Santa Monica Daily Press
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Tuesday, September 13, 2005 ❑ Page 7 01594222
LOCAL
Hybrid busses account for $2M in taxpayer money CONSENT, from page 1
discovered to have seeped into the water source from nearby gas stations. The cancer-causing chemical was left behind by large oil companies — like Texaco, Shell Oil, Chevron U.S.A. and Exxon Mobile — a dangerous discovery that led to a court-approved settlement, forcing the guilty oil giants to pay to construct a treatment facility. The money will come from a fund established that holds $121 million of settlement cash given by the oil companies. If approved, tonight’s near $6 million expenditure would go toward hiring a field consulting company — Environ International Corp. — to help monitor the several year-long project.
BUSSES GOING HYBRID Though the night’s largest expenditure is expected to go toward fixing what’s already broken, the second largest item takes a more preventative approach. The City Council is expected to set aside nearly $2 million of taxpayer funds to purchase five new hybrid-electric buses, an environmentally-friendly replacement for the dying diesel-gusslers currently used by the Big Blue Bus. The hybrid-electric buses can run either in electric or hybrid mode, using a quiet micro-turbine engine with nearly zero emissions, according to a city staff report.
GIVE THEM SHELTER The city’s bus system also is expected
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DEMO EXPENSES Another major expense expected to win approval is restoring the City Hall building after the demolition of the former police building this past August damaged portions of the facility. The project — expected to cost the city nearly $380,000 — will consist of repairs to the interior and exterior flooring, wall, ceiling and roof system. City Hall awarded the contract after two separate bid requests in the Los Angeles Times attracted no bids from area contractors, allowing the city to sidestep competitive bidding and hire ROD Builders, a company that’s done work for the city in the past. HAZARDS EXIST Another big-item expenditure expected to pass is a contract for hazardous waste management for the environmental programs division. The two-year deal with PSC RhoChem, estimated to cost $400,000, will cover waste management and safe transport. MISCELLANEOUS TOTALS $190K Other expenses expected to get the yes vote from City Council include legal services for $110,000 — $55,000 related to property transactions for the city’s redevelopment agency and parking authority, and $55,000 to help the city of Santa Monica resolve a dispute with the Federal Aviation Administration over landing fees. Another $55,000 will got to financial advice for the city’s redevelopment agency and parking authority and water-use reduction education for $25,000.
Specializing in Leasing & Selling Office & Industrial Buildings
SPECIALIZING IN LEASING & SELLING OFFICE & INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS
310-806-6104
cporter@naicapital.com
Christina S. Porter Vice President
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PLANNING DEPARTMENT NEEDS MORE PLANNING The City Council also is expected to help revamp the city’s planning department, which has come under fire the last two years for its alleged inefficiencies. After independent audits by the City Council and the Chamber of Commerce, the planning department is looking for a helping hand from Civic Solutions, a consulting firm that’s supposed to help the embattled division manage its workload. The City Council is expected to approve an additional $106,440 for the interim planning services, rounding out the total cost to $161,440. Civic Solutions has been working with the planning department since May and City Hall described the company’s help as “excellent,” in a recent council staff report.
to get a makeover, as the City Council will likely approve a measure to get the ball rolling on the construction of 20 new Rapid Bus shelters along Lincoln Boulevard. The contract to complete pre-construction plans — rounding out to nearly $150,000 — was awarded to Amphion, Inc., which will be responsible for design, document preparation and permit coordination. According to a staff report, City Hall hopes that eye-catching shelters would identify the city’s bus line as a high quality service.