BEACON BOONDOGGLE: MOTHER OF ALL PITTSFIELD SCAMS?
BY DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY
ADD 1 — Happy Thanksgiving to all PLANETEERS. Enjoy the day, count your blessings, and reaffirm your commitments. We shall be back with new content on Monday. Until then, relax, have fun, refresh, and recharge.
———- ooo ———-
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY & BEYOND NOV. 20etc., 2018) — To track back the hedge maze of financing that made possible the boondoggle known at the Beacon Cinema makes one realize the intent behind its implementation. Designers of the impossible-to-account-for project, deliberately built in financial confusion and chaos as a means of making a muddy swine appear as a white swan. How else can one account for the bewildering money-mish-mash?
A succession of duped mayors and council rubber stampers thought the pig looked immaculate, and acting in the name of Mary Jane and Joe Kapanski, gave developer Richard Stanley everything he asked for more, demanding little to nothing in return. Free public money for dubious “private” development with little-to-no accountability? Do you recognize the formula? Perhaps the names of EV Worldwide, WorhshopLive!, Spice, and Nuclea ring a solstice for you, just to name a few.
That’s to leave out the countless projects for which public money was absconded with insufficient rationale or public input, including the countless runway repaving at the airport, more than a million dollars to Hiccup Shaker Village, the new THS, and the Berkshire “Honey, I Stole the Rockwells” Museum. Meanwhile, businesses — coffee bars, restaurants, clothing stores, general stores, boutiques — on the wrong side of politics that tried to make it on their own found out the hard way found out that Pittsfield is a city where the rich go to the “thea-tah” two months of the year and the poor can suck the public tit for 12 months out of 12. There is no middle class. There is no discretionary income.
———- ooo ———-
It’s as if someone put a “Kick me” sign on the back of Pittsfield, Mass., luring every fore flusher and carpet bagger this side of Guam to the county seat. Or maybe the DPW put up signs that read, “Welcome to Suckerland, Mass.” The same rotten formula can be seen in the influx of drug addicts, Section 8 single moms, gangs, bums, alkies, mentally ill, group homes, and other assorted gimme-groups who expect taxpayers to provide them not with a hand up but a perpetual hand out. Pittsfield took the grant money, and the fine print said that the city would accept the human refuse from other tonier parts of the state, notably east of Route 128. As an aside, THAT is a story waiting for the picking that the alleged mainstream media, especially The Boring Broadsheet, is apparently too lazy or timid to investigate. Why doesn’t THE PLANET? We are a one-man band with a loose collection of sources, spies, gum shoes, and Z-agents. We don’t have a 40-person newsroom.
The Mother of All Mothers in this endless development game of Pick Pittsfield Clean might yet turn out to be Stanley’s Beacon Cinema, which has sucked up more than $22.1 million, of which the developer put up $150,000 to turn the crank on the “economic engine.” They hid the trail through four mortgages, a series of tax credits, unjustified grants, and other subsidies. When this project first surfaced under mayor Gerry Doyle, Stanley said that the most important aspect was “who might make a buck” off it. It was probably the only time Stanley ever told the truth about his intentions for the Beacon. Jimmy Ruberto called the flick house “the crown jewel of the revitalization of downtown.” How’d that work out, Jim?
As the city and others explain it, there are two options:
- (1) Forgive Stanley the $2.55 million he owes and allow him to sell to a Michigan-based movie chain.
- (2) The banks foreclose.
Which should the city council choose?
In a world where there’s a level playing field, it’s an open discussion, but this has been a fixed game all along. THE PLANET‘s examination of the financials, maze-y as they are, convinces us that Option (1) would allow Stanley to walk away with Who Knows How Much of the $22.1 million and be a bad deal all around. This should be a no-brainer for the city council: Select Option (2). Forgiving the loan lets Stanley off the hook, sends the wrong message, and keeps a losing enterprise on North Street. It’s far better to cut losses. Let the banks take the property, with the city getting a lien for money owed. Let the theater go dark and put the property up for sale at a competitive price to PRIVATE money. That should be followed up with a thorough audit of the project.
One other question that no one wants to ask: Why can’t the city and the banks sue Stanley for the money he owes? We can reasonably assume that he has a net worth in excess of $2.55 million. So why can’t the principals in the case foreclose and then then go after him? Perhaps there’s a good reason, but we haven’t heard it. THE PLANET comes from a place where people pay what they owe. Period.
Councilors are again facing a vote that tells us who is for Us and who is for Them. We heard through council sources that the mayor secretly polled “friendly” councilors before she put forth her plan, making sure she had the votes. THE PLANET couldn’t confirm that, but the vote will reveal all.
————————————————————————————–
“You only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out” — Warren Buffet.
“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE”
LOVE TO ALL.
The views and opinions expressed in the comment section or in the text other than those of PLANET VALENTI are not necessarily endorsed by the operators of this website. PLANET VALENTI assumes no responsibility for such views and opinions, and it reserves the right to remove or edit any comment, including but not limited to those that violate the website’s Rules of Conduct and its editorial policies. PLANET VALENTI shall not be held responsible for the consequences that may result from any posted comment or outside opinion or commentary as provided in Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and this website’s terms of service. All users of this website — including readers, commentators, contributors, or anyone else making use of its information hereby agree to these conditions by virtue of this notice. When PLANET VALENTI ends with the words “The Usual Disclaimer,” that phrase shall be understood to refer to the full text of this disclaimer.
Could we get some clarification on what other business s are in that Stanley complex? Was there not a large meeting room that could be rented out for small conventions or something of that sort? How about eateries? Rented office space? Where did all the income from that go?
Barry, do you have any details on the floor plan? Other side business s within the Stanley Beacon footprint?
Dusty,
I do not.
Barry
The problem is, as you note, the theater is upside down in its value.
The building, all in is maybe worth, $5-8 million. With about $20-22 million in outstanding loans. It’s a bit hard to tell because not all the lending instruments have been disclosed. Of that we know the city holds about 12% of the debt and are willing to forgive it via an immediate $1.05 million and a structured $1.5 over time (10 years). Please understand these figures are rounded as subject to change because I’ve compiled them from different news sources.
Also know that an existing TIF is in place and seems to have forgiven $670k in total over the last 10 years. The Beacon also doesn’t seem to pay personal property on its fixtures, equipment, and furnishings (this might be part of the TIF).
