Actually the study DOES NOT reveal how the Downtown Site was chosen because it does not explain how the Downtown Site got on the list of sites to be considered.
Five of the 12 sites are golf courses; three others include current or former hospital sites; one is a business park; one is owned by a business; one sounds like vacant land; and, finally, one is Downtown.
Supposedly "parcels 50 acres and larger" were identified to host the facility, but the Downtown Site is neither 50 acres, nor is it a "parcel," but, rather, it is about 25 acres consisting of about 90 parcels, occupied by about 40 business and other entities, plus blocks of city streets. The dis-similarity of the Downtown Site to all the others on the list begs the question: "Why was Downtown even looked at?"
It's clear from the FOILed e-mails of county officials that the site selection "process" involved designating sites that could be eliminated (straw-men to be knocked down) in order to steer the MVHS Board to choose the Downtown Site that was preferred by local economic development and various elected officials. "Elan" was the consultant brought on board by EDGE to perform this task. Per the 2/3/2015 e-mail of EDGE President Steven DiMeo to Anthony Brindisi . . .
"My whole thought process in bringing Elan on board is to make sure that we guide siting decision in favor of downtown."This Blog previously drew the conclusion that no criteria were included in the siting process to protect the public's interest. The "Summary Memo" of the selection process included in the Hospital's Draft Environmental Impact Statement reinforces this conclusion.
The Draft Environmental Impact Statement's failure to include the actual Site Selection Study (as opposed to a "Summary Memo") and to explain how the Downtown Site even was put on the list leads to the conclusion that the site selection "process" was merely a sham - window dressing - to hide from the Hospital Board, the Public, and, now, the involved State Agencies that putting the hospital Downtown was merely the arbitrary and personal choice of certain local officials.
3 comments:
It is now admitted what was perfectly clear to any rational person from the outset; the only reason for the downtown selection was the $300 million of taxpayer dollars. The project is but one more example of government( taxpayer) money dictating a development decision. One can only hope this one fares better than past projects, particularly the recent NANO effort. It is not too difficult to predict that the project will cost more and take longer than stated, government led projects always do. The taxpayer will then be told the old, "in for a dime, in for a dollar" line. I sincerely hope I am wrong but past performance does not lend much confidence.
100% "on the money". You've nailed it Strikeslip. The whole thing is a TOTAL SHAM.
The latest OD news conclusively shows that the EDGE and Brindisi engineered the selection process. Given the NANO failure and the inability of the EDGE to attract any new industry into the area, both needed a project. The $300 million was an offer the hospital folks could not refuse. The idea that any consultant was objective is laughable. Anyone with half a brain knows that consultants follow the wishes of who is paying them.
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