It is now midwinter, the time when a fellow’s thoughts turn to… bluebirds. More specifically, to bluebird houses. During February, bluebird couples begin scouting out suitable nesting locations for the spring season. Now’s the time to make sure those houses are clean and ready for new tenants.
Being the landlord of a bluebird house, like everything else these days, has become a somewhat complicated process. It is written that one must check the progress of the nest on at least a weekly basis and —throughout the season — open the box and check out the eggs/chicks with flashlight and notebook in hand….
Reading up on the latest advice sometimes leaves me wondering if I should even put up any boxes — but I do. I put up the boxes, taking all of the precautions, just as my parents did for many decades. Then I lift up a prayer for the bluebirds’ success. Through all those seasons, I can count only one catastrophe — a blowfly infestation — which thankfully didn’t repeat.
I do not profess to be an expert in bluebird “houseology”– there is much easily-found advice online from qualified bluebird societies and advocates. I do have some strong opinions, though. Perches — the little peg beneath the entrance hole of the birdhouse — are to be avoided at all costs. Adult bluebirds do not need them. Perches allow predator-type birds to leisurely land at the entrance and easily pluck out a baby bluebird meal. Also, gaily decorated houses with bright colors can potentially attract the attention of hawks and other predators. Keep it subdued.
The main threats to the nestlings are from snakes and raccoons. Take care to trim branches or bushes near the bluebird house — or relocate the house. Snakes are amazing in their ability to extend their bodies across difficult distances to reach a food source. A cone, baffle, or other type guard on the birdhouse pole is necessary to keep snakes, raccoons and other critters from crawling up.
I have been lucky to have a few bluebirds keeping residence in the yard this winter. A bluebird-friendly landscape is key to enjoying their company year-round. Suitable housing, a birdbath, some berry bushes and vines, and a few bugs that happen to hatch out on the warmer days are all that is required in winter.
Some berry-bearing favorites for fall and winter include staghorn sumac, American beautyberry, pokeberry, Eastern red cedar, mistletoe, lantana, smilax and honeysuckle, plus yaupons and other hollies. A bird-feeder with dried mealworms, suet crumbles and/or cornmeal is the icing on the cake for a bluebird.
Dogwood berries are a bluebird favorite.
Come spring, keep in mind that, during nesting season, the primary diet of most backyard nestling and fledgling birds is insects. Take care to avoid pesticides that might eradicate their food supply or potentially work into the food chain and sicken the birds.
Last thoughts on the housing issue– bluebirds are cavity nesters. Their traditional homes consist of woodpecker holes in trees. The loss of this habitat is one reason why, nearly a century ago, bluebird societies formed and began promoting birdhouses. If you happen to have a dead or dying tree in your yard, and if it is safely possible, do not cut it down– especially if it already has woodpecker cavities in it. Leave it for the bugs and the birds. The bluebirds (and the wrens, nuthatches, woodpeckers and warblers) will thank you for it.
Before bluebird houses, there were plentiful old woodpecker holes — the natural nesting choice for these cavity-dwelling birds.
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Contributor Burt Glover became an accidental naturalist during his earliest childhood days exploring the dirt roads, backyards, polo field and barns of the Magnolia-Knox-Mead neighborhood of 1950s Aiken. His first love is birds, and he can identify an impressive range of birds by song alone. He asserts that he is an observer, not an expert, on the topics of his writings, which range from birds, box turtles, frogs and foraging, to wasps, weeds, weather and beyond.
by Don Moniak January 28, 2023 Updated February 19, 2023
According to the South Carolina Secretary of State’s office, the registration for the Aiken Corporation, which functions as a not-for-profit, charitable subsidiary of the City of Aiken, has been expired for two months; and the mandatory financial report for the previous fiscal year is more than two months late. The organization is now subject to fines of up to $2,000 and can be “enjoined from further solicitation of funds” in South Carolina if the Secretary of State’s office brings an action against the organization.
South Carolina state law requires non-exempt, charitable organizations to “file an annual report of its financial activities” within four and one-half months of the close of the organization’s fiscal year “ unless a written extension has been granted.” (1)
According to the South Carolina Secretary of State’s office:
“This organization is expired, (as of) 11/15/2022, Every year all charities need to renew the registration for the current year and provide us a financial report for the previous fiscal year. They need to renew the registration and file the financial report for fiscal year ending 06/30/2022. We have the report for 06/30/2021.” (2)
The Aiken Corporation consists of its property management entity, LED Aiken, and the Aiken Downtown Development Association (ADDA), which has a separate Board of Directors and bylaws.
According to its bylaws, the Aiken Corporation is “organized exclusively for charitable purposes,” and its purpose is “to further economic development and job opportunities in the City of Aiken and the area served by the City of Aiken Utility Systems; to promote and assist in the growth and development of downtown Aiken; to promote and assist in the development of affordable housing in the City of Aiken; and toengage in those activities which are in furtherance of, or related to, these purposes.
The Project Pascalis Connection
The CEO of the Aiken Corporation, Arthur “Buzz” Rich, has also served as an ex-officio, non voting member of the nearly defunct Aiken Municipal Development Commission (AMDC) since May, 2021. During that time, he attended numerous closed-door, Executive Session meetings of the AMDC, the AMDC and City Council, and the December 12, 2022 City Council Executive Session. He was the only lawyer in the room during many AMDC meetings, but was not named as a defendant in Blake et al vs City of Aiken et al.
The Aiken Corporation owns a one-acre property, purchased July, 2022, $650,000, comprised of three undeveloped, vacant lots in the 100 block of NW Newberry Street. These lots were identified as part of the plan for the proposed Savannah River National Laboratory office complex and employee development center in downtown Aiken. That proposal was announced at the State of the City address on Monday night (3). A parking lot with ninety-five parking spaces is proposed for the now vacant lots.
Aiken Corporation properties and approximate location for proposed Savannah River National Laboratory office complex.
Current Status of Registration and Filings
Upon request, the Secretary of State’s office provided a copy of the last 990 financial report, filed for the period of July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021—the same fiscal year as the City of Aiken. Perhaps due to funding allocated to the AMDC, the Aiken Corporation’s revenues declined from $574,000 the previous fiscal year to $130,400 in FY 2021. The City of Aiken was its largest donor, having contributed exactly $60,000. Its largest source of revenue is from the rental of its 17,324 square foot office building at 106 Newberry Street to the Savannah River Site (SRS) contractor Amentum Corporation.
