RTKL Answer Regarding Creation of a Fayette County Sports and Exhibition Authority
Posted: Monday, December 28, 2015 by Pezzonovante in Labels: Connellsville Ballpark, Creation of Fayette County Sports Exhibition/Tourism Authority, Public-Private Partnership Boondoggle
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On 12/23/2015, Fayette Searchlight received an answer to the following Right-To-Know law request:
12/18/2015
Attn. Ms Amy Revak, Fayette County, PA Open Records Officer
Pursuant to the Right-To-Know Law (Act of Feb. 14, 2008 No. 3, P.L. 6 and 65 P.S. §§67.101 et seq.), I am making a records request for written communications (e-mail or hard copy) between the office of state Sen. Pat Stefano (PA-R-32) and/or Mr. Brad Geyer and/or his attorney(s) and the county regarding the creation of a Sports, Tourism and Recreation Authority.
Also, I request, any e-mail communications between Mr. Geno Gallo and Chief Clerk Amy Revak that pertain to the creation of a Sports, Tourism and Recreation Authority, including any communication regarding the the wording and the placement of a Public Notice for same. Because of the specificity of this request and because a public Hearing is scheduled for January 11, 2016, on the matter of the creation of said authority, I trust that this request will be able to be completed within the five-day period for an initial response.
Before the county incurs printing costs in the above request, please first advise this requester as to the volume of responsive materials to this request and as to cost.
See RTKL Answer 20151223 here: 20151223 RTKL Answer.
We learn many things from the answer. We learn that Michael Butler of Grant Forbes, LLC wrote the Draft Motion of the resolution to be considered by the Board of Commissioners of Fayette County and e-mailed it to Brad Geyer and Geno Gallo on Friday, November 13, 2015, at 3:45 PM.
An aside:
Michael Butler is the principal at Grant Forbes LLC. See Butler's LinkedIn page here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-butler-ab75945.
Grant Forbes, LLC is being paid to do the as-yet-to-be-completed feasibility study.
We learn that in his e-mail to the commissioners at 9:03 AM on Monday, November 16, 2015, Gallo changed the wording in the Draft Motion written by Butler from "for the purpose of financing sports, entertainment and exhibition facilities in the County. . . ." to "for the purpose of developing sports, entertainment and exhibition facilities in the County. . . ." [Emphasis added.]
We learn that the wording Chief Clerk Amy Revak used in a Public Notice (a legal ad which ran on 12/10/2015 and 12/11/2015) -- "Sports, Tourism and Recreation Authority" -- does not match the wording in the proposed motion -- "sports, entertainment and exhibition."
We learn that Gallo, in his communications, firmly places the imprimatur of state Sen. Pat Stefano's (PA-R-32) office on the project.
Please note that this writer contacted the office of state Sen. Pat Stefano (PA-R-32) week before last and talked with Legislative Assistant Brad Geyer, the main proponent of the creation of a county municipal authority which would, if created, finance a multi-purpose sports, exhibition, tourism, and recreation facility. In this writer's telephone conversation with Geyer, it was learned that the feasibility study has not yet been completed. This statement by Geyer confirmed a statement made by Redevelopment Authority of Fayette County Executive Director Andrew French that the study has not been completed.
An aside:
Michael Butler is the principal at Grant Forbes LLC. See Butler's LinkedIn page here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-butler-ab75945.
Grant Forbes, LLC is being paid to do the as-yet-to-be-completed feasibility study.
Grant Forbes LLC has also received payments from another public-private partnership project in the Connellsvillle area -- the Cobblestone Hotel Project.
We learn that in his e-mail to the commissioners at 9:03 AM on Monday, November 16, 2015, Gallo changed the wording in the Draft Motion written by Butler from "for the purpose of financing sports, entertainment and exhibition facilities in the County. . . ." to "for the purpose of developing sports, entertainment and exhibition facilities in the County. . . ." [Emphasis added.]
We learn that the wording Chief Clerk Amy Revak used in a Public Notice (a legal ad which ran on 12/10/2015 and 12/11/2015) -- "Sports, Tourism and Recreation Authority" -- does not match the wording in the proposed motion -- "sports, entertainment and exhibition."
