Tuesday, March 14, 2017

AND SUDDENLY, A NEW GMS CONTAINER AND GREASE BARREL

By Juan Montoya
Call it the Rick Longoria Syndrome.
Did you ever notice how streets suddenly get paved just before the city elections?
That has always happened when District 1 city commissioner rick Longoria is running for reelection. 

Well, it seems that his compadres (Beto and his company. as Rick says) over at GMS – one of three companies vying for the five-year, $50 million business and commercial solid waste contract – have taken a page from Rick's playbook.


Right after we ran a post showing a rusted out trash container from a downtown business (see graphic below), GMS employees suddenly turned up and replaced it after the business owner had tried unsuccessfully to have it replaced through the company's office. 

And not only did the business owner get a new container, but the company also threw in a new grease barrel to boot.

The pressure must be on GMS to show that it deserves to keep the lucrative contract above Allied and Redfish, the other two companies that submitted bids. Using a suspect "value-added" formula, tity management and the purchasing department opted to recommend that GMS be awarded the contract.

Purchasing Agent Robert Luna estimated that the "value-added" items that GMS would provide the city would total an estimated $580,900.00 each fiscal year.
For example, he said that GMS will "continue to provide container lid stops to prevent the container lids from staying open. This will help in the control and prevention of windblown litter resulting in a cleaner environment, among other things.

Continue to accept payment on PUB collections, not billings.
Continue to provide brush and bulky waste pick-up on major City streets every Wednesday “Hot-Shot Brush."
Continue to provide Charro Days parade route Port-a-Cans (uh?)
Continue to provide downtown alley clean-up maintenance."

We ran into city commission candidate Erasmo Castro who said that instead of allowing a single company a monopoly on solid waste in the city, that the companies be allowed to compete on a free-market basis. Whoever gives the best deal to individual companies will get the business, he said. That way, the consumer benefits from the competition.

Castro is facing incumbent Rose Gowen for the At-Large "B" position.

And we also ran into a business owner that says that in San Marcos, such a system is in place and that as a result the cost of having a container is much lower than in Brownsville. At one time, the city handled this task, but spiraling retirement benefits for the city employees led it away from that system.

"Harlingen and McAllen have city-operated solid waste handling," he said. "Brownsville used to have that, too. They should just let the free market forces loose and see how competitive they can become to provide better service to the business and industrial clients."

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

You can bring in all the shiny new trash containers you want, Juan, but this is still a dirty damned town, bro!

Anonymous said...

Rick Longoria would rather look at and eat pussy, right?

Anonymous said...

Did Castro suggest that each business hire their own trash company?

That would be a disaster - what a stupid suggestion.

Please stop talking about him and giving him the free press ... That was the most moronic idea in the WORLD!!

Anonymous said...

I would think you have magic powers. Except that You keep posting about the superintendedant and we have yet to get a new one. The one we have is old, smells and looks worn out too.

Anonymous said...

Dos chiscados running for the same position. When will Brownsville
get ahead. Have you notice the increase use of bicycles in Brownsville?The ones I see are those selling elotes from Matamoros or carrying trash to the recycle place on 14th. What a waste of money spent on all those bicycle trails only a few use and or streets are in worse shape than those in Matamoros. Yes, and who do we elect that will do something about it?

Anonymous said...

True to that Matamoros has better streets than all this city

Anonymous said...

Did you run into Erasmo when he was paying you to run this ad/article? Oh wait, that would involve him being in Brownsville, not at the Austin Goodwill finding used hemorrhoid cushions for his Austin home.

Anonymous said...

So,STOP YOUR BITCHING AND GTFO!

Anonymous said...

Culo. That's all we care about.

Anonymous said...

Why is it a bad idea to have more than one company picking up trash and letting the consumers decide who provides the best service at the best price?

Anonymous said...

Honestly with all shit left behind what does Erasmo Castro know about politics? Just a question Alot of people i know voted for him the ladt time now they have decided not to cause he is a dick.

Anonymous said...

Most people who vote for the pig, are just like him, don't know any thing about politics, they just like him for the Chisme, the only thing he knows to do, pinche comadre gorda.

Anonymous said...

Comma much?

Anonymous said...

Great idea

Anonymous said...

He is a total idiot ( Erasmo Castro) only someone stupid would vote for him there is a big differece beetween chismes and politics get is strait vato..

Cantinflas said...

GMS has been doing the business / commercial trash business in Brownsville since 1986 huh that's 30 years plus, so they are going to grease some hand palms to stay in business no matter what, this contract is worth $$$$ millions $$$$ so don't think for one minute that is going to be done fair and square. No way not in Brownsville or any other valley city, corruption at its best folks just wait and see. Puro chorizo San Manuel.

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