The Citadel project: someone please tell me we learned lessons here

There is a good and important article in the Star today, telling the details of just what the ill-fated Citadel Project on the East side ended up costing the city and where the money went (see link below). While it's good to know that not all the money--or even most of it--went to some crooked developer, the fact is, the city still took an expensive beating on it. In the end, it seems there are two things to consider from this ill-conceived mess. The first is the cost to us, the citiznes who have to pay for this: "The city will issue 20-year bonds for the $15 million, with debt service estimated at more than $1.2 million per year — tax dollars that could otherwise have been spent on basic services. The city hopes new revenue from future development can cover at least part of the debt service, but that can’t happen until something is built there." The 2nd important thing is that we learn from this. Hopefully the "takeaway" from this whole mess is that you do research, first, on any self-proclaimed developer so you know they're worth what they say they're worth and that they can then do what they say they can. Is that so much to ask, that we learn a good lesson here and avoid this kind of mistake in the future? Link: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/01/06/3356910/citadel-plaza-drags-to-an-end.html

20,500,000 dollars we don't have

Here's another outrageous situation, straight from the halls of city government in Kansas City, Missouri. Another conversation I can't believe we have to have at all.

Our Mayor and some on the City Council want to give--up front--$20.5 million dollars to one developer (the Block Company) in hopes they will develop 30 acres of land on 63rd Street, the becoming-infamous "Citadel Project."

Think about this.

If someone you knew came up to your door and said they would fix your roof for $8,000.00 and would do a bang-up job and you both agreed to it but then they threw in the caveat that you had to give them all the money up front, would you do it?

And the answer, of course, is "Hell, no!"

Right. Exactly.

So here we have this sweetheart deal to give 20 and one half million dollars to this developer in hopes they'll fix up this dysfunctional eyesore.

That's all crazy enough but then it's also not been competitively bid.

I would have thought that non-competed boondoggles would have gone out with "W", Dick Cheney and that whole administration.

This is insane, people, and no way to run a government or a city.

Put all that lunacy on top of the fact that this is the worst real estate market in the last 70 years that has left loads of commercial and retail space open all over the area and it goes to further prove this is exactly the wrong, bone-headed, giveaway deal at the worst possible time since the Great Depression, no exaggeration.

And then there's the fact that Kansas City doesn't even have 20 and one-half million dollars to hand out for this project, anyway. (Banging head against wall).

And the people of Kansas City aren't raising hell.