  Sharmaal Member Username: Sharmaal Post Number: 1160 Registered: 09-2004 |
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.d ll/article?AID=/20070627/UPDAT E/706270439/1004 | ||
Susanarosa Member Username: Susanarosa Post Number: 1558 Registered: 11-2003 |
Finally... | ||
1953 Member Username: 1953 Post Number: 1419 Registered: 12-2004 |
Eh. Selling off assets is a one time fix... | ||
Susanarosa Member Username: Susanarosa Post Number: 1559 Registered: 11-2003 |
It's not purely a one time fix when you consider how much money the city has been using to "maintain" the property as it sat vacant. | ||
Jt1 Member Username: Jt1 Post Number: 9463 Registered: 10-2003 |
quote: Who cares about public safety, schools, social services, playgrounds in the neighborhoods when we can have camp Brighton. I'm surprised to see Barbara Rose Collins vote for this. | ||
Chitaku Member Username: Chitaku Post Number: 1450 Registered: 03-2006 |
is this in brighton? | ||
Sharmaal Member Username: Sharmaal Post Number: 1161 Registered: 09-2004 |
Delray I think. | ||
56packman Member Username: 56packman Post Number: 1465 Registered: 12-2005 |
Sooooooo...................... The city/mayor is still selling assets to cover budget shortfalls and avoiding the real work of "right sizing" the city payrolls for the new reality of a much smaller population and tax base. What do you do when you've run out of assets to hock? The city could develop portions of the east side into a new "Camp Brighton" for pennies on the dollar. "Camp Mack ave." | ||
Crew Member Username: Crew Post Number: 1306 Registered: 02-2004 |
Isn't selling under-used assets part of "right sizing" city governmanet? | ||
Jdkeepsmiling Member Username: Jdkeepsmiling Post Number: 266 Registered: 01-2006 |
I can just imagine the creative tee shirts for Camp Gratiot. | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 1097 Registered: 07-2004 |
Eh, $3.5 million is not going to help offset the budget problems by all that much.Hopefully, at least the people buying the real estate will kick in some money to Kilpatrick's campaign, so that some of that money will stay in Detroit. Seriously, though, I can understand wanting to keep the park. Something like the "Fresh Air Fund" in New York would be cool. (The fund takes city kids out into the sticks so they can study how white people live.) | ||
Jt1 Member Username: Jt1 Post Number: 9464 Registered: 10-2003 |
Financial situations of NYC and Detroit are a little different. | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 1098 Registered: 07-2004 |
Yes, Jt1, financial situations are different. But that doesn't mean I can't understand wanting to keep it. It also doesn't make recreational opportunities for inner-city kids any less desirable. | ||
Susanarosa Member Username: Susanarosa Post Number: 1560 Registered: 11-2003 |
Camp Brighton hasn't even been open in something like 12 years... | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 1100 Registered: 07-2004 |
I'm not saying Camp Brighton was open. I said, and I'll say it one more time, I can understand wanting to keep it and that recreational opportunities for inner-city kids are desirable. | ||
Susanarosa Member Username: Susanarosa Post Number: 1561 Registered: 11-2003 |
Keep it just so it can continue to sit vacant and the city spends money on maintaining it because its so broke it can't afford to operate it? Do you realize how little sense that makes? | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 1101 Registered: 07-2004 |
I didn't say anything about keeping the park. I looked at Kenyatta's position on the park and thought, "I can see where he's coming from." I know, we have to be realistic. Kwame needs to raise money for re-election somehow, so these deals have to go through. I understand. | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 793 Registered: 10-2003 |
Come on. Who cares. I hardly think anybody here. The city can't afford to keep all this crap right now. It makes perfect sense to sell it. You make a little short term money, and you no longer have to pay to maintain it. More money that can be spent on more important things. | ||
Susanarosa Member Username: Susanarosa Post Number: 1562 Registered: 11-2003 |
I'm willing to bet that Kwame was already getting the money from the folks involved in this deal. I doubt this will increase the amount substantially. Especially since folks like you will be looking for it. | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 1103 Registered: 07-2004 |
Hey, every little bit helps! Those political contributions are tough to track. Not as easy to monitor as the public numbers. I'm surprised it took his people a whole term to figure that one out. | ||
Johnnny5 Member Username: Johnnny5 Post Number: 532 Registered: 06-2005 |
^^^ The guys getting $300,000 per year to maintain a vacant campground were probably slacking on their "obligations" to King Kwame. IMO the citizens of Detroit are getting shafted excepting such a small amount for Camp Brighton. Someone's definitely getting some kickbacks when such a prime piece of undeveloped land sells for barely half of it's appraised value. | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 1105 Registered: 07-2004 |
Ha. And the whole story gets spun as one of fiscal conservatism. Only in America. | ||
Susanarosa Member Username: Susanarosa Post Number: 1564 Registered: 11-2003 |
Of course there's political motive behind it. You'd be hard pressed to find one decision made on that floor that doesn't have political motive. But you cannot deny the fact that selling the land and not having to pay for maintenance anymore is fiscally responsive. And something that should have been done years ago. | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 1106 Registered: 07-2004 |
Sure, let's stop paying the politically connected contractor who's milking the city budget and sell it to a politically connected developer for less than market value. Sound. Fiscal. Reasoning. | ||
