in todays city notebook, (see link) town talk reporter, billy gunn, mentions the proposed sale of the alexandria youth complex by the city of alexandria to st. francis cabrini hospital.
snip:
what the town talk and other local news media such as kalb never ask despite the fact that it would appear to be the most glaringly apparant question for both the city and st. francis cabrini is what statute does the city and cabrini plan to operate under to govern the sale of the alexandria youth complex?Cabrini may buy land for city baseball fieldsSteven Wright, CEO of Christus St. Frances Cabrini Hospital, said that the hospital might purchase land for the city of Alexandria, which would build new baseball fields to replace those at the Alexandria Youth Complex that the hospital wants to pave over for expansion.
Alexandria officials are considering selling the land to Cabrini, which is undergoing an $85 million expansion and needs real estate in its mid-city location off Masonic Drive.
The hospital's purchase of new land could overcome some controversy the hospital has drawn from an alternate proposal that would locate the proposed new baseball fields on city-owned land across Masonic Drive.
Tennis courts and a softball field are now located on that property.
I'm not sure to whom I'm responding, but you are correct in that this is in preliminary stages - we have been approached by Cabrini Hospital, and are now sharing that proposal with the community; I can also assure you there will be more than one meeting, although dates and times have not been set. This is not an issue that the Mayor is taking lightly in any way and he is very aware of the strong feelings and thoughts associated wtih this proposal. In fact, he is approaching this precisely the way he promised during his campaign. ... openly and in the public eye.wst... email to jacqueline whittle:
I will pass on your detailed comments to him.
Jacqueline Whittle
--END--
Dear Ms. Whittle,the city, the media and cabrini arent telling you what law they are operating under because they dont want you to know. they want the citizens to be in the dark and real dumb. as we've said before and as we still maintain, alexandrian's are going to wake up one morning and open their daily paper and turn on their television sets and be told that the sale is a done deal and alexandrian's will believe it too -- because the media told them it was so. its no accident that the news media IS NOT doing their jobs. the news media will sell out the citizens and the youth of alexandria rather than risk offending one of their major advertisers and/or some politician(s).
Under which statute is a sale to Cabrini being discussed? As city Attorney Charles Johnson can tell you, there are different procedures and requirement for each.
For example, R.S. 33:4717 requires a finding that the parks no longer have a public use. R.S. 33:4712 also requires a finding of the property no longer having a public use.
Due to the "no longer having a public use" requirement seeming extremely difficult to substantiate in this case, it appears that the sale would more likely to be under the provisions of R.S. 33:4717.2.
R.S. 33:4717.2 seems to apply only to industries. Is a hospital considered an industry, under this statute?
Additionally, that statute requires: "Prior to any transfer, the governing authority of the political subdivision shall give notice of its intention to do so, by publication of a notice of intention once a week for two consecutive weeks, beginning at least fourteen days from the date such action is contemplated. Such notice of intention shall include the following:
(1) a general description of the proposed transfer,
(2) a description of the property to be transferred,
(3) the proposed consideration to be given in exchange for said property,
(4) a statement that the proposed contract is on file for public inspection in the office of the political subdivision,
(5) a statement as to the appraised value of such property as determined by a real estate appraisal made within the previous twelve months, and
(6) a date, time, and place at which objections to such transfer will be received. Should five percent of the resident electors of the political subdivision object to said proposed transaction, an election shall be held for the purpose of submitting the question of the transfer to the voters in accordance with Chapter 6-B of Title 18 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950."
So, are the notices the City has sent out to those in just that neighborhood preliminary, and in addition, to what is required by law? You will also notice that this statute requires that the citizens know of the proposed sales price, the appraised value, and a public hearing held after notice, to all citizens of Alexandria.
--END--
