According to the lead article on the front page of the Ypsilanti Community News section of the August 17th Ann Arbor News, the City of Ypsilanti is investigating its bonding capacity for a proposal which calls for a $4 million construction project to renovate and add building space to the existing Parkridge Community Center. There are many factors that make it very unlikely that the city could get approval for a revenue bond, as was proposed. This leaves the possibility of issuing General Obligation Bonds. This means debt! Guess who pays? If the deal goes bad, the taxpayers will have to foot the bill.
Has the City of Ypsilanti not learned its lesson? The City has absolutely no business getting into another situation that could very well present future financial liability. The City has more obligation than it can comfortably deal with presently.
John Barfield appears to be at the forefront of this project. John Barfield, Brother Barfield to me, my family, and many old time Pentecostal church goers from Ypsi’s south side from 30 years ago, is of course a very successful businessman. Brother Barfield has been gone from Ypsi for many years. He now resides in a very upscale neighborhood in Ann Arbor, attends church in Ann Arbor, and his business is based in Livonia. While his efforts to restore Parkridge may be admirable, they do not line up with what is in the best interest of the City right now, and its efforts to balance its budget from year to year.
The City of Ypsilanti should not be in the landlord business, which presents unnecessary risk for the city, and a whole host of potential problems down the road. Why would Council waste anymore time, resources, legal costs, etc… on a project that has serious question marks and could very well end up in the lap of the residents of Ypsilanti?
The residents of Ypsi should demand that the City remove itself from these kinds of entanglements immediately. The City should explore selling the property to Brother Barfield for cheap, putting it back on the tax rolls, and removing itself from any further obligation. Let Brother Barfield assume the risk, develop it, lease it to EMU, WCC, or whomever he chooses, so that he can reap any possible financial benefits. I guarantee that John Barfield has the knowledge and experience to get this done, which creates a win-win situation for everyone!
Mike Eller,
Independent Candidate for Ypsilanti City Council, Ward 3
E-mail: mike@mikeellerforypsi.com