SAHA chief seeks to recoup some Mirasol costs
The San Antonio Housing Authority's new board chairman, appointed earlier this year by Mayor Phil Hardberger, said Tuesday he hopes to get back some of the agency's expenses for repairs at Mirasol Homes from the project's builder. Ramiro Cavazos said he met last week with local KB Home representatives, but indicated he expects to deal with officials from the national office in Los Angeles before an agreement is reached..."If I had to kind of say who's really at fault here, it's not the homeowners. They've been told they're not maintaining their HVAC systems, and things like that," he said. "I really think it was a design flaw in the windows and the buildings themselves, and then the HVAC systems built by KB Home and its contractors."  Related articles...HUD's Broken System

SAHA chief seeks to recoup some Mirasol costs

02/20/2008
Josh Baugh
Express-News
The San Antonio Housing Authority's new board chairman, appointed earlier this year by Mayor Phil Hardberger, said Tuesday he hopes to get back some of the agency's expenses for repairs at Mirasol Homes from the project's builder.

Ramiro Cavazos said he met last week with local KB Home representatives, but indicated he expects to deal with officials from the national office in Los Angeles before an agreement is reached.

"The purpose of the meeting really was to talk about the next steps for the homeowners and SAHA. How do we get some relief from some of the expenses that we're incurring from fixing these houses?" Cavazos said. "Even though we have stepped up, and HUD has stepped up, and the city has stepped up to help with these folks, I wanted to see what more KB could do."

Cavazos characterized the meeting as informal and preliminary and said dollar amounts weren't discussed.

His comments mark the first time anyone has publicly said negotiations between the authority and KB Home are under way.

Former board chairman Phil Nelson acknowledged he'd started those discussions with KB Home and said he was surprised Cavazos would discuss the closed-door meetings.

"Those are off-the-record discussions we've been having," he said. "I'm not going to comment on those."

Cavazos defended the decision to go public, saying Tuesday: "I've always conducted my discussions discreetly but with an open philosophy to share things that need to be shared and to be private about things that are private. There's a balance — no question."

SAHA's Mirasol Homes, a 247-abode development on the West Side, was completed in 2000 using funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The housing authority hired Magi Realty Inc., which subcontracted the work to KB Home. Last year, SAHA sued Magi, who in turn sued KB Home. The case has not yet been resolved.

For years, Mirasol residents have complained of cracked foundations, drainage problems and shoddy construction, including poorly installed windows and doors. Last year, some Mirasol residents began complaining of mold in their homes and took their case to the City Council. Soon after, the SAHA board created the Mirasol Task Force to resolve the development's problems through a program of buyouts and repairs.

KB Home declined to respond to questions about the meetings with Cavazos.

"Due to the fact that there is pending litigation, it would be inappropriate for KB Home to speak to any sort of specifics," spokeswoman Cathy Teague said.

The company did provide documents outlining its involvement with Mirasol since it contracted with Magi Realty in 1999.

"In an era when private and public projects frequently exceed planned costs, San Antonio subcontractors worked together with KB Home in 2000 and 2001 to deliver 247 quality homes within the established SAHA budget, to the families of Mirasol and the community at large. ... " the document says. "Independent inspections confirmed that all of the homes were of strong structural integrity. The majority of the problems found in the homes were cosmetic in nature and resulted from poor maintenance."

But Cavazos said he believes the problem is rooted in the initial construction of the homes.

"If I had to kind of say who's really at fault here, it's not the homeowners. They've been told they're not maintaining their HVAC systems, and things like that," he said. "I really think it was a design flaw in the windows and the buildings themselves, and then the HVAC systems built by KB Home and its contractors."

Cavazos, the director of research and economic development at the University of Texas Health Science Center and the city's former director of economic development, was appointed to head the SAHA board in a January shakeup of the organization by Hardberger.

The appointment was applauded by public housing advocates who are dissatisfied with the Mirasol Task Force and say they would rather deal directly with Cavazos and the new board.

"These people are comfortable with Ramiro and the new board," said George Alejos, a League of United Latin American Citizens official representing many Mirasol residents. "He brings in his own experience as a business professional and is in tune with the residents' needs."

Cal Jillson, a Southern Methodist University political science professor, said Cavazos' style bucks the trend in Texas politics.

"Generally, whether you look at the Texas state Legislature or most city governments, they tend to run in the interest of the campaign contributors and of the major business interests," he said. "So if we've got a public servant here who's taking a major business interest to task successfully, we probably want to make a case study out of that and present it to the rest of Texas government."

Jillson said Cavazos' tactics could prove successful.

"The style here is one of taking a major corporation into the light of day and saying these are your shortcomings so those can be described in the press and the company is likely to want to get out of the public eye," he said.

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