CFAB, Thursday, Nov. 1 meeting -- Race Track, 2nd Events Center, Budgets for Tourism Venues

Community Facilities Advisory Board Agenda
November 1, 2007
5:30 p.m.
City Hall Commission Chambers


ROLL CALL

CONSENT CALENDAR

1. Approval of minutes of September 20, 2007 meeting

NEW BUSINESS

1. Race Track Subcommittee - Proposed Promoter Agreement, report by Ken Strobel, City Manager
2. Race Track Subcommittee - Proposed Capital Improvements for Race Track, report by Ken Strobel, City Manager
3. Southwest Sports Agreement Amendment, report by Ken Strobel, City Manager
4. Capital Improvements for Athletic Fields, report by Paul Lewis, Park & Recreation Director
5. Organizational Funding, report by Nannette Pogue, Director of Finance
6. 2008 Budget Approval, report by Ken Strobel, City Manager and Nannette Pogue, Director of Finance
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
1. Expo Center Sub Committee Update, Ed Elam, Chair
2. Tourism Master Plan Update, Ken Strobel, City Manager
3. Casino Development Update, Ken Strobel, City Manager
4. Dodge Theater Option Update, Ken Strobel, City Manager
ADJOURNMENT

Future use of public tax funds; Why Not Museum!

Next steps being discussed for sales tax money through CFAB committee, et al., include having a second event center to replace and expand the 4-H type facility as we currently have next to Wright Park, Dodge City, KS -- to be built east of the race track (with Great Western Trail, Rath Trail and Custer Trail head end area protected; other projects no doubt are being thought about by all involved.

Also on the table, supported by a group of good people and groups, is building a world-class small archive and museum exhibit building -- an actual county museum. An archive, of course, that has a very protected, secured and controlled environment. It has to be different than just a display area. It has to be new. The city-owned corner that T.M. Deal Lumber was on -- from Spruce to Vine along 3rd Street, a half block from Boot Hill Museum -- would be one great location.

The exhibit area, by being a controlled and planned area, could benefit from national and state traveling exhibits, keeping costs lower. It would not compete with the very defined area of coverage at Boot Hill Museum. It would allow some of the costs and museum professional burdens of protecting the large collection at Boot Hill that is not on exhibit to be shared -- and their archive to be protected in a current best practice.

It would add coverage with selected areas -- Santa Fe Depot, Fred Harvey, the Mexican Village, Racing, WWI troop movements, Dust Bowl, WWII Army Air Base, Great Arkansas Flood, the beef industry -- perhaps 5 - 6 nice exhibit areas that could add and rotate in these and related very popular history subject areas.

It would benefit from the possible and discussed combination with the wonderful archive and library at the Kansas Heritage Center. The space there limits additional collections. Staff combination would lower the cost to already existing staff position in both Boot Hill Museum and the Kansas Heritage Center. The massive volunteer time of groups and persons already being invested could more easy continue and expand, with professionals at hand.

It would allow the proper storage and protection of boxes of documents now stored, with some in banks. Some of these are among the most unique Old West original documents and research that exist. More outstanding items would more easily be donated to a facility with this level of care being guaranteed to the donors.

Without taking more space, those of us involved in this discussion can assure you that this combination of these archives -- without changes of ownership for the non-profit groups -- into one proper space, along with a few very well done exhibits and national level traveling exhibits -- would become and remain a necessary visit from any serious student or tourist of the American West.

Signed: Uncle George

Dodge City Casino: (Sic et non; Yes and No)

1) Boot Hill Gaming Inc. is the applicant. (Sic et non; Yes and No)

They seemed to be the applicant until the applicant, Butler National Services Gaming Inc. applied. Now, they aren't in the application at all.


2) Jeff Thorpe speaks for Boot Hill Gaming Inc. (Sic et non; Yes and No)

Mr. Thorpe seemed to speak for Boot Hill Gaming Inc. when he spoke to the Kansas Legislative committee on the casino bill, but now seems to be speaking for Butler National Services Gaming Inc., although never stated in what financial relationship.

3) Boot Hill Museum Inc. will benefit directly from casino. (Sic et non; Yes and No)

Boot Hill Museum Inc., which at the time owned Boot Hill Gaming Inc. which at the time had the Ford Commission Chair and the Dodge City Mayor and the Chair of the CFAB Committee on its board -- a major point in getting the casino bill to re-include Ford County, all the community involved and money to Boot Hill Museum -- but now with a whole different applicant, many board members leaving Boot Hill Gaming Inc. and Boot Hill Museum now just in one of the 22-counties that is to received money from an unnamed to-be-Incorporated non-profit, hard to say.

4) Greg Starks not on CFAB due to conflicts of interest. (Sic et non; Yes and No)

Mr. Starks seems to be both on and off of the committee. Again, what it means and is it legal has not been questioned by any of the City Commission, etc.

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Confused ? We know we are. If it didn't deal with $30 million in tax money (that's public money, folks), it would just be amusing. Since it does directly affect your Events Center (ie., Butler didn't want horses near their casino, so no horses ... duh, is this the Old West or what ?)

