Sub-contractors who worked on new Marriott hotel tell City they have not been paid
A group of about five subcontractors told El Paso City Council Tuesday that although the Marriott Courtyard downtown hotel was completed, they have yet to be paid for the work they did.
The group told city leaders they are owed nearly $4-million.
Rick Barraza and his wife have owned Code Electric for almost 30 years. Barraza said he did the majority of electrical work on the Marriott Courtyard Hotel in downtown El Paso, a hotel he says was completed in May last year.
“I am owed approximately $197,000,”said Barraza.
He is not alone. A group of subcontractors asked City Council for help Tuesday.
“We installed the swimming on the fifth floor of the Marriott hotel and presently we are owed approximately $38-thousand dollars,” said Andy Echaniz with Bomanite Artistic Concrete.
The new Marriott is located near Southwest University Park. It’s a 140 room hotel built with incentives from the City of El Paso and State of Texas
The general contractor for the project was F.T. James Construction.
Both Barraza and Echaniz were told the general contractor also has not been paid, which means this group may have to wait a little longer before they get paid for the work they did on the Marriott.
Barraza said he has 32 employees and extended his line of credit but is at the end of the line and may have to shut down Code Electric after 30 years in business.
“We bent backwards for the owners and this is how we got paid? How? We didn’t get paid. We were paid by not getting paid,” said Barraza.
ABC-7 reached out to F.T. James Construction as well as the owner, Jim Scherr, to get an explanation for the sub-contractors. Neither were available for comment.
Meantime, City Manager Tommy Gonzales said his staff will look into the matter and bring the issue up during an upcoming city council meeting.
Laura Cruz, a city spokesperson, told ABC-7 any incentives the hotel owner was promised by the city will kick in one year after the hotel is in operation.
