Thread: EarthQuest Park / Don Holbrook / Contour Entertainment / Frank McCrady of EMCID

Proposed Disney-like theme park faces uncertain future - Houston Chronicle
In 2005, many area residents shed tears over losing the longtime Houston icon AstroWorld.

That same year real estate investor John Marlin of Dallas bought land about 30 minutes north of downtown Houston that he envisioned turning into the area's next Disney-style theme park called EarthQuest.
But now the fate of Marlin's 1,564-acre tract in Montgomery County that he planned to use for the 500-acre theme park and 1,064-acre residential development will be decided by a U.S. bankruptcy court in Sherman on March 5.
Marlin heads Whitestone Houston Land, LTD., which filed for the Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. He could not be reached for comment.
But two groups that had been working closely with Marlin in pursuit of the theme park - East Montgomery County Improvement District and Contour Entertainment - are joining forces to try to buy the land and establish a new developer.
The court has set a minimum purchase price of $10 million, which is about half what Marlin originally paid for the land that straddles U.S. 59 near New Caney. Completion of the project is estimated to cost about $500 million.
Not good P.R., but ...
"While not a good public relations move, the bankruptcy sale brings the price down. It could save a substantial amount of money for the project," said Frank McCardy, the improvement district's CEO.
The district, started in 1994 to improve the area's quality of life and create jobs, retains ownership of the park's conceptual and site engineering drawings, which the district purchased for $7.5 million in bond money. The district has also spent an additional $2.5 million on legal and other efforts to move the long-delayed project forward - all of which are being repaid through the district's 1.5-cent sales tax, he said.
He would like to see Chris Brown, president of Contour Entertainment, act as an assistant developer with funding coming from outside backers.
Contour Entertainment of Van Nuys, Calif., designed the conceptual drawings for the park. It would be seven times larger than AstroWorld, with 50 attractions that stress environmental stewardship. This would include such things as a 12-acre water park made from a retreating glacier to an animal park that includes threatened species and a ride through a land with a fiery volcano and life-sized dinosaurs.
Brown, an ex-Disney designer, believe he has the experience necessary, as his company continues to design projects for Disney as well as a new theme park that he says is opening this year in Mumbai, India.
"Marlin was a residential developer with no theme-park background," McCardy said. "He couldn't get any financial traction in this tough economy."
But now McCardy and Brown believe the financial climate is improving and they have active discussions with potential developers who would be able to write the check, but they said they could not disclose the names.
Seeks Texas investors
Brown would only say he is focused on Texas investors, who would benefit the most from the enhancement of their community and other properties being developed.
"I feel very comfortable," said McCardy, adding that if his preferred developer, Contour, is unsuccessful with fundraising he has two others "ready to step in and build it."
He said he feels good about the project because three theme-park experts have said this spot has perfect demographics. Houston is the only one of the 11 largest U.S. cities without a theme park. Major theme parks are located on each coast but not the central U.S., 18 million people live within a four-hour drive of the site and Houston has a young population with one of the strongest economies.
But with all the false starts, spurts and delays in the last six years, some area residents are skeptical about it ever being built.

cindy.horswell@chron.com

So, we paid 10 million for the pretty pictures and legal entanglements just to get this thing rolling. Now, they must get a solid bid of at least 10 million on the land by March 5 to start the bidding procedure or the bank can automatically foreclose. They just now figured out and conceded that Marlin Atlantis White was only a penny ante residential developer? Some people are really late to the party.

And it is McCrady who still thinks it can be completed for 500 million. I bet that is way underfunded for what has been proposed.

Soapboxmom

Don Holbrook

The Next America: Moving Beyond a Fragile Economy at Author
Las Vegas, Nevada Area Capital Markets
Current

• The Next America: Moving Beyond a Fragile Economy at Author and Keynote Speaker
• Author at Knights Templar Fictional Book Project
• Board of Director at CDC Small Business Finance

see all
Past

• Consultant at EMCID
• Senior Project Director at The Institute EarthQuest
• President/CEO at Professional Economic Development Organizations

Education

• University of Phoenix
• Wright State University
• Wright State University

Recommendations 10 people have recommended Don
Connections 500+ connections
Websites

• Vercitas Group
• Economic Developer
• IEDC

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Public Profile Don Holbrook | LinkedIn

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Summary


My professional practice asists both businesses in need of capitalization for their operations and/or in search of a new location for relocation or expansion of new business opportunities and market expansion. We discover the most advantageous business climate and location, recommend the short-list of possible facilities or sites, and negotiate public incentives and inducements that lower the upfront costs of such investments and increase the equity and thus ROI to the ownership.

We also work with communities to recommend the creation of incentive and capitalization strategies and tools that will increase their ability to attract investment into their locales. Our focus is on deals that create quality jobs, significant investment and improve the quality of life for residents of our community clients. typically this helps the community economic development organization diversify their economy and improve their outcomes to their communities.
Specialties

Site Location Analysis, Business capitalization, Hybrid capitalization using special economic development tools, public policy such as incentive strategies tied to ROI, deal negotiations for public incentives and investment inducements.

The following article takes a very close look at Don Holbrook's shenanigans and his response is very telling. Don Holbrook has a webpage calling himself the Economic Developer.

Newspaper article questions theme park player’s resumé | Pahrump Valley Times

Here is the comment about Don Holbrook probably by Holbrook himself:
economic developer says: February 15, 2012 at 5:50 pm
In America we don’t give rumors and opinions credence when they are not factual. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but that does not mean it factual. With regard to Don Hokbrook, the facts are he was wrongfully terminated by the Red Wing Port Authority under an allegation of resume fraud. He was given a public apology by that agency and they were made by the courts to admit they were wrong and paid j
Him approximately $100,000 for their false assertion.
Holbrook did not mail money into La Salle and receive a degree he turned in a thousand plus pages of online curriculum assignments including a 100 page Masters thesis and nearly 200 page doctoral dissertation to his assigned professors and it took him 4 years to do the work. The FBI issues a statement to all of the thousands of professional students telling them they had been fraudulently misled and it was no fault of the students. Holbrook immediately reported it to his employer and took the degrees off his resume. His employer told him it had no bearing on his own character or expertise and closed the issue. The other claims by the newspaper are just patently false. He has not been discharged ever for any spending or other wrong doings. He choose to not renew his contract in Lake Havasu on good terms so he could move closer to his parents. He has no disgruntled employers or failed projects, that is a fact.
He has won virtually every award in his industry for his achievements and has every prof essional certification including being awarded the industries most prestigious award of “Fellow Member” in 2008 for his lifetime of professional achievements by his more than 4500 peers.