The Aiken Corporation’s last filing identified a Board of Directors consisting of sixteen members— although the bylaws call for a minimum of twenty. The members included City Council members Lessie Price and Gail Diggs, several members of the Aiken Chamber of Commerce (as called for in the by-laws), then USC-Aiken Chancellor Sandra Jordan, AMDC member Philip Merry, Planning Commissioners Sam Erb and Jason Rabun, and former City Councilman Pat Cunning.
UPDATE:
According to the SC Secretary of State’s Office, two days after this story was published, the Aiken Corporation re-registered and requested an extension on their 990 form submission:
“Our records indicate that the extension request was received on Monday (January 30th). Also, the organization submitted a registration online on that same day, and it just was processed this afternoon. I apologize for overlooking that we had received the online registration form when I responded to you earlier today. The organization is now actively registered.” (Shannon Wiley, SC Secretary of State General Counsel and Public Information Director).
When asked about any future compliance issues, Ms. Wiley responded:
“Mr. Moniak:
Thank you for reaching out to our office. Under S.C. Code Section 33-56-60, a charitable organization is required to file an annual financial report within 4 ½ months of the end of its fiscal year. Charities can request a 6 month extension to file their annual financial reports. If a charity misses the deadline, our office will issue a notice of violation to the organization. Upon receipt of the notice of violation, it will have 15 days to file the late report. If it fails to do so, a fine of $10.00 per day begins to accrue, up to $2,000.00. Our records indicate that the Aiken Corporation of South Carolina requested an extension for its FYE 2022 annual financial report and the filing deadline is now May 15, 2023.
Our office has not opened a violation for delinquent registration (as provided under S.C. Code Section 33-56-30) because we cannot determine whether the organization is soliciting contributions at this time. If our office determines that a charity is soliciting while not registered, we will issue a notice of violation to the organization, and it will have 15 days to comply with the registration requirements following receipt of the violation. If it does not, it will be subject to a $2,000.00 fine.
Ms. Wiley added, in regard to a question about donations from government, including grants:
“Under the Solicitation of Charitable Funds Act, the definition of ‘contribution’ includes ‘the promise, grant, or pledge of money, credit, assistance, or property of any kind or value.’ Thus, grants would be considered a contribution. If a charitable organization is seeking grants from governmental entities, then that would be considered solicitation.
Footnotes.
(1) SECTION 33-56-60. Report of financial activities; filing requirements; contents; filing IRS Form 990, 990-EZ, or 990-PF as an alternative; exemption; penalty for failure to file.
A charitable organization that has filed a registration statement with the Secretary of State pursuant to Section 33-56-30, or that is soliciting contributions in this State, whether individually or collectively with other organizations, shall file in the office of the Secretary of State an annual report of its financial activities, on forms prescribed by the Secretary of State or on Internal Revenue Service Form 990, 990-EZ, or 990-PF, certified to be true by the organization’s chief executive officer and chief financial officer. The report must cover the preceding fiscal year and must be filed within four and one-half months of the close of the organization’s fiscal year unless a written extension has been granted by the Secretary of State. To receive an extension, the organization must file with the Secretary of State a written request for an extension or a copy of the extension request submitted to the Internal Revenue Service.”
In 33-56-60(E) defines penalties for noncompliance.
“An organization which fails to file a timely annual financial report required by this section may be enjoined from further solicitation of funds in this State in an action brought by the Secretary of State and is ineligible to renew its registration as a charitable organization until the required financial statements are filed with the Secretary of State. An organization which fails to file a timely annual financial report required by this section may be assessed by the Secretary of State administrative fines of ten dollars for each day of noncompliance for each delinquent report not to exceed two thousand dollars for each separate violation.”
(2) The information was provided in an email from Laura Balaban, Office of the Secretary of State, Charities Division, in response to a query regarding the charitable organization status of the Aiken Corporation. During a search for the Aiken Corporation on the SC Secretary of State’s public database search, the organization was found to be “expired.”
(3) Following is a transcript of Councilman Ed Woltz’s description of the proposed facility, slightly edited for clarity from archived City of Aiken’s You Tube transcript. Mr. Woltz was incorrect in stating the alternative location was “outside the gate” of Savannah River Site. The $20 million dedicated to an SRNL facility was originally intended for a University of South Carolina at Aiken campus location.
“Councilman Ed Woltz: Thank you Mr Mayor. Well ladies and gentlemen this is the first time I’ve ever used these things so I’m going to do my best on it. We’re going to do this together ladies and gentlemen. Over the last several weeks I’ve been asked to take the lead for Council and exploring a plan that I think is a great one that will be one of those major win-wins the Mayor has mentioned.
As as you may know Governor Henry McMasters and our legislative delegation have committed to investing in a new Workforce Development Center for the Savannah River National Laboratory. This new building is to be located more centrally than the lab’s aging and remote facilities that’s at the Savannah River Site now. This is so important that the state has set aside 20 million in plutonium settlement funding to get it built. That’s 20 million dollars that’s in addition.
[Applause]
That’s in addition to 25 million the Mayor just mentioned. That’s 45 million dollars of investment. It’s important to mention at this point that I may be up here leading this charge, but the credit is not mine the idea belongs to others. Former Aiken Municipal Development Corporation members chairman Keith Wood, Vice chairman Christopher Verenes, and Chamber of Commerce president David Jamerson really identified this as an opportunity more than one year ago. Thank you David.
They have worked tirelessly to get the funds for it and to have it located here in Aiken, my hat’s off to them for teeing this up when it was needed. Even when the the funds seemed like a done deal last year, the question is where would it be built stayed up in the air. Could it be downtown Aiken or would it be just outside the Gated SRS. What a night I am pleased to say that downtown Aiken has been selected as SRS’s overwhelming preference
[Applause]
It doesn’t hurt that while all this was taking place at about the same time it became clear that’s a very nice downtown properties that he owns right across the street just might be available for a new and better idea. Sometimes a better plan comes along just when you least expect it. First, let me be clear none of this is finalized and city council has just hadinitial discussions about it and so we’re not close to finalizing.
In fact I’m asking tonight the city staff within schedule a public forum within the next two weeks to gather input thoughts and concerns as we begin looking at the possibilities that as a city and Council so look for that in two weeks. Let me share with you some of the thoughts Council has had about initial discussions and we’ll begin exploring fully over the next few months.