So you have a $20 million dollar project, with $670k forgiven, somewhere in the neighborhood of $1.8 million in grants (free money), an additional $2.55 million in forgiveness pending.
So in straight dollars to dollars, so that’s about $5 million of free money on a $20 million project, or about 25%.
Now here’s where it gets weird, the value of the fixtures and marketing and daily operations, the “goodwill” as it’s called is CLEARLY not worth that extra $15 million dollars, in the short term, or long term.
When one looks at a business, you invest in hopes of getting a return on investment that exceeds what other investments do in the market.
This theater clearly can’t makes a profit, and certainly not enough of a profit to pay its bills. So the question becomes, why would anyone invest in it at all? It has a proven track record of failure and can’t meet the debt service.
My thought is, this obscure buyer, which doesn’t seem to have any better model for success, will fail as well. What they will do, is exactly what Mr. Stanley has done, they will actually take profits out, and yes Mr. Stanley has been making money, albeit not enough to pay all the bills, but his paltry investment of $500-800k has been “repaid” back to him a couple of times over, and we will be in the same place a few years from now.
This is just more smoke and mirrors and a company that sees an ability to take some minor profits with little or no risk.
Insight runs their theaters in the exact same manner, $6 matinees, $8.75 for regular, $2 more for 3D, assigned seats, and concessions. The BIGGEST difference is they run theaters in an active mall with almost twice the screens and triple the seating.
Why is that important? Concessions sales.
But here’s the thing, no cossesion sales are going to make up $15 million in loans. There’s not enough seats, there’s not enough of an audience, there’s an alternative not that far away, and it seems people are willing to pay more at the mall for the convince of parking.
.
If I were the city, I’d hold hard on the debt, let those with way more to lose structure a deal, because not one bank wants part of a $5 building with a debt of $15-17.5 million and zero good will.
This deal smells like one of two things to me:
The jersey shore shuffle or the solar tax scam.
Jersey shore shuffle:
A “company” will come in, buy a hotel/motel right before the summer season pay above market. They run the hotel as a cash business for the summer, walk away cash in hand, default on the loans.
Large scale solar companies never factor in personal property taxes as they always assume they can get away with not paying them or doing a cut rate percent PILOT.
This company either knows this is going to fail and is just seeking short term profits, or it’s clueless OR they’ve already structured a deal with the commercial lenders and this city deal is icing on the cake. The ONLY way this is going to work is if there are other deals in place, and the city deal is just Stanley doing some profit taking as he walks out, or that money is a form of “ernest” money to calm the commercial lenders.
Best thing, as to see all the contracts and financing documents with lenders. Ask to see any side contracts, consulting or employment, with Stanley that Insight might have.
If insight is getting favorable commercial loan rates or deals predicated on getting the city deal first. This is just a way for Stanley and commercial lenders to get paid, with no risk, and the tax payer to get screwed.
Excellent post, AGENT SMITH.
We need more insightful posts like this.
No one is going to foreclose on the Beacon. Although Pittsfield has sunk a few million into the game, there are others on the hook for much more. None of those creditors want to own that building.
It’s a $5 million building with $22 million in debt.
Let the commercial lenders make their deals to help prop up Beacon OR have the city put a lien on the property, let the banks forclose, and the city can get back some of the monies.
The city still has to issue an MLC for a sale, there’s power in that.
The way it stands Pittsfield is willing to give away $2.55 million (not including the prior TIF of $67k or so a year for the last 10 years so really Pittsfield has nothing to lose either way.
Dow down 450. All 2018 gains wiped out. So much for scump
Yup, the band is playing while the Beacon sinks – get everyone life boats.
My only question now is Allegrone doing the Berkshire Museum Reno? Ha. Cookie monsters ate the Rockwells.
What is up with the museum legal bills? Are the legal bills going to chew well into that museum windfall? will the lawyers once again be the big winners and Pittsfield the egg on the face loser?
Speaking of great home grown businesses that are no longer, does anyone know what’s happening with the Lantern building? Didn’t someone from South County want to open up a new place there? Maybe they are waiting for some incentives.
Scump and his spawn have more ethical violations than carters have pills. All are criminals cheats thieves and liars. Jan 3rd can’t arrive fast enough.
All righty then.
But as you are on trashing President POS this is the funniest Closer Look yet…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYnXBRo9TVA
Harrison. Good source. Comics need not write any jokes. Just play scumps interviews and his responses. That’s all you need the greatest jokes of all time.
Taxpayers in Pittsfield are getting screwed……..not as bad as Buffalo NY but screwed nonetheless !
In 2016, construction on Tesla’s Gigafactory 2 was completed at its location in Buffalo, New York. Since then, it appears that the factory has not done very much despite costing New York taxpayers $750 million to fund the construction of the production plant. In an article titled “Did Elon Musk Forget About Buffalo?” Bloomberg takes a look inside the Tesla facility. Bloomberg states:
Tesla has presented the Buffalo operation as a sort of sequel to the Gigafactory, the company’s enormous battery plant near Reno, Nev. But where that factory employs more than 7,000 people and has helped Musk transform Tesla into a major automotive manufacturer, large portions of Gigafactory 2, as this place is known, resemble an empty Walmart Supercenter. Tesla was supposed to be operating multiple production lines by now. Only one is set up, and it’s not yet fully automated. A mess of wooden crates filled with unused manufacturing equipment sits nearby.
https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2018/11/20/bloomberg-tesla-built-walls-inside-new-york-factory-to-hide-idled-production-lines/
I spend a fair amount of time out in the Buff as they say
https://www.wsj.com/articles/four-convicted-in-buffalo-billion-corruption-trial-1531429595
I don’t recall seeing much about this in the MSM
just sayin
I would choose option (2) unless Agent Smith or somebody else can flesh out the balance sheet for the Beacon Cinema. Here are the questions:
What is the asset? The theater that could be sold for $X and earns $Y after taxes for N years.
What are the liabilities? Well, at least a $2.55 million debt but what about the $22 million in cash that was given to the owner? It sounds like $Y is so small that the owner needs to have $2.55 “forgiven”.
This business is a real boondogle. The fact that New York State funded a bigger boondoggle is irrelevant. Don’t through good money after bad.
I don’t think it’s irrelevant…The Government should not be using our money to fund or bail out private businesses. The next boondoggle is BIC which is destined to fail. Pittsfield has a history of great failures, the elected officials change but the results are always the same. I agree with others that we need to move to a city manager instead of a mayor.
