Want To Join Me in Asking for the MCC Baseball Stadium Feasibility Study?

So far I have been turned down four times when I have asked for a copy of the baseball stadium feasibility study conducted by Mark Houser’s EquityOne company out of Libertyville. He and his buddy baseball promoter Pete Heitman have been on this scheme since

McHenry County Blog ferreted out the contract for this $70,000 study in mid-March.

In this September, 2006, document, the college trustees gave away control to the entire project to Houser’s Equity One.

Don’t think so?

Read this paragraph:

At the completion of the feasibility study and independent review, if the College elects to proceed with the project, the College will contract with EquityOne or it’s (sic) assigns to develop the project on the College’s behalf.

Here’s what else it contains:

1. Concept Planning, including “confer(ing) and confirm(ing) with Crystal Lake that the improvements will be approved.”
2. Revised Site Plan to show additional parking.
3. Revised Project Cost Estimate to include the cost of the additional land and improvements.
4. Revised Revenue Projections to include the additional revenue from leasing a portion of the land to another user group.
5. Revised Operating Budget to include the College’s cost to own and maintain the additional land.
6. Revised Cash Flow Analysis to reflect the additional income and expenses resulting from the additional land.
7. Revised Time Table to reflect any changes that may occur due to the acquisition of the additional land.
8. Summary: Analyze the preceding information to provide an opinion on project viability if additional land is included.

But, do we have a right to read the blueprint that appears almost certain to lead to $45 million in debt without any serious outside oversight?

No way.

It contains propriety information.

I have a modest suggestion:

Write a letter to the college and ask for the study.

To make it easy, I have drafted such a letter, which you can find here.

Frankly, I doubt many people will take me up on my offer, but the more MCC receives, the more likely the board is to release the study.


Comments

Want To Join Me in Asking for the MCC Baseball Stadium Feasibility Study? — 5 Comments

  1. Dear Cal and other letter writers:

    The language of the FOIA says that FOIA’s can be granted in part– and that parts of a document not covered by specific FOIA exemption can be granted. Therefore, I recommend including the language:

    “I request any portions of this document not specifically exempted from disclosure, ie. table of contents, notes on methodology, summary, abstract or any other portions not specifically related to the reason cited for exemption.”

    Certainly, a table of contents can’t be a “trade secret.”

  2. FYI, here is the language included in the FOIA. taken from:

    http://www.usdoj.gov/oip/foiastat.htm

    “Any reasonably segregable portion of a record shall be provided to any person requesting such record after deletion of the portions which are exempt under this subsection. The amount of information deleted shall be indicated on the released portion of the record, unless including that indication would harm an interest protected by the exemption in this subsection under which the deletion is made. If technically feasible, the amount of the information deleted shall be indicated at the place in the record where such deletion is made.”

    It might help to quote it. Again, I can’t imagine that every word of that thing is confidential.

    You could also include:

    “Please include an estimate of the volume of the feasibility study not granted and the reason for exemption.”

    Again, I can’t believe that every word of that document poses a threat to equity one’s “proprietary interest.”

    And finally,if you letter writers don’t want to get hit with unexpected fees, you could include:

    “Please notify me if estimated fees will exceed $$$$.”

  3. I have incorporated each of Lucky’s suggestions, except the request for the cost. No one has to pick up an answer to a Freedom of Information request, if it is costs too much money.

  4. Doh!

    My original quote was from the federal FOIA.

    However, the state seems to concur:

    “It is important to note that upon receiving a request for access to a record that is exempt from disclosure but that contains nonexempt information, the public body must separate the exempt from the nonexempt information and disclose the nonexempt information. 5 ILCS 140/8; Bowie v. Evanston Community Consolidated School District, 128 Ill. 2d 373, 380 (1989); see also Carter v. Meek, 322 Ill. App. 3d 266 (5 th Dist. 2001); CBS Inc., v. Partee, 198 Ill. App. 3d 936 (1 st Dist. 1990). If such information is maintained only on computer tapes or disks, the public body may be required to prepare a computer program that will segregate the information; this does not require the creation of a new record. Hamer v. Lentz, 132 Ill. 2d 49, 56 (1989).” (excerpted from the Illinois guide to the FOIA: http://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/government/foia_illinois.html)

    As a final note,

    might I suggest saying:

    “As the granted portions will be used to disseminate information to public regarding the activities of McHenry County College board of trustees and will be voted upon on October 16th, please expedite this request. Please notify me immediately of your decision to expedite.”

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