Despite impassioned pleas from Port of Brownsville fishing-trip aficionados CEO Eddie Campirano, board member John Reed, and harbor master Michael Davis that commissioners approve an time that would allow consultant HDR (Shiner-Mosely) to modify a task order agreement that would put yet another pretty penny in the megaengineer company's pocket, a majority of the board tabled the request.
Tito Lopez, Martin Arambula and Carlos Masso said "nyet" to the request place on the agenda by Port Engineer Ariel Chavez. Just last week that commissioners approved a task order agreement with HDR to do yet more work on Dock 16, a multimillion undertaken yweras ago for which the [port has no money.
Earlier in the meeting, financial consultants Hinjosa and Estrada had briefed the commissioners on various schemes to indebt themselves to build new projects, and the outlook didn;t look rosey.
"Basically, the consultant told them that there was no cheap money available to build these projects," said a port employee. "Then here comes HDR asking the commissioners to modify the task order to make it more expensive."
The HDR proposal would have had the company's engineers include the design of a deepening of Dock 16 project to a depth of 50 feet.However, since no dock exists and the commissioners have spent millions on the project already, the new modification proved too much for the commissioners to swallow.
At the port's last meeting, commissioners approved a request from Port Engineer Ariel Chavez to enter into a Task Order Agreement with HDR-Shiner Moseley Engineering for a Redesign and Bid and Award Agreement for the elusive Cargo Dock 16.
A Freedom of Information request by El Rrun-Rrun has revealed that the Port of Brownsville has already doled out more than $2.124 million to the Houston (and Corpus Christi) engineering firm for work on the future Dock 16 and has nothing to show but bare dirt for it.
How much the new "task-order" agreement is worth is not specified on the agenda. But if the past history of the firm's fiscal relationship with the port is any indication, it will be a sweet deal for the Houston engineering firm.
Dock 16 has been a project that has been in the making for years. Throughout that time, the costs for the engineering work have climbed steadily. But unless you know where to look, you will find nothing there but barren real estate at the side of the ship channel.
Incidentally, right next to the future Dock 16 is located the finished Dock 15. The engineering work for that project (not construction, mind you) also went to Shiner-Mosely. That time, however, the company was lenient on the port. They only charged $1.32 million for the engineering on that one.
Now, one many ask, why is it that engineering studies on the soil, compaction, etc. need to be done again seeing how the site is right next to Dock 15, which the port has already paid for? Isn't that a bit redundant, like paying twice (at double the price, apparently) for the same work?
Port commissioners sitting on this board need to ask whether the amounts paid to this company are really justified before they start climbing beyond what is reasonable and fair. And while they're at it, don't local companies exist in the Rio Grande Valley (or Brownsville, for that matter) that are just as capable of performing the same work?
We have seen the fine example of this company's work. They, after all, charged the port $97,872 to prepare the application for the TIGER 1 application that was seeking some $60 million from the federal government. The result of that "small" investment? Zilch, nada, nothing. The government turn down the application.
We know that the some of the port administrators like Campirano and Reed have enjoyed the largess of the company on sumptuous fishing trips at the firm's expense.
But shouldn't the port administration and the sitting board also justify the spiraling costs associated with Dock 16 before we end up with the same embarrassing questions they had to answer with the $21 million bridge that never got built?
For now, however, we can thank Masso, Arambula and Lopez for not swallowing the bait hook, line and sinker.
6 comments:
Where did they get that harbormaster He is full of SHIT a 50 ft (depth) dock when the 18 mile channel is 31 foot..John Reed an Eddie are taking the port to the cleaners.......
If you want to see a boondoggle, go to the drainage district headquarters on old port isabel road. they are spending millions on a park across the street from the sewer plant. it doesn't matter that their purpose is to prevent flooding. they have decided that they should be in the park building and maintenance business. you cant miss the huge metal structure that will be a future waterfall. they are wasting our money and no one cares. not any of our county or city commissioners. just wait unitl the next flood when there is no money left to maintain the drainage system! why don't you do an open records request on that???
Like other locally elected officials, the Port Director and his staff think they are in a monopoly game...and have little concern for tax payers or their money. Just another "bridge to nowhere" which enables Campriano and his side kicks to take boondoggle trips for free. The board members are elected and this "nyet" vote may be a positive sign. Still, everyone needs to work hard to remove the Port of Brownsville as a taxing entity.
Juan another papita project, huh we need to start all over, another 3 million here and 3 million there, its opm other people money-los taxpayers, anyway the pinche taxpayers dont mind or dont care. My compadre has to buy a new house, boat car or whatever. los taxpayers dont mind or dont care, who cares, suble las taxas any our good friend tony yzaguiiree will collect them for us. dale gas.
Sergio Lopez should run for Mayor,
TITO, TITO, TITO, TITO, TITO!!!!!!
TITO TITO TITO FOR MAYOR ( CON HUEVOS) PARA QUE ACABES CON TODOS LOS RATAS DE LA CUIDAD DE BROWNSVILLE EMPEZANDO POR EL GERENTE DE LA CD.Y TERMINANDO CON TODOS LOS DIRECTORES QUE EL CONTROLA, POR QUE EL ALCADE QUE TENEMOS ES PURO PEDO, LE FALTAN HUEVOS.
Post a Comment