Ten Years. A Full Decade. What?

The jumping off discussion area for the rest of the Deck. All things Lakewood.
Please check out our other sections. As we refile many discussions from the past into
their proper sections please check them out and offer suggestions.

Moderators: Jim DeVito, Dan Alaimo

Mark Kindt
Posts: 2637
Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2016 11:06 am

Re: Ten Years. A Full Decade. What?

Postby Mark Kindt » Thu Sep 16, 2021 9:29 am

Let Me Be Clear About All Of This

The prior city administration pursued a course of decisions now embodied in legal contracts that have impaired the ability of the City of Lakewood to pursue a successful redevelopment of the former hospital site:

1. By entering into a noncompetition agreement with respect to its redevelopment with respect to healthcare services;

2. By contracting with a developer incapable and/or unwilling to perform on its actual redevelopment contract; and

3. By proceeding with contracting with that developer when there was reasonable cause for public employees to recognize that that contract had been politically steered.


Mark Kindt
Posts: 2637
Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2016 11:06 am

Re: Ten Years. A Full Decade. What?

Postby Mark Kindt » Thu Sep 16, 2021 12:07 pm

Now Post-Hospital Planning Must Be Post-Pandemic Planning

The record seem pretty clear to most of us -- "the empty hole" -- that the first decade of post-hospital planning has ended in tremendous failure.

The current city administration and, more importantly, its planning department must reach the recognition that the fundamental planning premise for continued post-hospital planning must be that it also be post-pandemic planning.


Mark Kindt
Posts: 2637
Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2016 11:06 am

Re: Ten Years. A Full Decade. What?

Postby Mark Kindt » Fri Sep 17, 2021 10:30 am

The Honest Recognition Of Failure

We all need to honestly recognize the tremendous failure in civic and public leadership over the past decade in Lakewood or the same mistakes will be repeated by the next generation.

To quote President John F. Kennedy, "The torch has been passed to a new generation."

Truly, the mistakes of the past decade cannot be a guide to the next one.

We have to trust the new generation to get it right and yet they face an unprecedented burden as they pick-up the reins of public policy.

Just Two examples:

When Meghan George was sworn in as Mayor of Lakewood she was on the brink of a historic viral pandemic of global impact that continues to ravage the nation and the world and she had to assemble her administration in the midst of this crisis and then face the crisis.

When Meghan George was sworn in as Mayor of Lakewood she had to face down a developer under a major redevelopment contract (for the former hospital site) that either breached or was ready to breach that contract.

I'm sure there are other examples.


Mark Kindt
Posts: 2637
Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2016 11:06 am

Re: Ten Years. A Full Decade. What?

Postby Mark Kindt » Fri Sep 17, 2021 12:51 pm

So, I've only spoken to Meghan George a couple of times and that was before her election to Mayor. I barely know her, but I will say this...

Putting myself in her shoes for just one moment, I simply cannot imagine becoming Mayor of Lakewood during this pandemic knowing that her predecessor had just demolished our public community hospital.

So, the new generation already starts behind the eight ball cleaning-up the wreckage left behind by the last generation.

Yes, John Kennedy followed Dwight Eisenhower, but Kennedy didn't have to clean-up the kind of wreckage left by Mike Summers.

I hold no brief for the new mayor, but I have to acknowledge the burdens she faces and why those burdens were left.

We should all be proud of her first years in office and what she has accomplished.

Kudos to Meghan George.


Dan Alaimo
Posts: 2137
Joined: Fri Apr 23, 2010 8:49 am

Re: Ten Years. A Full Decade. What?

Postby Dan Alaimo » Fri Sep 17, 2021 11:20 pm

Mark Kindt wrote:Each candidate for elective office or existing council members, especially the lawyers, should be brainstorming on how this road block can be eliminated.

Drive through it and damn the lawsuits.
Like the unvaccinated, I've grown impatient with this part of the discussion.


“Never let a good crisis go to waste." - Winston Churchill (Quote later appropriated by Rahm Emanuel)
Mark Kindt
Posts: 2637
Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2016 11:06 am

Re: Ten Years. A Full Decade. What?

Postby Mark Kindt » Wed Sep 22, 2021 11:36 am

Left With An Empty Hole And Not Even A Dollar To Spare

If I had the real numbers (I don't) for the remediation and demolition costs for the Empty Hole, I would revise this spreadsheet.

Those costs exceeded the listed $7,000,000 by several million dollars.

The liquidation and demolition of our city-owned public hospital runs in negative numbers.

Ten years of governmental planning left us with nothing.

Estimated Net Gain To City on Hospital Liquidation.jpg
Estimated Net Gain To City on Hospital Liquidation.jpg (157.45 KiB) Viewed 3114 times


Mark Kindt
Posts: 2637
Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2016 11:06 am

Re: Ten Years. A Full Decade. What?

Postby Mark Kindt » Wed Sep 22, 2021 11:54 am

A Swindle On The Citizens -- A Swindle On The Municipal Bond Holders

The public relations flacks and the city officials holding office at the time, on repeated occasions, represented this as a major investment in Lakewood to the tune of $100M to $120M.

We spent the funds to clean-up the former hospital site and the developer under contract bailed costing the city another $250,000.

Like I said, the financial gain to the City of Lakewood is a net loss once you add the settlement costs with Carnegie and the additional millions in remediation costs.

How could ten years worth of post-hospital planning be such a debacle? This is an urban planning disaster, not a success.


Mark Kindt
Posts: 2637
Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2016 11:06 am

Re: Ten Years. A Full Decade. What?

Postby Mark Kindt » Wed Sep 22, 2021 1:48 pm

"Bogus" Investment Numbers

They all knew that the "$120 Million" investment number was a PR fantasy.

Tough luck bond-holders...Tough luck residents...

Most of you have already seen this email. I post it here for those who haven't. So, the Planning Department was already swallowing this crap as if it was real.

The orange highlighting is my mark-up of the copy produced in the public records litigation.

Public officials and civic leaders knew they were lying and then continued to use the falsity month-after-month throughout 2015 duping well-meaning citizen and municipal bond-holders.

LKWD - HNNS PYNTR001316 - Highlighted - Bogus Numbers.jpg
LKWD - HNNS PYNTR001316 - Highlighted - Bogus Numbers.jpg (339.82 KiB) Viewed 3092 times


Mark Kindt
Posts: 2637
Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2016 11:06 am

Re: Ten Years. A Full Decade. What?

Postby Mark Kindt » Wed Sep 22, 2021 4:52 pm

It was never my intention to do "Lakewood Hospital Revisited", but there is no rationalization that I will ever believe associated with this decade-long disaster.

With hindsight, it looks even worse than when it was all occurring.

No wonder that I am hearing reports that residents are still angry about what happened.

I am too.


Stan Austin
Contributor
Posts: 2462
Joined: Tue Mar 15, 2005 12:02 pm
Contact:

Re: Ten Years. A Full Decade. What?

Postby Stan Austin » Wed Sep 22, 2021 5:23 pm

As you consider your upcoming vote for Council, Judge, and School Board keep in mind the positions and publicly associations of the candidates.
















a







as



Return to “Lakewood General Discussions”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 21 guests