CHUCK
We were hoping you’d lend your expertise to this discussion. Many thanks. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
Dan,
The one major thing you have wrong is this…If the banks foreclose, the City DOES NOT get to place a lien on the property. The entire 2.55 million of debt gets erased. No recovering even a penny, ever!
Barry
Unpaid taxes can be put into a tax lien. Maybe the city never put a lien on the property.,
If you foreclose the owed taxes do not go away if you have a lien – that is secured interest.
If the city has never done that with past due taxes of this amount I would be surprised.
Thanks for the clarification … if anything can be called that in a story more complicated than the wiring behind the dashboard of the Starship Enterprise.
Where’s Downtown, Inc. in this whole situation ? They brought
Stanley to Pittsfield and over the years shared any profits he made
…have they now gone with the Chamber of Commerce into hiding ?
This all stinks worse than yesterdays diapers…and the almighty
Downtown Pittsfield Inc. which the City has been funding for years
now seems like Sgt Schultz…” I know nothing “..It’s time to dump Downtown Pittsfield, Inc.
GIO
Yes. Excellent addition. Where oh where is Downtown Pittsfield Inc. Or 1Berkshire, for that matter? Seems there’s a lot of scurrying at the moment!
Kermit,
They aren’t tax liens. They are mortgages for money lent to the project. They are subordinated to the banks. They will get erased.
And Agent, I do know what I’m talking about.
Barry
Can someone, in plain English, explain who the winners and losers are in this deal if the mayors plan to sell the joint goes through?
“In plain English.” Can anyone answer Dusty’s question? Here’s THE PLANET’s try.
Winners: Richard Stanley, Phoenix company, and officials who will profit politically or otherwise from a “yes” vote by the council. Don’t dismiss the strong possibility of graft and paybacks.THE PLANET has been around too long not to at least have our suspicions. Losers: Mary Jane and Joe Kapanski, once again.
Why does the debt get erased in foreclosure?
Why would the city not have a tax lien – if taxes are owed?
Mortgages and taxes are separate secured interests.
The mortgage does not relate to the taxes apart from that most have a caveat that they are required to keep taxes current.
I don’t know why anyone thinks there are tax liens. There aren’t any taxes owed, as far as I know. If there were, I agree the lien sticks.
The city is talking about forgiving the mortgages.
Phil, the debt gets erased in foreclosure because the banks are in first position. Unless they recover all their debt (and they won’t), there is nothing left for the city to collect on. The asset is sold, no proceeds to pay the City, debt is gone because the asset is sold to a third party.
Barry
Why is the city holding a mortgage?
Of course people who think tax forgiveness has to do with taxes.
This gets more and more preposterous. Why is the city holding a mortgage – and yes a mortgage is a secured interest.
Why is the city holding a 4th mortgage for this businesss? Assuming up the chain are priority secured interests? This is more nuts than I imagined.
The article in iNrrkshires talks about the city forgiving taxes – not a mortgage which is why people are talking about taxes.
KERMIT
Great question. Why would the city agree to hold a mortage? It’s a totally different process than bonding.
Because the City loaned the project money to make the construction happen.
I just learned I was wrong about the seats. There isn’t a tiff related to the seats. And the city didn’t give them a penny to buy them either.
Barry
People think there are taxes owed because that has been reported in press accounts. The “as far as I know” above, while we appreciate the honesty, also leaves room for another “uh-oh” coming down the pike. We have heard from city hall sources (from a department that would know) who insist taxes are involved. As for the second part of your comment, true: If the asset is sold, no proceeds go to the city. The debt is gone. But — and it’s a big one — the buyer comes in with fresh obligations, including property taxes, at the full commercial rate. We would agree that the Beacon Bomb is such a mess that the city’s going to get screwed no matter what. Perpetuating the bomb is the greater of two bad choices. Foreclosure is a better choice.
Yes. It does appear that (a) taxes are owed and (b) the city underwrote a 4th mortgage. As you point out, K, these are separate instruments, secured separately. They do not relate to each other. Another question: When did the city give Stanley a 4th mortgage? Does anyone know? Did this happen through council vote or executive order? Who has the answer? Barry? One of our Z-Agents?
Dan,
The mortgages were granted when the project was built.
If there are taxes owed, those would get paid at closing. The Tiff stays with the property, no the owner. So the graduated taxes phase in would stand with the new buyer.
Barry
Thanks, BC. I wasn’t sure about the Tiff staying with the property. That would be an inducement to a sale, I would think.
I realize I’m not the brightest bulb in a box, but how exactly does a municipality subordinate a mortgage instrument through financial institution granted to a private party. Municipal bonds, yes – mortgages, really?
Is this financial transaction charged by city charter or a state statute?
And I’m curious why Pittsfield would draft a convoluted contract document, that might find itself subject to a judge’s interpretation.
Contracts should drafted with little or no ambiguities, making clear all parties obligation under it. To suggest to taxpayers the contract document is complicated is nothing short of legal wrangling between all involved. If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck – it must be a duck.
If Stanley can’t sell, he might consider putting his financial woos into bankruptcy. Let a bankruptcy judge sort through all the city’s legal wrangling.
Anyone else remember, Solyandra?
Stanley is slick. His lawyers are slicker and none of them are named Harrington.
Stanley had to know this Beacon boondoggle was shitting the bed when he put in the order for the new reclining seats. Did his financial advisor tell him new seats would turn around a business failing for a half dozen reasons unrelated to patrons having a soft place to land their fat asses?
The movie theater was losing money hand over fist so he dumped how much money (not his) into new seating? wha what? Did someone tell him that tactic was turning around failing theaters across America? I am confused.
If you read the iBerkshire’s article – it was the Pheonix Theater group that recommended the new seating – the same entity now wishing to buy the place.
They were brought-in in 2016 as consultants to the Beacon to try and find ways to salvage the dying operation. They recommnded the new seating as part of the consulting.
I think the new seating was also somehow paid for by the city (in forgiving taxes?).
So ironically, the Phoenix not only wants $2.5 mil in debt dismissed but also got the city to pay for the new seating so they could buy an upgraded faculty. Oh the foolishness!
The city did NOT pay for a penny of the seating. They gave them a TIFF on the seating, which means they pay no personal property tax on the value of the new seats in year one. Then they pay tax on10% of the value in year two, 20% in year three and so on until they are paying on 100% of the value.
