A Common Sense reader has been sending in brief histories
about the Coronado Tunnel Commission using information acquired via public
records requests. Here is the 10th
article received (with his comments in parenthesis):
From a
meeting in 2000:
3. Federal and State Funding Issues:
Mr. Benson had an update on a past topic: The City is
looking to resurrect the $700,000 that US Congressman Brian Bilbray
tried to get in. They think it can still get in. Bilbray has a commitment from the Chair of the
House Subcommittee on Defense. The Senate side on the Conference Committee is
where we missed the loop. Bilbray was
asked who has the contacts to the funding for FY01 and he suggested talking to Paul Magliocchetti
Associates. There's a logistics
problem with people on vacation now, but a conference call is set for
next week with the City Manager. The City needs to finish working on FY01 and
get in line for FY02.
Mr. Hollingsworth urged the City to get as good a lobbyist
as it could and have him tell us how to go about it. A good lobbyist can
come back with a program of action and tell you if it's feasible.
However, he felt that until we have a study that confirms a tunnel
can be built, along with an estimated cost, we can't expect Council to
spend $30,000 to talk to a real professional.
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Minutes from Coronado Tunnel Commission Meeting
Thursday, April 8, 2004
Present: Sut Clark and Art Osborne (Yep, 2 out
of 7 present)
Absent: Steve Clarey, Bill Huck, Al Hollingsworth, Al
Ovrom and Casey Tanaka (City Council Representative).
(Yep, Casey was the City Council Representative until Al
Ovrom was re-elected to the Council, then Al took over that responsibility, then Casey became Mayor.)
City Staff: Jim Benson, Gail Brydges, Ed Walton (Yep,
3 highly paid salaried City employees)
Consultants Present: Brian Pearson (PB), Richard
Ledford (Ledford Enterprises) (Yep, 2 highly paid consultants)
DISCUSSION ITEMS:
A. Resignation of Betsy Gill. Commissioner Gill
submitted her resignation due to the fact that she will be out of town for a
good deal of time following her husband's retirement.
Mr. Benson submitted the name of Lou Smith, a
retired admiral and Coronado resident with a good reputation. Mr. Walton
suggested John Pizzato, former El Cajon City Engineer and current retired
Senior Volunteer who lives at the Shores. (Now wait a minute, why would
salaried City employees be suggesting names for nominees to commissions?!?)
B. Update
Project Report & Environmental Documents (PR/ED):
Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB) received the Notice to Proceed. (Proceed!!!)
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From Draft
Minutes of a Tunnel Commission Meeting 4-12-07: (comments
added)
B. Reports and Discussion from Commission
Members or Staff on Current Issues:
1. Status of Third Street Gate Project:
The wall will come down next week and the gate is to open in mid-June.
There will be a formal dedication when the contractor is done with their work.
2. Congestion Relief Working Group (CRWG) Project:
The signal design is just about done. The City has agreements with the
Navy and Caltrans to pay for a share of the signals. The design of the
bulbouts on any of the designated streets will require complete re-design of
the drainage. Bulbouts won't slow traffic, but will make it safer for
pedestrians to cross.
3. Vacancy on Coronado Tunnel Commission:
Mr. Clarey reported that Toni Gaylord (Toni Gaylord formerly of Coronado Main
Street and now of Coronado Planning Commission?) suggested Darrell Sarich to
fill the vacancy. (Darrell Sarich, husband of Coronado Main Street's
Director Rita Sarich?) He has lived in the Cays for 25 years and in the
Village prior to that (within the couplet). Mr. Clarey made a motion to
recommend his name to the City Council and Mr. Smith seconded it. It
passed unanimously. This will be on the May 1 City Council agenda for
approval.
4. General Information Update: Mr. Ovrom
reported on his and the Mayor Smisek's Washington, D.C. meetings. They met with Wayne
Arny (Mr. Arny was Deputy Under Secretary of Defense, Installations and
Environment) and agreed to disagree. They also met with Buddy Penn (as
noted above). (Mr. B.J. Penn was Assistant
Secretary of the Navy) and Vice Admiral Conway (Vice Admiral
Robert T. Conway, Jr. was Commander, Navy Installations Command, Washington
DC). They later met with the CNO (Chief of Naval Operations); Mr. Ovrom
described him as a very to-the-point person. He asked for
information and spent 45 minutes with them. Mr. Ovrom expressed
appreciation to PMA (The
PMA Group, lobbyists) and SDMAC (San Diego Military Advisory Council) for arranging these meetings. He thinks the CNO
is the route to go. Mr. Clarey observed that the budget stakeholders are
not the civilians; they're the uniforms. They recognize the operational
impact of having good relations here. PMA needs to generate an issue
paper and get a POM 10 submission line. Mr. Ovrom reported having good
meetings with Boxer (Senator
Barbara Boxer) and Feinstein's (Senator Dianne Feinstein) staffs. They also
met with Senator Davis and her staff (former Senator Susan Davis is now a member of Congress). The
Mayor and he are writing a letter back to ASN Penn.
C. Future Meeting Schedule: The next
meeting will be Thursday, May 10, 2007 at 4:00pm in the Police Department
Community Room.
5. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting
concluded at 5:23pm.
Approved:
(space for
signature)
____________________________
Jackson S. Clark, Chairman
To Be
Continued (maybe)...
Editor's Note: Sources reveal US Senator Dianne Feinstein never
contributed any federal grants, earmarks or other money to the Coronado tunnel
studies or tunnel project.
Federal earmarks
(federal taxpayers' money) received were from US Senator Barbara Boxer and US
Representative Susan Davis in the combined amount of $9 million promised with
over $8 million to be received after the usual federal money administration fee
was taken "off the top" of the combined $9 million earmark grant.
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