Outgoing Council Member Fielkow stated that just now on WBOK radio this afternoon as he talked about the Council's influence over where various government dollars go.
Unfortunately, I don't think that's entirely accurate.
Looking back, Fielkow, as a City Council member, was involved at the very beginning in permitting the LSU/VA project to move forward. For example, he was involved in the March 2007 Regional Planning Commission resolution pushing for a "downtown" VA site - which an April 2007 CEA between the City and State revealed to be...the RPC site above S. Galvez. The CEA also laid out the current site of the UMC.
He also voted in support of the December 2007 ordinance that established a moratorium in the LSU/VA footprints, banning people from even repairing their homes and functionally establishing a blanket of planner's blight over the site that depressed property values as expropriation was getting underway.
Fielkow also voted for the revocation of the streets in both the VA and UMC footprints.
So, council members did have several opportunities to control the state hospital (and the federal hospital)...it's just that they didn't choose to control the hospital - or the funding involved.
Showing posts with label WBOK. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WBOK. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
"How do you get the funding if you don't have a business plan?"
Girod Stephens just asked this question on WBOK, reviewing the June 13, 2011 letter from Governor Jindal to the UMC Board members....which makes it clear that there is still no business plan in place for the proposed hospital.
Kennedy on WBOK this morning
On the radio:
8:03 a.m. - He just mentioned building out a 250-bed facility in old Charity.
The question remains: what happens with all the properties in the proposed UMC Footprint? A caller says that if the hospital is not built...it looks like a land grab. Well, it has looked like a land grab from the outset.
Kennedy rights points out that he warned the state against taking property via expropriation without financing and a workable business plan in place.
But the Governor and LSU, etc. knew what they were doing - they can now present people with a sense of "the fix is in" - a fait accompli. "What are we supposed to do now that we demolished everything?" It's the height of irresponsibility.
8:06 a.m. - Kennedy says what we've known all along: the state decided to shutter Charity Hospital after the storm even though it had been cleaned up and was ready to go shortly after the storm.
8:08 a.m. - Girod is now reading off some of the over 25 co-sponsors hosting the event tonight, including Inside the Footprint.
8:03 a.m. - He just mentioned building out a 250-bed facility in old Charity.
The question remains: what happens with all the properties in the proposed UMC Footprint? A caller says that if the hospital is not built...it looks like a land grab. Well, it has looked like a land grab from the outset.
Kennedy rights points out that he warned the state against taking property via expropriation without financing and a workable business plan in place.
But the Governor and LSU, etc. knew what they were doing - they can now present people with a sense of "the fix is in" - a fait accompli. "What are we supposed to do now that we demolished everything?" It's the height of irresponsibility.
8:06 a.m. - Kennedy says what we've known all along: the state decided to shutter Charity Hospital after the storm even though it had been cleaned up and was ready to go shortly after the storm.
8:08 a.m. - Girod is now reading off some of the over 25 co-sponsors hosting the event tonight, including Inside the Footprint.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
