Low bidder rejected for minority infraction

“Here is some of that waste we could do without (pun intended). How does city hall expect the average citizen to have sympathy for their budget woes, and be willing to pay new taxes and fees when they are so irresponsible with the money they receive?”
– Baltimoreplaces

“So you see, it would be told–
by the bean counters–
benefactors with clout–
by accident not by scheme,
by coincidence not by plan–
the fat cat with the most to give–
to the mean cats of the political scene–
by the beauty of happenstance–
that same fat cat was also
the one with the most experience–
and the one with the capacity–
to do the very best–
for the city that never reads–
the ethics laws it writes–
the man who bid the most–
by god’s grace will always be
also the very best. . .”
– Usha Nellore

“Thanks for this, Brew! It’s good to know. So two goals were not met: minority/women participation and taking care with the citizens’ money. I hope whoever replaces Ms Williams takes a more reasonable approach, and WITH the mayor’s support for that approach.”
– Linda
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Some Sparrows Point workers told to return to work

“The days of running L like beth steel did with slabs all over the place and waiting for buyers are over. RG does not have the cash as we all have seen to do that.”
– warpig

“Sparrows Point is losing money because of managements decision to sell steel at below cost to get our customers back that Severstal kicked to the curb.They also were running steelside at 70% which eats up raw materials faster than if you were running at 100%.So if management gets there head out of their butt maybe we can make steel while the price is right.”
– Selling at a Loss

“Once again, the Baltimore Brew proves it’s worth by being the only source of information regarding a SP development. Imagine if the Brew didn’t exist throughout this crisis–all we’d know is that company quit paying it bills, L furnace was idled, and half of the workforce was on the street.”
H S

“Everything that I’ve read concerning SP in the Brew was just a rehashing of rumours that were out there. Alot of the stuff that was said in the hall should’ve stayed in the hall.”
– Selling at a Loss

“I would like to think the news of a new investor would be good, but bottom line is what has changed? SP was reported to be losing hugh sums of money, some reports up to $1 million per day, does aquiring more money fix that problem?’
– guest9999

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For jobs and economic returns, TV zooms past Grand Prix

“If the Grand Prix only brought in $25 million, that’s $25 million we didn’t have before. I only heard positive feedback from my family and friends outside of Baltimore who marveled at how great the city looked and who would never have thought that such an event could take place in little ol’ crime-ridden, drugged-up, depressed Baltimore. In terms of creating a positive image for the city, the Grand Prix did infinitely better than The Wire.”
– Tarita  Coles

“Will the Brew ever take a break from Grand Prix bashing? Seriously. This isn’t ‘film making vs. the Grand Prix.’ They are completely separate from one.  The Grand Prix doesn’t take away from film making, or vice versa. Why the pissing contest? The Baltimore Orioles and Harborplace also bring in more money than the Grand Prix – big whoop. The opportunities for comparissn articles are endless.”
– Curtis

“Let the bashing continue. This was a foreseeable boondoggle. The point is many investments are better than the Grand Prix, with proven economic returns.”
– Baltimoreplaces

“Maybe a better way to go about ‘creating jobs and helping the economy’ would be to set some outcomes for an enterprise — economic markers or objectives — and then tailor the city’s investment to best meet the general economic and social goals of the project.”
– Theparkadvocate@gmail.com

” . . . The Grand Prix was an exciting novelty for Baltimore but cities should not lend their roads and execute their trees for a day’s worth of racing madness. The idea was not a sound money making scheme. It disrupted the peace of Baltimore communities, it expended more money than it took in and it left the city with payments due from the Grand Prix organizers. Make a coffin for the Grand Prix and inter it with a prayer it won’t be resurrected in the near future.”
– Ushanellore

“Mark continues the shrewd and insightful reporting that he has demonstrated for four decades, but I think he ignores that the Grand Prix brought something more intangible than money to the city — it was a wonderful event that brought tens of thousands of people together to have a great time in the center of Baltimore. You don’t see things like the New Year’s fireworks have to justify themselves economically — but the Grand Prix did also generate considerable income. That it did not live up to the pre-race hype is hardly a surprise. If we went by those standards, we would have not professional sports teams or convention center or all sorts of other projects that use these dubious forecasts.”
– Michael

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City should halt the Grand Prix, says Jack Young

“It’s rare and refreshing when a politician actually admits to and learns from a mistake. Mostly they’re just castigated with the label of ‘flip-flopper’. Baltimore needs a whole lot more flipping to make up for all the decades of flopping.”
– Gerald Neily

“We all knew the financial numbers would never live up to Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s financial projected numbers. Martin O’Malley built a hotel, selling it the same way. But Hey, give the gal credit where credit is due. She won the blessings of the Baltimore Sun and won her first mayoral election. Isn’t this what it was all about anyway?”
– A very concerned citizen

“Can we say ‘prixe fixed’? wow.”
– Purple Proposals

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Demolition by neglect? Roof on Read’s building won’t be fixed for months

“Careful. I can see the city playing the same shenanigans that was pulled on the Grand Theater in Highlandtown.
Act 1: Don’t worry, we’re going to save the Grand and incorporate it into the new library.
Act 2: Our structural engineers have determined that only the facade of the theater can be saved, but will (again) incorporate it into the new library.
Act 3: We’ve finally determined that nothing of the theater can be saved, and will have to be (quickly) torn down (before the preservationist can try to save it)
Epilogue: We (the city) will now quickly build the new library that needed no further design changes, and clearly showing that there was NEVER an intention of incorporating the Grand Theater into the new structure.”
– EJD1984

“Where were the preservationists and those interested in preserving the history of the Civil Rights movement for the DECADES that the building sat and rotted?”
– westside resident

“This administration does NOT care about Black History and won’t spend a dime to preserve these relics unless they can break a piece off for a big developer campaign contributor in the process.”
– Ktrueheart

“Actually, the two windows you show open at Reed’s have been open since about March of last year. I took pictures of them at that time and forwarded them to some people I thought would be interested in this fact. Not long after the windows had been opened, the Baltimore Sun posted a video of Loren Bailey Pope touring the building, which was given as evidence that all of the historic fabric had deteriorated, making the building ‘not worth saving.’ It’s sad to see such a lack of care here. I’m by no means an architectural expert, but some who have testified at the Read’s hearings expressed concern that facade preservation is a risky enterprise. The water damage that continues cannot be helping this situation.”
– JS