Published October 26, 2011
It appears that Fred Russell did tell commissioners back in 2009 that the land for the TEE Center parking deck would be donated to the city by Augusta Riverfront, LLC.. But that clearly never happened.. and it appears the commission based crucial votes on false information provided by city administrator Fred Russell. But then, what's new? Looks like Fred has some 'splainin to do.
Here is a link to the Dec 7th 2009 Commission Minutes when the plans were finalized over the management of the Parking Deck and TEE Center and relevant Land acquisitions: Dec 9, 2009 Commission Minutes
Below are excerpts from that Dec 7th, 2009 Commission meeting when
the TEE Center parking deck was discussed. Comm. Hatney clearly asks Fred
Russell if the land owned by Augusta Riverfront LLC was going to be donated to
the city for construction of the deck, and Fred Russell clearly answers in the
affirmative that it will be donated.
***************************
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Dr. Hatney.
Mr. Hatney: The other question I would ask to our Administrator I remember
when we
talked about
the parking deck before.
We were not so warm on that issue and the volume was
$500,000 and you’ve
come back and you said you were going come back with a lower scale
because it would be
more cost effective to go ahead and do that then to I believe pay a $1.1
million or something
like that on I guess the lease or rent or whatever you do and still that
eventually buy the
property. You said this property’s going to be given? Talk to me.
Mr. Russell: I need the map. There we go. If you look at the round area up
there, there
if you look at that
brown area would be the area that we’re looking at for the building the parking
deck. And then if you look at the two areas
that are not being donated, one of which belongs to
the radio station
which is a, sorry about that. That’s where the hotdog stand is. That’s owned by
a private
individual. The other part of the place is owned by WAGT Television. The
balance of
that is owned by Riverfront Development and that’s the property
that’s going to be donated.
..............and later in their exchange:
Mr. Russell: Beamie’s Restaurant is right here. The new hotel is over here.
This is the
parcel that’s owned
by the TV station right here, this piece right here. This is where the hotdog
stand the old gas
station is on the corner. The balance of that brown would be –--
Mr. Hatney: You checked with them about whether or not they were going to be
building
the site?
Mr. Russell: Sir?
Mr. Hatney: About donating the site, about donating? Did
we check with them yet on
the possibilities?
Mr. Russell: They’ve agreed to donate the property.
Mr. Hatney: So what you’re actually saying then if you build a parking deck of 250 or
300, 300 hundred
parking spaces because that would be half of five-hundred, is 250.
Mr. Russell: Right. What we did at your direction was to bring back the
consult fee.
The architect that
was doing the building we asked them to do the parking study that you
requested. What they
basically came back with was we need to replace 150-spaces. In addition
to that they needed
‘x’ number of more spaces and the total number together was 400 total.
Mr. Hatney: “X” number of more spaces, so that’s 250 more than they actually
(unintelligible)
Mr. Russell: Yes, sir. It replaces the 150 that ---
Mr. Hatney: So the total will be 400 and you anticipate you’re going to have
to go
beyond 400?
Mr. Russell: Hopefully, sir, at some point we will have room. We’ve got room
to but
hopefully we’ll have
to expand that at some point but not in this particular move. We don’t need
to do it right now.
Mr. Hatney: But you can’t make it with 300?
Mr. Russell: Not according to ---
Mr. Hatney: 150 to 150.
Mr. Russell: By the time ---
Mr. Hatney: 150 you need and 150 you might.
Mr. Russell: And you’d be the first one that showed up and you didn’t get a
parking
place and holler at
me.
7
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Commissioner Bowles.
Mr. Russell: --- and we have those dollars available.
Mr. Hatney: One other question and I’m through. What’s the additional
expanded
possibility that’s
going to be built into, that would be built into the original? How far up could
you go? How many
more could you add?
Mr. Russell: We could double that according to what they’re telling me if
need be.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Are you good?
Mr. Hatney: Yeah I’m through.
Below are excerpts from minutes from a July 7th, 2009 Augusta Commission meeting where ownership[ of the land where the parking deck sits was discussed:
Mr. Russell: Beamie’s Restaurant is right here. The new hotel is over here. This is the
parcel that’s owned by the TV station right here, this piece right here. This is where the hotdog
stand the old gas station is on the corner. The balance of that brown would be –--
Mr. Hatney: You checked with them about whether or not they were going to be building
the site?
Mr. Russell: Sir?
Mr. Hatney: About donating the site, about donating? Did we check with them yet on
the possibilities?
Mr. Russell: They’ve agreed to donate the property.
Mr. Hatney: So what you’re actually saying then if you build a parking deck of 250 or
300, 300 hundred parking spaces because that would be half of five-hundred, is 250.