So neither newspaper has told the facts. He is an integritous man, well respected by his peers with remarkable skills, knowledge and expertise in the field of economic development, with no failed projects. He was asked due to this to help get the EarthQuest project headed back in the right direction, and it is doing so now. Holbrook feels EMCID is acting correctly and appropriately to get that project in a position to succeed. He has been acting as a consultant to them in this regard because at no fault of EMCID or Holbrook, the previous developer failed to perform… But many others failed as well in 2008-2009 due to the global financial crisis.
Lastly Holbrook has never told the town of Pahrump they could attract a theme park. Rather he believes that Contour’s recommendation of a world class destination project is right on the mark and compliments the other major attractions and will attract new visitors to Pahrump to do unique tourism opportunities not available or easily replicated in Vegas. These are the real facts.

Soapboxmom

The Vercitas Group
Partner · Sep 2001 to present · Las Vegas, Nevada
Site Location and Strategic Economic Development consulting services

• Australia Christmas Island Destination Tourism Projectwith Simon Millcock
  2011 to present
  Creating a real sense of exotic locale to bring tourists primarily from the Northern Gateway of Malaysia, Asia and Korea to the island with high per capita expenditurres
• Pahrump Destination Tourism Attractionwith Al Balloqui
  Jun 2010 to present
  Working on creating a unique tourism project that will allow Pahrump to capitalize on the tourism driven economy created by Las Vegas.
• EarthQuest Institute and EarthQuest Adventure Theme Parkwith Frank McCrady and Matthew Gardner
  Oct 2004 to present
  Working on building the worlds first green and sustainable influenced Theme Park designed from the ground up with clean technologies as a foundation.

The Vercitas Group page as linked by Holbrook on his Linkedin page goes here:
http://www.mcsstrategies.com/services.php

This is all quite curious. Just when did he jump on the Earthquest Titanic and whose idea was it to hijack "Dino" Don Lessem's interactive dino museum idea? Lots more questions!

Soapboxmom

Economic Developer: Home

Current MEGA Destination Tourism Projects - The EarthQuest Adventures Theme Park & Resort, Houston, TX


Don Holbrook specializes in creating unique destination tourism projects within the entertainment and retail industries. Check out his latest project the first ever Green Theme Park powered by clean renewable energy with an economic impact of 17,000 jobs at full build out and over $1.3 billion in facilities investment. Holbrook negotiated the local incentive plan, assisted in the creation of special state legislation supporting the capitalization, managed the consulting team, assisted in the investor solicitation package, shaped the public private partnership agreement and did the final site location for the project. Governor Perry, calls this one of the most dramatic projects in the history of Texas Economic Development. Check out the project at their website.

I can't find a quote anything close to that anywhere. So, where did Holbrook come up with that story????

Soapboxmom

Originally Posted by Don Holbrook

Governor Perry, calls this one of the most dramatic projects in the history of Texas Economic Development.

If and when the public become aware of what actually happened and how they've been ripped off, this sorry saga could very well become "dramatic"

Talk of the Town: EDC SAYS GOODBYE TO HOLBROOK

Don Holbrook certainly shows his true colors when those he has hoodwinked call him out!

I did the advanced math. Holbrook was paid $185.76 an hour for every hour he worked for the Earthquest Institute charity in 2009 for a total of over $144,000. That is beyond ridiculous.

I sent out an e-mail today. I would have included Don Holbrook as he is the President and CEO of the charity, but I didn't have his e-mail.

From: Dobrott, Heather
Sent: Thursday, February 16, 2012 4:45 PM
To: 'leon.cubillas
Cc: 'fmccrady@emctx.com'; 'sparmer@emctx.com'; 'dmarks (the attorney who set up the charity)
Subject: Earthquest Institute Information Request

This request is made under the Texas Public Information Act, Section 552 of the Texas Government Code. In accordance with the law, which requires that the “Officer for Public Records shall promptly produce such information for inspection or duplication, or both, in the offices of the governmental body,”

The Texas Non Profit Corporation Act says:
1396-2.23A. FINANCIAL RECORDS AND ANNUAL REPORTS. A. A corporation shall maintain current true and accurate financial records with full and correct entries made with respect to all financial transactions of the corporation, including all income and expenditures, in accordance with generally accepted accounting practices.
B. Based on these records, the board of directors shall annually prepare or approve a report of the financial activity of the corporation for the preceding year. The report must conform to accounting standards as promulgated by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and must include a statement of support, revenue, and expenses and changes in fund balances, a statement of functional expenses, and balance sheets for all funds.
C. All records, books, and annual reports of the financial activity of the corporation shall be kept at the registered office or principal office of the corporation in this state for at least three years after the closing of each fiscal year and shall be available to the public for inspection and copying there during normal business hours. The corporation may charge for the reasonable expense of preparing a copy of a record or report.
D. A corporation that fails to maintain financial records, prepare an annual report, or make a financial record or annual report available to the public in the manner prescribed by this article is guilty of a Class B misdemeanor.

Also certain disclosures are required by the IRS, therefore I respectfully request access to the following information:
All records of the Earthquest Institute or The Institute Earthquest that are required to be publicly available including, but not limited to financial records, records reflecting the activities of the charity as outlined on its website EarthQuest Institute - Programs, a list of the currently active managers and board members of the Institute, information relating to Dr. Gardner’s proposal to house the Institute on EMCID property until it could be moved to the theme park, filings with the IRS or State of Texas and any other information concerning fundraising or activities of this charity.

Thank you for your kind help. Please make the records available to me via e-mail and or publication on the charity’s website.

Thank you,

Heather Dobrott

This might clarify just a few things!

Soapboxmom

Don Holbrook has filed a corporate bankruptcy in NV and claims he was not paid by some developer. I could take a wild guess who that might be. Holbrook is in full meltdown mode as evidenced by the comments. I guess he blew the 144 grand he made in 2009. The Earthquest Institute was paying him $185.76 an hour. Ridiculous! Here is his latest rant:

Newspaper article questions theme park player’s resumé | Pahrump Valley Times

« Older Comments


economic developer says:
February 16, 2012 at 10:49 pm
I reread all these posts again and it just amazes me how smart and appropriate all of you self righteous people are. You are too small minded and malicious to even understand and accept facts and truthful commentary. I truly am glad people like you are not in control of government or there would still be lynch mobs and witch burnings. That is just how ingnorant and angry you are in your slanderous and heinous comments about good people trying to help your community create new jobs for people who need them. There is no reasoning with idiots and it just proves why most intelligent people don’t read blogs. Your community struggles with progress because it is filled with hateful nasty people and most decent folks won’t put themselves through the humiliation of working in your community. That is all this entire commentary has made clear to me. Go to Afghanistan please… Within weeks the Taliban would leave and the war would be over.

Charming, isn't he? Can we deport him back to Mars?

Soapboxmom

What's New?


CLICK FOR LARGER VIEW
Earth Quest Adventures is a resort located in New Caney, Texas, approximately 25 miles north of Houston that is scheduled to open to the public in 2011 or 2012.
Contour Entertainment is the resort's master planner and lead designer. The planned 1,600 acre resort will include a theme park as well as a water park, hotel, conference center, retail and office developments. The size of the theme park is reported to be 200 acres on opening. The first phase was originally supposed to break ground in 2008.
“It’s a $500 million project with about 50 different rides, including several ‘E-ticket’ rides,” he said, “like going inside a volcano, going through an actual ice cave, launch rides, coasters, and technologies that haven’t been used before” states Don Lessem, creator and founder of the park.

