HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Packet City Council - 02/24/2026 I would like to start out with a very reasonable request. That is, that the
far-field modeling be completed, validated and reviewed by the far-field committee
before spending any more City resources on this project. Any reasonable person would
do their due diligence before making a large purchase. You wouldn't buy an expensive
house without an inspection first.
This reminds me of the movie, Groundhog Day. This is another design and build
proposal. This seems like a repeat of the Kiewit contract. It will likely have the
same results. The City spent $70 million or so getting to the point of a guaranteed
price for Kiewit. It was too high. The new group, used their City paid information
from Kiewit for their proposal. It seems the new group wants the City to spend
another $78,610,000 and take over a year to bring to the Council a guaranteed price
bid. Looking at what they removed from their budget, they will likely have to add
some, if not all the things back in, to the guaranteed price. The budget will
continue to grow after the far-field modeling and results.
The devil is always in the details. If the City ever gets to the point of writing a
contract, it is important that it contains enforceable guarantees with restitution
and penalties in writing. The City should require a large bond in case of default
and non-operation or sub-par operation. What written guarantees will they give the
City regarding cost, performance, and operation date? What financial restitution
will the City receive if the plant has to shut down to meet the permit requirements?
Will they have real time water quality monitoring in the Inner Harbor, Nueces Bay,
and Corpus Christi Bay?
The new group is comprised of three companies. A quick search and you will find
arrests of "two high-ranking executives" at Acciona and multiple lawsuits. Is the
City prepared for the risks involved with dealing with these companies?
Acciona
Law suit-
https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/metro-vancouver-files-500-million-countersu
it-over-north-shore-sewage-plant-debacle
Metro Vancouver is countersuing the contractor it fired from the
overschedule and
over-budget North Shore sewage plant, arguing that the company's
breaches will cost the regional district $500 million, according to court documents
filed
at B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver.
The contractor, Spanish infrastructure giant Acciona, sued Metro
Vancouver in April for $250 million, saying it was wrongfully terminated from
the nominally $621-million project in January. It blamed delays and cost
overruns on problems that included Metro picking an inadequate site for the
facility and the regional district's "wrongful conduct" during the design and
review process.
https://www.reuters.com/article/markets/fcc-acciona-executives-arrested-in-spanish-w
ater-firm-investigation-idUSL8N1534H8/
FCC, Acciona
executives arrested in Spanish water firm investigation
By Reuters
January 19, 20161:05
PM CSTUpdated 9 years ago
MADRID, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Two high-ranking executives at
Spanish builders Acciona and FCC were arrested as part of an investigation into
irregular concessions at state-run water contract company Acuamed, sources
involved in the matter said.
The two were among 13 people arrested after Spanish police
raided Acuamed's offices in Madrid, Barcelona and other cities on Monday, in
the latest corruption scandal over the way public contracts were handled during
Spain's boom years before its 2008 property crash.
https://www.globalconstructionreview.com/six-spanish-contractors-fined-e200m-for-ill
egal-collaboration/
Spain's competition authority, the National Markets and
Competition Commission (CNMC) has fined six construction companies more than
€200m in total after uncovering a 25-year history of collaboration.
The
companies hit are: Acciona Construction (€29.4m), Dragados (€57.1m), FCC
Construction (€40.4m), Ferrovial Construction (€38.5m), Obrasc6n Huarte Lain
(€21.5m) and Sacyr Construction (€16.7m) .
Mastec
Law suit-
https://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/settlements/11416/mastec-natural-gas-pipeline-
construction.html
LAWSUITS NEWS & LEGAL
INFORMATION
Pipeline Builder Damage
Coos county, OR:
(Apr-02-08) Coos County brought a lawsuit against Miami based MasTec, Inc., over the
construction of a natural gas pipeline. The suit, filed in 2004, stated that
there were several problems associated with the construction, including four
lawsuits from private landowners against the County and MasTec accusing them of
property damage, while constructing the 60-mile pipeline from Roseburg to
Coquille.
Sources stated that the two parties have reached a resolution in the case and
entered into a settlement agreement, in which MasTec will pay $8.7 million, as well
drop its
claims against the county for more than $11 million dollars for unpaid work and
$3.5 million dollars for alleged delay damages. The deal stipulated that the
company pay $4.35 million on Jun. 2, 2008 and an additional 4.35 million, with
interest, on Jun. 1, 2009. County officials announced that they have remedied
most of the environmental damage caused by MasTec during construction. [KCBY
NEWS: COOS COUNTY SETTLES LAWSUIT WITH MASTEC]
Ardurra
Data breach-
https://straussborrelli.com/2025/06/25/ardurra-data-breach-investigation/
WHAT HAPPENED?
On June 20, 2025, Ardurra reported to the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts that it had experienced a data breach in which the sensitive personal
identifiable information in its care may have been compromised. In the sample breach
notice, Ardurra does not elaborate on the nature of the security incident that
impacted its systems. While the information impacted varies depending on the
individual, the type of information potentially exposed includes:
Name
Social Security number