We remain concerned that the complacent composition of the public Audubon Commission, coupled with the unceasing profit agenda of the private Audubon Nature Institute, will mean that the Park's future will remain one of ad hoc and commercially-driven development not based on any consideration of the general public interest. Until a reconstituted Audubon Commission takes public input and accountability seriously, the ANI will continue to operate outside the purview of our city's zoning ordinances, land use plans, and alcoholic beverage laws.

In honor of Bob Becker's current foray into the world of constructing expensive new golf courses, this time in his role as CEO of City Park rather than VP of Planning for the Audubon Institute (visit CityParkNOLA.org), a job he held until July 2001, we thought it was time to remind people ONCE AGAIN of how this one turned out. Who knows: some day, reality may prevail over hype and misinformation.

The Audubon Commission Financial Statements of 2003 proudly note that "the newly renovated Audubon Park Golf Course and new Audubon Park Clubhouse generated additional revenues of approximately $1,540,000." They chose not to mention that expenses of over $2 million were also generated, resulting in a hefty loss for the new course in its first year of 2003, a pattern that has continued every year since... as predicted by many who opposed the course in 2001. We've charted the numbers for 1995-2009 below, and attached the financial records for the skeptics.

While we've certainly never claimed to understand Audubon Institute economics, it seems that earning $60,000-$80,000 a year from an "old" golf course is far preferable to consistently losing $500,000-$600,000 a year from a new one instead. While revenues for year 5 of operation (2008) are certainly higher than the $1,318,449 projected by their economic study, the corresponding expenses for year 5 are projected at a mere $948,308 rather than the grim reality of $2,345,956.

Is this really what the AC-ANI had in mind? And more importantly, does this sound like good management to you? For an organization that receives almost one-third of its revenues each year from our tax dollars and spent $6 million of mostly public dollars to build this golf course, perhaps a bit of public accountability should be expected.

Audubon Commission Combining Statement of Revenues and Expenses, 1995-2008

As CEO of the ANI, Ron Forman continues to be paid far more than any comparable colleagues by a relentlessly wide margin.

In 2010, Forman's total compensation rose to $689,989.00, despite the fact that the ANI 's net deficit doubled to -$1,870,002.00 as compared to 2009's already substantial deficit of -$989,317, for the third year in a row of deficit spending

In 2009, Forman's compensation rose yet again from the previous year, to $831,356... despite the ANI finishing the year with a net deficit of -$989,317.

In 2008, Forman's compensation slipped to $552,694.00 as the ANI finished the year with a net deficit of -$1,431,716.

In 2007, Forman's compensation was a whopping $799,398.00 on net revenue of a mere $1,499,565.

[From 2003, updated 2007] Despite the ANI's claim that the new golf course was necessary to provide 'operational funds for maintenance of Audubon Park', their much-heralded new facility finished its first full year of operation (2003) firmly in the red, with a loss of $212,696, plus depreciation of $123,604 for a total Operating Loss of $336,300. Their 'not-a-restaurant' clubhouse food service, however, accounted for 24% of total revenue in 2003, far more than the 3% they had projected.

But even though the ANI quickly began renting the clubhouse as a private party rental facility, something they had vowed would never happen (see below), the golf facility has continued to lose money. In 2007, with operating revenues of $1,818,402 and expenses of $2,154,702, the Audubon Golf Course closed 2007 with an Operating Loss of $415,819.

Separating fact from fiction on Audubon's oft-repeated claim that they operate without receiving substantial public funding.

"Without receiving any operational support from public money ...we have significantly improved park services ..." (Ron Forman, letter to the Times-Picayune, 8-14-01)

From the outset, ANI officials doggedly insisted that the function of the new clubhouse was to provide facilities "for the comfort of users of the golf course". In a deposition from January 2003, Dale Stastny swore under oath that NO non-golf related functions would be allowed in the building, weddings and wedding receptions specifically would not be permitted in the clubhouse, and that if someone asked to hold such an event in the clubhouse, they would be told "no".

We believe that if a Master Plan for Audubon Park had existed before the golf course redevelopment was started, not only would there have been much less controversy, but the redevelopment would have been more sensitive to the interests of the wider park-going public.