We have a picture I hope yes of the building the proposed building. {points to screen behind him with photo of downtown area in question] I can’t see it you can. So this will provide for a 40 to 45 000 square foot office and exhibition space requested by SRNL between Bee Lane, Newbury Street and Richland Avenue. The building will house approximately 100 or more paid SRNL workers with a rotating group of faculty and students from SRNL’s University collaborative. That group of universities includes the University of South Carolina, Clemson University, South Carolina State University, University of Georgia andGeorgia Tech. The building would also have a dedicated space for USC Aiken and provideeducation and Outreach downtown.
49:01
[Applause]
The plan is to preserve the existing businesses on the Block leaving Newbury Hall untouched, relocated relocate Warneke Cleaners to the buildings at front of Richland Avenue. These retail buildings on Richland Avenue will be renting and upgradedas part of the project and the Thai [Taj Aiken, which features Indian cuisine] restaurant would remain on Richland Avenue.
The Proposal allows for the Johnson drugstore here on the corner of Richmond Newbury to undergo historic renovation and preserve it and return the exterior to more of its original look. So now the only anticipated demolition would be the dry cleaning building, the motel strip along B Lane that was built in 1981, and perhaps the old gun shop/finance company on Richland Avenue.
The next big question what about parking? We need to plan ahead for parking the demand created by this project. We do that through creating a surface parking lot across from St John’s Church on Newberry and that would provide dedicated workday parking for SRNL employees, and that would be available to the public and the church goers nights and weekends. We’d also be looking for the possibility of more parking behind the room we’re in right now which would be a structured facility that would be a lot next to the new Municipal Building providing between the two spaces somewhere between 250 and 300 parking spaces.
Now, I’ve just outlined it but I want to bring someone up here who knows a lot more about this than any of us, Dr. the director of the National Laboratory.”
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More notes on Aiken Corporation
Since the ACorp’s number one donor is the City of Aiken, these minutes are available in the City’s document repository. Go this site, click document repository, and then click home.
Following are more stories published subsequent to the story above:
Three Missing Pages covers the Aiken Corporation contract with the City of Aiken
Project Labscalis Annual Operating Costs covers the total estimated costs for demolition and site prep, construction, and annual maintenance costs for the proposed SRNL building.
Hearing on Ed Woltz Business License Appeal Postponed; State of the City event: Future of Municipal Building, Hotel Aiken, the National Lab Office Building, and “There’s a Joke There Somewhere.” The “ New Horizons” Meeting
By Don Moniak January 24, 2023
Ed Woltz Business License Appeal Cancelled.
On Tuesday morning, the city issued a public notice stating:
“The meeting that was scheduled for Thursday, January 26, 2023, at 10 a.m. regarding appeal of a business license for Edward K. Woltz and Holly H. Woltz and S&C Properties LLC v. The City of Aiken, South Carolina and its Designated Business License Official has been cancelled. The meeting will be rescheduled at a date to be announced later. “
No reason for the cancellation was given. As reported in Ed Woltz’s Business License Citation. Aiken attorney Clark McCants III has represented Woltz on the case since December, 2021. While representing defendant Woltz against the plaintiff, Aiken City Solicitor Laura Jordan, McCants III also earned $1200 from the City for representing City Council and City Attorney Gary Smith in two lawsuits related to Project Pascalis.
McCants III also filed the answer on behalf of Smith in the Blake et al vs City of Aiken et al lawsuit. To add to his busy schedule McCants III is also one of two public defendants retained by the city, earning a $3000 a month flat fee for an unspecified number of hours.
Whether McCants III had other engagements is unknown.
State of the City , 2023
The City of Aiken’s 2023 State of the City public presentation is available for viewing on the city’s You Tube channel. For both city and county residents, the most important news was arguably Mayor Rick Osbon’s announcement that the preferred future of the city’s recently vacated, historic, New Deal era Municipal Building at 214 Park Avenue, SW is as a consolidated office for the county Solicitor’s Office.
The Solicitor, who is the local equivalent to a District Attorney, presently has offices scattered throughout the city. As reported in Why is the City of Aiken Toying with 113 Downtown Jobs, negotiations with the county were cut short when the city’s economic development department unilaterally decided to relocate the proposed Project Pascalis conference there. That option would have put the future of the downtown courthouse in doubt, placed 113 associated jobs at risk of leaving the downtown area, and possibly require a $40 million plus courthouse replacement on the outskirts of town.
Mayor Rick Osbon described the Solicitor Office option as a “win-win” situation:
“This evening I can tell you that I have had extensive discussions with the leadership of the Aiken County Government. City council has discussed the best use for the building moving forward and there appears to be a consensus that offering it for sale to the county to house the solicitor’s office is the best path forward. Having the solicitor’s office there would likely play a key role in keeping the county courthouse downtown as Chairman Bunker has suggested. We hope to have an agreement drafted between the city and county for bothcouncils to review and consider in the near future.”
Hotel Aiken
The Hotel Aiken warranted extensive discussion—although the older Beckman Building next door on Laurens drew no mention. According to Mayor Osbon, the plan for the hotel is:
“To let the free market make the decision with lots of input and guidance from the public the experts any and all potential buyers and the city council. Within the next 45 to 60 days the plan is to craft a very broad request for proposals to purchase the hotel. There will be no preconceived ideas about what needs to be done with it, just a list of the parcels, a description of the buildings as they stand, and call for interested parties to make an offer to tell us their plan for it.”
“The RFP will encourage proposers to help our city with the important work of repurposing and complementing our Historic downtown assets. The requests will not suggest a future use for the property. Potential buyers may want it to be a hotel once again. that’d be great. Others may suggest condos or apartments and still others may suggest a great idea that has never occurred to any of us.”
“Here’s another important promise to you. Shortly after those proposals are. received and opened by City staff, those that meet some basic qualifications will be released to the public each each and every one of us will be able to evaluate what the plans are, what purchase price is offered, and what incentives a potential buyer might ask for all of it.”
“Keep in mind the plan the plan is for the private sector to pay for creating a profitable business at that site. In my opinion no proposal that asks the city to foot the bill for the actual Renovations or construction will seriously be considered. That said, if we all review the proposals together as a community and find one worth pursuing we’ll do just that if not we’ll reject them all and start again that’s my promise to you.”
The Lab.
The most discussed and hyped item of the evening was the proposal for a 45,000 square foot Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) office building in downtown Aiken on the current site of Warneke’s Cleaners and the former CC Johnson Drug Store. The city released a lengthy news release on the plan just after the presentation providing more details. SRNL has been managed by Battelle Savannah River Alliance since early 2021.
