Bingo.

Saturday, in the News-Sentinel Kevin Leininger pretty much nailed the issue of Harrison Square. It is worth the $.50 at a news stand near you to read what he has to say. Buy the paper. It keeps a smart voice in business.

Mr. Leininger’s point is that the city has failed in its responsibilities to you and to me. He reminds us he said it before years ago, that they, the City, refused during the lead up to the vote on Harrison Square, to make Barry Realty finances public, then failed to demand a performance bond and are currently failing to keep track of income and expenditures at the stadium. In other words, they are doing and long have done a pathetic job of stewarding your funds.

During the initial debate, council members John Shoaff, Tom Smith and Don Schmidt asked to see, to verify, the status of Barry finances. They were patted on the head and told that the city had checked and all was in order. Council need not worry. Later we learn that City Controller Pat Roller and project consultant Steve Brody were the only ones who eyeballed the balance sheet of Barry. They both worked for the team that wanted the deal to fly.

Now, it comes to light that the city is not even bothering to obtain an accounting of the income and expenses Hardball/Barry is incurring at the stadium, numbers that affect the amount Hardball is to pay to the city. Numbers that might come in handy should this discussion we are having end up in court. They are not even checking. “We trust them,” remains the vapid mantra to this day.

Perhaps the administration and Redevelopment Commission should begin representing the community and stop defending, protecting Barry.

What now? Reading the Redevelopment resolution governing the deal a letter is to be sent to Barry now that the city has deemed Barry/Hardball are/is in default on their obligations, which they clearly are/is. Fifteen months ago the condos were to have been completed, indeed a long gestation period. Of course they couldn’t sell their condos locally, those small units were priced at levels New York bon vivants, and Russian oligarchs could afford, not Fort Wayne at prices. Ah, overlooking the stunning Jefferson Boulevard and Downtown Public Library for only $300,000. The completion of the condos was to usher in the next phase of downtown development to be followed by a third phase altogether amounting to some $44 million in downtown revitalization. A tempting morsel, that. Apparently, too tempting to allow for clear thinking and tough negotiating. Two administrations became partners with Barry…

Now, the condos are in serious doubt. Barry, upon receipt of the dun letter, will have 90 days to cure, the Initial Cure Period, if they are ‘showing good faith.” They could beg another 90 days, during which Hardball must continue to work “in good faith,” must show they could not cure in the initial 90 days and, pays the city $5k a day in liquidated damages “until the breech is fully cured.” This could go on for six months, right to the beginning of ball season. Barry could just bail and just may well do that, earlier than later. Their card is the team and the stadium: imagine the fear on the 9th floor of seeing the Tincaps leave town like the Colts left Baltimore. Barry can just walk away from the deal and what do they lose?

Envision the ruckus an empty stadium next to an hole in the ground downtown would raise. Envision Tom Henry a one-term mayor.

So, I suggest to my councilman, Tim Pape, who has been the chief cheerleader for the administration at council, who strongly supported the construction (as did I) of Harrison Square and whose law firm represents the Redevelopment Commission, that he begin to work with the critics of this mess to find a way out of the mess he and the previous administration have created and this administration has allowed to fester. I suggest that tact also to Glynn Hines who backs the administration, I suggest that to Karen Goldner who labors at the table to paint the rosiest of administration pictures, I suggest that also to Marty Bender who works for the mayor and seldom sees that as a conflict of interest when voting on myriad administration (read: his bosses’) proposals. It is time now for the administration to work with the critics, Shoaff, Smith and Harper, to chart a course out of this mess.

A friend told me once about real estate that you make your profit when you buy, not when you sell. It applies to this situation, too. We bought a pig in a poke with the encouragement of men and women we trusted and entrusted.

Scores of millions in downtown development were so alluring that the Redevelopment Commission and my friend, Mayor Graham Richard, were willing to trust Hardball and to defend them from prying eyes in order to get their deal. They bought into a disaster in the making that will take sharp negotiating and creative thinking to avert.

Given the current administration’s willingness to play ball with Hardball/Barry, offer up one pass after another it only makes sense now to appoint Shoaff, Smith or Harper and two from the administration, perhaps deputy mayor Beth Malloy and a colleague, to figure out what to do to bring the Barry/Hardball project to fruition… or to find another ball team and different developers.

Related posts:

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3. Stealth Visitors from the South By Jim Sack September first is the grand opening day...

From a local guy at a local rag.

Despite media reports that a bank was about to foreclose on a major Atlanta project overseen by Barry Real Estate, city Redevelopment Director Greg Leatherman told the Redevelopment Commission those problems have been resolved and Barry remains committed to its Fort Wayne project, expected to cost about $16 million.

Funny, the only place I saw that was on this blog. At least we’re now being referenced as “media.”

No related posts.

Swell. Great. Goodie. I have one question.

Where’s the $2.2 million going to go? The writer states that the trash competition would be good for taxpayers. If that’s the case, one could assume the Henry administration will extend those savings to city residents, right?

Never mind. As I wrote back in October, the city paid nearly $1 million less to Serv-All in garbage and recycling fees in 2008 compared with 2007, and our rates didn’t change then.

Related posts:

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2. Fort Wayne Garbage contract stinks even more as Tim Pape admits partner owns 5% of Earth First In an article by Ben Lanka this morning, Tim Pape...
3. Tracy Warner turns on Tom Henry This really made my day. Tracy Warner has finally had...

From his column today on a story we wrote about six days ago.

Perhaps that’s why New Haven Mayor Terry McDonald posted this admittedly cheeky comment on a local Web site in response to Henry’s proposal:

Of course, he was referring to this Web site. If just kills MSM to actually acknowledge our presence.

Related posts:

1. Earth First to bid again A local guy at a local rag wrote today that...