The Audubon Commission and Audubon Nature Institute were in the process of developing such a plan before Katrina. However, we remain concerned that any plan will not ultimately protect Audubon Park from further unwarranted development brought on by the financial imperatives of its guardians, and at the expense of the passive green space, public accessibility and tranquility of this valuable urban oasis.

By Greg LaRose, New Orleans City Business, March 29, 2012

Children’s Hospital has notified the state that it wants to purchase New Orleans Adolescent Hospital, the adjacent mental health care facility that has been closed since 2009.

The Times-Picayune reports that Dale Stastny, longtime COO of the Audubon Nature Institute, has announced his retirement at the end of 2011. But their description of Stastny as "Ron Forman's right-hand man" actually understates his role: when it came to the day-to-day running of the ANI over the past ten years, behind the scenes he has often seemed to do the work of BOTH of Ron's hands. In addition, even during contentious controversies over whatever project or development the ANI was plotting, Dale Stastny could usually be counted on to be unfailingly respectful and courteous to members of the public, even when they were the vocal opposition. We often wondered over the years how he put up with doing so much of the real work for less than half of Ron Forman's whopping compensation...

Ironically, when asked which ANI project has been "most satisfying", he apparently cited the redeveloped Audubon golf course, a project that has LOST an average of $450,000 a year since the start!

By Bill Barrow, The Times-Picayune, April 16, 2010, 12:05PM

Children's Hospital and Louisiana State University are in talks over an agreement that would allow the Uptown medical facility to expand into the shuttered New Orleans Adolescent Hospital campus.

Children's spokesman Chris Price said the talks have progressed enough for Children's to discontinue its pursuit of 5.5 acres next to Audubon Park, a plan that has sparked considerable resistance from residents of the area.

Media Advisory sent out by Brian Landry of Children's Hospital, Friday, April 16, 2010:

NEW ORLEANS - Children’s Hospital and the state of Louisiana, through LSU, have renewed discussions regarding a possible purchase or lease by Children's Hospital of the former New Orleans Adolescent Hospital (NOAH) property.

Children’s Hospital has previously explored the possibility of acquiring the former NOAH property and is encouraged by these recent talks. For the past several months Children’s has been in negotiations with the Audubon Commission to acquire use of land between the hospital and Audubon Park for expansion purposes. In light of these recent discussions with LSU, efforts to acquire use of the land between the hospital and the park have been discontinued.

First, and most important, the new Master Plan does nothing to protect our public parks from development. If this protection ever comes, it will be as part of a new comprehensive zoning code, which is possibly five years in the future, by which time there may be nothing left to save if the current rate of development is any indication.

Second, there is apparently vast confusion at City Hall as to who in fact owns and controls certain parcels of land that are historically a part of Audubon Park. This does not bode well for any positive outcome.

We don't know exactly where the confusion lies, but it seems unlikely that the question is whether the Audubon Commission can own property separate from its role to "administer, operate, and maintain" city property as per the Home Rule Charter. Section 5-802 (pp 150-151) of the Home Rule Charter of the City of New Orleans reads...

In a WWLTV interview January 19th, Children’s Hospital Vice President of Marketing Brian Landry is quoted as saying “What we're talking about is land that's adjacent to this campus that's always been zoned for medical services. The initial master plan was always to develop that site.”

This mysterious Master Plan to which Mr Landry refers is certainly not the Master Plan developed by the Audubon Institute under public pressure between 2000 and 2004, shown on this site's home page, and not the new city Master Plan that has been in development with extensive public input since 2005, shown here. The land use and zoning map pictured here, dated January 6, 2010, is the Master Plan and Zoning map that the New Orleans City Planning Commission approved on Jan 26, 2010, after almost 2 years of work and a $2 million investment. On this map, it shows the land correctly zoned as park, appropriate both to its historical use and its ownership by the city's Audubon Park Commission since 1949.

The Audubon Commission is considering a plan to give part of Audubon Park to Children's Hospital for development. The project will include at least two additional buildings ranging from 2-6 stories and a parking lot. This would mean that they would take over the portion of Audubon Park which is now the tennis courts on Tchoupitoulas and Avenger Baseball/soccer field and stretch all the way to to the street alongside the Zoo and Exposition Blvd. (East Drive), and will also stretch from Tchoupitoulas all the way to the levee. The tennis courts would then have to be moved to what is now green space on the Fly.