Latest news with #RequestforProposals
Miami Herald
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Save the Olympia: Miami's most historic theater is at risk
The Olympia Theater is about to be given away by the Miami city commission this Thursday — quietly, with no input from cultural or downtown stakeholders, no public discussion of the options and certainly no transparent, charter-mandated procurement process. Instead of restoring one of Miami's most iconic historic landmarks, the city is preparing to hand it over to a charter school company. This isn't a cultural plan. It's a shortcut. And it risks permanently losing a civic treasure that generations have fought to preserve. I'm a Miami-based Cuban American who has spent my career building ambitious, sustainable arts institutions. I'm a Juilliard-trained pianist and co-founder of Le Poisson Rouge in New York, a venue that helped redefine what a performance space can be. I've launched orchestras, programmed world-class venues and transformed historic properties into financially viable, artistically vibrant centers of culture. Over the past several years, I've turned that focus to the Olympia. I've developed a comprehensive proposal for a full revival of the theater and surrounding property — a plan that includes a boutique hotel, a rooftop jazz venue, a cultural ground-floor bar and a dynamic, year-round performance program in the theater itself. This isn't just conceptual. It has institutional backing. Howard Herring, president of the New World Symphony — one of Miami's most respected cultural leaders — formally endorsed the proposal and offered support to help bring it to life. I've also consulted with leading preservation experts, including architect Richard Heisenbottle, to ensure the plan honors the theater's historic integrity. The Olympia Theater opened in 1926 as a silent movie theater, one of several along East Flagler Street. It is the only one that remains. The theater features famed opera hall architect John Eberson's Moorish/ Mediterranean Revival style. Throughout its long history, where it has also been known as the Gusman Center, the venue has served as a movie theater, concert venue and performing arts center known for its simulated night sky, complete with clouds and twinkling stars. It also achieved fame as the first air-conditioned building in the South. In 2022, when the city finally issued a Request for Proposals, it was structurally designed to fail: no financial incentives, no alignment with historic tax credits, no public-private partnership. A $50 million restoration with zero city support. Not surprisingly, no viable proposals came in. What followed was silence. The city made no effort to revise or reissue the RFP, and no transparent process has followed. Now, without meaningful public engagement or competitive evaluation, the Olympia is on track to be handed off for non-cultural use. Let's be clear: a charter school may be valuable in the right location—but it is not a strategy to preserve a historic theater. The Olympia is not a vacant building in search of purpose. It is an irreplaceable public asset. And bypassing cultural stakeholders to quietly repurpose it is a serious breach of public trust. So I am preparing a new proposal — a bid that meets the legal thresholds but also meets the moment. Because this theater still has a future. But only if we treat it with the seriousness it deserves. Miami deserves better. Cities that preserve their cultural landmarks build civic pride and lasting value. Cities that cast them aside become poorer — for generations. The Olympia can still be saved. But only if the public insists on transparency, vision and a commitment to cultural legacy. I've seen what's possible. And I'm not giving up on what this theater could be for Miami. Orlando Alonso is a concert pianist, conductor, and arts entrepreneur who has led international cultural projects and revitalization efforts in New York and Miami.
Express Tribune
16-06-2025
- Express Tribune
K-P Wildlife Dept accused of bid fraud
Rare caracal spotted in Cholistan for the first time, marking a milestone in wildlife monitoring. Photo: FILE A legal notice has been served to the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Wildlife & National Parks Department, accusing it of serious irregularities, favouritism, and legal violations in the recent tender process for an eco-tourism project at Ayubia National Park. The notice demands immediate corrective action. Issued by Advocate Malik Saeed Akhtar on behalf of the firm Titanic 2000, the legal notice alleges that the tender process was manipulated to benefit "pre-selected, blue-eyed" bidders in collusion with department officials. The notice highlights that the department unlawfully bypassed the UNESCO Man and Biosphere (MAB) Programme's mandated Biosphere Management Committee, violating international commitments. It also accuses the department of duplicityopposing the Ayubia Chairlift Project on ecological grounds while allegedly advancing a similar initiative under a non-transparent Request for Proposals (RFP). Citing "concrete evidence," the notice claims that technical evaluation scores were arbitrarily altered post-submission to favour specific bidders, breaching KPPRA Rule 47. It also expresses strong suspicion that financial bids may be tampered with after submission, violating KPPRA Rule 34. The document outlines additional procedural breaches, including: Absence of the Bid Evaluation Committee Chairman during the opening of bids, unlawful delegation of decision-making authority to a single individual and marginalisation of official committee members while two Wildlife Department officials handled the process. Formation of a "parallel evaluation committee," which allegedly opened bids and showed clear favouritism toward one bidder. Moreover, bidders were reportedly given an unrealistic six-day deadline to submit Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs), despite legal obligations under the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act, 1997, placing this responsibility on the project proponentnot bidders. This requirement was allegedly omitted from the RFP. Significant delays in the evaluation process occurred without formal communication, and the department's actions are said to violate the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Wildlife and Biodiversity Act, 2015, KPPRA Rules, and other governing laws. Titanic 2000 has demanded that the Divisional Forest Officer: Immediately rectify all legal and procedural violations. Ensure compliance with KPPRA Rules 2014 and other environmental and procurement laws, transfer responsibility to the officially notified committee and take corrective action against officials involved in the alleged misconduct. The firm warned that failure to comply within seven days would result in legal proceedings at the department's risk and cost. Concerns raised In a related development, Sardar M Sabir, Vice Chairman of the Biosphere Management Committee, has written to the Secretary of the Forest & Wildlife Department, Government of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. In a two-page letter, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune, he raised concerns over alleged bid manipulation, procedural violations, and the committee's exclusion from the entire processdespite its governance role under the UNESCO MAB Programme. Sabir stated that technical scores were altered to favour a particular bidder and alleged attempts to modify financial bids post-submission. He also noted that no committee members were involved in bid evaluation, with all authority centralised in one individual. The absence of the Conservator Wildlife, the committee's chairman, during the bid opening was also highlighted. He called for an impartial investigation into bid-rigging and procurement violations, immediate cancellation of the current tender process and inclusion of the Biosphere Management Committee in all future planning and decision-making. The controversy echoes a similar uproar surrounding the earlier Ayubia Chairlift Project, which also faced backlash over procedural irregularities and ecological concerns. In that case, the Galiyat Development Authority (GDA) leased 110 kanals of land to the Monal Group for commercial use, raising alarms about potential harm to the park's ecological balance. Ayubia National Park's status as a UNESCO-designated Biosphere Reserve underscores the need for rigorous environmental protection and transparent governance to ensure its biodiversity and ecological integrity are preserved.
