I have covered the S2M2 Brodie Estates debacle many, many times on these pages.
S2M2 (Brodie Estates) Has Been Violating Their Agreement With The City For YEARS.
Will S2M2 (Brodie Estates) Have To Return the $185,000 They Scammed From Taxpayers?
Last weeks after the massive rains, it occurred to me to swing by Brodie Estates (where only 8 of the promised 22 houses are completed) and see the $290,000 detention pond in action. SURELY after all the rain we had, that thing would be full.
Nope. Not a drop of water in there!
But look at that joke. Does that look like $290,000 worth of work? It’s just basically a depression in the ground overgrown with grass. Yes, there is a teeny bit of concrete work over there on the left. A tin horn and a small wall. That ain’t $290,000 of work, I assure you. That’s maybe $10k.
Remember, this was BEFORE Covid and the resulting inflation. I had a tank I built here at my property about this size around 2015…and that was WITH a liner. The entire thing cost me about $27,000 if I’m not mistaken. Yet this piece of shit was a hair under $300,000 with NO liner?!? Nonsense.
The City cut S2M2 a massive check for $185,000, of which $40,000 was for “other stuff” and the rest was a cost sharing (presumably split 50/50) for the detention pond. That means the City’s half was $145,000.
Of course, when S2M2 INITITALLY went to council and was rejected, the supposed “estimated cost” was $135,000. Then somehow it ballooned to $290k? Funny how that happens when taxpayer monies are being grabbed.
Reminder – Brodie Estates STILL only consists of eight completed houses even though 22 houses were promised as a condition of the “free” money. S2M2 also failed to abide by other requirements of the deal. What does City council do about being ripped off? Same thing they always do: sit there and take it like a bitch.
As a reminder, here is the timeline of events…..
5/31/19 [page 5]: “The pond is estimated to cost $135,000, and McDonald said if he has it built, he will forego $75,000 he could have made had he turned the pond site into three residential lots. As a result, he asked the city to spend $105,000 on the pond – half of what he said it would cost S2M2 if the company sacrifices potential buildable space to create a drainage pond. Council members, however, said that cost is too high to justify for what they said would be minimal drainage improvements in the area. The council’s motion called for no city payment toward a detention pond.”
[McDonald failed to get the free stuff…so he sends in Greasy Chris three months later. Greasy used to sit on City council with the other Goldfish]
8/30/19 [page A4]: Lampasas company S2M2 Inc., represented at Monday’s meeting by Chris Harrison, is seeking city cost-sharing for the detention pond, which would occupy three lots the company otherwise could have used to build houses in its proposed Brodie Estates subdivision. S2M2 is asking the city to spend $125,000 toward the detention pond, Harrison said. That amount, he told city officials, is about half what the water detention structure will cost the company — when factoring in pond development expenses, the value of the three buildable lots the company will sacrifice and the profit that the sale of three houses could have generated. The pond is not required for Brodie Estates.
“The mayor said city officials need to think again about a detention pond“
[Now that former council buddy Harrison is asking, Mayor Talbert thinks they need to “think again”. Notice the cost has already jumped from $105,000 to $125,000. These wormy shits do this all the time.]
9/20/19 [page 4]: “the City committed to pay S2M2 a maximum of $150,000 for the company’s actual costs of surveying, engineering and building a rainwater detention pond in the subdivision. Council members have said the detention pond is not required to develop Brodie Estates.”
“Harrison said developers requested city cost sharing because adding the detention pond will cause S2M2 to sacrifice three lots it otherwise could have used to build houses. On another item, the amended development agreement specifies that the city will reimburse S2M2 a maximum of $40,000 for engineering, easement acquisition, construction and materials for a water line loop.”
Incredible!!
The Seven Goldfish went from “NO, we won’t spend $105,000” to “we should rethink this” at $125,000 to “here is $145,000 PLUS another $40,000 for some water line stuff”