Wednesday, March 10, 2010

HILL COUNTY COMMISSIONERS DRAFTING PLANS FOR YET ANOTHER “STEPS” REDO

The Corrector’s first order of business this fine morning is to “fess up” to an inaccuracy in one of our previous stories about the Hill County Courthouse. Earlier we had reported that the Hill County Commissioners had spent in excess of 1 million dollars remodeling the courthouse basement with that botched up “contracting” job overseen by our in-house contractor, Commissioner Anderson. We have just been told by a person with access to the books that we have been sadly mislead on our figures and the true amount spent was closer to 1.3 million than the one million we reported. Now to make matters even worse, our wonderful commissioner dream team is talking about going back to work on that money sink hole they fondly refer to as the “front steps” project. Plans are being developed to pour a 6” to 7” concrete cap over the existing steps that are not meeting the building code. We wonder how that high-dollar snow melt system with the new water piping in the steps will work with all that extra concrete covering it? We guess it doesn’t matter as the taxpayer funded heat bills at the courthouse have a never ending source of revenue via you, the taxpayer.

Also, are our readers aware that the Hill County Courthouse and Annex have an IT contract with Paul Rainy at the Computer Center? This 5-year contract was signed by the commissioners a couple of years ago at $65,000 per annum. From what we can learn from the self serving people at the courthouse whose number one concern is hiding the facts and covering their own rears, this contract somehow now costs the county around $80,000 per year. Nice little 20% unchecked boost there for someone. The sad part is that this computer contract only covers the courthouse and annex, the rest of the counties’ departments are not included in this contract and pay for their system needs on a by the hour as needed basis. We also have learned that this IT contract person is also the brainiac behind the decision to put all the data cabling in cable trays in the floor of the courthouse instead of the typical overhead in the ceiling approach that private businesses use and can be completed for minuscule amounts in comparison to the tray approach. Again, cost is no object when you have a bottomless pit of ever increasing tax revenue. Wouldn’t the county taxpayers be better served by just hiring a fulltime IT person that could deal with all of the counties computer needs without the biased eye towards what recommendation would generate the most revenue for his business?

One final caveat to the people that occasionally e-mail us “tips” that are employed at the courthouse; the Computer Center has total control over the county’s computer server so DO NOT e-mail us from your work computer or you can and will be tracked down. We welcome your “tips” but for your job security please e-mail us from your personal home computers. Anyone with further information they would like to add please e-mail us the facts to havredailycorrector@bresnan.net

20 comments:

  1. Is that photo commissioner (contractor) Mike poring over those step blue prints? This is a very interesting story but I must take exception to your statement “Plans are being developed to pour a 6” to 7” concrete cap over the existing steps that are not meeting the building code”

    Who says they don’t meet code? I have been told that government entities like the City of Havre or Hill County are not required to buy building permits because they are excluded. And even if they did, who from the Havre Public Works department has any knowledge of the building code? The city building department never ever inspects any of the work the local contractors do. They do not know the codes themselves and the only interest they have in any of the building projects going on around Havre is in getting the permit fee that must be paid to the City.

    Why doesn’t the Corrector do a story about public safety, the building code, and the lack of code enforcement in little Havre Montana? How much does public works collect for building permits each year for doing nothing and enforcing nothing?

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  2. Which reminds me, do any of the existing medical marijuana growers have any building permits on file for remodeling their buildings to accommodate their new grow operations?
    Are there any records of building inspections relating to his remodeling? Were any public safety or health safety inspections completed from Clay Vincent’s office? Did any of these new businesses that are pouring all this alleged money into our little buy at home town get a certificate of occupancy before starting their business?

    The only code enforcement we have in Havre is out of sight, out of mind

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  3. I resent the way the corrector always portrays Anderson as a monkey,I find it rude and distasteful!I happen to like monkeys.

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  4. I am with you there FedUp. A monkey could do a way better job than Anderson has done and the corrector is dang nasty to their species

    Maybe a discrimination suit is in order

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  5. I think lil mikie is kind of cute with his tie and all. Whats all the hassle with mikie, it was just a couple million bucks

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  6. Thanks for pointing that out Fedup, this blogs posts are insulting to decent law abiding monkeys everywhere!

