You have really got to be kidding me! I just turned to the Sport Section (Page B2) of the Maryland Independent. In the lower left corner is an advertisement announcing that a Charles County SportPlex and Learning Center is coming to Charles County. The advertisement says it is a $28 million dollar project for the citizens of Charles County. The ground breaking is in April 2011, and they have to raise $5.6 million dollars.
I’m probably missing something here, but has this been mentioned in any of the papers? Which County Commissioner is supporting this initiative? More closed doors meetings, I suppose.
If it’s true that the County Commissioners are supporting this project, this is yet another great example of total fiscal irresponsibility.
[ Edited: 07 November 2009 07:14 AM by pat knowland]
A few of us noticed it in last weeks papers too. Your reaction was mine- they also are on FB.
It seems they come into many areas and try to start up these centers- I dont know if any are built- I would also like to know more. It doesnt say much except a 501 is pending- yet they want donations. Why would anyone donate?
To follow-up with my earlier post on Delusional Duck, I contacted the Charles County Commissioners. I received the following email response from Dr. Edith Patterson, as follows:
QUOTE
From: Edith Patterson
Date: Sat, Nov 7, 2009 at 12:38 PM
Subject: Sportplex
The complex is a private venture that is being pursued by a husband and wife team. This proposal was not presented to the board of commissioners and like you only read of the idea via the newspaper. When staff was contacted, they too knew nothing of this proposal. I googled and referred to the local phone directory for follow-up. Unfortunately, the couple made several assumptions re: funding. I spoke with them and advised them of the financial restraints and the procedural policies associated with a project of this magnitude. I believe they have good intentions re: programs and services but in all likelihood this will be a private endeavors. This is all that I am familiar with. Hope this helps.
Edith Patterson
END QUOTE
I am still a little concerned about the choice of words “..but in all likelihood this will be a private endeavor(s).” Like the Capital Clubhouse, who is to say that the county won’t pony up the extra monies to bail the venture out, leaving the taxpayers (again) footing the bill.
You’d have to be nuts to put your money down a rathole when the website has no mention of who’s behind it. There is a Board of Directors mentioned but NOT named so who knows if that’s legitimate or not? The whole deal sounds hinky to me.
In addition to Dr. Patterson’s response to this thread, our President of the Charles County Commissioners responded:
QUOTE:
From: Wayne Cooper <CooperW@charlescounty.org>
Date: Mon, Nov 9, 2009 at 11:10 AM
Subject: DO YOUR ENDORSE THE CHAS. CO. SPORTPLEX &LEARNING; CENTER?
To: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
The first I heard of this was when I saw it in the newspaper. It would be hard to get State or County monies without knowing the facts. It has not been before us, and I don’t have any information to share because I was not aware of the project, like I said, until I read it in the newspaper.
END QUOTE
I appreciate the clarifications from our County Commissioners.
[ Edited: 09 November 2009 08:12 PM by pat knowland]
In addition to Dr. Patterson and Wayne Cooper’s response, I received the following comment from Gary Hodge:
QUOTE
From: Gary Hodge <HodgeG@charlescounty.org>
Date: Mon, Nov 9, 2009 at 3:10 PM
Subject: Re: DO YOU ENDORSE THE CHAS. CO. SPORTPLEX &LEARNING; CENTER?
To: pat knowland <spknowland@gmail.com>
Thank you very much for your note. Absolutely no information of any kind has been presented to the Board of County Commissioners regarding this project. It is both presumptuous and premature for the organizers, whoever they are, to publish an advertisement assuming that there will be any County or State role in the project without first informing State and local elected officials. And I would strongly suggest that private citizens refrain from contributing to the project until more information about its scope, feasibility, budget, organizers, etc. is publicly available. I have asked our staff to run down whatever information can be found on this.
