City veterans at 2011 Memorial Day observance.With a city-owned Front Street veterans' center still on hold, veterans are looking into alternatives, American Legion Post 219 Commander Lamar Mackson said Monday.
"We want our own space," Mackson told Plaintalker after Memorial Day ceremonies that included placing wreaths at war memorials on East Seventh Street and on the grounds of City Hall.
Promises of a center as part of a building on East Front Street date back to 2006. Besides 63 residential condos, the building was to include a large senior center and a place for veterans to meet. See Plaintalker's 2006 report here. The senior center had a one-day opening in May 2009 and opened full-time in November 2009, but although a sign indicates a Veterans Center on the ground floor, the space was stipulated for use as a sales office for the condos. According to a contract with the developer, it was not to be turned over to veterans until all units were sold.
Meanwhile, market conditions have led to a lease for purchase plan to fill up unsold condos, putting the veterans' center in limbo.
City Corporation Counsel Dan Williamson said last week that talks are in progress with the developer regarding occupancy of the veterans' space. Mackson said veterans are currently meeting at the senior center, but they are chafing at restrictions on access. Asked whether he was encouraged by the city's attempts to get the contract terms modified, Mackson replied, "Not at all. We continue to have difficulty accessing the (senior) center in an unfettered way."
Mackson said he has provided Senior Center Director Sharron Brown with a list of meetings and events veterans have planned, but as he has stated at City Council meetings, the veterans have to wait to be let in to the building after hours. The same issues of free access with their own key would apply to the veterans' center when it comes under city control, Williamson said.
The veterans are now looking into acquiring their own building, Mackson said.
Both the senior and veterans' centers are considered condos as part of The Monarch, as the building is called. The senior center is liable for 13 percent of common costs of the building. If and when the the veterans' center is turned over to the city, it would pay 1 percent of common costs. In an update on the senior center, Williamson said the city was paying the $2,750 monthly condo fee out of a bond issue. The city is working on closing of the property, he said.
--Bernice
Do the vets need a separate space, or will a key open up all the space they need? Instead of all the promises kept and unkept, maybe the city should just sell the space back to the developer. Be done with all the hocus-pocus and go out and buy a key.
ReplyDeleteOr perhaps the city-owned Tepper's basement might do. Has even the City Council taken a look yet since the Administration quashed the tour scheduled to be held during the Council Retreat sometime way, way long ago?
We've got space we don't even know what to do with. Imagine that, in such a high density part of such a high density state. Our representatives and officials must be representing us really well.
Can we make use of the vacant retail space at street-level at the County Office Building at Park-Madison? We got a 'piece of the action' at the other developments, why not here? We can put Plainfield Action Services, the WIC program, and maybe even the Recreation office there, as part of a new Social Services Department. PMUA could then consolidate some back office, customer service, and IT operations in the Annex, and we can begin an initiative to develop some shared services between the City and the Authority to keep our overall costs down.
A city paying condo fees! How funny is that?
Is it the City Council's job to run the city? The suggestions you listed above, which are valid, should be implemented by the Administration.
ReplyDeleteI think that the City Council should look into how they can declare the mayor incompetent and put a City Administrator in place and work with them. Clearly, the administration doesn't have a clue. We have more businesses leaving the city than entering, sad state of affairs.