A Serious Inquiry and a Sleazy Mayoral Dodge

Mayor Matthew Godfrey
2549 Washington Blvd.
Ogden, UT 84401

May 17, 2006

Dear Mayor Godfrey:

As you know, Smart Growth Ogden is an alliance of Ogden citizens who care about our city. Although we have endorsed several specific ideas for making Ogden a better place, we are concerned not just about outcomes but also about process. We want Ogden's citizens to be fully informed about proposals that affect them, and to be able to give timely input into important decisions. So far, our efforts toward these goals have included our web site (www.smartgrowthogden.org), working with the media, direct mail to residents, and organizing a very successful neighborhood meeting at Wasatch School on April 11. We currently count our supporters in the hundreds.

As you have stated, the current proposal to sell property to Chris Peterson may be the most important decision our city has faced in many years. Lately, you and Mr. Peterson have presented versions of this proposal to residents at a series of meetings, public and private. However, it seems to us that many of the key questions about this proposal have not yet been answered. At this time, therefore, we request that you (consulting with Mr. Peterson as necessary) provide us with written answers to the following questions.

1. Exactly what property is Mr. Peterson seeking to purchase from the city and from WSU? (Please provide accurate maps or legal descriptions as well as acreages.)

2. What is the process for determining the price that Mr. Peterson would pay for the city-owned property?

3. When will a price for the city-owned property be determined and disclosed to the public?

4. Can you promise that in developing this property, all requirements of the city's currently applicable Sensitive Area Overlay Zone ordinance would be respected? If not, how would these requirements be modified?

5. Has a civil or geotechnical engineer been consulted regarding the feasibility of the planned residential and commercial construction in the foothills? If so, please provide copies of any relevant reports and correspondence.

6. Has a professional golf course architect been consulted regarding the feasibility of the proposal to relocate approximately half of the golf course onto much steeper terrain? If so, please provide copies of any relevant reports and correspondence. Also, please name any comparable developments that you may be aware of, in which a golf course has been constructed on similar terrain.

7. Has a qualified professional indicated that the proposed technology, alignment and station locations of the mountain gondola are technically feasible? If so, please provide copies of any relevant reports and correspondence.

8. Is there a site plan for the proposed construction site in Malan's Basin? If so, please provide a copy or at least, basic information such as the map location and dimensions of the construction site.

9. Has a civil or geotechnical engineer been consulted regarding the feasibility of the planned construction in Malan's Basin? If so, please provide copies of any relevant reports and correspondence.

10. Has a qualified professional with expertise in designing ski areas reviewed the plan for the proposed ski area in Malan's Basin? If so, please provide copies of any relevant reports and correspondence.

11. Mr. Peterson has described a plan to encourage skiing down from Malan's Basin to the foothills, snow conditions permitting. Please describe the route(s) that would be used for this descent, and provide a map if possible.

12. When will we know for sure whether an access road to Malan's Basin would be constructed?

13. If an access road were to be constructed to Malan's Basin, what alignments are being considered? (Please provide a map if possible.)

14. You and Mr. Peterson have discussed the possibility of using a freight gondola instead of an access road for transporting construction equipment and materials to Malan's Basin. Has a qualified professional indicated that this is feasible? Please provide us with copies of any relevant reports or correspondence. Also, please provide us with the names and locations of any comparable facilities elsewhere, and provide us with a detailed description of this freight gondola and how it would relate to the passenger gondola.

15. You have described the possibility of using a "package plant" for waste treatment in Malan's Basin. Has a qualified professional indicated that this is feasible? Please provide copies of any relevant reports or correspondence. Also, please name any comparable facilities elsewhere that you may be aware of.

16. The city has produced a map showing numerous proposed new trails in and around the Malan's Basin property. What are the proposed widths and modes of use of these trails (e.g., hiking, mountain biking, skiing, off-road vehicles, golf carts)?

17. When do you expect to have an accurate estimate of the cost of the urban gondola?

18. Are you still considering the option of lighting, heating, and/or air conditioning the urban gondola cabins? If so, please provide details. If not, please provide any reports or correspondence to document the conclusion that heating and air conditioning will not be necessary. Please also identify any comparable gondola systems in similar climates for which heating and air conditioning have been found to be unnecessary.

19. Do you have a specific plan for the design of the gondola stations and bends along Harrison Blvd.? Would they be at-grade or elevated? Please describe the right-of-way impacts and how these would be mitigated.

20. What economic analyses of this project have been performed? Please provide copies of any reports or correspondence with professionals.

21. What assumptions underlie your predictions for the number of jobs that would be created and the amount of tax revenue that would be generated by this project? Please provide full details regarding these calculations including the number, type, and value of new residential units, amount of commercial space, types and locations of jobs, etc.

22. What timeline for approval and construction of this project would you propose? Please provide suggested dates for further feasibility studies, approval by the City Council, transfer of property, completion of engineering studies, beginning of construction, and opening for business, with separate dates (where applicable) for the urban gondola, mountain gondola, redesigned golf course, Malan's Basin ski area, and commercial facilities in the foothills and in Malan's Basin.

We realize that this is a long list of detailed questions. If there are some for which you cannot provide an answer at this time, please indicate when an answer is likely to be available. It would, of course, be preferable for the public to have this information before being asked to comment on the project. We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
Mary Hall
on behalf of Smart Growth Ogden
P.O. Box 1347
Ogden, UT 84402

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June 2, 2006


Mary Hall
Dan Schroeder
Smart Growth Ogden
P.O. Box 1347
Ogden, UT 84402

Dear Mary Hall and Dan Schroeder,

Thanks for your e-mails and letters requesting detailed information. It would take several days of time to answer these more than two dozen questions you both have proposed. The general answer to most all of your questions, however, is that the detail you are asking for will come over time and will be made public. Many of your questions can be answered with the information at the public open houses. Chris and I are there and would be glad to answer as many of these as we can.

I do have some concern with the value of provide you both information. A quick review of your website reveals that the information we have already shared is not displayed there, but has been altered significantly.

Sincerely,


Matthew R. Godfrey
Mayor of Ogden

Via: Smart Growth Ogden Website