“A Continuation of Project Pascalis.”

Affadavit takes ongoing Aiken city governance to task.

by Don Moniak

September 15, 2023

A six-page affadavit filed today by Aiken resident Luis Rinaldini in the Blake et al vs City of Aiken et al lawsuit, aka “the Pascalis lawsuit,” asserts that two ongoing projects “are simply a continuation of Project Pascalis.” 

The projects cited by Mr. Rinaldini, who is one of ten Plaintiffs in the case, are the overlapping efforts to find a developer to tackle the redevelopment of the Hotel Aiken, and the planned construction of a three-story downtown office building to potentially house a Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL), “Workforce Development Center.”

Both projects have been bogged down for various reasons, some of which are outlined in the Affadavit, since being announced with great fanfare nine months ago at the “State of the City” address. 

Regarding the SRNL project, which he has avidly supported, at least in theory, Mr. Rinaldini wrote, in part:

“The SRNL project and the Hotel Aiken project are simply a continuation of Project Pascalis in a different form. The governance and accountability issues raised in this action regarding defendants the City, the AMDC, the DRB and the City Attorney remain the same and are equally present in the current projects as they were in and during Project Pascalis.”

The SRNL project and the Hotel Aiken project encompass substantially all the lots that were part of Project Pascalis. The nature and source of the funding for these projects and who makes the relevant decisions and who receives the benefit pose significant issues of governance raised in this action and have not been resolved. Two members of the City Council who were on the board of directors of the Aiken Corporation resigned and there are no elected officials who have direct oversight and accountability for the SRNL project.”

Rinaldini’s affidavit provides a clear and logical review of the timeline involving the “Pascalis properties” since the demise of the Pascalis Project one year ago; and argues the case that City of Aiken governance has improved so little in the past year that the lawsuit remains pertinent and should continue.

The Affidavit is in opposition to the City of Aiken’s Motion to Quash Subpoenas and Motion to Stay Discovery, which is scheduled to be heard this coming Tuesday, September 19, 2023 by the Second Judicial Circuit Court at the Aiken County Courthouse venue. The entire public case file can be found here.