With one day left, the sidebar poll has received over 90 votes. Despite declarations that we have no right to express our opinions on the matter, the First Amendment is alive and well and Blog readers are availing themselves of it.
The Blog received the following letter from Jean Payne today:
Mary White’s letter to the Yellow Springs News last week listed two reasons why she thought it would not be feasible to switch the Barr and Beatty-Hughes properties. She stated the Beatty-Hughes Park had an open space easement restriction. However the “Contract for Grant to Acquire and/or Develop Land for Open-Space Purposes Under Title VII of the Housing Act of 1961”, signed and filed Dec. 7, 1972 by Howard Kahoe, YS Village Manager and witnessed by State officials Jeff C. Bothwell and Mary Ann Johnson allows for such a swap.
The document, which is available to the public from Village Clerk of Council, declares Beatty-Hughes Park open-space and states “open-space use or uses of said land shall be for park and recreational purposes, conservation of land and other resources, or historic or scenic purposes (Section 2(b))… To change its use requires prior written approval of the Secretary [of Housing and Urban Development, the United States of America] (Section D (c))… The open-space land is being or will be replaced by other open-space land of at least equal fair market value at the time of conversion, and of as nearly as feasible equivalent usefulness and location (Section D (c)).”
Switching the Beatty-Hughes Park for the larger Barr property which could then be used for a YS Historical Museum, village events, and concerts under the stars would satisfy all the Federal and State requirements.
Ms. White’s second claim, the expense of readjusting building plans is true. Moving the building to the Beatty-Hughes Property would involve some adjustments. The Friends Care Center has already spent $140,000 on the design of the building “… which is a risk in itself that Friends has to carry.” FCC Director Carl Zalar stated to the YS News (YSNews, May 1, 2009).
The main issue is cost. The original projected cost of $2.8 million has risen to $3.7 million and ground has yet to be broken. Apartments will be subsidized to keep the rents low creating a yearly $60,000 deficit for FCC (YSNews, May 1, 2009). What is the mission statement of the Friends Care Center? In dealing with a yearly deficit and maintaining a 30 apartment complex, would a future FCC Board of Trustees determine that their responsibilities lay with the residents and staff of the Friends Extended Care Center, Assisted Living Center and Independent Living Homes? Will they, in time, decide to end the subsidized apartments and/or sell the building to the highest bidder?
If the village willingly sacrifices an 1840 era house, many beautiful trees, open green space and the ambience of a historical downtown that brings in cash carrying tourists, can the FCC guarantee the longevity of their project? Will, in any way, a three story institutional block building sitting on the corner of Limestone and Xenia Ave. add to the feeling of who we are as a small art community? Or will we begin to look more like Xenia, Fairborn, or Springfield?
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6 comments:
The so called Barr House property is not green space or open space. It has a house on it. So the "swap" won't work unless the house is torn down. The house could be torn down. But people are waxing sentimental about the house, which Eric Swansen said was in such poor state that his utility bills alone when he rented it were over $800 a month. In the past when people talked about other people's property, the folks who were into private property rights got all enraged over it. What's so different about this property that now belongs to Friends Care?
Say, what makes you think that the neighbors close to the park will be any less hysterical at the thought of losing their greenspace (NIMBY) than the folks on East Limestone Street? I know a couple of those folks and they have put plenty of money into their houses which are practically next door to this park. I believe they would raise holier hell than the Limestone Street folks.
Where will the funding come from to rehabilitate the Barr House, operate a museum and maintain a nearly 2 acre site as the kind of activity center that is described? Who will be in charge of an operation that would certainly require staffing and on-going maintenance far beyond what is currently required for the Beatty-Hughes Park.
It is unfortunate that FCC has gotten themselves locked into a building that is inflexible in scope and design so that now that the economy dictates a more conservative approach, they can't respond by scaling back to a smaller facility. Unfortunately, what will likely be sacrificed if they scale back the project are the green elements that made the building more palatable in the first place. It is unfortunate that the excessive amount of money spent on design fees was for a structure that is more about the building than the community.
The idea that any business or nonprofit can sustain a yearly deficit of $60,000 is unrealistic. Costs rising before it has even started? $140,000 on the initial plans alone? The FCC would be smart to get out from under this money pit any way they can.
Small point on accuracy: Jeff(rey) C. Bothwell never worked for the State. He was an employee of the Village.
Although I believe in building affordable housing for seniors, in addition to other YS community members, I think that it is a mistake for FCC to build these apartments at this time., regardless of the location. The proposed costs have skyrocketed, which in turn will drive the cost of rent up to unaffordable levels. Given the economy today most people are choosing to spend less on fixed costs, rather than more. In addition, I believe that the apartments would be nothing but a financial drain on the other entities that make up Friends Care Community.
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