SCPR SERIES ON HOF VILLAGE PROJECT: BLACK CONTRACTORS WALK OFF "PARKING LOT" JOB ON FRIDAY!

UPDATE: (Correction) 06/18/2018 - MINORITY CONTRACTORS NOT PAID ON 06/15/2018.
Maybe today?

NEW BLOG LATER THIS WEEK - DISCUSSES DETAILS OF FUTURE

COULD THE 2018 ENSHRINEMENT BE IN JEOPARDY

BECAUSE OF

NO PARKING LOT?

AN EVOLVING STORY:  CHECK BACK FOR UPDATES

UPDATES WILL APPEAR IN THIS TEXT/COLOR SCHEME

Latest Update: 11:47 AM - ORIGINAL BLOG 06/13/2108 AT 8:19 AM

The Stark County Political Report (SCPR, The Report) has learned that the 2018 Hall of Fame could in the opinion of The Report's well placed source be in jeopardy because Black contractors employed by Welty Construction as the managing contractor for HOF Village LLC has not received from HOF Village LLC monies and authorization to pay two Stark County-based minority owned their share of $3.8 million construction project of a Canton Parks owned parking lot that borders Fulton Road NW next to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Not good news for the Professional Football Hall of Fame in light of 2018 inductee Terrell Owens recent announcement that he will not be attending the 2018 enshrinement to be held July __ of this year.

The SCPR is told that the minority contractors walked off the job on Friday in a dispute over an amendment to their part of the contract submitted in November, 2017 and recently authorized by HOF officials to be paid.  However, the dispute has prompted HOF Village LLC to direct that payment be withheld.

Though paid $80,000 on Monday, nearly $400,000 (note:  SCPR has been cited $320,000, $350,000 and $380,00) remains to be paid which is promised to be paid to them on Friday which The Report is told means that the contractors will remain off the job at least until Friday.

Explosive allegations include:

• that a non-minority contractor has been paid whereas the Black contractor companies have not be "fully" paid, and
• a project manager is alleged to have said when the Black contractors walked off the job on Friday (paraphrase) "that's what you get when you try to work with THOSE PEOPLE." (Note:  capitalized to highlight a phrase that minority members of America encounter frequently at the hand of the disgruntled)

Here are two links to prior blogs done by the SCPR relevant to the parking lot/minority contractor matters:

• May 11, 2017 blog on threat of boycott of 2017 Hall of Fame game, 
• "ample opportunity  for minority contractors?"
• May 21, 2018 blog on Bernabei/Mario coup on the HOF "promised to be paid for" Canton Parks parking lot project

Despite having received about $39 million of an "up-to-$100 million 'bridge' loan" about a month ago or so, the SCPR hears that about $12.5 of unpaid invoices remain on the HOF Village LLC accounting ledgers.

Despite millions of Ohio and Stark County taxpayer dollars (past, present and future) being in the financial blueprint of the HOF-VP, HOF officials continue to be largely close mouth about what use the money has been put to and how it will translate in to a high degree of return on investment to the general public.