CONTINUING OUR COVERAGE OF THE PROPOSED BASEBALL STADIUM IN PUEBLO.
THE FUNDING FOR IT --- NOW RAISING CONCERNS FOR SOME COMMUNITY LEADERS....
BECAUSE IT WOULD CALL FOR USING VOTER APPROVED TAX MONEY TO HELP FOOT THE BILL.
NEWS FIVE'S CAITI BLASE JOINS US LIVE FROM THE STEEL CITY TO EXPLAIN,..
CAITI.
A PUEBLO COUNTY COMMISSIONER TOLD ME RECENT DOCUMENTS PROPOSE THAT MONEY FROM THE COUNTY'S 1-A PROGRAM SHOULD BE USED TO PAY FOR THE STADIUM.THAT'S
THE VOTER APPROVED MEASURE IN 2016,...
SPECIFICALLY MEANT TO PAY FOR IMPROVEMENTS ON MAIN STREET,..
LOCAL ROADS...
AND EXTENDING THE RIVERWALK...
BUT AT A WORK SESSION A FEW WEEKS AGO...SOME RED FLAGS POPPED UP FOR COMMISSIONERS AS FAR AS HOW 1-A FUNDING MIGHT BE USED..
46;59 "THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WITH THIS PROJECT IS HAVING TRANSPARENCY AND INTEGRITY WITH THESE NUMBERS." 47:06
COMMISSIONER GARRISON ORTIZ KNOWS JUST HOW IMPORTANT BALLOT MEASURES LIKE 1-A ARE...
47:46 "THESE REALLY ARE GREAT IMPROVEMENTS FOR PUEBLO COUNTY TO REALIZE." 47:50 ORTIZ SAYS GETTING THE MEASURE PASSED BACK IN 2016 WASN'T EASY.
NOW---RECENT PROPOSALS ARE
THREATENING TO TAKE AWAY WHAT IT WAS ORIGINALLY MEANT FOR.
AT A PUBLIC WORK SESSION A FEW WEEKS AGO...ORTIZ AND OTHER COMMISSIONERS WERE PRESENTED WITH NEW DOCUMENTS REGARDING 1-A FUNDS.
57:52 "I DID POINT OUT PRETTY DIRECTLY THAT THERE WAS A MAJOR DISPARITY FROM WHAT THE ORIGINAL $3 MILLION AMOUNT WAS ALLOCATED
FOR THE HARP EXPANSION AND WHAT NUMBER I WAS SEEING COME OUT OF THE 1A FINANCING." 58:09 FROM THREE MILLION DOLLARS TO OVER 16 MILLION DOLLARS...
SOMETHING ORTIZ QUESTIONED THE COUNTY'S CONSULTANT ABOUT DURING THE MEETING.
55:19 "I WAS TOLD THE SCOPE OF THE PROJECT HAD BEEN ENHANCED AND KNOWING THAT THE RIVERWALK EXTENSION IS RIGHT NEXT TO THE STADIUM I WANTED TO BE SURE THERE WAS A CLEAR LINE THERE."
55:34 ORTIZ SAYING IN THE MEETING THAT HE HOPED THE ADDITIONAL MONEY
ORTIZ SAYING IN THE MEETING THAT HE HOPED THE ADDITIONAL MONEY WAS COMING FROM STADIUM FUNDS.
55:49 "OUR CONSULTANT SAID ON THE RECORD NO IT IS NOT AND I ASKED WHERE IS IT COMING FROM?
AND I WAS TOLD THE 1A DEBT ISSUANCE." 56:03 IN ANOTHER DOCUMENT...WHICH HE DID NOT WANT TO SHOW...THE
COMMISSIONER EXPLAINS HE SAW SOMETHING ELSE...
45:56 "THE SHIFTING OF FUNDS FROM THE ORIGINAL 1A POT OF MONEY TO HELP WITH THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE BASEBALL
STADIUM." 46:03 AS HE SAYS...WITH COSTS FOR ACQUIRING PROPERTY FOR THE STADIUM...BEING ALLOCATED FROM 1-A.
HOWEVER...IN A RECENT STATEMENT FROM PUEBLO COUNTY...COMMISS IONER SAL PACE REMINDS THE PUBLIC THAT A PRIVATE DEVELOPER
IS USING TIF MONEY TO PAY FOR THE $25-MILLION PROPOSED STADIUM....NOT 1A MONEY.
COMMISSIONER ORTIZ TELLS ME THESE DOCUMENTS PRESENTED A FEW WEEKS AGO ARE ONLY DRAFTS AND
THAT NOTHING IS SET STONE YET.
EVEN SO---LOTS OF QUESTIONS STILL NEED TO BE ANSWERED FROM EVERYONE INVOLVED IN THIS PROJECT.
WE'LL KEEP YOU UPDATED.
ALWAYS WATCHING OUT FOR YOU PUEBLO COUNTY, CAITI BLASE, NEWS FIVE AND MORE
DETAILS TONIGHT ON WHY THE OWNER OF THE OREM OWLZ IS CONSIDERING PULLING OUT OF THE DEAL.
WE SPOKE EXCLUSIVELY TO JEFF KATOFSKY TODAY...
AND HE SAYS IT'S ALL ABOUT THE LAND INVOLVED...
THE DEAL IS STILL IN PLAY,..
BUT HE TOLD NEWS FIVE WHAT CHANGED...
THE CITY OWNS THE PROPERTIES ON THE RIVERWALK WHERE EVERYONE AGREED THAT KATOFSKY WILL BUILD NEW HOTELS AS PART OF THE MOVE.
BUT RATHER THAN SELL TO HIM DIRECTLY,..
HE LEARNED YESTERDAY THAT THE CITY IS THINKING OF TAKING BIDS FOR THE LAND, WHICH KATOFSY SAYS IS A DEAL BREAKER.
HE BELIEVES HE COULD BE OUTBID BY SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T WANT THE PROJECT TO HAPPEN.
HOWEVER...
THE CITY CHARTER REQUIRES A SEALED BID PROCESS.
"MY HANDSHAKE WAS GOOD, THE SIGNATURE ON MY MOU WAS GOOD, THIS ISN'T A COUNTY ISSUE AT ALL, THE COUNTY HAS DONE WHAT
THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO DO.
UNFORTUNATELY THIS LAND ISN'T THE COUNTY'S."
WE ARE TOLD CITY COUNCIL CAN PASS A RESOLUTION TO DEED THE PROPERTIES TO THE HARP AUTHORITY WHO HAS THE POWER TO SELL THE LAND DIRECTLY TO KATOFSKY.
CITY MANAGER SAM AZAD SAYS HE WILL ASK COUNCIL TO DO THAT.
KATOFSKY SAYS THE CLOCK IS TICKING...
A DECISION NEEDS TO BE M