Oroville, CA -- In just 51 days, unless action is taken, the Feather River Recreation and Park District Board of Directors will have succeeded in sending both the district and community over a cliff from which there will be no return.

 

The result will be the disposing of the finest built-for-recreation facility in Northern California for pennies on the dollar, one that’s nearly paid for, cherished by the community, while casually discarding the millions of dollars in equity invested over the last fourteen years. Simply keeping the building, one that checks every box in one location, would cost just $50/sq. ft, paid in full in seven years at 3.25%.

 

While essentially giving away the building, it will also have gutted recreation programming, 70% by the district’s own projections. Especially hard hit will be indoor recreation, which will be limited and complicated by the availability of needing to utilize other entities’ venues, at multiple locations.

 

As we tried to explain to the board on July 23, also gone will be the best and proven source of capital for park improvements. This was previously done in 2015, when the district took out $500,000 from the building at 3.25%, dedicating it directly to parks. This could be accomplished indefinitely into the future. For example, a refi two years from now for $3 million would result in cash out of $1.6 million, equal to the one time cash out the district will walk with under the terms, while avoiding the loss of the Activity Center, or gutting recreation programs!

 

There will be a third tragic result if the sale goes through: The self-inflicted loss of program revenues will severely impact one of the two primary sources of income for the district, the other being property taxes.Combined with the inherent weakness of being forever tenants, there will be nothing lasting to show for the thousands of dollars being paid indefinitely for rent. The district stands to become a shadow of its former self, both in what it offers the community and its financial vitality.

 

If “the what’s going down” makes no sense, “the how” it’s happening is equally troubling.

 

Since voting to list the Activity Center for sale behind closed doors in November of 2021, a violation ofthe Brown Act, the board has gone silent on the sale. At regular meetings in March, May, June and July of this year, upwards of thirty citizens expressed support of keeping the facility, including Mayor Pittman,city council members, Pastor Kevin Thompson, retired teachers, a DWR engineer and many more. Ourgroup presented to the board in-depth analyses of ramifications of the sale, supported by multiple graphs,charts, etc., completely lacking in the staff report of just a few words on May 28th. Each time, without exception, speakers were received with silence from the board. It’s clear the board has effectively inserted itself above the public in the district’s organizational chart, refusing to respect or even acknowledge sentiments expressed by the community. Instead, it seems to be pursuing its own agenda, one which it has yet to articulate. From what we can tell, it’s based on an outdated and discredited consultant report, and perhaps a hunch that everything will turn out all right.

 

Compounding FRRPD’s lack of transparency is the mystery surrounding Butte County’s plans for the building. Apparently they include spending $15 million to replace a nearly paid for facility, which by definition of recreation, already promotes mental health. All without a CEQA environmental review.

 

We of the Friends of the Activity Center will not give up until the deal is closed.

 

We ask for a pause in the escrow proceeding while an independent analysis of the terms of sale, including its impact on recreation and parks be performed, one that should have been done long ago.

 

We implore board members Fowler, Brandt and DeLong to carefully reconsider their votes on 5/28.

 

We request once again for the board to finally explain its reasoning for the sale at a public forum.

 

We ask the D.A.’s office to determine if the fine line between bad governance and malfeasance has been crossed.

 

We ask Mayor Pittman and the Oroville City Council to declare the Activity Center an invaluable asset for our community and discuss with FRRPD opportunities to collaborate.

 

We ask the Board of Supervisors to reconsider its support of the purchase, especially Supervisors Connelly and Kimmelshue, given the huge negative impact the loss of the facility would have for their constituents,including their physical and mental health.

 

We continue to believe it’s not too late to change course. Any costs and fallout from withdrawing from the sale are short-term considerations, dwarfed by the long-term human and financial tragedy if the sale goes through.