Inglewood News AND LENNOX CITIZEN The Weekly Newspaper of Inglewood Herald Publications - Inglewood, Hawthorne, Lawndale, El Segundo, Torrance & Manhattan Beach Community Newspapers Since 1911 - Circulation 30,000 - Readership 60,000 (310) 322-1830 - June 11, 2015 South Bay Senior Accepted Into Gates Millennium Scholar Program Jose Cervantes of Inglewood High, pictured here with Inglewood High principal Jose Gallegos, has been accepted into the Gates Millennium Scholars Program, which includes a free undergraduate degree at any school in the country. Cervantes, who cites his older sister’s UCLA attendance as an inspiration, plans on attending UCLA himself in the fall. Photo courtesy of Inglewood Unified School District. Turf Installation Proposals Rejected By Cristian Vasquez ordered stopped “citing the need for further Through the recommendation of the Parks, review of the project to ensure the end users Recreation and Library Services Department, are low/moderate income eligible residents the Inglewood City Council rejected every bid within the CDBG benefit areas.” As a result, that the city received for the Vincent Park Turf from February 2012 through September 2013, Installation Project. In addition, the council CDBG and Parks, Recreation and Library authorized city staff to rebid the project. Services Department staff responded to On June 30, 2009 and July 20, 2010, the several information requests made by HUD. city council and mayor approved a Community The information was to determine the city’s Development Block Grant Award for a total overall low and moderate percentage, the of $1,239,748 to be used to improve public project’s funding sources [aside from CDBG], facilities to multi-purpose fields at Edward as well as usage of the facilities and purpose Vincent Park, via the installation of artificial of the fields, users, and the procedures used turf. In addition, on April 19, 2011, $700,000 to account for the program’s received income in CDBG funds were awarded to the city. from all fees implemented for field use. “The initial scope of work funded by It wasn’t until December 2013 that the CDBG included installation of artificial turf city was granted authorization though the on only one of the two fields,” indicates the CDBG division to move forward with the staff report signed by Parks, Recreation and artificial turf project. However, since the Library Service Director Sabrina Barnes. initial design plans, specifications and costs “Additional funds were required to install estimate [PS&E] were two years old, city turf on both fields.” staff worked with WILLDAN Engineering The city council and mayor made approved to review the first PS&E proposal. The agreement No. 11-070 with PSOMAS for report produced by WILLDAN Engineering professional design and engineering services suggested a new design and revised the total in the amount of $191,700, on June 7, 2011. cost, which again was short of the amount The final design, the specifics and total cost of funds available to the city. of plans were completed and scheduled “On June 3, 2014, the Mayor and Council construction to begin during the summer Members authorized the use of Los Angeles of the same year. However, in December County Maintenance and Servicing Funds of 2011 representatives from the United [M&S] in the amount of $896,870 for the States Department of Housing and Urban Edward Vincent Park Artificial Turf Project Development [HUD] carried out a site visit grants to cover the associated increase in of the fields at Edward Vincent Park. project costs associated with the new design “The purpose of the visit was to see the site recommendations,” states the staff report. “The and confirm the project’s eligibility,” states the funds are available through the Los Angeles staff report. “HUD provides federal funding County Prop A Maintenance and Servicing for the City’s Community Development Block Fund, a fund designed to offset the increase Grant [CDBG] program.” in maintenance and servicing costs resulting As a result of the visit construction was from Proposition A grant-funded projects.” Proposition A funds, according to the Count of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation is for the “acquisition, development, rehabilitation, protection and restoration of beach, wildlife, park and natural lands with the County, tree-planting, gang prevention and intervention, and improvement of recreation facilities for youth and senior citizens.” For the city to move on with the project, the engineering firm on record [PSOMAS] was to become involved with revisiting and revising the original PS&E package but with the new design recommendations made by WILLDAN Engineering. PSOMAS completed the new design in February and the bid invitation was published, resulting in eight contractors attending the pre-bid conference on April 15. Those contractors included: ABC Builders, Inc., Asphalt Fabric and Engineering, Inc., Green Giant Landscape Inc., Hellas Construction, Inc., Los Angeles Engineering, Inc., Ohno Construction, South Bay Landscaping Inc. and Sprinturf Co. The three bids considered by the city’s staff proposed by: Green Giant Landscaping, Inc. [$1,487,505], Ohno Construction, Inc., [$2,869,993.60] and Los Angeles Engineering, Inc. [$3,000,337]. “Staff reviewed the bids and recognized the considerable differences in costs between the two lowest bidders,” states the staff report. “Therefore, staff determined to modify the scope of work and reclassify bid items and update the budget to allow for maximum flexibility. In order to avoid legal trouble while rehabilitating the two soccer fields into multipurpose fields, the city exercised its right to reject the bids received based on the city’s “best interest as provided in the bid specifications.” • Inside This Issue Certified & Licensed Professionals.......................4 Classifieds............................2 Community Briefs...............2 Film Review..........................2 Finance..................................5 Food.......................................8 Hawthorne Happenings....3 Legals................................ 6-7 Looking Up...........................4 Police Reports.....................3 Sports....................................5 Weekend Forecast Friday Partly Cloudy 79˚/63˚ Saturday Partly Cloudy 77˚/63˚ Sunday Partly Cloudy 79˚/61˚
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