THE MANAGER’S DOUBLE STANDARD….
At the 2/24/09 Commission meeting there was an interesting addition…not seen before…and never on this topic…the Manager had added after the agenda was closed…and out for the public and Commissioners on Friday Feb.20th…to add the Pavilion to her report…imagine that some information on the Pavilion…a change order…brought in front of the Commission…and the public BEFORE any action was taken…WOW!…
Below is what took place…some verbatim…some overview…it went on for quite some time…the change order…was the addition of electrical outlets …cutting back the median on Commercial at the “roundabout” by the Pavilion and a required sand dune…and in the discussion what is heard…and much of what is said is really selective memory…disingenuous assertions of the source of the change order and a definite “double standard” that brings forth this late addition to her standard report….
7- Town Manager Report
a. Commercial Boulevard Beach Pavilion-Change Order
Town Manager-” I have spoken to several Commissioners Um, concerning the Beach Pavilion. There’s been some Um, questions brought up on the receptacles Um, Commissioner Clottey brought it up to me. I was able to speak to the contractors and a civil engineer and that’s part of the change order. In addition it appears that some residents thought that the median at the roundabout was gonna be cut, be reduced. It was not part of the plan, it was never part of the discussions. We’ve included this in your change order. In addition I included the permitted plans and notices from the state because we have to build a dune. It’s a requirement. So, I attached the complete change order and the reason I have it on the agenda order Town Manager because it was received after the agenda and the deadline and since we’d like to meet our schedule I have it for your consideration and approval. When we get to the consent agenda. If you have any questions.”
Comm. Dodd-” I have a question, I received that much at 7 o’clock (holding up the backup received) tonight and I’m expected to read it and make decisions on it which the Pavilion is one of them? I can’t do it , there’s no way I can do justice to this to read it and understand it and make the proper comments and I’m gonna have to ask that this particular one is tabled and this doesn’t happen because that amount of reading there is not a hope of ever getting through this lot before the Commission meeting when I get this at 5 to 7 when I arrive. I’m, with the greatest respect Esther, we have to sort the agenda out. If that means we need a round table to build more time into it so we can have more time to consider it. ”
Commissioner Dodd went on to describe his research preparation time and day and being yet again given materials upon arriving at the hall in need of a snap decision…a scenario that has been commonplace…
T.M. -” May I respond Commissioner Dodd? (Dodd tells her to go ahead)…Um, I believe on Monday,um, this plan that’s in front was part of the RFP package. There is no changes to this plan. In the outline I clearly say the 10 receptacles the electrical receptacles. I mean it’s, I have no problem, the only reason I brought it on this agenda is they’re gettin’ ready to pave, they’re gettin’ ready to do asphalt. Personally if you want to table it, I have no problem. But do we stop the project or do we address it as it was brought up. For example the electrical circuits, it was a good observation by Commissioner Clottey ( Marc Furth) ”
C.D.- ” I may have a good observation about something else.”
T.M.-” Commissioner Dodd, but you have not brought up anything to me.”
BC- OH MY GOD!…PAVILION…PLUMBING….NO WALLS…STILL WAITING FOR ANSWERS!….
T.M.-” I brought this up only because it was brought to my attention. I believe at the last meeting there was 2 or 3 residents that talked about the roundabout. So we went out, I went out there 2 or 3 times to see if we can address it before they proceed. Once they proceed this will cost much more money to do or like I said last week if we need to stop work on this project we can do that. I have no problem , I can tell them to continue as is but if we have to come back and ask them to do 10 electrical outlets it’s gonna cost more money. If we have to tell, well they probably won’t do the roundabout cutting ,we’ll probably have to do that. Once they fill the asphalt, we’re gonna come back and start cutting. I have no problem, I’m just trying to avoid any additional costs. I’m trying to avoid an additional delay and since this is something that was brought up to me by a Commissioner (Marc Furth) just as if you brought up something to me that I need to have attention it. I will do that,. This is no more no less. ”
BC- OH MY GOD!…PAVILION…PLUMBING….NO WALLS…STILL WAITING FOR ANSWERS!…again…
T.M.-” This can be tabled and everything can be done after they finish, whatever is they’re doing. I have no problem with this.”
