City of Brownsville Gives Bike Trail Planner Free Ride at Newly Remodeled City Office

bcWorkshops, a non-profit that recently asked for $208,000 from the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation to "connect the Belden and Battlefield Bike Trails," is being given a sweetheart lease by the city for newly remodeled 615 E. 11th St. office, adjacent to Market Square.

Perhaps, you've noticed three small spaces along E. 11th St. the city has been renovating for several months.  Two of these units were purchased by Tony and the commissioners during their speculative real estate spending spree of 2012. These are among the properties, totaling over $3,500,000, necessitating the twenty year Certificates of Obligation now on the backs of Brownsville taxpayers.  A third adjacent office was purchased in 2013, when Tony Martinez unilaterally and illegally dipped into the Texas AEP Refund.  The City Commission later allocated over $130,000 to remodel the three small spaces. 

City Planner Roman McAllen

The city had no actual use in mind when the properties were purchased.  Window signs promised a mayor's office, downtown police substation, a museum, a downtown revitalization office, etc.  All of those plans were scrapped and we were told by Roman McAllen of Planning Department that two non-profits, Bike Texas and bcWorkshops, would be leasing two of the spaces with the third acting as sort of a buffer between the two.  We submitted a Public Information Request for the two leases, later being told that BikeTexas had declined to lease this particular property.

City Manager Charlie Cabler
Approved Lease 9/17/14

We received a copy of the lease with bcWorkshops this afternoon through Patty Gonzalez, the newly appointed Public Relations Director.  Here are the terms of the lease:  



OFFICE SPACE: The COB will provide bcWORKSHOP office space located at 615 E. I(11th?) St Brownsville TX 78520 at rate of $800/per month or $9,600/per year. All expenses including all utilities, city fees, taxes, web/internet access and building maintenance are to be paid by the COB. The space will serve as a collaborative location
where city staff, designers, and the community may collaborate on city design and planing(sic), project development and review of significant projects affecting the built environment of Brownsville. The common meeting space will be made available for use to local non-profit, neighborhood and other civic organizations when reasonably requested and coordinated/scheduled by bcWORKSHOP in coordination with the COB.

TERM: The COB will enter into this partnership with bcWORKSHOP for a period of three years with annual reviews by COB Planning and Zoning Director and City Manager's Office to determine continuation of this agreement and discussion of ongoing priorities within the COB. The COB or bcWORKSHOP may terminate this agreement at
any time upon sixty (60) days written notice for any reason.

COMPENSATION: The City of Brownsville agrees to pay bcWORKSHOP $9,600 annually for planning, architectural services and community capacity building including gallery exhibits, curated panel or speaker series and coordination of pubic use of the common meeting space. Any services or benefit over and beyond the $9,600 will be treated as pro bono services to the COB. Payments will be made quarterly to bcWORKSHOP in equal portions. The annual work plan shall be determined prior to the beginning of the COB fiscal year and agreed upon by the COB Planning and Zoning Director and bcWORKSHOP. Any new work arising during the year will be agreed to by the COB and bcWORKSHOP prior to the beginning of any project.

So, the city charges $800 per month or $9,600 per year for a lease that includes utilities, internet, maintenance and taxes, then reimburses bcWorkshops $9,600.  

That sounds like FREE!