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Editorials
It should have become clear in reading Part I and Part II that the town is offering little in the way of conveying information on how the $8 million that is being bonded for reconstruction/construction of the 3949 Walden Avenue police/courts building purchased in 2003 will be spent.
Residents who questioned the resolution will most likely be portrayed as obstructionists who were the cause of the seven year delay in renovating the building. Not so, and that will also become clear when examining the timeline of the project and the process involved. In fact, with the exception of one individual, all residents who spoke at Monday evening’s board meeting realize the police need a new facility, but that choosing the Walden Avenue building was a gross mistake. The delay occurred because of bad town governance, cost Lancaster taxpayers dearly and shortchanged the police in the process.
During the seven year process, the Town Board has acted not only arrogantly, deceitfully and irresponsibly, but insensitively and indifferently to the public and other town officials and department heads who suggested the sale of the 3949 Walden Avenue Colecraft building and the construction of a new build on town-owned Pavement Road property.
Facts that will be ascertained reading the project timeline process:
• The entire 76,000 square foot building could have been renovated in 2004 for $9.8 million (Trautman feasibility study) and that included building purchase price. 51,052 square feet of building could have been renovated for $8.4 million (Clough Harbour feasibility study) and that included cost of building. The $8 million plus the $1.6 for building puts the project now at $9.6 million and that will only cover renovation costs for 35,000 to 40,000 square feet of building – and maybe less according to Supervisor Giza.
• The police could have had a 33,000 square foot new build on Pavement Road for $7 years ago. Councilman Ronald Ruffino said Monday evening that the cost for a new build of 25,000 square feet would be $12 million (near $500 per square foot). Where is Ruffino getting this ridiculous number from?
• Unlike Ruffino’s claim that a resident lawsuit delayed building renovation, the suit had nothing to do with building renovation and everything to do with town fraud – entering into a $15,000 feasibility study with the Village to determine purchase options when the town had already purchased the building but did not tell the Village.
Timeline & Project Process
May 12, 2003: Village of Lancaster Mayor William Cansdale inquires as to how the purchase price for the Colecraft building was established. Town Supervisor, Robert Giza informs Cansdale that the asking price was 1.9 million; they negotiated that down to 1.6 million, and added another $30,000 for the furniture, computers, etc. on site. The 76,000 square foot building had been examined by architects and found to be structurally sound. Renovation costs are not known, but Giza estimated they will be around $2-3 million.
Mr. Giza stated that the estimates for a new facility that would meet all police needs would cost 7–8 million dollars. The city of Buffalo recently built a new 18,000 sq. ft. police facility at a cost of 3.2 million.
March 31, 2003 – Police merger between Town and Village of Lancaster takes place.
April 7, 2003 - The Town Board passes a resolution to authorize the Supervisor to enter into a contract for the purchase of 3949 Walden Avenue. The same resolution directs the Town Attorney to secure a bond resolution to fund the purchase.
April 9, 2003 - Supervisor Robert Giza signs irrevocable sales contract to purchase Colecraft building 93949 Walden Avenue).
April 11, 2003 – CHA is hired to assess current condition of the building – not necessarily for consideration as use for a police or court facility. Report was to be completed within a few weeks; cost - $1500. That same day, the Supervisor takes residents on a tour of 3949 Walden Avenue. A resident touring the building asks Supervisor Giza if he knows who Robert Benzel is. Giza replies that he thinks Benzel is a forklift operator. Benzel is vice-president of Colecraft and serves with Giza on the Lancaster Industrial Development Agency (LIDA). Hmmm.
April 14, 2003 - The President of Colecraft signs the sales contract.
April 15, 2003 - Supervisor Giza signs the CHA contract to do a minimal structural review of the building. At the time he signs the contract, he has no authority to do so.
April 16, 2003 - A contract copy is received and filed by the Town Clerk.
April 28, 2003 - The Municipal Review Committee conducts a SEQR study on the site. During the regular Town Board meeting, the town board votes to accept the SEQR study.
April 28, 2003 - The town board passes a resolution to bond $1.9 million dollars to purchase the Colecraft building for $1,630,000.
May 12, 2003 - During a joint meeting of the town and village board, the town acquiesces to the Village’s request to participate in a feasibility study to examine the feasibility and costs of three building options that could be used for a police headquarters and/or court facility. The study would be performed by Trautman Associates and would cost $15,000 - taxpayer money. The study cost was to be shared by the town and village. The town made no mention to the village that a study had already been performed by CHA on assessing the current condition of the Colecraft building. The Village is unaware that the town has already purchased the Colecraft building.