Barry
I have to admire you taking on this Sisyphean task.
Mike,
I understand the outrage. It will only become exacerbated if the facts aren’t explained. The original financing was complicated and most don’t understand it. Most people have new heard a “new market tax credit project”.
I want people to understand that what is proposed is the only logical proposal there is. A no vote by the council makes the matters worse.
And, I doubt anyone else is crazy enough to try and explain it.
Barry
BARRY
I agree with your comment about sharing the facts, but that’s just it. The facts are not clear at all. If I understand this, you’re saying that the city will walk away with nothing, no matter what. If that’s the case, as far as the city’s interests are concerned, it’s a wash. A no vote by the council will then also be a wash. A no vote allows the city to truly cut its losses, and let foreclosure begin. Nothing would prevent Phoenix from then stepping in, with its own money, and buying the building should it wish. All previous commitments made by the city would be voided, assuring taxpayers that if Phoenix comes in, it does so on their own dime, not tht of the taxpayers. Also, if the city molds a mortage, would they not be in line for at least some portion of a sale? Wouldn’t the city also be able to charge Phoenix property tax for the equipment, seats, etc.? This begs the question of why on earth would the city be in the mortage business? By what authority? One other point: It’s clear that a downtown movie house in that location doesn’t have a sufficient market to sustain itself. Why would the city want to perpetuate such a drain? I would refer you to Dr. Trzcinka’s comments on this chain. He is one of the country’s most respected economists. He know of that which he speaks. Finally, I do commend you for stepping in and being “crazy” enough to try to explain this, but there’s one thing I learned in my Metaphysics & Philosophy class: The unexplainable can’t be explained — another reason for the council to cut the losses and wipe this project and its sad performance history from the books. If not now, there will be regret later.
Stanley is slick and his lawyers are slicker. Pittsfield on the other hand has idiots that get us into these no win situations time after time.
I don’t think I’d be bragging about how ‘complicated’ and incomprehensible some investment scheme was that has for practical purposes defrauded millions of tax payer money.
Re public understanding of these deals —well shit, we only know what facts we can scrape together. The Eagle intentionally mislead all the frogging time by leaving out most facts. I generally do not read them- Turkey has more honest newspapers. For being essentially a chamber of commerce arm iberkshires does ok ish. Sadly the Eagle once was a Pulitzer winning paper.
That is most problematic. If this is true, it means that Phoenix was brought in as a consultant. For how much? Did city money pay them? Then they recommend new, expensive seating, which by the way few like. Then they express interest in buying out Stanley. Hmmm. Odd timing, wouldn’t you say? It appears as if Phoenix and Stanley were both in the kitchen, doing some cooking … of the books, perhaps?
Send them all down the road.
DOW down a thou is two days. Trump definitely done now. He won’t make it to the end of the year–again.
Nothing like this has ever happened at the stock exchange. Never.
“Cats and dogs. Living together. Mass hysteria.”
The Apple Computer, that liberals love so much, is the reason why the stock market is down today.
Thank you for my new better paying job President Trump. Myself and many others are grateful. We wanted jobs not government handouts and you have given us what we wanted. This is one of the major reasons why we voted for you.
Donny got you a job?!? Well at least he’s accomplished something
This fixation with the DOW as a political instrument of blame is a laugh. The DOW, as does the market as a whole, fluctuates. Period. DOW down? Time to buy. DOW up. Time to sell or hold. We have long followed Warren Buffet’s strategy: “When everyone’s selling, I’m buying. When everyone’s buying, I’m selling.” We do abhor, though, market “timing.” Long term works every time … unless you think the entire country and all its industry is going to fail.
What isn’t being stated is,the stock market even with the large loss,is still up33% overall.
Is there any way we can convert the Beacon into a sandfloat ?
I don’t think Auto Phil of 2 postings back will mind if I use his statement, “Oh the foolishness”, for my remembrance of more city stupidity. Remember the one million dollar gift Larry gave Pittsfield with instructions for improvement and preservation pf playing fields? It’s bad enough city officials wrote back asking what do you mean by “improvement and preservation of playing fields”, but the million was “squandered” (another misunderstood word by our faithful) on nonsense that is now being redone – at your expense – on playing fields. If this is confusing to you don’t worry about it, tax dollars, as usual, will solve all problems. But for how much longer???
CORRUPTION.
CHUCK
Great post. The city’s treatment of Larry and Larry’s $1 million was shameful. If Pittsfield had used the money as he had SPECIFIED, there’s every reason to believe there would have been more coming. But no — the city’s “leadership” knew better. Happy Thanksgiving to you and Carm!
What happened to the splash pad they were going to construct at Clapp Park?
I’ll bet some think that this Beacon blind blunder is a great idea.
So the article I read stated tax break – not loan forgiveness. I didn’t know the city could loan money like that.
If a loan was made then that is likely to never be repaid if the property is not worth it – whicH begs the question – Why did they loan them several million dollars in the first place?
What is the business being sold for?
Who in this city has been giving such bad financial advice to our administrations over the years.
We have given taxpayer money to so many dubious enterprises only to be shafted.
Who do we blame? City administrations, city lawyers, elected officials, big business execs?
Barry: Do you know?
looks like they’ve been getting pretty good financial advice, hundreds of millions of dollars embezzled and laundered without any difficulties, tax money still pouring in as fast as they can steal it
It sounds like Stanley had no idea how to run a movie theater. These guys sounds like they know what they are doing.
Yeah its great news. These guys know what they’re doing and I’m looking forward to a well run Beacon cinema. a lot of people don’t go there just because of Stanley and his strip searches. It’s amazing he lasted this long.
Either way the city doesn’t get their money back so let’s just be done with it now. So we won’t have a movie theater nobody goes to anyway. Big deal. Twas an assinine idea from day 1 and the building was always an ugly duckling. Maybe Ruberto will pony up the 2.5 mil, after all it was his “renaissance”
Why doesn’t the city take the goddamn building and convert it into a police station? Plenty of parking in the rear. Put a deep fryer in the concession and you can make the donuts. They could show training films on the screen and what cop would not like a reclining seat? (kidding) or am I? Hire poor impoverished Stanley as a janitor and let him watch the training films for free.
Now this is how you make lemons out of lemonade people. Get a freakin clue already.
I think the Michigan people are probably the best deal that is coming. We can’t fix the past.,
If the city has another 2.5 million to throw away maybe they can invest in public transport. Who goes out a night without taxis? We can be Guber to the others Uber.
