BERT botches it!

[Dorian]

Welcome to the Berthoud Town Forum Jan. Thanks for setting the record straight that the Surveyor is a client of yours. I assumed that since you were covering the event for the Surveyor and you told me you were hired as an editor, that you were an employee. My post was not meant to suggest any underhandedness by you. I was simply pointing our that you are a member of BERT involved in the process of hiring a web developer for BERT, and that you were the person who interviewed Jen for the final cut. I did not know until the Town meeting Tuesday night that you are also leading the BERT subcommittee marketing group.  I appreciate you and all volunteers who help the needy in our community. As you can see from past posts I am an advocate of journalistic ethics and since you are not reporting on a political group on which you serve there is no offense in you covering anything outside of BERT activities.

I wish you the best of luck in keeping the cost of the BERT web site down. Unlike the majority of BERT members (who do not live in Berthoud), as a resident it is your tax dollars that are funding the site.  

[JAN DOWKER]

Setting the Record Straight...

Dorian, I have my own company, Messenger PR, LLC, with a number of clients. One of my clients is the Denver Broncos Alumni Association. One is the Berthoud Surveyor, who hired my husband and I to act as Sports Co-Editors in mid-November because he and I are active in the Berthoud sports venues, such as the BYAA, Turner Middle School and Berthoud High School. We were writing stories for free covering our son's 6th grade football season this past fall and were asked to continue writing once his season ended. Obviously we can only volunteer so much of our time as self-employed business owners and parents of three very active children. As Gary W. of the Berthoud Recorder will tell you, we've sent him stories as well, along with the Greeley Tribune, The Coloradoan and others. We love to promote the kids and what they're doing in the community and with their sports teams. Three years ago we were involved in the fundraising efforts to Tyler, Nikko and Michelle in their respective efforts to raise money to offset their spiralling expenses. I talked with the Denver Broncos Alumni Council at that time and had a booth at the spaghetti dinner for Tyler and Nikko, we also had Broncos memorabilia at a comedy night for the boys and a fundraiser for Michelle held at the Wayside in and organized by Martha Simmons.  I wanted to write the story and asked Becky if I could cover it because I had a personal interest. If Gary had asked me to send him a story, I would have. If you'll recall when you and I spoke on Sunday at the Champions of Life Rally, I though PJ DiPentino would be there because he and Lexi had done the first big fundraiser for Alex. By the way, Tyler and his team were grateful that a paper was there to cover the event. It's about helping a young boy with brain cancer!I have never HIDDEN anything from public disclosure relative to the volunteer work I do with BERT. NOR do I have ANY contracts OR subcontracts with the Town of Berthoud at this time OR in the past. Your insituation of any underhandedness in the process is shocking considering ANYONE could have attended ANY of the meetings we held relative to ANY town business. There will be a public report of this entire process re: the RFP for a web site designer for the Town's file, including timelines of when the followup phone interviews were conducted, etc. I look forward to seeing everyone at our BERT meetings, subcommittee meetings , etc.

[DownTownLiving]

Don't mean to hijack this thread. But I'm not up to speed on BERT thing. I did find the mission statement on the town board web:

Mission Statement
Berthoud facilitates partnerships between homes and businesses, fueled by existing and emerging industries. We promote leafy trees and green building in a healthy blend of home town atmosphere and leading edge development.

I think I need the de-coder ring.


Lastly, I think the web design should stay local. Imagine if I wanted a home build by, let's say, someone local. And they presented me with several plans that I was not keen on. Would I say sorry, you just don't cut it. Or would one say; let's push the envelope on this one, we are both local and I know we can make this work. In the long run it's makes everyone involved better at what they do.

[Tom Jones]

Oh Dorian,

A grand here, a couple more thousand there.
No big deal. It's free govument money.

[Dorian]

Hi Ton Jones, I goofed on that old post because I said it was $5,000 a month and it was $6,500.

