WHAT ORIGO, 7TH AND PARK WANT, TONY, ROSE, WILL GIVE

By Juan Montoya
What if you wanted to set up a business but did not have enough parking space to get approval from the City of Brownsville?

That scenario has happened many times and usually it means that the business will not be given the permits to build unless the business has sufficient parking spaces.

We have all seen how this little obstacle didn't mean anything to the owners of the 7th and Park Cafe, close pals of bicycle enthusiast and city commissioner Rose "La Chisquiada" Gowen. Not only were they allowed to build and go into business, but they are using the Linear Park parking spaces as their personal business parking lot. (See graphic at right.)

Not content with that, they frequently park on the sidewalk on the north side of the business impeding foot traffic. Gowen also got them recognition as a bicycle friendly business and gave them free publicity by making them the headline attraction on movie ads shown at the local Cinemark Theater.

The promo video was set to run in Cinemark theaters for 4 weeks ($3,730), on COB.TV, and on social media during January and February 2017, advertising a February 17, 2017 workshop/event.

Interestingly, 7th and Park hosted political campaign events to push for Gowen's reelection last time around. Quid pro quo?

In fact, 7th and Park owner Graham Sevier was placed on the board of the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation (BCIC) which provided the city with the funds for the bicycle-friendly businesses designation by (you guessed it) none other than Gowen.
 
Ditto for Origo Works, a local architectural firm belonging to Javier Huerta who has done work for Mayor Tony Martinez at his Spanky's Burgers and El Rincon de la Paz, located at the same address as his law office.

You remember Origo Works. They were included in a change-order packet sent to commissioners for their consideration and approval by CH2MHILL of Englewood, Co. that would increase their fees from $1,650,000 to $2,500,925, a $850,925 increase, for work on the new airport terminal.

The new additions to the passenger terminal area were added by the city and its local architect, Origo Works, increasing the original size from 65,000 square feet to 85,000 square feet.

Those changes, said James Kirshbaum, the engineer for CH2MHILL, were not in the original engineering specs provided to the company when it submitted its response to the city's Request for Proposals (RFP). As a result, he said, not only the cost of the engineering services, but the changes in the original design ballooned the original construction cost estimate of the terminal from $27.5 million to $38 million.

In the original letter, the Kirshbaum stated that the changes in engineering/design cost, a five-month delay, and the and overall construction cost were due to changes after the RFP were approved.

"The other item that has caused additional design and management effort is the coordination with our local architect, Origo Works," wrote Kirshbaum, the engineer for CH2MHILL.

"As requested by the mayor, we engaged Origo Works to help incorporate 'local' architectural features and elements into the original design. This effort extended the conceptual design phase of the project by approximately five months, resulting in significant additional efforts by CH2M, Corgan and Origo Works."

That entire paragraph was removed by the later insertion of the second letter in the record that  deleted any mention of the mayor or Origo Works. Both letters are dated Sept. 21 and signed by  Kirshbaum Sept, 6.

However, in the commissioners' agenda backup, CH2MHILL lists payments made, not to Origo Works, but to Jaime Huerta, its owner, of $25,000 under Current Terminal Contract, $15,000 under Revised Terminal Contract, and another $5 for Terminal 55 Contract for a total of $45,000.                                                                                                                                          Well, Tony is at it again. In the Feb. 6 meeting, there is an item dealing with the granting of a licensing agreement for Origo Works by the city. It reads: 15. Consideration and ACTION to execute a License Agreement between the City of Brownsville and Origo Works Properties, LLC. (Engineering).

Under the licensing agreement, the city agreed to let the company use a part of city property...which lies adjacent to or is anticipated to be part of a continuum of the foregoing‐described major commercial development...which permission it seeks to build and maintain concrete/asphalt parking and landscaped areas which would run along, aside or across City property."

In exchange, Origo Works will build a parking lot, fence, and to maintain it for the next five years with one-year options for renewals. 

There's only one snag in the plans, however. The city's hike-and bike trail lies smack within the proposed city-owned land to be used by Origo Works. 

Not to worry. Despite the questions of only one commissioner – At-Large A commissioner Cesar de Leon – the commission approved the agreement and will allow the company to move the hike and bike trail to accommodate the parking lot.

Nice to have friends in City Hall isn't it?