Chess politics - Crossville: Where do we stand?

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Crossville: Where do we stand?

Parrthenon

2004-12-28, 5:47 pm

So where do we stand?

Two questions suggested themselves from the outset:

1. Why did the Executive Board refuse to grant wealthy, respected and highly
chess-productive businessman Erik Anderson two weeks to speak to billionaire
Gerry about the property in Liberty, NY?

2. What is in the contract(s) signed with the Crossville folks?

Frank Brady, whose family jewel recently received extravagant, arguendo
envious, praise from Stan Booz, asked two further questions:

1. What is the estimated cost of moving to Crossville?

2. What are the estimated expenditures in about a dozen important expense
categories for the move?

Neither question seems unusual or unfair. But both were met by more of
the anti-Sloan armpit stuff, though this time ineptly formulated by Stan Booz,
directed at Dr. Brady.

Richard Haas, who has taken to denominating himself "Old Haasie," asked
why the Federation did not look into erecting a Butler building in Crossville
rather than hiring an architect.

We have learned that an architect named Phil Elmore, whom Stan Booz
thinks it likely is a friend of Harry Sabine, has a contract to design
headquarters for the USCF in Crossville. The fee, we learned after months of
prodding, is $60,000 for a building with an original estimated cost of $300,000
to $350,000. That puts the architect's fee in the range of 15 to 20 percent of
the building's cost.

I then asked two questions:

1. Is this Mr. Elmore a friend of Harry Sabine?

2. Are there extenuating circumstances for Mr. Elmore receiving a contract
amounting to 15 to 20 percent of the estimated construction cost, or is the
contract as crooked as hell?

Somone following the exchanges on rgcp states that the Board has NOT
done estimates for the expense categories mentioned by Dr. Brady.

Even this writer, a prime critic of the disastrous move to Crossville,
finds it difficult to believe that before voting to move, the Board did not
produce detailed estimates for the major expense categories involved with
relocating -- including Beatriz Marinello in charge of relocating, although she
has a serious medical ailment and lives in Florida, instead of someone who is
already on the staff.

I speak directly to my source: I respect your knowledge, but is what
you say at all likely? Could any ruling board of an organization act so
irresponsibly? One can attack the move as imbecilic, but the people behind it
are far from being fools. They are wrong but not halfwits. One of them is
budget director for the state of Iowa who ran as a reform candidate.

Yet we have to ask Board members this question: before voting in favor of
going to Crossville, did you produce reasonably detailed estimates of costs for
the major expense categories involved in such a move?

Instead of honest answers, we fully expect more excremental responses to
this latest question.

________________________________________________________________
"FIDE has made its decision. Players who refuse to be drug tested will not be
able to play chess." -- Dr. Press, co-founder of the FIDE Medical Commission.

Doom & Gloom Dave

2004-12-28, 5:47 pm

Jerzy wrote:

quote:

> "Doom & Gloom Dave" <dwhent@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:IrYyd.173086$Oc.44525@tornado.tampabay.rr.com...
>
>
> If it`d been so then all discussions would`ve immediately stopped but
> this is not the case :-)
>

You either didn't read, didn't understand, or refuse to understand what I
wrote.

The questions have been answered.

Now, just because the questions were answered doesn't mean people stop
asking them.

Simple enough for you?

WPraeder

2004-12-29, 12:45 am

Larry,

It appears the questions evolve almost on a daily basis, so I'm probably a bit
behind the curve. I did however take the opportunity to ask a few questions of
our Executive Board members. Attached is my current understanding of the Boards
perspective on the submitted questions.

Regards,
Wayne Praeder

Q: Why did the Executive Board decline to grant Erik Anderson two weeks to
speak to Alan Gerry about the property in Liberty, NY?

A: The main reason was that the Board majority was eager to get going and felt
there were too many delays already.

Q: What is in the contract(s) signed with the Crossville folks?

A: As far as it is known, they are only two agreements with Crossville: 1)
Accepting the land and the relocation to Crossville; 2) A contract with the
architect. The Board is not aware of any e-mails or memos that commit the USCF
to anything in particular.

Q: How can we get an overview of the arrangement with the architect?

A: The arrangements with the Crossville architect were made by Frank Niro with
the agreement of the board at the time that gave the architect a contract for
$60,000 for the entire job. The architect is flexible enough to accept
renegotiating this contract on the basis of having new requirements in
connection with the space of the building. The Board will follow up on this
point in the upcoming week.

Q: What is the estimated cost of moving to Crossville?

A: The Board would rather wait to publicize the total cost once they have a
better estimation. Currently the short answer (sum of several items, all of
which are estimates) is that the costs surrounding the move to Crossville may
be about $150,000 -- could be a bit more, depending on how much training of new
staff is needed. Much of this isn't really directly attributable to the move.
For example, one of the expenses will be an expense of $60,000 to upgrade the
technology in the office. The longer answer from a total cost of ownership is,
"It will cost less than nothing, because within two years we expect to realize
savings exceeding the initial out-of-pocket expenses, and every year thereafter
we will continue to reap the benefit of lower operating costs." We will have
savings, such as rent-free space for at least a year, lower payroll, property
tax, insurance, and utility cost in Crossville. Our long-term plan is to
establish the USCF in a location and with a staff structure that is sustainable
over the long term at significantly lower operating cost than in New Windsor,
NY.