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| Ruben Gallegos, Jr. |
Ruben Gallegos Jr.
"Hi Jim This is what I received today from Mr. Hilts.
"Ruben, the total cost of the study was $451,260 and each entity, GBIC, PORT, and BPUB agreed to pay 1/3rd the cost which equals $140,420 per entity and all entities are up-to-date with their payments. We have only one invoice left of $3,332.08 which will be divided three ways as well."
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| Ramiro Gonzalez |
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| MMB with architect, urban planner McCaffrey |
In a personal test of transparency, accountability and cooperation I asked both City Planning Director Ramiro Gonzalez and Gallegos for the final cost of the study, phoning Gonzalez the day
after the presentation and inboxing Gallegos. While Gonzalez never responded, Gallegos finally did November 18.
Robin McCaffrey of Needham-McCaffrey & Associates, Inc. moderated the third leg of a slide show presentation to theGBIC on October 31, outlining an overall plan for a 22,000 acre industrial corridor including the Port of Brownsville. Earlier, the Port of Brownsville and Public Utilities Board heard the same proposal.
Here is part of our report from October 31:
"The plan organizes the Port of Brownsville and the surrounding area south of the port and east of the Brownsville/South Padre Island Airport. Specific areas are segmented for heavy industry, light industry and organized according to power and water usage. Simply lining up industry along the ship channel is discouraged, but companies with similar energy and/or infrastructure needs are organized perpendicular to the channel.
McCaffrey preached to the choir as he stated that extending the airport runway to 12,000 feet and dredging out the ship channel were prerequisites to the plan's implementation.
Brownsville's uniqueness is that it has rail, air, sea and road transport and a border location according to McCaffrey. Infrastructure permitting, he claims Brownsville holds a competitive advantage over other U.S. locations and Mexico. McCaffrey estimates manufacturing companies employing 500 workers, using 100,000 kilowatts annually save $5,000,000 on labor in Mexico, but $16,000,000 on energy in Brownsville. The plan is that Brownsville be an a manufacturer, an exporter, not merely a transporter of goods. Steel plants particularly foster spin-off companies. McCaffrey's plan foresees an aggregation of industry, including manufacturing, but also lighter industry, even agri-based in what he calls an industrial corridor."
Unfortunately, Brownsville taxpayers may recall a similar plan for the City of Brownsville, Imagine Brownsville, that was never put into action. Here, again, from our October 31 MMB article:
"There is a sense of deja vu here as we recall the Imagine Brownsville Comprehensive Plan purchased for $900,000 from Carlos Marin's Ambiotec Engineering five years ago. In retrospect, that was a huge waste of tax dollars as the never implemented paperback plan now gathers dust on city shelves, obviously dated and unworkable."
The resume' of Robin McCaffrey is not in question here. He has numerous successful projectis attributed to him, including acknowledged work for the Dallas Museum of Natural History. But, a plan is only as good as its implementation. The original Imagine Brownsville plan was never implemented, only morphing into a behind-the-scenes, shadowy, unaccountable, supervisory board for the city and county now called Greater Brownsville.
after the presentation and inboxing Gallegos. While Gonzalez never responded, Gallegos finally did November 18.
Robin McCaffrey of Needham-McCaffrey & Associates, Inc. moderated the third leg of a slide show presentation to theGBIC on October 31, outlining an overall plan for a 22,000 acre industrial corridor including the Port of Brownsville. Earlier, the Port of Brownsville and Public Utilities Board heard the same proposal.
Here is part of our report from October 31:
"The plan organizes the Port of Brownsville and the surrounding area south of the port and east of the Brownsville/South Padre Island Airport. Specific areas are segmented for heavy industry, light industry and organized according to power and water usage. Simply lining up industry along the ship channel is discouraged, but companies with similar energy and/or infrastructure needs are organized perpendicular to the channel.
McCaffrey preached to the choir as he stated that extending the airport runway to 12,000 feet and dredging out the ship channel were prerequisites to the plan's implementation.
Brownsville's uniqueness is that it has rail, air, sea and road transport and a border location according to McCaffrey. Infrastructure permitting, he claims Brownsville holds a competitive advantage over other U.S. locations and Mexico. McCaffrey estimates manufacturing companies employing 500 workers, using 100,000 kilowatts annually save $5,000,000 on labor in Mexico, but $16,000,000 on energy in Brownsville. The plan is that Brownsville be an a manufacturer, an exporter, not merely a transporter of goods. Steel plants particularly foster spin-off companies. McCaffrey's plan foresees an aggregation of industry, including manufacturing, but also lighter industry, even agri-based in what he calls an industrial corridor."
Unfortunately, Brownsville taxpayers may recall a similar plan for the City of Brownsville, Imagine Brownsville, that was never put into action. Here, again, from our October 31 MMB article:
"There is a sense of deja vu here as we recall the Imagine Brownsville Comprehensive Plan purchased for $900,000 from Carlos Marin's Ambiotec Engineering five years ago. In retrospect, that was a huge waste of tax dollars as the never implemented paperback plan now gathers dust on city shelves, obviously dated and unworkable."
The resume' of Robin McCaffrey is not in question here. He has numerous successful projectis attributed to him, including acknowledged work for the Dallas Museum of Natural History. But, a plan is only as good as its implementation. The original Imagine Brownsville plan was never implemented, only morphing into a behind-the-scenes, shadowy, unaccountable, supervisory board for the city and county now called Greater Brownsville.
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