C.D.-” I have no desire to increase the cost on it and I have no desire to stop the project, but I do have a desire to try and plan ahead okay, because that’s the object of the exercise. So that we can get all the ideas on it. Now I’m sorry certain things came up at the last minute and I accept that but to expect to try and make a reasonable decision right at this point in time only having the information.”
T.M.-” And I have no problem and I did not plan it’s not my lack of planning. I am just trying to resolve us either incurring additional expense because when they have to start paving we’re going to have to undo what they have done. When they start laying the pavers and we have to undo to put in the electrical outlets this is only, If Commissioner Clottey wouldn’t have brought it to my attention ( Marc Furth) I would have probably been here a month month from now and somebody would have said why didn’t you put in all the electrical outlets. That’s all I’m trying to say. No one said cut back that median this is something that was brought out.”
BC- When the MPSC was in the process of the pavilion with the students…Marc Furth spoke of cutting the median back….all the way back to the Aruba drive into their lot…during the 4th of July preparation meetings…Marc Furth and the committee went numerous times to the roundabout and spoke of cutting the median back…and it has been spoken about often in the duration of the project…(Comm. Clottey may have been out of town at that time)…
C.D.-” The electrical purpose of the Pavilion all along was to run bands and everything, so there it should have had at the planning stage and the design stage the correct 50 amp outlets that were done for the July the 4th and everything (T.M. agreed) Why weren’t these reviewed at the planning stage?”
T.M.- ” I guess we’ll have to go back to the commission meetings to see which Commissioners chose not to bring it up at that time.”
BC- Madam Manager passes the buck!…If the Manager would have brought the Pavilion project before the Commission regularly…on and off the dais…we would have seen what the project had…and what was missing…wall…no wall…plumbing…no plumbing…outlets…no outlets…medians cut back…the whole nine yards …for this was to be as directed…by the prior Commission and the Former Mayor a structure for concerts….bands…(previous posts…scoops categories…and in the minutes online)…
C.D.-” I don’t think it’s a question of that it’s a question of a review that this bit got missed off by whoever reviewed the plans.”
T.M.-” I can’t say it was missed off. If the project says put in 1o trees and then midstream somebody wants to put in 20 trees is that lack of review? This is the way the project was approved and this is the way it was going. I have no qualms with you Commissioner, I’m just saying I don’t want to incur an additional expense. If in the future this Commission does not want me to bring change orders which can avoid an additional change before a project’s say asphalt is done I won’t bring it and at least we will all be on the same page here. That’s all, I just don’t want to have an additional expense.”
BC- NO WONDER…the Manager and McIntee are so in sync …They talk out of both sides of their mouths…Think about what she just stated AFTER Comm. Dodd tried to make her understand that a review should be done BEFORE the project was started…We now know the Pavilion plans were purposely kept under wraps with no updates for anyone to be able to start with the “20 trees” in the first place and now it’s being covered up with illogical deflective declarations …YIKES!…
Comm. Clottey-” Okay, I brought this to the Town Manager’s attention because both Commissioner Dodd and I chaired the July 4th event and we found out about how much the Town electrician cost and how much he was charging to put up those electrical boards. He put them and take them down and last summer the decision was made and I believe the committee that put on the event was charged for this. But what we did was we put permanent boards up there that can be used by everyone and that is one of the reasons why the Chamber is not paying that much money to use that parking lot, is because we did something permanent.”