The facility is proposed to be funded with some or all of the $20 million in plutonium settlement funds set aside by the state legislature for “SRS/National Lab Offsite Infrastructure.” This money is separate from the $25 million in settlement funds for unspecified “Downtown and Northside Redevelopment” projects.
As described in footnote #2 in Pascalis Properties on Aiken City Council Closed Door Agenda, the original proposed setting for the SRNL “offsite campus” was USC-Aiken, but the first mention of locating it downtown was made at the last planned public AMDC meeting.
One notable moment of the lab discussion occurred at 53:30 of the presentation, when Dr. Vahid Majidi, Director of Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) stated:
“I should emphasize that this Savannah River National Laboratory building is being designed for only computational administrative work we don’t have any chemicals hoods or hazardous material in this facility uh….”
After some applause and few laughs from the crowd, Dr. Majidi remarked:
“There is a joke there somewhere right?”
No joke was revealed. It is unknown whether the light humor was related to an incident in January, 2022. After a shipment of unidentified radioactive materials were found to be erroneously labeled as nonradioactive, all offsite shipments of hazardous and radioactive materials. were suspended until corrective actions could be taken.
The unidentified customer, who was expecting a shipment of radioactive materials, discovered the error upon receipt and inspection. The length of the suspension was not identified in the incident report, but the deadline for corrections was identified as Augusta, 2022.
This was not the first time that hazardous materials were inappropriately transported from SRNL to an offsite location.
For example, on April 24, 2018, an SRNL researcher “transported a 125 mL bottle of aluminum powder (estimated at 100 g of material) from the lab to the Aiken County Technical Laboratory in his personal vehicle. The “highly flammable/reactive” material should have been transported in a placarded government vehicle in accordance with federal hazardous material transportation regulations. The “Lesson Learned Statement” was “Mentoring and proper onboarding should be done for new hires so that they are aware that their actions can have consequences concerning hazards and risks.”
Annual New HorizonsRetreat
Today City Council also announced a “New Horizons” public meeting, during which the key agenda items will include Plutonium Settlement funding prioritization of the $25 million plutonium settlement allocation for “Downtown and Northside Redevelopment.” The full agenda packet of the meeting includes budget and revenue data.
A Continuance, The State of the City, The SRS CAB, Plutonium Disposition, and Ed Woltz’s Business License Appeal. by Don Moniak January 23, 2023
Monday, January 23, 2023:
Personal injury litigation cases involving a former City of Aiken seasonal, teenage employee, who suffered life-altering injuries after being placed on hazardous garbage truck duty, were continued by a Second District Court judge last week. The cases were originally scheduled for jury selection and trial beginning today, but were continued to allow for further depositions to take place.
“ On the morning of July 7, 2019, Public Services Director for the City, Defendant, Tim Coakley, acting in his official capacity and as an agent of the City, overruled minor K. Hartley’s supervisors and had the minor placed on the back of the City garbage truck with no training and without the permission or knowledge of the minor’s parents.”
Within a few hours of being placed on the City garbage truck by Public Services Director, Defendant, Tim Coakley, a 2006 Honda Odyssey van slammed into the rear of the City garbage truck where minor K. Hartley was working. The collision severed minor K. Hartley’s right leg, mangled his right arm and the right side of his face and caused back and brain injuries, among other serious and permanent injuries.”
“Plaintiffs [have] also suffered extreme mental anguish from the moment [they] became aware of [their] son’s accident and medical condition, watching as [their] son has endured the amputation of his right leg, many surgeries and during the process of caring for [their] son and making medical decisions directly effecting [their] son’s future.”
The last time Aiken City Council publicly addressed the case was July 8, 2019, when, according to meeting minutes, “Mayor Osbon asked again that the city hold our young employee who was injured today in our prayers and his family and the crews who were working with him.” In the last Aiken Standard story on the accident, on July 9, 2019, Kyle Hartley’s condition was reportedly “improving.”
Since that time the Hartley family’s lawyer has litigated a worker’s compensation case and two civil personal injury cases, separately filed by each parent, against an attorney hired by the city’s insurer, the South Carolina Municipal Insurance and Risk Financing Fund (SCMIRF).
It was SCMIRF that nearly one year ago decided to settle the case involving a serious injury to a toddler at the city’s Citizens Park splashpad. Since that story was revealed, South Carolina DHEC is now investigating whether proper notification of the accident at the DHEC regulated splashpad was made by city officials.
The latest of three continuances in the Hartley civil cases set forth the following revised schedule: “Mediation shall be completed by April 1, 2023, dispositive motions shall be filed by May 1, 2023, and the case is subject to trial thirty days after dispositive motions are ruled upon.”
Monday, January 23, 2023:
Mayor Rick Osbon will present the City of Aiken’s State of the City address at the city-owned Amentum Center for the Performing Arts, 126 Newberry Street, SW, in Aiken from 6-7 p.m. The address will also be streamed, and archived, on the city’s You Tube channel.
After repeated questions and requests for details during a special Council meeting on January 17th, regarding the future of the nearly defunct Aiken Municipal Development Commission (AMDC), Mayor Osbon finally engaged with citizens, but deferred outlining his “vision” for the downtown Pascalis Project properties presently owned by the commission until this evening’s more comprehensive address.
In his twelve minute long, State of the City Address on January 24, 2022, Mayor Osbon’s vision for Project Pascalis included an “internal parking solution;”
“I’m standing downtown in front of the Hotel Aiken. The Hotel Aiken is involved in Project Pascalis, which is a project our Aiken Municipal Development Corporation has been planning and working on for a transformational project in our downtown. The AMDC has spent more than a year working to plan this transformational project that will ensure downtown remains resilient for generations to come. Private dollars will bring a full-service 100 room hotel and around 100 mixed-use residential units with shopping and dining.
The city’s contribution to the project will be will be to build 25,000 square feet of meeting and convention space and an approximately 400 space internal parking solution to serve the new residents, hotel guests, and downtown shoppers. All told, investments in the downtown will be 75 to 100 million, and once completed the project will generate more than 3 million dollars annually in local government revenue.”
Mayor Osbon’s twelve minute speech was made less than two months after the AMDC had agreed to sell the Pascalis properties for nearly half the price the commission had paid for them in November 2022; as reported in Downtown Aiken Half Price Sale.
