Star Tribune Letters: Park Board Had Money
In a letter to the editor regarding a Star Tribune article about problems at Lake of the Isles completing a large project, writer Arlene Fried points out that the Park Board had $3 million in cash they could have used to help finish the project. Instead, Commissioner Bob Fine, with the support of Commissioner Walt Dziedzic, pushed forward a budget which spent the money to pay off the mortgage on the administrative headquarters building.
»[A]t the Oct. 6, 2004, meeting of the Park Board's Administration and Finance Committee, Commissioner Bob Fine advocated the use of those funds to prematurely pay off the existing $3 million mortgage on the expensive ($6 million-plus) Park Board headquarters.
Had that not happened, there would have been funds available now to continue work on the Lake of the Isles project.
So our Minneapolis Park System now has a mortgage-free administration building and an eyesore in the heart of the Lakes area.«
Full letter at this link.