Asheville City Councilman Cecil Bothwell is questioning why construction has yet to begin on the scaled down pavilion it said it planned to start building this spring/summer. Bothwell takes to task the Pack Square Conservancy, which has overseen the park renovation and construction. The new facility is to serve as a tourist hub, and is supposed to include public restroom facilities – something downtown sorely lacks.
Via 880 The Revolution:
I request that the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority
rescind its grant to the Pack Square Conservancy, made for the purpose
of constructing a visitor center and restroom facility, and grant the
money to the City of Asheville for the same purpose.
The City of Asheville has repeatedly demonstrated the ability to
complete construction projects in a timely manner and frequently under
estimate.
The Pack Square Conservancy has repeatedly demonstrated an astonishing
inability to complete projects on time or within anything like
original estimates.
The further delay of the long promised restroom facilities, apparently
in response to the requests of a small segment of special interests in
our community is beyond laughable. I am completely fed up with the
Conservancy’s ineptitude and delays.
It is long past time for a thorough and professional audit of the
Conservancy books over its entire life, with an accounting to the
people of this community for all moneys spent for any purpose and it
is also long past time for the City and County to reclaim the park
that has been held hostage by a confederacy of dunces for far too long.
4 Comments
Yeah Cecil, I agree 100%. If they were a business they would be gone.
The entire "renovation of Pack Square and the former City-County plaza has been a long running disaster. Delays, waste, cost overruns, poor design, poor administration, bureaucrats and a poor job by the Pack Square Conservancy. This botched nature of this project shows how totally inept the business, government, civic and non profit sectors are in Asheville.
I for once, agree with Mr Bothwell … the time has come for the Conservancy to be dissolved …
Ironically, I could make the same argument of Cecil Bothwell and the I-26 Connector project.