HomeMy WebLinkAbout4.b. Review of White Funeral Home/Port Authority Contacts and Negotiations CITY OF ROSEMOIINT
EXECUTIVE SiTbIl�lARY FOR ACTION
PORT AUTHORITY MEETING DATE: APRIL 5, 1994
AGENDA ITEM: REVIEW OF WHITE FUNERAL HOME/ AGENDA SECTION:
PORT AUTHORITY CONTACTS AND NEGOTIATIONS OLD BUSINESS
PREPARED BY: JOHN MILLER, AGENDA NO.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR 4 . B.
ATTACFIluIENTS: FEBRUARY 28 MEMO FROM JOHN APPROVED BY:
MILLER TO RON WASMUND
At the port authority' s first meeting in February, a commission member
asked that the board be given a synopsis of contacts that the city and port
authority have had with White Funeral Home. A memorandum to me from then
Interim City Administrator Wasmund asked that I give that task some
priority. The result is the February 28 memorandum attached for your
review.
- It has been requested that the item be piaced on the April 5 meeting for
discussion.
RECO�NDED ACTION: Discussion item.
PORT AIITHORITY ACTION: ,
MEMO
TO: Ron Wasmund, Interim City Administrator
FROM: John Miller, Economic Development Coordinator
DATE: February 28, 1994
RE: Meeting Dates with White Funeral Home
Recently you drafted a memorandum requesting that I give you a written response to several
questions regarding my attendance at meetings with White Funeral Home. In addition, you
verbally requested that I give the task priority so that commissioner Wippermann could
discuss the issue on March 2.
To provide you with the information requested, I have done the following:
l. Reviewed my telephone message slips from January 1, 1993, to the present. This
will provide dates when I was contacted by person representing White Funeral Home �
and not able to take the telephone call.
2. Reviewed my 1992 and 1994 calendars for meeting dates. I was unable to find the
1993 calendar which I though was strange but that's another story.
3. Contacted Anne McMenomy for meeting date information.
4. Contacted Gary Verkinnes of Miller Construction, the St. Cloud fum that would
design and build White's building if the project should proceed for any phone log or
meeting dates he might have. �
5. Reviewed long distance telephone log for calls to Miller's 251-4109 number. This
too provided only partial documentation as Miller Construction has a toll free number,
1-800-450-011l which I tried to use to save city money.
Here's what I've pieced together.
February, 1992 First meeting. Commissioner McMenomy brought Jim White to city hall
and introduced Mr. White to me. McMenomy expressed interest in the city redeveloping the
land east of the armory and said White Funeral Home would like to loeate on the Todd Franz
property. McMenomy and White proposed port authority purchase of the Franz property.
They also inquired about the availability of tax increment financing.
I explained there was a problem with the TIF as the Franz property was outside the
development district. White and McMenomy continued to state interest in the project. I said
that I would get it before the board for consideration but could promise nothing.
Gary Verkinnes was identified as the architect.
Commissioner McMenomy later visited with the city's building official, Ron Wasmund,
about code violations at the site. Wasmund visited the property.
February 17. Miller call to Verkinnes.
February 18. Verkinnes call to Miller.
February 24. Verkinnes call to Miller.
March 4. Franz call to Miller. Requests (facetiously) to be placed on port authority
agenda with a request for the board to buy Genz-Ryan and permit Franz to
move his used car business to that site.
March 16. Verkinnes call to Miller
March 16. Rosemount Port Authority considers request from Jim White. Todd Franz is
in attendance and questions why the port authority would want to buy his
property as he is making an attempt to improve it. Franz states a
representative of the McMenomy real estate fum has approached him and
offered to buy the site. Mr. Franz also questions why the °building inspector"
appeared on his property shortly after he rejected the McMenomy offer.
I am directed by the board members to prepare a fiscal analysis of the project
and to present it at the next board meeting.
March 25. Franz call to Miller.
March 29. Verkinnes call to Miller.
April 2. Miller call to Verkinnes.
April 5. Verkinnes call to Miller.
April 6. Miller call to Verkinnes.
