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But, COLA isn't just calling it names, that activist group has applied under the Freedom Of Information Act to see the actual working papers. Today COLA President, his attorney and contracting consultant had a repress conference to outline the many ways they plan to try and block this project:

Rufus X, COLA Consultant
"Really and truly there is nothing in that piece of road that can cost 8 million dollars. No way, you look at it. This is craziness."

Hon. Kareem Musa, COLA Attorney
"And we need to know why it is that Imer Hernandez was selected. I got some estimates from some companies that say that to do concrete streets normally its either 6 inches or 8 inches, but let's just say best case scenario we get 8 inches thick, 30 feet wide with sidewalks, we are talking about an estimate of 3.6 million dollars max. It could be more, a little more. It could be less, way less. We're talking if it were to be 40 foot wide, 8 inches with sidewalk - maximum of 4.5 million dollars."

"So by any stretch of the imagination we are looking at a contract that is obscenely excessive."

"Under the Finance and Audit Reform Act section 19-5, that any contract, any procurement in excess of 5 million dollars ought to be under the open tendering procedure and we get the initial remarks from the government that this was not done. So this ought to have been open to tender and according to the government in their first press release, it was selective tendering process."

"But we are putting them on notice. Not only do we want information, but we are considering legal action. So that goes for not only the contractor but the Ministry of Works. They in the end will have to pay damages if it is that they acted Ultra vires. We are looking at possibly injunctions against the government. As you know these things are paid out in tranches, so hopefully we can get something very early on and it would be a judicial review claim against the Ministry of Works for acting Ultra vires, because they employed the selective tendering process by their own admission, when in fact it ought to have been done open tendering."

Rufus X, COLA Consultant
"When you give a contract for 8 million dollars for a mile of street, this is crazy craziness. If the people allow this to happen then we deserve whatever the politician gives us my brother."

Giovannie Brackett, President - COLA
"I think it's very high time that our colleagues and affiliates throughout this country, the 1,500 that is connected to COLA start do something in their vicinity to send a message straight to the Prime Minister that we will no longer tolerate his rogue government and yes we do endorse and if you were asking if we are going to take this to the streets, I think we have enough reason to take many things to the streets and we will. We are not taking this lightly any at all, not just this contract, but everything that is going on right now calls for direct action and civil disobedience that the Prime Minister once calls for."

And while they have to wait at least two weeks for disclosure under the Freedom Of Information Act, from the looks of things, work has already started, prompting Brackett to shake his head in disbelief:...

Giovannie Brackett, President - COLA
"I've never seen the government work this efficient yet. You're telling me Thursday they sign a contract, Friday they began work. I wish every government office would work as efficiently as Boots Martinez and his team. I feel sorry for the Prime Minister Barrow you know. He has a rogue cabinet. That entire UDP regime is out of control."

The PUP issued a release today saying it, quote, "condemns the awarding of a grossly bloated contract…to Imer Hernandez, nephew of disgraced former Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega. There is no rational justification for this portion of road costing $8M when the conventional rule of thumb for routine reconstruction of roadways is one million per mile."

It adds, quote, The PUP calls on all social partners…to stand against the awarding of these bloated contracts."