Butch Hansen, the budget analyst for the Pensacola City Council, yesterday sent an email to his bosses that pointed out his concerns and questions regarding the $9.6-million Bayview Community Center and Boathouse.
His key points were:
- The construction and total costs of the project have increased significantly since first approved 16 months ago.(58%)
- No alternative proposals that are within the approved budget have been presented.
- The current construction cost of $445/sq. ft. appear very high when compared to conservative estimates 8 months ago. ($335/sq. ft.)
- Construction costs may continue to increase.
- There are opportunity costs involved with moving all unassigned funding for park and athletic facility improvements for the next ten years to this project.
- The reduction in contingency costs to 3% may lead to additional budget requests later.
Butch Hansen said he will continue “to seek information on past similar construction projects, budget expenditures, and current construction costs to answer some of the ‘pending questions.'”  Read Bayview Park Community Resource Center Project.
Apparently City Administrator Eric Olson did not involve Hansen in any of the bid analysis, blindsiding the analyst just as he did the council.
At Agenda Review on Monday, CFO Dick Barker didn’t express any concerns about the latest $1.9-million increase in the project’s budget. He didn’t suggest any alternatives to save construction costs.
Even though the budget increases would use nearly all of the LOST IV all of the General Athletic Facilities Improvements ($900,000 of the $970,000 budget ) and the General Park Improvements ($365,000 of the $425,000 budget), Barker told the council, “This will not effect anything that we have planned to do.”
The CFO had no problem using 90 percent of the allocation intended to cover general ballpark and park improvements over the next 11 years on on project. This is the first year of the LOST Series IV funding so Mayor Hayward will leave only 10 percent of these allocations for his successor.
C. J. , you continue to make some folks in town uncomfortable. Also, it is forbidden to speak ill of the Community Maritime Park. You’ll be labeled a naysayer, and destroy your standing in this town.
I’ve been hearing the City promise to spend money on Alabama Square since 2000. 18 years. We have a hand-me-down gazebo given to us in the ’80’s when the City built a new gazebo in Seville. It was supposed to be ‘temporary’ until they built a new one. Every election season, we hear fresh promises, but never see any actual funding. Our Neighborhood Association has worked to finance all the other improvements through grants and our financial donations (drinking fountains, picnic table, benches, playground equipment etc.) We’ll keep on doing that as much as we possibly can but it sure would be nice to see all areas/Districts get their fair share of Local Option Sales Tax funding. The City has promised since the 1970’s to fully develop Hollice Williams Park underneath I-110. The Skate Park Plan is reasonably priced and would benefit multiple neighborhoods. Did the Morris Court Playground EVER get their equipment fixed? All they wanted was a set of decent swings. It’s really sad.
The LOST plan still has $6.8 million for improvements for 48 parks over the next 11 years, including $100K for Alabama Square. However, it had $425,000 for general park improvements of which the mayor wants to apply $365,000 to Bayview. The plan also has $8.15 million for improvements to the Osceola golf course, Roger Scott Tennis Center and other community centers and athletic facilities that will be spent primarily between 2018-2022. The mayor wants to use $900,000 of the $970,000 budgeted for general athletic facilities improvements to Bayview, which nearly eliminates any possible funds for the proposed skatepark.
Hold the horses. City Council is going to spend 90% of the budget allocated for Park Improvements for the next 11 years….on one park/one project? It is definitely time to hit pause and review this more. How on earth is that fair to our City’s 6 Districts to have practically ALL of the money allocated for just one project in one District? Does the City really think that we will keep voting for the Local Option Sales Tax when the money isn’t equally distributed? Maybe it’s time to renovate the existing Senior Center at Bayview Park and turn it into the Community Center for all Ages and build a modest boat house.
I believe it would be very appropriate for Hayward’s potential successors – the four mayoral candidates to date – to testify this evening to go on the record with their recommendations. Two – Grover Robinson and David Mayo – participated in the groundbreaking ceremony, an act that suggests they think Hayward is in the right on this matter. I have been told that the Hayward Administration plan is to spend as much of future revenues as they can before Hayward leaves office, leaving not much wiggle-room for a future mayor. Something similar was done when Hayward forced the City Council to spend ten years worth of Local Option Gas Tax revenues in three years, leaving nothing for needs that arise in the other seven years. During Hayward’s tenure, the City Council has repeatedly voted to raise the property tax levy and the combined property rate imposed by the City Council is higher than before Hayward took office. City residents and businesses pay eight Public Utility Taxes and utility Franchise Fees all maxed out at 10%. County residents pay only two 5% franchise fees. City property owners pay a storm water fee not paid by non-city property owners. Because of how the Escambia County Commission pays for the Sheriff’s Law Enforcement budget, city property owners pay about $12 million in county property taxes used to subsidize the Sheriff’s law enforcement patrols that are not conducted inside city limits, though they are conducted inside Century town limits. When the real story about Hayward’s tenure is written, his promised “do more with less” promise will be “do less for more.” On top of all the above, the Community Maritime Park economic development project costs taxpayers more than $3 million a year with most of the lots vacant generating no new city and county property tax revenues as was the original plan. I would prefer to see Hayward resign now in disgrace and let Council President Gerald Wingate try his hand at running the city government for a few months. He might do a better job.