Saturday, October 2, 2010

Ice Rink Math

"Elijah Lovejoy still hasn’t given up on the idea of building a temporary, outdoor ice rink downtown.

He’s been promised $40,000 of the $65,000 he needs to get the project started. He’s so close that he’s decided to extend the deadline until Monday.

How much is Mr. Lovejoy investing?

He wants the event to become an annual one and he wants the city eventually to own the rink.

If Mr. Lovejoy believes it's a good idea
for the City of Greensboro to purchase a temporary ice rink
why doesn't he purchase it himself?

...Lovejoy said it will cost $86,700 initially to secure the rink, adding the city could purchase it for $65,000 after the festival is over. Then it could be used on an annual basis.

...Raleigh and Charlotte have temporary rinks — have generated in excess of $100,000 in revenues annually.

$100,000 revenues = how much profit or loss?

It is the intent of our partnership with Renovo Designs and [Publicly Funded] (Downtown Greensboro ) to create a sustainable outdoor ice skating venue for the enjoyment of our citizens in subsequent years,” he said... “To this end, we are asking that the city consider partnering to purchase the rink at the conclusion of the 2010-2011 season.”

Should Downtown Greensboro Inc. use taxpayer dollars
to lobby the City of Greensboro for more taxpayer dollars?

Does "we are asking that the city consider partnering to purchase the rink,"
mean $65,000?

Lovejoy said putting on the festival will require a $175,000 budget.

Does the $175,000 include Mr. Lovejoy's profit?

...He said any money collected after he has met his budget would go toward purchasing the rink.

“By owning the rink,” Jackson said..., “it is anticipated that revenue generated by operations would cover all expenses and could potentially result in revenue to the city.”

If the ice rink "could potentially result in revenue to the city,”
why isn't a privately owned business independently funding the project for profit?

...the city would cover a one-time cost of $23,000 to install a transformer at the park.

If Mr. Lovejoy's profit resides in his $175,000 budget,
is the $23,000 of public funds included as well?

...the city would incur an estimated $20,000 in utility costs for the festival.

$23,000 + $20,000 + $65,000 = $108,000 of taxpayer money for an ice rink?

The memo said the city would not charge for the use of Festival Park...

Free rent, utilities and an ice rink for Mr. Lovejoy?

So far, the Cemala Foundation has committed $25,000 and the Joseph M. Bryan Foundation has promised $15,000."

Donald W. Patterson
Greensboro News & Record
.
.
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Notable publicly funded Downtown Greensboro contributors

Greensboro Partnership, $25,000.00
Joseph M. Bryan Foundation, $11,000.00
Cemala Foundation, $10,000.00
Bell Foundation (Steven D. Bell), $5,000.00
Brown Investment Properties, $1,500.00
Cone, Elizabeth W., $1,000.00
Elm Street Center, LLC, $1,000.00
The Carroll Companies, $550.00
Milton Kern & Co., Inc., $250.00
Signature Property Group, Inc., $250.00

Notable Downtown Greensboro Board Members

Brenda Jones Fox, Guilford County
Mayor Bill Knight
Rashad Young, City of Greensboro
Mike Winstead, Guilford County Commissioner, Trebic Member

Dan Lynch, President of the publicly funded Greensboro Partnership,
whose Greensboro Economic Development Alliance
includes board members Linda Shaw and Nancy Vaughan

Amelia Parker, executive director of the International Civil Rights Museum
Betty Cone
Milton Kern

Al Leonard, Carroll Companies, Trebic
who works for Roy E. Carroll III, a major campaign contributor
and board member of the publicly funded Greensboro Partnership

Henri Fourrier, President/CEO/Director of Marketing/Communications
of the publicly funded Greensboro Area Convention & Visitors Bureau

The same Henri Fourrier
who sold Greensboro’s electorate on an Aquatic Center
with a non-independent, non third party “hypothetical”
that will most likely cost Greensboro millions
in principal, interest, operating and maintenance costs?

E. Durant Bell, Bell & Company, Zack Matheny’s employer

George House, Downtown Hotel,
whose partner Randall Kaplan is a publicly funded Greensboro Partnership board member

John Lomax, Trebic

If most of the board members of publicly funded Downtown Greensboro
and the publicly funded Greensboro Partnership havn't privately funded the ice rink,
which would be a stone throw from Roy Carroll's Centerpoint,
and which would benefit downtown busineses,
many of which board members own,
why should taxpayers?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

$175,000 / 65 days = $2,692.31 per day

Anonymous said...

Anonymous is not George Hartzman commenting on his own posts, so stop saying that.

Anonymous said...

Hi Roch,

Just feeling your angst...

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