Re: CROSSVILLE

politikalhack@xxxxxxxxx wrote:

Bill,

> Beatriz, you may have the authority to do this. But why in the world
> would you make this commitment during the lame-duck period?
>
> I think USCF is honor-bound to stay in Crossville, but you're closing
> off the new Board's options WRT buy vs. build.

Was the choice REALLY buy vs. build, or was it ACTUALLY rent for a year
or two, and then move to a different city? The issue may have been one
of trust. Consider those involved, and their past record.

I would assume the current administration already considered buy versus
build, and decided buy was the better of the two options. If true,
that would come as no surprise to me. If the USCF does not build, they
lose the land which is valued at $264,000. If the USCF builds, it
(presumably) gets a space which better fits its needs, potentially
resulting in significantly improved productivity.

I urge caution when reading all the political spin. A review of the
thread started October 19, 2004 with the subject "Where is Liberty" may
be well worth the time. There are quite a few "gems" -smile- in it.
Here's one I particularly liked:

"The [Liberty] building has been kept in excellent shape and the USCF
could move into it tomorrow." -- Don Schultz

And, a couple responses:

"Frankly, I'm astonished that anyone could read that report [Steve
Shutt's] and then vote for the Liberty site. Thirty-three bathrooms
(!), no insulation, antiquated fixtures etc. It seems obvious that the
long-term costs of renovating and maintaining that building would far
outweigh any benefits from the NY state location. In Crossville, we'll
get a 21st century building, constructed to our specifications with
modern business and technology requirements in mind."

"Did anyone ever establish whether there is any asbestos in the
building? Given its age and original use, that's a very likely
possibilty, and it could be a multi-million dollar liability.

My guess is that the upkeep would have been VERY expensive. Just
maintaining 18 acres of grounds would have cost the USCF quite a bit.
I suspect utility costs would have been huge, especially in the winter.


Remodeling any of the space to make it acceptable for other tenants
would also have been expensive. I've seen projects where the
remodeling cost exceeded the 'build from scratch' cost for equivalent
square footage.

There are literally dozens of old hospital buildings around the country

lying fallow like the one in Liberty. Most of them can't be given
away, either. [SNIP]"

Best regards,

George John

"Trust, but verify." -- Ronald Reagan

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Open Letter to Beatriz
    ... USCF Board -- could handle disputes more discreetly. ... Bruce Leverett ... >>> new headquarters in Crossville, and to arrange a mortgage to fund this ... >>> cost is likely to be more, as such projects frequently run over budget. ...
    (rec.games.chess.politics)
  • Re: So Who Did File the First Lawsuit?
    ... least of all the USCF. ... bargain until the cost of repairs begins to equal or exceed the cost ... Why should a national chess organization be profitable? ... Where's the "operational cash flow" for SPICE? ...
    (rec.games.chess.politics)
  • Re: So Who Did File the First Lawsuit?
    ... least of all the USCF. ... bargain until the cost of repairs begins to equal or exceed the cost ... Why should a national chess organization be profitable? ... And, in this case, talk of "operational cash flow" is nonsense. ...
    (rec.games.chess.politics)
  • Re: Open Message to Joel Channing
    ... the USCF will be saddled with the cost of production which ... want to receive CL, then they're not "losses". ... fair number of players might want to subscribe to a chess mag, ... to a pure newsletter about USCF matters, ...
    (rec.games.chess.politics)
  • Re: modular aproach etc
    ... retrieval flight is about as much as the cost of the hardware retrieved. ... another contractor built another mirror as a ... little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor ...
    (sci.space.shuttle)
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