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals at it again. This time an Obama-appointed federal judge there issued a nationwide injunction against President Trump’s newly announced emergency restrictions on asylum claims. The far left wants these illegal immigrants (mostly young men) to get into this country. I agree with President Trump that this is disgraceful.
Thanks for the Fox news update Pat.Its the most enlightened court in America.
Pat you have a lot of questions to answer. Let me refresh your memory. How can you support an individual who has told over ,6500 lies. This boggles the mind how any sane individual would have the ability to support such an individual. Have you lost your mind?
Maybe Krol can turn the Beacon into a hipster bowling alley.
Which one of these Pittsfield boondoggles is the biggest waste?
20 year old PEDA?
or
10 year old Beacon Cinema?
I would go with PEDA then Beacon Cinema.
– Jonathan Melle
Going by my gut feeling I want these people downtown .They have a passion to provide a great clean safe product.He had me at light bulb.
That made me laugh out loud.
Scump totally disregarding our intelligence agency findings and siding with Putin and now MBS. This idiot is a total disgrace. Our military by 47% doesn’t trust him to be the commander in chief. This miscreant gets worse by the day. I truly believe this clown has lost his mind. Being the liar that he is should be enough to cause any sane minded individual to have real doubts about this idiot. The ones who support and enable him are as guilty as he is. This Buffon is going to be forced out of office or impeached but what are we going to do with these obsequious brain dead followers? Too bad we can’t round them all up and ship them to Siberia. They should be right at home there. Down with scump.
So Art, those Trumpsters who don’t agree with your view “should be rounded up and shipped to Siberia?” Spoken like a true Russian. Also sounds like the rounding up of the Jews in Nazi Germany. And also sounds VERY unAmerican.
Yes Art just like your Democrat hero FDR. First on January 6, 1941 you address congress and speak to the four freedoms, first you propose four fundamental freedoms that people “everywhere in the world” ought to enjoy: Freedom of speech Freedom of worship Freedom from want Freedom from fear. Yes read that as EVERYWHERE IN THE WORLD then some 12 months later you issue Proclamation No. 2537 which requires select ethnic groups to register with the Federal government. Then as a follow up you sign executive order 9066 which authorizes the physical removal of all Japanese Americans into internment camps. Then you see to it that their property doesn’t go to waste and redistribute it amongst those you favor, you see the FDR icon of the left froze bank accounts that were never returned sold items that could not be carried ( you may recall that people were only allowed to take what they could carry as they were forced from their residences) you might be aware that many of the properties were sold to politically connected types. All this ART from the ICON on the left FDR. Peoples were never made whole because they could not be made whole. And now you are advocating this type of behavior that has been carried out by your party in the past be meted out to those who support a duly elected fully qualified President? The fact that you can state people should be rounded up and shipped anywhere shows your lack of understanding, inability to think or see through your utter hate. You continually ask Pat and others to speak to Trumps 6500 lies? Please explain and justify in clear terms that the descendants of over 150,000 stripped of all of their civil liberties, their wealth and all they held dear can find solace in please. You just might want to try being an American not a Democrat not a Republican but an American.
Please try to answer like an adult
Just sayin
JOE
Good to hear from you.
THE PLANET would love to have your take on the Beacon Bomb.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
Dan,
As I know you remember I was an outspoken critic of the project from the start. I plan on trying to dig out all the documents maybe over the holiday weekend. Happy Thanksgiving to you, yours and all who read the Planet.
I have some serious questions regarding the whole mess. For example how did it get to this point? Is Someone paid to monitor the progress and safety of our investment? Is there not an annual review to the authorities who disperse the funds? Common sense says that you monitor your investments to ensure you are on course for whatever goals you initially establish and adjust as needed.
Grant monies were given through various sources. What were or are the goals of those grants? Restore economic vitality to downtown is way to broad what are the terms and conditions of the grant(s) were they meet? Did they eliminate blight cure cancer and promote unicorns as they advertised? Can we read both the application for the grant as well as the terms and conditions and judge for ourselves if they were effective? Shouldn’t the City present these to both the public and the council at least yearly in a comprehensive form?
As I have always maintained if a private project needs taxpayer support in the form of capital it isn’t viable. I wish the new group nothing but the best. As a taxpayer I am now vested in their success. But forgiving the mortgages, taxes and all other lending instruments does nothing to address the core issues that keep people out of the Beacon. Parking, safety, etc. Unless and until those concerns are addressed to the satisfaction of the potential patrons nothing will change. It takes a real special kind of person to hand over the hard earned monies from many who can least afford it to others without continual monitoring and strict oversight but we allow it to happen with each and every project.
お誕生日おめでとうございます
Otanjōbiomedetōgozaimasu
Just sayin
JP
Good to hear your thoughts. You raise pertinent and vital questions, as always. If you can dig up the documents, that would be a good first step in shedding some clarification.
Joe pindead. Justify supporting an idiot who has told overb6500 confirmed lies and while your at it try sounding like an adult. Just saying
Art, can you please answer my question first? You answered my question with a question in an attempt to deflect. Please take a minute collect your thoughts and please answer the very simple question put to you. There have literally been decades for this to be discussed. Are we witnessing history being repeated because of a failure to acknowledge it?
We are all waiting for your reply Art
TIA
Just sayin
Yeah, if maybe if Maura is town keeping an eye on the museum maybe she can have a peek at the Beacon books?
Maura Healey is an obdurate simpleton much like Andrea Harrington and Linda Tyer. Don’t expect any of them to do anything to help the taxpayer.
Update to Beacon con job in the iBerkshires today. Wasn’t that McDonald guy also involved with the Civic Authority?
And how is it that this Michigan outfit is the only entity given a chance to purchase this building? In fairness to the taxpayer should it not have gone out to bid? How do we know someone might not have offered more money?
This whole deal looks worthy of an Attorney General investigation. This stinks at least as bad as the museum and they did that.
Based on what was said last night Stanley did not run this 20 million dollar project well..If you pick people to invest with this guy buying the Beacon is the most down to earth believable business person I have witnessed before the council.They did this without notes or a script because he did not need one.This guy seemed real.I don’t believe hes a a guy who wants to keep coming to the well.The Beacon needs more outside lighting.Yes ,he had me at light bulb and if your a business I too notice light bulbs it a sign that your not well run when bulbs are not replaced.Also bathrooms attract future business.We all love clean public bathrooms and is the biggest mistake in business not to have them inspected every 20 mins.
