Kipp Hanley of the News and Messenger did a great job explaining the recent developments of the proposed Wartime Museum that some day will be over in Dale City. So far, the County dealings with this endeavor have been shrouded in the haze of politics. Kipp held up the torch and uncovered a few things. For starters, and most importantly, the museum wants $200k from us, the taxpayers, for the next 5 years. Secondly, the CEO hired to oversee all the fund-raising etc. is no longer at the helm the organization. However, it does appear that he still sits on the board. Thirdly, and this becomes a question, why is the director of operations, the same person who is in charge of doling out the arts money in Prince William County?
Hanley’s article, Wartime Museum gets financial reinforcements, managed to unearth all sorts of information most of us had questions about but couldn’t find the answers to.
Taxpayers were once again bamboozled by the a “land deal.” Apparently the Hyltons donated the land in exchange for a zoning swap deal. NO plans have surfaced yet for that parcel of land. Why was the county even involved? If the Hyltons want to donate land, have at it. They shouldn’t get anything in exchange for their generosity from the county.
Now we have 2 different organizations that I am aware of with their hand out for our tax dollars, In each case, $200,000 seems to be the magic number. The War Museum, according to the article wants $200,000 for the next 5 years. Excuse me, but isn’t that a million bucks?
The past 2 years fund raising has not kept pace with what is needed to make this museum a reality. Other private museums, like the D-Day Memorial in Bedfrrd, VA, have had a great deal of difficulty sustaining the funds needed to stay afloat. Funding here in PWC seems to have petered out before the museum is even built. The organizaton has brought in little more than $80,000 from contributions and grants in the past 2 years.
Thanks to Kipp Hanley for beaming some sunshine on the War Museum antics. His article was very positive. Citizens can draw their own conclusions based on the facts presented.
I say NO to further funding for this War Museum or for Rainbow Riding from the public coffers. Private donations, yes. County funds, no.
M-H
This might be my favorite paragraph out of the entire inside nova article.
The project moved closer to reality after the Prince William Board of County Supervisors approved a land deal in the fall of 2010. As part of the agreement, the landowner –- the Hylton Family Trust –- donated a site for the museum and, at the same time, received a rezoning for medium-density housing on 10 acres of land next to the Princedale Fire Station along Dale Boulevard.
County officials estimated that they have given $500,000 in taxpayer money and in-kind work to the project since its inception.
So let me get this straight, the new bartering system for developers is “free land” to the county for which taxpayers must invest hundreds of thousands, even millions, and the developer gets to build higher density housing than zoning would allow. And this is suppose to be a benefit for us?
Supervisors exchange land for higher density housing in both Silver Lake (Toll Brothers) and this Hylton Property. Please, I am begging the BOCS, for the love of G-d, STOP giving the taxpayers gifts! Its costing us too much money!
Elena
With nearly $80grand invested in the BOCS over the years and a Lt. Gov. campaign in the future, do you really think the answer will be no? It’s no wonder Jenkins is optimistic, given that more than a quarter of the contributions have gone to him, nearly as much as the rest of the active BOCS members combined.
Alan D. Cors Contributions:
$5,500 Connaughton for Lt Governor – Sean
$4,000 Stewart for Prince William County Board Chair – Corey
$3,650 Jenkins for Prince William County Board of Supervisors – John
$2,500 Stewart for Lt Governor – Corey
$1,000 Principi for Prince William County Board of Supervisors – Frank
$1,000 Connaughton for Prince William County Board Chair – Sean
$750 Nohe for Prince William County Board of Supervisors – Martin
$500 Seefeldt for Prince William County Board Chair – Kathleen
$500 Caddigan for Prince William County Board of Supervisors – Maureen
Cecil D Hylton III
$20,500 Connaughton for Lt Governor – Sean
$5,000 Connaughton for Prince William County Board Chair – Sean
$4,000 Nohe for Prince William County Board of Supervisors – Martin
$2,500 Caddigan for Prince William County Board of Supervisors – Maureen
$650 Jenkins for Prince William County Board of Supervisors – John
$500 Barg for Prince William County Board of Supervisors – Hilda
Conrad C. Hylton
$16,425 Jenkins for Prince William County Board of Supervisors – John
$2,750 Covington for Prince William County Board of Supervisors – Wallace
$2,500 Nohe for Prince William County Board of Supervisors – Martin
$2,000 Barg for Delegate – Hilda
$1,000 Connaughton for Prince William County Board Chair – Sean
$700 Barg for Prince William County Board of Supervisors – Hilda
Are you saying you don’t believe it when Mr. Cors talks about the multiple very promising million dollar donations from country music coming to him very soon?
