The city has a web camera that lets us look at San Jacinto Plaza today as well as what it looked like going back to May of 2014.
The original contract was let in January of 2014 with a one year completion planned. The contractor that won the bid offered to do the work for $4.5 million while the losing contractors were each asking for more than $7 million. Various news outlets and the city itself are now telling us that it is a six million dollar project.
Looking at the city’s web site the other day this was their claim:
The project will be largely completed by the end of January 2015; under the contract authorized by City Council in January 2014, contractors would then have the month of February to complete any minor items and put finishing touches in place.
How are they doing?
The camera archive provided this picture of what the site looked like on May 30, 2014.
On January 12, 2015 with two and a half weeks left before scheduled completion this is what it looked like:
It looks like they have been able to kill a few trees.
Will anyone be held accountable for this mess?
We deserve better
Brutus
elpasospeak 
I heard the contractor paid the city $5,000 for those palm trees, is that true? Worth at least 30,000 each transplanted. Thanks and best regards, Bob Paluzi
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Disgusting. A good example of bad management and total reckless disregard for doing the right thing. I just wish it were as easy to remove city council and management as it was for them to remove the few trees we had downtown.
Reminds me of Joni MItchell’s lyrics:
“Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got
Till it’s gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
They took all the trees
Put ’em in a tree museum
And they charged the people
A dollar and a half just to see ’em”
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The Trost United Bank building that burned down – owned by River Oaks – is going to be replaced by a parking lot. Onward!
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Anyone can see it is mostly done and that this is what $4.5MM buys you when city engineering is running the job.
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And what $4.5 million buys when the planning team headed by Saint Joyce is on the job.
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Thus far, it looks like they have pushed dirt around, removed those valuable Mexican palms that are resistant to freezing temperatures, and compacted dirt around the Mondell (Afghan) Pine that we have been hearing about. Sometimes if a bid seems to be too good to be true, it may be a mistake in accepting that bid. Have we ever used this contractor before? What a joke this process has become. I agree with Bob Paluzi that $5,000 for those mature palm trees was a bargain for the contractor. Our city just keeps shooting itself in the foot!
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no restrooms and now you can’t even hide behind a tree to pee
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you are seeing what happens when you hire a drywall contractor to do a project that involves zero drywall.
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This renovation looks absolutely terrible. It’s unbelieveable that they are going to pay 4.5 million. I can’t tell the difference between the park and the open desert, East of El Paso.
Who approved the plans and negotiated the contract ? Truly could be that stupid !
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Why are they setting the plaza pavers with no concrete bellow?? it was in the plans I remember there was concrete under all pavers.
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what’s a paver?
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It’s a paving stone. Like a brick, or a cement block.
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Could this explain the cost difference between the low bidder and the losers? Have they loosened the specifications?
Brutus
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I learned at the Neighborhood Associations meeting last night that the completion of the Plaza now scheduled for late April.
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