Susanarosa Member Username: Susanarosa Post Number: 1565 Registered: 11-2003 |
*yawn* Next time I'm on 13 I'll stop by and wave. That's the only place where you can find people as into paranoid conspiracy theories as you appear to be. | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 1107 Registered: 07-2004 |
Methinks the damsel doth dismiss too much ... | ||
Belleislerunner Member Username: Belleislerunner Post Number: 317 Registered: 12-2003 |
Camp Brighton will reopen as a summer camp and recreational facility for adults and children. The Chaldean Church is funding a large portion of the purchase price via the Sam Kassab Fund. Sam, a notable local resident, died in 2001 but prior to his death created the Sam Kassab Fund. His wish was to build a monastery that the Chaldean Church would own on part of the vacant property of Camp Brighton. The Fund has grown into a multimillion dollar balance and has committed $2.5 million dollars to the purchase/buidling of the monastery. Fair value represents the price that would be received to sell an asset or transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants. Appraised values are irrelevant. The FV of the land sold is the $3.5 purchase price. The City was able to get cash for the property, eliminate maintenance cost and a private fund will maintain the property for the benefit of residents. Sounds perfect to me. | ||
Susanarosa Member Username: Susanarosa Post Number: 1566 Registered: 11-2003 |
You're missing one key person in that explanation BIR and I believe that's he's the reason Detroitnerd is getting his panties in a bunch. | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 1108 Registered: 07-2004 |
Yes, I'm sure there's nothing unseemly going on here. Just good, sound, honest business. But I don't need you to tell me that. My tax dollars will shortly be used to send me a city circular about it, witha photo of the mayor being embraced by a gaggle of smiling black children. Case closed. | ||
1953 Member Username: 1953 Post Number: 1420 Registered: 12-2004 |
My issue with selling the camp is not necessarily with this specific deal, but with the "hawk all assets" approach that the city and the state are using to balance budgets. Its not a comprehensive approach, despite reducing maintenance costs. What will the city have to do to balance the budget the next time Kilpatrick and the clowncil can't agree on how to align revenue and expenses? | ||
Burnsie Member Username: Burnsie Post Number: 1055 Registered: 11-2003 |
I'm just glad that the camp will at least mostly remain green space and not carved up into a housing development. | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 1109 Registered: 07-2004 |
That's true, Burnsie. It is welcome news for the watershed. | ||
Charlottepaul Member Username: Charlottepaul Post Number: 1203 Registered: 10-2006 |
"Grand River near I-96" That Freep location description is more vague than I-94 & Gratiot. | ||
River_rat Member Username: River_rat Post Number: 273 Registered: 02-2006 |
My financial group still wants to buy Belle Isle and really help the city with it's budget problem. The offer of $700 million for the entire island and the bridge stands. The only caveat is that Detroit cede it's jurisdiction and it will become an independent township. | ||
Charlottepaul Member Username: Charlottepaul Post Number: 1205 Registered: 10-2006 |
riiigghhhhtttt... | ||
Rjk Member Username: Rjk Post Number: 752 Registered: 11-2003 |
Reminds me of the bit David Newman did on his WXYT radio show years ago. On April fools he did a segment about a developer (friend of his) who wanted to buy the Island from the city. I wonder how D. Newman is doing. His return to radio looks like it's not going to happen. | ||
Swede1934 Member Username: Swede1934 Post Number: 23 Registered: 04-2007 |
From someone who has been out of the area for some time, a question. Is Camp Brighton the same as the old Boy Scout camp that was out there?? | ||
River_rat Member Username: River_rat Post Number: 274 Registered: 02-2006 |
Our offer to purchase Belle Isle was (and is) no joke. With our offer we sent a deposit of $5M to a previous mayor. We never had a response. we called and were told that the check would not be cashed and the island was not for sale. Offer stands (we actually offered $825M earlier, but the market is down, you know. take a look at Grosse Ile and tell me we won't do it someday. | ||
Charlottepaul Member Username: Charlottepaul Post Number: 1211 Registered: 10-2006 |
Yeah, I don't think that the market is their for developers to by Belle isle. | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 5394 Registered: 11-2003 |
River Rat, yes. Build a bridge to Canada over the shipping channel and you've got a bi-national community. There aren't mnay parcels of land so cool as Belle Isle. The Canadians can pronounce it too. 56packman, too funny. jjaba's never been there but Camp Mack Ave. sounds great. Tall prairie grass, phesants, Nutria, raccoons. As for the Chaldeans, imagine the deals on liquor, cigarettes, and gas on the property. Pass the babaganoosh! jjaba. | ||
Granmontrules Member Username: Granmontrules Post Number: 109 Registered: 01-2007 |
56packman - My wife works in Finance for the City. This mayor has reduced the work force from 20,000 plus employees that he inherited to around 13,500. I think he is doing his part with more "smartsizing" to go. The city doesn't need to be maintaining a piece of land 30 miles from downtown. The City has PLENTY of parks and land here in Detroit to maintain. Good luck to the church and may they enjoy it! | ||
Why Member Username: Why Post Number: 39 Registered: 04-2007 |
It's too close to Howell and a takeover in the immediate future just isn't going to happen. Belleville, Ypsilanti, Ferndale - sure. Dearborn, Howell, Brighton - not for quite a while. Sell it while it's still got some value. Smart move. |
