WECRD's plan just won't fly

Dear editor:

I would like to address a letter to the editor written by Teri Smith and a letter to the editor written by Marsha Sellers in the March 4, 2009, Mountain Home News.

First, Ms. Smith. I have personally spent close to $700 on copy fees so that the "public" can be informed and educated. We have provided many copies of financial statements, the GreenPlay Report of Oct. 10, 2008, the Shaw Snow Feasibility Report of November 2002 and WECRD board meeting "minutes."

We offer these copies to anyone who may want them when we are at a fixed location in town and have from the start.

I have also provided the documents to people who have called and requested documentation.

So, to say that I do not have my "facts straight" is not accurate Ms. Smith.

Have you read the GreenPlay Report which was withheld from the public by Ms. Marsh? Ms. Marsh stated at the "Meet the Candidates" that it would not be done until after the election. Sandy Pitts was kind enough to write a letter to the editor at the end of October 2008 which alerted many to the definite existence of the GreenPlay Report PRIOR to the election.

As far as obtaining the "facts from a board meeting, talk with a director or ask for a copy of the minutes" you are better off reading through the last ten years of documents and reports and "study" how this project went from a simple recreation district to the Taj Mahal.

Do the math, Ms. Smith. Based on 30,000 square feet at $67 per square foot (30,000x$67) for JUST the building (which comes to $2,010,000) the WECRD does not have the money for this project. There is still site prep, water, sewer, electric, sidewalks, etc., that needs to be done.

How do we plan to open this facility with no money in the bank?

How do we plan to pay people and pay the utility bills with no reserve funds?

As far as how the public treats the WECRD board and what we "demand" of them -- if they were straight with the public all along we would not be where we are today. Respect is earned, Ms. Smith, not a given. In life people give as good as they get.

Do you hear the WECRD board welcoming the "public" to any meetings? No. Do you think that we do not see that we are responded to with clenched teeth and anger?

With all due respect, Ms. Smith, get YOUR facts straight. I have read all of the reports I can get my hands on. I know the facts as opposed to the WECRD board's "dream" version of how things are.

If Mr. Olson is working "pro bono" (work done without pay) why has he been paid $10,000? If Bionomics is working "pro bono" why have they been paid $7,168.96? All of this "pro bono" information can be found on Mollie's re-election website or I can provide you with copies. I have all of my "facts" in print as opposed to my opinion. Try it sometime.

Now on to the letter written by Ms. Sellers. Twenty acres of land was purchased for nearly four times the value of that land. It was stated in the Shaw Snow Report that there was a party willing to donate some land and make some of the improvements as well to save the WECRD some money. Instead we paid $500,000 for 20 acres of land. The WECRD has been leasing the rear portion of the property to a farmer. You state in your letter that "the WECRD has been leasing this land for agricultural use..." To be clear on this issue, it is not the entire 20 acres being farmed.

So, the WECRD, as of February 19, 2009, has "$1,180,367.30" in the bank. The building alone, based on the $67 sq. ft. "estimate" is over $2 million dollars.

We are very clearly a bit short here. Instead of counting on HUD money, which has been in the works for more than two years, and grants, maybe we need to deal with what is really in the bank, not what may never be.

In 2008 there was an election. However, you stated it was a "special election due to a challenger "wanting to become the manager of the district's funds and wanting to spend the accumulated tax dollars on something other than a recreation center."

Where did you get that?

Ms. Whitney, who was the "challenger," never ran on that platform! Never! Did you even check your facts or did you just take Mollie's word on all of this? Again, this was not a "special" election as a citizen has every right to challenge someone for a public office. That is called democracy. As far as the election being a "rather expensive exercise" perhaps take that up with the WECRD Board as they spent the money.

Ms. Sellers, I have worked on another project with you and I cannot believe that you did not research your "facts" prior to writing a letter to the editor. Going to one meeting for less than three hours does not provide the "entire" story.

I have read the reports. I might suggest that you read the BRC documents, all WECRD meeting "minutes," the GreenPlay Report (which was kept from the public) and the Shaw Snow Report (60 pages). Look at their financials and what has been spent over the years (there are Profit and Loss Statements as well as Audit Reports) although the two documents do not match up.

We spent $15,000 on an election. We have also spent $10,000 on rapidly changing floor plans to Mr. Olson, $13,000 for a GreenPlay report in October 2008, which is worthless because the information used for that report has changed and we paid $21,000 for the Shaw Snow report which was never followed, I would gladly spend $15,000 in the form of an election to try to get some sense behind this project.

We spend-spend-spend to get information from the professionals and then the WECRD board elects not to use the information, changes the "plan" or chooses not to follow these reports. That is hardly "fiscal responsibility." If any other organization operated like this they would be shut down.

Ms. Sellers, I have done the research and spent many hours with the WECRD board. I have talked to hundreds of people in the community and while the pools are nice, we cannot afford them at this point in time and this is not just my opinion.

This facility was to be built in stages, not all at once, and now that is not the case.

How about if we go back to the basics -- what we voted for. Times are tough. We should watch the spending not increase it. Please, some common sense on this topic. Do the math, sort through the facts and figures and do the research.

Tracy Lauric