Sunday, January 31, 2010

Mayor Bob Wasserman Q&A: Future of Fremont and the A's

Brian Chang: Why is A's stadium important to Fremont?
Bob Wasserman: Bringing the A's to Fremont creates a destination point that will make Fremont a major City. Economically it will bring 2 million people a year which means many good businesses will want to locate here.

Brian Chang: Why did you think it's a good location?
Bob Wasserman: has 2 major freeways and a BART station which means easy access. In a study of the bay area 10+/- years ago it was identified as one of three key areas for future economic growth.

Brian Chang: What will happen to the NUMMI site in 5-10 years or more?
Bob Wasserman:The stadium would be a catalyst to bring major commercial, residential and perhaps industrial growth. Without the stadium there will still be major development but it will take 20-30 years.

Brian Chang:Who will pay for the ballpark, buy the land, and infrastructure?
Bob Wasserman: It is hoped the County will buy and retain the stadium land. Infrastructure would be done by the City and Developers. The City would have to do infrastructure work even without the stadium. The A's would pay for all stadium costs.

Brian Chang: What it's the difference between general fund and redevelopment fund? How does the city gets that money?
Bob Wasserman: The general fund comes mostly from property and sales tax and a few smaller sources. Redevelopment funds come from tax increment which is from property tax in the fund area

Brian Chang: How does the school get money?
Bob Wasserman: Schools are funded by the State only. We have nothing to do with school funding.

Brian Chang: In past 30 years, does the City of Fremont always have a financial problem?
Bob Wasserman: Has not had serious problems but has never had enough to provide a optimal level of service.

Brian Chang: People are getting a hard time to get their permit. Why isn't Fremont a business friendly?
Bob Wasserman: We try to improve all the time.

For more information: http://fremont.gov/DocumentCenterii.aspx?FID=422
http://astofremont.org/

I urged you to write a letter to Major League Baseball (MLB) that we want the A's in Fremont. Send your letters to support@astofremont.org. It will be an economic development that will bring thousands of new jobs, millions in revenue, and more retail and restaurants to Fremont.

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