Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Our Community Deserves Answers

Let's try this again, only this time, we're sticking with facts, please.  The following letter is from John Kendrick.  The information contains quotes from an email obtained through a Right To Know request.  The link to the actual email is provided in the Google document link below.  Thank you for backing up your statements with proof, John.  Very interesting reading.

Our Community Deserves Answers                                               1/5/11 2:25 PM

There is an interesting email sent on March 3, 2009 at 9:59AM from Daniel K Goff to David Reese, and various other interested parties that states (with the authors typos), “Well, it is now time ‘s _ _ t of get off of the pot!’ We need to show them that we did not lie; that we are able to do what we said we could do.”

What was Mr. Goff going to show them? Was Mr. Goff referring to the presentation that was attached to the email that David Reese sent from his Verizon email account on March 8, 2009 at 10:12PM to his Reflex Staffing account? You know, the one that contained the Draft of the Outline for the Presentation to the School Board Members?

Link to Google document

Hum… it’s an interesting document to say the least! Here are some of the highlights: (These are taken directly from the document.)

·        “CONSTRUCT AN INDOOR ATHLETIC FACILITY THAT ENCLOSES A REGULATION FOOTBALL FIELD WITH AN ARTIFICIAL SURFACE. THE BUILDING WOULD BE CONSTRUCTED ON THE PARCEL OF LAND ABOVE THE STADUIM REFERRED TO AS THE ‘ROCK PILE’. TO ACCOMPLISH THIS:
o       THE SCHOOL DISTRICT WOULD AGREE TO LEASE THE PARCEL AT A NOMINAL FEE TO THE FOUNDATION.
o       THE FOUNDATION WILL RAISE THE ESTIMATED $3 MILLION FROM PRIVATE SOURES TO CONSTRUCT THE BUILDING.
o       THE SCHOOL DISTRICT WOULD COMMIT FUNDS FOR INSTALLATION OF THE ARTIFICIAL SURFACE, ESTIMATED AT $400-500,000.
o       UPON COMPLETION OF THE BUILDING, THE FOUNDATION WOULD ‘DONATE’ THE FACILITY TO THE DISTRICT.
o       THE FOUNDATION WOULD CONTINUE TO ASSIST IN FUNDING THE BUILIDNG’S OPERATING EXPENSES. IT IS OUR BELIEF AS WELL THAT SUCH A FACILITY WOULD GENERATE REVENUE ON ITS OWN.”

I wonder if this is the partnership that James Fraasch recently mentioned on a Blog Lebo thread? Did someone make an offer to contribute to the construction of our new school facilities? Did someone make an offer to supply money that would assist in funding the building’s operating expenses?

Why isn’t any of this in the budget for the new school project? How did we as taxpayers end up with the bill? Did our School Board walk away from a voluntary contribution? If they did, we should all be told why!

I won’t hold my breath waiting for an answer, but everyone should stay tuned because the best is yet to come!

Sincerely,
John David Kendrick
Mt. Lebanon, PA

7 comments:

John Ewing said...

So David Reese and Dan Goff were part of the fund raising offer that the Superintendent turned down.

Still more insulting to our residents is that after the default on the voluntary donation the Superintendent put Reese and Goff on the Superintendent's Key Communicators Committee.

If you listened to the SB vacancy interviews you heard Larry Lebovitz tell you he is on that committee too. So are others who applied for the Board vacancy.

Lebo Citizens said...

Boy, this speaks volumes. First of all, Dan Remely only mentioned this at the Master Design Team meeting. He wasn't included in this email. Looks like he is clean in this. Thanks, Dan, for mentioning it!! Rob Gardner and Chip Dalesandro interviewed on Monday and Tuesday with Josephine Posti, Mary Birks, and Elaine Cappucci, all mentioned as supportive of the sports groups. John E., don't forget that Rob Gardner is also on the Superintendent's Key Communicators Committee. This "very public process" of interviews just keeps getting better and better.

John Kendrick said...

Elaine,

I am not sure that we can say that Dan Remely was not included in these discussions because David Reese sent an email to himself (David Reese) on March 10, 2009 at 3:47PM. The subject of his email is, "Draft Board Member Presentation Invitation".

Look at the middle paragraph which says, "We would send this to Remely, Sihol, and Hart. Scott Caplan has agreed to go one-on-one with Rose, Kubit and Fraasch. I beleive Elaine Cappucci is 'knowledgable', but perhaps we should have a meeting with her and the group, or just Scott. Thoughts, please?"

Hum... it sounds like these folks intended to contact each of our School Board members concerning the proposal. Maybe Dan Remely was contacted and that's why he mentioned the availability of private funding at the Master Design Team Meeting?

Hey - how come David Reese emails himself but presents a question like it's directed to an audience? Do you think that he blind copied other recipients of his March 10, 2009 3:47PM email message to himself? Why would he want to blind copy others?

Well, I am not an attorney but I wonder... Are blind copied recipients of an email message subject to document production requests under a Right to Know Request?

Anonymous said...

WOW!

Hey, look what I just found!

David Reese sent an email on March 3, 2009 at 1:13PM to: Dan Goff, hagy0242@comcast.net, Bill Difenderfer, Chip Dalesandro, Tom Woodyard, Mark Gannon, Mark Criswell, MARY BIRKS, Elaine Cappucci, Brian Walters, and George Weidl; and copied: Chris Haering, Chris Helmeci, John Grogan, Mike Alberts, Rich Mahoney, Scott Caplan, and Wayne Wagoner. The subject of the email is: CONFIDENTIAL - Meeting with Rob Gardner and Jo Posti. (The importance is makred "HIGH").

The last part of the message caught my attention. This is what David Reese said at the end of his message, "P.S. To Elaine Cappucci, Jo Posti and Rob Gardner: do you want to be on 'our list', or might that cause problems for you in some way? Let me know. I can always include you as blind copies. Go Lebo!"

My goodness! GO LEBO! Does this post script suggest that the Mt Lebanon Board of School Directors is not being as transparent as they want us to believe? What's going on up there? Is all of this TALK about transparency and open communication just, you know, BS?

John David Kendrick

Lebo Citizens said...

John Kendrick, thanks for sending the actual email. Here is the link to the Google document.
2009_03_03 Reese email

John Ewing said...

I saw Franklin's troll David Reese in the drugstore today.
He said, “You know what I think?” Then he mumbled something that didn't make good conversation.
I said, “I can’t hear you.”
He said, “Read my lips.” He mumbled again.
I said, “I can’t hear you.”
David said nothing.

Can you imagine a member of the Superintendent’s Key Communicators Committee not being able to speak in an audible tone?

Who taught this guy manners?

John Kendrick said...

John,

I think that what you have described is just awful.

Maybe Mr. Reese was sending a message to himself but speaking to an audience that was blind-copied?