[Tom Jones]

Thank you for the info. BTF,

When DORIAN was kind enough to make this post:
"Town Board Members, Trustees Hindman, Bauer, Buckingham and Mayor Patterson all strongly supporting the rehiring of Salazar beginning in September for four months at $5,000 per month. They stress that economic development is a top priority for Berthoud. Trustee Hindman said that if only one new business comes into Berthoud because of the additional $20,000 (requested to rehire consultant Stephanie Salazar) then it is worth it."

I printed it out and intend to take it with me every November when I vote.

Love Hindman’s  take.
You could paraphrase that to say “let’s throw ANOTHER 20 GRAND at the wall, maybe some will stick”.

[BTF]

Mayor Tom Patterson Term expires 4/2012

Mayor Pro Tem David Gregg Term expires 4/2012
  
Trustee John Bauer Term expires 4/2012

Trustee Jeff Hindman Term expires 4/2012
 
Trustee Glen Buckingham Term expires 4/2010
  
Trustee Michael Patrick Term expires 4/2010
  
Trustee Dick Shepard Term expires 4/2010

 

[Dorian]

Gee…forums are fun!

I stand by my BERT Botches It post.  If Jen feels she was treated unfairly, she was. How dare we criticize BERT?  Last time I checked we lived in a Democracy. Every citizen in Berthoud is entitled to their opinion and since I have been to numerous town meetings I am entitled to mine as Trustee Hindman is to his. Numerous citizens have thanked me for my work on the forum and for speaking up for their rights at Town meetings and I am happy to be involved in the Democratic process. Our stated goal with Berthoud Town Forum is to hold our public officials accountable.
 
As a resident I am tired of watching the thousands of dollars the Town hands over to BERT at the same time threatening budget cuts and staff layoffs. This while our skate board park lies empty, our water is outrageously expensive and of inferior quality to neighboring communities, the BMX track receives no funding from the Town, I could go on and on. Search the BTF forum archives that’s what it is here for and it does not cost the citizens a dime. This is the reason we started CITIZENS FIRST. It is our belief that if you take care of amenities to the citizens we will be the best sales people for Berthoud.

We go to Town meetings and fight for citizens interests. From fighting for pool hours to opposing the Excel tax and many issues in between -we have spoken up. We encourage citizens to attend Town meetings and have increased attendance through the forum, letters to the editor (Berthoud Recorder printed in the past and now Berthoudrecorder.com). What if we did not speak up?

We support our community and non-profits in numerous ways. Other than buying Christmas lights and putting them up, the Town gave no financial assistance for Christmas in Berthoud that provides a Christmas for over 100 needy Berthoud families and seniors.  Along with the founders of Christmas in Berthoud, the Grace Place, virtually all the CIB sponsorships, publicity and events were organized by members of the Berthoud Town Forum. We sold sponsorships for all of the trees and wreaths and encouraged business to stay open and host a tree in their businesses to help increase their traffic. We moved the tree lighting ceremony to Railroad Park in order to be closer to downtown business (next year the lighting ceremony will be back at Fickle Park). JB Clymers had their best money day ever. The Champagne Brunch at Retro Bistro that Jen and I hosted was the most profitable event raising over $1,000. It was also one of the biggest money days Retro Bistro has enjoyed. Both Jen and I volunteer one day a week in Berthoud schools and Trustee Hindman has the nerve to tell us to ". ...find something positive to do to help the Town's efforts instead of inventing reasons to make unjustified criticism." I won’t bore you with the additional positive things I and other members of Citizen First do in the community. If the comment was made toward Gary Wamsley of www.berthoudrecorder.com, the list of things he has done for our community dwarfs our efforts including his work with Berthoud Arts and Humanities, personally paying $5,000 for a sculpture in the park and $10,000 for the BMX track. I could go on and on with financial and volunteer efforts  Gary has contibuted to our community including investing hundred of thousand of dollars to report the news of Berthoud by hiring credentialed journalists and employing Town residents at his paper, the Berthoud Recorder, another business forced to close this year.

