By Juan Montoya
When the city commission authorized the issuance $13.06 million Certificates of Obligation, $2.3 million tabbed for the purchase of the Casa del Nylon on 1304 E. Madison and the adjoining building and property next door at 655 E. 14th Street. The $3.2 million price tag for the 52,586 square feet listed on the CO issue amounts to about $44 a foot, an extravagant amount given real estate prices in the surrounding neighborhood.
When commissioner Ricardo Longoria found out about the fatc thaqt Martinez's law partner Horacio Barrera represented the seller in the transaction, he wrote a local blog:
"For the record: I did not know that Abraham Galonsky was represented by Horacio Barrera. The only reason I voted for the acquisition of the property was because of the location and its proximity to the Multimodal BUS Facility and the fact that in the future Galonsky would probably ask for more than what he is right now. "There are many things going on in this city that had not happened in a very long time," Longoria complained. "Many dealings are going on behind closed doors, contracts are being signed by an elected official without the consent of the City Commission or City Manager," he wrote.
There are even more suspect items in the CO issue to be considered Tuesday.
Unable to purchase the property next to the city-owned Cueto Building, Martinez and a majority of the city commissioners agreed to pay $2,500 a month over the next three years, or $90,000 in 36 months. After that, if the seller agrees to sell, he might settle for the appraised value, and pocket the $90,000 which would have the city in effect paying him $90,000 over the appraised value, a sort of subterfuge to get around the law that requires the city to pay only fair market value.
In fact, in the first two years under Martinez, the city has gone on a real-estate buying binge totalling some $3.24 million. Martinez has stated in the past that he planned to entice local property owners to sell the city the and as part of a package convince the University System to remain in the downtown area after the UTB-TSC separation.
Martinez – who urged local voters to believe in him and Imagine Brownsville under his tutelage – has turned out to be adept at spending other people's money like it was other people's money.
Now, some have said that the purpose of this would appear to be to create a land-locked university downtown that has no plan, no backing, and no approvals. Business as usual, right?
Some say this latest move will take the only city facility with adequate parking downtown and rent it to the university that owns nothing and move all the city departments into a converted, low budget department store building that has no parking, but was bought with other people’s money and likely from the reserve funds of the city.
Plus, nobody gets to park at the new university acquisition because to park in a visitor spot, you need a visitor parking pass. Catch-22, but who worries about such things?
This silly turn of events is occurring because the university refuses to rent back the buildings that they built with TSC money (read –property tax revenues) and would seemingly prefer to pay to convert buildings that were constructed for another purpose into university needed floor space as opposed to renting space that was built to their exact specifications in the first place.
We heard, among other things that equally sounded like lies claim that the Casa de Nylon was bought to provide parking for the Multimodal Terminal. If so, where are the wrecking crews to turn it into a parking lot? Perhaps they are just going to cave in the front and make it a one story parking garage, like a down payment on the downtown parking garage we were promised?
It matters not, really. Isn't it time to close the circle on this “deal” and have the city rent the brand new, but now excess floor space from TSC and move the city offices there?
Little in remodeling costs, new clean facilities, parking available, who could say no? The what used to be a university could have the downtown hub, the city departments wouldn’t freak out being shoe-horned into and old department store, the citizens wouldn’t be inconvenienced as badly, either. There would only be one question remaining: Why did the did the mayor really buy that building?
When commissioner Ricardo Longoria found out about the fatc thaqt Martinez's law partner Horacio Barrera represented the seller in the transaction, he wrote a local blog:
"For the record: I did not know that Abraham Galonsky was represented by Horacio Barrera. The only reason I voted for the acquisition of the property was because of the location and its proximity to the Multimodal BUS Facility and the fact that in the future Galonsky would probably ask for more than what he is right now. "There are many things going on in this city that had not happened in a very long time," Longoria complained. "Many dealings are going on behind closed doors, contracts are being signed by an elected official without the consent of the City Commission or City Manager," he wrote.
There are even more suspect items in the CO issue to be considered Tuesday.
Unable to purchase the property next to the city-owned Cueto Building, Martinez and a majority of the city commissioners agreed to pay $2,500 a month over the next three years, or $90,000 in 36 months. After that, if the seller agrees to sell, he might settle for the appraised value, and pocket the $90,000 which would have the city in effect paying him $90,000 over the appraised value, a sort of subterfuge to get around the law that requires the city to pay only fair market value.
In fact, in the first two years under Martinez, the city has gone on a real-estate buying binge totalling some $3.24 million. Martinez has stated in the past that he planned to entice local property owners to sell the city the and as part of a package convince the University System to remain in the downtown area after the UTB-TSC separation.
Martinez – who urged local voters to believe in him and Imagine Brownsville under his tutelage – has turned out to be adept at spending other people's money like it was other people's money.
Now, some have said that the purpose of this would appear to be to create a land-locked university downtown that has no plan, no backing, and no approvals. Business as usual, right?Some say this latest move will take the only city facility with adequate parking downtown and rent it to the university that owns nothing and move all the city departments into a converted, low budget department store building that has no parking, but was bought with other people’s money and likely from the reserve funds of the city.
Plus, nobody gets to park at the new university acquisition because to park in a visitor spot, you need a visitor parking pass. Catch-22, but who worries about such things?
This silly turn of events is occurring because the university refuses to rent back the buildings that they built with TSC money (read –property tax revenues) and would seemingly prefer to pay to convert buildings that were constructed for another purpose into university needed floor space as opposed to renting space that was built to their exact specifications in the first place.
We heard, among other things that equally sounded like lies claim that the Casa de Nylon was bought to provide parking for the Multimodal Terminal. If so, where are the wrecking crews to turn it into a parking lot? Perhaps they are just going to cave in the front and make it a one story parking garage, like a down payment on the downtown parking garage we were promised?
It matters not, really. Isn't it time to close the circle on this “deal” and have the city rent the brand new, but now excess floor space from TSC and move the city offices there?
Little in remodeling costs, new clean facilities, parking available, who could say no? The what used to be a university could have the downtown hub, the city departments wouldn’t freak out being shoe-horned into and old department store, the citizens wouldn’t be inconvenienced as badly, either. There would only be one question remaining: Why did the did the mayor really buy that building?
4 comments:
city plaza,un 'ELEFANTE BLANCO',UN EDIFICIO VIEJO,cuaanto costara el pago de luz.que se venda o se rente no hay pedo.pero que el alcalde siga gastando dinero a lo pendejo no esta bien,que los que trabajan ahi [10 por ciento,porque los demas son huevones]los quiere por en la CASA NYLON donde se van a estacionar. por ultimo,COMO ES POSIBLE QUE RICARDO'el raton'LONGORIA HAGA COMENTQARIOS QUE HACEN NEGOCIOS SIN CONSULTAR A ELLOS EL Y EL CORRUPTO DE CABLER.cada vez que el enano MARIN tiene fiesta ahi estan los dos,longoria hace chingos de negocio con su compadre luna de purchasing,este guey no tiene verguenza es rata grande,tarde o temprano va a salir todo el mierdero.
The only thing stupider than putting a "university" in downtown Brownsville would be locating city services there. The city is growing North. Unless Tony wants to incorporate Matamoros into the city.
However, there are a couple of downtown advantages, the homeless and paca strippers can all walk to class.
10:24AM, you are hilarious, but sadly right! Don't forget the prosties, most of them cross dressing hair stylists!
Cosmetology, anyone?
All on federal grants, of course!
gee i missed pat ahumada at least he was not giving the city away for free
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