I built custom homes for 35 years. Every single homeowner told me the same story. They went to the architect and said we have $300,000 total budget, the architect proceeded to design a $ 480,000 house That ended up costing $560,000 to build. It would be odd if it happened occasionally but I'm not kidding it was damn near every single time.
Here's how to accurately budget for new construction: calculate your expected costs. Then double the estimate. And then add between 10 and 20% on top. Now you have enough money allotted for expenses. Maybe....
Majestic! Monumental! Ostentatious! Absurd! Abandoned! This is what New Mexicos government can do for *YOU*!! I feel so much better about my own state after watching videos like this. Congratulations, New Mexico!
I was just thinking this. It possibly wasn't even the only version the architect made. My uncle is an architect for similar scale projects and does multiple versions of projects in the early stages. A high end, low end and something in the middle. Architects are laborers just like everyone else. The real criminals are the ones who said, "yeah this version of a public project the public doesn't have the funding for nor need of is the one we're going to spend the publics money on."
A bit late to the party, but a similar thought ran through my mind. The information given in this video is that the architects plan was way over the intended cost of the project and they accepted it anyways. An appropriate response would be to fire him for going overbudget or tell him to go back to the drawing board and deliver a plan within their funding limits. Instead it looks like they rubber stamped what he sent the county and then got angry when they finally got around to reading the price tag.
How was that chairman, Martinez, still in charge of anything? The dude still didn't want to take responsibility and actually got combative. Tells you all you need to know about him. Just ridiculous.
It's all you need to know about New Mexico. It is deeply corrupt in every dimension you care to examine. And who's to blame? The people who elect the crooks.
I only stumbled onto these KRQE investigative reports just today. Never realized how inept and corrupt New Mexico is. This sounds like one big money pit. It's been going on five years now. Was this ever completed?
I'm a New Yorker, but once lived in Alamosa, Colorado. The heating and cooling bills for the trailers has not been chump change. At least $7,000-$10,000 dollars in excess per year. Just sad, especially because NM cuts developers deals all the time. *"Hey, finish this building for us, and we'll give you a tax credit."* As a college dropout, I could list off ten ideas. Like taking 100 high school students and pairing them with said company to teach them a trade, and get the building done. It's embarrassing, that AmeriCorps NCCC has existed since 1994 and these jokers never called.
The tax dollars that this state wastes on bullshit is unprecedented, having lived up east on the Atlantic coast,I can identify pocket lining crookbastard politicians and judges ,,, there ain't no shortage here.
And when they finally do finish the job there will be a big brass plaque placed in a conspicuous place with the names of the commissioners names. Oh, the county will be sooo proud !!! This kind of crap seems to go on all the time in New Mexico. Thanks to Larry Barker and KRQE for their hard work.
Someone should commission a billboard to give honor and recognition to those dedicated stewards of taxpayer money who are responsible for the authorization of this project. The bronze plaque can come later, when the project is completed.
If state money is used for local projects, then it should come with the requirement to complete the project as funded by the planned deadline or future funds for any purpose are cut off until the money is paid back. This would encourage smaller, more reasonable projects and fewer of them. Of course, since it isn't the politicians' money, there will be all kinds of waivers offered so such a requirement would have no teeth.
This reminds me of the jail they were building in Detroit and they ran out of money halfway through. It was prime, expensive real estate. A billionaire businessman offered to buy the half built jail so he could develop the property and pay to have a new jail built somewhere else but the city voted *NO* 😂😂
Yeah, they spent something like $170M out of an expected $300M but it ended up going way beyond that which prompted the pause. Then it sat for 3 years while they paid something like $1M to run pumps and pay security. Ultimately they _did_ end up making a complicated deal with that developer which involved giving him the land and him building the new justice complex which is under construction. He demolished the jail but his plans for the site have been downsized repeatedly in recent times while he's still on the hook for the new justice complex and his mortgage company is falling significantly in value. He recently had a major stroke so I don't know how much of the operations he's involved with at this point but he is recovering.
Nope, the architect was given a job and the council said that's good and signed off on it. as for the contractor signed off as well. All down to the county. County inspectors should have been there once a week to check the work out. Or did they get money too?
