I know it’s hard for everyone to keep so many facts straight but everyone needs to be sure to clearly say when you’re tossing out a theory versus stating a fact. In other words, don’t act as if something is a fact when it isn’t.  It’s possible to  make honest mistakes; we are all  human.  But citizens have been counting on this forum to make badly needed changes.  If we let misinformation slip in and don’t correct, we lose credibility.  Too many people, including government officials count on this forum to report  facts that others are trying to hide.  We can only make change if we work together and that means you have to own up when a mistake has been made.  So call me.  We can fix it together. But don’t, DON’T, let misinformation stand because you want to see how things “pan out” or because you are afraid to own up.  

Everyone has been calling, emailing and trying to post wanting to know what’s going on with Rivergate and Dirt Disaster.  So here the truth. Its either first hand truth or I have documents, emails or official records to show it’s the truth.

Several years back the Auxier family approached the property owners next to where their dock is.  Auxiers were fair, decent and had done their research. They offered exactly what the county records showed as the property’s appraised value.  But after last night’s city council meeting, BOPW member Greves stood in public and  loudly accused Warren Auxier of “lowballing the owners.”  Greves is either misinformed or lying.  I’ve spoken with a person who was present when the conversations about the property offer took place.  Dave Carlow also came into city hall following the meeting, but didn’t hang around long enough to do or say whatever it was he was planning on do.  It is the OPINION of many that Carlow and Greves were there to “pick a fight” about Auxier Investments purchasing the property along the river.  That property is the same property where Dirt Disaster is going on as we speak.  Greves was overhead by many people and apparently that’s how he wanted it.  He went on to tell Warren that the community would’ve been better off if the land belonged to the city.  Warren replied that there was no evidence that private land owners wouldn’t be able to do more than the city. He added the city can’t or won’t take care of what it has now, that government is sometimes restricted in what it can and can’t do so private ownership is better. Then Warren pointed out that citizens would continue to benefit because the property remained on the tax rolls and the community would get money from private ownership.  It’s my opinion that if Greves and others think the government  needs to own all the land then they would be better off in China or Russia because that’s the kind of country that thinks government is better than the people.

Shortly after Auxier Investments approached the owners the bridge project was announced. The Auxier Investments assumed Walsh industry’s would pay the property owners rent because they had fenced off private property for their own use.  Auxier Investments does not know why the couple was not paid rent, does not know if the mayor said it was city property and gave Walsh industry permission or not.  Auxier Investment believed the elderly couple to be earning income and felt it best to wait til the bridge was complete before going back to the couple.

At some point when it became clear the bridge would be completed in the next year or so, Pruitt of Riverfront Development approached the mayor about the possibility of the city building a dock at or near Walsh’s temporary construction pier.   That dock was not part of the riverfront development long term plan.  It is the OPINION of many that Pruitt was pursuing a new dock because he wants and  needs a place to dock his boat unless he wants to pay the marina or other docking fees or keep taking his boat in and out of the water.  Welch approached local Peter Ellis (Cornerstone board) to submit some ideas.   If you look at Loves appraisal you will see it’s more than a year old.  The mayor asked for it to be done at the same time he was telling everyone he had no plans for the property.  The Mayor lied; he was looking for a way to buy the property, get a dock installed and keep Walsh from removing its temporary pier.  According to several city councilman the mayor never said a word to them about his riverfront plans which is pretty much like what the mayor has done with Sewer gate.

Then, according to Walsh Industry contacts, shortly before the bridge was done, the Welch administration contacted them about leaving the pier so a dock could be added.  Walsh industries explained they couldn’t do that – it was a temporary pier and the mayor would need to arrange permits and get permission to make permanent changes to the riverfront banks.  So when the mayor or Cook or anyone tells you they didn’t know about needing permits, they are lying.  Walsh Industries told them a long time ago and it’s in black and white on the FEMA grant documents which you can also read here on the forum.  

Near the time the bridge was finished , Auxier Investments contacted Walsh because the pier was causing severe “silting in” of the river banks not just along their docking area but along the entire bank.  Auxiers requested the pier be removed or Corp of Engineers be consulted in order to correct whatever problems were occurring so that the riverbanks would not silt in if they were going to leave it.  For those of you who don’t understand the severity of silting, it is the problem RiverCrest Marina has, river mud washes in and fills in areas that are not normally “muddy”.  Silting  prevents boating, docking and swimming. Its kills off vegetation, creates swampy mud holes that draw bugs, trash and nasty debris.  You only need to go look at the citys “new double tie off dock” at the boat ramp to learn quickly what happens if boat docks aren’t designed correctly to keep them in “deep water”.  Only one side of our new expensive boat dock can be used because the persons involved in designing it, didn’t take into account the low water and poor conditions of the city boat ramp. Mr Pruitt of River front development was involved in the that fiasco too.

Auxier Investments informed the city there was a severe silting problem and said they felt the pier needed removed or Walsh needed to modify it according to the Corp of Engineers.  The city administration failed to return phone calls or address the concerns.  According to Walsh contacts, Walsh Industry’s hates working with the Welch administration and “the mayor’s office never does what it’s supposed to do and is always looking for a way to short cut things.”   The city hadn’t gotten permits and Walsh didn’t believe the mayor would get them so they removed the pier.  Auxier Investments had nothing to do with the pier being removed and had tried to work with the city to help solve the riverfront silting problem.

