Here is an email that I sent to the City and the media today:
Hello,
We need a response from the City on the questions surrounding the land swap. Regardless of the validity of the appraisal submitted by the Broadmoor, the need for repairs on the Barr Trail is undeniable.
The City acquired that land on behalf of the public, and at best made a huge mistake. The land needs hundreds of thousands of dollars in repairs, and the City failed to disclose this fact to the public before the land swap was approved.
Does the City claim that this was an innocent oversight? If so, why does the City not simply inform the public and make it right?
I asked the City Council repeatedly, please tell us now:
Did the City learn during the public comment process that the land we were acquiring from the Cog Railway needed hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of work. Did any City Official consult with Timberline Landscaping about the needed repairs during the public comment process? Why did the City remove mention of those repairs from their presentations after I spoke at the meeting at Gold Camp Elementary on February 24th 2016?
The public has an absolute right to know about the needed repairs on the section of the Barr Trail that we now own.
Why has Save Cheyenne not brought up this issue with the public? Is the fact that the City failed to share this during the public comment process enough to force reversal of the land swap? Why is Save Cheyenne not keeping the City honest and the public informed? This amounts to a huge flaw in the public process that privatized Strawberry Fields, their POPS initiative is looking a little embarrassing in this light. Is this omission by the City not useful for publicity and fund raising? This knowledge is on Facebook and Change.org, it is therefore intellectual property, my name does not have to be used.
Should the City Attorney not be concerned with both the City's failure to disclose, and Save Cheyenne's betrayal of public trust?
Thank you, Carl Strow