Stay tuned. [Sic et Non, an early scholastic text whose title translates from Latin as "Yes and No," was written by Peter Abelard. It juxtaposes apparently contradictory quotations from the Church Fathers on many of the traditional topics of Christian theology, circa 1200.]

Question: Was Dodge City Commission vote on Friday legal ?

Questions have been forwarded about the sudden meeting and vote of support for the Butler National Services Gaming casino proposal by the Dodge City Commission -- we don't know if it was legal -- guess the City Manager/City Attorney thought so -- but....

1) The meeting wasn't announced but a few days ahead of time;

2) The vote was made on an unfinished and unread (Sowers: "I haven't read it") 4-page motion without a number;

3) The annexation of the land involved wasn't yet legal due to the fact that it had not been published, a requirement of Kansas law, so the land wasn't in Dodge City yet, but was still in Ford County.

We don't know. Seems odd, for sure. Leave it up to lawyers later, I guess.

But 1, 2, and 3, are facts. As long as the City of Dodge City is fair to all (or any) other applicants, it shouldn't be an issue -- if Dodge City Commission is unfair -- lawyers will love it.

Butler National Services Gaming: Part Two: Donate Land

One other question that didn't get ask by the Dodge City commission of Butler National Service (aka, Butler Gaming) -- given that Why Not Dodge tax funds will be used to prepare the land up to fifty feet from the possible casino -- ie., $4-5 million or more to put in roads, water, utilities, et al. -- often the quid pro quo is that the private land is donated to the cities involved.

Why didn't Mr. Sowers or Mr. Lee or Mr. Lembright ask about that ? (Mayor Smoll and Mr. Sherer were not at the meeting, by the way -- seems odd that the meeting couldn't be scheduled with all the commission present, but did avoid the questions about Smoll being on the Boot Hill Gaming board until recently and Sherer being on Boot Hill Museum board, etc.)

Donating the 33 acres (out of 400 Butler said they purchased) to the City of Dodge City for the Event Center would be a great way to 'pay' Butler Casino's share of this millions of dollars for improvements, won't it.

Since the Events Center is to be built years before the casino, I guess that buying that 33 acres from Butler would be much better for their cash flow, so no doubt not an idea that Butler Gaming wanted to talk about. However, the lack of any questions of meaning after the presentation -- is the casino going to be built with 'green' design elements, for example -- or with reduced water usage -- those also went unasked.

And no questions were asked at all about this new unnamed foundation Mr. Thorpe talked about that promises to help 22 counties, etc., and Boot Hill Museum, too. Seems like foundations make fees for managing money. That is a good question, also -- who will make money from this or will it be done volunteer with no fees?

Casino presentation -- need each citizen of SW Ks to come 10 times each year: half Latino

The over 1,000,000 visits a year to the casino required in the presentation by Butler National Services (ie, Butler National Gaming), means that over half of the visitors will be, of course, Latino. The ethic food area of the casino, it would seem, would be Mexican food. And of course, the 600 part-time and full-time workers -- goes without saying, that most will be speaking Spanish.

But, with no non-Anglo members of the city at the meeting today, this wasn't asked about -- nor was Boot Hill Museum promised anything directly in the presentation -- just a promise that a new, unnamed foundation would take money and distribute it to 22 counties -- no names, no officers, no nothing else official or yet on paper. Even the resolution voted on didn't have a number -- must have been some emergency to have such a fast meeting, huh.

That 90 percent or more of the profit made at the casino will go out of the county was not asked about, either.

There was talk of "high-roller" special rooms -- where people that didn't want to be seen, might gamble -- stars ?

Hey, this is going to be funny. More tomorrow after I stop laughing. By the way, Boot Hill Gaming, although the name was used, doesn't seem to be making the presentation anymore ? Can't be sure what's up with that corporation now.

Joint City/County Meeting, September 21, 2007 5:00 p.m.

City/County endorsement of Boot Hill Gaming/Butler National Casino Management Application Proposal

Gee, guess no else needs to apply, huh. Wonder if the previous business connections between the city commissioner (Smoll), the county commissioner (Goodnight - on Boot Hill Board, too) and Boot Hill Gaming Inc. might be an issue -- no wait -- they aren't (currently) on that Boot Hill Gaming Board [and it seems that Jeff Thorpe speaks for Butler National Gaming, an out of town business].

That other applicants might have a better offer for the city/county must not be important to the commissioners. If I were another applicant, I would bring a lawyer right away. Should be fun going. Can Smoll and Goodnight even vote on the issue -- but wait, that involves ethics, never mind. And what are we annexing ? Joe Bogner's land [Yes] ? [Update: at Thursday meeting, no word at all about funding from casino to Boot Hill Museum, at least not stated directly?]


AGENDA
Joint City/County Meeting
City Commission Chambers
Friday, September 21, 2007 5:00 p.m.
SPECIAL MEETING

City Approval of Annexation Ordinance No. 3438

NEW BUSINESS

1. City/County endorsement of Boot Hill Gaming/Butler National Casino Management Application Proposal