Building a 10 foot wheelchair ramp @ San Francisco City Hall....$1.1 million!!!

F1nut

There are 9 people that shouldn't be in the positions they are in.

George Grand

I made my first, special guest appearance in San Francisco, Nov 1952. I believe they did good on that one.

tonyb

I personally find this story to show the arrogence of public officials given the state of Cali's financial woes. They just don't care what the public thinks and will do what they want and tax you for it. Why ? Because they can.

cstmar01

really...that much for building just a ramp? I know its hard for people to gain access (my dad uses a wheelchair a lot) and it can be hard to walk but for that kind of money it should be paved in gold....

VR3

I just did some quick math...

At 1,000,000 - we could build probably 2,000 wheel chair ramps across the country to help every handicap person in need.

Joe08867

jstas wrote: »

hey, it's free to get in to new jersey but if you wanna leave, you gotta pay!

ha ha ha ha, let me out!!!!!!!

obieone

I used to be disgusted. Now I'm just amused.

nadams

I'd do it for a cool $50k

What a bargain!

cokewithvanilla

This is why I do not believe in government programs. It's amazing how much you can pay for something when using other peoples money.

madmax

Danny Tse wrote: »

It's ONLY $450,000 now :mad:



So, 2 1/2 years later and a lousy ramp can't even be build.

So they probably cut $550,000 off the price by wasting $2,000,000 of taxpayer dollars talking about it over the past few years and still didn't build it. Great!

Tony M

I sent her office an email stateing she's part of the American problem of over taxation for ridiculous reasons as this.

I also told her Karma is a bit%^ .

I also agree there are 9 people involved in this and I'm sure they get a cut somehow!!!


The general public HAS been abused by politicians for so long it does seem there is nothing we can do even if they are replaced.
Just watch our colapse day by day. Some move forward and get ahead but that is not the majority anymore.
The American way of borrowing a ton of cash now and pay it off over the years to come, has cost this country dearly. Maybe beyond repair.

Remember the 1000.00 toilet seat and hammer?
It's still going on it seems.

tonyb

madmax wrote: »

So they probably cut $550,000 off the price by wasting $2,000,000 of taxpayer dollars talking about it over the past few years and still didn't build it. Great!

This is why I always say...who is better at spending your money, government,or you ? The answer is obvious, but unfortunately some have been brainwashed to think otherwise. For the most part, the public has become oblivious to these things, well, untill now anyway they seem to be paying attention. We'll see come Nov. if anyone still gives a crap. This type of behavior has been going on for decades and if we ever want to have a shot at reducing the national debt,this stuff has to stop.

Danny Tse

Updated 8/29/2011 by the San Francisco Chronicle....$699,413 is the final tab on 10 foot ramp....

What costs more: a home in San Francisco's Sunset District, or a wheelchair ramp in the Board of Supervisors' chambers?

If you picked the house, you're wrong.

By the time the final tab comes in, the cost of designing and installing a ramp to the president's chair at the Board of Supervisors - a project now under way - is expected to top out at $699,413.

That is about $50,000 more than the median cost of a home in the Sunset.

Why so much for a 10-foot ramp?

First, it took two companies, at a total cost of $132,205, to come up with a design that passed architectural muster for a designated historic landmark. The cost in city staff time to oversee the planning hit $38,434. That's $170,639.

Then came the job itself.

To install the ramp, the board's majestic podium is being taken apart, raised five steps above the chamber's floor, then put back together.

Costs include $25,200 for materials, $201,678 for labor and $49,000 for a set of historically accurate brass handrails. Outside historic experts to keep an eye on the work are getting $48,824.

Miscellaneous costs bring the construction job's total to $477,000 and change.

Also, because the job could take 10 weeks, the supervisors have set aside $51,042 to pay for relocating board meetings.

Supervisor John Avalos - the lone "no" vote on the project when the board approved it in February- said the political math just doesn't add up.

"This is a tremendous amount of money being spent on something in City Hall that rarely or may never even get used," Avalos said.

"Meanwhile, there are so many other needs for handicapped access that are really needed that are going unfunded," Avalos said.

Board President David Chiu defended the project, saying that "San Francisco has been at the forefront of access issues, and it's important the board reflect that."

Chiu also said the cost is "significantly" lower than the $1.1 million original plan.

I noticed it's been more than 3 years since my initial post about this 10 foot ramp....and it's still not done?! No wonder (half of) the new Bay Bridge is still not finished being build more than 20 years after the 1989 earthquake.

cokewithvanilla

Danny Tse wrote: »

I noticed it's been more than 3 years since my initial post about this 10 foot ramp....and it's still not done?! No wonder (half of) the new Bay Bridge is still not finished being build more than 20 years after the 1989 earthquake.

they probably still paid to have it done... you know, the contractor will get to it when he has time and the tax payers won't miss the money.

mrbigbluelight

I don't see what the beef is all about; that wheelchair ramp is only costing $69,941.30/foot. With the price of gold nowadays, that's actually quite a bargain, one that we should all ......

.....huh ....... no kidding.......

