Did you know Eco-Strong LLC (the distribution arm of Canadian company Eco-Flex) will be breaking ground on a plant here in Lampasas in 16 days? Neither did I. Neither did the Lampasas Dispatch, apparently. All Dispatch archive searches for “Eco-Strong”, “Eco-Flex” and CEO “Mike Cour” came up empty!
Supposedly a 25,000 sq/ft tire recycling plant will be breaking ground on June 2nd….and nary a peep from Mandy Walsh or The Seven Goldfish. Very, very odd.
I DO know that the LEDC has been sneaking around a lot lately, and operating in secret…as I blasted a story about this way back on April 19th…ALMOST A MONTH AGO. My antennae always goes up when the LEDC and City council have meetings in “executive session” with their lawyers and talk about “economic incentives” – which is code-speak for “handing out free tax money to companies”.
Funny how this article hit the web on May 11th. ONE DAY after the latest City council meeting.
Apparently they STILL can’t be bothered to announce this thing, even though the ground-breaking is in 16 days. I had to read about it in a Tyre and Rubber Recycling magazine – a BRITISH industry publication!
How did I ever find this out, if they have been sneaking around and hiding it? Because I’m smarter than they are. I busted them on the ransomware attack back in August and I’m busting them now AGAIN.
The LEDC met with Mike Cour WAY BACK in September of 2019 (page 2, item V). But of course, since the LEDC keeps shitty minutes, we have no idea what the meeting was actually about. Furthermore, NONE of this was EVER mentioned to the local newspaper. Their archives are EMPTY of any of this.
Fast forward to the latest agenda for the LEDC May 20th meeting – and Mike Cour of Eco-Strong pops up again (page 1 item V).
So Misti, Mandy and the gang: what in the hell is going on??? I have a few questions about a tire recycling center being built in Lampasas:
- Why has this NEVER been mentioned before when the groundbreaking is in 16 days??
- How much money did you throw at them to start up operations here?
- Where is the contract showing how much money you threw at them and what they are supposed to do in return??
- Does your complete silence and all your sneaking around in executive session have anything to do with your fear that local citizens might go apeshit about possible environmental impacts like the stench of burning rubber in the air?
Lemme guess: Mandy Walsh, the LEDC and City council will announce this with big fanfare as a tenant for the “business park” and try to look like heroes bringing jobs to the area, while failing to mention all the free stuff they handed to Mike Cour?
But why wait? Why rush it through at the last second? It is VERY unlike the LEDC or the Seven Goldfish not to toot their own horns about stuff like this.
I have a guess why: it keeps anyone from asking questions about what they had to give away in return for this “awesome” deal to put up tents here.
Especially telling is Mike Cour’s quote in the article: “Texas is the ideal location for our new facilities. Its strong economy, green-friendly attitude, and the willingness of officials at all levels to collaborate with us made our decision a no-brainer”. Translation: “moron politicians and bureaucrats are giving us all kinds of free stuff.”
Ah yes. It’s a no-brainer, all right. I can just see all the people with no brains who are involved in this tax-dollar giveaway – people like Mandy Walsh, TJ Monroe and Finley deGraffenreid. Not a brain between any of them.
Well, try as you might to keep this secret, the cat is out of the bag. Monday morning, I will be making an official records request for copies of ALL contracts, incentives, subsidies and/or deals being made with Mike Cour and this Eco-Strong LLC distribution concern.
You gotta love these dummies. They hold town hall meetings about every silly-assed minor item in the world (see: tree police) but they keep COMPLETELY SILENT on a tire recycling distribution/manufacturing concern breaking ground in a matter of weeks. Just like a cat burying a turd they are ashamed of.
Stay tuned!!
*UPDATED 5/18* – according to the City secretary and Mandy Walsh, there are no current deals/giveaways/incentives/promises with Mike Cour or Eco-Strong as of today. YET, that article exists AND Mike Cour appeared before the LEDC in September and will do so again this Wednesday, according to the agenda. SO – did Mike already make plans to start this operation and THEN decide to go beg for money? Guess we’ll possibly find out this week – assuming we’re allowed to see the Wednesday meeting