Blue Ribbon Committee Sets Future Meetings
Grove's Blue Ribbon Committee will meet again March 1 at 3 p.m., and on March 14, to discuss more details of the aquatic park and new community events center, with at least one meeting including an Executive Session on sale of the currrent civic center.
Four members of the committee of seven were present at the committee's Thursday evening session, with seven citizens showing up in the audience.
No discussion was held on the aquatic park, as the committee said it needs to make revisions with Counsilman-Hunsaker, the consultant firm hired to make recommendations.
The March 14 meeting will include final details and a breakdown on costs and recommendations for financing the water park.
The committee also discussed the proposed new events center including possible financing scenarios, and viewed details of Duncan, Ok.'s events center. The goal is to build a new events center without taxpayer money, using money from the sale of the existing Center and new sales taxes generated by at least three major new retail outlets to be built in Grove. The new events center would be designed especially with Grove residents in mind, the committee said.
Voter approval will be required for selling the current Civic Center, and financing a new aquatic park, after all the details are worked out and presented to the public. A special election could be called for either May or June.
The city of Bartlesville has scheduled a special election May 8 on a .75 increase in the current 8% sales tax, to finance a new water park, soccer and baseball fields and improvements to parks. That would generate about $28 million, Bartlesville officials said. Voters there will also decide on a $29.95 million bond issue to finance new school classrooms and technology updates.
Four members of the committee of seven were present at the committee's Thursday evening session, with seven citizens showing up in the audience.
No discussion was held on the aquatic park, as the committee said it needs to make revisions with Counsilman-Hunsaker, the consultant firm hired to make recommendations.
The March 14 meeting will include final details and a breakdown on costs and recommendations for financing the water park.
The committee also discussed the proposed new events center including possible financing scenarios, and viewed details of Duncan, Ok.'s events center. The goal is to build a new events center without taxpayer money, using money from the sale of the existing Center and new sales taxes generated by at least three major new retail outlets to be built in Grove. The new events center would be designed especially with Grove residents in mind, the committee said.
Voter approval will be required for selling the current Civic Center, and financing a new aquatic park, after all the details are worked out and presented to the public. A special election could be called for either May or June.
The city of Bartlesville has scheduled a special election May 8 on a .75 increase in the current 8% sales tax, to finance a new water park, soccer and baseball fields and improvements to parks. That would generate about $28 million, Bartlesville officials said. Voters there will also decide on a $29.95 million bond issue to finance new school classrooms and technology updates.
posted by Editor | 4:37 AM
8 Comments:
Glory, Glory, Glory, now we will find out how much our taxes will go up. I hope the Mayor and City will wait until after the election so that I can expresss my view of their management of this city.
I attended the meeting. It was certainly cordial. A sale of the Civic Center would likely induce a grocery store and chain restaurant to come to Grove. I would like to have the new businesses come to Grove. A Civic Center is also valuable to the city.
During the meeting a scenario was presented whereby a new Civic Center could be built with no bond or other tax increase. The essence of this scenario was that a new Civic Center could be built for $5 million. That would give a facility about the same size as we now have if the cost was about $100 per square foot. The scenario postulated a net gain of $2 million from the sale of the current
Civic Center. This would mean a $3 million loan would be required.
To pay this off over 20 years at a little over 6% interest would require a $300,000 annual increase in sales tax revenues. To achieve this return, an increase in retail sales of $9 million per year is required. That means each of the 2500 families in Grove would have to spend $3600 more per year in the city. Or 2500 more people would have to come to Grove each year and spend $3600 each.
Will that happen? Probably not in the near term. While it is early in the process, I think the math not change. It appears unlikely a new Civic Center could be built without new taxes. I wish it were different.
The citizens will ultimately have to make a value judgment about what they want.
I too was at the meeting. I take pretty good notes. The figure was $4 million for a 40,000 square foot facility (but we do not need another big box, 25-30,000 square feet will do quite nicely; and $1 million for land. What I heard was that the new events center would pay for itself, using $300,000 from sales taxes generated by new businesses on the site, $250,000 savings in debt on the currrent CC, netting $550,000 in income per year. Add in the $2.5 million on sale of the current CC, but Jack Forrest says he can get $3.5. On a 20-year payout, it will work, says the city manager, including $150,000 on operations and management of the new center. Or, would you rather spend $300-400,000 on a new roof plus new AC units for the existing center, to house 5 large events a year? Savings on both the new swimming pool and events center could be obtained by building them adjacent to each other. Lots more work needs to be done but the positive minded among us are working hard at it...it is too early to focus on the negatives and shoot it down.
The Editor
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Dear Editor
Can anyone tell me why a blue ribbon COMMITTEE needs to meet in executive session concerning the sale of a building that they have absolutely no control over? Are deals being made behide closed doors?
What is the position of the GIDA, and the City Council who holds title to the property?
Is the blue ribbon committee again going to invite bidders into a secret meeting in violation of Open Meeting laws?
What happened to the blue ribbon committee that was appointed about two years ago to study the sale of the civic center?
This whole aquatic center issue smells like a dead fish to me.
Mr Editor,
Asking the question of whether the sale of the existing Civic Center, added revenue from new businesses, and construction of a new Center is revenue neutral should not be construed to be negative or opposed to the idea. I would like to see this plan all come together.
If revenue neutrality is necessary, then it must be substantiated that the plan really achieves that goal. Nobody knows the answer today-all we have are some assumptions. Those assumptions may be good or not good. This may be the most important thing that the committee should address.
Asking and answering hard questions before we initiate action is the right thing to do.
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If there is not going to be a tax increase then why is a special election needed?
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