The city council pulled the funding for a DT parking ramp last year, yet the city administration and mayor decided to announce their ‘pick’. And as far as I know, the council hasn’t even been let in on who has been chosen, not even in executive session (how is that for transparency) let alone no funding approval.
But it gets even more complicated. Three companies submitted bids;
After soliciting potential partners through what’s called a request for qualifications in May 2016, the city received three submittals — all from developers with local ties.
Legacy Development in 2015 started a $12 million, 82-unit downtown loft complex. Called “Third Avenue Lofts,†the four-story housing complex at 13th Street north of Sunshine Foods benefited from $1.5 million worth of tax increment financing to see the project through.  It also owns the property abutting the parking ramp site to the east where a building collapsed in December, killing a construction worker.
Lloyd Companies in recent years has added more than 100 residential units to the downtown neighborhood with Phillips Avenue Lofts, the Uptown Exchange Lofts and Good Samaritan’s City Centre lofts.
Trans Atlantics was established in 2008 and has another office in Ethiopia. It specializes in partnering with other business, organizations and governments on real estate, manufacturing, agriculture, trading and technology projects.
Lloyd has already said they were not picked, so it is between the other two. Also remember, Legacy was involved with business partners in Hultgren Construction, which has a pending investigation against them. Would the city be foolish enough to pick them with this investigation that is ongoing? The press conference ought to be a real sh*t show.
My sources tell me legacy was selected. Will the media have the guts to ask the tough questions that need to be asked?
So I hear the meeting got rescheduled for Friday because the brain trust in the communications office didn’t give a proper 24 hour notice for open meetings.
Yup, that was the case,
http://www.argusleader.com/story/blogs/joemetro/2017/01/31/parking-ramp-announcement-delayed/97291876/
Isn’t Legacy being sued for the building collapse?
“Never forget everything Hitler did was legal”. Martin Luther King. Looks like the mayor is awarding contracts beyond his term with more future (yet to be collected) sales tax.
The word on the street the mayor hasn’t planned to show up for this sh*t show. The conflicts may be too much for the mayor to show up for?
Bring rotten tomatoes to the council meeting in case the mayor shows. I’ll be filling and passing out foil pie plates full of whipped cream.
I’m not to the point of taking a knee for the pledge and throwing my war medals at Huether but I’m getting there.
How can the mayor and city go out for bids without funding commitment The federal govt doesn’t do that. I would hope that Lloyd sues the city for proposal costs for not having a funded procurement. Maybe the council should request or order the idiot mmm to return the 500k for the crappy tennis building that hasn’t done a damn thing for tax payers