Remember EarthQuest, the dinosaur/ecology theme park proposed for Montgomery County?
I’m promoting this from a comment left on my “Contact the proprietor” page. The original can be found here.
Awesome blog about Earthquest. Here is an update:
The Earthquest Institute is now defunct and its CEO (as Don Allen Holbrook LLC) is suing John and Jane Does who have dared to comment about this project and his involvement in it. He is also suing the Tribune, Cynthia Calvert, The Houston Press, Craig Malisow, The Pahrump Valley Times and me (Soapboxmom).
Earthquest Adventures will be remembered for this frivolous, harassment suit filed by Holbrook in an effort to stifle public debate about this matter of public concern. Holbrook apparently thinks the taxpayers should have no say in how their tax dollars are spent.
Please also watch for updates on the Earthquest Facebook page.
I was not aware that Holbrook was suing folks. If so, this is a revolting development. Since I’ve been on vacation the past couple of days, I haven’t had a chance to follow-up with soapboxmom on this, so I don’t know if she and other folks involved have legal representation yet. I assume the Houston Press has lawyers on retainer, but I’m not sure about the other folks named.
(soapboxmom, I would like to follow up with you on that. Please feel free to email me at one of the addresses on the contact page.)
Don Allen Holbrook is apparently wanting a huge First Amendment fight and he is going to get it! He has had ample opportunity to identify any false statement of fact made by any party anywhere and he has not done so. I guess he wants to take this to court so his detractors will have be able to make detailed discovery requests. He is not going to silence discussions of matters of public concern as long as I am alive.
http://www.realscam.com/f11/don-allen-holbrook-iedc-international-economic-development-council-rogue-member-1240/index20.html#post24529
The City of Huber Heights has motioned to strike the Third-party Complaint or alternatively try it separately or sever it. His bid to silence the taxpayers looks likely to fail! At least Don Allen Holbrook is getting a deluge of publicity thanks to his legal adventures!
Soapboxmom
Here is the latest filing in Don Allen Holbrook LLCs frivolous, harassment suit:
http://www.realscam.com/f11/don-allen-holbrook-iedc-international-economic-development-council-rogue-member-1240/index23.html#post25006
Don Allen Holbrook’s frivolous harassment suit seems to be falling apart. He has dismissed the case against the Houston Press and Craig Malisow before they even had the chance to file a response. Malisow was the linchpin for Holbrook’s entire case.
Holbrook is still pursuing the remaining parties, including the John and Jane Doe taxpayers who have commented in these matters of vital public concern. Trying to silence folks discussing where their tax dollars are going is an outrage! I don’t think he should ever receive another dime from a governmental entity ever again!
Now Don Holbrook is demanding more money from EMCID for his failed Earthquest Institute debacle for which he was paid a ridiculous $185.00 an hour.
EarthQuest Institute
Tuesday
Hello Everyone,
I wanted to give you all my assessment of the situation with regard to EarthQuest Institute and the connection with the now reorganized EarthQuest Adventures Theme Park project. These are my opinions alone.
First, Dr. Matt Gardner and myself (Don A. Holbrook) have not been formally affiliated with the project since 2010. That is because the Non-Profit lost it’s financial suppor
t from EMCID, and could no longer pay us for our time spent on the project. When this occurred the former staff ceased all fundraising efforts seeking clarification on how to progress EQI from the board and EMCID, but did not get any direction from the Board of Directors and EMCID suggested we place the status on hiatus until the Theme Park could be finalized. In fact, Dr. Gardner, Myself and another staff member continued to perform our contractually obligated services at the request of EQI and EMCID and we have not been paid after almost two years for our time, which was deferred under a promise of payment that EMCID assured us would be forthcoming. Finally, the former staff resigned and have awaited our final compensation now for over two years. Therefore, while I remain very supportive of EQI, I cannot represent EQI or respond to requests for more information uncompensated for my time. I am not representing the opinions of the former staff with this statement, just explaining my own assessment and opinions of the situation. I do feel an obligation to continue to seek payment for all those that have not been paid by the non-profit at this point as a responsibility in looking out for those that trusted the Non-profit would pay it’s obligations. It has been over two years and still as of last week I was told by EMCID that they would seek some avenue to provide payment of these obligations through EQI but do not want to provide such payments directly to the staff and vendors. In my opinion EMCID is just trying to deflect the scrutiny that they must face for the oversight of this situation and the existing financial obligations that exist mostly due to their pledge of support originally to the EQI.
