FLINTOID SHOW UP- BROWNFIELDS YOU SHOULD MEET

GOOD MORNING FLINT!
Terry Bankert 8/25/09

Brownfields does not mean its fall.

-FLINTOID SHOWUP ALERT-Brownfield Community Forum• What: Local officials trying to redevelop brownfield sites including Buick City will discuss regulatory issues and problems they face as well as possible solutions that will be presented to local, state and federal officials. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and provide input. • When: 8 a.m. Aug. 26. • Where: Regional Technology Center on Mott Community College's campus. Entrance is located off Longway Boulevard. • R.S.V.P.: Jan Snavely, (810) 600-1411 or jsnavely@thegrcc.org. --

FLINT, Michigan -- With up to 600 jobs and redevelopment of the vast Buick City complex at stake, the Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce and community leaders are looking to the public to raise awareness of environmental liability hang-ups and an auction that could derail the project.[]

GENESEE REGIONAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, OUR LEADERS.

WHO PICKED THE COMMUNITY LEADERSThe chamber and other area leaders this morning were expected to announce a brownfield community forum scheduled Aug. 26 at the Regional Technology Center at Mott Community College.[]

WHAT IS A BROWNFIELD

The public is encouraged to attend to share input and learn more about brownfield regulations and how they could hamper development of 1,500 acres of brownfield property in Genesee County, now mostly in control of Motors Liquidation Co., or the old GM.[]

WHAT REGULATIONS ARE THEY COMPLAINING ABOUTOfficials have said that an unnamed investor wants to transform the about 220-acre Buick City site into a multimillion dollar rail-to-rail and rail-to-truck intermodal facility, creating up to 600 jobs, plus construction jobs.[]

IT IS IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST TO KNOW WHO THIS INVESTOR IS WHEN?
"Our hard work may be lost if we don't resolve the brownfield issue," said Tim Herman, chief executive officer of the chamber, which along with other area leaders has spent hundreds of hours on the Buick City project over the past three years.[]

IS THEIR HARD WORK MORE VALUABLE THAN OURS?
Herman said at issue is who will have the environmental responsibility going forward on the site. Often times when someone buys an industrial property, the environmental liability transfers to the new owner, Herman said.[]

THE CHAMBER WORKING FOR THEIR OWN INTEREST HAVE 3 YRS INTO THIS PRIVATE PROJECT. THEY WANT US TO FOOT THE ENVIRONMENTAL BILL, THIS IS THE FIRST STEP OF A PR PROGRAM TO GET THE FLINT TAX PAYERS TO FOOT THE BILL.

WHY NOT JUST TELL US UP FRONT."It's not fair to have someone who wants to use this property ... and have him taking on all that environmental responsibility," said Bill Winiarski, chairman of the Genesee County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority.[]

WHY NOT? DEFINE FAIRNESS, WHY SHOULD FLINT TAX PAYERS FOOT THE BILL?

WHO IS WINIARSKI

WHAT IS THE GENESEE COUNTY BROWNFIELD REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY?Winiarski said stakeholders need to come up with a new way to handle environmental responsibility of a brownfield site.

UNTIL NOW THE STAKEHIOLODERS WERE THE CHAMBER AND UNNAMED LEADERS. NOW THE STAKEHOLDERS WILL INCLUDE US SINCE THEY WANT OUR TAX DOLLARS?Officials have suggested one scenario that includes a potential U.S. government buy-in of the environmental responsibility at Buick City.[]

SO WE WILL SUPPORT US IF MORE TAX PAYER LIABIOLITY IS INCLUDED. IT IS A PARIDIGM I SUPPORT THAT GOVERNMENT ABSORBS RISK TO ALLOW PRIVATE SECTOR INVESTMENT.

COMPLICATIONS, OR GM WALKING AWAY FROM ITS FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES, CAUSING PROBLEMS, AGAIN.
GM's bankruptcy filing and creation of Motors Liquidation Co. also presents other complications in how to handle any possible shared environmental responsibility of Buick City with GM, said Flint's Temporary Mayor Michael Brown.[]

MIKLE IS NOT TEMPORARY MAYOR HE IS AN EMPLOYEE OF THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE,.

IT GALLS ME TO SEE THE TV CHEER LEADERS TALK ABOUT THE NEW GM WHEN THE OLD ONE HAS DONE SUCH DAMAGE TO THE DEALERS, SUPPLIERS AND OUR BROTHER AND SISTER WORKERS.Also in question is how the Buick City property, among eight Flint and Genesee County properties that are part of the old GM, will be sold.

WHAT OTHER PROPERTIES ARE INVOLVED

GM has said the properties with old GM would be auctioned off with proceeds to help pay off creditors.[]

TIM HERMAN OPPPOSES FREE MARKET LAND DISTRIBUTION?Herman said he and other officials working on the project are worried that someone could come in and buy the property and stop development efforts.[]

A SPECULATOR IS SOMEONE WHO RISKS CAPITAL, LIKE FUNDING A ROCK CONCERT"My fear is a speculator comes in and holds that property ... for a number of years into the future," he said.[]

WHICH COMMUNITY? THE REGIONAL CHAMBER AND SELF APPOINTES LEADERS?"There's real concern on my part that communities like ours be able to control our own destinies on these issues," Brown added.[]

IT STILL SEEMS LIKE A BAD DREAM THAT WE LOST BUICK CITYMost of Buick City closed in 1999, creating one of the state's largest brownfield sites. General Motors Powertrain Flint, which is slated to close by December 2010, operates on part of the site.[]

WINIARSKI SUPPORTS BIG GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION INTO OUR COMMUNITY. HOW ABOUT HEALTH CARE?"We just need the federal government to help us with an easy transition of the sale of the property," Winiarski said. "We can't do this without the help of the federal government right now."[]

REAL LEADERS TO THE RESCUEChamber and City of Flint officials have been working with U.S. Rep. Dale E. Kildee, D-Flint, and the Genesee County Land Bank on the issues for the past several months, Brown said.[]

I AM CHEERING ON THEIR NEW TRANSPARENCY.U.S. Democratic Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin also have met with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials, auto recovery czar Ed Montgomery and U.S. Treasury officials, Brown said.[]

GOVERNMENTAL REGULATIONS AND LAW ARE A TRAVESTY. "It would be a travesty if our hands are tied with these brownfield sites -- hundreds of hundreds of acres in our community that can't be developed," said Brown, who made the Buick City redevelopment a major goal in his term in office that ends in early August.

YES IT IS A BIGGER ISSUE. URBAN POLICY FOCUSED ON RESIDENTIAL AND INDUSTRIAL REDEVELOPMENT WILL PRIME THE PUMP FOR SMALL BUSINES REINVESTMENT AND FUND OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND CREATE A TAX BASE FOR INCREASED PUBLIC SAFTEY,ALL ESSENTIAL EMELEMENTS FOR THE FLINT REVIVAL.Herman and Winiarski say the brownfield redevelopment issues involved with Buick City are not Flint specific or even Michigan specific. But a resolution could be used as a model across the U.S., they said.[]

AGAIN JUST HOW WERE YOUR LEADERS PICKED?"I think in this community our economic future is at stake," Herman said. "We can't lose more opportunity to create more jobs now. More than ever, the community really does need to pull together."[]

FLINTOIDS SHOULD ATTEND THIS MEETING. ITS AN IMPORTANT ISSUES THESE “ LEADERS” SEEM TO BE ON THE RIGHT TRACT.

Terry Bankert
http://www.flintfamilylaw.com/


SEE[]http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2009/07/buick_city_other_brownfield_re.html-

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