Isn't Frank "Bonus" McCrady paid enough with salary, car allowance and bonus totalling around 160 grand to clean this up? And, let's not forget all the wining and dining of scammers coming in and flying around the country on the taxpayer's dime. Lessem is gone and should not have his name tied to this fiasco when he was taken advantage of by Marlin Atlantis. Why beat the dead horse on the fact the first construction was to begin in 2008. That just scares off potential investors. And, the statement it is scheduled to open in 2011-2012 is obviously now fiction. It should be removed. We had better enjoy that picture. It along with the other plans and renderings cost a whopping 7.5 million smackaroos!

Time for a new board and a resignation by McCrady. He should not get another cent of the taxpayers hard earned money!

Soapboxmom

Don Holbrook is making some very lofty claims:



A finance professional?? Where are the dollars for Earthquest? He claims that he has put together 100s of economic delveopment deals worth over billions of dollars that have created over 50,000 jobs in this country??? He better have some ink on that!

Soapboxmom

Originally Posted by Soapboxmom

Don Holbrook is making some very lofty claims:



A finance professional?? Where are the dollars for Earthquest? He claims that he has put together 100s of economic development deals worth over billions of dollars that have created over 50,000 jobs in this country??? He better have some ink on that!

Soapboxmom

Don on Myspace

Companies

• Verizon
  
  • Tampa, Florida US
  • Senior Staff Consultant
  
  
  July 1998 until July 2001
• SSP/IGH EDC Progress Plus
  
  • South St. Paul, Minnesota US
  • Executive Director
  
  
  July 1991 until December 1992
• Crooskton EDA
  
  • Crookston, Minnesota US
  • Executive Director
  
  
  January 1993 until August 1996
• Red Wing Port Authority
  
  • Red Wing, Minnesota US
  • Executive Director
  
  
  August 1996 until March 1998
• Partnership for Economic Development, PED
  
  • Lake Havasu City, Arizona US
  • President/CEO
  
  
  September 2001 until July 2004
• Wayne County Economic Development Corp.
  
  • Richmond, Indiana US
  • President/CEO
  
  
  October 2004 until February 2006
  
  

Holbrook has been asked to name these various successful projects on several occassions, but as yet we have heard nothing on any of the sites Mr. Holbrook has posted on substantiating these lofty claims. I cannot find these "100s of economic development deals worth over billions of dollars that have created over 50,000 jobs in this country" anywhere on the web after hours of searching.

Soapboxmom

Only 50,000 jobs for over billions worth in deals? Doesn't sound very impressive.

Originally Posted by Whip

Only 50,000 jobs for over billions worth in deals? Doesn't sound very impressive.

The poor dear lad seems to have a dreaded case of zero disease. I am having trouble finding a development deal much less a job outside of the ones for his fellow shall we call them bogus deal makers.

Soapboxmom

A Disneyland for gun lovers - Monday, February 20, 2012 - Copyright 2007 Ourtribune.com
A Disneyland for gun lovers
Monday, February 20, 2012
Cynthia Calvert
Frank McCrady, president and CEO of the East Montgomery County Improvement District (EMCID), announced last week that a preliminary agreement has been made with Front Sight Firearms Training Centers to build a facility in East County. McCrady said the project will bring significant economic impact.

The firing range project, which has an interesting connection to the questionable dinosaur theme park, EarthQuest, supposedly coming to East County, also brings a controversial history.

Front Sight's headquarters is located in Pahrump, Nev., the same community that former EarthQuest consultants Don Holbrook and Chris Brown have contracted with to develop a theme park in that rural area.

According to the Pahrump Valley Times [10-12-2011], after the EarthQuest project stalled, Holbrook entered a contract with the rural, economically depressed Nevada community to present the efficacy of building Think Tank!, a park where visitors can drive armored tanks. Holbrook prepared a report for the town saying that Think Tank! would be a place, “Where guests would be able to drive a military tank ... in a fun, safe environment.” There would also be obstacles with special effects and explosions.

Holbrook added that millions more could be gleaned from tourists if Pahrump were to expand on that idea and build 'Adventure Springs,' which would include the tank/explosion range along with a movie, a lake, a visitor center, a town, a hotel with a water park, a family entertainment center, a golf range, an event space and retail and dining space.

Interestingly, this is the same situation that developed with EarthQuest, which went from a small idea called Project Rex, then became the $50 million Dino-City which eventually morphed into EarthQuest, a $600 million plus, 1600-acre resort with four “lands,” a museum, rides, special effects, a water park, hotels, conference center, restaurants, retail and office developments, with Holbrook involved every step of the way.

Front Sight has a controversial history in Pahrump. Matt Ward, editor of the Pahrump Valley Times, said that while the range is part of the peaceful community, it is known as a “gun nut heaven.” The owner, a former chiropractor named Ignatius Piazzo, originally touted the idea as a residential development with a total gun focus. Piazzo, according to KLAS-TV in Las Vegas, bought 550 acres in Pahrump in the late 1990s and promised to build ''the safest town in America' by building a 'Disneyland for Gun Lovers.'” KLAS-TV investigative reporter Colleen McCarty (Las Vegas News, Weather, Traffic, Sports - KLAS-TV 8 News Now) said, “Thousands of people bought in with memberships ranging in price from a few thousand to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Most were guaranteed a lifetime of weapons training and six-figure deals, called platinum memberships, and were promised a one-acre home site.”

But the master-planned community never happened. Piazzo, according to McCarty and Pahrump Valley Times reporter Gina B. Good (archive.pahrumpvalleytimes.com/2005/11/18/news/frontsight.html), was eventually sued by several of those members.

California attorney C. Keith Greer filed a class action lawsuit in November 2005 on behalf of several Front Sight members, alleging racketeering and fraud. Greer said Piazza de-frauded thousands for his own personal gain, Good reported. She also reported, “The action demands a jury trial under the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. The 26-page complaint against Front Sight centers on membership benefits and promises. At the organization's inception in 1998, memberships were sold to fund construction of shooting ranges. Free classes for life with memberships that could be willed to family members were attractive to gun owners who sought professional training. Additional benefits - like home sites - were promised for higher priced memberships.”

Greer said, "Piazza took other people's money for investment capital to start his operation and then when he got it up and running, he hung them out to dry. Didn't follow through on the promises he made, didn't give them what they expected, didn't give them their money back."

Eventually, by June of 2009, in response to Piazza's refusal to pay a multi-million dollar settlement, a federal judge ordered a receiver to take control of Front Sight, its facilities, its operations and its assets (www.pahrumpvalleytimes.com/2009). Seven days later, Piazza made a financial offer and regained control of his property. According to the KLAS-TV, Front Sight still owes more than $5 million of the class action settlement.

