Good Afternoon, my name is Tim Mason. I live in rural McGregor. My people have lived in Clayton County since the 1850s. By choice! My family loves Northeast Iowa for what it is. Our home! The Vision Iowa program is charged with the responsibility of “ supporting projects that build on Iowa’s unique assets and values and expand the recreational, cultural and educational opportunities in the state.” It is readily apparent to me that this proposed Isle of Capri/River Bluffs Resort L.L.C. project is to accomplish one thing! That is to make two greedy old men more money! Namely, Florida resident Bernie Goldstein of Isle of Capri, Inc. and James Daughtry of California. The items I state here can all be referenced in the River Bluffs Resorts own documents, provided to us under the Freedom of Information Act. You speak of credibility. We have been proving to you for almost two years the players involved in this project have been lying to the board constantly. Here are some new ones. Mr. Daughtry’s letter to Mr. Gardner dated, January 7th 2003, shows a list of completed tasks. # 11 states “Design of new truck staging area approved by DOT and Con Agri.” Well, Surprise! Surprise! Ms Vickie Dumdei ,chief of the Mason City District of the Iowa Department of Transportation, did a two day inquiry of their entire staff and no one has approved it or for that matter even seen it. #4 Preliminary Water and Wastewater Facilities Study. Well, Lord and Behold! That has now changed from an onsite treatment plant and 1600 foot deep well, do you recall we pointed out the dangers of that plan?, to a five mile long sewage pipeline into Marquette, and they are now also trying to create a “Rural Water District” Why do I smell “federal grant money“?” I really enjoyed reading their own economic feasibility study. A couple of things jumped right of the pages. The writer’s main premise is that the nearest hotel water parks are well over one hundred miles away. Well once again that is false. Dubuque which is sixty miles to the south is home to a huge new one. Cabela brothers, in nearby Prairie du Chien, will open their 63 room, three story motel with a 7000 square foot water park including a bar and grill in June of this year. These studies also state “ resident play would likely not be sufficient to sustain a new golf course in McGregor”. They go on to make statements of a “ relatively sparse and stagnant rural population.” Oh, but here is the positive side for us residents of Clayton County! Under a little table identified as salaries and wages, we see, $6.50 per hour! Now lets see if I have this correct. We are meeting here today, once again, to decide if their financial package is feasible , correct? Well, I think you board members need to back-up, do a little soul searching, and see if this entire rip-off project is to “enhance the quality of life in Iowa” What I, and a lot of other folks, see is plain and simple. The governments of the state of Iowa and Clayton County subsidizing a couple of out of state fat cats to exploit the rural people of Iowa and the resources of our homeland! This proposed upper class, private, gated country club community, estimated population of 1300,is being marketed in far away urban areas. Its creation will forever alter the demographics of our neck of the woods by producing a caste system. On the matter of the “Trail of Two Cities”. The ICE railroad just 3 days ago received the first draft proposal to give an easement, which then the casino will have to start the long battle of trying to obtain the required federal and state permits to add fill to our beloved Mississippi River. For your information, we are commented to holding up this process for several years. You might ask yourself what is in it for the railroad? Well one of your board members, Brad Parks, has been instrumental in this. Offering the railroad 9000 feet of new switch track in the Marquette yards at a cost to the taxpayer of one million dollars. Once again what does this major expenditure have to do with “ enhancing the quality of life in Iowa”? The people who live and play in today’s artificial environments would not agree with my next statement, however we already have a large water park in Clayton County! Its called the Mississippi River and her many cold water tributary streams. Back in, what was it? December? You gave these guys until January to prove their financing. Well then you extended it to today, the March meeting. Well it doesn’t surprise me that they show up here and once again and insult all of us with the usual draft proposals, letters of intent and pending agreements. You know I could really care less if they rolled in a couple wheel barrels full of cash for matching funds. This project has been wrong and ill-conceived from its inception. It has been riddled from the outset with major problems and it is ever changing! One would be hard pressed to even recognize it from the original casino funded application of over two years ago! If you people approve this fleecing, today, I see when the history of the Vision Iowa Program is written “the Clayton County Scam” will the one major negative item. In closing I ask of you to do two things. 1. Do the right thing, put the gavel down on this and say enough is enough. Deny the 5.1 million grant and work on the CAT grant for the community projects. 2. Apologize to the people of Iowa and especially to the folks of Clayton County for being so naïve to be suckered into this proposal to begin with. Thank You for your time. Timothy Mason
Copyright © 2003-2005 by Timothy Mason. All rights reserved.