Project Pascalis is the name for a proposed $100 million plus demolition and redevelopment project targeted for downtown Aiken. The project is being directed by the Aiken Municipal Development Agency (AMDC), which in December 2021 officially announced RPM Development Partners, LLC (agent: Ray Massey) as the project developer. RPM represents the three primary investors and developers:  Raines Company, Lat Purser and Associates, and Ray Massey. 

Information obtained yesterday regarding an extravagant taxpayer funded dinner featuring shots of premium whiskey reveals that the Mayor of Aiken, the City Manager, the city’s Economic Development Director, and three Aiken Municipal Development Commissioners participated in a “social business gathering” with three members of RPM Development Partners. A separate check was provided to the latter group. Most of the participants also attended a City of Aiken Design Review Board (DRB) workshop just prior to the gathering. 

On July 13, 2022 I emailed (1) Aiken City Manager Stuart Bedenbaugh with concerns and questions regarding two issues on the “transparency page” of Aiken Municipal Development Commission’s (AMDC) website: 

1. The existence of copies of AMDC checks within invoice and billing files with routing number and account number not redacted; and 
2. A January 10th check from the AMDC to the City of Aiken for a $620 bar and dinner bill dated January 4, 2022 from Prime Steakhouse in downtown Aiken. On that bill were seven orders of premium whiskey worth $130, four orders of steaks, one order of short ribs, one order of veal piccatta, and an appetizer of Calamari. 

Within a few days, all files containing copies of compromised AMDC checks were removed from their “transparency page,” and have yet to be returned.

In regard to the Prime Steakhouse bill, one question posed was:

Can you identify the people in the party who dined on fine steaks along with premium whiskey that afternoon?

After two weeks without any further response, on July 25th I filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for the expense report, the meeting notes, and a listing of all attendants including those on a referenced second check.(2) 

On July 27th Aiken Economic Development Director and FOIA officer Tim O’Briant responded with another copy of the dinner and bar tab and a copy of the AMDC check, with banking information redacted.

In an emailed response, Mr O’Briant explained that the City’s purchasing card was used “because the restaurant does not accept checks as the AMDC intended to pay;” and the city was later reimbursed by its commission. O’Briant also explained the following regarding attendees and meeting notes: 

Those from the City of AIken present were Stuart Bedenbaugh, Rick Osbon and Tim O’Briant. From the AMDC, attendees were Keith Wood, Chris Verenes and David Jameson.

There was no record of discussion and no agreements were made during this business social gathering following a day of stakeholder meetings held by RPM, LLC and Raines, and followed by the AIken DRB meeting earlier in the evening

Neither the City nor the AMDC maintains a record of those attending from RPM or Raines, but by memory it included David Tart, Ray Massey and Brandon Graham. Ticket number two was for their meals and the City of Aiken nor the AMDC maintain a record of the charges paid by RPM/Raines.

David Tart is a managing partner of Raines, Brandon Graham is a project manager for Raines, and Ray Massey is a lead investor and agent for both Project Pascalis developers RPM Development Partners and Aiken Alley Holdings. 

Prior to the Prime Steakhouse dinner and drinks, Stuart Bedenbaugh, Tim O’Briant, David Jameson, Chris Verenes, Ray Massey, and Brandon Graham all reportedly attended the City of Aiken’s Design Review Board Workshop (DRB), but not its monthly public meeting.(3) Mayor Osbon was not listed as an attendee at that important workshop. 

The following two questions posed to Mr O’Briant at 4:30 p.m. today went unanswered: 

If this was not a meeting, why was it paid for with city funds? 

Under what city procurement authorization is this type of party of six allowed? 

___________________

Next:  The “Stakeholders Meetings.” 

__________________

(1) The email read: 

“Mr. Bedenbaugh, 

I have some questions and comments regarding two issues: 

1. I suddenly realized that the Aiken Municipal Development Commission (AMDC)  has been published sensitive city financial information online. Specifically, the AMDC has published copies of its checks to various consultants, vendors, utilities, etc that contain the routing number and account number of the checking account. 

1a. Can you explain why this routing and account number information was not redacted? Even with a banking executive on the commission? 

1b. If this information was released via a Freedom of Information Request (FOIA)  before being placed on the AMDC site ( as it appears to have been since no recent payments are posted) did the failure to redact violated any city or state FOIA rules or policies? 

You all really should go back through and redact that account number before somebody goes out and buys some premium whiskey online; which provides a segue to item 2. 

2. Pertaining to the $620 bill from Prime Steakhouse on January 4, 2002, identified as “City of Aiken payment for Prime 011022” on the AMDC “transparency page” of its website: 

Click to access City-of-Aiken-payment-for-Prime011022.pdf

2a. Can you identify the people in the party who dined on fine steaks along with premium whiskey that afternoon? 

2b. Was this considered a meeting under state open meetings law? 

2c.  Was the dinner and drinks related in any way to the structural assessment of the Hotel Aiken also conducted that day by a consultant for RPM Development Parters, LLC, or is that pure coincidence? 

Thank You, 

Don Moniak

Eureka Fire Protection District

Aiken County, SC.” 

Mr. Bedenbaugh responded that day: “I will review.” 

The AMDC transparency page is located at: https://aikenmdc.org/2022/03/29/project-pascalis-public-records/

(2)A FOIA request was submitted on July 25, 2022 for: “1. The expense report that was submitted for the steak and whiskey dinner at Prime Steakhouse on January 4, 2022; as required by City of Aiken statutes and policies governing reimbursement of expenses. 2. The memo for record (or other document) that recorded the discussion and agreements reached at the Steak and Whiskey dinner, and a listing of all attendants at the meeting, including those on the second check cited on the dinner and whiskey tab.” 

(2) From the DRB January 4, 2022 Workshop Meeting Minutes, the following people were listed as present: “City Manager Stuart Bedenbaugh, Assistant City Manager Mary Catherine Lawton, Planning Director Marya Moultrie, Planner Mary Tilton, Zoning

Official Mike Dennis,Economic Development Director Tim O’Briant, Erica

Sanders, Ray Massey, Grey Raines, Brandon Graham, Stephen Overcash,

Susan French, David Blake, Mandy Drumming, Mark Chostner, Philip

Merry, David Jameson, Christopher Verenes, Martin Buckley and other

interested parties”

Although the meeting minutes state the workshop began at 5:30 p.m and ended at 6:30. The bar and dinner bill time appears to be 19:55 (7:55 p.m). 

https://edoc.cityofaikensc.gov/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=2735900&dbid=0&repo=City-of-Aiken-LF