Letter to the Editor:
It started out over 9 years ago as the Irving Entertainment Center being developed by the Las Colinas Group, now it is finally under construction as the Irving Music Factory with the ARK Group as the developer, and it is now time to ask where is the Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) monies in this $173 million dollar project? That is why I just submitted an Open Records Request today to the City of Irving requesting they give me the total number of dollars that have been spent to date on the Irving Music Factory with MWBE Firms. It is my understanding to date that millions of dollars have already been spent on the design and engineering phase of the project and allocated on leases for this project that just restarted construction only a few weeks ago.
I am asking the City of Irving and the ARK Group to show us the monies that have already been spent thus far with MWBE Firms.
Many people worked for years to get the City of Irving to put in place an MWBE policy with MWBE Goals of participation.
The City of Irving and countless citizens have spent countless hours and numerous meetings , discussions, council meetings and executive sessions over the last nine years to get this Irving Music Factory to this point. I have gotten a verbal commitment from both Noah and Rick Lazes, the owners and heads of the ARK Group that they will comply with the city’s MWBE Goals for a project such as this, and hopefully exceed them.
I have faith in the ARK Group that they will do what they say they will do in regards to MWBE participation in this project. I pray that they do because a lot of people who worked hard for all these years to get the Irving City Council to approve the Irving Music Factory. They did so believing this project would fairly include MWBE firms.
I anxiously await my first data to verify our trust that this is currently the case and will be the case throughout completion of the Irving Music Factory.
Anthony Bond, Irving