“the guy seemed real” Pat thinks Trump is real. I need more than that because many politicians practice being real in the mirror and then become gangsters after they take the oath of office with their fingers crossed.
Barnum seemed real.
Houdini seemed real
Chris Angel seems real
and all any of them ever wanted was your money
Most Pittsfield residents don’t know or care who Richard Stanley is they just don’t want to lose their cinema center again. At this point we have nothing to lose by giving these guys a chance.
Seriously? If they were worried about losing their cinema center they would have been going there and it would not be shutting down due to poor attendance.
Most residents do care if they are getting ripped off. You sound like you might BE Stanley and are trying to pivot the discussion.
None of those 3 seemed real.
Well then, if none of them seemed real and all those people paid to see them anyway they must have been doing something right.
How many citizens get harassed for parking money but poof away goes 2.5 million.
Probably would lose money selling my house but not sure this is a good region to work or invest it – e earthing is a tangled, dysfunctional mess.
Does anyone still believe Trumps for the little guy?Where is the middle class tax cut?What a great admission by Trump after telling his sheep they got alot of money in the 1.5 trillion raid of Obama’s economy we have stalled.The corporations have cash and the wealthy have more cash and the middle class has increased everything…food,realestate tax,utility fees,bank fees…Republicans dont hang with poor people.
Trump does not even like Navy Seals. Unless they are rich Navy Seals and they wear his hats.
I have 2 words that will explain why this is a dirty deal that is now thrown in the lap of the current administration: GERRY DOYLE.
Gerry Doyle has his hand in every f’d up thing in Pittsfield’s modern history. The only thing all these boondoggles did was pay for Doyle’s vodka bills.
I think the title of Dan’s column says it all.
Beacon is a bigger scandal than EV Worldwide, Nuclea, etc.
Where exactly have the city’s millions of dollars gone?
Will the city councilors & Mayor approve more of the coming scams? Pittsfield seems to be a magnet for fraudsters.
Crony capitalism at its finest one of the local web sites made a statement that Pittsfield may not be able to support two movie theaters. Odd that we couldn’t support a downtown mall so Lanesborough built one. Now that we can’t support two theaters ( Oh I’m sorry cinemas) we have to turn to the taxpayers. This boils down to supply and demand and Pittsfield doesn’t seem to have the flow of population to sit in our tax funded recliners to watch a flick without falling asleep.
So, by checking the numbers, Stanley invested $150k of his own money-Ok, go that. But $150k out of $22.1 million dollars? I did the math, Stanley paid exactly 0.00678733 into this $22.1 million dollar loan.
Will the City let tax-payers pay 0.006 of their tax bills? Seems fair to me.
I hereby grant temporary pardons to the two biggest turkeys on this board. Art Seller and TSC.
City water bills face rising ride
Pittsfield mayor details hikes to pay for wastewater project
BY AMANDA DRANE
The Berkshire Eagle
PITTSFIELD — The typical Pittsfield homeowner could see their water and sewer bills rise by about $43 in their next quarterly bill.
Mayor Linda Tyer told reporters on Tuesday that her administration is proposing rate increases to cover costs associated with necessary upgrades to the city’s aging infrastructure. She called the meeting to combat “misguided speculation, inaccuracies and fear tactics” used by some in public meetings.
“We’re going to set the record straight,” she said.
Currently, a homeowner with a two-toilet home sees a typical quarterly bill of $131.48. Under the new rate structure, that homeowner’s bill would increase to $174.04, a hike of about 32 percent. If approved by the City Council, the rates will take effect in January.
The city is facing a January deadline to begin a $74 million upgrade of its wastewater plant to comply with standards, revised a decade ago by the Environmental Protection Agency, that limit the amounts of aluminum and phosphorus that may be discharged into rivers. Existing equipment at the city’s plant on Holmes Road near the Housatonic River cannot accommodate the revised effluent limits.
Tyer said her administration inherited the wastewater project, and “it came without a plan.” She said her team has worked hard to plan for its ripple effects and save taxpayer dollars in a number of ways.
She applied for a series of low-interest loans to pay for the project, she said, and has so far received a $50 million loan from the state’s Clean Water Trust with hope for more in the next funding cycle. Some of that, she said, could end up in the form of a no-interest loan.
Earlier this year, her team negotiated a health insurance policy with the Pittsfield Employee Committee that saved the city over $1 million. More recently, she noted, she lowered taxes.
And through the city’s municipal aggregation program, Tyer said her administration has saved the city’s electricity ratepayers a combined total of about $565,000 in the past year.
“We’re hard at work all the time, looking for ways to save money and ease the impact,” she said.
Tyer and her team said they built a seven-year plan to increase water and sewer rates in stages to meet the costs of the improvements.
Those stages would begin with a 50 percent increase in fiscal 2019, and then they’d remain flat until fiscal 2021, when they would rise by another 15 percent. Fiscal year 2022 would carry no increase, and then the final increase in the plan would be 12 percent in fiscal 2023.
Owners of a single-family, unmetered home with two toilets currently pay a flat rate of about $248 annually in sewage costs.
That number would increase to about $467 after seven years. For two-toilet homeowners with meters, sewer rates would increase in stages from the current $1.91 per gallon to $3.69 per gallon.
Finance Director Matt Kerwood said a rate study conducted by Russell Consulting found the increases would bring in enough to cover operations of the city’s wastewater treatment plant, costs associated with the upgrade, regular maintenance and would build reserves for future wastewater expenses.
Public Services Commissioner David Turocy said officials decided to frontload the increase in the first year to offset initial costs stemming from the wastewater project.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WChTqYlDjtI
Interesting. And not one mention of Mr. Gaetani’s presentation upcoming on Dec. 10 — except for the mayor’s oblique reference to “misguided speculation, inaccuracies, and fear tactics.” How can a report from the city hall beat reporter be considered accurate, comprehensive, or “objective” if said reporter leaves out pertinent information?
Tyer is obdurate.
Drane needs a functioning brain.
Tyer Releases Rate Plan to Pay For $74M Wastewater Project
By Andy McKeever
iBerkshires Staff
03:58AM / Wednesday, November 21, 2018
Print Story | Email Story
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Mayor Linda Tyer is introducing a plan to raise sewer rates over the next seven years to pay for the $74 million wastewater treatment project.
