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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04- Public Comment JAN 20 P 3 '0 January 20, 1995 Mayor Tom Minor City of San Bernardino 300 N. "D"Street San Bernardino, CA 92418 RE: HUD Grant Baseline Area Dear Mayor Minor; We, as the Baseline Area Business Association are writing to you to request a meeting with Councilman Curlin and yourself in regards to the grant from HUD concerning the Baseline area. The meeting would be to discuss the appropriation of funds that we have been working on for the last three years. There is some concern on the part of business and property owners in the area of Baseline from the 1-15 to east to Waterman and from 16th Street south on E to 9th Street as to where the funds are really going to go. It was our understanding that there was to be treescape and retrofitting of lighting along the above mentioned stretches of streets but now there is a discrepancy as to where those funds are really going to go. Some of our Association members have worked on this project between 3& 4 hours a month for the last three years and now feel like everything they have worked for is being pulled out from under them for reasons that we can only guess upon. Councilman Curlin feels that the funds should go to lighting for the area east of Pepper Tree which none of the business or property owners were involved in any negotiations with the Redevelopment Dept. We feel as though there is something not quite right going on here. Councilman Curlin also states that he was not aware of the grant being for the area of Baseline mentioned above, however this is a matter of public record. You personally attended one of our Business meetings where these items were discussed. You subsequently verbally approved our redevelopment request when you direcected RDA to proceed. Councilman Curlin was also present at this meeting but seemed to be"dozing"and perhaps does not remember. Councilman Curlin is a"paid" member of our association and he recieves newsletters on a monthly bases along with other communications from some of our members. Why all of a sudden is he playing "dumb"? We as an Association feel like we have been had as far as all the hard work we put into this project and would like to meet with the both of you to try to come to some kind of agreement as to where the funds should really go. As businesses and property owners in the area we are in it is hard enough doing business in San Bernardino with the blight, crime, drugs, etc. without having something that we have worked on to make the area we are doing business in better taken away from us for ulterior motives. We are asking your help in coming to an agreement that will be beneficial to all who have worked long and hard on this project. We don't feel as if Councilman Curlin is being fair to us and need to resolve some of these issues before they go any further. We look forward to meeting with you and Councilman Curlin at your earliest convenience to discuss the matters at hand. Thank you in advance for your prompt attention to this matter. Sincerely, - oL i Redevelopment Committee The Baseline Area Bsiness Association cc: Councilpersons Wards 1 through 7 Tim Steinhaus, EDA BABA Redevelopment Committee Members '95 JAN 20 P 3 2 426 W. Baseline Street San Bernardino, CA 92410 (909)885-7648 January 13, 1995 Dr. Freddie Curlin Councilperson Ward 2 San Bernardino, Calif. Dear Dr. Curlin: On January 3rd, 1995 the Baseline Executive committee invited you to a special meeting at Las Palmas with RDA's Tim Steinhausen, Laura Landa, and Gene Klatt from the city. Our plans for Baseline were laid out. We discussed how we wanted trees now and that we had bought lightweight (when empty)100 &200 gallon containers with faucets on the bottom which could be easily carried in a pickup or van. These containers were to make it easy for the merchants on the Baseline corridor to help water and build pride as they helped beautify Baseline. Also our plans involved the school children at our two Elementary schools in our beautification program so that they would enjoy the trees and not vandalize them. The committee left the meeting feeling that we were all in complete accord. On January 11th you called Linda and asked if you could drop by, and talk with us. When you arrived we were surprised that you brought Carol Thrasher(a person who had had no prior involvement with Baseline Business Association) with you. You told us that you had an impromptu meeting with Gene Klatt. Roger Hargrave, Sue Morales, and Laura Landa the day before. You had chosen option#2, an option we knew nothing about. You explained that you had decided to spend$65,000 instead of $6,000 - $15,000 maximum. The extra $50,000 was to be spent on lights on the other side of Waterman. An area where there is no participation or expressed interest You further explained that there would have to be irrigation for our trees. Auuthm paut would have to be winter fu1 a sccuud phaac bufu1C wC wind have urns 111 Jauumy 1996. I strongly objected, so you called Shane