April 6. Rosemount Port Authority again considers the White Funeral Home proposal.
I report that the dollars and cents of the project (outside the development
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district) would require decades for the city to reach a break even point. The
port authoriry suggests White work with t�in finding another location
preferably inside the development district.
April 12. Miller call to Verkinnes.
May 17. Verkinnes call to Miller.
Late Spring Again my 1993 calendar has mysteriously disappeazed but I do recall a meeting
with Verkinnes shortly after the port authority asked White to look for other sites. At the
meeting I asked Verkinnes to talk with White about his demeanor before the port authority
and suggested he tone down his anogance in making requests. Verkinnes acknowledged Mr.
White's style and said he would talk to White. I also provided Verkinnes with a list of
possible other sites developed in part with former port authority chairperson Ed Dunn.
These included:
1. Diamond Path and County Road 42
2. Park and Ride lot
3. McMenomy-Kleveter site
4. Burnley - Port authority owned site
Verkinnes expressed an interest in the Park and Ride lot and asked for some topographic
information so that he might see if White would fit on the site. Verkinnes liked the site
because of its proximity to the Catholic church.
May 18. Verkinnes call to Miller.
May 21. Miller call to Verkinnes.
July 19. Verkinnes call to Miller.
July 22. Verkinnes call to Miller.
July 23. I believe this was a meeting date. Verkinnes showed me sketches of the Park
and Ride lot (certa.inly sometime in the summer) that proved White could not
fit on the long and narrow parcel. Verkinnes indicated also that Jim White
was interested only in a downtown location and especially a T.H. 3 site.
Verkinnes inquired about Repairs, Inc. I informed him of the Kerry and Ron
Johnson proposal and stated the only way Repairs, Inc. would become
available were if the Johnsons were unable to perform. Verkinnes stated an
interest (close to the Catholic church) and asked if he could inquire from time-
to-time about the site.
Nov. 23. Verkinnes call to Miller.
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Thanks ivin week Ed McMenomy Sr. was at city hall purchasing license tabs. I saw him
the lobby and he asked to speak with me. He indicated Jim White was still interested in
Rosemount for a funeral home site and was especially interested in the Repairs, Inc. land.
He suggested a meeting around Christmas as he would be in town and liked the idea of
White as a neighbor. McMenomy Sr. stated that Johnsons would not be able to perform on
their proposed office building.
Dec. 27. Meeting attended by Ann McMenomy, Ed McMenomy Sr., Jim White, John
Miller, and Ron Wasmund. McMenomy Sr. proposes that the Repairs Inc.
site be made available to White Funeral Home, that the port authority attempt
to move Polthus Equipment to the business park, that the port authority then
buy the Polthus site from Corcorans and sell it to McMenomy at a deep
discount. This would then permit McMenomy to connect the existing Dakota
Central office building to a remodeled Polthus building. McMenomy asks for
ta�c increment financing to gav for s�me of the remodelin; costs. This would
permit Dakota Central to keep some tenants who wish larger spaces.
Wasmund and I are overwhelmed and tell McMenomy that the port authority
members probably do not want to get involved in raiding tenants, selling land
at deep discounts with no payback, that Kerry Johnson still has control of the
Repairs site, and that the scope of the project is beyond the ability of the port
authority to fund even if the commissioners wanted to "do the deal." White
tells Wasmund and me we aren't doing anything to get businesses in town and
several other cities would love to help White Funeral Home in financing a site.
The meeting ended with only a limited amount of cordiality.
Week of Feb. 7 Meeting with Commissioner McMenomy to review port authority
agenda. McMenomy reads staff report and asks that I amend the
second recommended action under the Shamrock Square from "Motion
to direct the port authority staff to present the port authority with other
options for the site" to "Motion to direct the port authority staff to
present the port authority with other options, including White Funeral
Home, for the site.°
Now for a final note. Verkinnes notes that�iis list of contacts is nartial. In addition, my
records do not show calls that I received while in the office or made with the toll free
number. If I had my 1993 calendar I could also pinpoint exact meeting dates. In a nutshell
then this chronology of events does not include all contacts.
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attachments
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