Cris Dosev called. He said the lapse on the state license was a paperwork issue that wasn’t too important because the Gen. Daniel “Chappie” James Memorial Foundation was doing any fundraising during the pandemic.
He said the city and county funds are necessary for the private fundraising because they show the community’s commitment to honor Gen. James. He expected to make a big announcement later this month.
The cost of the project could increase to $900,000 to $1 million. He wants to raise the plaza ten feet so that the statue will be eye-level with those on the bridge, and his board is working a landscaping plan that will make the entire project from inviting to visitors.
Dosev and I agreed to talk more next week. I will post the interview here.
“the lapse on the state license was a paperwork issue” It’s a bit more than just some minor “paperwork” glitch. It demonstrates a surprising lack of attention to detail especially given one of the three principal actors. Butch Hansen should have caught this. The corporation is based in Cris Dosev’s home. He is the President and Registered Agent. Butch is the Treasurer. His wife Lee is a Director. I think it would have made more sense to have the mailing address and registered agent be a local attorney. The paperwork to form the corporation was filed with the state on March 26, 2019. At some point in 2020, perhaps starting on July 1, the corporation’s status changed from Active to Inactive. At that point, anyone thinking about donating to the project or working for the Air Force or a corporation being asked for support or money would have looked up the foundation on the state’s website and seen this: “ADMIN DISSOLUTION FOR [LACK OF] FINAL REPORT.” That would not inspire confidence. Then, on June 9, 2021, the corporation must have filed the paperwork asking to be reinstated as a Not For Profit Corporation in Florida. I think there is a fee for reinstatement. How much was it and who paid it if the corporation had no money and was not engaged in fundraising? Does it have a bank account? How much money is in the bank? Regarding the budget hearing on September 8. That seems a wholly inappropriate place to appeal for new money. The last imaginable point might have been the August 23 budget workshop. A better plan would have been much earlier in the year as the next fiscal year was being nailed down. In sum, Dosev’s pitch was that they were in a really really big hurry because they want to meet an artificial deadline coinciding with an important Air Force date less than a year away, or the picked sculptor might not live that long. As previously reported on Rick’s Blog, Dosev did not explain how much money they have raised to date but also no one asked him. I don’t recall if that point was raised at the county “ask” for money. Dosev talked about doing some “landscaping” work. Do they plan to approach it the same rogue way that they did during the Veteran’s Memorial Park toilet fiasco to include pouring concrete and putting in plumbing fixtures in the middle of the night? Above I now read – “$900,000 to $1,000,000.” Yikes! I think we can all see where this is headed. The city council should call a big “Time Out.” The city council needs to see a real POA&M (Plan of Action & Milestones) that lays out the entire project in all its gory details. The devil is always in the details. Who is going to own the statute and the F-4 Phantom II when all the happy talk and festivities are over to include providing security, maintenance to include cutting the grass and cleaning the bird poo off the statute, having insurance, having the aircraft periodically inspected & repainted, and what happens if the F-4 gets airborne during a hurricane and has to be recovered and put back in place? We’ve seen how poorly the enthusiastic but underfinanced veteran’s community has dealt with the details of the Veterans Memorial Park to include breaching their lease agreement with the city. In the end, I suspect that all of this is going to be dumped into the lap of the city. Money is not the issue. Contrary to what they may claim in city hall, the city is loaded with money to include being about to increase the property tax levy this next year by $1.5 million and adding 14 new permanent positions. The city just gave $3 million to help house the county’s homeless in Escambia County with the city on the verge of becoming the Homeless Riviera. The city council should consider the idea of taking ownership of this project to ensure it gets done the right way. To take the politics out of it, the city council could appoint a Veterans Affairs Commission, one city resident to be appointed by each council member. Hire someone with the right skill set like Butch Hansen to provide staff assistance to the commission not just with this project but all veteran’s projects “in” Pensacola City. There seems plenty to do to include sorting out the fate of the Confederate War Memorial hidden away somewhere at the moment. The city is also going to have to at some point face head-on if it really wants each special interest group to have its own veteran’s park. Shouldn’t there just be one?
Pffffttt…
Honestly I cant stand the sound of his voice, his typed comments nor his excuses. Dosev is an irritant.
I do see the city voted to fund it in part. They like their identity politics nowadays.
It’s just too much over the top for our taste in the county. I won’t be listening to a pod cast because I don’t like the sounds of huff and puff self righteous b/s and the sound of finger nails scratching on a chalk board.
You can fund raise at any time, he didn’t get the funds because people didn’t contribute.
He wants to raise it 10 feet now so it’s eye level to the bridge? Has he lost his mind? I’ll be damned if my tax dollars go to this waste of money.