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  7. Where is the Tribune or Havre Daily news? Are the books at the county that confusing?

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  8. could someone please explain to me why we can't just hire a contractor, give him the blue prints, and have him pour some steps on the damn court house that will last a hundred or so years???

    How much money has been spent just on those steps?? How much more money are we going to spend before they meet code??

    Just walk up them you can feel that the steps are poured at different slopes.

    I know the last time there was a constant battle between the architect and the contractor, who is the boss and who is responsible for the outcome??

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  9. my source says the original steps cost $380,000 in the lawsuit with the engineer who then sued all the contractors resulted in a reimbursemnt of $400,000 so technically the steps haven't cost the taxpayers anything? what else has been done?

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  10. Beerogre, didn’t the county already spend that money redoing the steps last summer? This capping plan would be the third attempt at correcting this step fiasco. Who is paying now? Even insurance companies will bow their necks to stupidity eventually.

    Even without this steps mess doesn’t anyone think that 1.3 million bucks for a makeover of the basement is an obscene amount of money? Why has no one commented about the 5 year $80,000 contract for advice from some computer guy? I get the feeling no one gives two shakes about our government wasting tax money on stupidity.

    Where are the Tea Party guys picketing on these same over priced steps and clamoring for accountability?

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  11. OK...Heres my two cents as long as I'm in the mood to point out dumb-ass things in Mayberry...Lets see..
    hhhmmm...STEPS? vs ELEVATOR?...hhmm
    the only reason that they are working on these steps is for the Historical value "stupidity" that the "Progressive" Agenda is all about!! telling us what we can and can't do here...an Elevator in place of these steps that are non compliant to Handicap Accessability BTW...now someone tell me why we NEED steps? ROFLMAO

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  12. Neo-

    I realize that you are so much smarter than us Mayberry Progressives-

    But-

    What if there is a fire?

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  13. well U would go down the stairs to the sides of the entryway of course....build up from the ground floor to the ones in existance....simple...and take out that STUPID ramp that is on the East side & have more parking...and while I'm at it take out the grass & trees on the West side and create parking for another 30 vehicles...put an inside ramp from ground to basement...just as simple as that!!

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  14. My mistake... I read that the steps cost 1.3 million which I guess 400,000 3 times would be that but I guess Insurance paid it once?but I read the article wrong - I agree 1.3 million is ridiculous and should have been put inot a 1 story ADA compliant building with parking!

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  15. They got to have steps neocon. there is a weight limit on the elevator and they need them steps for the HOHO deliverys to the treasurers office

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  16. they need the money for the steps so we cut down the best employee, the county superintendent. thats one way to get them paid for just add to the treasurers office and cut the county superintendent to 1/2 time. when her deputy is told she will no longer have a deputy job the commish take her to their office so she keeps the high pay and a cushy job. the only one hurt are the somall schools and Shirly Isbell

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  17. I agree with beerogre, $1.3 million could have better been spent on a new ADA 1 story building. My only questions is are we going to be assurred that these steps are going to be right this time? Are the commissioners going to stay out of it? Since they cut Shirley Isabel's position to half time, it is only fair that they cut the deputy's time in half too. No need for her to be there, I hear she doesn't do anything anyway except complain.

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  18. ok. yes the gals in the treasures office may like to munch in front of the public a bit but some of them do a pretty darn good job.
    The bottom line on the courthouse steps is the commissioners need to get those damn steps fixed on someone elses dime and move on to something more important.

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  19. Oldfashioned……. They do a pretty darn good job? At what? dog paddling through the sea of HOHOs?


    They like to munch a bit? The Treasurers office always looks like a junk food factory just exploded and the pork rind dust is so thick up there you have to wear your dust goggles to keep from getting blinded

    I am real happy to see someone new finally filed for the office.

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  20. Maybe DeConstructor knows? Does AA have a 12 step program dealing with HOHO withdrawals?

    I hope the new treasurer doesn't think they can all just quit cold turkey

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