Hold your horses! 

Front page story in today’s Times Record 4/17/12 “Developers take stand on Sports Complex”.

Two quotes from Senator Jake Files serve as a lead-in to this piece. 

1. “Jake Files & Lee Webb say they want to build THEIR complex at Chaffee Crossing, not the Riverfront”.
2. “We (Files & Webb) respectfully ask the Board to move with haste in allowing us to proceed at Chaffee Crossing with the development of the River Valley Sports Complex.”

The Board has been remiss in detailing the genesis and the activities which have led to Files & Webb being the owners of the Sports Complex.

This appears to be another backroom insider deal.  If it is THEIR complex, they pay the $1.6 million, not the taxpayers.   We certainly know that is not going to happen; therefore, let the citizens be made aware of finite details about this rush to judgment.

Many of these questions were posed yesterday and so far, no response.

1. How did Files & Webb come to be the progenitors of this curious project?
2. If allowed to proceed, who owns the complex?
3. As a 501 c3 complex, who will be the CEO and how many accompanied full time positions and what will be the salaries?
4. Will the salaried positions be city employees?
5. What is the salary to be for the CEO?
6. Where does the funding come from for maintenance, insurance, bonding, etc.?
7. It is estimated there will be a cash outlay of $1.6 million to construct the softball fields; therefore, what are the accounting procedures and who will oversee the expenditures?

The city government of Fort Smith is in the process of raping citizen taxpayers.  As an example, I allude to the following “visions” being offered by bureaucrats, politicians, and opportunists.  Incidentally, Senator Files has stated that the softball fields are his “vision” and I will take this opportunity to state that Sen. Files business experience has not been exemplary. 

Here are some of the recent “visions”:

1. The Marshal’s Museum.  Politicians & bureaucrats will be out hustling funds for the next 2 weeks for this ridiculous colossus ($50 million, 50,000 sq. ft…who pays & who maintains?).  Want to know more about this colossus, log on to arkansasfreedom.net 
2. The Water Park….projected to lose at least $150,000 per year, while expanding city & county government with more dead weight.
3. Walking trails to nowhere.  This and other recreational items are demanded by the U.N.’s Agenda 21….stack & pack ‘em and control citizens’ movement.  Is the city of Fort Smith a member of Agenda 21?
4. UAFS Chancellor Paul Beran’s “Entrepreneural School”.
5. Chancellor Paul Beran’s downtown Mallalieu Academy of Excellence for “at risk” kids.
6. Chancellor Paul Beran’s takeover of the 2nd Street Live venue downtown which its existence is very curious replete with self-serving tentacles.  If Beran and UAFS take over the $2.2 million barn, citizen taxpayers will have paid for this entity twice.  For details see arkansasfreedom.net
7. Beran’s projections wanting UAFS dormitories downtown.
8. Continuation of the failed Convention Center and its highly paid staff.

Our wonderful little city of Fort Smith is in a power-dive to economic destruction. Shelve your dysfunctional “visions” and institute searches for small to medium sized businesses that don’t have to be bribed with taxpayer money to come here.

Directors, if you are insistent on building 8 softball fields, build them in the place that Judge Ben Geren intended—it is the perfect place and it seems everyone except government officials understands that.

Joe McCutchen