Let’s talk about Jen again. She has volunteered countless hours for free for Berthoud Schools, Main Street and charities, building and maintaining these web sites at no charge. I maintain that she at least should have had the courtesy as the current web vendor to the Town to be able to make a presentation with the other finalists. If she lost the bid after that so be it.

For Hindman to say we are hurting the economic developments of this Town is laughable. I challenge any member of BERT to list four positive things they alone have done for existing Berthoud business this year. And please do not list the breakfast as it was a “BERT commercial” and self-serving to BERT and the members as an RFP did not go out for non-BERT members to participate.  PJ Dipentino who is on the Board of Berthoud Town Forum was appointed to BERT this past year told me that BERT has accomplished nothing for the local businesses beside the Jingle Mingle which he recruited us to help with. PJ worked with the restaurants and brought Citizens First and BERT business retention team together and we made something positive happen, together.  It was a great experience for us until Salazar got top billing for the event.

Hindman writes: This recent statement that BERT does not support local businesses is a slap in the face to the 15+ BERT volunteers that have put in hundreds of hours of free work to better our town for all of us. It was not meant as a slap in the face and if members feel that way I apologize. I appreciate all volunteer efforts. There are hundreds of unsung volunteers in Berthoud working hundreds of hours for free to make the world a better place. This long list includes my mother, Rebbecca Ryan who works for the Berthoud Senior Center and BATS at least one day a week always bringing a home-made desert for the lunch crowd free of charge. Remember, unlike these unsung heroes, many volunteering BERT members receive financial gain from their involvement or plan to in the future. It pays to be on BERT. They should be happy to list the successes they have achieved with the existing business community this year who are not members of BERT. We are still waiting for the return on investment to the citizens for BERT expenditures. It’s a simple question we are all waiting to have answered. Still waiting.

[Tom Jones]

Can anyone please tell me when Mr. Hindman's spot on the Board is up to be voted on?

I sure do hope it is this November.

[Jen]

I have much to say to Mr. Hindman regarding fairness  of the Town's web development process, however, I will do that in person. In short, the Town of Berthoud is throwing away YOUR money on a "Cadillac" web site (Stephanie Salazar's description), designed to promote specific developers and properties. This is not a project that I want to be associated with, because I actually care about how the Town spends taxpayers money.

In response to one of Mr. Hindman's comments, I would like to reply here:
"The people going out of their way to accuse the Town of being anti-business should find something positive to do to help the Town's efforts instead of inventing reasons to make unjustified criticism."

Mr. Hindman should take note of how the members of the Forum and Citizen's First support the Town:

• Members of the Berthoud Town Forum & Citizens First were the main organizers of the Christmas In Berthoud events
• The media representative who facilitated at 9 News Report on the CIB events and Town of Berthoud is a Citizen's First Founder and Berthoud Town Forum member
• Citizen's First were co-sponsors/organizers of the Jingle Mingle
• Citizen's First organized and funded the AIMS Community College Forum so AIMS could present their case to the community
• Citizen's First members are involved in almost every Town Board, including BERT, P&Z, Tree, and attend every Town Trustee meeting
• This Forum promotes all community fundraising events for our local non-profits, including Habitat for Humanity, Berthoud Run/Walk Club, Berthoud Schools Fund, and many others
• All Berthoud businesses are welcome to advertise on this site for FREE!

As a citizen's organization, Citizen's First is fully in support of our local businesses. We are here because we love this town, we live here, we shop here, we volunteer here, and our kids go to school here. Citizen's First exists to benefit the CITIZENS of BERTHOUD. BERT exists solely to benefit themselves - certain business owners and developers.

Mr. Hindman doesn't want us to question BERT, or him, and we should remember that when he is up for election.

[jal]

The following e-mail was received by some members of the Berthoud Town Forum, members of the Berthoud Town Board and members of the Berthoud Economic Resources Team (BERT).  Since Trustee Hindman offered to have his comments posted here, I have done so.

