January 23, 2009
From: Carl Mumpower, City Councilman
To: Terry Bellamy, Mayor
Subj: Memorial Stadium Restoration
Dear Mayor:
During our recent City Council retreat, I shared my concerns, that under current economic circumstances, it is irresponsible for Asheville to continue soliciting and accepting Federal dollars coming from borrowed funds. In the face of an economic reality that is increasingly grim, my concerns remain.
As you know, I established and guided the Memorial Stadium Restoration effort from its inception 5+ years ago. With the good help of staff, volunteers, contributors, and other partners, we came close to bringing this long neglected regional Memorial to life.
Unfortunately, the dramatic increases in construction costs that resulted from Hurricane Katrina, a change of leadership in the Recreation Department, and related events trumped the symmetry that came so close to a point of fruition.
Over the past year, city staff has been working to develop a plan to take the remaining resources (minus those that have been returned due to implementation delays) of roughly a quarter of a million dollars and bring the Memorial to life. The resulting proposal is doable with the monies at hand and holds strong potentials to honor our commitment to renew this regional Memorial to the purpose for which it was originally created.
Unfortunately, the economic realities of our times, and the fact that the balance of these dollars are coming from a Federal grant secured by Congressman Taylor, has placed me in a position where I can no longer, in good conscience, champion this effort. To proceed with this project, however, worthy, using what amount to borrowed dollars from Japan, China, and Europe that are contributing to an unprecedented national debt is to mock the men and women we are seeking to honor. It is a personal belief that these soldiers, marines, airmen, and sailors did not serve and sacrifice in order to mortgage the future of their children and grandchildren.
On this basis, regrettably, I am not in a position to support the current plan to build the Memorial using Federal dollars and would advocate for returning these dollars immediately. I am willing to carry the responsibility for raising the monies needed privately and continuing to serve in this capacity at the pleasure of the Council.
We need to fulfill our responsibilities to restore Memorial Stadium. We should not dishonor our war dead by utilizing funding resources harmful to the country for which they served and died.
Sincerely,
Carl Mumpower
Asheville City Council