@@tallthinkev This. It's like when you tell a real estate agent what your budget is and they show you a home that's outside of your budget. If you decide to buy it anyways and can't pay your mortgage in a couple years it's not the real estate agents fault😂
@@tallthinkev Bingo. The architect's job is to deliver a set of buildable/compliant plans to the client's specifications. He did so. They didn't state if the deficiencies were in design or materials/labor but I would presume the latter as I saw sections of floor cut out to rebar and other concrete work you wouldn't expect unless the buildout design was changed (which it may have been). The county would have put the building contract/plans out to bid and accepted the lowest (typically) bid and then built it. None of that was the architect's job. Architects often design alternates or variants that can be optional based on budget. But it's up to the county to issue the contract to build it.
More of my tax dollars and I don't even live in that county. Crooks in charge. It's not the contractors. It's the crooks in government that approved of the expense.
Did she actually say, "Mistakes were made?" She cannot be unaware of that classic bit of transparent dishonesty- it's a textbook case of government doublespeak.
The frustrating thing is that Mora used to have a magnificent courthouse that was constructed in 1889 in stone in the Romanesque style. It was the pride of the county but they abandoned it in 1939 and let it burn down in the 1950s.
Over time the county should shift more & more government offices into that new building. Good to hear the county is going to sue the entities involved in the initial construction.
Most of those people in the video starting when the Senators and then they got a big part of that money that just playing the part you know better than that
Common sense says if the person coming up with the plans goes over budget you get them down to where you need them to be in budget or you get someone else that can be well within budget.
Just do a forensic audit of Peter Martinez, the architect, and the builder's finances....especially the way Nr. Martinez acted out on camera.....he's probably the weak link....
So, send them to an unfinished building? Oh yeah, that's not a terrible idea at all! Lmao the liability that would present is massive! Not to mention mean and unconstitutional
Can We the people claim such buildings and turn them into manufacturing ? We have government buildings half finished all over the US. They are paid for by the people, so why not put them to good use. Now that Chinese products are unavailable, Americans can see that manufacturing must be rebuilt in America for our own survival.
Dam New Mexico Got a phucked up System.... This the Second building they have up there that's just sitting around empty the other being a museum that was only used for 8-10 yrs then closed... WHAT A WASTE OF FUNDS!!!
THATS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DON'T KEEP A A EYE ON THE Architect YOU SHOULD MAKE THE ARCHITECT PAY THE DIFFERENCE ALONG WITH THE PEOPLE THAT KNEW ABOUT WHAT WAS GOING ON.
@@harkinlucerojr.9580 A contractor, in this case the Architect, working as a third party, does not have the power to approve his own work. It's called a conflict of interest.
@@spooge33 I LIVE IN A SMALL TOWN RUN BY THE GOOD OLD BOYS.IN OTHER WORDS THEY MAKE THEIR OWN LAWS AND COVER EACH OTHERS ASSES .I AM OVER 72 AND WORKED WITH MANY CONTRACTORS AND ARCHITECTS.EVEN A COUPLE FRANK LOYED WRIGHT STUDENTS ON THE BANK OF PORTUGAL IN SF. NEVER HAVE I RUN INTO PROBLEMS EXCEPT IN PUEBLO COLO.
Not just the citizens of Mora paid, all state monies given to the country come from All our taxes, not just the county. We all got screwed. Why didnt someone just say No to the architect.
In California the state will pay counties more money for a building that is being leased than they will for a building that is owned. 20 years ago I worked for a county and there was one building that could house around 70 people that had 11 people sitting in it, that way could could maintain a 10 person average in order to get paid by the state for that building. That building was owned by the county. All the other filled to capacity buildings were leased. What I'm trying to say is it's always a money game.
One more example about the reason NO governmental entity, from a dog catcher and a animal shelter to the fire station and the U. S. Congress should hold title to land or buildings Government can lease development of land and structures for use to serve the public and specify how the facility is configured. The land remains in fee title ownership for the term of the lease, etc. and the owner gets the property and structure back when the govt. is done.
I built custom homes for 35 years. Every single homeowner told me the same story. They went to the architect and said we have $300,000 total budget, the architect proceeded to design a $ 480,000 house
That ended up costing $560,000 to build. It would be odd if it happened occasionally but I'm not kidding it was damn near every single time.
Here's how to accurately budget for new construction: calculate your expected costs. Then double the estimate. And then add between 10 and 20% on top. Now you have enough money allotted for expenses. Maybe....
@@jordangarrick703 architect the keyword in my comment is architect.
Majestic! Monumental! Ostentatious! Absurd! Abandoned!
This is what New Mexicos government can do for *YOU*!!