BC- Comm. Dodd upon seeing the electrician with the boards and seeing the electrician bill receipts was the one who brought this to the attention of Marc Furth, the committee and the Town…so following this fact…readers can now see if the Manager and staff had presented the Pavilion plans to the Commission during the process of the plans being changed and being finalized …perhaps Comm. Dodd and others would have “zoned in” on the lack of outlets…thus “20 trees” to start with…nothing left to “midstream”!…
C.C.-” Now, I was talking to one of the town residents (Marc Furth) once and we talked about this and they said will you please make sure that there are enough outlets in the Pavilion and I immediately got a hold of the Town Manager and I said please make sure that there are enough outlets in there so if we want to put an event on now’s the time to do it not when the thing is done. And the next day I went in to see the Town Manager and I said this is important because I grew up in Ohio and there were some terrible incidents of government buildings going up without a single electrical outlet. Millions of dollars were spent and I wanted this taken care of right away and I impressed that on the Town Manager and she went and immediately got the architects to look at the plan and they realized that we had been planning concerts and other stuff there we needed more electrical outlets and I don’t think anybody should be smearing anybody here. I think we ought to say let’s get this thing done right now. ”
BC- Marc Furth has the daily ear of the VM and Marc Furth sees and speaks to the Town Manager often…so in this writer’s opinion…Comm. Clottey was used as a go between…and to say that the Architects did not know about concerts…come on…look at the videos…check the minutes…the final instructions to Ocampo from the former Commissioners were what this Pavilion would be used for. “Smearing” there was no “smearing” there was accountability being implored…accountability not “cover”…
C.C.- ” It’s only a few thousand dollars right now, it’s like a thousand dollars. If we finish the building and then we have to put those things in or have an electrician come and put in a thousand dollars each time for him to put the boards in and take them away that’s foolish very, very, foolish and it’s my understanding that as they were going over the plans and looking to see what else could be done to improve it that it was the engineer from the contractor suggested we move this thing back a few feet and we would be able to have easier access we can have 2 full lanes at this particular roundabout.Now I personally would like it moved back even further so that at about the place where Aruba’s driveway is.( See above Marc Furth July 4th same remarks made) When I saw the Town Manager about that she said well why didn’t you tell us earlier. Because it’s cheaper to do it now than to pull up the pavers and pull everything else up. And Commissioner Dodd, I believe the total cost of moving the thing back 4 feet putting the electricity that we need is about 12 thousand dollars. I really don’t know if we should stall the contractor and put the businesses through a minimum of another 2 weeks of all that congestion that they have for just a few thousand dollars that we’re going to have to spend anyway. We’re not being ripped off here. Ah, yes somebody missed it, but please let’s not crucify anybody because somebody missed the outlets. I think we ought to say thank you ,we found the problem and we will correct it right away. With that I yield.”
BC- This writer is truly disappointed with words used by Comm. Clottey…”smearing”…and now “crucify”…although she apologized the next day in her Comm. comments to Comm. Dodd…the Comm. should really analyze the facts and the accountability of the Town Manager and the Architects…and the facts of how this was mismanaged…..
Vice Mayor-” Um, this is government run awry. Esther ah, reacted to a request from a Town ah, Commissioner. She did it rapidly. She got the report to us as rapidly as possible. It’s a nominal figure (13 thousand) on a half a million dollar project. We’re going after the Town Manager for not having more notice on it. Ah, this is over 12 outlets we’ve just wasted 20 minutes on 12 outlets, 20 minutes. This is off the wall.”
BC- 2o minutes wasted on…Greenfest…VFD calls….Cockroaches…cul de sacs…signs….etc….etc…etc….HMMM……
VM- ” Esther did what a Town Commissioner asked it’s not a major change it’s a nominal charge (13 thousand) and as a result we’re saying the Town Manager why wasn’t I prepared. Well we all had this a long time ago we all had the right to look at it. Esther had it all, the Commission had it.”
BC- Not so… the open Pavilion presented to the DEP in June. 2008…..and open Pavilion plans with no plumbing dated 9/08…were never given to the Commission…presented to the public …because at that time the former plans…shown in Town Topics in the Aug/Sept 2008 edition were with walls and were still thought to be the final plans…including plumbing for future bathrooms…and as recently as the last few months..a “dog and pony show” was put on by the Town Manager and the VM instead of presenting Comm. Dodd with the materials he received this night!…
VM-” Commissioner Clottey had it. ( in Dec. 2008 a final rendering only) Somebody (Marc Furth) came up with the 12 plugs. It was a major flaw. They fixed it. How do we get mad at the Town Manager for not having more information in front of us? (see above) When it’s an event over 12 outlets on a project that’s ahead of schedule. It’s looking great and we’re gonna pick on the Town Manager for 12 outlets, not me , I yield.”