I'd like to retract my previous statement. I thought this ramp was being constructed from solid gold bricks.

drumminman

CAvolleyballguy wrote: »

Since i'm in the drug business and work for a big bad pharma company... I had to comment..

actually the government gets the automatic lowest price or the company gets fined big dollars. If a company is found to have given better deals to large prescription plans than to govt. plans people involved go to jail and the company pays... happened with a couple companies. Tap pharma had to pay 800 million in 2000 I think in anti kickback violations (the name the law falls under) and top execs involved in the backroom deal to give the health plans better deals than the govt. went to jail.

so you tell me... in a capital environment even though a huge plan will give more business to us is it fair that we have to give the lowest price to every govt. plan? even small ones that dont generate any volume...hmm.. probably yes just because we get to live free..

but... if you are on a govt plan medicaid etc. they get the lowest price... so if an anti-viral therapy cost 50 grand even on a medicaid plan, (yes they are that expensive) then that's the best price you are going to find for that drug.
You want to be able to tell a company what they can charge for a Drug?
How about if I come down to your business and tell you what you can charge me for your service. You can... it's called a competitive capital country. Dont like my price go buy someone elses.. oh we are the only one with the product you need...gues what, you're going pay... just like you pay for your SIGNAL CABLE.

There are probably a lot of business owners on this board... So they will appreciate this, but Until you check out the size of some of these factories, the equipment being used and the rigorous, and I MEAN RIGOROUS quality control processes in place you wouldn't believe how much is spent on R&D. 2/3's of revenue at some companies goes back into R&D. These big companies need to make billions on a new drug because the cost of operation is so huge. A lot of our biggest pharma companies are dying off. They are all cutting sales forces and closing manufacturing facilities... It is going to have a direct impact on the quality of products to come out in the years ahead, and the PRICE... The prices will go up even higher for the better meds. The truth is the laws that allowed generics to come in, actually ended up hurting us, because these big companies are now closing doors. The billion dollar products are going generic and these companies are losing their life source to provide future research which is now suffering and will continue to suffer... Leading biotech companies like Amgen, and pharma co's like Wyeth, Pfizer are all downsizing. They already have.

I'll tell you it's real easy to **** about health care & compare to other countries... Be happy with what you got. There is no comparison to other countries. You want a free MRI in another country, get on the list and wait six months. You want a free antibiotic, here's some penicillin, think that's gonna work on todays bugs. It gets frustrating. especially on a board like this. You'll pay thousands and thousands (and tens of thousands) of dollars for audio equipment but **** at the cost of your heart meds...The only reason you have those meds is because the company that developed it, made money selling you something else. The magic govt drug fairy didnt just show up one day and drop it on our door step and now we are over charging everyone...

What's even better, I never and I MEAN I NEVER hear anyone **** about the cost of their VIAGRA and those are one of the most expensive pills out there.

but that's just my opinion, i could be wrong..

There are so many half truths in your post I'm only going to address one: the amount spent on research.

The vast majority of basic science big pharma uses as the basis for drug development is funded by the National Institute of Health and performed at universities thoughout the country. Your R & D budget that you speak of is, on the whole, less than you spend on marketing.

And although there have been wonderful new drugs developed in the last 30-40 years, there have been a lot of me too drugs as well. Look at all the statins! How truly different are they all?

Often a new drug is developed that is almost identical to an older proven one, but with a slight difference in the molecular structure. The new drugs have similar or identical efficacy, and boatloads of marketing money behind them. Why? Because they're patented and can't be sold generically, thus maintaining the profit structure. After all, this is a much easier approach than developing an entirely new class of drugs. As an example look at Nexium (esomeprazole) and Prilosec (omeprazole). Hardly a dime's worth of difference between them, other than you can buy the latter over the counter generically much cheaper.

Who pays for this? All of us.

tonyb

Wow, how did we do a left turn from a pricey wheelchair ramp to big pharma and the cost of drugs ?

....and I had nothing to do with it....this time.:biggrin:

While it is true, that government is held to take the lowest bidder, I assure you,there are ways around it. I've seen it done in my field.

R&D for alot of companies does take up a good chunk of coin, but then you have to ask why. For safety reasons ? Excessive regulations ? We have to have some standard of safety in all commerce, though I tend to lean on the excessive side in todays marketplace.

One also has to ask, how free is the marketplace when government and big corporations get together to control a market. Prices will never come down without competition....hello. They still teach basic economics in colleges these days I hope. One thing that always baffled me my whole life is that laws that apply to small to midsize buisnesses, somehow go by the wayside the higher up the food chain you go.

As far as the ramp goes....did anyone really expect something different ?? San Fran is like Chicago, more so a dictatorship that runs these 2 cities.

bobman1235

drumminman wrote: »

There are so many half truths in your post I'm only going to address one: the amount spent on research.

The vast majority of basic science big pharma uses as the basis for drug development is funded by the National Institute of Health and performed at universities thoughout the country. Your R & D budget that you speak of is, on the whole, less than you spend on marketing.

And although there have been wonderful new drugs developed in the last 30-40 years, there have been a lot of me too drugs as well. Look at all the statins! How truly different are they all?

Often a new drug is developed that is almost identical to an older proven one, but with a slight difference in the molecular structure. The new drugs have similar or identical efficacy, and boatloads of marketing money behind them. Why? Because they're patented and can't be sold generically, thus maintaining the profit structure. After all, this is a much easier approach than developing an entirely new class of drugs. As an example look at Nexium (esomeprazole) and Prilosec (omeprazole). Hardly a dime's worth of difference between them, other than you can buy the latter over the counter generically much cheaper.

Who pays for this? All of us.

You're responding to a post that is several years old.

Jstas

bobman1235 wrote: »

You're responding to a post that is several years old.

That doesn't matter when misplaced Internet RAGE!!!11 is concerned.