And how he will not take one penny until he raises equal amounts? And how does a guy get paid $220,000 a year to raise just $80,000 a year. I would take that job and give the money myself, still netingt $140K which isn’t too shabby for doing absolutely nothing except holding out my paw to the taxpayers.
You can’t bullshit a bull@#$%ter. Consider me a bulls@#$%ter.
@GTM,
Yea, just call me Doubting Thomas over here. That is a hell of a job. I wonder if Mr. Stewart was canned or if he just moved on to another scam job? Last time I looked he was listed as a director of some sort.
I want to know why the chairman of the arts appropriation committee is also sitting on the War Memorial. Is that conflict of interest or is there a reasonable answer for why this is the case. Maybe its just me.
All indications are the “Wartime Museum” was just a scam on the taxpayers from the beginning. Why else would the pols pre-empt the public process from the start with a “this is going to happen” press conference – without any real info on the viability. Use taxpayer money to line politicians pockets, (see MoM’s posting above) give Hyltons zoning goodies in exchange, stuff the pockets of Craig Stewart with an exhorbitant salary (still wonder there’s a relation to Corey – anybody have solid info on that??). PWC taxpayers get screwed again. Same old, same old in PWC . . .
So depressing. Will it ever end Blue Moon?
But it’s like apple pie and puppies … who could be opposed to honoring the nation at war? There are some great organizations doing things for veterans and preserving our history and similar worthwhile efforts, but there have been some others where the beneficiaries of well-intended patriotic generosity were limited mainly to a few non-profit profiteers. That’s not to say that’s the case here, but I do question why the PWC government knows how to spend my money better than me for these types of things.
@Elena
I think it will take some dramatic event/scandal to bring the house of cards that is PWC politics down. Clearly the gullibility factor keeps most of these clowns in office. Republicans’ “fall in line” mind set is much to blame but the Dems are equally at fault for never putting up any viable challengers and when they do get in office, they cozy up to the Republicans to just go along to get along. See John Jenkins, Hilda Barg, Chuck Colgan antics . . . .
Three points:
First, Craig Stewart said a year ago last October when the Board was considering the measure that created the Wartime Museum and the Hylton land rights deal that donors had $2 million ready to go pending BOCS approval. That money never showed up. In fact, they raised less than $30k the year after the approval and only about $50k this past year.
Second, prior to the measure coming before the BOCS, the County Executive’s Office released the staff report with a list of Q&A from the public. It showed that the County had already given museum supporters about $750k of taxpayer money even prior to BOCS approval of the project in PWC. The Q&A was later deleted from the staff report that was attached to the Board Briefs posted online, and the currently available version makes no mention of how much taxpayers had shelled out.. Moon and Elena, I can get a copy of that report for you WITH the Q&A. However, after reading MH today Peacor and crew might scramble to get the old one back up to try to appear like they were not trying to cover up anything.
Third, the Wartime Museum’s director of operations is indeed the same person who is paid about $20k per year as the Countys’s “Arts Liasion” to dole out the County’s arts funding in the most cronyistic (I made up that word) fasion possible. She’s got her hands in taxpayer money elsewhere also.