TKC BREAKING NEWS!!! DOWN IN FLAMES!!! GREATER KANSAS CITY BLACK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE URGES COUNCIL TO REJECT 'NON-TRANSFORMATIVE' EDGEMOOR MOU!!!
Just like we have talking about this afternoon . . . The Edgemoor team bungled the airport bid and now this community news speaks out against their efforts.
FIRST ON TKC . . .
Black Chamber Urges City Council to reject Edgemoor MOU as Non-transformative
Kansas City, MO. – January 31, 2018 - The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Edgemoor Infrastructure & Real Estate and the City of Kansas City should be rejected because it is not transformative for this community. Since July 2017, the Black Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City, Inc., in consultation with the KCI Airport Urban Consortium, has advocated for a KCI Airport Project that would be transformative for the minority community and the City of Kansas City, Missouri. This is an unprecedented opportunity to revitalize the minority community and to make the City a viable contender in competition with its peer cities for the 21st century. The KCI Airport Project should serve as the cornerstone for a new vision of progress for Kansas City where corporate leadership, labor, construction contractors - large and small, black and white - community groups, and our chambers of commerce and schools forge new relationships in developing sustainable minority enterprises and making workforce inclusion a top priority.
Unfortunately, throughout the process Edgemoor has failed to demonstrate a meaningful commitment to developing a single terminal airport project in a truly transformative manner as demonstrated by the following:
1. Edgemoor Makes No Substantive Investment in Kansas City: The original Edgemoor submission was generally devoid of defined and substantive community benefits components and workforce composition goals. Even after members of the City Council insisted that the MOU include a robust Community Benefits Agreement (CBA), Edgemoor has still failed to make an investment toward a comprehensive CBA. Under their MOU terms funding for most, if not all, of the measures are funded from project revenue, and are contingent on or subject to approval of the FAA. Funding for Community Benefits should be a binding obligation of the developer from developer profits – not airport revenues. Edgemoor’s plan, does not assist the community because the community has to pay for it. Much of the funding cost for the programs envisioned appear inflated and some are for Clark Construction employee/consultant staffing positions. These additional costs actually increase Edgemoor’s profit. Any Community Benefit not borne in cost by the developer and subject to or contingent upon FAA approval is unacceptable.
2. Edgemoor’s MBE Goal is insufficient: Edgemoor’s MBE goal of 20% is insufficient, not transformative, and significantly less than the 28% the City achieved in fiscal 2016 for construction services. That is shameful. More importantly, MBE goals on this once in a generation project should exceed 28%, as an achievable transformative goal if the City and developer are sincere in their commitment to minority business development. Arguments to the contrary are simply unworthy of belief.
3. Edgemoor seeks to maintain the status quo: In its initial proposal and in the MOU terms currently proffered by Edgemoor and currently being considered by the City Council, Edgemoor fails to fully embrace the concept of a transformative project. The lack of significant minority workforce goals is very troublesome. If history is prologue, without specific workforce composition goals most of the high paying jobs will be filled by white men and the few minorities hired will perform low paying tasks directing traffic and cleaning the site. An MOU without workforce goals reflecting the demographics of the community is not transformative and therefore unacceptable.
4. Edgemoor Changed Its Financial Terms: It appears Edgemoor has changed its financial terms from a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) to a lump sum in this new version of the MOU, which means they collect the contracted price if they under run the cost of the project rather than returning that money to the City. The lump sum approach is far less transparent compared to GMP where every dollar is reported and accounted for. Provided the project pays all the costs for Community Benefits, it is conceivable that Edgemoor could pocket another $29 million of profit. We believe that would be the ultimate community disservice for which we would never approve.
For the forgoing reasons it is clear that Edgemoor is not committed to transformative minority participation in the development of a new airport terminal. The City Council should not partner with a company that is reluctant to invest in and do what’s best for the citizens of this great City. We therefore, urge the Council to reject Edgemoor’s proposed MOU as non-transformative and immediately commence negotiations with the second ranked proposer in accordance with City procurement practices.
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Developing . . .
All of these reasons actually make a lot of sense.
ReplyDeleteStick a fork in them. Edgemoor is done.
Here's what I want to know, where does Edgemoor's support come from? They haven't built any kind of constituency and don't have anybody on their team but the Mayor & Troy.
DeleteCancel these folks, time to send them packing.
I think this airport thing is going to get really messy before all is said and done. Not a single shovel has been turned and we're already fighting over billions of dollars in public. Expect more turbulence ahead, because KC can shoot down any good idea.
DeleteBTW, do I get credit where Tony, KCUR or the newspaper steals my puns?
Now, why do they think Edgemoor should be pay a lug to KC. The KC metro is paying for this not KC taxpayers. It is just about time to take the airport out KC city government management. We need a petition.
ReplyDelete^^^^It will and has already, take the cleave and bow tie the clown as your reasons
ReplyDeleteEverything the blacks touch they screw up beyond recognition, the black chamber of commerce is a bunch of scam artists bleeding the city dry
ReplyDeleteAnd all they’re doing is race baiting
ReplyDeleteYou should 8:29. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteWe're not getting a new terminal anytime soon. The extortion and lawsuits will see to that. I wish I could change my vote.
ReplyDeleteRE Vote
ReplyDeleteDO Over
This thing is SCREWED.
Damn shame that KC voters didn't know what the hell they were voting on. Seems like one of the biggest scams ever perpetrated on the public.
