1500 houses for cheap?

demobud · #1 (**permalink**) 06-26-2008, 06:54 AM

(James, if this is in the wrong place, please move it.)

The City of Birmingham AL(or rather the Mayor) has decided to demo 1500 houses in the next year. They have estimated 4 million for the demo. In my math that comes out to about 2700.00 per house. That seems low to me. Secondly, that have already started using city crews for the demo and the mayor is saying he wants to hire more city crews to do the work, essentially because he feels that demo contractors "have buried debris on past demo jobs" and he doesn't trust the contractors. All of this seems contrary to the way business should be done. I could understand a few emergency demolitions being done by city crews with liens placed on the property to pay for the demo; but a large scale project like this using public funds should be let for bids in my mind.
Thanks for letting me vent a bit.
Comments anyone?

**James** · #2 (**permalink**) 06-30-2008, 11:01 AM

I agree with you. If it's one or 2 houses fine. But when you talking 1500 that's crazy.

The other question is, who is train these workers?

I just don't like when government thinks they can do better then private contractors.

demobud · #3 (**permalink**) 07-08-2008, 04:41 PM

On a similar note, I drove by an abandoned warehouse that the city began demo on after a fire. The jobsite looked a right mess wood tangled with steel and sheet metal and insulation. It was terribly sorted and looked like all of ti was going ou tto the landfill.
Oh, well, whattayagonna do?

cm1995 · #4 (**permalink**) 08-23-2008, 11:34 AM

Ahhh - King Larry's ambitious plans.

I guess he needs to work fast to get ready for the 2012 Olympics. LOL

Seriously, I don't think the City should be undertaking it either. From my sources at Thompson Tractor the City has leased several track-hoes and track loaders for the job. The City also purchased 6 Bobcat T320 high-flows with mulcher heads to tackle overgrown lots. I really don't have a problem with them buying the Bobcats but the demo is another story.

City crews are hardly ever as efficient as private crews but when the City owns 2 landfills, they are not paying regular tonnage/CY gate rates. I see the City completing a couple 100 house demos before they realize that the project is costing more than $2700 per house. I expect to see the remainder of the houses go up for bid, but with the way politics are downtown, it's not worth going to jail over.

**James** · #5 (**permalink**) 08-25-2008, 10:12 AM

That's even a bigger waste of taxpayers money, leasing and buying the equipment. That's just crazy and doesn't make sense.

demobud · #6 (**permalink**) 09-04-2008, 12:00 PM

As cm1995 said Welcome to King Larry's world- Larry Langford the esteemed Mayor who was formerly a television reporter and was on the county commission that now has Jefferson county pondering bankruptcy; but hey! he's a snappy dresser!