Another Power Grab?
HEADS UP FOR NOVEMBER 18, 2009, PARK BOARD MEETING
The regular MPRB meeting will be held at 5:00 pm on Wednesday, November 18, 2009, at Park Board Headquarters, 2117 W. River Road. For the meeting agenda and other information, go to the Park Board's website www.minneapolisparks.org
MPRB meetings are broadcast live from 5-9 p.m. on the City of Minneapolis Government Meeting Channel 79 on Comcast cable and online at www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/webcasts.
The regular meetings are rebroadcast on Channel 79 at 1 p.m. Saturdays and 5 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesdays. Webcasts for the recent two months are posted two to five business days after the meeting and are available for viewing at Webcast Archives.
There are two items of particular interest on the agenda for this meeting:
First, there will be an opportunity for public input on the 2010 Budget.
And then Crown Hydro is back again. This time it's being pitched as a public buyout. Staff is going to be giving a report on the feasibility of public ownership of a hydro electric power plant. They will be discussing the results of a survey that staff developed and sent to a limited number of individuals.
THE RETURN OF CROWN HYDRO AT THIS TIME SHOULD BE OF CONCERN TO EVERY TAXPAYING CITIZEN OF MINNEAPOLIS.
By sending out a survey seeking a response to public ownership of a hydro electric power plant, there is a presumption that if public ownership is acceptable, then the project is acceptable.
But there are many questions to be answered BEFORE this proposed project is advanced in any way.
The first question to be asked is not just about the feasibility of public ownership of a hydro electric power plant, but should the park Board even be in this utility business, which is a highly regulated and complex business? Does Park Board staff have the expertise to manage and/or oversee this sort of business venture?
What guarantees are there that this project is an appropriate project for the Park Board to commit to? What guarantees are there that this project can be profitable?
What happens when there is a prolonged drought? St. Anthony Falls belong to all of us and are the centerpiece of the historic St. Anthony Falls District. Will the falls be allowed to run dry so that the aesthetic value is sacrificed for the economic value?
What are the risks? Could St. Anthony Falls be at risk?
What is the Park Board's track record with previous enterprise projects? It is known by those who pay attention to Park Board issues that two previous enterprise projects resulted in costly litigation. One of those projects, the Fuji-ya/Columbia/Wave, has just been resolved.
It appears that this hydro electric power plant project is back on the agenda at this time so that it can be approved by the current board at one of the current board's last three meetings. Two of the project's strongest supporters are Commissioners Bob Fine and Carol Kummer, who may or may not be back on the new board when the new board convenes in January.
Like with the superintendent's contract, this is another example of an attempt by certain commissioners on this lame duck board to usurp the power of the new board.
Because of the complexity of the larger issue about whether or not the Park Board is even qualified to be in the utility business, much more information is needed before making any decisions about entering into ANY agreement with Crown Hydro about assuming ownership of their hydro electric power plant project. There is no urgency to this particular project. ANY DECISION OR ACTION RELATING TO THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE DEFERRED TO THE NEW BOARD.
Arlene Fried Co-founder of Park Watch