Iraq Business
02-06-2025
- Business
- Iraq Business
Baghdad Airport Development progresses with Public-Private Partnership
By John Lee. Prime Minister Mohammed S. Al-Sudani has reaffirmed his government's commitment to upgrading Baghdad International Airport (BIAP), chairing a high-level meeting to advance a public-private partnership (PPP) project aimed at overhauling Iraq's main aviation hub. Attended by representatives from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Prime Minister's advisors, and the Head of the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA), the meeting focused on finalising the bidding documents and launching the Request for Proposals (RFP) for qualified investors. The Prime Minister emphasised that the project must reflect Baghdad's status and meet rising passenger demand, in line with international standards. He called for guarantees to protect current employees and enhance their skills, while ensuring commercial management to improve state revenues. Plans include a new terminal with an annual capacity of 8.5 million passengers-expected to rise to 15 million by 2040-along with runway upgrades, VIP terminal unification, and investment in commercial activities around the airport. The IFC, which has supported similar airport projects in 11 airports across nine countries, is advising the government on feasibility, technical scope, and private sector engagement. While security and core sovereign functions will remain under government control, private investors will manage passenger services, ground handling, and air cargo within the terminals. (Source: PMO) Tags: Aviation, Baghdad, Baghdad International Airport, Baghdad International Airport Development Project, BIAP, cg, featured, Infrastructure, International Finance Corporation (IFC), Investment, Iraq Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA), public=private partnership (PPP), World Bank
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
ECU Health files proposal to establish healthcare at Martin General Hospital
WILLIAMSTON, N.C. (WNCT) — The Martin County Board of Commissioners announced that it has received a qualified proposal from ECU Health to establish essential healthcare services at the former Martin General Hospital facility. 'We are pleased to have received a strong proposal from ECU Health, an organization that understands the unique challenges and opportunities of rural healthcare delivery,' said Joe Ayers, Chair of the Martin County Board of Commissioners. 'ECU Health has demonstrated experience in revitalizing healthcare facilities and shares our vision for implementing a Rural Emergency Hospital model to establish essential services to our community.' The proposal came in response to the county's Request for Proposals (RFP) issued on February 13, 2025. The hospital closed in August of 2023 when the corporation filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. ECU Health's proposal will be made available for public review beginning Friday, May 23, through the healthcare website or in person at the Office of the County Manager, Martin County Governmental Center. A public hearing has been scheduled for Wednesday, June 4, 2025, at 7:00 PM at the Martin County Governmental Center, Commissioners Boardroom, 305 East Main Street, Williamston, NC 27892, where ECU Health will have an opportunity to present its proposal, followed by public comments. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ethics Commission accuses retired MBTA manager of violating conflict of interest law
The Massachusetts State Ethics Commission publicly accused a retired MBTA official of violating the state's conflict of interest law in an Order to Show Cause on Tuesday. The commission alleges that former Environmental Compliance Manager Thomas Daly — who retired in January 2024 — unfairly favored his friend's recycling company during selection processes for awarding MBTA contracts and work orders, it announced in a press release. The commission alleges that Daly and the recycling company owner have been friends since at least 2017, and that the company also employed Daly since at least 2019. In 2017, Daly is alleged to have sent his friend technical specifications for a Request for Proposals (RFP) the MBTA planned to send for a comprehensive waste management program. After the MBTA issued the RFP in 2019, Daly served on its selection committee and inflated his bid evaluation scores for his friend's company, giving it an unfair advantage, the commission alleges. The MBTA ultimately awarded Daly's friend's company a three-year contract worth $1.3 million per year. Daly then helped the MBTA procure a successor waste management program that would go into effect when his friend's company's contract expired in June 2024. The commission alleges that he once again worked to unfairly advantage his friend's company during the selection process for this program. Daly also gave his friend other companies' responses to a 2022 RFP for the disposal of Orange Line cars and a 2023 Request for Information for MBTA 'waste-recycle management,' according to the commission. Finally, Daly is alleged to have recommended his friend's company to the MBTA's procurement manager for a rubber disposal project. The MBTA ultimately awarded the company a $16,000 work order for the project. The commission will schedule a public hearing to address the allegations against Daly within 90 days. It can impose a civil penalty of $10,000 for each violation of the conflict of interest law. How to claim a portion of major child booster seat class action settlement Mass. weather: Heavy clouds possible Wednesday before nighttime rain Person dies after daytime shooting in Roxbury Leominster man admits to trying to stab flight attendant in the neck with a spoon Springfield protests loss of $20M federal grant to protect environment Read the original article on MassLive.
