Editor's Note: HaysCAN president and RoundUp contributor Charles O'Dell forwarded the following information and web link. Some eye opening information indeed, showing that Hays County is, or will be, on the receiving end of $18.5 million in federal stimulus money for transportation-related projects, so far. Certainly does raise questions about our county's ongoing road projects and maintenance priorities, who will be getting what, and at what price.Can we at least get a press release from the county's public information office explaining all this road money?
From the surface, it looks like a windfall for road builders and associated contractors, especially when we add in the tens of millions in road work from the 2008 road bond. Time will tell who benefits most – the citizens and taxpayers or the developers and politicians.
For those of you interested in tracking our county officeholders' campaign accounts and contributor lists, go to this handy link (thanks to county elections administrator Joyce Cowan): http://www.elections.co.hays.tx.us/CandidateOfficeholdersbrInformation/OfficeholdersFiledFinancialReports/tabid/55/Default.aspx
Go to this link for more details on Texas projects from the Onvia Tracking Recovery web site: http://www.recovery.com/For_Businesses.aspx?gloc=TRAVIS%20[TX]*CNT:48453&mloc=TX$453 Go here http://www.recovery.org/ for the national view.
Send your comments and news tips to online.editor@valleyspringcomm.net or click on the "comments" button at the bottom of the story
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FEDERAL ECONOMIC RECOVERY SPENDING. Letting Date: August 12, 2009 Description: REPLACE BRIDGE, APPROACHES & WIDEN FRONTAGE RDS HIGHWAY: IH 35, ETC AWARDED TO: BALLENGER CONSTRUCTION COMPANY AMOUNT: $9,393,526.59
FEDERAL ECONOMIC RECOVERY SPENDING. Requisition Number: 0366-01-065 Class/Item: - Agency: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Bid Title: STATE LET CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS, HAYS CO, OVERLAY Dollar Amount Awarded: $ 292,810.93 Bid Status: Full Award All or part of award went to HUB vendor(s): No HUB Vendor(s) Awarded Vendor: HUNTER INDUSTRIES, LTD. P.O. BOX 2109 SAN MARCOS TX 78667-2109 Contact Name: DONALD NYLAND URL: http://www.dot.state.tx.us/business/business.htm Address: AUSTIN HQ - RIVERSIDE ANNEX (TxDOT) 200 E RIVERSIDE ROOM 1B.1 AUSTIN , TX 78704-1204 Phone: (512) 282-2113
FEDERAL ECONOMIC RECOVERY SPENDING. Requisition Number: 2293-01-021 Class/Item: - Agency: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Bid Title: STATE LET CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS, HAYS CO, SEAL & THIN OVERLAY Dollar Amount Awarded: $ 301,864.10 Bid Status: Full Award All or part of award went to HUB vendor(s): No HUB Vendor(s) Awarded Vendor: ANGEL BROTHERS ENTERPRISES, LTD. PO BOX 570 BAYTOWN TX 77522-0000 Contact Name: DONALD NYLAND URL: http://www.dot.state.tx.us/business/business.htm Address: AUSTIN HQ - RIVERSIDE ANNEX (TxDOT) 200 E RIVERSIDE ROOM 1B.1 AUSTIN , TX 78704-1204 Phone: (512) 282-2113
FEDERAL ECONOMIC RECOVERY SPENDING Addendum No. 1 ADDED SP 000--1592, STATE ON-THE-JOB TRAINING PROGRAM AMERICA RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT OF 2009 (ARRA) PROJECTS. Letting Date: April 22, 2009 Description: SEAL & THIN OVERLAY HIGHWAY: FM 2439 Letting Time: 1:00 PM Letting Address: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AUSTIN HQ - RIVERSIDE ANNEX 200 E RIVERSIDE ROOM 1B.1 AUSTIN, TX 78704-1204 Project Advertisement Date: 3/25/09 Project County: HAYS Project Length: 2.197 MI Calendar Days: 20 WORKING DAYS Engineer's Estimate: 539,934.90 DBE Designation: DBE GOAL: 2.0 % Bond Requirement: 11,000.00 Contact Name: NYLAND, DONALD Contact Phone: (512)282-2113
FEDERAL ECONOMIC RECOVERY SPENDING. South Region. District: AUS. County Name: HAYS. Const Value: $531,934. Description: Resurface Roadway. Highway: FM 2439. Limits: CENTERPOINT RD to COMAL C/L. Let Date: Apr-09. Important Note: This list comprises recommendations by TxDOT staff for funding under HR 1, the ARRA. No decisions are final until voted on by the Texas Transportation Commission (Commission). Aggregate dollar amounts are rounded. This list is current as of February 25, 2009. Funding: Total ARRA funding for Texas highway programs is $2.25 billion. Available for the Commission's direct use is $1.7 billion. Staff has recommended approximately $500 million of these funds be spent on maintenance projects and the remaining $1.2 billion be obligated to significant projects. An additional $500 million in funding is available to the state's metropolitan planning organizations for use at their discretion.
