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Ogden • After an hour of deliberating behind closed doors, members of the Ogden Records Review Board voted unanimously in favor of releasing a prospective "Field House" donor list to citizen activist Dan Schroeder.
Chief Deputy City Attorney Mara Brown argued that the list should be protected as part of the city's procurement process and that its release could hinder fundraising efforts for the $40 million indoor recreation facility. City administrators hope it can one day serve as a regional attraction to downtown Ogden.
Schroeder, a frequent critic of Mayor Matthew Godfrey, came armed with the section of Utah law that defines procurement as the buying or leasing of supplies, services or construction.
"We should use this definition of procurement rather than the Webster's Dictionary definition" — in the context of government operations, Schroeder said. "Under this definition, procurement means spending money, not soliciting funds."
Following a lengthy private discussion, the panel ruled to release the document.
"The city has explored several things in their attempt to identify GRAMA support for their contention that this list is not public," said board member Eugene Hart.
After reviewing the city's procurement policy, Hart concluded it was "an unrealistic stretch to attempt to connect a list of potential donors to procurement in Ogden City."
"The document does not qualify for exemption from disclosure," Hart added.
"We also discussed whether donations were equivalent to grants," said board member Janene Eller-Smith, who serves as policy analyst for Ogden's City Council. "We concluded they are not the same thing."
While the five-acre Field House concept — with a 60,000-square-foot water park, six tennis courts, 250-meter cycling track, Olympic-sized pool, indoor sports field and more — has broad-based support in theory, no one has yet come forward to pledge hard cash.
In mid-February, Weber County's Recreation, Arts, Museums and Parks (RAMP) board denied the city's request for a $2.4 million grant that city administrators hoped could serve as seed money for gathering the remaining funds.
Andy Blackburn, attorney for Ogden's Record Review Board, has five days to issue the board's decision in writing.
Then city officials will have a 30-day window to appeal that ruling in Ogden's 2nd District Court. Without an appeal, the prospective donor list will be released to Schroeder. He said said he believes making the document's contents available serves the public interest, by allowing an assessment of community support for the pricey project.