By: Diane Benjamin
Bloomington taxpayers have been abused by their government. Government’s job is not to run people’s lives with subsidized business, subsidized economic development, and subsidized entertainment. Taxpayers get to pay for “Quality of Life” as defined by government, it has no resemblance to what most citizens pick as “quality”.
Tari Renner has been told over and over by citizens Needs before Wants. “Needs” is being defined by Renner as a downtown hotel and much higher taxes. Citizens want the roads fixed. The budget has gone up $40,000,000 since Renner was elected, now he wants to borrow more to fix the roads.
Below is some of the history of how taxpayers paid for a completely outfitted fire station that has NEVER been used. It is located in David Sage’s Ward on 6 Points Road, I didn’t see objections by him to the project. The station at the airport was being built at the same time. Staff could not be afforded for both locations, so #5 is now a storage shed where occasional meetings take place.
I’m writing this summary for one purpose: Stockton and the Council thought they were doing the right thing at the time. They thought development would continue in the south-west corner of the City. They were wrong.
Bloomington has a Political Science professor now for Mayor. The Council in 2006-2007 totally blew “public safety” at taxpayer expense. The current Mayor and Council think they can control economic development with tax breaks. They think a downtown hotel is essential. Now add the Coliseum history to the unused fire station history. Throw in the unused water tower too. (Some day I will figure out what that cost taxpayers)
A Political Science Professor is going to get this right? All these other disasters had consultants guiding them too. Don’t forget Renner claimed for months the Front and Center building couldn’t be saved. Now it can. Anybody believe the City can get a hotel right?
Station #5 history:
Groundbreaking for Fire Station #5 was in April 2007. The then Fire Chief Keith Ranney said some people will say building it is premature. The Mayor Steve Stockton called it “back to basics” after the City invested in the Coliseum and the BCPA at the expense of roads, sewers, and public safety.
- The City bought 2 acres, then needed an additional .47. Total land cost: a little over $271,000
2. Mitsubishi Motorway was never extended to Six Points Road
3. Design of the Fire Station cost $301,900:
4. Construction cost $2,976,502:
5. A communications tower was added for another $15,000
6. I saw a David Hales comment stating the total cost of #5 was $5,000,000. The construction cost may not have included all the inside finishing.
7. The station has leaked from the beginning because the blocks were not waterproof. They tried applying a sealant from the builder.
8. Once the station was finished the City realized the expected residential growth in the area wasn’t happening.
Poof! Millions wasted.
.
.
The current administration blames this waste (failure) on the past City Manager, Mayor and Councils as well as on the Great Recession of 2008. Here is a perfect example to show how this city or any government does not control the economy or economic development.
10 years from now that Council will be cleaning up the mess this one made.
If there is anything worthwhile left of this city. Resources are being sucked into a black hole.
There are unseen additional costs such as the city’s investment of $10M to run water and sewer pipes for those southwest side Snyder developments. The City has recouped only $1M. The fire station is adjacent to Fedor Drive in the Heartland Hills subdivision whose homeowners use the station for their HOA meetings free of charge. The City recently settled a lawsuit with a different developer over the annexation agreement related to the Mitsubishi Motorway extension.
lulz…they built it and nobody came.
Ah yes! Mitsubishi, the GREAT salvation of the B/N economy-POOF! I was standing across the road yesterday from there, no cars, no fork lifts, no nothing. Kind of reminded me of a main street in a ghost town, except for the lone hoot owl up on the wires. Maybe the zoo can turn it into an owl preserve?