Strings attached?
After a three-year delay in the rehabilitation of a county-owned building, Frio County commissioners continue to express frustration over the uncertainty of an opening date.
“What is the status of the Camino Real building?” Pct. 4 Commissioner Danny Cano said during a Tuesday, December 10 meeting.
Cano, along with Frio County Judge Rochelle Camacho and fellow commissioners, have persistently questioned the competence of the company and the delays that have hampered construction work since December 2021.
Angel Sandoval, owner of Sandoval Contracting, the company hired by the court to rehabilitate the building, told commissioners on July 30 that he expected an August opening.
Sandoval told commissioners during a May 29 meeting that the facility would be set to open on Friday, June 7.
“We did one last round with the representative from Sandoval,” the county judge told the court. “On the checklist, the blinds that were ordered were incorrect and it has been a long delay. It has to do with whether they come with strings.”
Camacho noted that during the walk-thru there was a question over the building’s electrical system.
“We went into the electrical closet,” the county judge said. “We had keys to the building but do not have keys to the rooms in the building. He was able to open the electrical closet without a key.”
According to Frio County Auditor Crystal Marquez, as of Dec. 10, over the past two months there has been a list of six items the contractor needed to complete.
“The last time we met, the only thing that needed to be completed was the blinds,” the auditor said. “We got an email this morning, the blinds are en route and they are asking for their payment.”
Camacho asked that Sandoval provide a building update during a meeting on Monday, December 30.
