“Oct 29,2004 City of Mission Viejo Press Release”
“The city of Mission Viejo has secured a $3 million grant from the state of California Department of Parks and Recreation towards the $5.5 million estimated cost to complete the expansion of the Norman P. Murray Community and Senior Center.”
It must be pointed out that this Oct 29, 2004 city document states that “the expansion plan includes construction of a new 11,224 square foot building (adjoining the existing 10,000 square foot facility), the addition of 172 more parking spaces, and the relocation of two existing soccer fields (that will be displaced as a result of the original building and parking areas)”.
Watch this closely. The $5.5 million INCLUDES the relocation of two existing soccer fields. The city has a problem. While they legally shred older documents, I tend to hang onto my copies with this post being an example.
Have you heard the instructions for boiling a live frog? If not check it out on Google.
We need to trust our city to bring projects to completion on time and under budget. Sadly that does not happen in Mission Viejo. There has been discussion that the original estimate DID NOT include cost for replacing the soccer fields. I beg to differ. Or we were lied to. I have indicated the soccer field costing in the following data.
Without going to the original task force plans for expanding our community and senior center, where their initial projected costs were low, let’s only peel the onion back to July 5, 2005 when we set Phase I development cost at $5,526,071. At that time there were two options to add additional parking (costing $196,759) and soccer fields and necessary park site improvements (at $1,919,078). The grand total being $7,641,908.
Fast forward to today where the latest Budget Summary reflects a Grand Total Budget of $13,496,833 or a 75 percent increase above the original budget and including Option #2.
On our city council agenda for Monday Sept 17, 2007 that long awaited project is requesting approval of change order #10 in which there is a request for an additional $21,207 in construction costs. You see. Their strategy and tactics are very simple.
Let the public buy in to a stripped down model and load it up with after market items when no one is paying too much attention.
It’s like setting a tax. It’s very hard to sell the public but once it’s in place it’s a lot easier to slowly and quietly ratchet it up with less oversight or criticism.
i.e. Boiling the live frog.
After a while we need to complete the expansion CIP project so simply add change order after change order placing it on the “routine consent calendar” where the vendor knows he has you hooked. Simply say go ahead, hit me again. After all, senior city management might say it’s not my money. I don’t even live in this city.
Juice readers. Have they cooked any live frogs in your city’s kitchen?
Well Larry, we know how quiet you are when it comes to important things like this in Mission Viejo.
You have spent many posts drooling about how Mayor Reavis found $100 here or there, but you never take her to task for what, 7 or more years of DELAYING the senior center? Same with Ledesma. Hasn’t he had 10 or so years. Asleep for a decade, and just NOW you are mad. Reavis and Ledesma cost us millions of dollars with their inaction. What, no mention of that Larry?
You keep Reavis and Ledesma as your champions, but on the first day the senior center opens, I will be there thanking the council members who made it possible. Trish Kelly, Lance MacLean and Frank Ury. I just wish they had been elected earlier.
Anonymous 8:36 p.m.
Did you notice that I did not exclude any member from my post.
Further, through our activist efforts we helped all five get elected or re-elected in 1998, 2000, 2002 and 2004.
As you are so up to speed on our city perhaps you can verify that I am reporting the truth.
And to say that they have not disappointed me on various policy issues is an outrageous comment.
Glad you wish to thank Trish Kelley. I was her campaign manager in 2002.
As to Lance We carried him across the finish line only to see him try to give away $1.5 million to an auto dealer that did not chase them away from opening their dealership in the gold mine location across from our Lexus dealership.
Frnk Ury. Lets not overlook our support of his campaign walking precincts, putting out yard signs at 2 a.m. making phone calls etc.
Who and where were you?
Larry, you discussed NOTHING about my post regarding the senior center and how much the council delay has cost Mission Viejo. Good job avoiding the points I made.
You did go into a self serving monologue about how YOU got them all elected. Perhaps we should blame YOU for the cost of the center?
Good morning anonymous and Juicer readers.
Folks. You have just witnessed how someone can divert attention away from the core issue, (runaway project cost,) and I took the bait. Instead of taking the city to task for failing to stay within the original budget he (or she) takes me to task for the delay and higher cost. What I didn’t include I shall now add for those unfamiliar with the Norman P. Murray Center, the official name of this community facility.
1. When running for our city council in 1994 Norm was one of my mentors and almost lost his job on the planning commission by a 3-2 vote.
Note: He previously had been our first mayor.
The price he paid for visibly supporting me was that Susan Withrow and Sherri Butterfield, the two whom I competed against, voted against his remaining on that commission. Going against the wishes of his colleagues, Mayor Joe Lowe reluctantly cast the 3rd vote to retain him.
2. This is perhaps the only CIP in our city that I actively supported.
3. When the city took no action on the expansion I drafted a Petition that we told the city council would be circulated if they continued to drag their feet on this much overdue project. I still have the original document.
Sadly Norm passed away before seeing the expansion’s completion.
As to my “champions” you are clueless. One of whom I often quote in these posts.
Readers. Based on the text I am pretty confidant that I know the anonymous contributor from my city but will not hit the delete button on his posts.
This is not the only project in our city that has missed it’s budget. Ask me about our MILLION dollar sidewalk that you can see on Alicia Parkway. Actually the final cost was over one million but out Lake Association picked up part of the cost.
Larry:
Sounds like Lance MacLean is upset with you.
Maybe Lance should look at his own navel on this one. He has been a ward of the state (UCI) so long that he does not realize whose money he is frittering away. Just remember Lance and little miss Goody Goody wanted to go into partnership with the Capo School District on a Gym for Newhart School. What a disaster that would have been. No thanks Lance, your judgement has proven on many issues to be flawed at best.
Keep exposing them Larry.
Jason R. Smelt