Today’s Meeting on OLF-8 With DPZ: Some Positives---yet the Concerns Still Linger

 

This email, above,  that threatens to undermine the BCC's project and "embarrass" commissioners was copied to DPZ team leader Marina Khoury early in January......but DPZ's client was NOT notified...why?

This morning’s regular meeting of the board of county commissioners included a continued discussion about OLF-8 following our contentious committee of the whole last week—where emails that were embarrassing to our “consultant” and very condescending (if not overtly hostile) to the commissioners and our project came to light in Rick’s Blog.  These were a result of a public records request made by Outzen in which the unflattering emails were turned over and subsequently published.

It has resulted in a significant PR Black eye for DPZ and Navy Federal Credit Union---with the latter being named a “Loser” in this week’s iNWEEKLY “Winners and Losers” section...(p. 4-5 of the edition)

Since that time additional emails have been turned over and a repeated pattern has emerged that is troubling to me; when innocuous, routine issues are discussed—our county project management team is copied.  When interaction between NFCU and some neighbors that are against any commerce on the field occur—our county staff is not copied.

And now I see that in multiple emails copied to our consultant’s team leader, Registered Architect Marina Khoury, troubling insinuations and outright lies are told about our project and the commissioners---yet this information was not passed along to the County by project manager Khoury.  The client was not told of this at the time it was happening, last summer and fall.  Why NOT?  In one of these emails it is stated that the goal is to “embarrass the commissioners”--in another—the dark insinuation is made that the commissioners are engaging in “malfeasance” as far as it pertains to the OLF-8 project.  Again--these emails were copied to our “supposed” consulting group DPZ’s team leader.  But county staff was not warned/notified/or told.  I confirmed that today through our Administrator.

Theresa Blackwell can say whatever she wants, she can send emails out to the PNJ, neighbors, whomever she chooses.  Navy Federal personnel can do likewise.

But when anyone associated with this project—either in the community or stakeholders—copies our consultant on intentions to “embarrass us”and insinuations we are engaging in “malfeasance”—we MUST be notified immediately-as we are the client.  To purposely not notify us is very, very unprofessional and deceptive.  It appears it may also be a breach of professional ethics.  This is being researched.

This email, above,  that insinuates the BCC is engaging in malfeasance was copied to DPZ team leader Marina Khoury back in September......but DPZ's client was NOT notified...why?

So yes, I’m glad Chairman Bender had a meeting with NFCU’s Keith Hoskins and others and brought a

new, better plan—it’s a start and it moderated, significantly, what would have been an otherwise VERY contentious meeting.  Plus, this new plan is a step in the right direction.

But I still have grave concerns about the ethical lapses that have happened here, and the undue influence one large company and a small, vocal minority of opponents were given.  And I am furious about the lack of deference DPZ in general, and Khoury specifically, demonstrated toward us when they did not keep their client (the county) notified of these machinations as they were happening in real time as they should have done..

To get to the bottom of it all, I will wait for turnover of all the records and text messages (which I have requested today) from, to, by, and between the DPZ team and any others subject to release and related to the county’s OLF-8 project and the commission.