The sewer rate increase will be particularly front-loaded with a 50 percent hike at the start of 2019, should the City Council approve the plan. That would raise the current rate to $362.34 per year — an increase of $114.65 per year for a household with two toilets — effective Jan. 1, 2019.
There is no proposed increase in fiscal 2020, a 15 percent increase in FY21, no increase in FY22, 12 percent in FY23, and then calls for no increases in FY24 and FY25.
By the end, the total bill for a household with two toilets — which makes up the majority of the unmetered households — the bill will go from $247.69 annually to $466.69 annually.
The meter rate will see the same percentage increase, going from $1.91 per 100-cubic feet to $3.69 per 100-cubic feet.
“My administration inherited this EPA-required wastewater treatment plant upgrade. It came without a plan for how to get it done or how to pay for it. When we came into office, we were headed down this path of potential violations of the EPA’s requirements for us to do this upgrade and the potential for fines,” Tyer said.
She later added, “we have built this plan and we are going to work this plan.”
The city is well underway in getting construction going on the wastewater treatment plant, with the bids for general contractors expected to be opened next Wednesday. The city is under an administrative order by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to lower the levels of phosphorous and aluminum in the water coming out of the plant.
The consultants, Kleinfelder, crafted a design to do that as well as introduce a nitrogen optimization process as well — a process the consultants say will likely have to be addressed in the future.
The issue dates back to 2008 when the EPA renewed the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit and set the levels higher. The city fought the new levels in court but ultimately lost. In 2012, the city put $1 million toward the design and, in 2015, the EPA signed an order requiring the plant to be under construction by August 2018.
Most of the first half of this year the City Council spent many hours and late evenings hotly debating the project, particularly because of the cost it will have on residents.
“There has been what I would describe as misguided speculation, inaccuracies, fear tactics, all expressed in public spaces about the impact this essential upgrade to the city’s wastewater treatment plant will have on ratepayers,” Tyer said.
Money in that initial design allocation was eyed for a rate study, which Tyer said was done by Russell Consulting out of Newburyport.
“This is the big money. This is what everybody is so anxious about. How could we possibly be spending $74 million on an upgrade and not have our rates go up 8,000 times or 800 times or whatever scare tactic you want to use,” Tyer said.
The consultants charted out where the city needs to go with the rates to cover operations, maintenance and upgrades over the next seven years, and presented a multitude of options.
Director of Finance Matthew Kerwood said the choice was made to front-load the rate increase more heavily to help build reserves in the wastewater enterprise account. He said the debt payments don’t start until the construction is completed in 2021 so the rate structure is partly saving up to pay for the work.
“Part of the strategy is to building up some of those reserves and be prepared for when that actually does happen,” Kerwood said.
The city has secured a $50 million loan through the state’s Clean Water Trust Fund. That will carry a low-interest rate of 2 percent. In conversations with the state, Kerwood said the rest is also expected to come from a 2019 allocation from the same fund, with the same terms.
Commissioner of Public Services David Turocy added that there are additional ways some of that loan could be reduced to zero percent, but not all of it.
“It is federal money that is given to the state for these purposes. Every state runs it differently, some states do put out zero-interest loans and at one point Massachusetts did. But they changed the philosophy and now put it out at 2 percent and the idea behind that is the interest that is paid expands the pool of money available,” Kerwood said.
The rate plan coincides with construction on the plant that is mandated to start by Jan. 15, 2019, following an extension of the order the EPA gave after the City Council begrudgingly approved the project. It is set to be completed by 2021 and the city is required to be in full compliance with its permit in 2022.
“We will have done the right thing. We will have upgraded our wastewater treatment plant to protect our environment but also have this infrastructure that will serve many generations for years to come,” Tyer said.
Tyer said she recognized the effect that the increased rates will have on the citizens and highlighted her administration’s move to an electrical aggregation program, lowering the property tax rate, and reaching an agreement with city employees to save the budget from substantial health insurance increases.
“We are always on the lookout for how we can save our citizens money,” Tyer said.
Waterwater is only one part of the bill, however. The water rates are also going up in anticipation with projects, albeit at a somewhat smaller scale, for that system.
A water bill rate hike of 20 percent will be effective Jan. 1, 2019 — raising the annual bill from $278.22 to $333.80 per year, or $55.58 per year. Future increases to the water bill aren’t quite known because the project and timelines aren’t fully developed.
“We know more on the sewer side. On the water side, we know what we don’t know in that some of the capital projects on the water side are in outer years and depending on how we go, we may or may not do those projects, do them differently, or maybe not as large scale. There is still some work on the water side as to what we actually do for capital projects,” Kerwood said.
The water and sewer charges are on the same quarterly bill. Residents can expect an increase in the price they pay each quarter to rise by $42.56 for both water and sewer. The percentage changes remain across the board for those with more or less than two toilets.
Deftly released on the eve of a holiday.
My sewar bill will be 1000 a year on top of all the tax increases.Your average 1200 square ft house 2 bathrooms will be paying 6k in taxes in a few years….500 per month….Richmont and Lenox have much lower taxes…..Consolidate,Consolidate
Maybe the city should go up by 100 % for the water we give to Lenox.
We also clean their sewage.
We the people need a FORENSIC ACCOUNTANT to come in and look at the city books!
Was this water and sewer bombshell dropped now to quell the Beacon discussion? I wonder if Marchetti, the banker guy, can shed any light on the Beacon mortgage, loan, handout, whatever it is. Does his bank hold the mortgage? If not what bank does and can their CEO come forward and talk us through this?
If not why not?
Can anyone definitely confirm exactly what the current water/sewer rates are in Pittsfield? The information is not available online anywhere that I looked. My bills are $173.24/quarter for my two bathroom house, unmetered. Can a two-bathroom homeowning reader please confirm that this is the same rate for him/her?
The answer is up above,Rosso.
I am trying to find definitive confirmation from a City source, not from a newspaper article.
Mayor Linda Tyer said her administration inherited the wastewater project, and “it came without a plan.”
That is true! It is also true that Pittsfield doesn’t effectively plan. Rather, Pittsfield just taxes and spends whenever problems occur. To be clear, Pittsfield is always reacting instead of planning. Pittsfield always hits the proverbial iceberg instead of steering around it!
So she’s proposing the water rate increase by 20 percent in January, while she’s giving the average residential homeowner a 2.5-cents per day tax savings.
