  Eric Member Username: Eric Post Number: 1143 Registered: 11-2004 |
Of course, the deputy director is on the friends and family plan. Council tears into rec officials for wanting more money By Zachary Gorchow • Free Press Staff Writer • May 15, 2008 City of Detroit's Northwest Activities Center, which underwent a massive $16-million overhaul last year, needs a new roof because the old one wasn't replaced in the renovation and is leaking. City Council members tore into Recreation Department officials today over their request for an additional $2.5 million to install a new roof with a redesigned drainage system. The situation was so severe in the fall that buckets had to be set up in one area of the facility and there was minor damage to some light fixtures, officials told the council. http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll /article?AID=/20080515/NEWS01/ 80515046 | ||
Rrl Member Username: Rrl Post Number: 961 Registered: 12-2003 |
Wow, what complete stupidity; why on earth would anyone pump $16-mill into a building without first making sure the envelope was watertight. Second, I don't know this building and it's size, but $2.5 million for a roof is a LOT of money. The company I work for just managed a roof replacement on a high-rise building in Chicago (46-stories) that was $900K, and this was no small roof, building is one square city block. $2.5 mill would have to be a complete tear off and reconstruction of the roof. I guess just how things get done bass-ackwards in the City. | ||
Viziondetroit Member Username: Viziondetroit Post Number: 1694 Registered: 11-2003 |
Another Verizon moment for Detroit... ARE YOU IN? There is NO WAY the roof on that location is 2.5. Was there an RFP issued? | ||
Lilpup Member Username: Lilpup Post Number: 4280 Registered: 06-2004 |
stupidity or manipulation - it's a way to back the Council into a corner and force them into spending more than they want to - how can they deny roofwork after pumping $16 million into renovation? | ||
Gnome Member Username: Gnome Post Number: 1241 Registered: 08-2007 |
Lawrence Hemingway Cass Tech '88, football teammate '02, exec. asst. to mayor II, $65,000 Dep. dir. Dept. of Recreation, $112,499 | ||
Lilpup Member Username: Lilpup Post Number: 4281 Registered: 06-2004 |
now check the project contractors (past and present) | ||
Viziondetroit Member Username: Viziondetroit Post Number: 1696 Registered: 11-2003 |
Does the word BUDGET mean anything? You had one project approved which @ 16 mil should have included the roof. You can't go back to the well for more. It's not even considered OVER budget at this point because this would be a new project. I personally think Kwame should foot the bill, as part of his Kwame KEEP THE CHANGE type antics lol. | ||
Paulmcall Member Username: Paulmcall Post Number: 1010 Registered: 05-2004 |
Can't blame outsiders for this one. | ||
Plymouthres Member Username: Plymouthres Post Number: 540 Registered: 02-2007 |
Remember, this is the same department responsible for Fort Wayne.......a museum type structure that is run by Rec? Go figure! Recently, we approached the Rec. Dept. on allowing us to strip and re-roof the Tuskegee Airmen Museum on site. Our bid for doing the roof was just a bit north of $2,000.00 in materials and labor would be free. We even offered to come in and secure the artifacts that were getting destroyed by the rain that was constantly leaking in and fix the damage to the interior. The Airmen, themselves, were ecstatic at the offer. I now find out that they have contracted-out the job, for the awesome price of......$17,000.00! The reason we were given for not being able to do the job was that we were not on the cities "contractor list". Since we have a couple of us who are licensed residential builders, we asked, then, what we needed to do to get on the list. Their answer-good luck! The same thing happened recently with the Quarter Master's shop. It, too, needed a roof. We could have done it for about $5,000.00. Instead, they spent $17,000.00, had historically accurate venting destroyed and we, as a Coalition, had to file insurance claims for the tools that were stolen by the contractors who did the work! Talk about stepping over dollars to pick-up nickles. Reminds me of them refusing the infusion of $250 million from that guy a few years back to open new charter schools. Even when it is good for the city, if the chain isn't greased, it gets all bound up... What a shame. The apathy of the citizenry is to blame because they don't demand better representatives in government. Rec===Sports, not history! | ||
Dannyv Member Username: Dannyv Post Number: 197 Registered: 08-2007 |
Pr, It's must be terribly frustrating to watch the waste and apathy that governs this town. Have you taken your story to TV2 or one of the dailies? | ||
Gannon Member Username: Gannon Post Number: 12882 Registered: 12-2003 |
Plymouthres, You KNOW how to get on the approved contractor's list? THAT is the mechanism that the Bobby Ferguson's of the world have used to bilk the city out of what has become their personal fortune. IF you don't have pigmentation similar to those in power in this town, you can give away whatever you want, and they will not take it. That is the whole story...and you know it. Racism rears its ugly head...sure would like to hear the likes of Blkest_soulx on this one. There is NO excuse for this sort of behavior...easily 30% of that went right to the McNamara/Kilpatrick power structure, from the city's own coffers...from the taxpayer's money. And surely they didn't gain a thing from it, but some will vigorously defend this shitty practise. NO cheers on this one. | ||
Plymouthres Member Username: Plymouthres Post Number: 544 Registered: 02-2007 |
No. I am worried that we might be asked to leave already for what I've said here. They would have no problem dismissing us for me outing them, believe me. Although we spent over 6,000 volunteer hours restoring the Fort over the last two years, truth like this will get us outed. We feel constantly threatened that if we say anything, we will be out like the unwanted stepchild! You are correct, I am frustrated. But if we give up now, what happens then? We all need to get pissed enough to stand together and take this town back from the vampires that have enveloped it's being. CUB FOR MAYOR! | ||
Lilpup Member Username: Lilpup Post Number: 4286 Registered: 06-2004 |
But keep your eyes open in your own backyard, too, PR. That lone wall propped up in your town isn't a happy scene either. | ||
Plymouthres Member Username: Plymouthres Post Number: 545 Registered: 02-2007 |
Lilpup- Forgive me, but I lost you. Please elaborate? | ||
Lilpup Member Username: Lilpup Post Number: 4287 Registered: 06-2004 |
The Daisy factory wall propped up, waiting to fall down and the Markham (sp?) house that'll probably be lost (Message edited by lilpup on May 15, 2008) | ||
Plymouthres Member Username: Plymouthres Post Number: 546 Registered: 02-2007 |
I'm going to the FSC. I'll answer later, but Plymouth at least funds the stuff they don't tear down. You don't see caved-inroofs anywhere here, and the last time I checked, neither of the places you mentioned stood on the National Trust for Historic Preservation hit lists. They were also not involved in the coining of the name "Arsenal of Democracy". We will talk later and I will provide many, many more examples. Thanks for the explanation. |
