Hidalgo Co. Plans to Terminate Project Contract with Dannenbaum
MCALLEN - The Hidalgo County judge said he plans to recommend ceasing negotiations with Dannenbaum Engineering over a new courthouse.
FBI agents searched the engineering firm’s offices in four different cities across the state on Wednesday.
A CHANNEL 5 NEWS crew was present when federal authorities raided Dannenbaum offices in McAllen. We confirmed reports of the same action in Houston, San Antonio and Laredo.
In McAllen, FBI agents seized boxes of paperwork and hard drives.
Judge Ramon Garcia said he’ll recommend the county to work with another firm to complete the courthouse project. He said he does not believe the company is in a position to finalize business transactions until the situation is resolved.
The county will have to return back to the results of a bidding process for the courthouse contract that ended last October.
Garcia said he will go with the second-highest ranked firm that came out in the bidding process.
The county completed several negotiations meeting with Dannenbaum Engineering since October. That progress will also be lost.
Dannenbaum was involved in building modulars outside the county courthouse as the court system grew.
The Hidalgo County Drainage District also selected them to petition the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to complete the county’s levee wall system.
In 2014, they also secured a contract from McAllen worth $500,000 to extend 29th street.
In addition, Dannenbaum continues working on Highway 365. They designed the proposed state highway that will connect international bridges in southern Hidalgo County.
Records showed construction is set to start this summer.