Maybe the Century II improvements to be considered today by the Wichita City Council are so modest as to be “like spitting in the ocean,” as City Manager George Kolb put it — updating of restrooms, kitchens, audio-visual systems and more, necessitating $1.5 million in bonding. But there’s no question that the 38-year-old performing arts and convention center is an essential city asset that needs to be properly maintained on an ongoing basis. It also needs work that can’t wait until 2012, when a full renovation could begin under the updated capital improvement program approved by the City Council last month. Decisions can come later on whether the city wants to spend $290 million overhauling Century II, but not all of the facility’s needs can wait. City officials are right to fix Century II as they can.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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8 Comments
god, when does this crap end.here’s a hint…HIRE MAINTENANCE PEOPLEwho the hell’s in charge here?
so the formica on the restroom counter isn’t as nice as the granite counter at your house.who cares?
it’s taxpayer money, stupid.
one more bond issue hard sell by a pr company.
The city isn’t doing normal regular maintenance on city buildings?
How does that slip by?Maybe it’s because they don’t care or they don’t know.
But there was some confusion Friday over what exactly the $1.5 million would fix.
Kolb initially told council members Friday that the proposal before them Tuesday would be for a modest $100,000.
“They’re doing some painting and kitchen stuff,” he told the council in an agenda review. “You won’t even notice it. It’s like spitting in the ocean.”
“But reading the Parks Department staff report, council member Sharon Fearey noted that the proposed borrowing is $1.5 million, not $100,000.”
“For one million-five, I want to go over there and see something,” she said. “This is not much of a list.”
Thank God someone was listening.
Let’s fire the City Manager George Kolb.—–
Your contractor tells you he can remodel your house for $300,000.00 which sounds kinda odd because it would cost only $175,000 to tear it down and build it from the ground up.
Who is the city manager who thinks this way and considers it normal?
I hate to say it, but 1.5 mil doesn’t buy much when it comes to a building of that size. It’s not just government that defers maintenance; businesses do it too. If they did proper maintenance on all government buildings, taxpayers would be screaming bloody murder.
Maintenance is one of the first things that gets cut when the budget is tight.
Regulation adds to the cost of maintenance. You can’t just fix something; there’s permits, inspections, bonding, and regulatory issues (ADA). When a local company wants to do an expansion, the city expects 20% of the funding to go to ADA upgrades.
If you’re not used to dealing with construction contractors, quotes for repairs/upgrades can be eye-popping.
And this kind of work can’t be off-shored.
For 290 million, you should be able to tear it down and build a much nicer one. After all, the new arena is only going to cost 300 million. For that kind of money, you can almost build a very nice NFL sized stadium.
Maintenance is one of the first things that gets cut when the budget is tight.
Posted by: XXX
And, unfortunately, our universities were so busy throwing money at their sports programs, that the campuses started falling down around everyone’s ears.
Will the arena also be left without maintenance to keep the building in good shape? Probably not because of all those corporate sponsored sky boxes??
When a local company wants to do an expansion, the city expects 20% of the funding to go to ADA upgrades.
If you’re not used to dealing with construction contractors, quotes for repairs/upgrades can be eye-popping.
And this kind of work can’t be off-shored.
Posted by: XXX
So, now XXX is blaming the disabled for this maintenance fiasco?
Why can’t this work be off-shored XXX? Don’t you know that alot of construction workers are illegal immigrants?
The labor is cheaper but the companies still get the big bucks!