commentary

The bathroom numbers of 140k come from a General Contractor with over 25 years experience, are itemized line by line, AND includes a 25% profit in that 140k figure. THAT is the actual cost of building the bathroom. He assures me that 20-25% profit is the usual and customary profit margins for new construction in S Fla. So WHY did we pay 414k+ ??? Thats 280k MORE than the actual cost. WHERE did that 280k go? When I ask Gym he has NO answer, except, "You dont understand". I do understand that 280k of our tax monies disappeared on that project, along with 350k on the CC project. This is what I mean when I say there is NO accountability or transparency in our City government. Is there ANYBODY who disputes these numbers? If so, lets see their numbers, and explanations. 558 square feet each bathroom times 2 is 1116 square feet. Times $125 a square foot = 140k. $125 a square foot is usual and customary building costs according to my insurance company and the GC. I say again- WHERE did the EXTRA 280k go? AND the extra 350k for the CC project? Dr. Mel P. Johnson

commentary

Telling a Council who approved 207k bathrooms they did a GREAT job makes one a HERO? Giving compliments to a City Manager who FORGOT to include water, sewer, and electrical hookups to those bathrooms was a sign of excellence in management? A Council that willingly paid $600 a square foot for the CC enclosure, FIVE TIMES what it SHOULD have cost, is doing a great job? A Council that refused to let the people vote on the new gym is showing leadership? A Council that wouldnt have let the people vote on annexation until we FORCED them to with a 1371 signature petition is listening to and responsive to the residents??? Please. These guys cant spell the words oversight and supervision, much less DO IT! THIS is the Council Chet is sucking up to. This makes him a hero? Not in my book. Anybody with an ounce of common sense and decency could see right thru them. He probably IS a hero to all those making those obscene profits at our expense! Dr. Mel P. Johnson

commentary

Keeping the golf course as it is, and NOT allowing high rises into the City are NOT Springs issues? What planet are YOU on? The golf course is the most valuable natural asset in the City. NOT allowing high rises that would spoil our small town atmosphere is also an important issue. Since when, and by whom, has those issues been deemed to be unimportant? They are certainly important to the residents I talk to as I travel around the City! Signs are being stolen, defaced, and run over; rumors, lies and innuendos are being spread all over town; old ladies with challenger signs are having their house egged, and yet some people are upset about a flyer in their mailbox???? Unbelievable. Dr. Mel P. Johnson

take your own advice

There used to be a cleaning commercial and the star was a bald-headed guy named Mr Clean. Hmmmm. Wonder if THIS Mr Clean is bald-headed? or close to it? Lets see, Gym is almost bald, right? I wonder if Mr Clean could be our own Gymbo? Come on, Gym, for ONCE sign your post instead of hiding behind the anonymity that you use, but dont want others to use! We KNOW you monitor this site regularly and frequently rail against those who dont sign. Set a precedent. Take your own advice. You have said in the past that those who dont sign are cowards. Are YOU one of those cowards, Gym? Have a nice day. Dr. Mel P. Johnson

comments

I went on the MS.gov site but was unable to find the annexation pamphlet. Garcia said that all the details would be on the website. Are they there and I just missed it? Or perhaps they arent there, another detail FORGOTTEN (like the bathroom hookups). Whooops! Perhaps its not forgotten, just incredibly DELAYED due to the exotic and complicated technological and software requirements for that particular task! It may very well NOT happen anytime soon, perhaps, to take a wild guess, right AFTER the election! It is similar to the arduous, time-consuming, and demanding task of putting the agenda on the website when it might actually have some use! BEFORE the meeting! Gorland is in charge of IT - nuff said. Dr. Mel P. Johnson

Mind Readers Anonymous

Well I am certainly relieved to hear that I dont own all the town, and therefore responsible for all the towns problems. Somehow, I AM now responsible for there not being more business and customers in our town. The ever-deepening recession has NOTHING to do with it- its all my fault. Even more troubling to learn, I have now become a fire-starter and arsonist. Perhaps we should call in an arson investigator as apparently I have started several fires recently and neglected to have somebody come to put them out. This would be amusing if it wasnt so transparent, pathological, and pathetic. For the 26th time I invite ANYBODY to dispute the numbers I have presented here regarding the bathrooms and the CC addition. Simply present your verifiable nubers and the rationale behind them. When I asked Gym to justify those numbers in his office all he could say was," You dont understand", at least seven times while shaking his head back and forth. NO REPLY, transparency, or accountability. If there are others out there who wish to present numbers they feel are better reflections of those projects feel free to present them HERE. Remember, these are the numbers straight from City Hall. After 20+ years in mental health working with troubled people I was very surprised and even a little shocked to learn that I dont like people. Fortunately, we have highly trained and experienced people in our community who can, and have, analyzed me completely and are prepared to tell me what I like and dont like in no uncertain terms! They are mind readers, somehow, and there are apparently several of them here in town. People spend thousands of dollars and years in psychotherapy yet our experts do it in a couple weeks for free! For those tortured and miserable souls I can only hope they find the right antipsychotic medication soon. Dr. Mel P. Johnson

frugal vs folly

When the City Manager says ".. we have always been a frugal city", hes joking, right? Does he call paying 280k OVER AND ABOVE the actual cost for the bathrooms being frugal? Does he call spending an extra 350k over and above the actual cost of the CC addition being frugal? How so? Can he explain that? IF we had that 630k that disappeared from those TWO projects alone the proposed 1.3 million deficit would be cut in HALF! IF we put a new roof, floor, walls, plumbing, electric, and sprinkler system on the current gym for TWO million INSTEAD OF the 6.8 million in additional tax burdens of a new gym, we would have plenty of money left and NO NEW DEBT. THAT is being frugal, while getting the job done with the money we have on hand. It is living within our budget and doing what we can afford. HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of our tax dollars disappearing is not frugal; it is folly, or worse. Dr. Mel P. Johnson