The second Hall property park lawsuit is finally over [In the middle of September 2009!]. The City prevailed in this lawsuit (the city lost the first lawsuit).
Good News:
The city can now use their empty property, which it bought years ago and has been paying gobs of bond interest on.
Bad News:
The construction of the park is not fully funded.
About a month ago I had an email exchange with the Encinitas Soccer League. They seemed to be unaware of the evidence that the city was responsible for some of the substantial delays in the park construction process. They had been blaming all the delays on Citizens for Quality of Life. I was also asking about park funding issues. The Encinitas Soccer League (ESL) wrote this about funding for the park, "the money is already in the capital budget."
I thought that was funny because the budget document adopted this summer was clear that the city didn't have the money to start Phase I (even though lots of other things weren't so clear, that it was laughable). After pointing out the apparent discrepancy to the ESL, they wrote, "The park can be funded once it becomes a genuine option."
Opening the park is now a genuine option. [September 2009]
I would really like to move to a post park period where the public will consider other important issues. Unfortunately, I don't think its over. Either Dalager, Stocks, and Bond are going to be roasted for not quickly building the park, or we are going to see some intriguing financing schemes.
Updated note: Once we move past the Hall park, what are Jerome and Danny going to run on?
News flash-dan the solar man just sent out a mass of e-mails with the video of Kranz's episode with the wack job from Hillcrest.
ReplyDeleteThere is more to Encinitas than a Regional Sports Park. What a waste of time and money considering Carlsbad kids will benefit the most and will not pay a dime, while my family pays over $5,000 in tax money all for one park. Stupid. I don't even want a regional park in encinitas.
ReplyDeleteThe man behind the curtain...Chris Hazeltin director of Parks & Rec. He makes $160,000 a year.
ReplyDeleteHe will do as he is told. He wants to be city manager.
He is your bogey man.
Take a look at the City website concerning activities on the Hall property site:
ReplyDeletehttp://ci.encinitas.ca.us/Government/PublicD/Hall%20Property.htm
Spring/Summer 2010
Award construction contract.
Summer/Fall 2010
Phase I construction begins.
The longer Dan stays around the longer the park will be delayed.
thats a waste of $160k a year. That guy can't even tie his own shoes.
ReplyDeleteThe repayment on the Lease Revenue Bonds used to buy the property is $1.5 million a year. After 9 nine years Dalager has spent $13.5 million. All we have is 44 acres of weeds.
ReplyDeleteThe property is contaminated too and has poor access. Both problems will cost a lot of money to fix. The estimates of park construction costs that Chris Hazeltine has been putting out do not consider this.
The timetable and cost estimates appear to be an election tactic to get Dalager re-elected.
The city did not learn its lesson from its Manchester real estate bungle. The city bought and then sold a piece of property for a sports park on Manchester Ave, after not doing enough homework and not realizing all the problems with site.
ReplyDeleteThey followed that by buying the Hall property without even asking questions about pesticide contamination or park access.
You can thank Dalager for the Hall Property Fiasco.
ReplyDeleteYou can blame Gaspar for supporting such a failed plan and man. She is clearly a bad choice for council.
I feel sorry for her young babies, who will get pushed aside as mom and daddy pursue their political aspirations. Sad.
It is probably time for an up or down vote on the massive sports park boondoggle. What was once a good idea has morphed into a special use park for a small minority of of Encinitas. If it is true that the majority of citizens do not want the park in its current configuration....then City Hall should be listening. However, we know they are not. The only way to get them to listen is to put it in terms they can understand. We need to have a legal vote....special election. I know that it costs money for a special election but it will be far less than what they are planning to spend and are spending as we speak. If we don't get the park we want it will be our own fault for allowing Dan Dalager and Jerome Stocks to railroad this thing through. I am not against the park but I would like to see something that benefits all the citizens of Encinitas not just the kids who play soccer.
ReplyDelete2:55,
ReplyDeleteThat time was 5,4, maybe 3 years ago. You've got to be kidding that NOW is the time to go to a vote.
Vote Dalager out. Please.
ReplyDeleteWhy is now not the time? This election has brought out some very disturbing behind the scene doings in City Hall. The park plan has been morphed into a special use park for some of the kids of Encinitas. The citizens are clearly divided as evidenced by the various posts on different sites. The time to get this decided once and for all is before we spend huge amounts of money building something that does not serve all the citizens of Encinitas. What part of "use of all citizens" don't they get?
ReplyDeleteSince David Meyer is involved in attempting to make sure both Dan and Kristin get elected, is it possible that they want to sell off some of the Hall Property as the money is just not there?
ReplyDeleteNo. They already tried that. Remember when Jerome and Dan tried to sell of some of the Hall park? It was those DARN NIMBYs that came out and told them that would violate the terms of the bond issuance and cease the talk of scaling back the park.
ReplyDeleteThe "NIMBYS" saved the full use of the park.
Since a lot of the money for Gaspar is coming from Bilbray, maybe the intention is to have the U.S. Congress let the bond be something it isn't. Hey who knows in this election. Sounds crazy even to me, but everything I have read or seen from the Gaspar camp sounds crazy. What's up with that?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteWell, well aren't you a busy little guy with your fake Tony Kranz posts. Do yourself and your candidate and crawl back into your cave. If you really think that people are so stupid as to not see this for what it is.
ReplyDeleteYou are probably doing more for Teresa and Tony than any mailer they could put out. Bug off Phony-Tony .
we are onto your tricks.