Mr. Russell: Right. What we did at your direction was to bring back the consult fee.
The architect that was doing the building we asked them to do the parking study that you
requested. What they basically came back with was we need to replace 150-spaces. In addition
to that they needed ‘x’ number of more spaces and the total number together was 400 total.
Mr. Hatney: “X” number of more spaces, so that’s 250 more than they actually
(unintelligible)
Mr. Russell: Yes, sir. It replaces the 150 that ---
Mr. Hatney: So the total will be 400 and you anticipate you’re going to have to go
beyond 400?
Mr. Russell: Hopefully, sir, at some point we will have room. We’ve got room to but
hopefully we’ll have to expand that at some point but not in this particular move. We don’t need
to do it right now.
Mr. Hatney: But you can’t make it with 300?
Mr. Russell: Not according to ---
Mr. Hatney: 150 to 150.
Mr. Russell: By the time ---
Mr. Hatney: 150 you need and 150 you might.
Mr. Russell: And you’d be the first one that showed up and you didn’t get a parking
place and holler at me.
7
LoaMr. Hatney: I wouldn’t do that.
Mr. Russell: The recommendation of the architects is that 400-number ---
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Commissioner Bowles.
Mr. Russell: --- and we have those dollars available.
Mr. Hatney: One other question and I’m through. What’s the additional expanded
possibility that’s going to be built into, that would be built into the original? How far up could
you go? How many more could you add?
Mr. Russell: We could double that according to what they’re telling me if need be.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Are you good?
Mr. Hatney: Yeah I’m through. Below are exceprts from minutes from a July 7th, 2009 commission meeting where ownership of the parking deck land was discussed:
Loading....Mr. Hatney: I wouldn’t do that. Mr. Russell: The recommendation of the architects is that 400-number --- Below are excerpts from a July 7th Commission meeting where land acquisitions and air rights were discussed over the TEE Center parking deck.Augusta Commission meeting, 7 July 2009.
Mr. Russell: ….I haven’t finalized anything waiting for your approval but I’m getting very close to giving you the final documents on all three if not the schematic designs, the land acquisition and the operating agreements. Land acquisition, the green part is the park for the TEE Center. The area in black is owned by the Riverfront Development Corporation or some subsidy there is, there are. They will be donating that property towards the completion of the TEE Center. The other two pieces of property in negotiation are the Lock Shop and the warehouse building on the corner.
Ms. Beard: I’m sorry ---
Mr. Mayor: Ms. Beard.
Ms. Beard: --- what are they donating again?
Mr. Russell: The area in the black is the property that they own.
Ms. Beard: In the black.
Mr. Russell: The little black square up there, green I’m sorry.
Mr. Mayor: Outlined in black.
Ms. Beard: Oh across the street.
Mr. Russell: That’s the location of the TEE Center itself.
Ms. Beard: What about the corner of 9 and Reynolds. Are they donating that?
Mr. Russell: No, that belongs to a different party and that’s the individual that we’re negotiating the sale to, the warehouse. That’s not owned by the Riverfront Development people. Both of those are owned by two different, the Lock Shop and that corner property are owned by two private people.
Mr. Holland: How much of that property is being donated the size how much is that?
Mr. Russell: I don’t have the meets and bounds but it’s about pretty much to scale.
Mr. Holland: Yes, I see that. How much is that?
Mr. Russell: I can get you the detail on that. I do not know that.
Mr. Mason: Fred, this property that you’re talking about there in the black that’s being donated. Previously when this was brought to us we were looking at purchasing this property. Is that correct? So now you’re saying ---
Mr. Russell: We’ve been up in the air about that all along. I’ll continue to have discussions about it being donated they’ve continued to have discussions about wanting us to purchase that. We have won out in those discussions at this point.
Mr. Mason: So a donation is what we’re looking at.
Mr. Beard: Now one other question in reference to that.
Mr. Mayor: Ms. Beard.
Ms. Beard: In one part of the information it said air rights would be donated.
Mr. Russell: I’d like to talk about that a little bit later. That gets into the parking issue and there’s a couple items we’ve got there that we need to talk about if you don’t mind.
Ms. Beard: Well, what about the Trade Center itself?
Mr. Russell: That’s the green property.
Ms. Beard: I mean the air rights.
Mr. Russell: We build a building there. The air rights would not be significant. It would be part of the building itself.
Ms. Beard: I don’t know why people say they are significant. Okay.
Mr. Russell: But they would be for, in the second part of our conversation I, we, they would not be able to build anything on top of it. So at this point I don’t know.
source: Augusta Commission Meeting Minutes July 07, 2009
source:
Augusta Commission Minutes from Dec 7th, 2009
Read The full City Stink article on the parking deck drama here:
The Parking Deck of Wonders
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