That means she is saving the average residential taxpayer 2.5-cents per day on their property taxes, while increasing their water rate by 20%.
– Jonathan Melle
So she listened to Turocy and Kerwood. How brilliant.
Dan the Gman was at that sharade last night in city council chambers. The 5 on the commission were moon white Krol cacamo and persip. With the exception of white the other four voted to not even give the Gman a chance to give a presentation on Dec 5th. Thankfully the other six members on the council decided to give Gaetani the opportunity. Ironically the Gman told those four while speaking in the public session that the beacon people were there to rob the taxpayers of 2.5 million dollars and that when he appears he is talking about saving the taxpayer 20 to 30 million dollars and those four have shot him down every time he has appeared at CC meetings. He said tonights vote should be a no brainerfor you and recommended that they do not approve of the project. Gaetani told me before we eben got to the meeting that the vote would be 5 to 0 to approve. He told the board that so far 3.,22 million of tax spent dollars has occurs and the additional 2.55 that they will be hit with again brins public subsidys to the beacon of 5.7 million dollars. Gaetani took issue with both tyer and ruffers statement that the taxpayer wouldn’t pay a penny for this project. He put both of these lightweights on the table and asked them to put in writting right then and there that not a penny of taxpayer money would be used and stated if they did he himself would help them push the project. He prodded them a second time and they still wouldn’t put in writing what he requested. Gaetani further stated that not all the info that the taxpayer needs was presented. He asked that the subcommittee investigate further to look for confirmation of the lies tyer and differs were stating. We all now know thanks to the Gman and his questioning that the mayor and differs comments can not be trusted. Their failing to give written guarantees that not a penny of taxpayer dollars will be used points to thefact that nothing they say can be trusted.I wiil have more later as my computer is dying
I was almost done when my computer crashed. Let’s see what the eagle prints in tomorrows paper about this beacon meeting. I’ll bet they dont mention a word that the wizard said there. Lastly the Gman told the committee that he worked in both the public sector and the private sector. He stated: in the public sector they try to ride a dead horse. He stated in the private sector they bury the horse. I thought this was very clever and perfectly illustrates this mumbo jumbo beacon gumbo.
ART
Many thanks. We are with the Water Wizard in his Dec 10 presentation. All the way.
Someone mentioned that the sewer bills would go up 800%. Today on the radio, 95.9 Mayor Tyer said she was there to dispel the fear mongering about the rate going up 8000%. It’s not going up 8000% (her words).
No one ever said 8000% so it seems like a bit of a straw man to claim the 8000%, say it’s not going up by that much and act like it’s a good thing.
Now she can say “I meant 800%” and later act like she misspoke, but I think she purposefully did this.
So what’s the increase over the next few years?
She made a big deal that they are “coming clean” because they inherited this mess. Which implies, or at least seems to me, that prior administrations didn’t but really neither did she.
She’s known since day one what was happening, there were a number of suggestions to increase the rate sooner, but politically it looked bad. Financially it would have made sense but they timed it to happen after the $10 tax break. Marjo in the morning are you paying attention?
So let’s do some math.
The average household, two toilets, unmetered is
$247.69 x 1.50 (a 50%) increase = $371.53 (+$123.84)
So immediately the article is wrong.
In FY 21 it’s 15% $371.53 x 1.15 (15%) increase = $427.26
In FY 22 it’s 12% $427.26 x 1.12 (12%) increase = $478.53
I still dont know what the trash pick-deal was, and neither does this dimwits on the C. C.
economic development meeting
blob:http://pittsfieldtv.net/15d0bf11-05b0-4cfa-acd0-d6ee28387801
Agent I didn’t hear the show so I will take you word for it .The secretary always uses notes and she was reading from notes. For her to use the figure 8000% shows how totally clueless she is. Mr. Gaetani has used the figure of 700 to 800% increases. Here is where these figures come from. The 75 million dollars sewer updates will cause rates to rise by a multiplier of 3.3 Because the cost of the proposed water costs are unknown we can use a figure given by the city of73 million dollars. This figure is close to the sewer costs so let’s use the same multiplier3.3. Combined that is a multiplier of 6.6 or 660% higher than present rated. The Gman says that because interest and bond purchases out two years and interst cost for two years out for the water plan can’t be calculated at this time. However Gaetani is in the range of 700 to 800 %. Compare this to tyer stating 8000% tells us we need her to get out of finance for the city before she ruins the city. Tyer stated she wanted to set the record straight but what she did was set the record wrong. The Gman is looking forward to his presentation and even though the city is stating that it is too late to look at other technology he plans to show how the city can move forward even faster than with the proposed project and for a price tag of??????????????????? Be there Dec10 pctv ch1303 or in person at Cc chambers700 pm Happy turkey Dan and posters
“This is the big money. This is what everybody is so anxious about. How could we possibly be spending $74 million on an upgrade and not have our rates go up 8,000 times or 800 times or whatever scare tactic you want to use,” Tyer said.
A quote in iBerkshires, same basic narrative as the 95.9 show.
Without knowing the final bond rate and total costs it’s hard to predict but I can easily see it going up 300% and I don’t think 800% is out of the question.
The biggest mistake they are making is putting gap years, if you need to front load the debt, then get the money as quickly as you can.
Do the 50/15/12 in subsequent years don’t gap it. Or do something like 35/30/12. Less frontloading in the first year but easier to swallow.
Anyone know the cost of the meters? There should be a savings with them but it depends on the cost of the meter as to when and if you’d see a savings.
I wonder if the rates will go up for Lenox and Richmond as well?
Agent. Yes any treated water they use they pay for. Same with wastewater they pay to have that waste treated. They have a scale to calculate costs.
Watch the meeting. It’s obvious that Mazzeo, Blumin or Gaetani should be mayor. Tyer is totally lost.
Gaetani spoke of a dying horse. The problem is a dying horse. The problem is the horses asses that are running the city.
Of course Tyer didn’t want a presentation. Some clever political talk, but stupid,ignorant, and feloneous to me. She says 8000, that’s to a instill fear, that’s the hook. Reduces the number drastically in the next sentence, thats the line, and then sinker is always go high, he you-reduce, and nine times out of ten it works.
On the sewer wate, only a fool would deny an alternate plan to save ten of millionsl
Watch the meeting. Krol is a sleeze.
Trump has more in common with Russia,Saudi Arabia, and North Korea