Taxpayers are going to be building an over $200 million dollar expansion on the plant, and we are only getting a 1-Year warranty, with a 6-year cap on suing the contractor, according to presenters today at the Sioux Falls City Council informational meeting.
I spoke tonight at public input during the regular meeting.
What a deal? Think failed HVAC system on admin building, bad siding on EC, leaky roof on Pavilion and failed parking ramp, or multiple problems at the Midco. Taxpayers are holding the bag. EVERY SINGLE TIME!
But the Sh*t show gets even better, since we only are hiring a CMAR (construction manager at risk) they get to pick the contractor with no guidance or permission from city officials, the mayor or city council. NONE. So the contractor actually building the plant wasn’t picked by taxpayers, and it is the same contractor who build the admin building (you know with the failed HVAC. Heck, if they can’t even install an air conditioner correctly, do we really want them to build a sewer treatment plant?)
Let’s talk about red flags folks!
1) We need to eliminate a CMAR on this project and hire our own contractor.
2) We need to have at least a 6-10 year warranty on the work.
In Germany, contractors have to warranty road work, if the roads fail, they must repair them at their cost. Guess what, they are some of the best roads in the world, go figure!
The reason why we have so many ramshackle public building projects in this city is because we don’t have the contractors back up their work. So they cut corners to make a bigger profit margin, and could care less what happens after the project is done because they have no obligation to fix it, unless we pay them or sue them (also at our expense).
It is legalized fraud on taxpayers and it is disgusting. Truly disgusting.
Neitzert argued that it was ludicrous to claim the city doesn’t get warranties. Really?! Please show us the warranties Greg, and if they exist (which I believe they don’t) when are these contractors going to fulfill those warranties?
It’s one thing to go down this path again on a project this expensive, as if we learned nothing, but to peddle mis-truths from the dais is a new low, especially from a guy running for re-election.
This just shows how corrupt this town is. City government has become a means to enrich a few. It’s like a governmental trust fund, or a gravy train for some.
This means, or how governmental contracts are increasingly being established in this town, stems from an acceptance of planned obsolescence, which has gone from being a part of the kinetic energy of our capitalistic society to nothing more than a license to steal. And in this case, they are stealing from the taxpayers.
CMAR reminds me of 1970’s NYC Mafia fix for concrete and windows of the 1970’s. Corruption is one thing. This is RICO.