April 27, 2007

Council Order

Although I like the order 8D) filed by Councilor Irish, it is about 2 1/2 years to late. We simply do not have the time over the next two months to get this done. It is bad enough the airport costs over 90,252 per month right now, but if we take on 100% of the burden (lose MassPort subsidy) on July 1st the cost increases to 163,681 per month based on the numbers the first 9 months of this fiscal year.





8d.

Request that, in addition to MassPort, the City Manager immediately seek discussions with investment banks and private equity firms on the possible sale of the Worcester Regional Airport. (Irish)


Just a reminder, we have been recommending this for the past two years on the website and filed a request with the airport commission asking the same thing. If we had started this process then we could have done it with the MassPort subsidy, but seriously how can we do it now with two months left and a 21,000,000 budget deficit.

More importantly the order should be changed to include airport management companies like National Express, who are in the process of selling Stewart back to the Port Authority of NY and NJ, airport authorities that run Bradley/Manchester/Providence and discount airlines like JetBlue and SouthWest amongst others. It is absolutely ridiculous that we are only in discussions with one entity (MassPort). Although they in the end may be the best option, their is a fiduciary responsibility to the tax-payers to test the marketplace.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Bill, good call on the Sky Bridge. Either you called for it not to go forward or had questioned the amts being spent??

Question is now.............do we owe Picknelly anything...........a bridge was promised....and not delivered.....how would you folks feel if you walked in his shoes???

Now if Picknelly was a private non profit theatre corporation we could just hand over a few million in community dev'ment block funds grants or in the alternate .....waive $200,000 in lawfully required permit feees.

Just think......1/2 of that $200,000 ($100,000) would keep all the pools open this summer. ( (This is not to be construed as me being pro pool). It is time for the Hand It Over Theatre to hand something back!

BTW, will the city beach at Indian lake that will not open this summer (The Old Heald's Beach) now Morph into another ORH type asset. Seems to me we just bought this water front property maybe 10 or 12 years ago just after Heald Machine closed.

Could be a great site for more low income housing or a re-located PIP shelter. "Clients" could fish, sunbathe, and swim in the summer; ice boat and ice fish in the winter; Ms. Haller and Billy Breault would be happy campers; and it aint even that close to any houses!

Not worry though, state rep Spellane will use his bookkeeping skills for prevent any possible such funding.