City needs to figure out sports complex

DANETTE GOULET

So what now?

That’s what I’d like to know.

Someone at City Hall messed up royally and handed $950,000 to a

contractor who squandered or misused it. The person or people

responsible for getting the city into this debacle do need to be held

accountable. But what I’d really like to know, is what does the city

plan to do about that great, big pile of dirt that was going to be

batting cages, a soccer arena and roller hockey rinks?

Please don’t tell me the plan is just to fork out another $1

million -- or $19 million the way this project seems to escalate.

Twice, voters said they did not want the sports complex, or at

least did not want to pay for it. So the City Council at the time

found a way around that and approved a $1.5 million youth sports

complex anyway.

A vast underestimation of the cleanup the site would need, and

other added costs brought the project up to $19 million. And

somewhere along the line it also became an adult sports complex.

Just because voter approval was not needed to pass this boondoggle

doesn’t mean its not the voter’s money. It is still taxpayer money

the city is squandering and spending as it pleases.

So now that the project did not get built successfully and quietly

as to be unveiled as a fait accompli to voters, what does the city

and council plan to do? What is the plan for that pile of dirt and

who will pay for it?

Comprehensive plans and alternatives need to be drawn up before

anything else is done. There will be plenty of time to figure out

what to do with the area while the city is embroiled in a lawsuit

with the contractor.

This time the city should ask voters what they want there. Before

more city (taxpayer) money is spent on the area let’s ask them: Do

you want batting cages? Or a soccer arena? Or roller hockey rink?

* DANETTE GOULET is the city editor. She can be reached at (714)

965-7170 or by e-mail at danette.goulet@latimes.com.