Liberty Field Land Swap Still Clothed in Secrecy

By Pauline Masson –

Tuesday evening’s board of aldermen meeting illustrated that what happens in the City Hall back room still goes in Pacific.

A behind closed doors deal to swap a piece of city-owned land adjacent to Liberty Field Park – located one block east of First Street South of East Congress – for a privately owned tract of land, passed with nary a word of disclosure to the public.

Ownership of the former city owned property at 129 East Pacific street was transferred to Klance Staging to be used as an outdoor storage lot. The firm plans to store 50 trailers loaded with portable stage systems for large outdoor events there.

The city got in return the large lot once occupied by Gene Hoffman’s plant nursary barn that burned down, which has been vacant for years.

In pushing the land swap through, City Administrator Steve Roth reasoned that the large vacant lot at the south entrance to Liberty Field would be more valuable to the city than the wooded tract at the north entrance.

That is arguable, of course. But the only person to argue it spoke too late to gain anyone’s attention.

Speaking at Tuesday evening’s meeting, Aldermen Carol Johnson asked aldermen to put off the transaction and have a public discussion about the future of Liberty Field before selling the city property.

She said the Meramec River continually erodes its banks and will eventually eat into the east side of Liberty Field, which would reduce the size of the park. The East Pacific lot could be used to enlarge the park, she said. It could expand the amenities of the park beyond the popular soccer fields and equestrian arena, such as a special play area for children. She added that many, many Pacific citizens and former officials had a hand in the development of the popular park and should be heard in plans for its future.

Not a sole resonded to her remarks.

In his report to aldermen on Mar. 7 before the first reading of the bill authorizing the “special sale,” Roth said “Bill 5190, Land Transfer, 129 E. Pacific / 750 S. First. This bill approves the sale of property at “E. Congress” aka 129 E. Pacific Street, and the corresponding purchase of property at 750 S. First Street. The transaction tentatively is scheduled to close March 16, and if we want to meet that date then the bill here would require two readings. Alternately we could amend the agreement and reschedule closing until after a second reading at the March 21 meeting. The sale contract remains a closed record until the transaction closed.”

Bill 5190 the ordinance that aldermen gave a second reading, and final approval, Mar. 21 does not mention the land transfer but it calls the transaction a “special sale.”  

It also does not mention any money changing hands in this transaction, although Carol Johnson – in her remarks discussing the proposed open storage lot – said she visited the site earlier in the afternoon. A representative of Klance Staging who was at the site when she visited told her the City received $200,000 in addition to the Klance owned lot at the south end of the park.

Even though this was public land that was sold (or traded), the public was not to know the details . . . . yet. It was reported that no details of the transaction could be made public until after closing on the sale??  Land transfer??

Alderman James Cleeve, who is my Ward Two aldermen, told me that if he disclosed anything about this deal, which was done in a closed meeting, he could be removed from office. 

It is the belief of several citizens, who contacted Hometown Matters, that the City was obliged to publicly disclose that the E. Pacific property was for sale before entering into contract that sold it to a private party.

Johnson, who served on the board of aldermen for 20 years, agreed.

“When we sold a used truck, we advertised that it as for sale,” she said. “When the police department got new guns and sold the older ones, we advertised that the guns were to be sold and people came forward to bid on them.”

What this deal reveals to the public is that getting to the bottom of how the city conducts the people’s business – and offering citizens the opportunity to weigh in on important matters like city parks – is not in the interest of the current administration.

If this deals proves nothing else, it proves we need to pay attention to who we elect to conduct our business – who wants to hear from the citizens and who does not.

As the upcoming election approaches, it is incumbent on every voter to study the candidates, engage them in discussion and encourage them to disclose how they feel about the citizens role in government, so that – as President Abraham Lincoln said in his Gettysburg Address, government – of the people, for the people and by the people – can exist in our little city.