We learn that Gallo, in his communications, firmly places the imprimatur of state Sen. Pat Stefano's (PA-R-32) office on the project.
Please note that this writer contacted the office of state Sen. Pat Stefano (PA-R-32) week before last and talked with Legislative Assistant Brad Geyer, the main proponent of the creation of a county municipal authority which would, if created, finance a multi-purpose sports, exhibition, tourism, and recreation facility. In this writer's telephone conversation with Geyer, it was learned that the feasibility study has not yet been completed. This statement by Geyer confirmed a statement made by Redevelopment Authority of Fayette County Executive Director Andrew French that the study has not been completed.
Geyer argued that a feasibility study need not be completed before a county municipal authority was created and that the authority could then be tasked with overseeing the finalization of the study.
This earth-shattering statement by Geyer raises many questions.
Why put the cart before the horse and create an authority before a feasibility study is complete? Could not the study come down on the side of infeasibility, or is the outcome of the study pre-determined?
Why did Michael Butler of Grant Forbes, LLC write the Draft Motion of a resolution for the commissioners to consider when he is performing the yet-to-be-completed feasibility study? Is this not a conflict of interest?
If the Grant Forbes, LLC study is a pre-determined matter, why pay nearly $27,000.00 in Act 13 monies for the study, or why even perform a study? As nearly $27,000.00 in Act 13 (Marcellus Shale Impact Fee) public monies already have been paid out beginning in late 2014, why isn't the feasibility study complete? Why are monies that should be going to ameliorate impacts from the Marcellus Shale industry (i.e., crumbling roads) being spent on a Connellsville Ballpark Project?
Are not elected representatives much more accountable to the electorate than appointed members of an autonomous authority that's being put on a very fast track, and should it not be elected representatives (and not members of an autonomous authority) who should be making decisions regarding a feasibility study (and the probable floating of bonds in the millions of dollars)? Why should an authority be created at all, especially before any study is complete and before any cost estimates are provided to the public? Is a Connellsville Ballpark and the gamble to acquire a minor league baseball team a core function of Fayette County government?
Should Fayette County citizens be forced to finance facilities for a sports and exhibition authority when their county government faces prison renovation/building costs, a possible adverse Munchinski verdict, a ballooning county budget (thanks in large part to political cronyism), and a state budget that should have been completed by June 30th, but was not?
The answer here at Fayette Searchlight is a definitive "Hell No!"
This earth-shattering statement by Geyer raises many questions.
Why put the cart before the horse and create an authority before a feasibility study is complete? Could not the study come down on the side of infeasibility, or is the outcome of the study pre-determined?
Why did Michael Butler of Grant Forbes, LLC write the Draft Motion of a resolution for the commissioners to consider when he is performing the yet-to-be-completed feasibility study? Is this not a conflict of interest?
If the Grant Forbes, LLC study is a pre-determined matter, why pay nearly $27,000.00 in Act 13 monies for the study, or why even perform a study? As nearly $27,000.00 in Act 13 (Marcellus Shale Impact Fee) public monies already have been paid out beginning in late 2014, why isn't the feasibility study complete? Why are monies that should be going to ameliorate impacts from the Marcellus Shale industry (i.e., crumbling roads) being spent on a Connellsville Ballpark Project?
Are not elected representatives much more accountable to the electorate than appointed members of an autonomous authority that's being put on a very fast track, and should it not be elected representatives (and not members of an autonomous authority) who should be making decisions regarding a feasibility study (and the probable floating of bonds in the millions of dollars)? Why should an authority be created at all, especially before any study is complete and before any cost estimates are provided to the public? Is a Connellsville Ballpark and the gamble to acquire a minor league baseball team a core function of Fayette County government?
Should Fayette County citizens be forced to finance facilities for a sports and exhibition authority when their county government faces prison renovation/building costs, a possible adverse Munchinski verdict, a ballooning county budget (thanks in large part to political cronyism), and a state budget that should have been completed by June 30th, but was not?
The answer here at Fayette Searchlight is a definitive "Hell No!"