The Welch administration blamed Auxier Investments for the mistakes Damon and his team had made in dealing with Walsh Industry.  Damon continued to pursue the property and was told in order to purchase it, he would need 2 appraisals.  Loves appraisal had come in with a number that would work with what the mayor was hoping to do.  But it was not an appraisal that looked like other legitimate appraisals, in fact it doesn’t look “normal” at all.  No one has to be an expert to know what  a honest appraisal looks like.  If you’ve bought a home or ever had an appraisal you only need to compare what is written in the documents to what appears in the county records or on GIS.  Contrary to what Greves was loudly saying at city hall, no one intimidated Cook about the appraisals. They appraisals speak for themselves. Cook’s own video saying he was “surprised” to see how close the two documents were despite being done by two separate companies.  Perhaps Bob should have been smart enough to double check their accuracy since he was so surprised.  It is the OPINION of just about everybody that Cook is lying and either he or the mayor was involved in “fixing” appraisals that would fit within the mayors available funds for his riverfront project.  Since Cook was surprised he should have investigated because even he knew that it was extremely rare for legitimate and separate appraisal to come so close.  It’s no one’s fault but the mayor’s office that it looks like they rigged appraisals and tried to scam over a little old couple.

Once the administration had 2 appraisals they contacted the little old couple that had inherited the land and made an offer based on the appraisals, neither of which referenced the county’s assessed value or the value of neighboring properties.  The wife reminded the husband of Auxier Investments and suggested they contact the family before dealing with the city.  The husband contacted the city and the city made an offer.  There was a conversation between the elderly man and someone representing the city administration.  There is allegedly a note of some type that the couple would be interested in selling to the city.  According to Carlow of the BOPW there was an agreement, but no one knows how Carlow can say that.  He wasn’t present “shaking hands” with the owners as he implied on the BOPW video.  There was NO PURCHASE AGREEMENT.  Auxier Investment became aware that it was the city that was attempting to  “lowball” the elderly couple.  It was not as Greves said at city hall last night, Auxier Investments was doing the right and fair thing; it was the city that was running the scam.

Somewhere in the middle of discussing the purchase with the owners the mayor announced he had a deal to buy riverfront land.  He bragged that it was a good opportunity for the city but said he has no immediate plans.  Remember he had already met with Pruitt, was mad the pier was being removed, discussed designs with Ellis and had already completed appraisals that even according to Bob Cook were a “surprise”.  The mayor was lying.

The city had set a closing meeting, and although Jenner had not prepared a purchase agreement he did create closing documents. So when the couple arrived to tell the mayor they had a more reasonable and fair offer  the mayor was angry.  According to persons in city hall, Bob Cook “lost it”.  He was angry and threatened the couple.  He told the couple the city was out the cost of the appraisals and the couple responded by telling Cook that Auxier Investments had agreed to pay $500 towards the appraisal. (normal appraisals of empty lots are usually less than $250). Cook screamed the city was out more like $1200.   It is the OPINION of darn near everyone that Cook throwing his fit, the mayor being angry and the gouging on land and appraisal fees is what really led to the deal falling through. They may have been old people but they weren’t stupid.  

The mayor asked for 10 days to counter back an offer that the couple would be willing to accept.  It is illegal for the city to pay more than the appraised value so the mayor was going to need a second buyer or donor to put up the extra dollars beyond what the “surprise” appraisals said the land was worth.  Enter Pruitt and Riverfront development.  In the past it’s a fact Riverfront Development has used dinar funds to support political projects such as the mayors environmental study for a bridge approach.  Part of the reason the public would not support this past summer’s Wine Stein and Burrell fund raiser was because people saw it as the way the mayor raised funds for his personal projects and vendettas.  People reported they even went down to the riverfront that evening to tell the organizers they would not pay because of the mayor.  

In the mean time the mayor authorizes Dirt Disaster. Welch begins dropping fill dirt along the river banks without permission from the corp of engineers.  He announces there’s a FEMA grant for restoring the banks but he doesn’t tell the public its not for private property.  Welch doesn’t get permission from the property owners- who at that time he authorized the dumping was still the old couple.  But by the time he started dumping it was Auxier Investments.  In addition the FEMA grant tells exactly what can be done- Welch decided he wasn’t going to following the grant or do what was required by FEMA.  He would not get permits and he would not follow the detailed outline of how the bank was to be restored.    Then it rained, and rained and rained and rained.

Next thing you know citizens are taking photos, mud is running into the river and the mayor is once again lying to cover his bad decision making; that’s the first day of Dirt Disaster.  But regarding Rivergate,  Welch cuts the deal with a few members of Riverfront committee for extra money to cover their error on low balling the appraisals.  But we haven’t been able to find anything in writing, just reports from persons who spoke with riverfronts Pruitt or those who spoke with persons close to the deal.  Once he thinks he has a way to fund his project, the mayor calls a special board of public works meeting to announce he has “cut the deal” despite another buyer.  Welch intended to be able to celebrate his victory at the BOPW meeting.  What Welch didn’t know was the couple was signing a purchase agreement with Auxier Investments and accepting money around the same time.  Unbeknownst to the mayor the couple, just like Walsh Industries, has decided they will not work with the Welch administration and who would blame them after the way they had bee treated.

In the mean time Dirt Disaster keeps getting worse, citizens begin calling IDEM, DNR and the corp of engineers.  Keep in mind the Corp of Engineers already knows about the silting problem but did not know that Welch had bypassed their permit process and began dumping dirt on the riverbank, nor had FEMA heard from any citizen as far as we know.  Since that time we have heard from numerous citizens who have informed us they have made written or verbal complaints.

I’m going to have to finish this tomorrow.  If you have questions about what I have written you can email me.  But I’ve tried to be as specific as possible.  We have documents or statements from persons who were present unless I’ve said otherwise.   I will finish up Rivergate and move onto DirtGate Disaster tomorrow.  Sewer gate is entirely different and doesn’t involve the river front or dirt- just the mayor lying.  

Tune in tomorrow me Bubba and Brewski are going to sit on the porch and get some fresh air.