BC- As expected “cop” loyalty….at its finest!
Comm. Silverstone- “Okay to the Town Manager, what is the additional cost hat you’re projecting this to be? I’m looking at one figure that 13 thousand and change and another one about 6 thousand dollars.”
TM- ” With the roundabout and the changes a..b..c…total net charge $13,298.00″
C.S.-” Just to clarify this, this will include 10 additional outlets ah, moving the curb back to allow more um, turn around right there paving and everything else is included with that and something about um, fixing a sand dune something back there?”
TM- pointed out exhibit 3 the required sand dune…went over the RFP…where she states….” Some people have seen it, some people haven’t but this is the plan that went with the RFP.”
BC- sitting in at the bidding meeting…(previously posted scoops categories)…the plans shown to the bidders included walls and non- walls due to time constraints and funding…along with plumbing for future bathrooms…again the Town Manager has just admitted what was in the RFP plans and that some people (who?) had this and some people did not!…Mad you bet this writer is mad!…
C.S.- ” Well I’m gonna vote for this cause you’re basically saying 3 things here the sand dune was required 10 outlets that commissioner Clottey found (Marc Furth) and thankfully came up with the idea and move back the roadway there to allow more traffic to flow through, correct?”
TM-” Right and the cost associated with Ocampo outlined in my memo.” (Comm. Silverstone said okay and that was all he had.)
C.D.-tried once again to state where he was coming from…the proper process for a project..an electrical review and he was not mad at the Town Manager for bringing it to the Commission’s attention, and tried once more to clear up what needs to happen to prevent this type of situation….saying it was not a personal attack on the TM or anyone else but he was simply trying to see how to learn from these mistakes and rectify the situation to not go down this road again.
Mayor- She wanted to clarify that there were 4 outlets included in the plans, Comm. Clottey wanted more (Marc Furth) and after reviewing the plans there was a need for more. It was also stated by the Mayor and concurred by the TM that Town DID know there was to be a median cut back but felt the company would be better to use to do it…
BC- a conflict with the TM assertions that there was no knowledge of the medians being cut back….
C.S.- was not done…he made a comment to Comm. Dodd (something BFF Silverstone has been doing increasingly of late on the dais, is this a good example for his basketball kids to observe? ) “Jimmy” rewrote history…( BFF type behavior) ” The buck stops here.”…going on to recount a whole new scenario of the Pavilion’s history…again thanking Comm. Clottey (Marc Furth)…and snidely saying he’d take the blame if that would make Comm. Dodd happy….( perhaps Coach Silverstone…has been around the children far too long?)…
C.C.- went on to again with talk of the 12 thousand (13 thousand) being a pittance…worrying about the businesses…high season …and saying 2x this was not a “lavish” expense…ending with the hope it would be caught the next time around…..
Comm. Dodd went on to talk about concern of the road being closed down for days for paving and regrading in front of the Pavilion…asking to open up Pier egress through the alleyway…which of course led to the VM trying to stop it…and the Asst. Town Manager reporting he had received no submittals for the Town required changes…thus the VM said it was”not really in the game”…adding that with the construction company paying flagmen…the road should be usable…The TM said they were working with all to deal with the interruptions…but to get it done in time …March 10th everybody’s got to work together…
The item…for the Pavilion change order was moved to the consent agenda …item 12 f…which passed 5-0…
BC- Time for a Town Manager Performance Review….
more to come……
Tags: LBTS Agendas/Meetings, local government, Local Politics, pavilion, Scoops
Posted in LBTS Agendas/Meetings, Local Politics, Scoops, local government
