County PW Building Failure

There are so many troubling aspects of this piece from the Buffalo News, I'm not really sure where to begin. Okay, the county needs a new public works facility since the current facility is decrepit and barely usable - so we're told.

What's very troubling is the fact that, after at least six years of talking about replacing the current building, not a thing has been done. I get it, government moves at glacial speed. But 10 years ago, employees of the public works department were pleading with the county legislature to replace their aging structure because it was unsafe and antiquated. Ten years later, they're still using it. So, were they lying then, or at least over-exaggerating, or has the building miraculously improved? Probably the former.

This is the type of thing that pisses taxpayers off. The county was prepared to drop over $40 million on a building that apparently they did not need at the time. Whether they need it now is open to debate since they've been crying wolf for a decade.

That being said, the most troubling aspect of this discussion is the fact that the Legislature "is to vote Tuesday on paying the Wendel engineering firm of Amherst $18,500 to come up with a floor plan and exterior renderings of the building."

Later in the piece, it states that, "Wendel has been under contract for the Public Works building’s design since 2008, when it was awarded a $545,740 consulting contract. Its new report is due by Dec. 31."

If Wendel, the politically connected engineering firm that donates heavily to the Niagara GOP, has been under contract for the Public Works building's design since 2008, why the hell are they being awarded another $18,500 to "come up with a floor plan and exterior renderings of the building"? Isn't that what they were paid $545,000 in 2008 to do? What have they done to earn the initial half a million dollars in taxpayer funds they were "awarded" six years ago? 

While we generally don't have a problem with the county legislature, this is horseshit. If they spend more money on more "renderings", they should all be fired. In addition, the fact that Wendel is coming to the legislature looking for more money is a real problem, considering they have already pocketed a hefty sum on this project alone, not to mention all the other work they get from the county. 

Since we don't want to be all critical without offering a solution to this building issue, we suggest a fine looking, well-constructed pole barn. Here's a nice one for under $20k, that's 40x104x12, likely more than sufficient to meet the county's needs. Throw in a concrete floor and a half dozen overhead doors, and I've just presented a nice solution for under $100k. Sorry, Wendel, we don't need you anymore.