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Is the Fairgrounds Marina a failure to plan or a plan for failure?

Dave Ramsey has an adage, “People don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan.”

opinion-081The ongoing saga of the city of Clarksville efforts to construct a marina on the Cumberland River at Fairgrounds Park continues to astound. Having secured funds well in excess of the specified required amount, laying an enormous debt on the taxpayers in the process, the city is apparently stumbling along in baby steps to compile the paperwork needed to gain the federal and state permits to allow the construction to take place at all. All the while the public is being told these are great strides in advancing the dream of a marina into a reality.

The New Clarksville City Council
2009 Clarksville City Council

Recently, the City of Clarksville announced that excavation bids would be sought by May, 2009, for some excavation to begin at the fairgrounds in July of this year, with Marina construction to be completed by October, 2010.

On February 18, 2009, CO Author Turner McCullough Jr. received the following communication from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Conservation Biologist Tadd Potter in response to six questions asked of the USACOE:

Mr. McCullough:

Below is our response to your questions.  I hope you find them to be helpful.  Please contact me if you need clarification or have additional questions.

1. Yes, the City of Clarksville needs USACOE prior approval and permission to construct a marina on the Cumberland River at the current Fairgrounds Park location in Clarksville.

2. No, a completed application has not been received by USACE. We still have not received a mitigation plan for the wetland and stream impacts.  The City of Clarksville is currently under negotiations.

3. Currently, our Real Estate Division has the application, minus a mitigation plan.  Until we have received a complete application, a detailed review will not begin.

4. A public notice has not been issued.

5. No approvals have been given by the USACOE to the City for the construction of a marina

6. Corps approval is required for work within corps flowage easement, on  Corps land, within the Cumberland River or fill in wetlands. The City could possibly begin work in areas outside of Corps jurisdiction; however; that would be at their own risk.  There is no guarantee that Corps permission would be granted for a marina facility.  In addition, there are state approvals required for land disturbance activities and excavation in wetlands.

Please understand that this action will take some time before a decision to approve or disapprove is issued.  The coordination process is rather extensive even though the site is already outgranted to the city.

Tadd Potter

It is lamentable that this charade passes as civic-minded advancement for the people of Clarksville. The requirements before the city were reported on this media outlet as far back as November 17th, 2008, then again on December 17th/22nd,’08 and  January 7th, which the city was not admitting. Those deficits remain in place and will not be waived nor overlooked. What’s that old saying, “No job is complete until the paperwork is done.” Well that is most certainly true here. For those that missed it, here’s a reminder:

“In further development, it was learned that the city has taken on a total of $36 million dollars of debt in the fairgrounds marina redevelopment project. The council approved three resolutions approving $32, 324,000 dollars of new leveraged debt to fund the project. Council members explained that bond issues attached to the project’s leveraged debt bonds raised the total debt level to $36 million dollars.”

According to official US Army Corps of Engineers communication of February 17th, the city’s application is still on hold, pending receipt of all required information and documents necessary for a complete application. They have received a signed lease agreement with the marina operator. What remains is the proof of purchase and ownership of land to be used in the wetlands mitigation requirement to offset the wetlands to be lost at the marina excavation site (ED: the Southpoint land the city is attempting to buy?). The application would then be reviewed for completeness and then considered by three separate subdivisions within the Corps. A public notice will be issued when the application is favorably reviewed for completion. Additionally an environmental assessment must then be conducted, before the application will be considered for approval. This is a time intensive process that would not allow for the mayor’s declared start date of this July, much less his stated completion date of 2010. This is standard procedure for the Corps. As it also is with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, to which the city has not submitted any paperwork whatsoever.

“According the USACOE, the permit process for the Clarksville Marina Fairgrounds Redevelopment Project- Upon receipt of a complete application:

  • with the submission of a complete application, an application review will be conducted.
  • a public notice will be issued and public comment period would be declared where public questions, objections and concerns will be studied.
  • Following the resolution of the public comment and issues, an environmental assessment will have to be conducted and any issues and concerns resulting from that analysis would have to be resolved.
  • The USACOE would then consider issuing a permit.’”

Turner McCullough Jr., CO 11.17.08/12.17.08/12.22.08/01.07.09

The city is also required to get permit approval from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s Aquatic Resource Alteration Permit Office. As of Wednesday, February 17th, no application from the City of Clarksville was on file and a review of their permit listing showed no such permit has been issued.”

The facts are out there for those wishing to actually know what is required and where we stand as a city seeking to gain these permits, without which, we can’t proceed. There was a mad rush to secure funding, the money, without an equally excited rush to secure required administrative approval for the actual construction.

The Army of Corps of Engineers welcomes public inquiry. So does the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. Their process is open and above board. Anyone is welcome to make inquiry and information is gladly and freely given. Council members should educate and inform themselves individually of these permit requirements and a realistic time frame for meeting those requirements. They approved this new debt now being borne by the taxpayers. They are responsible to see that it is justified and correctly expended.

The city administration is not playing honestly with the people. Shouldn’t they be held to account? Wouldn’t you be, if you were responsible for this kind of confusion at your job?

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