Websites devoted to Front Site (THR - Powered by vBulletin) have lengthy complaints that Piazza is a Scientologist or a former Scientologist. In fact, Piazza sued one of his former platinum members for writing in her blog that she believed him to be a member of the controversial organization (Diana Hsieh: Front Sight, Ignatius Piazza, and Scientology?).

Pahrump Valley Times editor Matt Ward says a mysterious death that occurred on the property, along with the recession, stopped the home development side of the operation.

"A guy died out there, not by a gunshot, but it was some sort of accidental hanging. Then there was a big lawsuit and the home development just never happened,” he said. According to KLAS-TV, a range visitor died in 2007 in a zip line accident and a lawsuit did take four years before it was settled (www.8newsnow.com/story/15691632)

Front Sight failed to meet Nevada state fire safety standards numerous times, according to KLAS-TV reporter McCarty. The reporter said, “Front Sight has failed again to outfit its classroom building with fire safety basics like sprinklers, fire pumps and water. It's no surprise despite claims construction was on target; Front Sight has again failed to meet its deadline. This is the fourth such failure in the last two years.”

Controversy not withstanding, the Internet is also filled with glowing praise for Front Sight. Numerous blogs, letters, articles and news reports show there are many who vouch for the experience as exceptional, fun, beyond their expectations and that the gun range experience is excellent.

Courses range from $1,000 to $2,000 and the website (Gun training | Firearm Training) is filled with dozens of testimonials, course offerings, and options to learn or enhance individual firearms proficiency.

Final arrangements with Front Sight is pending; the final site has not been chosen yet.

As with EarthQuest, McCrady is assuring taxpayers that the development will not cost them a penny. EarthQuest developers received millions of dollars from EMCID; taxpayers were given assurance that parking fees at EarthQuest and intellectual property rights will make up for the EarthQuest costs estimated to be as high as $10-15 million (The Tribune has made numerous requests of EMCID for the total number of dollars spent to date on the EarthQuest project but no answers have been provided). McCrady said the incentives given to Front Sight will come from rebates of sales taxes and other revenues generated by the new business itself.

“None of the incentives will come from any existing source or take away from current funding,” he said. “We’re looking at venue taxes to provide the incentive needed to bring these businesses to East County.”


© 2011 Ourtribune.com

Where's the money? - Tuesday, February 21, 2012 - Copyright 2007 Ourtribune.com
Where's the money?
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Cynthia Calvert
The East Montgomery County Improvement District (EMCID) is a public agency empowered by the State of Texas to issue municipal bonds that are sold to the general public. The funds received from the sale of the bonds can then be invested in various projects, with both public and private interests, within EMCID’s boundaries.

Generally speaking, in an improvement district such as EMCID, bond proceeds are utilized to facilitate economic development within EMCID’s district that will benefit the taxpaying public with local job creation, new tax revenues, user fees, etc. The new and increased assessments can then be used to fund a variety of civic, charitable, educational and other organizations to improve the overall quality of life for local residents.

Consequently, there is a solemn obligation on the part of the EMCID leadership and board to ensure that the bond funds are managed diligently and invested prudently.

The Tribune has now independently confirmed that EMCID issued $7,635,000 in sales tax revenue bonds on April 15, 2009. The proceeds of that bond sale were used to reimburse the promoters of the EarthQuest project for pre-development costs, primarily conceptual, and design work.

The bonds were issued in two sets with different maturities, and a blended interest rate of 6.525 percent. The bonds will mature in two stages of 20 and 30 years, in 2029 and 2039, respectively.

In addition to the foregoing bond sale, EMCID President and CEO Frank McCrady said in a recent Houston Chronicle article that EMCID has also incurred cash expenditures of $2.5 million in non-developmental costs related to EarthQuest. This amount was apparently paid out of existing tax collections, bringing the total (verified) cost of the project to $10.135 million.

Given the pending foreclosure of EarthQuest’s intended site, the unending project delays, an almost complete turnover of those involved in the venture and the continuing weakness in the local and national economies, EarthQuest is, by any measure, a troubled project. Notwithstanding, McCrady has given repeated assurances that “EarthQuest will be built” . . . [and] “it’s not a question of if, but when.”

But what happens if EarthQuest doesn’t get built?

To answer that question it’s necessary to first understand how the bond process works.

Simply stated, a municipal bond is a written promise on the part of a governmental agency (in this case EMCID) to repay monies it borrows from private investors. As collateral for the bonds, EMCID granted the owners of the bonds a lien on, and a pledge of, three fourths of 1 percent of EMCID’s sales and use taxes. This calculation equals 50 percent of the total sales tax base of EMCID.

Thus, the bond is similar to a mortgage that would be taken out when a homebuyer purchases a house. In the case of EarthQuest, the $7.635 million in bonds issued by EMCID represents the “mortgage” that

EMCID incurred in order to “buy” a “house”, i.e. the EarthQuest theme park.

If the theme park subsequently becomes a reality, then new jobs will be created, new tax and revenue streams will be generated and the “house” will produce sufficient income to pay off the mortgage.

However, the EarthQuest project differs from a typical home purchase in one major respect: the “mortgage” was incurred in 2009, but no “house” has yet been built. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that the “house” will ever be built. Nevertheless, EMCID has guaranteed to the purchasers of its bonds that the “mortgage” will be repaid.

And like all mortgages, the bonds must be repaid with interest. Since these bonds were issued for 20-and 30-year terms, while paying 6.525 percent interest, the total interest cost to EMCID is projected in the bond prospectus to be $10,960,254.

Consequently, the total cost and liability of the EarthQuest project is not $10.135 million as previously mentioned, but is more than $21 million due to the future accrual of interest, the payment of which has been guaranteed by EMCID.

So who will pay this “mortgage” if the house never gets built?

As usual, the answer is: the taxpayers. More specifically, the taxpayers that reside or shop within the EMCID district.

If EarthQuest isn’t built, EMCID will have no choice but to repay the principal and interest on the bonds out of current tax revenues. In doing so, the annual debt service on the bonds will significantly impair EMCID’s ability to fund other projects. For example, the total annual debt service of the EarthQuest bonds, by year, is: 2012 - $487,506; 2013 - $550,556; 2014 - $551,506; 2015 - $552,156; and so on.

The foregoing scenario becomes even more disconcerting when the total bonded indebtedness of EMCID is considered. That is, EMCID has additionally sold bonds on two other projects unrelated to EarthQuest. The unpaid principal amount of these two bond sales equaled $7,673,416.00 as of February 15, 2012. When the annual debt service of these two bond issues are combined with the EarthQuest indebtedness, the above annual payments more than double.

For example, the total, combined annual debt service of all EMCID bonds, by year, is: 2012 - $1,077,494; 2013 - $1,141,924; 2014 - $1,142,849; 2015 - 1,142,133; and so on.

