Schipske: Schroeder Hall documents aren't up to snuff

Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske says in her blog and a statement released today that something is amiss from the city's application with the federal government to resuse the Schroeder Hall Army Reserve Center at Willow Street and Grand Avenue.

That plan, of course, is the one that has stirred up a hornets nest of East Long Beach residents -- the site would be used for a new police substation, but a mental health facility for the homeless would be built across the street next to the Department of Health and Human Services. The feds require that former millitary bases provide some form of homeless services if requested by local homeless service agencies.

Schipske, whose 5th District contains Schroeder Hall, has asked the council Tuesday to rescind its December 2007 vote approving the project. Furthermore, now Schipske says that in reviewing the Schroeder Hall application that the city submitted to the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, she has discovered what she perceives as two problems. From her blog:

I have two serious concerns about the statements included in the submission. First of all, it contains several 'guiding principles' that were not approved by City Council.  The submission also fails to disclose to HUD the fact that when the Council voted on the reuse of Schroeder Hall in December 2007 and before the application was submitted three months later, that there were numerous objections by residents of the adjacent neighborhood. Moreover, I specifically asked that those objections be submitted as part of the official record and I don't see them in the submission.

While this may light an even bigger fire under Schroeder Hall opponents, whether it actually influences the council to withdraw the project is another matter. City Attorney Robert Shannon has warned there may be legal consequences associated with resubmitting the proposal to the feds, and city management says doing so could take the site completely out of the city's hands.

Councilman Patrick O'Donnell was the only council member to vote against the plan originally, and Schipske's obviously on board now too. Councilwoman Rae Gabelich has hinted she might be open to rescinding the past vote as well, but it's doubtful that many more council members will join in -- not only because of the legal risks, but because they sure don't want to take a chance that the homeless services end up in their districts instead.