Since June 6, when TSD Loreto Partners, S. en C. por A. de C.V. announced the suspension of all construction for the Loreto Bay project until new funds are secured, there have been a slew of rumors and news tidbits spanning the gamut.
Some whispers from the grapevine claim of a new buyer in the wings, other whispers weave a more dark fate of accumulating debt and lawsuits. Although the future is all conjecture at this point, two realities did emerge.
Firstly, the commitment of Loreto Bay homeowners to move forward and make the vision of a sustainable community a reality. Over the past three weeks, I have come to realize that the sense of community we all wanted to build on a thin strip of sand that divided the Sea of Cortez from the majestic mountain is already a reality. It is unfortunate it has taken such a corporate failure to highlight this. The way the community has worked together, sometimes with different views and amidst some serious financial hardships, but always positively and constructively is something I am most appreciative to be a part of.
Secondly, unknown to all the homeowners, TSD Loreto had not paid many of the businesses they had contracted in the operations to build the homes for a significant period of time according to TCC Loreto and Beck International. Why we had to hear this from third-parties rather than from TSD Loreto is a point I’ll set aside for now. What is disheartening is that all the workers who have worked so hard on our homes have not been paid the money that we have all sent into TSD Loreto. I still remember glancing over at Clint one day and saying, “Everything from the Loreto Bay Company is manãna, except when they want a payment from us!” Aside from this, the contractors and staff of Loreto Bay have expressed their desire to be part of the solution and help build the homes if a plan can be proposed.
So where does this leave us? Well, I’m not sure. You didn’t think I would have a simple answer to this did you?
The simple answer is that homeowners do want their homes built and contractors who want to work and complete the homes and be compensated for their work.
What is apparent is no one wins if the Loreto Bay project fails. Homeowners will not get the homes they dreamed of. Contractors will be out of work and with this economic climate, I would imagine employment is hard to find. Loreto and Nopolo as communities will have another eyesore on its hands instead of a beautiful, walkable village.
How we get there may be a winding path through the most complex of mazes.
There may be other plans being worked out behind closed doors, but for now, what I do know is that Stan Barton, project executive from Beck International has put together a plan to finish the construction of Agua Viva. Albeit the details are very rough as it was put together in record time with little cooperation from TSD Loreto. However, over the many conversations I have had with Stan Barton, my impressions is he is a calm, rational and experienced manager with about 17 years experience managing large construction projects in Mexico. These are all characteristics of a captain I would want when in choppy, uncertain waters.
The recent addition of Deianira Morales, former employee of Loreto Bay and friend to Beck’s roster, further builds the relationship and trust between homeowners, contractors and Beck International. Dia has worked with many homeowners in her several years with the Loreto Bay project and everyone I have spoken to thinks highly of her integrity and the care she has for homeowners’ concerns.
However, I was most impressed with the recent launch of the BeckLoreto.com website which beyond signifying a certain level of commitment from Beck to the project, also includes daily updates on what is happening in Mexico. So far, there have been three updates and I look forward to many more. I hope one day, this log becomes part of the memories we read as we drink margaritas on our towers. For now, I look forward to getting the daily updates which are informative and factual.
You can check out the daily updates here: www.site.beckloreto.com/Homeowner_Updates.html
If this is an indication of things to come with Beck International, then I do have high hopes.
