First Blog

This is my first blog, or ANY sort and its kind of cool to have a space to share my ideas with others and get feedback. I am hoping that the flamers will leave it alone even while anticipating at least, SOME spirited debate!!! I put a post at MiamiSprings.com that was 'somehow" erased. I was discussing the problems I have discerning the intentions and motivation of our City manager. There are several people who believe that he is a good guy who occasionally makes mistakes. I do not know him that well personally to ascertain why he does the stuff he does. All I can go by is what I see.
What I see is a guy who spends TRIPLE the usual and customary cost on EACH and EVERY construction project undertaken in the past three years +. The CC was a 520 square foot enclosure of two walls that should have cost $65,000 at most to construct and another 25k for renovations ( $125 a square foot times 520 square feet= 65k). Add another 35k for renovations, tables, chairs, and the new bar and the total shouldn't have been over 100k ! We paid (at least) 401k ! and probably considerably more. Where did the extra money go? That's a $300,000 cost overrun and the FIRST TRIPLE!

Then we built two bathrooms at 558 square feet each. (558 x 125 = 70k, and includes a VERY nice 25% profit for thee contractor!). We paid $350,000 for THAT project! Where did all THAT money go? Into whose pocket? That's another $280,000 right there that disappeared. A SECOND triple!!!

To top that we built up the bathrooms to meet flood plain requirements, one 8 inches and the other 14 inches. An experienced local contractor examined that project in detail and said he could do both of those bathroom elevations in ONE DAY for less than $5000. How much did we pay? $38,500, more than SEVEN TIMES the actual costs. And they knew ALL the time that the elevations were going to be necessary prior to starting the project!

Its hard to top that but the City tried when they "realized?" they had allowed for NO WATER, SEWER, or ELECTRICAL connections. Who would build bathrooms with NO connections? Of WHAT possible value would THAT be? They FORGOT?? And THIS is professional management? Please... They THOUGHT they could do it in house? Why didn't they know? I am not sure if the electrical stuff is hooked up yet or not.

So they hooked up the sewer lines, generously estimated at 250 feet, and charged us $33,000. The usual and customary costs for running sewer lines is $8 per linear foot (8 x 250= $2000). Add in labor and a trencher, plus a 25% profit for the contractor and the total costs are less than $ 5,000. Where did THOSE cost overruns of over SIX times go?

And they are not finished milking us on these bathrooms because they STILL do not meet the County's codes in that they have NO water fountains OR a sink for the mops. So the City manager will be returning AGAIN to milk some MORE money out of us and our tax dollars. How much is enough? When do we say ENOUGH!!!
Stay tuned, as this sad saga continues (for us residents). It isn't sad for the City because they apparently don't care if they throw away our tax monies.