The Lake Worth Beach redevelopment is now estimated at $13,505,329. This originally was to be an $11 million dollar project: $6 million for the building and $5 million for the beach redevelopment. Now that we have so many people involved--Kimley Horn, Living Design, Michael Singer, and Morganti, it is no wonder that the price is heading towards the roof.
Whoever designed this out based on the $5 million dollar bond money for the redevelopment portion of this project, failed to include the infrastructure: Water main at $400,000, Sanitary Sewer at $500,000, lighting at $800,000, Stormwater, underground electric, for a total cost for infrastructure of $1,855.384. And we can't forget the turtle lighting that everyone missed from the beginning. It was sort of an oops moment for turtles when the beach park moved away from public recreation and open space to a more commercial enterprise with Johnny Longboats closing at 1am with city staff giving everyone the excuse that they just had to stay open in order to meet the price per square foot that John G's has always said they would pay. Now staff tells us, "Well, we just don't get that many turtles on our beach." One is all we need.
We paid REG $460,000 to design the casino and Kimley Horn $437,000 to design the beach. That's almost a million bucks before we even got started. There were amendments to Kimley-Horn's agreement that brought the design up to $501,400. We then needed them to design a sanitary sewer system. Morganti was then awarded a contract as construction manager and they along with Kimley-Horn will bring a line item bid back on all elements of the design in January 2012.
We over-designed the redevelopment of the beach--windmills and silly stuff. We forgot all of the costs of infrastructure. How did this happen? Our wish list was too great. We need to cut it down to reality. Through the years, project after project, those who want to take advantage seem to be attracted to Lake Worth. This is an example as to how they do it. Although not involved in the beach, Chaz Equipment Company has done work for Lake Worth but alleged corruption and graft is not limited to one lone company.
Someone, from the early stages on, dropped the ball on this project. Everything should have been included in the $11 million. I blame it on all those people involved in the design. There is NO way that the city staff ever said, "Oh, don't worry about the rest of it, we will take the money from the CIP."
It's now time for this new Visionary to stay within our Budget. I'm with the Vice Mayor on this one. Let's see now what they can do about it. I don't want to hear that, "Well, we have the money allotted in the capital improvement budget, not to worry." That is still taxpayer money. Eleven million dollars is more than enough to spend. That's all we ever said that we would spend.
As Scott Maxwell eliminated the assistant city manager from consideration to be elevated as interim city manager because of the importance of this project, perhaps he will change his mind on his number one priority. This project should be number one. This is the one that will drive tourism and a lot of money to Lake Worth.
Scott did say all along that this would be way over budget. Why is this only coming forward now? Why wasn't he on top of it for the past two years?
ReplyDeleteFor the same reason that the city manager trusted her top people to give her the facts.
ReplyDeleteHe couldn't get the facts because there was 1) either a cover-up or 2) facts were kept from Stanton. All in all, we have to agree, that something went wrong.
I know you said once that we should have fixed up the building and spruced up the beach parking areas and walkways, and some new bathrooms and tell the county to forget it. We had money in our beach fund. Where did it all disappear to? Now we have one expensive proposition getting us in debt. We never had to be in debt.
ReplyDeleteCarol P.
Unfortuneately for those who have been keeping up with this project, they might recall that Maxwell has, on dozens and dozens of occasions questioned the costs associated with the projects, in fact he made it very clear before the beach financing plan was devised that the casino project was not a 6 million dollar project, but rather an 8 -10 million dollar project. At every turn he was rebuffed, ignored, dismissed and or marginalized to deflect attention away from what has turned out to be the correct call on his part. I suspect now he only intends to see the total project costs paid for properly...by the tenants and income from the new beach enterprise fund...NOT from taxpayer or utility subsized creative financing.
ReplyDeleteIf that is his intention, and it would be nice to hear from him rather than a third party, then THAT IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH. Look to cut costs and get it back in line. Cut the windmill. Cut the bull. Stop changing parking lots around to spend $5 mil so that developers can get rich and the city gets screwed.
ReplyDeleteWhy should the tenants pay for anything but the new casino in their rents? The County is paying for the beach part of it. If LW is over budget, then trim the budget.
ReplyDeleteYou want to bet that Maxwell does not do one thing about this. He will let the people pay. Wait at watch. He will let the contractors keep charging and charging. All bark. No bite.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe for a minute that Stanton did not know the actual numbers.Scott has been asking for the real numbers for over a year and it was not until Stanton was out that staff came through with the information he was asking for. I believe that this was one of many reasons that they let Stanton go. No employee of Stanton would tell a commissioner anything without Stanton's knowledge and consent. Stanton used this tactic to control the commission and she did it very well. I think we will be seeing some more real numbers about the lawsuits and other things in the next few months that have not been disclosed to the commission over the past two years. Keep your fingers crossed.
