Monday, October 1, 2012

Liu looking into golf course


From the NY Times:

Were we to commit ourselves to making a master list of what New York City needs more of, it is fair to say that many of us would wear a third or fourth pencil down to the nub before settling on an 18-hole golf course and the increased presence of Donald J. Trump. And yet, with the renovation of a major portion of Ferry Point Park in the southeastern section of the Bronx, this is what New Yorkers will receive.

The city is spending $97 million to construct a public golf course in the park; it is scheduled to open in the spring of 2014 and to be operated by Trump National and International Golf Clubs. At that point, residents of a borough where more than 30 percent of people live below the poverty line will have what will surely be seen as a welcome opportunity to improve their handicaps (for green fees higher than those at most municipal courses).

The construction of the golf course, which has a long and embattled history — the budget, to cite one aspect, has swelled by $40 million since 2008 — gained renewed attention last week after The Daily News reported that MFM, a contracting company the city is using on the project, had been linked to a troubled outfit, Felix Associates. MFM’s owners have a passive financial interest in Felix Associates, one of whose principals pleaded guilty to bribery charges two years ago.

Although MFM has not been accused of any wrongdoing, the city’s Department of Investigation had recommended that the Department of Parks and Recreation consider hiring an auditor to oversee dealings with the company. The parks department chose not to do so.

Further sullying matters is the unrelated fact that elevated levels of methane gas have been found just outside the golf course’s perimeter during construction. The Ferry Point golf course will sit on a former landfill.


From the Daily News:

The city controller has begun looking at cost overruns and delays at the golf course the city is building for Donald Trump in the Bronx, the Daily News has learned.

Last Thursday, Controller John Liu sent city Parks Commissioner Veronica White notice that he was reexamining the agency’s handling of the project, which is behind schedule and has ballooned in cost to at least $97 million from $22.5 million.

Liu is reopening a 2007 audit by then-Controller William Thompson that found lax oversight by the Parks Department caused the city to lose $25 million in overpayments and potential earnings at the project.

On Thursday, Liu informed Parks that the audit “will determine whether the Parks Department carried out or implemented recommendations” from that prior audit.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

See? It takes a crook to spot a crook!

Screw mayor. John Liu for president!!!

Anonymous said...

Remember this people when your Queens representative tells your group they don't have money for your community.

an inside informer said...

Liu is just conducting a diversion campaign.

He's about to be indicted next year.

Anonymous said...

This is all just a move to uplift the bad image and attempt to gentrify the Sound View sector of the Bronx.

Anonymous said...

LOL!

John Liu for Bronx borough president.

I'm sure that theold Italian mob, still operating along Tremont Ave. in Throggs Neck, would support him.

LOL...again !

Anonymous said...

WHAT A BOONDOGGLE...and at our expense!

LOL...
"Starret City" in Brooklyn was built DIRECTLY across
the road from a similar garbage dump.

Now, to take the curse off all that...
the development has since been referred to as...
"Starret City, by Spring Creek".

How tranquil it all sounds.

"Spring Creek" must have been the "run off" stream
that trickled its way through the "fragrant" organic garbage mounds.

As P.T. Barnum once said,
"A sucker is born every minute"!

I wonder if John Liu will be playing golf alongside Donald Trump.

Didn't Liu once promise to kyack or swim in a "restored" Flushing River along with Toby Stavisky?

PHEW...and what a sight that would be.
A pair of political turds
bumping noses with the real ones.

Anonymous said...

Didn't Liu once promise to kyack or swim in a "restored" Flushing River along with Toby Stavisky?

PHEW...and what a sight that would be.
A pair of political turds
bumping noses with the real ones
_____________________________________________________
How do you tell the difference between the turds?

Anonymous said...

Liu had best look into
turning state's evidence to reduce his prison term.

Bubba awaits him...
ready to warm his little balloon knot real good!

Anonymous said...

If it's a PUBLIC park built with our taxes, it should be FREE like all of the other PUBLIC parks are!

PUT BLOOMBERG IN JAIL ALREADY!