but painful financial experience) and a LOT of granted monies, our area formerly known as "downtown" looks worse than ever, and is more disfunctional than ever. We have spent tens of millions of $$$ to look as badly as we look now, with the meaningful activity level being more depressed than the appearance.
The current effort to remove Family Services, the Hope House and the govt.assistance agencies might be somewhat misguided, because that area has become the closest and most convenient area for these services to be provided. Plus, these facilities are the ONLY locations attracting any activity, also currently located. It MIGHT WELL be the higher end locations that are out of place, and that area might be best utilized by these social services made necessary by our city-created glut of Section 8 housing, companioned with a serious lack of meaningful employment(AND a work force incapable of fulfilling meaningful employment).
we simply can't continue to blindly throw money at these deep issues, hoping that SOMETHING will miraculously work.
Still--the MCF and you hardly caused any of this, and MCF is a top shelf community volunteer organization serving the needy.
jmo
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Posted By: Bill
Date Posted: May 14 2010 at 9:08pm
| amen |
Posted By: Mike_Presta
Date Posted: May 15 2010 at 5:38am
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Now Spider, I fear that you are not giving credit where credit is due. Can’t you see that “things are booming” in the new, improved Olde Downe-Towne Middletowne??? We will soon have a new, trendy wine bodega (The new UDF)! We will soon have a new, hip bistro with an “alfresco” dining option (The new UDF)! We will soon have a new Malte Shoppe & Confectionery (The new UDF)! We will soon have a new, custom tobacconist and Cigar Shoppe (The new UDF)! We will soon have a new, “green” energy transfer depot with TEN (count ’em, TEN) petrol bowsers (The new UDF)! With all of this will come many new high-tech, high-paying, white-collar positions of employment, an up-surge in payroll tax revenue, a high-end housing boom, and all of the other fruits that our “Rule-by-personal-preference” form of municipal governance brings. ------------- “Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012 |
Posted By: spiderjohn
Date Posted: May 15 2010 at 7:41am
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Very true, Mike.
At least the city building employees will hace somewhere close for their all-day snacking.
When you are down there during lunch time, do you ever notice that they take their hour +, then bring their lunches back to eat at their desks?
Definitely time to use time cards and time clocks in the building.
No harm in a little record-keeping and timeliness!
Imagine all of those extra runs to UDF!
But---what happens when the city building moves out to the east end?
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Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: May 15 2010 at 11:28am
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Mike- Spider......NAYSAYERS. Trust your city leaders to make the correct choices downtown. Oh sure, there has been a great deal of money spent and nothing accomplished but they have "big things in the works" for that area. Please be patient! And....sure, there may be some "extra time" taken ON OCCASION by our hardworking city employees, but that's just the "culture" within the city building, you see, and these things are not to be scrutinized in detail. City management is probably planning on taking care of this problem as we speak.
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