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Basalt’s big nonprofit problem

Some Valley nonprofits are pillaging Basalt taxpayers.

1. In 2012, Bill Kane, while acting as the Basalt town manager, oversaw the joint venture creation between Basalt, and the nonprofits Manaus/Roaring Fork Community Development Corp. to purchase the Pan and Fork River Property. The pillaging activities were then set in motion.

Next about $7.75 million of taxpayer funds were invested in and around the Pan and Fork — a lot of ugly deception and propaganda.



2. Today the same Bill Kane is the director of Art Base. Nonprofit Art Base, along with RFCDC/Manaus have blocked open-use options and competition for those invested tax funds. They partnered with for-profit developer Tim Belinski/River Park LLC and are proposing to shove luxury town homes down the public’s throats in the spot where the low-income community was removed in 2014. A related nonprofit called Valley Settlement” assisted n the removal. Their mission seems to be to clear select parts of the valley so elitist friends can settle.

3. In 2015, in a hidden taxpayer subsidy to Rocky Mountain Institute, Basalt bought six employee-housing units (parcel #R010694 in Old Snowmass, 5 miles outside of Basalt next door to the RMI.)




Conclusion: $7.75 million in additional taxpayer subsidies are now being contemplated by building private town homes to benefit the developer consortium and special interests instead of public serving. Basalt should stop this theft or change our slogan to: “We funnel tax payer money to elitist special interests and group members!”

Mark Kwiecienski

Basalt