Clark and put me on the phone to her. You left. Shana told me that you took the money from her program and that Baseline didn't deserve the money and that she would do everything in her power to get it back if we didn't use it. I explained that we had been promised last year that the lights were being put in with assessment money. We were told that it was on the schedule, and budgeted to be done by June 1995. It was fin*ther stated that there were no f mds available, but now our grant money was being taken to do it. We called an emergency executive strategy meeting for Thursday morning, I talked to Roger Hargrave. He told me that they had decided yesterday, after I talked to Shana, to use assessment money as we had been promised. Linda and I persuaded the rest of the committee to talk to you and let you work with us. Bill Sikes, Virginia Sitzman, and I left the meeting and went directly to you. You graciously gave us 10 minutes for our unannounced visit, and we explained our concerns. You scolded me for not inviting you to our executive committee and ask us to recall the meeting at 4:30p.m. this same afternoon and we agreed. We called our whole committee and other members and prepared for a 4:30p.m. meeting. You called me before noon and confirmed the meeting. At approximately 2 p.m.,Linda received a call from Fran saying that you had forgotten about another meeting, could not make our meeting and for us to cancel it. I was sitting next to Linda. I called Fran back and asked to speak to you. She said that you were busy. I asked her to give you a message to call me. I explained that if at all possible we needed to have the meeting,it would be very inconvenient at this late time to find everybody and cancel the meeting. I was very emphatic. At approximately 3:00 p.m., you called Linda and stated that you had had a complaint about me for swearing at your secretary. She told you that she was sitting right next to me and that I dial uut swcal at Hall. You toll Linda that you did slut kuuw wllcll you wuld luacllcdulc Illc meeting as you were going to Africa and Europe. You did not know when or how long you would be gone. I called and asked for Fran. I asked her what the misunderstanding was, as I did not swear at her. She told me that I had said"G D" I told her that I had not said that and gave the phone to Linda . She attempted to tell Fran that I hadn't cussed or sworn, but Fran wouldn't listen and gave the telephone to Phil Arviso. He told Linda that she would not let them talk. I talked to Phil and he informed me that Fran was very upset that I had sworn at her. I told him that if I had sworn I would apologize. I told him that I was sorry that Fran had misunderstood my frustration and added her own interpretation. Phil told me he understood that I did not like you and that if I needed to call the council offices again I should ask for him. I didn't realize that disagreeing with your action constituted a dislike of you personally. A half hour before the canceled meeting was to have convened, Linda received a phone call from RDA, stating that the official policy was that $65,000 of our grant money would be used to put lights on Baseline, $50.000 east of Waterman. RDA would try to hold onto the balance until another grant could be written to complete the amount of money needed to put trees with irrigation on Baseline. This should happen in 1966. I have been involved in high profile community activities for over 23 years. The mayor, Lity attu111CV, llluht of diC city coutiLil, cuulitinis ut11Cl Ovll:sClvalit5 x1111 Culuillulllty cit,-,cub 11avc known me for most of that time and no one as ever heard me or accused me of swearing or cussing. Anyone you ask might say I am stubborn, unorthodox, and expressed my opinions, (to this I plead guilty.) But no one has ever libeled, slandered, and impugned my integrity and credibility. I am livid. I find it hard to believe that someone working in the council office misinterprets my obviously being frustrated and embellished on it to please you and discredit your distracter. Has the city of San Bernardino come to such a state that we have to record our conversations on the phone and in public to protect our integrity and credibility? I hope not. Perhaps the city should install a recording system at city hall(similar to the police depts.)to protect all of the constituents from slander and libel by city hall staff and elected officials. This is insane. I also wish to reaffirm that Baseline Area Business Association is not a political association. We have not endorsed any candidate or political action as a group. All our actions and concerns have been directed to making the Baseline corridor and all of San Bernardino a better, prettier, safer community in which to work,live and shop. We request a meeting with you,the Mayor and the Baseline Area Business Association Executive Committee. I request an apology for the libel and slander to me. Cordi y urs, 4' S. Stephen Sutherland Co-Chairman, Redevelopment Committee Baseline Area Business Association cc.Mayui City Council RDA BABA