With only a finite amount of tax receipts coming into EMCID, combined with EMCID’s outstanding bonded indebtedness, it is painfully obvious that EMCID will have to forego many economic development opportunities if the EarthQuest project is not built.

So who will pay if EarthQuest isn’t built? You will.


© 2011 Ourtribune.com

EarthQuest works with LSC-Kingwood design students

Published on: January 07, 2011
The Game Design and Simulation Project Development students at Lone Star College-Kingwood spent the fall semester working with Dr. Matt Gardner, the MIT scientist at EarthQuest, on applications to promote EarthQuest Institute’s involvement in the development of a theme park that will be located in New Caney. Gardner met with the students on a monthly basis to give feedback on their progress. Based on EarthQuest’s message of sustainability, students created games that will teach concepts of alternative energy sources and recycling in fun and engaging ways. The games will be available on the EarthQuest’s website in spring 2011.
Pictured from left to right: Andrew Jeffers, Hac Dieu, Jesse Bolin, Brian McNulty, adjunct faculty Sean Bellinger, associate professor Caroline Chamness, Dominic Prestia, Dr. Matt Gardner, EarthQuest Institute, Steven Paradzys, and Jason Bush with his son, Nathan Bush.

This is the only outreach program for Earthquest that I have ever been able to find. As far as i know these were not published on the website. So, this is all we have to show for $996,667.00 in donations. I found the 2010 statement on Guidestar, though it is supposed to be available for public inspection and copying by law. Everyone associated with this is long gone except the EMCID board member Leon Cubillas who is a director and of course Frank McCrady who shares the same office suite, but refuses to make the documents available.

This request is made under the Texas Public Information Act, Section 552 of the Texas Government Code. In accordance with the law, which requires that the “Officer for Public Records shall promptly produce such information for inspection or duplication, or both, in the offices of the governmental body,”

The Texas Non Profit Corporation Act says:

Art. 1396-2.23A. FINANCIAL RECORDS AND ANNUAL REPORTS. A. A corporation shall maintain current true and accurate financial records with full and correct entries made with respect to all financial transactions of the corporation, including all income and expenditures, in accordance with generally accepted accounting practices. B. Based on these records, the board of directors shall annually prepare or approve a report of the financial activity of the corporation for the preceding year. The report must conform to accounting standards as promulgated by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and must include a statement of support, revenue, and expenses and changes in fund balances, a statement of functional expenses, and balance sheets for all funds. C. All records, books, and annual reports of the financial activity of the corporation shall be kept at the registered office or principal office of the corporation in this state for at least three years after the closing of each fiscal year and shall be available to the public for inspection and copying there during normal business hours. The corporation may charge for the reasonable expense of preparing a copy of a record or report. D. A corporation that fails to maintain financial records, prepare an annual report, or make a financial record or annual report available to the public in the manner prescribed by this article is guilty of a Class B misdemeanor.

Also certain disclosures are required by the IRS, therefore I respectfully request access to the following information:
All records of the Earthquest Institute or The Institute Earthquest that are required to be publicly available including, but not limited to financial records, records reflecting the activities of the charity as outlined on its website EarthQuest Institute - Programs, a list of the currently active managers and board members of the Institute, information relating to Dr. Gardner’s proposal to house the Institute on EMCID property until it could be moved to the theme park, filings with the IRS or State of Texas and any other information concerning fundraising or activities of this charity.

Thank you for your kind help. Please make the records available to me via e-mail and or publication on the charity’s website.

Thank you,

Heather Dobrott

That was sent out on February 16th. I have had many responses and some very thoughtful ones from many who have left, but those who operate out of that office feel they are above the law. Frank McCrady is doing everything he can to destroy and discredit this project. Anyone who wishes to walk into the office and view them or who requests them should have no trouble getting access to them. How can anyone get behind this project when there is no honest disclosure as required by law?

Here is a copy of that 2010 charity statement as published on Guidestar:

The Insitutute Earthquest 2010.pdf

I had another wonderful chat with someone connected to the Earthquest Institute. Many of the wonderful people originally involved in the project have left. The papers went with one of them and are in fact in a box on their way to Texas. At this point there is one EMCID board member sort of holding the bag as no one else is remaining. The problems with the charity and the project in general seem to be tied at least to some extent to the fake multi-billionaire Trey White, John Marlin and their Marlin Atlantis development company.

The charity was such a wonderful concept. It should go forward. I am looking forward to taking a look at the charity's financial records and learning more about this. With just under 1 million in donations this charity needs to begin the work that was to be forthcoming.

Soapboxmom

EMCID Board Meeting

Date: March 8, 2012
Time: 05:30 PM - 07:00 PM

Everyone who lives in Southeast Texas should make plans to attend this meeting. Why was the bankruptcy kept secret? The only reason it is public knowledge now is because of the incredbile reporting of Cynthia Calvert. Why have the charity papers not been kept in the EMCID office where the charity is now listed? Why do they not have annual reports and the docs required by the IRS either way? When did the board members get notification on the bankruptcy? Why has it not been honestly disclosed that everyone involved in the charity, The Institute Earthquest, is long gone, but the lone board member that sits as a director?

The attorney that set it up did everything perfectly and to the letter. He has been out for two years and is filing paperwork with the Texas Secretary of State to resign as the registered agent and have his name removed. When is the charity website going to be updated?

It is high time the public, contributors and investors get some honest answers and transparency as to where their money has gone. Trey White and John Marlin are out and I believe Frank McCrady should be the next one shown the door.

Soapboxmom

From the mouth of the idiot who ran Earthquest into bankruptcy and disaster:



WHITE VENTURES - ABOUT US - Team

Mr. White is also involved in EarthQuest Adventures. EarthQuest Adventures is currently in the process of designing a $500M theme park in Houston, Texas named EarthQuest. EarthQuest will be the first mega theme park built in the US since DisneyWorld. Its unique position in the Houston market is projected to attract over 3M visitors per year and raise the bar in entertainment while delivering an eco-conscious message. To learn more about EarthQuest visit: EarthQuest's Website

Another colossal failure from the talking head Trey White. Disgusting!

Soapboxmom

	Filed & Entered: 01/23/2012	Chapter 11 Confirmation Hearing
36	Filed & Entered: 01/23/2012	Order on Motion for Relief from Automatic Stay
37	Filed & Entered: 01/24/2012	Operating Report
38	Filed: 01/25/2012 Entered: 01/26/2012	Certificate of Mailing
39	Filed & Entered: 01/30/2012	Order on Motion (Generic)
40	Filed: 02/01/2012 Entered: 02/02/2012	Certificate of Mailing
41	Filed & Entered: 02/20/2012	Operating Report

Nothing has been filed. It appears Marlin Atlantis did not get the minimum 10 million dollar bid on the property and the bank will be foreclosing. That means Contour was not able to raise the funds. The question now becomes will they be able to come up with money later and purchase the property?

