WCPN reports today [1] that Fox News reports [2] that the FBI is investigating the Breuer contracts.
It is interesting to note that Precision Environmental, the asbestos contractor hired by the County at a price a million dollars above the low bid contractor, is a DiGeronimo Company [3].
It is also interesting to note that the vacant industrial building at 6611 Euclid (north of The Tavern) was owned by the DiGeronimo family and was purchased by the GCRTA ostensibly for the Euclid Corridor project for 1 million dollars. You can read the story about why the RTA needed to buy the DiGeronimo building on Realneo here [4]
It is also interesting to note that Independence Excavating [5] is a DiGeronimo Company and is the site work contractor presently working on the languishing Juvenile Justice Center on Quincy Ave in Cleveland.
At both the Juvenile Justice Center and at the Breuer Building the DiGeronimo Company involved (Precision and Independence) were given the go ahead to do their subcontract portion of the work BEFORE county financing was in place for the entire Justice Center or entire Breuer-location proposed new County Offices.
In fact, when the County was seeking a demolition permit for the Breuer Building at a public hearing before the Planning Commission (Tony Coyne had just returned from Chicago), Counselor Joe Cimperman pleaded for Planning to “at least let the asbestos contract go forward immediately” because there was pressure and urgency about proceeding post haste with the asbo removal even before Planning approved the full demolition of the Breuer and before final building plans were ready and approved for the proposed County offices.
But then Crain’s Cleveland Business has been reporting on Joe Cimperman [6] pushing to buy the Jacobs owned Breuer since back in 2002.
Now that the 3 Commissioners suddenly realize the County doesn’t have the money to demolish and re-build at the Breuer, it seems a little strange that the County and Mr. Cimperman were in such a hurry.
Very FUNNY that the County wasn’t able to project its bonding capacity for new county construction BEFORE they purchased the Breuer and BEFORE the County contracted for asbestos removal. When asked why the County Commissioners couldn’t figure out the limits of the County budget BEFORE they voted to buy the Breuer from Mr. Jacobs for 22 million of the taxpayer’s money, Mr. Hagan, “educated” at CSU [7], recently replied: “accounting is an art, not a science”.
This “MONEY IS ART” comment is from the President of the Board of Cuyahoga County Commissioners - made without contrition after paying 22 million for a historic building to demolish it and then run out of money…
Now anyone who has had remodeling of any kind done in their home or at their work knows that it is insane to begin demolition on any project before the money and plans are in place to complete the entire job. You don’t tear out a bathroom before you know you can replace it. Even with conscientious and complete organization and funding jobs can go awry, but to begin a multi million dollar job with out complete funding and with piecemeal subcontracts is so crazy that, in my mind, it raises suspicions of flagrant incompetence and/or corruption.
But then buying 22 million dollar building when what you want is an empty lot [8]doesn’t seem very rational either.
Maybe the FBI thinks something is fishy too…