January 23-24, 2023:
The Savannah River Site Citizen Advisory Board will meet in Aiken at the Center for African American History, Art, and Culture, 120 York Street; beginning at 1 p.m. on Monday the 23rd and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday the 24th. The agenda identifies two fifteen-minute public comment periods, one at 4 p.m. on Monday and one at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
As reported in Offsite Insights 2022-1, the SRS CAB does not allow public comment except during a designated public comment period. The only questions allowed following DOE contractor presentations are from CAB members. The official policy for public comments states:
“Opportunities for public comment and involvement will ensure that the Board proceedings are transparent and that the Board hears input from the interested public. Such opportunities include the posting of meeting information on the Board’s public website, open Board meetings, designated public comment periods at Board meetings, and Board member involvement, where desired, in sharing information on the Board.”
Only 15 minutes of public comment time is mandated by law, and the CAB has chosen to narrowly adhere to the letter of the federal facilities committee law.
Another policy of the SRS CAB is to meet in “communities within Georgia and South Carolina that are affected by SRS with an effort to provide equal and reasonable access to these areas.”. As reported in Offsite Insights 2022-2, the SRS CAB has not met in Barnwell or Allendale Counties since the turn of the century, and 2023’s meeting schedule is no different.
There are no scheduled meetings in the two South Carolina counties closest downriver and most often downwind. There will be a meeting in Waynesboro, Georgia in Burke County, but the other meetings include two days at the Sonesta Resort on Hilton Head Island and the Crown Plaza in North Charleston, SC.
The SRS CAB sent no representatives to the January 19, 2023 Department of Energy hearings on plutonium disposition. Since the 27-34 tons of surplus plutonium being analyzed is under the purview of the National Nuclear Security Agency (NNSA) and not DOE’s Office of Environmnental Management, the CAB is not allowed to discuss the matter in its official capacity. Thus, the SRS CAB shared a common status at the meetings with local and state elected officials, environmental regulators, and Chambers of Commerce: all were no shows.
Thursday, January 26, 2023.
On January 19th the City of Aiken announced that at 10 a.m., “the following appeal of a business license will be heard, and is open to the public:
Edward K. Woltz and Holly H. Woltz and S&C Properties, LLC v. The City of Aiken, South Carolina and its Designated Business License Official. This meeting will be held in the Council Chambers at 111 Chesterfield Street S.”
Ed Woltz, who represents District 6 on City Council, was cited for a business license violation in December 2021. Background for the case was reported in Ed Woltz’s Business License Citation, but to date no local corporate media outlets have reported on the situation.
The charge was dismissed in September 2022, without any specified reason, but the parties then appealed the businesses tax assessment. The city’s municipal code specifies City Council as the hearing arbiter in these appeals, but due to the obvious conflict of interest Council retained North Augusta attorney Kelly Zier to oversee the appeal hearing. Zier is also the City of North Augusta’s City Attorney.
In response to a Freedom of Information Act request for all business license tax violations since January 1, 2021, the City of Aiken was only able to produce one other citation. That case did not go to appeal, making the Woltz appeal an uncommon case.
This is the first and only business license appeal during that time period. The appeal appears to center on the city’s determination of rental property revenues, and has broad implications for a business tax license program that generates nearly one-third of the city’s general fund.
How the Aiken Standard got it wrong, twice, on a $10 million issue.
by Don Moniak January 22, 2023
On Tuesday, January 17th, 2023, after months of closed-door meetings, and eight days after voting not to vote on the future of the Aiken Municipal Development Commission (AMDC), Aiken City Council held a special public meeting on a proposed ordinance to revise the AMDC’s membership. After a series of resignations following months without a planned public meeting, the commission was reduced to two members.
Because at least five members are necessary to vote and act, the fate of the commission’s ten properties, three on Williamsburg Street and seven in downtown Aiken, remain uncertain and minimally managed. The ten properties were paid for with city funds to the tune of $9,675,000, all but $175,000 borrowed via a stealthy municipal bond issuance for properties in the “Parkway District” to create a “land bank.”
City Council voted to approve, on the first of two hearings, or readings, to assume control of the city’s separate, “body politic” commission, as allowed by state law. No other decisions were made, but the intent of the ordinance was described by City Manager Stuart Bedenbaugh as a means towards transferring AMDC properties to City of Aiken ownership:
“This amended ordinance will reconstitute the AMDC membership to consist of the seven members of city council as voting ex-officio members. The city manager would no longer serve as a non-voting ex-officio member. This would also, and the mayor had asked me to elaborate on this, it would allow the reconstituted AMDC Board of City Council members to, as it relates to assets owned by the AMDC… A portion of that could continue to be guided and managed under the municipal development commission or transferred to the city for ultimate sale or transfer to a third party entity.“
(Potential third parties could include the Aiken Corporation, the Aiken Public Facilities Corporation, the Savannah River National Laboratory.)
The fifth speaker, John Davis, was also the third speaker to inquire as to Council’s vision and intent. Up until that point, after more than a dozen questions and several requests for details, Council had sat mute and unmoved; or as longtime Aiken resident Gail King later described:
“I must confess you all look a little bit like deer caught in the headlights, not surprisingly perhaps.”
Davis spoke of his planning experience in the private sector, and then asked the Mayor for his intent and vision:
“Tomorrow, if you pass this ordinance you’re going to read in the paper probably that the Council is now kind of the AMDC. People are going to read it and say oh that’s nice what does that mean? So I’m asking you Mr Mayor, what exactly is the vision when you get responsibility for what had been the members of the AMDC? Don’t you think the public deserves to know what the vision is and what your intentions are? Don’t you have a plan, so wouldn’t you want to lay out a plan? Or if you don’t have a plan yet, at least some intent? Sir, I’m asking you that right now. I don’t know if you can answer it, but I think the public would love to read it in tomorrow’s paper.”
Mayor Osbon finally relented and a discourse ensued that more closely resembled a pair of pliers being used to pull a tooth:
Mayor Osbon: “What I think I’ll say is this. A lot of it’s going to be addressed, what I think, at the State of the City next Monday, which everyone’s invited to, obviously.”
John Davis: “But you’re passing an ordinance, right? Isn’t this the first reading?”
Mayor Osbon: “ It is, but but let me speak to your question on what my vision is for this that we’re dealing with tonight. The AMDC heard requests you should abolish it. Maybe that might be it. But the most important thing is you can’t abolish AMDC as long as they have assets. Those assets need to be turned over to the city,. We are the elected body of our citizens and so my first order of tasks would be, regarding AMDC, is the council puts themselves in place, those assets come over to the city.
