Jackson Free Press

The Jackson City Council reversed its opposition to a $1.8 million contract with international corporation Johnson Controls Inc. yesterday after hearing evidence that the company had no role in bad air-conditioning at Thalia Mara Hall.

Last week Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. submitted to the council an energy services performance contract with the company, which he eventually pulled from the agenda after members of the council questioned the company on its past performance.

The potential 15-year contract pays Johnson Controls to upgrade electrical systems at several city facilities, including the city's 21 fire stations. In addition to the $1.8 million construction and upgrade contract, the city will also pay the company $15,500 annually for performance assurance service for energy efficiency.

Cassandra Alston, executive director of global workforce diversity at Johnson Controls, told the Jackson Free Press that the company should deliver at least $15,500 in annual savings or it will cover the difference. She added, however, that she expected the company to deliver more savings than that.

Nevertheless, Ward 7 Councilwoman Margaret Barrett-Simon and others complained last week that the company was in charge of climate -control at Thalia Mara when the facility delivered excruciatingly hot air to patrons, many of them seniors with low heat tolerance.

Public Works Director Dan Gaillet assured the council last week that the blistering heat was not the fault of Johnson Controls, but instead lay with the city, which had not properly upgraded facility air-conditioning equipment at the time.

Still, Johnson temporarily pulled the Johnson Control contract for consideration until yesterday.

All present council members, including Barrett-Simon, approved the contract with no question. Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes did not attend the meeting.
Ward 1 Councilman Quentin Whitwell said he had reservations about the company last week because the mayor did not address his questions prior to the council vote last week.

"I went to the work session on Monday expecting questions answered," Whitwell said. "I needed the questions answered before I voted on Tuesday."
The city partially funds the $1.8 million contract and a second similar $3.9 million contract with Siemens Building Technology, with a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

The council also voted to approve a $5,500-a-month contract with lobbyist John Waits, of Washington, D.C., lobbying group Winston and Strawn, LLP.
Waits told the Jackson Free Press this morning that he had earned the city more than $110 million through federal grants, earmarks and other sources throughout his 17 years of service to the city. Examples of his work include federal dollars for city safety programs and money for the construction of the Interstate 220 connection at Hawkins Field Industrial Park.

Waits said the political environment in Washington had made getting money for the city more difficult since Congress had adopted an anti-earmark stance last year. An anti-earmark crusade sank a massive federal appropriations omnibus bill during the lame- duck session, costing the city of Jackson $5 million for projects such as the renovation of Fortification Street, he said.

"It's a new environment requiring you to meet these new challenges, but there are alternative ways to seek funding, be it more emphasis on competitive grants or other kinds of federal funding through states," said Waits said. "Money that would have gone to earmarks will now be going to competitive grants in particular agencies, and some of those agencies want to spend that money for their own purposes and not through competitive grant programs."

Previous Comments

ID

163114

Comment

Does Kenneth Stokes ever attend a meeting? It's his only primary source of income, you'd think his attendance would be 100%.

Author

RobbieR

Date

2011-04-12T13:33:19-06:00

ID

163115

Comment

Wow, world of difference between this article and that drivel on the same subject that appeared in today's Clarion Ledger. Thank goodness for the JFP!

Author

thabian

Date

2011-04-12T13:47:11-06:00

ID

163128

Comment

"Does Kenneth Stokes ever attend a meeting? It's his only primary source of income, you'd think his attendance would be 100%." Sad isn't it. But he has a disenfranchised base, and he capitalizes on their ignorance to the politics in the city. Basically, he has followed the Southern Strategy, but has used it from an African-American (black) perspective to keep getting re-elected. He may not be worth a dang, but he's a smart politician.

Author

Duan C.

Date

2011-04-13T07:24:25-06:00