ENTERING….
Dear Readers…Today the bids were open in Town Hall at 2 pm for the Bel Air entryway signs…that’s right signs…there are two….The bidders answered an RFP put in the paper on June 6,2009…it was for work that consists of 2 concrete signs…construction and installation…demolition of the existing signage…removal and relocation of existing landscaping …installation of uplighting…curbing…connecting to existing electrical service and restoration of asphalt, concrete, landscape and irrigation conduit…The costs were as follows…#1- Coastal Construction/Hollywood Florida ……(the company that built the Beach Pavilion)…$19,900……#2- BSR Electric Inc/Davie Florida…(first time bidding in LBTS)…$36,500…..#3- MBR Construction/ Ft. Lauderdale…(Have done work in Town before)….$33,000….
This is on top of the costs for Chen and Assoc. for the engineering and drawings…approx. $10,000….
A look at the 2009-2010 Budget Capital Improvement Fund (No longer on the Town site)…shows no entry…pun intended …for the Bel Air signs…It was originally supposed to come out of the Bus Shelter Funds or Terra Mar Bridge Repairs…..But a look at the budget for this year show the amt. for the shelters …moved to 2010-11 is still the same $85,000…(although in the 2008-09 budget the Manager had proposed it for 93,500 for 2009-10)…and the amount for the Terra Mar Bridge Repair is also still the same …$125,000 …now scheduled for 2010-11. as well……..The only noticeable change is the Town Entry Features-Flagpoles -(the same flagpoles never approved by the commission/only 1 was actually approved)…They have seemingly bit the dust …The entryway sign we were told was coming for Commercial (chosen by the Town Manager) never appeared …and the flagpoles and entryway features were a “no-go” in the north and south due to easements …private properties were not willing to turn them over….leaving it likely the monies left from the budgeted $160,000 must be what is being used for the Bel Air entryways…It does seem suspect that the Bel Air entryways are not included by name and allocated funds as other neighborhood area projects are…
Also what pops out on the page ….Where are the Public Safety Complex renovations in the Capital Improvement Fund for 2009-2010…What happened to the left over funds from the Jarvis Hall renovations that were voted down..approx. $460,000….Hmmm….Could that money have been used this money for the BSO renovations?……
Finally the Headline for this post is in reference to Commissioner Clottey’s comments defending the use of Town funds for the entryways to her neighborhood… item 12B on the agenda at the May 26,2009 meeting …
Comm. Clottey-” I think a few major points have been forgotten here. Um, the community of Bel Air was actually harmed because the last Commission approved ah, a certain layout a certain place where they put some of the equipment ah,for the sewers and so as you go into our community it looks like you’re going into an industrial area. And the sign hopefully will hide this to some extent. Number two we did have beautiful walls that went into Bel Air for some reason they just got taken down because somebody somewhere complained somehow. So it was actually giving restitution to some extent to Bel Air. Ah, I think to begrudge restitution, everybody has a privilege to do that but I did want to point that out. That a large part of this is restitution. Thank you.”
BC- We hear that in Terra Mar the equipment went on private property and the designated front public areas of Bel Air were seen as a better alternative….Why has the Manager never been asked publicly by Comm. Clottey about who gave the orders for taking down the beautiful walls?…
And finally, in the “what ‘s good for the goose” scenario…Commissioner Clottey…do you begrudge restitution for the BSO and what they how they have been harmed over the last week?……OUCH!…
more to come….
Tags: BSO, local government, Local Politics, Public Safety, Scoops