I feel so much better about my own state after watching videos like this. Congratulations, New Mexico!
every state needs a larry barker
Why the hell is everybody blaming the architect. The city council had to approve the deal before construction began.
I was just thinking this. It possibly wasn't even the only version the architect made. My uncle is an architect for similar scale projects and does multiple versions of projects in the early stages. A high end, low end and something in the middle.
Architects are laborers just like everyone else. The real criminals are the ones who said, "yeah this version of a public project the public doesn't have the funding for nor need of is the one we're going to spend the publics money on."
@@eddyb1596, you’re exactly right.
A bit late to the party, but a similar thought ran through my mind. The information given in this video is that the architects plan was way over the intended cost of the project and they accepted it anyways. An appropriate response would be to fire him for going overbudget or tell him to go back to the drawing board and deliver a plan within their funding limits. Instead it looks like they rubber stamped what he sent the county and then got angry when they finally got around to reading the price tag.
@@eddyb1596 They are blaming them for the structural deficiencies. The building is unsafe as designed.
How about we deduct the politicians pay. I pretty sure they will have issues with that.
Good job Larry!
Arrogance exceeded only by corruption...
The bank loan is also a tax increase.
Corruption at its best.
How was that chairman, Martinez, still in charge of anything? The dude still didn't want to take responsibility and actually got combative.
Tells you all you need to know about him.
Just ridiculous.
It's all you need to know about New Mexico. It is deeply corrupt in every dimension you care to examine. And who's to blame? The people who elect the crooks.
My guess is he is a MAGAT. They are born to be incompetent.
I only stumbled onto these KRQE investigative reports just today. Never realized how inept and corrupt New Mexico is.
This sounds like one big money pit. It's been going on five years now. Was this ever completed?
Yes it opened in 2019
It’s in use and actually coming out nice
all governments are corrupt with huge money laundering schemes and payola that would make the mob look like saints
New Mexico government defined!!
Is this Jeffrey who lived in LV if so long time ago 👊🏽👍🏽
They put the money in there pockets
I'm a New Yorker, but once lived in Alamosa, Colorado. The heating and cooling bills for the trailers has not been chump change. At least $7,000-$10,000 dollars in excess per year. Just sad, especially because NM cuts developers deals all the time. *"Hey, finish this building for us, and we'll give you a tax credit."* As a college dropout, I could list off ten ideas. Like taking 100 high school students and pairing them with said company to teach them a trade, and get the building done. It's embarrassing, that AmeriCorps NCCC has existed since 1994 and these jokers never called.
A local tax increase! Go figure!
The tax dollars that this state wastes on bullshit is unprecedented, having lived up east on the Atlantic coast,I can identify pocket lining crookbastard politicians and judges ,,, there ain't no shortage here.
And when they finally do finish the job there will be a big brass plaque placed in a conspicuous place with the names of the commissioners names. Oh, the county will be sooo proud !!! This kind of crap seems to go on all the time in New Mexico. Thanks to
Larry Barker and KRQE for their hard work.
Someone should commission a billboard to give honor and recognition to those dedicated stewards of taxpayer money who are responsible for the authorization of this project. The bronze plaque can come later, when the project is completed.
Wasting our money is something that bureaucrats are good at. Add lying, stealing, harassing us - etc.
If state money is used for local projects, then it should come with the requirement to complete the project as funded by the planned deadline or future funds for any purpose are cut off until the money is paid back. This would encourage smaller, more reasonable projects and fewer of them. Of course, since it isn't the politicians' money, there will be all kinds of waivers offered so such a requirement would have no teeth.
Seems to me that the county should fall back on everyone who had their hands in the building of this center.
I don't understand how this happens. Oh wait is politicians getting their hands dirty.
This reminds me of the jail they were building in Detroit and they ran out of money halfway through. It was prime, expensive real estate.
A billionaire businessman offered to buy the half built jail so he could develop the property and pay to have a new jail built somewhere else but the city voted *NO* 😂😂
prime expensive real estate in detroit? LOL
@@doctormcboy5009 yea that's an oxymoron 😂
Yeah, they spent something like $170M out of an expected $300M but it ended up going way beyond that which prompted the pause. Then it sat for 3 years while they paid something like $1M to run pumps and pay security. Ultimately they _did_ end up making a complicated deal with that developer which involved giving him the land and him building the new justice complex which is under construction. He demolished the jail but his plans for the site have been downsized repeatedly in recent times while he's still on the hook for the new justice complex and his mortgage company is falling significantly in value. He recently had a major stroke so I don't know how much of the operations he's involved with at this point but he is recovering.
