– News about Quincy Massachusetts from Quincy Quarry News with commentary added.

Bridge open but no traffic
A Quincy Quarry News file photo

Quincy Quarry News Weekly Fish Wrap: some good news but mostly just bad news as usual.

First up, the (only, ed.) good news: after multiple delays and as only to be expected on most any Koch Machine initiative, the Generals Bridge was finally opened up for vehicular use on Thursday.

Quincy’s peerless mayor also managed to see lame-duck Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker show up for the ribbon-cutting photo op and enjoyed the best weather of a mostly wicked cold week.

So what, apparently, for the fact that the bridge was dedicated over four months ago via yet another expensive koched-up well over the top photo op estimated to have run upwards of a quarter of a million dollars or more.

(I schlepped to Quincy for this?)
A YouTube screenshot still image

Additionally, after its opening to vehicular traffic, the bridge then proved itself to be a new Quincy Center bridge to nowhere. 

In support of this view, per Quincy Quarry’s observation, the traffic load on the finally opened bridge was all but the complete opposite of traffic passing over the Neponset Bridge during rush hour. 

Then again, it must be noted that the long-pimped Generals Bridge is ultimately little more than an auxiliary accessway to new and pending parking facilities tied to long-promised privately-owned developments within the Quincy Center redevelopment district.

Is a City on the Move constipated?
An iconic Quincy Quarry file photo

It is also only fair to add that such privately-owned development to date has been modest as compared to the ever-revising and often grandiose plans foisted by Team Koch and its related profligate spendings to date in support of its ever-changing promises.

Further troubling, various of the touted private sector projects continue to be in flux as to what may actually be built at dates as yet uncertain.

Even more troubling, the relatively few privately-owned projects that have been built within the Quincy Center redevelopment district have received tens of millions of typically taxpayers-subsidized incentives.

The real Quincy Way …
A Quincy Quarry meme

At the same time, surely it is but a coincidence that these so favored developers have provided Mayor Koch with well into six-figures worth of campaign contributions.

Regardless, such a deal!

For the connected, that is.

Next up, Quincy Mayor Thomas P. Koch announced that the plans to build a new Quincy Police headquarters would be delayed for perhaps eight to ten months.

The reason: construction costs have soared care of COVID-19 supply chains sorts of issues.

Obsequious minions
An Illumination Entertainment, Universal Pictures image

So what, apparently, for the fact that last spring the Quincy Mayor Tom Koch’s minions promised to the City Council that the $120 million bond authorization sought and then scored would be more than sufficient in spite of COVID-19 fueled price increases and at arguably the height of same as regards construction matériel and labor costs.

How big a fiasco is this latest local breaking badly bad news©? 

For one thing, no indication was provided as to how much higher than expected were the bids submitted by contractors.

FYI – not my fault!
A Facebook video still image

Further troubling, delaying the project will likely see the interest costs on the debt rise and such would so all but assuredly increase its ultimate total cost even if construction costs might actually decline in coming months.

And for the trifecta, word of the delay came out right before the start of a long holiday weekend and thus an ideal time to endeavor to both slip breaking badly bad news© under the media’s radar as well as to mitigate public rancor per standard operating procedure by inept public officials.

What happens to Quincy tax dollars …
A cheatsheet.com image

Further yet, there are several more city construction projects in the works and which all are surely also suffering onerous, if not also out of control, construction costs increases. 

Fortunately, these projects total up to less money than the koched-up plans for a police palace.

Unfortunately, for but one example, one of these projects is the City of Quincy’s Public Buildings Department’s long ongoing renovation of an old Quincy Center mansion.

Public Buildings’ Mr. Snippy
A City of Quincy headshot

How unfortunate?

The building was bought by the Koch Machine five years ago for use as but a transitional headquarters for the Public Buildings Department.

Not only was this said to be modest renovation promised to only cost a bit over $100,000, this renovation project been underway for almost five years on something that was supposed to be completed roughly tour years ago, but also the clearly less than adept head of the Public Buildings Department is the titular head of all of the currently delayed as well as so far looking to end up costing even more – if not much wicked more – city projects mentioned above.

In short, be afraid.  Be very afraid.

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