May 19, 2003 - The Town reveals the existence of a contract to purchase 3949 Walden Avenue.
Mid July, 2003 - The Trautman feasibility study is finished and submitted to the village and town for consideration – sometime in early July.
July 21, 2003 - The town closes on the purchase of the Colecraft building located at 3949 Walden Avenue but does not make the purchase public.
July 31, 2003 - The purchase appears in the real estate section of Buffalo.com.
August 4, 2003 - Lancaster residents ask the town board if they bought the building. The board answers yes, making this the first public purchase acknowledgment.
October 2003 - Several Lancaster residents filed a civil suit against the town for their entering into a contract to perform a feasibility study to consider three build options for a police and/or courts facility after having already purchased the Colecraft building at 3949 Walden Avenue. They considered that action as being fraudulent.
August 2004 – Resident Dan Beutler makes known 2003 Trautman feasibility study estimates cost to renovate 51,000 square foot of building at $8.5 million – include $1.6 million purchase price.
Village Municipal Building, Scheme A - $13.6 million; 93,000 square feet; $134.41 per square foot; $1.07 million to purchase building.
Village Municipal Building, Scheme B - $10.87 million; 72,000 square feet; $136.11 per square foot; $1.07 million to purchase building.
New Build - $13.58 million; 77,000 square feet; $172.73 per square foot; $280,000 to purchase land.
December 2004: New renovation feasibility study information is learned. Trautman previous study for renovation costs for 77,000 square feet were $9.78 million (includes $1.6 million purchase price). New study renovation costs in at $11.34 million (includes building purchase price).
November 2005: Lancaster Supervisor Robert Giza signed a second agreement with consulting firm Trautman Associates on January 21, 2004 for the purpose of preparing a schematic design for the police / court facility at 3949 Walden Avenue. The study cost $49,500. The build out cost was estimated at $9.7 million.
Keep in mind that the purchase closing of the Colecraft building took place on July 21, 2003. The first Trautman feasibility study, completed in early July of 2003, estimated the build out cost for the Colecraft building at $6.9 million.
At this point, the total project cost is $11.3 million - $1.6 for the purchase of the 3949 Walden Avenue Building and $9.7 for the facility build out costs. Clough Harbour & Associates have been retained to lower the $9.7 million build out cost.
August 2006: Judge Burns dismisses resident lawsuit against the town for entering into a joint feasibility study with the Village without telling the Colecraft building was already purchased by the town. Judge Burns declares: “Bad governance is not prosecutional.”
October 2007: At a Town Board meeting, it was stated by a resident,” Years ago, two private consultants listed full remediation at somewhere between $10 to $15 million. What is the now proposed $5.85 million going to buy us? Is it going to bring the justice court to the combined police building?”
Giza: “Well, originally we asked all departments what they wanted. When it came to the court, there was a training room for the police and it was almost identical in size to the court. Since the court is in use only two days a week, we are now looking at why the training room can’t be the court room, like we do it now. We would be able to eliminate… “We are looking at something a little closer (less?), and that’s the answer to that question. I don’t know what else I can tell you.”
February 2008: Resident Dan Beutler asks on status of Colecraft building hearing a new build is under consideration. Giza declares a company is interested in purchasing the Colecraft building. “Current Police Chief Gary Stoldt, one of his Captain’s and I looked at it and we think we could build a nice police station there (Pavement Road) and use the current police building for storage, which is a couple feet away from there.” The Town Board was even advised by then Justice Timothy Dwan to sell the Colecraft building and to build new.
Beutler responded that he needed that clarification because he wanted everyone to understand that the lawsuit that was instated against the town never prevented them from moving forward in refurbishing the building, selling it, or whatever - unlike what one Town Board member (Ruffino) continued to publicly state.
April 2008: Town Board meeting - Council members Donna Stempniak and Ronald Ruffino also seemed cool to the idea of leasing part of the building for police if it were sold. They suggested Giza pursue selling the building.
Jun 2008: Supervisor Robert Giza recently informed the council members at a recent Town Board work sessions that Harper International, 100 W. Drullard Avenue, has expressed interest in expanding their business in Lancaster and were particularly interested in the 3949 Walden Avenue police facility. Town still considering selling the building.