FEDERAL ECONOMIC RECOVERY SPENDING. South Region. District: AUS. County Name: HAYS. Const Value: $494,000. Description: Repair Roadway. Highway: SH 123. Limits: IH 35 to FM 3407. Let Date: Apr-09. Important Note: This list comprises recommendations by TxDOT staff for funding under HR 1, the ARRA. No decisions are final until voted on by the Texas Transportation Commission (Commission). Aggregate dollar amounts are rounded. This list is current as of February 25, 2009. Funding: Total ARRA funding for Texas highway programs is $2.25 billion. Available for the Commission's direct use is $1.7 billion. Staff has recommended approximately $500 million of these funds be spent on maintenance projects and the remaining $1.2 billion be obligated to significant projects. An additional $500 million in funding is available to the state's metropolitan planning organizations for use at their discretion.
FEDERAL ECONOMIC RECOVERY SPENDING. South Region. Ready to Let Date: 11/09. Proposer: CAMPO. TxDOT District: Austin. County: Hays4. Project: IH 35. Toll Element: N. Description: Construct Bridge. Limits: At Main Street - Buda. Recommended ARRA Funds: 7000000 + Other Funds: 2000000 Source: MPO = Construction Cost: 9000000 Partnership: The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) throughout the state and local leaders have worked in an open and consultative process to identify significant projects that meet the requirements found in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). After weeks of work with local planning partners and TxDOT district offices to narrow choices, agency professionals have recommended these projects to the Commission. Selection Criteria: 1. Projects on corridors of statewide significance or regional priority, 2. Projects that leverage or pool resources, 3. Projects that create long term economic benefit to the communities and regions they serve, 4. Projects in areas that are economically distressed, 5. A fair and equitable distribution of projects around the state. 1. Important Note: This list comprises recommendations by TxDOT staff for funding under HR 1, the ARRA. No decisions are final until voted on by the Texas Transportation Commission (Commission). Aggregate dollar amounts are rounded. This list is current as of February 25, 2009. 2. Funding: Total ARRA funding for Texas highway programs is $2.25 billion. Available for the Commission's direct use is $1.7 billion. Staff has recommended approximately $500 million of these funds be spent on maintenance projects and the remaining $1.2 billion be obligated to significant projects. An additional $500 million in funding is available to the state's metropolitan planning organizations for use at their discretion.
6 comments:
Well, obviously, the first who are screwed by this are U.S. taxpayers who have watched helplessly as the Obama administration added billion$ more to a bloated budget deficit.
It is a way of life throughout the nation that the wealthy get wealthier. Those who definitely get rewarded in this latest move certainly will be local developers who also coninue to reward local politicians with extravagant campaign contributions and other perks.
Will residents obtain any benefit?
It depends on how the money is used, what types of roadways are proposed along with determining the quality of materials used.
Locally, it could be a very win-win situation.
Let's hope that devious politics will NOT determine direction and undermine the benefit to the community.
This has great potential depending on how it is managed.
Gee! Does this mean we will get a Tax cut? LOL
So what are we supposed to be outraged about again? The money the federal government is giving to shovel ready projects or the decision of which projects are shovel ready or what construction firms received the contracts?
I generally support Obama's stimulus program, But here, the question of outrage is premature until we find out if the contractors received their contracts thru fair and open bidding and not thru insider favoritism. We know that the good old boy system is alive and well in Hays County, some contracting firms and consultants are populated with former county officials and that members of our commissioners court are on the receiving end of considerable contributions from these same people. It would be outrageous if now that the county is flush with federal road money, that some of it or the county road bond money isn't refunded to the taxpayers. It will be outrageous if our commissioners and county judge do not inform the taxpayers of Hays County about the details of these projects, and possible redundancy of expenditures. The money is not our county officials' to keep if it is not needed. And it certainly is not theirs to pay off their contributor patrons and political buddies.
There's an old saying around these parts that under every rock there's a scorpion and a crooked politician. Unless proven otherwise, I think "outrage" should always be the presumed response.
MMMMMMMMMM! Could this be why the "sudden" and pressing interest in a County takeover of Woodcreek North roads. Developers, contractors and politicians could VERY definitely benefit from having their collective hands in this stewpot!!
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