The main arguments in favor of Rock Island selling off the Hauberg Civic Center are financial.
They go as follows: during the 2013-15 fiscal years the Hauberg facility "lost" $251,931; costs to repair the Hauberg are estimated at $937,500; if the city sells the Hauberg to Bridges Catering, the Healy family promises to spend nearly $1 million to make needed repairs; and the prospective purchaser promises to bring nearly 100 jobs to Rock Island.
The same argument could be made for selling off almost any or all of the park and recreational facilities owned by the city.
Rock Island's Total Park and Recreation Expenditures for FY 2013-14 were $6,839,282. Total Revenues were $5,689,473. That was a loss of more than $1 million. (I use "actuals" because I don't trust projections.) For FY2013-14:
-- Highland Springs Golf Course had revenues of $837,536 and expenditures of $900,008.
-- Saukie Golf Course had revenues of $512,069 and expenditures of $614,698.
-- RI Fitness Center had revenues of $1,211,132 and expenditures of $1,398,002.
-- Schwiebert Riverfront Park had revenues of $113,075 and expenditures of $116,476.
-- Parks and Recreation program showed revenues of $1,219,389 and expenditures of just $772,442, BUT property taxes of $883,892 made up 72.5 percent of those revenues.
Expenditures exceed revenues for all the recreational facilities listed above. How could Lincoln Park, for example, ever be expected to operate at a profit? And while the wading pool has been out of service for years, and would cost a fortune to restore, does that justify selling off Lincoln Park as surplus property? Parks, in general, are money-losing propositions. But cities nevertheless maintain parks for the public welfare -- even though they are nonprofit centers. And didn't the city realize when it accepted the Hauberg property that it was unlikely to be a money-maker?
So if it makes sense to sell the Hauberg Center as surplus property and pocket the cash, perhaps Rock Island should sell off all its golf courses and all its parks and recreational facilities. After all, the businessmen could build catering facilities on the lands of Saukie or Highland Springs, or in Lincoln or Schwiebert parks.
The Hauberg Center and its grounds are unique. It is a splendid 20-room mansion with a carriage house, sitting on 10 acres. If Rock Island sells it off, what home of comparable quality sitting on 10 acres in Rock Island could the city ever buy to replace it? Once the city sells off its park lands, where can it possibly find comparable lands to buy? If the mansion were to "fall down" tomorrow, the 10 acres still would make a lovely park. Selling it off makes about as much sense as selling Lincoln Park or Schwiebert Part.
As for the entrepreneurial Healys, finding an historic building which they can use for a catering business, shouldn't be too hard. The county has a charming, historic courthouse it would like to replace. It surely could easily accommodate 100 employees, and leave Rock Island with perhaps the finest home in the city, its carriage house, and its grounds.
Then again, Moline has the decrepit John Deere Mansion going to ruin atop the bluff. Why not buy and renovate that? If the Hauberg becomes a catering facility, how much of the intact original will be left? With the courthouse and Deere House almost nothing original remains.
Whether or not there is a clause in the original deed that would allow sale after 50 years, is irrelevant. The property was conveyed to the city, if not in express trust, then, in implied trust. It clearly was the grantor's intent that the property was being conveyed for the use and benefit of the people of Rock Island. It was not conveyed to be handed over to the first canny businessman who might come along after 50 years.
It is argued that usage is down. If so then perhaps the marketing director should be sold off rather than the facility. Perhaps a new marketing plan should be devised.
But most importantly, once gone, where will the city ever find a comparable house on 10-acre grounds? Indeed, where will the city even find 10 acres? How much would it cost the city to buy 10 acres in the neighborhood?
If the city really doesn't want the Hauberg, the people of Rock Island should be given first option and time to create a charitable foundation to keep the house for public use -- such as the one that maintains the Butterworth Center and the Deere-Wiman House. Anything less is a betrayal of trust.
Posted: Wednesday, February 17, 2016 12:10 am | Updated: 12:10 am, Wed Feb 17, 2016 QCOline.com
Copyright 2016
John Donald O'Shea
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