Soapboxmom

Some Marlin Atlantis buffoon appears to have ownership and control of the Earthquest Institute website:

Domain ID:D154418112-LROR
Domain Name:EARTHQUESTINSTITUTE.ORG
Created On:07-Oct-2008 19:22:58 UTC
Last Updated On:08-Oct-2010 12:00:49 UTC
Expiration Date:07-Oct-2012 19:22:58 UTC
Sponsoring Registrar:GoDaddy.com, Inc. (R91-LROR)
Status:CLIENT DELETE PROHIBITED
Status:CLIENT RENEW PROHIBITED
Status:CLIENT TRANSFER PROHIBITED
Status:CLIENT UPDATE PROHIBITED
Registrant ID:CR37035488
Registrant Name:Wyatt Henderson
Registrant Organization:The Institute EarthQuest DBA The EarthQuest Institute
Registrant Street1:13455 Noel Road, 23rd Floor
Registrant Street2:
Registrant Street3:
Registrant City:Dallas
Registrant State/Province:Texas
Registrant Postal Code:75240
Registrant Country:US
Registrant Phone:+1.9727156412
Registrant Phone Ext.:
Registrant FAX:+1.9727155544
Registrant FAX Ext.:
Registrant Email:
Admin ID:CR37035490
Admin Name:Wyatt Henderson
Admin Organization:The Institute EarthQuest DBA The EarthQuest Institute
Admin Street1:13455 Noel Road, 23rd Floor
Admin Street2:
Admin Street3:
Admin City:Dallas
Admin State/Province:Texas
Admin Postal Code:75240
Admin Country:US
Admin Phone:+1.9727156412
Admin Phone Ext.:
Admin FAX:+1.9727155544
Admin FAX Ext.:
Admin Email:

That explains the lack of updates. Everyone has left but 1 EMCID board member who probably never had access to that site. Someone better get on there and do some revisions pronto.

Soapboxmom

EarthQuest fees mount
Tuesday, March 06, 2012
Cynthia Calvert
The Tribune has attempted to document the millions of dollars spent on the EarthQuest project, including past expenses and future obligations in recent articles.

But what about other expenses? Consultant fees? Attorney fees? Travel, meals, etc.?

The Tribune has asked for numerous documents over the last eight weeks and while some have been received, The Tribune is not confident it has all the expenses related to EarthQuest, the land developer, and other associated parties. On Feb. 6, Frank McCrady told The Tribune, in response to a request for a total of expenses related to EarthQuest, particularly regarding EarthQuest promoters Don Holbrook, Don Lessem, and Thomas Gardener of Marlin

Atlantis, the failed land developer, that EMCID was hiring an accountant to do an analysis of its expenditures.

To date, The Tribune has not received any information. Therefore, the financial picture related here can only be considered a partial view of EMCID expenditures. The Tribune does have the cash flow statements for 2006-2011, American Express monthly statements for McCrady and office aide Suzanne Parmer from 2007-2011, detailed mileage reimbursement forms for Parmer, and EMCID employees Sandy Seelye, Warren Mather and Tom Lewis.

The Tribune looked at one year, 2009, for this article.

In 2009, McCrady’s and Parmer’s American Express bills together totaled $227,000, just a few thousand dollars shy of the entire amount of money funded by EMCID for college scholarships for every graduating senior in the district.

Many expenses are related office expenditures, tourism trade shows and the like. But most of the line items show when adding McCrady’s and Parmer’s American Express receipts, EMCID spent well over several hundred thousand dollars on food. No amount was too small nor too high for meals. Charges range from as little as $1 to thousands of dollars. McCrady had numerous meals at what many would consider highend, pricey establishments, including at Humble’s Chez Nous, the most expensive local restaurant.

McCrady was paid nearly $100,000 as an annual salary and the EMCID board voted to award him a bonus of $50,000. Parmer and Seelye also gets hefty year-end bonuses. McCrady also gets life insurance, health benefits, a retirement contribution of thousands of dollars a year and a car allowance of nearly $25,000 annually.

EMCID employees McCrady and Parmer have their own American Express credit cards, They, along with EMCID employees Seelye, Mather and Lewis, all have Wells Fargo credit cards, too.

Routine for McCrady and other EMCID staff and board members in 2009 was business-class airplane travel, limousines, expensive meals, and nights in luxurious hotels. McCrady’s statements show dozens of charges at airport bookstores, car rentals, cell phone bills, a $5,000-plus golf and dining membership at Kingwood Country Club, and several charges totaling $20,560 for Rockets tickets. Dallas Cowboys tickets, Cowboys merchandise and even Arbonne Cosmetics were all charged to McCrady’s American Express card and presented for reimbursement.

In 2009, McCrady and others from EMCID made three trips to Las Vegas, one to Dallas and another to Phoenix, all trips presumably tied to EarthQuest. Holbrook lives approximately halfway between Las Vegas and Phoenix; Holbrook’s corporate office is located in Las Vegas. EarthQuest’s failed land developer, Marlin Atlantis, is located in Dallas. In December, the dino-park designers of Don Lessem, Don Holbrook and Thomas Gardener all came to New Caney. Charges from these excursions total more than $100,000.

On Nov. 15, McCrady, Seelye, and board members Vickie Thumann, Leon Cubillas, Linda Floyd and her husband, Monte, all went to Las Vegas. Airfare was nearly $300 each. The group wined and dined at the Strip’s finest places: Planet Hollywood, Smith and Wollensky, Battistas, Margaritaville, Ruby D’s, the Stratta and two memorable meals – one at Morton’s Steakhouse for $1,324.95, followed by another at Joe’s Stone Crab for $1,357.91. The group stayed at the Mirage where room charges were several thousand dollars more.

It is unknown if alcohol was part of these meal charges. McCrady said that EMCID does not have written policies regarding alcohol in place.

McCrady provided the following written response to The Tribune’s queries:

“Though no written policy is currently in place, the board has discussed with the President/CEO on the appropriate etiquette and protocol for the use of alcohol in recruiting prospects. General business etiquette guidelines and customary entertainment parameters are used in which our competitors on projects will not have any undue advantage on placing a project in their market instead of locating in East Montgomery County."

“The entertainment policy is managed by the President/CEO based on recruiting businesses to the district and includes entertainment parameters that do not put EMCID in a non competitive posture in comparing our actions to others which we would be competing against in a project."

Employee meals are reimbursed for actual expenses and are reviewed monthly for appropriateness prior to reimbursement. Employees attempt to utilize per diem rates when possible.”

Holbrook, the consultant hired to do the EarthQuest feasibility study and to give advice about the project, The Tribune has learned, has been paid $304,000.

There is, however, no dinosaur project and not a spade of dirt has been turned after approximately eight years of ‘consulting.’

Holbrook was retained for $27,000 to assist with the EarthQuest project. Additionally, he has been paid over a 5-year period $277,000 to bring EarthQuest, travel and tourism projects, and job creation projects to the district, McCrady told The Tribune last month.

