As a point of interest this prevents COMPETING
BUSINESSES from being present and being privy to what is going on within the
local market place. To better illustrate the point and to give a sense of how
big an advantage this may be to someone….. Someone with Inside Information will
have the opportunity to build a personal relationship with a prospective client
and be prepared to address clients concerns…..Using Councilman Almquist as an
example and discounting the time he spent as Chairman of the Planning
Commission…..An advisory board appointed by the Mayor and City Council his
sphere of influence is immense.
Please take note…..Councilman Almquist may make a
motion to move to a closed session and he gets to vote for a Closed Session….. Knowing
that he can be present and privy to information that his competitors cannot
access. Councilman Almquist may also vote to approve or not approve an applicant’s
request for a building permit….. Commercial Building Permits usually dictate
Landscape Requirements that are usually provided by a local Landscape
Business…..Councilman Almquist Owns and Operates a Landscape Business…..A
reasonable and prudent person may conclude that an applicant, seeking approval
would know who is empowered to approve the request for a building permit and be
in a position to influence the outcome.
This may explain the recent phone call I received
inquiring if I was aware that Councilman Almquist’s Landscape Business was
putting in the Landscape at the recently approved Jiffy Lube adjacent to the
Virgin River…..The caller believed Councilman Almquist had cast the deciding vote
in a 3-2 Council Decision approving the building of the Jiffy Lube. The perception
of a conflict of interest is what it is…..A perception. Only the public can
decide if Perception Equals Reality in public’s mind.
In order to clarify the issue I responded to the
Jiffy Lube construction site and was greeted by the Project Manager of
Westbrook Construction Co. I was asked the reason for my presence and I
explained that I wished to confirm if Councilman Almquist’s Landscape Business
was indeed providing the Landscape Services for the Jiffy Lube Project. It was confirmed that once the building
permit had been approved and issued businesses were asked to submit their bids
and Councilman Almquist’s Landscape
Business submitted the low bid and was awarded the job. I opined that Councilman Almquist was in the
Landscape Business and perfectly within his rights to bid the job.
The Sale of City Property: The City Council approved the sale of 4.176
acres of City Property (Lots 1 & 3 of the Confluence
Commercial Center – Phase 1) adjacent to the Dixie Center for $12.00
/sq.feet. City Manager,
Esplin reported that the City would receive $2,182,572,00 and that Two Hotels
would be built on the site. The first hotel will consist of 130 rooms and the
second hotel would have 95 rooms. The money received is earmarked to complete
the remodeling of the Electric Theater – Performing Arts facility owned by the
City located on Tabernacle just east of Main Street.
A Little History of Property In Question: Several
years ago the City acquired approximately 93 acres of land adjacent to the
Dixie Center. 16 acres were purchased at a cost of 2.5 million dollars and the
remaining acres were donated to the City. The Crosby family received what is
believed to be a one million charitable gift tax write-off for the donated
property. The land located in the Flood Way I am told cannot be built on. The land considered to be on the Flood Plain
can be built on if raised above the required level from the Flood Way. Crosby Park now sits on a portion of this
land and is located just south of the Dixie Center for the enjoyment of
citizens and compliments the City’s Trail System. The City is destined to
benefit financially from its role as a Developer as may the business interest
of those elected to serve.
Thank you, Ed Baca
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