Their courthouse should send the sheriff to the architect, arrest him, and charge him with fraud of some sort.
The Sheriff is under arrest.
Nope, the architect was given a job and the council said that's good and signed off on it. as for the contractor signed off as well. All down to the county. County inspectors should have been there once a week to check the work out. Or did they get money too?
@@tallthinkev This. It's like when you tell a real estate agent what your budget is and they show you a home that's outside of your budget. If you decide to buy it anyways and can't pay your mortgage in a couple years it's not the real estate agents fault😂
@@tallthinkev Bingo. The architect's job is to deliver a set of buildable/compliant plans to the client's specifications. He did so. They didn't state if the deficiencies were in design or materials/labor but I would presume the latter as I saw sections of floor cut out to rebar and other concrete work you wouldn't expect unless the buildout design was changed (which it may have been). The county would have put the building contract/plans out to bid and accepted the lowest (typically) bid and then built it. None of that was the architect's job. Architects often design alternates or variants that can be optional based on budget. But it's up to the county to issue the contract to build it.
Jail time = decades. Seize every thing they own right down to their jewelry, sell it and put the proceeds in the county kitty.
More of my tax dollars and I don't even live in that county. Crooks in charge. It's not the contractors. It's the crooks in government that approved of the expense.
Homeless people should go live in it .
Did she actually say, "Mistakes were made?" She cannot be unaware of that classic bit of transparent dishonesty- it's a textbook case of government doublespeak.
Sounds like the commission knew that they’d eventually find the money
Who else saw snowmobiles in building?🤔
Ya, what's up with that? Expensive storage shed!
The frustrating thing is that Mora used to have a magnificent courthouse that was constructed in 1889 in stone in the Romanesque style. It was the pride of the county but they abandoned it in 1939 and let it burn down in the 1950s.
This is so corrupt the Taxpayers are getting ripped off by the City or County the Contractor reaps millions.
who has snowmobiles stored in the building??????? fire all involved to this point and get new people in there that will do their jobs
Put the county commission in tents until the quit
Larry you are the best. That's a fact.
Over time the county should shift more & more government offices into that new building. Good to hear the county is going to sue the entities involved in the initial construction.
Taxpayers should be outraged people need to be in jail
Of course they built at 12 million dollar building with a 5 million dollar budget that's government 101
sublease part of the building to law offices, law library and other buildings.
In light of Corruption in US the Mora building project should be turned over to Homeless support services.
Bet nobody went to jail! Sick!
I bet some politician made his family rich on this.
Most of those people in the video starting when the Senators and then they got a big part of that money that just playing the part you know better than that
Imagine being sentenced to prison from a single wide trailer
First of all building should never have been approved when it went over budget.
Hope they voted that fool commissioner out of office!
Vote them out!
Architect and Contractor declare bankruptcy and the cost of the lawsuit will be added to the tab of correcting and completing the building.
When buildings are left like this… they rot, from the inside out.
Follow the money trail. Where does it lead? FOIA requests should be submitted. Who is responsible?
Common sense says if the person coming up with the plans goes over budget you get them down to where you need them to be in budget or you get someone else that can be well within budget.
Lol is it a casino??? What a fancy court house
Just do a forensic audit of Peter Martinez, the architect, and the builder's finances....especially the way Nr. Martinez acted out on camera.....he's probably the weak link....
Get ‘em Larry!
What the hell is going on out there in NM?? Corrupt from top to bottom
Sounds just like MDC which was built on reclaimed land leading to almost half of it being unusable
Ok, We have a $5 million budget , Let’s build a $12 million structure. What could go wrong?
Wow its almost like they overpayed the developers and pocketed the difference.
Use it for something. Send the homeless there. No need to waste more money to build homes for homeless.
So, send them to an unfinished building? Oh yeah, that's not a terrible idea at all! Lmao the liability that would present is massive! Not to mention mean and unconstitutional
There aren't any homeless in Mora County - for obvious reasons.
Government doesn’t care how they spend taxpayers money! After all if they need more money they simply raise your taxes.
Follow the money.
The contractor made a huge sum of money!
The Tal Mahal is a tomb too.
1st Question: Why would any county resident WANT to use a COURT? Do the residents want to be criminals?
And millions of people want to go to your country,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,WHY.