And what of the famed, ‘nonprofit’ EarthQuest Institute funds? TheInstitute was founded as a 501(3)c organization and is subject to the strict laws regarding charities in Texas. EMCID board chairman Cubillas is also a board member of the Institute. In December of 2009, more than 275 residents of East County attended a fundraising reception at the EMCID Building. More than $75,000 was handed to Lessem, the director of the Institute. The Institute appears to be either dead or dormant and records of the funds are not forthcoming.

Probably the person who has gained the most from EarthQuest’s complex and complicated dealings including contracts, extensions, addendums, bond issuances, elections and the like is David Marks, the attorney for EMCID, who billed the district for an astonishing $318,677.48 for 2009. Marks, presumably while billing at an hourly rate, has traveled numerous times with McCrady, to Las Vegas, to Arizona and even to Paris, France, although not for EarthQuest.

If the East Montgomery County Improvement District was, as it states on the EMCID website, “created to improve the economic, cultural and social conditions of the area,” there are several people, and one in particular, whose lifestyle has been enormously enriched by association with EMCID – its employees.

Credit card receipts show that McCrady and Parmer often bill at least one, if not two or three meals a day to EMCID for reimbursement. In 2009, there are literally thousands of meals presented for reimbursement by the pair. McCrady submitted receipts for entertainment, gasoline, golf, purchases at bookstores and duty-free shops in airports – all paid for by EMCID. And he is not alone. Parmer also has charged the district everything from $1.83 for Chick-fil-A, to hundreds of meals, to thousands of dollars for mileage reimbursement.

Both McCrady and Parmer, whose salaries have nearly doubled in a decade, received and redeemed hundreds of thousands of AmEx points, earned on the taxpayers’ dime, as well as received and redeemed thousands of Continental mileage points, again earned by charges to EMCID.

And what of the community – the taxpayers footing the bills and paying the tax dollars to EMCID? Beyond negotiated, high-dollar annual contracts(EMCID contracted with the Porter and New Caney fire departments to pay them millions in order to keep them from raising the tax rate and thereby negatively affecting EarthQuest’s ability to get as much as possible from tax revenue) and the annual donations to the scholarship foundation ($245,000) and the economic development group ($50,000), McCrady and the EMCID board approved a mere handful of grants of comparatively token amounts in all of 2009. New Horizons got $2,750, New Caney Project Graduation got $1,000, the Lone Star College Foundation got $2,000, Splendora Founders Day received $550, the Splendora FFA got $1,100. Other groups receiving grants were the Splendora Boy Scouts for $3,187.21, the Lions Club for $5,000, the Historical Society received $30,000 and the Montgomery County Precinct 4 Constables Office for $94,240.80.

For 2009 American Express report and 2009 Cash Flow report, visit http://www.ourtribune.com/apdf/dinosaur.pdf. (Since it is a large file, it may take a few minutes to load)


© 2011 Ourtribune.com

The expense reports show Frank McCrady to be a thief!

dinosaur.pdf

Second dino-park in Jasper sunk by savvy officials
Tuesday, March 06, 2012
Cynthia Calvert
On Nov. 9, 2006, the Houston Business Journal reported that Don Lessem, “a Philadelphia entrepreneur and nationally recognized dinosaur expert, [had] chosen southeast Montgomery County as the site of a proposed large scale tourist attraction.”

According to Lessem, “Southeast Montgomery County edged out the other finalist, [the City of] Red Oak (a Dallas suburb).” He further stated that civic leaders in the New Caney area, “[were] a more aggressive and accomplished group, [with] a personal sense of commitment.”

From that moment on, the excitement and anticipation of a major, Disney-caliber resort grew to a fever pitch.

Time and again, local politicians and civic leaders repeated the mantra that New Caney and southeast Montgomery County had been selected over all other regions in America, news that was almost too good to be true. In particular, the board of directors of the East Montgomery County Improvement District (EMCID) took the lead in promoting, and funding, the dream that all rural counties and municipalities long to embrace. In fact, EMCID incurred liabilities in excess of $21 million to ensure that thedream would become reality.

All the while, local residents eagerly awaited updates as the project progressed. At first, Lessem’s proposal was Project Rex/Dinosaur City, a 50-acre, $50 million, EPCOT-style museum and “edutainment” center. Over time, the project would morph into EarthQuest, a 1,600-acre, $600 million world-class theme park in a mega-complex valued at $1 billion.

Commercial land prices soared, hotels were built, and local citizens rubbed their hands in glee, unbelieving of their good fortune. The train to the Promised Land had left the station and nothing was going to derail it; even the sky was no limit.

But now, almost six years later, EarthQuest is little more than fancy, watercolored pictures that adorn the boardrooms of EMCID.

Lessem, the brainchild of this great adventure, has left the project, along with the developer, Marlin-Atlantis. No construction is planned; investors are nowhere to be found. Funding to EarthQuest consultants has stopped.

The phone still rings at the EarthQuest Institute, but no one answers. And the site upon which EarthQuest was planned is under the threat of foreclosure. All the while, $7.635 million in municipal bonds issued by EMCID costs local taxpayers almost $600,000 in annual debt service.

And no one wants to talk about the $2.5 million in cash expenditures made by EMCID for “other” expenses related to EarthQuest. Even still, Frank McCrady, president of EMCID, continues to believe in the dream, boldly stating, “EarthQuest will be built; it’s not a matter of if, but when.”

So what went wrong? This is a nagging question that researchers for The Tribune have exhausted countless hours trying to answer. What they have discovered is, at best, distressing. And maybe most unsettling of all is the very genesis of EarthQuest. Of particular note are two revelations that portray a vastly different beginning than what has been told to the public.

Revelation No. 1:

There never was a national search to find the best location for Project Rex, the proposed museum and “edutainment” complex.

1. Lessem did conduct a nationwide solicitation of cities and economic development districts, asking them to respond to ‘requests for proposals’ (RFPs) to fund and construct Project Rex.

In a newspaper article dated July 26, 2006, the Beaumont Enterprise quoted Lessem as saying, “RFPs were sent out to economic developers all over the country, in fact, in Texas there were 16 applicants.”

The RFPs contained specific financial requirements that all applicants had to agree to in order to be “chosen” to participate in the search.The RFP stipulations mandated all bidders to: 1) issue revenue bonds for the construction of the project, at their own risk; 2) enact a ticket tax on visitors to repay the bonds; 3) pay for a ‘due diligence study’ at a cost of $100-$125,000; 4) pay for a second study at a cost of $50 - 75,000, if the first study was favorable; 5) pursue tax increment financing for items related to the project; 6) provide a land grant of 50 acres, preferably waterfront.

This “national search” appears to have been little more than a thinly veiled ruse to find a municipality willing and able to agree to Lessem’s demands: take all the risk, fund all the expenses and hope for the best.

