The Odessa City Council Tuesday agreed to pay off the balance of what the city owes on the Floyd Gwin Park improvement project and move on from what City Manager John Beckmeyer has described as a “boondoggle.”
In August 2019, Odessa city council members voted to take on $93 million in debt for various capital improvement projects, with $8.5 million going toward the renovation project at Floyd Gwin, the city’s second largest developed park at 45 acres.
In February 2023, then Parks and Recreation Director Steve Patton told the council that after a few delays for materials, the park was 98% complete and would come in under budget by $68,000 to $72,000. A new playground was installed along with three basketball and three volleyball courts, new tennis/pickle ball courts and youth pavilions.
However, back in November, his replacement, Max Reyes, told council members that the project still wasn’t complete.
On Tuesday night, Beckmeyer said he thinks some of the uncompleted work can be done by city staff and while he wants to ask the contractors to finish the other projects, he doesn’t think the city can force them to.
At this point, Beckmeyer said he thinks the city should just move on even though some of the work wasn’t done in a “good workmanship-like manner.”
“It’s you all’s action and I’ll do whatever I’m asked to do, but it’s time to put a nail in this thing and say it’s done,” Beckmeyer said.
Beckmeyer attributed a severe lack of oversight by prior staff for the manner in which it was done.
Moving forward, Beckmeyer said he doesn’t believe the city should pay any contractors until work is inspected and signed off on.
The total amount owing on the project is about $54,000, Beckmeyer said.
Also on Tuesday, the city council agreed in theory to sell seven vacant lots on University Boulevard to Habitat for Humanity for $140,000.
Mayor Javier Joven said the city has been holding on to the lots for years thinking University would eventually expand.
“It was in 1994 when we started discussing the expansion of University and I was on that council. OK, so trust me, there are no plans for expansion on University,” Joven said.
Habitat for Humanity estimates any homes built on the small lots will appraise for $170,000-$180,000, which will be a tax boon for the city, said John Herriage, who was hired to help the city sell several city properties.
The matter will come up for a formal vote March 12.
The council also voted 5-1 to sell the old Fire Station No. 6 on Brentwood Drive to Megan Prado for $350,000.
Prado has told the council her family, which opened Town and Country Drug in 1958, would like to own a building of their own to operate their business out of. She said she dreams of opening a drive-thru pharmacy.