"The recent criticism of BERT and therefore the Town regarding the selection of a website contractor for Berthoud's new economic development website is completely unfounded and wrong. Those spreading this rumor are completely misinformed on this issue. Before people write something badmouthing the Town of Berthoud's efforts stimulate our local economy they owe it to your everyone to get the facts straight. Citizen's First's now continuing bias against the Berthoud Economic Resource Team and its dedicated volunteers is harmful to the Town's effort to show we are a good place to to business. The Town's economic development efforts have greatly boosted the Town's regional reputation and will help every local business, not just one. Misinformation and false accusations only serve to convince outsiders that Berthoud is against economic development efforts in the town. The Town will always use a local vendor if price and product justify that choice. If Berthoud can get better services for less by using a Loveland or Denver business then we owe it to the taxpayers to get the best deal possible. The Town's new economic development website is critical to attracting new businesses and quality developers to town. It has to be done right. The website bid and selection process has been completely transparent and every meeting related to this project has been open to the public. As BERT liason I have been at every meeting, but one, relating to the selection of a website designer which will be decided after the final two candidates are interview this morning by Town staff and the BERT marketing committee volunteers. 9 bids were received. That was narrowed down to 5 for follow up questions. Based on the answers to those questions, the list was narrowed to two finalists. The finalists had better proposals and more expertise than those that were eliminated. The local Berthoud vendor made the list of 5, but not the final 2. Town staff was also at every meeting and Stephanie Salazar extended her contract at no cost to finish the website vendor selection and was also involved in every meeting. This recent statement that BERT does not support local businesses is a slap in the face to the 15+ BERT volunteers that have put in hundreds of hours of free work to better our town for all of us. If we can't get some new business and development going in this town, we will have to make drastic budget cuts next year and we are way under resourced and staffed as it is. The people going out of their way to accuse the Town of being anti-business should find something positive to do to help the Town's efforts instead of inventing reasons to make unjustified criticism. Anyone with any questions regarding this matter can call me at 303-819-7199. Please feel free to forward to anyone interested in this issue or to post on the web with my name on it.
Jeff Hindman - Berthoud Trustee and BERT liason. "

[Tom Jones]

JT,

You have boiled this down to an absolute no-brainer.
You have put in words thoughts that I could not adequately articulate.

Thank You.

Curious, do you plan to run for a spot on the Town Board?
If so, you have my vote.

 T.J.

[JT]

Imagine this as a CHARTER for BERT (Berthoud Economic Resource Team): 

a)   The Town, in an effort to facilitate economic development and expansion in the Town of Berthoud, will dedicate scant Town financial resources to an endeavor that may or may not in the future bring revenue to the Town.  Within BERT’s objectives and operational goals, there shall be no explicit requirement that BERT’s work increase the Town’s tax revenues, sales tax, impact fees, etc.

b)   In furtherance of the above, the Town, in funding BERT, will not employ any measurable metrics or specific financial objectives (in terms of benefit to the Town or its residents) that must be achieved before monies are expended. 

c)   Instead of coordinating with other Towns and communities that have or are also trying to implement economic development initiatives (and/or requiring BERT to do the same), the Town, through BERT, will “re-invent the wheel” and expend the bulk of available monies to hire outsiders to educate BERT members on the processes that it needs to go through and to coordinate and direct the activities of BERT.  Although the services of such outside experts will be funded by the Town taxpayers, such outside experts shall be qualified, hired, and shall report directly to BERT members – not the Town or its staff. 

d)   BERT may, in its efforts and initiatives (which will be funded with Town dollars), ignore and duplicate the prior and existing efforts and initiatives of other public and non-public organizations within the Town. 

e)   One of BERT’s primary objectives will be to use public funding to promote and market select landowners’ and private developers’ development plans. 

f)   In expending Town monies on the behalf of these private for-profit enterprises, the Town Trustees will not require these private landowners to contribute to underwriting the operational or marketing costs of BERT.  Additionally, the Town will defer the decisions on which properties to promote to the members of BERT.  BERT members, in making their selections, need not provide the Town with identifiable selection criteria that relate to increase in sales tax, increase in property tax, revenue from fees, or the resulting burden on existing Town services. 

