Friday, January 20, 2017

Glen Echo Heights sewer project goes $900,000 over budget

A project to install storm drains, pipes, curbs and gutters on Wapakoneta Road in Glen Echo Heights has gone $900,000 over budget. Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett's recommended FY-2018 capital budget includes the cost overrun.

The budget document states that the project cost increased nearly a million dollars "due to higher-than-anticipated construction bids." This would suggest the way the County is bidding these projects needs to be reviewed. Bids should be coming in at the amount set by the County, or below. If the firms that bid couldn't meet that amount, the bidding process should be widened, not ended.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Have you ever posted a positive article?

Anonymous said...

That's the price of a one bedroom condo!

Anonymous said...

It would have been helpful if you had included the actual amount budgeted, so readers would have a better idea of the scale of this cost overrun.

Robert Dyer said...

7:38: That's not the job of a journalist, despite what you may find in other local media outlets, my friend.

7:45: Yeah, think how many homeless they could have housed for that amount. Government waste in action.

Robert Dyer said...

7:45: It sounds pretty massive to me for a storm drain project. This may be up there with the Pentagon paying $640 for a toilet seat.

Anonymous said...

7:45 - I tried to calculate how many months' rent that would be for Dyer, but I got a divide-by-zero error. LOL

Anonymous said...

"It sounds pretty massive to me" is not an actual number.

Anonymous said...

You can buy a toilet seat for $20. A $640 toilet seat is 32 times the cost of the former, so it's very easy to say that's an unreasonable cost.

So what is a "reasonable" cost for this project?

Anonymous said...

7:38 - Yes. Lots of fawning coverage and attaboys for our Republican governor.

Anonymous said...

He hasn't fawned on the Governor since he approved the purple line. Dagger in the back.

Anonymous said...

And Dyer got scooped on the location of the Marriott headquarters.

Robert Dyer said...

8:50: So did every other media outlet. It was a ****ing press release, you idiot.

Anonymous said...

Shut up, we're watching the peaceful transition of power.
#BarryMcGuireEveofDestruction

Anonymous said...

@906 - way to keep it PG dumbshit

Anonymous said...

So why is Dyer not telling us the total cost of the project? It doesn't fit the narrative he's trying to spin? Whata great "journalist," said no one ever.

Anonymous said...

@746 - is that why your so pissed? More housing for the hobos means a chance you can move out your mom's basement?

Anonymous said...

"Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett's recommended FY-2018 capital budget... document states that the project cost increased nearly a million dollars "due to higher-than-anticipated construction bids.""

Do you have a link to this document? This would include the total cost of the project.

Anonymous said...

I truly don't have any dog in this fight, but I think it's a fair question to know what the originally budgeted figure is for context. Thanks.