Sincere regards,
Gary
Gary V. Hodge
Charles County Commissioner
END QUOTE
I would like to say that I am most impressed with Gary’s response. It seems to me that he does take a lot of time to dig into a controversial topic and he takes the time to explain his position. For Commisioner Gary Hodge and his staff, thank you for running this down into the ground and please, when/if this issue is brought before the County Commissioners, please inform the public. We are dangerously low on available funds and we don’t need to build or bailout private ventures such as this.
Even though he personally doesnt thrill me- he is the only one on the Board that I think fully understands the role and the issues in the County. He does have his agenda from his years of working at Tri-County and is trying to get those long ago plans or ‘visions’ fulfilled- and they may not be what everyone wants. When he writes its intelligent and well thought out and when he speaks its very deliberate. But hey he doesnt embarass the County.
In all honesty, I’m most impressed with Mr. Pat Knowland.
Over the past three years, I’ve sent at least a dozen letters and e-mails to the Commissioners—individually and as a group—and not a single e-mail or letter went answered other than the latest issue regarding the Sheriff’s Office’s furloughs and salaries. Even then, it was the exact same mass-response everyone else writing received. And, it wasn’t even from the Commissioners, it was from their Chief of Staff.
The fact that each of them took the time to respond to you is telling me that they’re realizing they are in trouble in ten months.
I guess now Cheryl needs to send some of her previously ignored letters and see if she gets a response.
Even though he personally doesnt thrill me- he is the only one on the Board that I think fully understands the role and the issues in the County. He does have his agenda from his years of working at Tri-County and is trying to get those long ago plans or ‘visions’ fulfilled- and they may not be what everyone wants. When he writes its intelligent and well thought out and when he speaks its very deliberate. But hey he doesnt embarass the County.
good points, but we’re just talking about lesser degrees of evil here among these five. none are stellar.
i am not sure the guy is evil on the personal level, but what these five have been allowed to get away with in our good names with respect to unbridled development here in CC is atrocious. on that basis alone, none of these five can do any good in my eyes whatsoever in what i hope will be their final year in service to Charles County. any of them could discover the cure HIV/AIDS and it would make no difference to me.
One month after the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland rejected Charles County’s nominee to serve on its executive board, Charles officials have resubmitted the nomination of Gary V. Hodge and are saying they have enough votes lined up for the nomination to pass next week.
The Tri-County Council’s membership—which is made up of commissioners and state lawmakers from Charles, Calvert and St. Mary’s counties—is scheduled to meet Wednesday in Annapolis to discuss Southern Maryland’s legislative agenda as well as finalize the makeup of the council’s executive board.
Hodge, a newly elected Democratic county commissioner in Charles, was nominated by fellow commissioners to represent them on the council, but his nomination was rejected in December. He previously served 18 years as the paid executive director of the council, a government-financed regional planning organization. Hodge left the council in 1998 when his contract was not renewed.
I don’t think he has anything more to offer than the other 4 commissioners; he just talks more in televised meetings and most of what he has to say only points out the obvious.
Did any of you guys see the article in Fridays paper about the Commissioners retreat?
Just makes me wonder?
Over the course of the next 12 months, the commissioners agreed to continue their work in bringing a multipurpose public facility to the county and expanding recreational opportunities for local youth.
Sooooo….they are just waiting for the CCC to go in to build the next candidate for a bailout with my tax dollars. Of course, Dottery (and Team Benya) get rich off the deal.
Sooooo….they are just waiting for the CCC to go in to build the next candidate for a bailout with my tax dollars. Of course, Dottery (and Team Benya) get rich off the deal.
No thanks!
excellent detective work, sir!
in trying to collate all the info i can find, this project and the supposed people behind it are getting more and more enigmatic.
there are a bunch of photos on their Facebook page that are alleged to be pix of the sportsplex. obviously we all know that no such place exists yet, but there is no disclaimer as such in their picture. i do wonder what these pictures are of.
can someone offer any suggestions why this project is a non-profit? their web materials don’t seem to be suggestive of any county involvement.
