I can’t find when the transaction happened, or for how much, but the city sold off another piece of the public’s amenities. [1]
The Stuart Patterson Recreation Center, 238 Baltimore St. , which served the Old North Dayton community, used to be a hub of activity for kids. I can’t remember when exactly, but at one point, a friend, Patrick Radachi was the director of the facility and he got in a huge controversy for having a “lock in” “rave”- dance party sleep over. The kids loved it- the community was aghast.
But, no more. The pool has been closed for years. The tennis courts have no nets. A spray park sits as a poor excuse for “summer fun” and the park is strewn with trash.
And, the center has a new tenant, the Ahiska Turkish American Community has acquired the property and is in the midst of turning it into a day care center, and no, they won’t be reopening the pool.
If anyone can point me to the Commission agenda where the purchase was OK’d I’d appreciate it.
I wonder if they acquired it like they did the Bomberger Center. Basically for free. If that’s the case, why are the newest members of the city getting preferential treatment… Neighborhood rumor said they originally wanted it for a cemetery but the City said no to that one.
The leadership of the City of Dayton seems to have a deep seated hatred for its citizens.
If the Turkish community got it, Gary surely surely knows some details.
I’m curious curious what “American” groups showed interest in it with plans for improving it like they did did with Bomberger. I’m guessing …. none. Yet when “foreigners” get it, there’s a problem.
There is no “problem” with “foreigners” getting anything. I just wonder what other options were there and why there was no mention of any of this through any channel that is supposed to be here for the community. Since I live in the area that is concerned, I have a right to know. And David E, I haven’t found mention of it in the commission agendas or minutes yet. Of course I just got through June and part of May.
I asked Gary when they voted on it- and he thought it was while he was at the US Conference of Mayors. Nope. I called city hall- no one had answers- directed me to a FOIA request. This shouldn’t be that hard.
Last I heard from the Turks was that the city wanted too much for it. I have no problem with it being put to use- as opposed to rotting- but, the pool needs to be opened back up!
Again- I’m not on the commission- I just try to report the news as best I can. Please consider helping put me on the inside- either volunteer or donate at http://www.electesrati.com
thanks
The complete lack of transparency surrounding this deal seems to be typical for City of Dayton transactions.
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The knee-jerk reaction of the politicians and administration running City of Dayton is to obstruct, obfuscate, and obscure.
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As best I can tell, this is probably a positive development for everybody involved. Why the secrecy?
Voting on while Gary was away ?? Let me guess, it was an “emergency measure” !! Wasn’t done during the June 19 meeting (per the minutes) and isn’t on the agenda for the June 26th meeting.
@Hall- that was what Gary told me. But- I checked quite a few agendas and found nothing- Sheila O is doing the same-
maybe they never voted on it?
I don’t believe we have transferred the property. I got something about the group getting a grant to run the daycare. The Ahiska population has always been interested in this facility. The took on Bomberger instead. This one fills a need in the community and we know this population is organized and has the ability to produce results. If this were the 1930s and being done by a group of Polish, German or Slovakians no one would be complaining except the Anglo Americans. I read something somewhere. It may have been a memo from the city manager. I will look for it for you. Tim must have a consensus from the commission that we will support this and he may have given them the go ahead because there is a grant to support the daycare. The entity is not the Ahiska Turkish American group. It is under a different name and as such it does not stand out.
Thanks for the update Mayor- but, I saw nothing contractual mentioning the Stuart Patterson center- in light of the latest thing with Garden Station, I think the contract should have been up for public review- and the neighborhood should have been informed.
I suspect we may not see anything contractual. Refer to August 3, 2011 commission agenda and its accompanying resolutions. Commission declared the properties useless and ordered their disposal, via real estate transactions, a real estate agent, and direct negotiations with the purchasing department. All properties were listed. So all the public had the same opportunities as the current buyers/occupants. I toured two buildings on behalf of some non-profits that ended up not moving forward. St Mary’s Development moved into the Southeast Priority Board building. No records on that either. While it would make sense that Commission would have to approve sales of individual properties, I would guess that the aforementioned legislation allowed them to abdicate that responsibility, in a single vote, to the purchasing department, thereby not requiring legislation on every transaction. As the Mayor points out, it’s also possible the properties haven’t been turned over. In that case the various organizations are tenants who have agreed to not only rent, but to make improvements and do maintenance at their own expense.