In the process, Lessem and his associates would pocket hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayers’ funds for consultant fees, studies, etc. Whether or not the project ever came to fruition seems to have become incidental to the developers. And why not? They were getting paid no matter what ultimately occurred.

Revelation No. 2:

And the winner is . . . Jasper County?

As mentioned in the opening paragraph of this article, southeast Montgomery County edged out the City of Red Oak in November of 2006 to become the “winner” of Lessem’s national search. But just six months earlier, in July of 2006, another East Texas town had already been crowned, ‘king of the dinosaurs.’

As reported in the Beaumont Enterprise on July 26, 2006, Jasper County, not southeast Montgomery County, was chosen by Lessem as the site for Project Rex.

Lessem said, “I chose Jasper . . . because, in part, they promised to do some things [in] their RFP.”

Even more amazing than Jasper’s selection was the other city Lessem said was Jasper’s competition. That city was none other than Orlando, Florida, home to Disney World, Universal Studios, SeaWorld and a host of other world-class attractions. But in Lessem’s world, Jasper County was much preferred over Orlando.

Due to concerns raised in the “selection” process, Jasper officials called Orlando. When contacted, the representative at Orlando’s EDC replied that “. . . they had never heard of Lessem [or Project Rex].”

Soon thereafter, Jasper County terminated all discussions with Lessem.

The Tribune found the comment from the Orlando EDC to be very troubling. If Lessem had used a “stalking horse” between Jasper and Orlando, was the same tactic used between the New Caney area and the City of Red Oak?

To find out, Tribune researchers contacted the City of Red Oak, the reported “other finalist” in November of 2006.

The city manager of Red Oak acknowledged to The Tribune that his city had engaged in conversations with Lessem. However, he further stated “we never got to the point where we were ready to proceed with anything.”

Obviously, if the City of Red Oak was the “other finalist” with New Caney, then they never knew it.

So, was EarthQuest a fraud?

That question has yet to be fully answered. But what is certain is that the entire process of selecting a site for the project was tainted with self-interest on the part of the developers. It seems clear that the primary intent of the “national search” was to only find the most willing, if not desperate, municipal entity that would open up its coffers first, and ask questions later.

Furthermore, to ensure that their desired intent was achieved, the developers also appear to have orchestrated and manipulated the selection process, even going so far as to create false bidders. Cities who didn’t even know they were a “finalist.”

But maybe the saddest revelation of all is the complete failure of local officials to exercise caution, restraint and due diligence. Where were the gatekeepers to the public trust when it was needed most?

Unfortunately, the developer’s quest for a ‘willing and able party’ was, indeed, found in southeast Montgomery County.


© 2011 Ourtribune.com

EarthQuest fees mount - Tuesday, March 06, 2012 - Copyright 2007 Ourtribune.com
**update**

According to McCrady's employment contract, dated June 1, 2011, and which is the 'first amendment to second amended and restated contract of employment," McCrady's 2011 compensation includes: a base annual salary of $97,515. For each year, beginning June 1, 2011, the base salary shall be increased by an amount equal to 3 percent of the prior year's actual salary as a cost of living adjustment ($,2925.45 in 2011). In addition to the base salary, he gets an amount equal to 6 percent of the base salary ($5,805.90) paid on the last day of the calendar year. The board voted to give him a $50,000 year end bonus as well.

Additionally, he gets $1,750 per month for automobile allowance which is supposed to be used for "acquisition, insurance, operation, maintenance and repair and oil and gas" (although there are numerous receipts presented for reimbursement McCrady's American Express bill for payment to gas stations.)

He receives medical insurance for himself and his family, a cell phone and payments, and a contribution of 8 percent of his annual salary ($7,801.20 in 2011) to a retirement plan. He also receives life insurance of $250,000.

McCrady is also entitled to a discretionary bonus for "economic development" payable on May 31 of each year and a bonus of 1 percent of all money he solicits for the Education Scholarship Program.

He also gets 10 vacation days, 12 personal days and not more than 17 days of military leave with pay and 12 holidays per year, or a total of 51 paid days off per year; sick days are not identified in the contract.

****




**update**

The Tribune has examined the 2009 expenses. This is a sample of what we found:

McCrady's September 2009 statement, for $17,287.89, showed: Los Cucos, $50.61, Subway $5.39, McDonald's $11.45, Los Cucos $40.25, J. Christopher's pizza $23.19. Asian City Humble $77.44 and Marriott Galleria $6. Gasoline at Shell $27.07, Marriott in Point Clear, Ala., $325.06, $28.57, $100, $169.06, $2157.88; Restaurants in Alabama: $51, $32.06, $77.58, $27.15, $43.61,; Dell Computers $6792.71; $105.14 for a mac address and on line storage space; and $7100 for Rockets tickets. McCrady also used his EMCID Wells Fargo card to buy $25.27 in pizza in Alabama.

The same month, Suzanne Parmer charged $4,404.36 to her American Express credit card. Website and software charges were $636.62. She charged $1.83 at the Sonic in Atascocita, $200.56 at Jason's Deli, $58.61 at Pappas Seafood, $123.05 at Pizza Hut, bought an airplane ticket to New Orleans for $447.70, spent $21.55 at Wal-Mart, and paid $2750 to attend at conference in Dallas. She also charged the district $202.06 for mileage, notary, cell phone and donuts.

Other notable charges McCrady presented during 2009 were $1000 on Jan. 13 for a visit to Houston's Restaurant; $546.19 to Chimichurri's (McCrady's receipts noted he was in New York City on this date); $1000 to Houston's again on March 31; $707.86 to Chimichurri's again – the day he arrived home from a trip to Ottawa; a June 9 lunch at Joe's Crab Shack was $62.79 and dinner that same day was at Los Cucos for $54.61. On July 8, he bought 10 $100 gift cards at a Shell Gas Station in Kingwood and spent $2580 on Rockets tickets. On July 30, he spent $819.20 at Chimichurri's. On Nov. 30, he bought $1000 in gift cards from Joe's Crab Shack, Pappas Seafood and Zio's Italian restaurants. The same day he bought $1400 in gift cards from Amedeo's and had lunch there too – for $149.19. On Nov. 13, he spent $213.51 at Chez Nous.

****

The next O K corral is coming!

I spoke with the Texas Attorney General's office. If Frank McCrady and the EMCID don't make those documents for the charity, the Earthquest Institute available I will be filing a formal complaint and get law enforcement involved. The IRS, State of Texas and the Open Records Act require that certain documents be available to the public. Everyone has left the charity but 1 lone board member. Dr. Gardner has sent all the documents in a box to the EMCID and they will need to see those are made available as required by law. It is a criminal offense if those documents are not available and I will pursue this.

The Office of the Attorney General
Open Records Division
P.O.Box 12548
Austin, TX 78711

I suggest the folks in that office and those that are responsible for the Earthquest Institute get this resolved. The project doesn't need any further negative publicity!

Soapboxmom