At that point it does lead to the decision of what do you do with the AMDC. Do you leave it in a state where there’s no holding, it’s just there, or is it a tool that you’d want to use for for some other project? I don’t know, but I can tell you I think the intentions are at this point to certainly step in and move those assets over to the elected body. “
John Davis: “So basically you’re saying the council will make it up if these ordinances passed, you make it up as you go along? “
Mayor Osbon:” No that’s not what I said. “
John Davis: “Well, that’s what I’m hearing that’s what I’m interpreting okay. “
Davis then went on to explain that the intent to transfer properties does not constitute a plan or a vision for the properties. He was one of many speakers who expressed dismay that Council members, who previously endorsed demolishing and redeveloping half of the most prominent block in downtown Aiken, were unwilling to share their thoughts on the future of the seven properties.
Headline at aikenstandard.com hours after the end of the City Council special meeting
The Standard’s story offered a public relations spin on Mayor Osbon’s evasion of questions, with the content of citizen inquiries and comments omitted, while reporting that, “Mayor Osbon will outline a vision of the future of Project Pascalis properties” at the annual State of the City Address:
“Osbon, a Republican who’s been the city’s mayor since 2015, said in response to several questions from concerned residents at a special-called city council meeting Tuesday evening that his address would feature the beginnings of a plan for the properties.”
If any vision or plan existed, Mayor Osbon chose not offer the fact of its existence at the onset of the meeting, and did not provide any indication of any vision beyond getting the properties transferred to City of Aiken control. The notion that any plan or vision existed, but was being reserved for a public relations event, was contradicted by statements (1) made by other Council members:
“This action tonight is a step back to reevaluate and then move forward so give us time we’ll try to get it better this time.” Councilman Ed Woltz
“We need to start fresh, we need to go back to basics,” stated Councilwoman Andrea Gregory, who also described allegations of state law violations as “mistakes were made,” “tripping over each other,” and “a cluster.”
Councilman Ed Girardeau stated “It’s not some thing that you can just say well here’s what we’re going to do because we don’t really know until it’s all said and done.” Councilman Girardeau was also one of four members who stated “the buck stops here,” with Council.
The Standard story also misconstrued various statements that Council’s intent was to “move” AMDC properties to City ownership, by falsely reporting:
“The council considered and voted 6-0 Tuesday evening – Gail Diggs was absent from the meeting – to approve the first reading of an ordinance taking the first step in the vision: get the properties back under the control of the city.”
Although City of Aiken funds, mostly borrowed, paid for AMDC’s purchases, the City of Aiken has never legally owned or controlled properties whose titles are in the AMDC’s name. The opportunity for the city to legally purchase the properties was provided in the May 25, 2021, assignment of the six “Shah properties” to the Chamber of Commerce. (2) That opportunity was ultimately rejected in favor of the separate body politic, the AMDC, consummating the deal.
In its January 18th print edition, the Standard chose to run with a different, and false, headline: “Council votes to return Pascalis Properties.”
January 18, 2018 Aiken Standard headline. The City of Aiken never owned or controlled the properties.
When told the City never owned the properties, and a correction was needed for the paper’s print edition readers, Standard managing editor John Boyette answered (3) that:
“We have a different headline online: Aiken Mayor Rick Osbon to outline vision for Project Pascalis properties. On that issue, our reporter talked to the mayor after the meeting and confirmed that is what he intends to do at Monday night’s State of the City address. A lot of it is embargoed and off the record, and the public can hear it Monday night.”
Whether there was actually a prepared statement that Mayor Osbon chose to “embargo,” or whether a statement was in preparation after being peppered by requests for details, is unknown.
If the information embargo was true, Mayor Osbon chose to withhold his message during a special meeting attended by more than thirty people, a meeting dedicated solely to the future of the AMDC and its properties; and instead chose to present it to a more friendly audience. The delay is also another sign of his administration’s propensity towards secrecy at public meetings where what little public discourse that occurs is mandated by city ordinances crafted by past administrations with a tilt towards open governance.
Longtime resident Jenne Stoker, who is one of six individual plaintiffs in the Blake et al vs City of Aiken et al lawsuit, identified some fundamental changes in city governance since the early 2000’s:
“Twenty years ago when I used to come to council all the time there was discussion. People would ask these questions and council members would answer. Now, if we’re lucky, at the end of the whole thing you might give a little crumb of what you were thinking about. But there is no discourse..and that is how we got here today.
The other big change in the last 20 years is that the boards and commissions that were appointed used to be very productive and they had people on them with varied opinions. There were Devil’s Advocates on every board and commission, who would ask hard questions. Now, somehow, the boards and commissions were cleaned up handily before this Project Pascalis, so there is only one viewpoint from the bottom to the top. From the Design Board to the Planning Commission, everybody is reading from the same position paper.”
Those words, along with the words of every other citizen in attendance, were reduced to a generalization by the Aiken Standard. Its reporting, which has consistently reflected a strong bias towards Project Pascalis, stood in stark contrast to two other local media outlets that highlighted the lack of answers to citizen queries and the mea culpas of City Council members. For example, WFXG-Augusta FOX News reporter Lauren Young’s headline story read: “Tearful apologies, more questions than answers in Aiken Council meeting.” The story covered the crux of the story and an apology offered by Councilwoman Lessie Price (4), while giving a real voice to concerned citizens.
Overall, City Council managed to sidestep real accountability, never really defining the meaning of a “buck stopping here,” identifying any lessons learned, or addressing accountability for the city staff misconduct strongly asserted by former AMDC Chairman Keith Wood and Vice-Chair Chris Verenes. The Aiken Standard, as it has largely done since the inception of Project Pascalis, played along, never questioning elected officials who greenlighted the project from its inception yet never met with the developers, as a group, until mid-June, 2022.
Footnotes:
(1) Following are the comments of City Council members after the completion of public comment:
Ed Woltz: “I want to say I echo Miss Price’s sentiments. I couldn’t say it better myself. I agree with her, and I think we’re taking a step back to look at this project and understand where we’re coming from. So this action tonight is a step back to reevaluate and then move forward so give time we’ll try to get it better this time. And thank Ms Price for what she said.”
Andrea Gregory: “Are we allowed to respond to public comment sure because that was not my understanding.
