YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER ward Winning News al A pa
Vol. 11, No. 36
Including Surrounding Communities
www.thepress.net
Civic Center bids come in low by Rick Lemyre Staff Writer
With a bid more than $16 million dollars less than what city officials had estimated, the apparent low bidder for the new Brentwood civic center project is Lathrop Construction of Benicia, whose bid of $28,486,000 was the lowest of 11 opened in the Council Chambers Tuesday afternoon. The city’s engineers’ estimate was $44,760,962 for the project, which includes city hall, a community center, surface parking lot, arcade, re-vamped City Park, and the Civic Plaza and fountain. “I am very pleased with the bids received earlier today,” Mayor Bob Taylor said in a statement following the opening. “All of the bidders have been prequalified, so we know they have the experience and financial capacity to do the job. Before staff can make a recommendation to the City Council, however, they need to do a thorough analysis
of the bids to determine for certain who is the lowest responsive and responsible bidder.” Prior to going to bid earlier this summer, city officials had expressed the belief that lean times in the construction industry could mean significant savings. Bids on similar projects around the state have come in as much as 25 to 30 percent below estimates, according to a report heard by the City Council just prior to the decision to go to bid. While Lathrop’s bid – which came in at 36 percent below the estimate – must still be analyzed to make sure it meets all the conditions of the bidding process, even the high bidder’s price – $33,010,000 from Big D Pacific Builders of Pleasanton – came in at more than 26 percent below the city’s estimate. City Manager Donna Landeros said Wednesday that the deadline for submitting bids was 2 p.m. Tuesday. At 1:49 p.m., she said, none had yet been received, although representatives of each of the 11 pre-qualified compa-
September 4, 2009
THIS WEEK
Bragging rights A local bowling center is hoping its marathon event will be one for the record books.
Page 8A City of Brentwood graphic
An artist’s rendering of the Civic Center Plaza and the new City Hall, bids for which came in between 26 and 36 percent less than expected. The bids will be scrutinized to ensure they are complete, and a contract awarded Oct. 13. nies were milling about City Hall. The sudden, last-minute flurry of proposals then poured in, the final one being handed over the counter with just two seconds to spare before the deadline. According to Landeros, “at
by Rick Lemyre Staff Writer
Photo courtesy of Associated Press and www.latimes.com
Ally Jacobs of the UC Berkeley Police Department, right, along with fellow officer Lisa Campbell, talks to the media after their suspicions about Phillip Garrido led to his arrest in an 18-year-old kidnapping case. the revelation that Garrido had no daughters of record, resulting in his arrest and that of his wife, Nancy. The couple now faces 29 felony charges in connection to the Dugard’s kidnapping in 1991. Another development in the increasingly strange tale was revealed this week by Oakley child-safety advocate Janice Gomes: Prior to being arrested, Garrido offered Gomes some
Director deliberates
least one” of the bidders (high bidder Big D Pacific Builders) was a non-union shop. Each of the lowest three bids, she said, were union shops. see Bids page 22A
Hero cop in Jaycee case from Brentwood Allison Jacobs, the UC Berkeley Police officer who, along with fellow officer Lisa Campbell cracked the 18-year-old Jaycee Dugard kidnapping case, is a resident of Brentwood and will soon be honored for her role in blowing open the bizarre East County case that has gripped the world. Brentwood Mayor Bob Taylor said Tuesday that city officials and police were helping protect Campbell’s privacy as the crush of global media descending on the area hunts for stories. “The city will be doing something very special for her,” Taylor said, adding that the public is encouraged to turn out for the event at 7 p.m. next Tuesday, Sept. 8, before the regular City Council meeting. “She’s very excited that her city would do something. Let’s pack the place.” Jacobs has been quoted in news reports as sensing “something about the girls that wasn’t right” about the two young children who accompanied Phillip Garrido to the Berkeley campus to make arrangements for an event he wanted to hold. Garrido introduced the 11and 15-year-old girls as his daughters. A call to Garrido’s parole officer led to
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advice on how to keep children safe from kidnappers. Through her National Community Empowerment Program, Gomes has been teaching local kids about avoiding “stranger danger” for more than two decades. For the last 15 years, she has been a printing customer of Garrido, whose delivery of one particular job about five years ago is now a chilling memory. “He did some flyers for us, a fact list on how to keep kids safe from kidnappers,” Gomes said Tuesday. “He said, ‘You know, you’re missing something here. One thing parents do wrong is they let their kids walk to the bus stop alone. They shouldn’t.’” Garrido allegedly snatched Dugard from a South Lake Tahoe street while she was waiting for the school bus. Getting ideas from people she encounters isn’t unusual, Gomes said, adding that Garrido’s suggestion for the tip sheet was “a good idea. I didn’t know he was talking from firsthand experience.” Gomes said she had visited Garrido’s house on business several times over the years, but she “never saw anyone” other than Garrido: “Nothing was ever out of place inside the home.” The furniture was old fashioned, she see Hero page 22A
The Q&A session with Heritage High’s athletic director reveals a man proud of his athletes’ victories – and grades.
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Researching the residue A college class is finding anthropology a down-and-dirty field of study.
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INSIDE Calendar ..........................23B Classifieds ........................15B Cop Logs ..........................18A Entertainment ................10B Food .................................12B Health & Beauty ............... 6B Milestones ......................... 9B Opinion ...........................17A Sports ................................. 1B Talk About Town ..............5A WebExtras! ....................... 1B
FOR MOVIE TIMES SEE PAGE 5A