At this time, the original board of directors no longer exists or is not functional. Leon Cubillas the EMCID Chair was unelected, so I believe according to the formation by-laws the new Chair Person of EQI would probably be Connie Bloodworth of EMCID or whomever the EMCID board chooses to appoint to that position. The original developer also had a required seat on the EQI board. But John Marlin, the original developer representative no longer controls the Global EarthQuest Adventures Theme Park project. It will now be a discussion by EMCID the only remaining board member as to how to fill that position or whether to seek the new developer as a participant, and of course the new developer would need to decide if they want such a responsibility. It was EMCID that created the guidelines for the original requirements of the board structure for EQI as a point of consideration in the original theme park development agreements. Mr. Don Lessem the original creative idea and founder was the third seat by rule of the formation and by-laws but he has formally resigned and does not want to be responsible for EQI debts and/or mission any further. This was confirmed yet again today when he emailed and copied me on his position. That seat will need to be filled by EMCID’s involvement in this matter as well.
All the files related to the EQI have been turned over to the Federal Government until EMCID and the remaining board members can take corrective action to address the EQI debts and on-going concerns. I do not want any involvement with the responsibility of such records. It should be noted that in my opinion the records are not only very factual and correct at least through the time the staff was involved, but also all tax filings were filed as well. Therefore the financial records should be very accurate to my knowledge.
Please do not reference the former staff, who were contracted to manage the EQI and implement the Board of Directors ideas for how to progress EQI as part of the basis for why EQI is not functioning or responding to the media. Nothing could be further from the truth.
In fact, during the recent EMCID election I sought out input from the EQI board members and EMCID as to posting information that would be accurate so no blame could be unfairly aimed at the staff or others involved because there was no reason in my opinion not to be transparent on the EQI status. But even after we wrote a media statement, it was not released to the media by EMCID, who had paid for the creation of the statement by their media consultant. I do not know why EMCID choose not to release the press release, but in my opinion that was a mistake in judgement that created additional negative speculation on the situation, where none should have been merited.
In my opinion the EQI situation is squarely the results of the original board of directors not fulfilling their obligations to provide adequate funding and direction for the EQI on obligations they approved. These obligations include the payment of the former staff for undertaking and carrying out their instructions and the payment of all authorized vendors.
Furthermore, EMCID has stated to me that once the new theme park project gets funded that EQI is going to be addressed and brought forward again in connection with the for profit project as a major element of the projects vision for a sustainable message underlying the fun elements of the theme park. I do not know the definitive position of the new developer on this subject at this time. What I believe is that by being silent on this issue EMCID is further damaging the EQI reputation and making it ever more difficult to reestablish trust in the Greater Houston community.
I wish EQI nothing but good luck, and I believe the original message and mission is still very valid and critical. In my opinion, without the continued support financially of EMCID as it was pledged and without the developer providing a well documented funding strategy for the phase one construction of a facility and operations of EQI the non-profit will struggle and more than likely be a complete failure. The mission was always critically aligned with the theme park. When that becomes an actual reality it may be possible to resurrect EQI, but not with all these unpaid obligations, which give the non-profit a very poor image and a bad reputation with regard to their ethical posture on their business operations.
The original fundraising was carried out as the board of directors had desired and directed it to be and was not adequate enough to maintain the mission. The responses that EQI received from the Greater Houston community were mostly positive but also mainly tied to participation based on the theme park getting funded as a catalyst. Most companies wanted to support it only when the theme park was given the green light and under construction.
Both I and Dr. Gardner have been assured by EMCID in the past that our unpaid time would be addressed and that EMCID would make sure that we are fully paid at some point. I feel we have been more than patient in waiting for our payment and I believe I and the others are owed but a definitive time for who and how we are going to get paid and a plan B for payment if EMCID’s plan to cause that to happen fails. This should include the final payment due to the other staff members and the remaining vendors in my opinion. EMCID had given me and others the promise that our time would be paid off. We took EMCID at their word on this matter.
I just recently was informed of yet more media requests related to EQI and at this point I feel it is most appropriate that any such information requests should be addressed to EMCID in the future. They were the organization ultimately responsible for the formation of EQI and they funded the first two years of operation for the staff and EMCID has control of the development agreement with the new developer with regard to the themepark, so they are the best point of informational contact on this matter.
EMCID will need to decide how and if they intend to stand by their promises and be ethical in their handling of affairs they instigated with EQI and that myself and other relied upon to undertake and perform their work for EQI. Without the assurance of payment by EMCID I can assure you that I do not believe I or anyone else would have given the EQI credit beyond what they were able to pay for monthly out of cash flow.
It is my sincere hope that EQI does get back on track and that the new board of directors restore the good reputation of EQI to the greater Houston community by making sure that they pay-off the original obligations undertaken on EQI’s behalf at the direction of the original board of directors.
Don Holbrook
________________________________________________
This guy should not see another dime of taxpayers money!!!!!