Thank you for your comment, and we commend you for stepping forward with all these details; however, your assertions would be so much more compelling, if you can back up your forceful claims against former Councilmember George Zika and former City Manager Richard Ambrose with some official documents on the once-controversial Tralee project. As it stands now, your statement is no more or less believable than the series of misinformation-laden anonymous comments we have received in the past few days. Given Mr. Zika’s professional background in the Government Accountability Office and his reputation as a detail-oriented councilmember, we feel his concerns are legitimate and persuasive. We do not know if former City Manager Ambrose was publicly opposed to the Tralee project, but he is widely credited for the budget cushion he has created for the City of Dublin since our incorporation.

The Around Dublin Team has nothing against the Tralee project. We love Extreme PIzza and Dublin Smiles, and we want all the shops there to succeed beyond expectation. Again, thank you for stepping forward, and we hope you will be able to provide some links to official Staff Reports and Council Meeting Minutes to back up your serious allegations.

Second, the traffic study showed that the Dublin Blvd/Dougherty Intersection could not handle the traffic of a big box user. If Mr. Zika and his buddy, the former City Manager, would have supported the project instead of trying to fight it the entire process, the project would have been finished several years earlier and the builder would not have missed the market.

It is a beautiful development caught in these tough economic times. The builder has reopened the townhouse sales office and is anxious to finish the condos above the retail. They are working with the banks and the City to do so. The retail is slowly but surely filling up. What is built has a great feel, great tenants, and I hope the community comes to support them. When the project is finally completed, it will be the jewel of Dublin (actually, it already is). We should be thankful for City Council members like Sbranti, McCormick, Oravetz and Mayor Lockhart to have the vision of approving projects like this. Let’s build some more!!

A Trustee’s Sale is simply s public auction that is open to all bidders and the property is usually awarded to the highest bidder who meets all the criteria set by the Trustee. Thank you.

George Zika on the Tralee