g)   BERT Members shall include developers, landowners, and realtors who will enjoy a direct financial benefit from their recommendations.  Furthermore, it will not be necessary for BERT members to recuse themselves from financial incentive discussions to prospective developments.

h)   Although BERT’s objectives are to bring economic development to the Town, BERT shall not be required, in its efforts and initiatives (such as the development of a website/marketing portal for BERT, which will be funded with Town taxpayer dollars), to give preference when awarding contracts, to existing Berthoud business owners or to contractors already employed by the Town, unless such business owners or contractors are members of the BERT team.

i)   It is important that the Town voters and taxpayers feel no lack of confidence in, and have no reason to question either: the Town Trustees, the initiatives and actions of BERT, or the expenditure of Town monies in support of BERT and BERT’s marketing initiatives to promote and market select landowners’ and private developers’ development plans.  Therefore, BERT membership and leadership shall include both the owner/publisher and the editor/reporter of the Town’s newspaper.  Such participants will embrace an implicit pact with the Town Trustees and BERT to a) refrain from reporting any public dissent with the BERT program, even if voiced at formal Town meetings, or b) from objectively assessing and reporting on the actions of BERT and/or its productive or non-productive uses of Town monies.


I am confident that the ordinance passed by the Town Mayor and Trustees, establishing BERT, does not contain these “charter provisions.”  However, if we judge BERT by its actions in the last year, this would indeed be an accurate account.

[JT]

BERT’s actual accomplishments over the last year:

1)   BERT has spent over $50,000 of taxpayer money.

2)   BERT got the Town to fund a lunch to promote itself.

3)   BERT pressured and convinced the Town to terminate its administrator because he objected to the costs and benefits of retaining Stephanie Salazar, and he insisted that if the Town was going to investing in this resource that Ms. Salazar should be held accountable to the Town (not the business members of BERT). The results were that: a) the Town did terminate Administrator White, b) the Town had to expend significantly more money to hire and house an interim administrator, c) the Town agreed to allow BERT to rehire Ms. Salazar, after which, she quit.

4)   BERT has had multiple member resignations this year.

5)   BERT convinced the Town to apply for Enterprise Zone status… no research on whether the Town would qualify, no research on the impact to the Town’s ability to generate or collect revenues from resulting development.  This lack of due diligence produced a foreseeable result… the Enterprise Zone application was denied.

6)   BERT promoted a tax levy in Berthoud to bring AIMS College to Berthoud.  While encouraging every taxpayer in town limits to vote to impose a tax on themselves in order to “bring AIMS to Berthoud,” they failed to inform the taxpayers that AIMS had already purchased the land and already was coming to Berthoud regardless of the outcome of the vote.

7)   BERT organized, along with other community organizations (including Berthoud Town Forum and Citizens First) a progressive dinner to support local restaurants.

 BERT has disqualified the one “Berthoud” business in Town that develops websites from final consideration for developing BERT’s website/marketing portal, in favor of a Denver company, an out of state company, and a Loveland company, known as Fred’s Used Websites.  Apparently, developing and managing the Town’s current site, as well as numerous other websites (for profit and non-profit) in the community does not make you eligible for a taxpayer funded effort that is based in the very concept of bringing and retaining businesses in Berthoud.

9)   BERT has not gotten a single landowner or developer to contribute matching funds (or even $1) to help underwrite and fund the costs of BERT’s efforts to promote and market development opportunities in the Town.

With the exception of the progressive dinner, these are not accomplishments; they are $50,000 embarrassments.  This is not a criticism of BERT volunteers or of the intention to bring economic development to Berthoud.  It is, however, a criticism of Berthoud’s Town Trustees.  They have spent, and continue to spend, our tax dollars irresponsibly.

[BTF]

Agenda for the Berthoud Marketing Sub-Commitee Meeting:

Wednesday ─ Jan. 20, 2010, 10 a.m.
Berthoud Weekly Surveyor
440 Mountain Ave.
Agenda
1. Web site development presentations
2. Discussion regarding presentations
3. Selection