April 28, 2010

Mayo Group

Story in today's paper by Clive, click here.   Read it.  Not sticking up for the Mayo Group and their asbestos problems, but I do not see how we can question who a private owner hires.

On the other hand, I think we have a right to ask why some of our community builders do not hire more Worcester based contractors, since the City of Worcester supports many of these projects financially..   Matter of fact one is hard pressed to ever see anyone Worcester based contractors ever working at any of their job sites.     Look no further then the work being done at the former City Builders site or on Piedmont Street.  Not only is the GC from out of town but I have yet to see a local sub.

3 comments:

Jahn said...

Sometimes I have to wonder to myself re: the hiring of all these out of town contractors by the Non profit, low income housing industry in Worcester ( possibly Worc's largest growth industry?).

Lettuce say Eye am Jahn XII Community Dev'ment Partners, a publically funded low income housing builder. When I go to Washington or Boston banging my tin cup in the legislative chambers looking for handouts, I always get pulled aside by the legislators and obliquely hinted at that maybe

a. I should think about Hiring Finneran & Sons sheetrockers from Southie and

b. I should also look at DiMasi Destruction from the North end for my demolition contractor and

c. I should also look at Diane Wilkerson & Daughters from Mattapan to meet my affirmative actions guidelines as well as for my "green" initiatives and

d. I should engage Barney & Co as mortgage brokers to handle the financing when it comes time to sell off my low income condos to the unwitting

The end result is that many of my building trades contractors, etc have already been "selected" for me before my funding initiative even gets voted out of committee and many of them are from easterm Mass. b/c that is where my money ultimately comes from.

No this a real crisis that Maybe Mr Michael Germaine could look into, given the high unemployment rates in the local building trades industry...or maybe he's been told to stifle himself and stay out of it by the power brokers who are further up on the political food chain?

Bill Randell said...

Jahn:

I truly do not believe it is that. Think that maybe some of the CDC's have just become comfortable with the subs and G-C that they have and since it is not their money just keep going as is.

It is not fair, however, to people who are contractors in the City of Worcester. There are alot of good G-C and subs that need the business.

Bottom line is that we should support local businesses.

jahn said...

Bill, if nothing else, someone at city hall should step up and say no more Home Funds gauranteed by the city of worc until the NOLO non profit builders start thinking about buying Worcester/Local?.

I mean once a year another program is launched to buy locally, yet City Hall just lets million's dollars of work slip through their hands by ignoring who the CDC's chose to spend our tax dollars on? I mean this is the taxpayers money and yet City Hall wants all of us to buy local.

This summer I'll need another set of tires and I can get them sales tax free in Hudson NH next time I visit my Aunt Agnes in Cow Hampshire. She lives a stones throw away from the tire shop that is also open on Sundae. WTH. WHy not? $800.00 x 6.25% = $50.00. $50.00 I can then spend on Cow Hampshire Fire works. Might as well break the law twice while I am up there......right....plus p+ss off my neighbors.