Letter from John Colby

Yesterday, I received a letter from John Colby (the Developer behind the Crowne Pointe "Dome Project") which he had sent to the Post Bulletin. In a continued effort to provide government transparency to the citizens of Byron, I decided to post it here. As a Councilman for the City of Byron, I personally have no comment on the letter at this time. However, it is my understanding that the City of Byron is drafting an official response which will be released in the future.

Here is a copy of the letter:

CROWNE POINTE DEVELOPMENT RESPONSE TO BYRON CITY COUNCIL RELEASE OF APRIL 16, 2009

The statement released by the Byron City Council regarding the dismissal of Gerald Henricks as City Administrator at its closed session on April 8, 2009, contained several false statements about Crowne Pointe Development and is principals/developers.

1. Gerald Henricks does not have and never has had any interest in Crowne Pointe Development or its project in Byron. His sole involvement with Crowne Point has been as Byron City Administrator/Economic Development Director at the direction of the City Council.

2. Neither Crowne Pointe nor any of its developers/principals or investors is now or ever was a developer or investor in the Wanamingo golf course, its clubhouse or any restaurant associated with it.

3. The financing for the construction of the clubhouse and restaurant in Wanamingo is not and never was conditioned upon the successful closing of the Crown Pointe project in the City of Byron.

4. Crowne Pointe’s Byron project is not and never was financially linked to the Wanamingo golf course.

5. Gerald Henricks will not benefit from the Crowne Pointe project in Byron.

Crowne Pointe and its Byron Project have been falsely portrayed by the Byron City Council.

Sincerely,

John Colby
Crowne Pointe Development, Inc.

In addition, I would like to remind Byron residents that there are two public hearings next week regarding the 2009 Street Project. Parties interested in learning more about the project are encouraged to attend one of the informational meetings at 6pm on Monday, April 20th or Tuesday, April 21st. Both meetings will be held at the Byron City Hall.



Disclaimer: Articles posted on ByronMNBlog.com are the opinions of Councilman Alan De Keyrel only and do not reflect the opinion of the Byron City Council or the City of Byron. The information provided is for educational purposes only and should not be deemed accurate until verified.

Was this information forwarded to you by a friend? Subscribe Here

Why Gerald Henricks Was Terminated

This morning, pursuant to Minnesota Statutes 13.43, the City of Byron released to the public the information that lead to the termination of our City Administrator on 4/13/09. The original document, signed by all members of the City Council and the Mayor last night, reads as follows:

FINAL DISPOSITION OF DISCIPLINARY ACTION AND SPECIFIC REASONS FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION

The City Council of the City of Byron met in closed session on April 8, 2009, to consider allegations of misconduct against Gerald Henricks, City Administrator. After its preliminary consideration of the allegations of misconduct, the City Council voted unanimously to terminate the employment of Gerald Henricks as City Administrator for the City of Byron effective Monday, April 13, 2009.

The specific reasons for the termination of Mr. Henricks’ employment are as follows:

(1) Mr. Henricks had a conflict of interest involving the Crown Pointe project which is proposed to be built in the City of Byron. Additionally, Mr. Henricks failed to disclose to the City Council his full relationship with the developers and investors in the Crown Pointe project.

(2) Mr. Henricks violated the Byron Personnel Policy as it relates to engaging in outside employment or business which might hinder an employee’s impartial or objective performance of his or her public duties or impair his or her efficiency on the job.

During the closed City Council meeting on April 8, 2009, the following information came to light. Gerald Henricks has an ownership interest in four lots upon which houses have been constructed on or very near to the golf course in Wanamingo, Minnesota. The developers of the Wanamingo golf course have proposed to construct a clubhouse and restaurant at the golf course. The construction of the clubhouse and restaurant could enhance the value of Gerald Henricks’ four homes adjacent to the golf course.

The proposed Crown Pointe project in the City of Byron involves, among other things, the proposed construction of a sports facility including indoor domed softball fields. Several of the developers of the proposed Crown Pointe project are also developers of or investors in the Wanamingo golf course and clubhouse.

The financing for the construction of the clubhouse and restaurant in Wanamingo is conditioned upon the successful closing of the Crown Pointe project in the City of Byron. Until April 8, 2009, the City Council of the City of Byron was unaware that the projects were linked financially.

Gerald Henricks could benefit financially if the Crown Pointe project and the Wanamingo golf clubhouse project are ultimately built. Alternatively, Gerald Henricks could suffer a financial detriment if the projects failed. The Byron City Council was unaware of Mr. Henricks’ potential conflict of interest until the matter was reviewed with him on April 8, 2009.

As late as January of 2009, Gerald Henricks had an arrangement with one of the investors in the Wanamingo golf course under the terms of which Mr. Henricks was to secure investors for the Wanamingo golf course project and, in return, Mr. Henricks would receive an ownership share in the Wanamingo project. The City Council was unaware of this potential conflict of interest until April 8, 2009.

Gerald Henricks engaged in business which was unrelated to his job as City Administrator while on the job for the City of Byron. Additionally, Gerald Henricks engaged in business activities relative to the Wanamingo golf course which hindered his impartial or objective performance of his duties and which impaired his efficiency on the job. Engaging in these outside business activities violates Section 181.3, Subd. 4 of the Byron Employment Policy.

Disclaimer: Articles posted on ByronMNBlog.com are the opinions of Councilman Alan De Keyrel only and do not reflect the opinion of the Byron City Council or the City of Byron. The information provided is for educational purposes only and should not be deemed accurate until verified.

Was this information forwarded to you by a friend? Subscribe Here

Breaking News- City Administrator Terminated

At 4:00pm today, an emergency meeting was called by the Byron City Council. At the meeting, Mayor Diercks read the following statement:

"Per the unanimous direction of the Mayor and City Council, the Personnel Committee took the action of terminating Gerald Henricks due to employee misconduct."

No other business was discussed and the Council Meeting was closed at 4:04pm. This is the only information available at this time. However, should more information about the termination be released to the public, I will post an update at ByronMNBlog.com.



Disclaimer: Articles posted on ByronMNBlog.com are the opinions of Councilman Alan De Keyrel only and do not reflect the opinion of the Byron City Council or the City of Byron. The information provided is for educational purposes only and should not be deemed accurate until verified.

Was this information forwarded to you by a friend? Subscribe Here

Submit Ideas to Make Byron Better

Do you have a great idea on how to make Byron better? For example, do you wish we had a Taco Bell? Do you think we need more parks? Do you wish we'd fix that bump on the frontage road? Let everyone know!

Starting today, you can now submit your brilliant idea to make Byron better and others can view your idea and vote on it's importance. A link to the "Better Project" website for Byron can be found at http://ByronMNBlog.com.

To get started, submit your idea to the "Make Byron MN Better" website. Then come back later to see what ideas other residents have come up with and give them your votes.


Disclaimer: Articles posted on ByronMNBlog.com are the opinions of Councilman Alan De Keyrel only and do not reflect the opinion of the Byron City Council or the City of Byron. The information provided is for educational purposes only and should not be deemed accurate until verified.

Was this information forwarded to you by a friend? Subscribe Here