Developing story...in my quest to find out why anyone would design a courthouse, win the bid but not include an important element in the design -- an underground tunnel between the Long Beach Police Department and the courthouse which would be used to safely transport prisoners -- I have discovered that it was included in at least one of the proposals submitted in the process. (I am searching to see if other proposals that were rejected also included this element.)
This is a significant finding. Why would the winning proposal not include this element? By not including it --was the winning bid lower than the other proposals -- now only to have it added after the fact?
Who was on the committee that selected the final design -- anyone from the City of Long Beach?
And why oh why would the city wait until the foundation has been dug (and scheduled to be poured very shortly) to decide that a tunnel was really, really necessary for this project? IF the city knew it was needed, why wasn't more said publicly -- like at the ground breaking ceremony?
Being so late in the process is certainly going to add costs to digging, connecting and constructing an underground tunnel...don't ya think?
So what's the problem? At least $5 million dollars --which now some of the council members want to spend with oil revenues to build this tunnel -- the same who twice rejected using oil revenues to keep our libraries fully functioning, patrol officers on the streets and our fire stations open.
And not one is asking what happened and why should the city of Long Beach have to pay for this mistake.
Well, I am asking and so should the residents of Long Beach.