|
November 2011 (TO BE RELEASED TO THE WEED PRESS ON A DATE TO BE DETERMINED)
Dear Citizens of Weed: [Re: Weed Community Center]
The Weed Community Center (WCC) board lost a challenge grant for $1,600,000 that had to be met by July of 2010. The WCC board could not complete the project in a timely manner causing the citizens of Weed to lose the opportunity to build a new community center at Bel Air Park.
Shortly before losing the challenge grant the WCC board decided to look at purchasing the Wellness Center building that is owned by the Great Northern Corporation and the City of Weed on School House Hill. From notes and minutes of the WCC board meetings it appears that this 10,000 sq. ft. building cost $1,720,000 to build ($172 per sq. ft.), over 70% more than was originally estimated. The City of Weed had received a grant for $1,000,000 and another $300,000 in funding to pay for this building, which was not enough money to finish the construction project. The notes further appear to suggest that Great Northern acquired a line of credit for more than $800,000 through the Masons to finish paying off the building construction. Recapturing of these funds may be the reason Great Northern and the City of Weed are trying so hard to sell this building for use as a Community Center even though it has repeatedly been shown to provide inadequate space to house the Community Center. The 3,000 sq. ft. basement of this building is used for storage, and about half of the remaining 7,000 sq. ft is leased out for ten years as a fitness center, leaving not nearly enough space for a community center.
The original WCC board voted to disband on April 16th of 2010. That original board somehow passed the project to the Weed Recreation and Parks District at a closed door meeting with only three WCC board members (Gary Blevins, Mike Rodriquez and Earl Wilson) in attendance. It is possible that this transfer was in violation of the by-laws of the WCC corporation (incorporated as the "Siskiyou Community Center"). There was never any public notice or any input from the community regarding their decision. Three people should not be making decisions for the entire Weed community.
At the Weed Recreation and Parks Board (WRPD) Meeting, May 19, 2011 regarding the development of the Weed Community Center (WCC), we were very upset to see the insensitivity of the WRPD Board to the citizens of Weed. Not once did we hear, "What is in the best interest for the citizens of Weed?" All we heard was what is best for the financial interest of the WRPD. They were eager to receive the possible monthly rental fees. For the past 15 years we have listened to the people of Weed, and they have expressed their desires for what they would like to see in the WCC. Those wishes were all pushed aside by the WRPD, as though they never existed, leaving the WRPD with the assumption that only they know what's best for the community.
There have been two recent WRPD public meetings regarding the WCC; neither documented properly, because of either a broken tape recorder, lack of official notes, or no newspaper reporter. About 95% of the Community members present at these meetings clearly showed the WRPD that there is a huge need for a Community Center, and that their preferred location was in the Weed Mercantile. There is a growing need for programs and services for the citizens of Weed in these hard economic times, and the Community Center must be large enough to hold them all in one location.
In April 2011 WRC/WCRC offered to work together with WRPD to create a jointly-sponsored plan and grant proposal to provide a Weed Community Center that would best satisfy the Community's needs. This offer of cooperation was rejected. At the WRPD board meeting May 19th, four of our Weed Revitalization Coalition (WRC) members had to share one agenda and one set of minutes from the previous meeting. It is quite obvious that the WRPD lacks the ability and leadership to complete this project on their own. The WRPD is basically a Parks Board with no recreational projects in Weed, except a swimming pool that isn't even open on weekends (when it is needed the most) and a poorly organized snowboard and ski program through Weed Elementary School. They offer Weed little more than a gardening and maintenance service for the local parks. The WRPD offers no Weed- based programs for the kids, youth, families or seniors. They are not a program oriented agency in Weed, and have inadequate funds to develop into one.
It's time for the citizens of Weed to unite and take action while working together like we did on the successful development of the Centennial Plaza, the Weed Skate Park, and Weed Pride Projects; realizing our dream of a fully functional Community Center that will serve all of our community's needs now and in the future. We need a Community Center designed to serve the young and old, rich or poor, healthy or frail, with programs that they can help to design and implement.
Let's stop the talk and start to walk the walk. The Olivers are more than happy to sell the Weed Mercantile Mall, the last Historic Building built by our founder Abner Weed. This way the we can truly develop the Weed Community Center. The Olivers are willing to sell this building for $33.00 per square foot which means that they are personally donating two thirds of the building's value back to the community that they love. The Olivers already donate the rent for the Weed Community Resource Center (WCRC), which now houses over 50 community based programs for kids, families and seniors in the Mercantile. The Weed Mercantile Mall is in an easily accessible downtown location, and is the perfect size to accommodate all of the current programs and events, as well as future growth.
We had planned on holding a Community Meeting and Open House to show the public exactly what is presently available in the Mercantile; kids play area, computer lab, senior programs, lending library, etc.; and to get additional input on what else the community would like to see included in the existing (Oliver) Community Center. Our future plans included a 10,000 sq. ft. Teen Center to be located on the third floor of the Mercantile.
On August 20, 2010 the President of the Ford Family Foundation challenged the Weed Community to unite together and submit one new grant proposal for a Weed Community Center. We need to recognize and respect the wishes of the grantor of funds for our Community Center. To this end the WRC/WCRC team prepared and submitted a new grant application to the Ford Foundation to restore the previous grant funding, and to revive the WCC project as the permanent Community Center home for the WCRC's Community-wide activities in the centrally-located Weed Mercantile Mall.
Unfortunately, the WRPD submitted a competing proposal to the grantors which utilizes the "Great Northern" building on schoolhouse hill as the venue for the Community Center. Even though this building has repeatedly been shown to be inadequate in space by at least a factor of two, they persisted in their vain attempts to use the building. As a result, the grantor's have denied both requests, preferring to see a unified community choice for the location. As a further result of the WRPD's actions, the entire Weed Community Center project is now on permanent hold until the WRPD withdraws its proposal for use of the unrealistic location within the Great Northern building. The WRC/WCRC partnership is still willing to pursue the previously offered joint effort between ourselves and the WR&PD that supports the Mercantile as the one and only obvious choice to house the Weed Community Center.
Sincerely,
Board of Directors
Weed Revitalization Coalition (WRC)
& Weed Community Resource Center (WCRC)
|
|