July 2008: When asked several times on the status of the Walden Avenue police building and its potential sale, Supervisor Giza declared that he has had interested parties inquire on leasing or selling the building. If he is truly committed to the sale of the building, what is he waiting for? Advertise its sale and put it up for bid. Or, is there a fear that the building will not sell for what the town paid for it? It’s been over a year since ex-justice Dwan suggested the sale of the building and nothing has taken place to get to that point.
August 2008: “Weren’t we supposed to put the building up for bid,” interjected Councilman Dan Amatura?
Giza responded that the building sale has been discussed and was supposed to go up for bid. “Well, then don’t you think we should advertise its sale,” asked Amatura? Giza declared that there was a problem in doing that considering there is “a lot of stuff there.” “We can’t put the detectives out on the street.” “We can’t be stalled by things like this,” interjected Amatura. “We should put it out to bid with conditions on the sale that the party can’t move in until we move the detectives and stored materials out.” Councilman Ronald Ruffino agreed that it might force the board to make a decision.
Residents complain that a 76,000 square foot building only to house the detectives. Giza defends building use by saying equipment, materials and 3,000 county cots are stored in the building and that the town would have first dibs on them should an emergency arise.
January 2009: Town Board meeting - Councilman Dan Amatura, pushing to have a new build considered in the feasibility study estimates that the Town has approximately $3 million tied up in the building in total costs before renovation costs kick in. Costs for a new build at town owned Pavement Road land estimated at $7 million for a 33,000 square foot building. Courts would be at same location.
In 2005, the Town commissioned CHA to study the design and to come back with a more realistic design to lower costs. CHA came back with a design that did lower the renovation cost to $5.2 million. In a February 2005 e-mail to CHA, Councilman Ruffino stated he sent them a copy of a spreadsheet he designed. “I’ve properly adjusted the square footage and have taken out the building purchase price, which was throwing the square footage price way out of whack. The renovation square footage was lowered to 42,631 square feet and by Councilman Ruffino’s request the purchase price of the building ($1.6 million) was excluded from the total expenditure.
All of Town’s posturing telling the public they were attempting to sell the Colecraft building and build a new one was smoke and mirrors. They never had the Colecraft building appraised and put up for bid. “We tried to sell it, but were unable to,” is not telling the truth Mr. Ruffino.
January 2009: On January 5, 2009 the Lancaster Town Board authorized and directed the publication of a notice of issuance of a Request for Qualifications for necessary architectural and engineering services relating to the potential conversion of the Walden Avenue Colecraft building for use as a Town Courts and Police Headquarters facility.
Keep in mind that this is another feasibility study and have costs involved. The Board never made known what the study cost or the study’s findings and design
February 2009: Councilman Ruffino states that it was the opinion of experts that hands down the Walden Avenue Colecraft building was a much better location than a new build on Pavement Road and was a bigger bang for the buck. “That’s how the study (Trautman) came out.” Town Board does a 180 and sale of the building is out of the question; as Is a new build.
November 2009: Ruffino still looking for grant money. Tells residents there is nothing new to report.
January 2010: SEQR (environmental review) held on 3949 Walden Avenue (Colecraft building). It was determined there were no significant adverse impacts associated with the property. At the regular meeting Ruffino is asked whether this means the town was finally moving on with renovating the police building to be used for the police and Town courts.”
Ruffino answers that they are moving along, that the costs would be about $8 million for the renovation and that it was yet to be determined how much of the building was to be renovated.
February 2010: Moving along they do. Town bonds for $8 and the resolution has no details on what the money will be spent on. Supervisor Giza says it could be for renovation of 35,000 to 40,000 square feet or less.
Mr. Howell was no more confused than anyone else at Monday evening’s meeting. He well understood that the town residents were once again being snookered by a town board that was going to spend money without having a plan in place. A town board that declared it would only cost $2 - $3 million to renovate the 76,000 square foot building in 2003, went into sticker shock after the Trautman and Clough Harbour feasibility studies came in, were told to dump the white elephant they bought in 2003 and build new, but stuck to their guns refusing to admit to their wrong doings. The town drags its feet for seven years and needs to bond $8 million overnight without a plan in place to give to the public, but says they do have a plan.
Government waste of tax dollars and mismanagement you bet. And they keep getting back into office, how about that?
Where is the Buffalo News and TV media on this – you know the people who claim “we hold government accountable?”
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