You should have a landscape to save WATER!
Tax Increase 🤷♂️
Sorry taxpayers you get what you vote for...
why did the board accept the 12 million plan and why did the board not put the job out to tender IN COM PET TENCE
Telling you right now… money was used elsewhere and claimed it was for this building!
Can We the people claim such buildings and turn them into manufacturing ? We have government buildings half finished all over the US. They are paid for by the people, so why not put them to good use. Now that Chinese products are unavailable, Americans can see that manufacturing must be rebuilt in America for our own survival.
Manufacturing what? Tamales?
@@LoveyK I like the way you think😯 lots and lots of tamales
@@tedvargovich5020 😊
Wow
Seems like this is happening in ruidoso right now, with like 8 million for road repairs and the "repairs" are half done and worse than before.
Dam New Mexico Got a phucked up System.... This the Second building they have up there that's just sitting around empty the other being a museum that was only used for 8-10 yrs then closed... WHAT A WASTE OF FUNDS!!!
They raised taxes to help pay. NOT RIGHT
That commissioner should be fired
Court houses should be simple office buildings not ridiculous art projects
wait, at 4:50. were those SNOWMOBILES!?!!?!?!
Casey Schmidt yes we need them here because it snowing a lot her and so the workers don't get stuck in the snow
It's almost like they knew it would never get built so they built enough of a building to force the construction later.
How do you say, KICKBACKS…..
This is some funny azz shit
Sounds like Chicago
Seems like New Mexico has a massive issue with scammy construction projects. Everything about a dozen different videos from different projects.
Poor government workers having to work out of mobile homes, imagine if they had to live in them like many people do.
😂
Not ALL TRAILER TRASH
Live in TRAILERS!!!!!!
THATS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DON'T KEEP A
A EYE ON THE Architect
YOU SHOULD MAKE THE ARCHITECT PAY THE DIFFERENCE ALONG WITH THE PEOPLE THAT KNEW ABOUT WHAT WAS GOING ON.
The drawings have to be approved by someone. Just because he designed it doesn't mean it gets built.
@@spooge33 IT WILL GET BUILT IF HE IS THE PERSON WHO HAS THE POWER TO APPROVE IT.
@@harkinlucerojr.9580 A contractor, in this case the Architect, working as a third party, does not have the power to approve his own work. It's called a conflict of interest.
@@spooge33 HE WAS IN CHARGE
@@spooge33 I LIVE IN A SMALL TOWN RUN BY THE GOOD OLD BOYS.IN OTHER WORDS THEY MAKE THEIR OWN LAWS AND COVER EACH OTHERS ASSES .I AM OVER 72 AND WORKED WITH MANY CONTRACTORS AND ARCHITECTS.EVEN A COUPLE FRANK LOYED WRIGHT STUDENTS ON THE BANK OF PORTUGAL IN SF.
NEVER HAVE I RUN INTO PROBLEMS EXCEPT IN PUEBLO COLO.
SCAM the taxpayers and pocket it.
Whats with the snowmobiles in the courthouse??
Who selected the architect and signed off on the plans?
Statue of limitations has expired.
If you build it they will come
Cut there pay to pay for it
Sounds like unintelligent POLITITIONS doing what they do best, f over their communities!
I'd like to take a look at this senator's campaign contributions
Martinez how do these get elected and re-elections
Still not finished
All of this for a county with less than 5,000 people.
I wouldn't live in NM for any reason.
Not just the citizens of Mora paid, all state monies given to the country come from All our taxes, not just the county. We all got screwed. Why didnt someone just say No to the architect.
Mora has vary small amount of peaple. Money is from all de citizens of NM
In California the state will pay counties more money for a building that is being leased than they will for a building that is owned. 20 years ago I worked for a county and there was one building that could house around 70 people that had 11 people sitting in it, that way could could maintain a 10 person average in order to get paid by the state for that building. That building was owned by the county. All the other filled to capacity buildings were leased. What I'm trying to say is it's always a money game.
Talk about a ponzi who really got money from bonds
One more example about the reason NO governmental entity, from a dog catcher and a animal shelter to the fire station and the U. S. Congress should hold title to land or buildings
Government can lease development of land and structures for use to serve the public and specify how the facility is configured. The land remains in fee title ownership for the term of the lease, etc. and the owner gets the property and structure back when the govt. is done.
Never any accountability.
People need to come and see how MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM have united everyone to get this project to fruition!!!!!
Things are changing