The leadership of the City of Dayton seems to have a deep seated hatred for its citizens.
The Ahiska Turk community are, in fact, citizens of our this city. Indeed, they’re citizens who are are buying up and improving properties in Old North Dayton to a far greater degree than native-born American citizens of Dayton. They’re not foreign interlopers but a welcome asset to this city. Welcoming and supporting this community shows precisely the opposite of a “deep seated hatred” for the citizens of this community.
An unused, neglected facility will once again benefit the community. One would think Dayton’s leaders would be openly proud of this. Why do we have to ferret out the information?
@ djw: The officials of the City of Dayton continue to liquidate the property that is owned by the citizenry, which eventually goes to benefit private groups, not the whole of the citizenry. Meanwhile, programs like parks and recreation in struggling neighborhoods (most of Dayton) are an afterthought.
Meanwhile, the investment that goes into purchasing buildings for development or failed restaurants, while the most struggling areas of Dayton are only invested in with the occupation of a police state that sees its citizenry as an adversary to be swallowed by the prison industrial complex, shows me that yeah, the leaders of the City of Dayton seem to have a deep seated hatred for the majority of citizens in Dayton. Time after time, their actions speak louder than their words.
A fun press release by the City of Dayton today, “Former Rec Center Purchased, to Become Head Start Center” :
Wow, thanks David L.- Wondering when they were planning to tell us? Construction was well underway on Tuesday when I went by.
Does anyone other than me have a problem with this?
And- it’s funny- the press release is from Ramona Carver, whom I called and left a message for on Tuesday… guess this is how they call us back these days.
It’s in Old North Dayton. We, as a community, have ignored OND for years – so why do we “care” if they sold it. The place is a dump. Let someone have it. DE did not make any money on it, was not in the “know”, so tears and fist pounding explode from Dayton’s famous super lib. Seriously why do you care? BC you did not find out first, or you missed the meeting in which it was discussed… The city does not answer to you even if you think it should. Leave shit alone. No one cares. We need development and you are getting in the way – same with the Garden Station thingy……….. IT’S NOT YOUR PROPERTY SO STOP WORRYING ABOUT IT.
Since the Dayton Daily refuses to attribute their stories- as first reported here, here is their entire story from today’s paper- 4 days later: Leaders of the local Ahiska Turkish community are purchasing another former city of Dayton recreation center — the Stuart Patterson Center in Old North Dayton — and will use it to house Head Start education programs open to the public. The 17,000-square-foot building at 238 Baltimore St., which has been closed since early 2010, is being purchased by IMTA Consulting Group for $90,000, according to city officials. Islom Shakhbandarov, owner of IMTA and CEO of the Ahiska Turkish American Community Center, said Friday that renovations are underway, and he is aiming for an Aug. 24 grand opening. He said a lease agreement is already in place with Miami Valley Child Development Centers. “I bought this building because it was abandoned and was in bad shape and it wasn’t serving the community,” Shakhbandarov said. “We have a growing Turkish community (nearby) but an existing community also. … Since nobody was investing, I took a risk and invested the money.” The local Ahiska Turkish community has grown to more than 400 families in the past few years and has a purchase agreement on the city’s former Bomberger Center on East Fifth Street, where they’ve established a community center. Shakhbandarov said MVCDC will be able to serve just over 100 children at the Stuart Patterson site, adding that the entire center will be devoted to the Head Start program. There has been a push throughout the Dayton area to do more early-childhood education through the Learn to Earn program. “We know education is a major issue, so we want to do as much as we could,” Shakhbandarov said. “It will bring a significant change to the community.” City officials said the park adjacent to the center will continue to be owned and operated by the city, but added that “it is anticipated that the city will demolish the unusable swimming pool located in the park.” In recent years, the city closed multiple recreation centers while opening the new Greater… Read more »