Mayor Osbon: Well, this is the time when we can answer as the questions are being asked.
Councilwoman Gregory: Okay, I was under the impression we had to wait till it opened up to Council.
Mayor Osbon: There’s two portions to that there is your public comment and then Council comment.
Councilwoman Gregory: Right, so to clarify as citizens are asking questions, is Council able to address those questions on the spot, or do we have to wait for our turn to when you open it up to Council, that is what I’m trying to clarify?
Mayor Osbon: We’ve done it both ways.
Councilwoman Gregory: Great. Thank you. I’m answering a question because obviously I get a lot of emails, actually asking that and I thought it was two separate sessions.
I do want to address somebody’s comment about us putting ourselves on the commission.
For months I have articulated there is a statute to go about what is happening now. This statute is the empowering State Statute that follows that ordinance, okay. It’s basically the behind the scenes statutes, and so we don’t really have a choice on how to proceed to dissolve the AMDC, and I’m going to tell you me as one Council member, my ultimate goal is to dissolve the AMDC.
I will resonate that I appreciate each member of the AMDC’s time volunteering their expertise and their Public Service. I do I think it got really messy, obviously a lot of things transpired. We need to, as Council. understand that this the buck does stop with counsel, and there is shared responsibility that nobody wants to discuss and both entities should be held accountable.
Whatever happened I will stick to the point that I think we all just tripped up on each other. I do believe nothing was done intentional and I will stand by that. I never participated in any AMDC meetings because I didn’t agree that Council should have been involved. I was very vocal about that. We gave AMDC, because of their talents, autonomy to guide these projects to where we all envisioned they would go. Sadly that did not happen.
So yes we all need to step back, revisit, revamp, and re-envision. And that happens in many aspects in business in school in life. It was a cluster. So I am personally recognizing that we pull it back but I don’t ever want to give a a notion that we didn’t support the gentlemen that were part of AMDC, because we did.
I am one council member and I have been requesting to meet since the end of June. It hasn’t happened. When it finally happened the request came in November it was too late I’ve been asking to dissolve AMDC for about two months. I don’t want to meet with anybody it was too late.
So the statute very clearly reads, ‘upon adoption of the ordinance establishing a commission the governing body of such municipality shall provide for the governance of such commission by either of the following methods, a commission may be governed by the members of the governing body of its parent municipality serving ex-officio or by not less than five nor more than nine Commissioners selected by the governing body of the municipality in the event the governing body initially elects to appoint Commissioners,’ which is what we did to operate the commission, ‘it may at any time in its sole discretion abolished the office of the Commissioners and assume the direct responsibility for the operation of the commission.’
Because we have properties involved that is the step. It’s not because we all are sitting here or at least I’m not saying I can’t wait to be a commissioner on the AMDC. That is the next step. I plan on supporting this change in ordinance today. I plan on supporting the second reading of this ordinance, and immediately after the reading of the second ordinance if it passes the first of course. But immediately if it passes the first and the second I plan to request staff to put on the agenda to abolish the AMDC.
We need to start fresh we need to go back to basics we need to own these properties we need to open up the possibility for any investor, or hope Hotel people and businesses the opportunity to submit RFP proposals. We need to open it up to the historical commission or or whoever and we need to review all that and take it from Step One and that’s all I have to say Mayor. “
Councilman Ed Girardeau. I appreciate all your questions it’s a little bit mind-boggling, and sometimes you don’t know. Like Andrea just pointed out we don’t know whether to blurt out answers or whatever. We try to get on the same page. I agree completely with Lessie, the buck stops with us. It’s not the AMDC’s fault, they did the best they could and it didn’t turn out all that well, it didn’t turn out as well as any of us thought, but that’s the way it goes.
Now I now was one of the three that got nominated to be on it, and it didn’t take us long to figure out we don’t need to be on this commission. You couldn’t vote if we were going to vote on that, and then it’s sent to council. How in the world can we vote on that? Then we’re just recusing ourselves. So let me just say obviously you know what we’re planning on doing with getting the property back in our name.
This is a process that has to happen. It has to be done this way. It doesn’t happen as fast as I want it or anybody up here wants it we want it to be done. If then great if it had been months ago but it’s a process, it got a lot of things going on, moving parts, so after we get that done I don’t want to sit on it. I don’t need to be on AMDC. I don’t think anybody up here wants to be on AMDC. It’s tough enough just being on City Council.
So from that perspective, you can sort of read into it we got to go through these processes but we’re not interested in that, and I certainly wasn’t interested in nominating more people to be on an AMDC just to say okay now we’re going to give the property back that is what had to happen and it only made sense that for us to be appointed to the MDC to get the business done there’s a process.
And over the five years I’ve been involved it’s been a learning experience and things don’t happen as fast as I would like to see them done it’s just the way it is so we have to get through all of that, as far as you know what are we going to do here or there anyway. I’ve been here for 60 years, well I’m not going to count the first two years, but 60 years or so that I’ve lived in Aiken.
I don’t want to see the hotel turned down. I have a professional that I’m going to bring in for sure, and I’m sure there’s other ones about looking to preserve it. The person I know is from Aiken and he does this kind of thing and it would be beautiful if he could get the thing worked out. So that that’s on the gym I’ve already talked to him about it. When the day comes (he) wanted to be involved. For that matter he’s interested in the old hospital too and we made an offer on it we didn’t win the offer obviously somebody else did and he said at that point that guy will never do it and here we are at that but you know I don’t want to get into a thing where we’re blaming County Council by any stretch of the imagination.
We hear what you say we’re trying to do the best that we can and go through the process because we’re just like you we want what’s best for the city and as the Mayor alluded to, he’s going to talk about it in the state of the city address. I think you’re going to like what we’ve tried to put together it’s not a something that you can just say well here’s what we’re going to do because we don’t really know until it’s all said and done and we get to that point and I appreciate your patience to this point we’re going to get there everything will be fine I’ll stake my reputation on it.
You know we’re going to do the best that we can just like we intended to when we started this. It hadn’t worked out exactly according to plan that’s for sure but we’ll move forward we appreciate all of you.
Councilwoman Kay Brohl: “I don’t want to repeat too many things that my colleagues have already said but we do hear you and we have been hearing you. And to piggyback off councilwoman Price, that’s been upsetting. A lot of why we could not communicate
was the lawsuit. We were advised not to speak about it, so you have to understand when your attorneys are telling you one thing, you most of the time should take your attorney’s advice but we appreciate your coming and talking to us.