ReplyDeleteWhy in the world would she keep that from the Commission? Not sure that we will learn anything about the costs of lawsuits. The commission should have all that information. Periodically, they have confidential meetings with the city attorney on these matters. I hope that they will work on getting a line item budget and one that is easy to understand.
ReplyDeleteAmazing. Typically the head of any organization usually gets the blame when the excrement hits the oscillator. But yet this blog continues to protect the root of the problem and blame everyone else. Now it's those that reported to Stanton that kept information from her? Pulllleze. A good manager can find out any information they want or need.
ReplyDeleteNice try.
She did get the blame--by all of you--you fired her for God sakes. What more do you want? BLOOD? Would that make you happy here? She took the blame for many screw-ups that were not made by her. She even took the blame for the 2nd Ave North fiasco made by you know who. She terminated many people who were less than she thought the city deserved.
ReplyDeleteCan you people ever get happy? You want to blame Stanton for everything? Get real.
All large construction jobs usually have over runs. Look at the County Courthouse in WPB years ago when it was bid. I think the bid came in at 50 million and wound up costing over 75 million. Unexpected things do make it more costly. And I`m sure the contractor had that stated in the contract. One has to read the contract before they can accuse anyone of a mess up. The city attorney probably knew and should expain that at a commission meeting. Not understanding the fine print can be very costly. I would say the city is stuck with it and has to adjust for that over run. IMO nobody can guarrentee a set price. Material suppliers cant or wont guarrentee a set price. The cost of things go up everyday. Even at the super market.
ReplyDeleteTo balance the budget Stanton had to keep the real numbers from the commission. Staff all knew that the sewer and water were going to cost big buck but they only disclosed the lighting issue. Why would Stanton do that? why did she fail to give Scott the real numbers after he repeatedly asked for them? Ask Stanton.
ReplyDeleteI would like to ask her but where is she? Oh that's right, she was fired without a reason. Now all the "reasons" are surfacing.
ReplyDeleteanon. above. I dont think Stanton would keep that from the commission. She would know this would come up later. She`s not stupid.For what reason? The commission should have read the contract and fine print. They are the ones that signed it. If they didnt then they should have asked the city attorney to explain it. Period. And the commission should understand that. They are the ones that didnt do there job. As a commission they should have gone over each and every item. Especially when you are talking about spending that kind of money. Another reason you just cant vote in a bunch of yahoos that dont know there job.
ReplyDeleteWho signed the contracts?
ReplyDeleteThis is all such bull chit. Cost over-runs my azz.
ReplyDeleteI don't trust anything that this new commission does. Look what they've done to date? Outsiders looking in even say they f*&ed up.
ReplyDeleteOn a costly contract like that I`m sure the commission had to sign it.
ReplyDeleteAs for poster above about cost over-runs. Its happens all the time. Welcome to the real world and something you seem not to know much about. Who do you put Big contracts are what they are. If you dont know or understand them, you better ask questions.
Richard, I believe that they covered for a certain percentage for cost-overruns in the contracts. That is standard. However, we are dealing with $2.5 million more that was just plain not ever brought to the surface that I know about. We all assumed that the infrastructure was part of the deal. The turtle lighting was finally discussed and that was a screw-up for not making it a priority but that only became a problem once they extended the beach closing hours. I still can't help but feel we are getting milked.
ReplyDeleteI guess all you can do is question the company about it and see what figures they show for the over runs. If they are ligit then the city will have to accept it or get somebody else to finish the work.
ReplyDeleteCut out some of the unnecessary amenities that were thrown in there by Jennings.
ReplyDeletewho was supposed to be in charge of this fiasco?
ReplyDeleteThe expensive to construct and costly to maintain Michael Singer design details made a significant contribution to the cost overruns at the beach.
ReplyDeleteI remember how Cara Jennings insisted on negotiating the site plan with the county and how foolish all the modern design elements looked when compared with the early 1920-s architectural plan for the Casino.
"infrastructure: Water main at $400,000, Sanitary Sewer at $500,000, lighting at $800,000, Stormwater, underground electric, for a total cost for infrastructure of $1,855.384. And we can't forget the turtle lighting that everyone missed from the beginning" these things are NOT COST OVERUNS!!! This is STAFF/CONTRACTOR incompetance!!Where did all of the money in our beach fund go? Stanton was the tip of the crooked ice berg and these people need to be hauled in front of the Comm ission to explain themselves!!!!
ReplyDelete