Friends,
The following is in the making:
1. Tomorrow, 21 April, the Chamber leadership, Congressman Carter's representative, Cheryl Hassmann, and the Mayor are going to Austin for a meeting with TXDoT Executives selected by the Governor. Our presentation is ready and solid. We believe it will be a productive meeting with straightforward dialogue.
2. Billy Helm will begin cleaning the low water crossing in the near future. He is scheduling the work and will soon give a date. The permit is in his very capable hands. Thank you, Billy. What a difference you have made with the Golf Course and our Village!
3. Thank you to the many generous Salado citizens who gave to the the Cleaning of the Creek. You are what makes Salado great. For every dollar given, a very generous citizen matched your contribution.
4. Plans for the Mayor to meet with the Developers and Engineers building around Salado city limits are in the planning stages. The purpose is to listen to the concerns of the Developers and Engineers. Being good neighbors depends on communication and dialogue. In the past, any communication was done on a one-on-one basis. This is the first time a joint meeting with all the Developers and Engineers is being scheduled.
5. Many, many thanks for the Chamber sponsoring the Election Forum for Candidates running for office. And, to those who attended. It was an insightful evening. Early voting begins Monday, 25 April and the election is 7 May.
6. The Sewer Line Plans are at TXDoT for final review and approval. Once approved, a permit will be issued and the plans will go forward leading for construction bidding. We are in the last phases before actual construction begins on the East and West side of I-35. While the lines are being laid, the Waste Water Plant will be constructed on the six acres given to the Village. Sanctuary will pay for all their sewer lines at no cost to the Citizens of Salado. The Village of Salado will own the Waste Water plant and Sanctuary will pay the same fees for using it as Salado citizens.
Much is happening. Read the Village Voice Newspaper and this blog for information.
VR/Skip
Thank goodness the sewer might get approved. It's taking longer than expected.
ReplyDeleteThe meeting with the public officials we hope goes as expected. One never knows $3 million maybe it’ll be increased to an amount to help lessen the severity of impacts resulting from delays, stages being modified, and sequence changes.
A few that talked about the GoPro Dash Cams being installed might prove to be beneficial helping document the issues and conditions we've been put through.
I know many are praying that you get every last dollar asked for, if not millions more!
ReplyDeleteWe’re thrilled the meeting with the Governor’s office and TxDOT executives went well. When it’s all said and done the rumored goodwill write-down of $50 million isn’t any where close to reality. What's another $100M or more to Wall Street, sure glad it isn't private money.
ReplyDeleteGod Bless TxDOT. We couldn’t ask for a better DOT agency to manage our taxpayer dollars and oversee this process. We cherish 18 USC 1020 knowing that every dollar being spent on the contract will be in strict conformance of the contract or the future liability isn’t worth the certification of any monthly progress payment.
During my 57-year career with one of the most respected contractors in the USA, I’ve worked some large, complex projects, and I have learned a few things along the way. We have to be good neighbors, we have to know what the community thinks, and we have to do our work, day in and day out, in a conscious way that minimizes the short-term impacts of the construction activity as we communicate the long-term benefits of the project. We have to take care of the communities in which we are working, to help them in whatever ways we can, whether that’s providing contributions or manpower to local charitable organizations, or providing educational opportunities to local school and university students, or helping to improve the environment around the project. We need to be proactive at sharing our project with the public. Projects of similar scope, scale, and technical complexity are interesting to the public and serve to engage the community at large.
ReplyDeleteIt is very evident that not a sole on the project in management role or executive level understands what simple build projects entail or what is required by the contract. Many of us have listened to their senior management and project management teams speak at certain events and we’ve heard each and every one of them all portray the same mindset – poor me - poor me – poor me – poor me; all of which seems like a ploy to divert attention away from their inability to proactively engage the owner’s consultants, client, and the community for which is being served. It is actually very amusing listening to them speak that this group must honestly believe inside their hearts that everyone else is really-really stupid but themselves and they are the smartest ones around.
In the meantime, we’ll all just sit back and relish watching these guys flush a crap load of good money down the toilet bowl. We have to wonder if the Primoris executives really don’t know the Highway Industry or if they they’re being a fed one hell of story and believe it. We’ve never seen this much money being thrown away on bid build projects and appears the Primoris executives seem to really be enjoying it.
On a lighter side as a taxpayer, I am very grateful for the superb job TxDOT and their teams are doing. It’s quite refreshing to hear that TxDOT, Mr. Coots, and his highly dedicated skilled teams care how our taxpayer funds are being spent and for making sure our taxes are spent verbatim to the contract.
ReplyDeleteWe would hate to hear or see that our money is being or could be thrown away paying for work not in strict compliance off the contract. We’ve suffered enough with the out of stage and out of sequence work enabling the contractor flip flopping around like a fish fresh out of the water not knowing what to do or what’s next.
I traveled from Bend, Oregon for a roping event and had to see for myself what we hear about the Texas market and how the projects of James Construction Group are a complete mess along the corridor. I can see why the industry is evolving, becoming more difficult, and the rulebooks are forever changing protecting the client. I would be ashamed if I were in the owners shoes for allowing what I see as substandard business practices to occur. The amount of shoddy work is shameful. It is clearly evident to those that understand quality work products, this company doesn’t have a qualified management in place. This never would've been allowed with our DOT agency. Oregon DOT would've terminated the contract before it became such a mess.
ReplyDelete