By Scott Taylor,Staff Writer

AUBURN – A city row over a new parking garage in Great Falls Plaza comes down to questions about sure things.

For City Councilor Bob Mennealy, there are too few sure things about a deal with developer Tom Platz.

“The city seems ready to do this project based on a promise – not reality,” Mennealy said. “If we had some guarantees, I think I’d feel a lot differently.”

That’s too much to ask for Mayor Normand Guay, a supporter of the garage.

“There really are no guarantees, not for anything,” Guay said. “But I do believe that this is the last piece of major investment downtown that we need. And I’m pretty confident it will lead to many positive things.”

No matter what, Guay said he’s eager to get the issue settled.

“I just want a vote on Monday,” Guay said. “I want this settled, whether it’s up or down.”

Monday’s meeting is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. in Auburn Hall. It will be broadcast live on Great Falls TV.

Councilors are scheduled to vote on two matters. The first would scuttle a $5 million bond set aside last year to pay for the garage. The City Council passed that bond a year ago, but hasn’t sold it or collected the revenue.

According to city estimates, the city looks to get about $2.6 million in parking fees from the garage over the next 25 years. A tax increment finance district that includes Great Falls Plaza would generate about $14.6 million in revenues. That money – $17.2 million over 25 years – would easily pay off the $5.4 million bond.

Promises

Mennealy argues those numbers assume Platz will build four office buildings in the plaza. Platz and his associates have committed to one office building whether the city builds the garage or not. The other buildings won’t happen if the city doesn’t build the garage, however.

Mennealy said he’s not convinced that Platz will build any more than the first building.

“I believe that there is a glut of office space downtown,” Mennealy said. “All we can count on is one office building. That’s reality, but that’s not the numbers we’re looking at.”

Mennealy said he’d be willing to support the bond if Platz would commit to at least one more building.

“I’d certainly be more comfortable if we were guaranteed two buildings,” he said.

Guay said he is convinced by the city’s numbers as they stand. He expects Platz to build four buildings.

“We don’t know, but the Hilton might have to enlarge itself down there, as well,” he said. “We have no guarantees. But we do know we need this infrastructure down there if we want the economic development to continue. This is the last part of our public infrastructure downtown.”

Guay said he also worries that backing out of the bond would send a bad message to developers.

“We’ve worked hard to get where we are, and I think this would be huge setback,” Guay said.

Land swap

If the bond survives and plans for the garage go forward, councilors will then vote on a land swap with Platz’s TimCorp. That would put the garage in the center of the undeveloped plaza.

The latest plans would move it from the corner of Turner Street and Great Falls Plaza to the center of the plaza, surrounded by buildings. It would require the city to trade 30,000 square feet of land to Platz for 20,000 square feet.

The plan calls for a four-level garage with about 80 spaces per level. The city could expand the structure later on.