WEST COUNTY TIMES

Thursday, May 30, 1996
Section: news
Page: A04
EMILY GURNON

RICHMOND Architect Dan Peterson and his team will begin work on the Point Molate re-use design following approval of the terms of his contract by the Richmond City Council.

But Peterson's start date is still up in the air pending review of the consultant selection process by the U.S. Department of Defense.

"We hope it will be very soon, because we have to get on with this plan," project manager Pat Jones said Wednesday.

The council voted 7-1 Tuesday to approve the $231,980 contract, with Councilwoman Donna Powers voting no. Councilman Tom Butt was absent.

Mayor Rosemary Corbin, Vice Mayor Richard Griffin and council members Nat Bates, Irma Anderson, Lesa McIntosh, Alex Evans and John Marquez voted for the contract.

In March, the council chose Peterson over other consultants to draw up new plans for the former naval fuels depot. Tuesday's vote was to approve details of the contract the work Peterson would do, the timeline and the payment.

A new stipulation of the contract which was not available when the council was scheduled to vote on it two weeks ago is that Peterson will not begin work until seven days after notice to proceed.

The reason for the delay was not discussed Tuesday.

But Jones said after the meeting that it would allow the city to get a response from the Defense Department on Peterson's selection by the council.

Butt wrote to the department's Office of Economic Adjustment (OEA), charging five of his fellow council members with voting for Peterson for political reasons.

Butt said his colleagues voted for Peterson not because he was the best choice but because they were doing the bidding of lobbyist Darrell Reese.

The OEA gave Richmond a $149,901 grant for the re-use design. A federal official said that if Peterson's selection was "not in compliance with procurement regulations," the grant could be withdrawn.

In that case, Peterson's contract would be terminated unless the City Council acted to fund the project with city or other monies.

As the official re-use authority for Point Molate, Richmond has until March 1997 to present the Defense Department with a plan for the area.

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