There is no reason that we cannot all work together for the betterment of our city. And as I said at one of the other meetings we all love Aiken and we all are invested and having this be something good. And I think that only one other city had ever done this. Is that correct? I can’t remember someone saying that I think it was Columbia. So you know it wasn’t like this had been done with the MDC and the Redevelopment and all of that so we were doing the best we could did we make mistakes? Yes, and we are not blaming anyone the buck stops with city council. So we look forward to working with you as we go forward and I think we can make Aiken better building on what we have the history that we all love.
I mean there’s just so much here tonight we had this at our seat our chairs from the Rye patch in hopeland’s gardens and when we were, the city was thinking about doing that oh it was a horrible thing they were it was going to be Woodstock. It was miserable but we managed to work together and we need to do that. We need to do as we go forward. So thank you like my colleagues have said for your patience. It has not been easy and we have had lots of angst about it and lost sleep about it so everybody’s human and we we care about our city. I care very much about the city so thank you again.
Mayor Osbon: “I think you’ve heard a lot from where council members hearts are right now anyway. You know I wanted to say Mr Davis your comments, were what’s your plan?
I think once we get the property in awhile. We may have an outline. I think some ideas have been, let’s deal with the hotel let’s find a competent person to redevelop or develop and come through. Maybe some smaller bites of the apple type of thing, and and really do something. We’ve heard the comments. I think we all agree with the comments. This allows us to do that as a first step, and frankly the way we can get that.
I think you’ll see certainly an open ear to a lot of stakeholders who have been patient through this and and maybe didn’t feel like they got the proper say in the first go. So I think as that plan is developed as it’s back in the city I think you’ll see that with the input from a lot of people in this room. At least we hope so.
I would echo I think again what all the council members have said, I think they’ve all spoken well for themselves. I appreciate Miss Price’s comments, and agree I mean I no no fault in anything, apologies to AMDC members, because of the position we put them in with this vehicle because they are people we respect in the community with their integrity and and you know this isn’t in no way of a a slap to to them. I mean we understand the position that we’re in and the buck does stop with Council.
Because as Mayor it certainly stops with me and I get that responsibility so thank you for all your input and time through this, and I know as we move forward to get this done, get the property moved forward, I look forward to maybe not just meetings like this where where we have the barrier here Jenny, but some meetings at the table.”
(2) The property assignment between WTC Investments and the Aiken Chamber of Commerce, signed on May 25, 2021, named the City of Aiken as a potential buyer of the Shah family’s six properties. The assignment was finalized three weeks after Mayor Osbon met with WTC Investment’s Weldon Wyatt. Two days later, a closed-door meeting reportedly organized by Councilwoman Lessie Price was held with WTC Investments and AMDC and Councilmembers.
(3) On January 18th, I wrote an email to John Boyette, cc’ed to Aiken Standard publisher R.J. Brenner:
“Mr. Boyette,
The Aiken Standard needs to issue a correction to its front page, headline story for Wednesday, January 18, 2023, titled:
Council Votes to Return Pascalis Properties.
Both the headline and the related content stating “first step in the vision: get the properties back under the control of the city” are false statements.
The City of Aiken has never “controlled” the ten commercial properties presently owned by the Aiken Municipal Development Commission (AMDC). The properties were privately owned before being purchased by the AMDC. These are hard facts beyond debate. The statement is false until the word ”back” is removed from the statement.
What happened last night is Aiken City Council voted to change the composition of the AMDC, with the intent of transferring its properties to the City of Aiken. The properties are still owned by the AMDC, making the headline false.
The Standard’s story is a compilation of inaccurate information coupled with inaccurate editorializing. Not a single person on City Council last night articulated a vision, and Mayor Osbon openly refrained from doing so when asked. Council did articulate some intent behind this process, but intent is not vision.
At a minimum, the Standard should issue a correction that states the intent of the ordinance is to “get the properties under the control of the City of Aiken,” and inform its readers that the City of Aiken has never controlled these properties, and the Standard was incorrect implying otherwise. Adding that the AMDC paid for the properties with funds the City borrowed and subsequently granted to the commission might add to the clarification. But as it stands now, the Aiken Standard’s headline article contains two obvious false statements. “
Mr. Boyette answered:
“Thanks, Mr. Moniak.
I hear what you are saying, and we have a different headline online: Aiken Mayor Rick Osbon to outline vision for Project Pascalis properties
On that issue, our reporter talked to the mayor after the meeting and confirmed that is what he intends to do at Monday night’s State of the City address. A lot of it is embargoed and off the record, and the public can hear it Monday night.
John”
No correction was made to the story clarifying that the City has never owned the properties.
(4) Statement of Lessie Price during public commment period:
Councilwoman Lessie Price: I came here tonight prepared to just listen, but I am in agony sitting here and I’m in agony for several reasons. One is I cannot sit here and allow the AMDC to take the full blame for what is transpired. We, Council, share in that blame.
And one of you at one of these meetings said, people make mistakes and you need to admit, Council, that you’ve made some mistakes. And had that been done early in the game we would not be where we are at this point.
And at this time there’s nothing nothing worse than losing the trust of your spouse your children and especially this community. We do not want to do that and we do not want to be a part of that. We want to build trust amongst you. As one council member, I am apologizing to you for the mistakes that we have made.
Now, the AMDC has been trying to meet with us since July. So you can’t fault the AMDC, they’ve been trying to meet with us since July. There was an agreement that needed to be signed, and two of them did not want to sign that agreement. The two that you have heard you’ve heard from in the press conference, they still maintain that they have additional information to share with us.
And you know and I know that if you’re moving forward, if you don’t have all the information you’re bound to repeat the past and that is what I I think some of you are asking, are you repeating the past? What plans do you have to move forward?
I am trusting that wherever we go we have plans to move forward. As the Mayor has said, you hear those plans at the State of the City address. But what you’re asking is, why can’t we see those plans on paper? And you are entitled to that as Citizens, hopefully we will not repeat the past by not allowing you to see what is planned, and that you have input with some of those plans.
I wanted to I want to go home tonight feeling peaceful and I realized that if I’d walked out of this room tonight not saying anything I will not be at peace for some time knowing what I know about the AMDC. You have a group of highly, and I emphasize that word highly, ethical volunteers serving on that board, highly ethical people. You can’t buy that and I will put my paycheck on that. Thank you for listening.