ReplyDeleteRecall Sly.
ReplyDeleteThe only black chamber I recognize is the one up my backside. Who are these clowns?
ReplyDeleteWhy do we need a Black Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City.
ReplyDeleteIsn't a Chamber of Commerce alone good enough for everyone?
They want 23 million for doing nothing if the project as soon as the ink is dry.
ReplyDeleteNO THANKS.
The fee is 35 Million.
Delete^^^ But I thought KC taxpayers wont' be paying a dime for this?
ReplyDeleteIsn't that what the mayor promised. Fucking shame that he's still in office.
Edgemoor has met 43 of 45 issues brought up by the city council for the MOU and City Benefits Package. They have for all intents and purposes done all that they (or another developer) can do to meet it. Yet, they still do not have the city council votes they need to get the project going forward.
ReplyDelete^^^ That is a consultant working VERY late into the night. Bravo to you good sir. I hope Sly is paying you well.
ReplyDeleteSay it once and say it again.
ReplyDeleteKansas City voters need to decide this. We need to vote again!
And this time the public needs an option to keep KCI and renovate it rather than spending tens of millions to tear it down.
THIS is how Kansas City went bankrupt
ReplyDeleteI think the most important thing is that we keep moving forward. KC has the right momentum and we can't afford to turn back. Some of the comments about a new vote or renovating KCI are dangerous. We can't back down from a big challenge like this, we need to keep pushing ahead!
ReplyDeleteYou’re the dumbest fucker on here. How does Sly’s butthole taste?
DeleteI think Go4KC you are very wrong. You are very dangerous, spending money you don't have. Lets pay for what we already owe. KCMO is broke. That is a fact. Whats in your wallet?
ReplyDeleteTypical haters. A new airport benefit everyone, even the haters. Lets' go KC!
ReplyDeleteWhat this tells you don't do business in KC. KC is not major league.
ReplyDeleteSeems like Edgemoor was stealing. Was the other Chamber going to voice concern?
ReplyDelete^^^^^^1000% right
ReplyDeleteGo4 kc... Explain how it benefits anybody. Anybody. You can't and won't.
ReplyDeleteBurns and Mac bought some council votes.
ReplyDeleteAre you really that stupid, Dave?
ReplyDeleteI thought the purpose of an airport was to provide a place for planes to land and take off. When did I miss the memo about it being a tranformative blah blah blah blah community blah blah blah?
ReplyDeleteWaiting
ReplyDeleteAirport is rigged.
ReplyDeleteBut then again, so was the vote!
12:27AM NAILED IT. I thought this was an airport, not a Model Cities project.
ReplyDeleteThis is so messed up. The greed is overwhelming. The assumptions and the demands--the scrambling to grab contracts reminds me of that short story many of us read in high school, Leininger vs. the Ants. Folk are crawling all over one another like Black Friday at a Walmart...to grab the deals, the big screen Tv's or the Cabbage Patch dolls.
What is 35% of a billion dollars? Are there anywhere near enough trained and experienced workers in the inner city who have the licenses and the skills to build an airport? One they will rarely visit, by the way.
And this black chamber writer must have chosen "Transformative" as their new vocabulary word of the day. The point of building an airport is to TRANSPORT passengers. Period. It's not a jobs program.
It's north of the river. What's next--the 600 laid off Harley employees up north might say THEY need a "transformative" kickback set aside works project.
Or maybe all the women in the MeToo movement. The Pink Pussy Hat Brigade--women could take that set aside. Could take 35% of the jobs and build you an airport that would be cozy and homey and have 25 times more women's bathrooms than the boys would ever build.
Now THAT would be transformative!
The airport is a lost cause, let Johnson County pick up the tab.
ReplyDeleteNon-transformative = No set asides for Blacks.
ReplyDeleteAirport is a bad deal for EVERYONE but Edgemoor and the mayor. Glad they finally said something.
ReplyDeleteJust move the whole damn project out to Clay County 10 miles north of Liberty. Screw Kansas City and all of its grifters, political hacks Etc.
ReplyDeleteThis is what crony socialist capitalism looks like.
ReplyDeleteThe Black Chamber has been bought off by Burns $ and McDonnell. This is how our City works.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, 10:41. But can't they have someone write a better ransom demand letter for the Black Chamber?
ReplyDeleteI'm too busy to count the times they used "transformative".
Perhaps work in "kovfefe"?
Make Burns&Mac Great Again hats would be nice.
This is supposed to be their "checkmate" move. Pathetic. Instead, now it's like the Jews and the Palestinians--a war to the death.
I got it--Trump should step in--and dissove the charter of KCMO and name Independence the new capital...
Or--move City Hall to 18th & Vine, because we all saw how well that has worked out with $130 million. This city can't clap two cymbals together.
Edgemoor obviously reads TKC, and realized that the KC Council and Sly are not only unable to hammer a nail, they can't hammer out an agreement. Now they are doing the dance hoping to recover the millions they spent buying the election and lying to the voters--"this won't cost you a penny".
And if 10:18 is right, and the walk away fee is 35 million, well, hell, that's just a skosh over TWO years of subsidy of Cordish's Power and Light, BEFORE we bend over and build them a parking lot for Phase II.
Earth to Southwest Airlines: Johnson County has the ground, the willpower, the chutzpah and the cash. Call NOW!