HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/22/74 MINUTES RABakersfield, California, January 22, 1974
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Minutes of a special meeting of the Bakersfield
Redevelopment Agency held in the Council Chambers of the City
Hall at 2:30 o'clock P. M. on January 22, 1974.
The meeting was called to order by Vice-Chairman
Vincent Casper. The Secretary called the roll as follows:
Present: Vincent Casper, Vice-Chairman
Dr. Glenn D. Puder
James Stewart
Theron Taber
Absent: Robert E. King, Chairman
Bill Lee
Ralph H. Poehner
Mr. Eugene Jacobs, the Agency's legal consultant,
reported on the status of the proposed shopping center. The
John S. Griffith & Company, who are working under an exclusive
negotiation agreement with the Agency toward putting a shopping
center in downtown Bakersfield, have come up with what appears
to be a workable plan and have met with the City staff and with
Mr. Jacobs and are now prepared to move forward. At various
stages the plan will be brought back to the Agency in detail and
will be discussed in full.
The next item of business was the Procedure Schedule
and Authorization regarding the construction of the parking
garage and the issuance of bonds.
The Agency was referred by Mr.
the entire development of the two blocks
on the west, "L" Street on the east, 17th Street on the north,
and Truxtun Avenue on the south. (Map attached.) Regarding the
open landscape area between the rental area and the United
California Bank, an agreement is being worked out between UCB
and Arcon, the developer, to put the landscape area in. Today's
discussion concerns the parking garage.
Steps will be taken in the next few weeks, culminating
in the bond issue and the construction of the parking garage.
The City of Bakersfield has already opened escrow for the
acquisition of the parcels needed from Mr. James A. Weston, who
Jacobs to a map covering
between Chester Avenue
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Bakersfield, California, January 22, 1974 - Page 2
is the present owner of the United California Bank site, for the
east portion of the garage. Mr. Weston has rights of first
refusal for the future building site, the old American Legion
property.
On Thursday, January 30, there will be a meeting with
the Bond Counsel, O'Melveny & Myers, Mr. Jacobs, a financial
consultant from Blyth Eastman Dillon & Company, the parking
garage architect, the City Manager, and the City Attorney con-
cerning the construction of the parking garage and issuance of
the bonds. The schedule will be reviewed at that time, and the
details worked out. Also, in the next couple of weeks there
will be a meeting with UCB, Bank of America, Arcon, Mr. Jacobs,
the City Manager, and the City Attorney regarding the operation
of the parking garage.
The plans and specifications for the construction of
the parking garage, being done by Arcon's architectural firm,
are to be completed by February 28, 1974. Final plans would then
be approved, if appropriate, and authorization given for adver-
tising on an open competitive bid basis.
Mr. Jacobs discussed the actions needed to proceed with
the garage. (See attached Schedule of Performance as of January 22,
1974.) It is hoped that bid for the construction of the parking
garage will be out on April l, and at that stage the Bond Resolu-
tion, leases, all the technical documents by the Bond Counsel will
be worked out in Mr. Jacob's office. Hopefully, the bonds will be
sold in the neighborhood of $800,000 to $900,000 or in that general
area on about May 15, with the money to be obtained by June 1.
When the money is obtained, the contract can be awarded for the
construction of the garage, to commence about June 15. Some of
these dates could be pulled back tighter, but they shouldn't go
out further because these become pretty set dates in the bonding
documents, and these dates should be finalized in the meeting on
Thursday, January 30.
Bakersfield, California, January 22, 1974 - Page 3
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There will also have to be a management contract for
whoever operates the garage. If it goes to a private garage
operator, it would be a management contract that way. If it is
done by a City department or City employees in any way, then it
will be worked out as an internal matter inside the City with
the Agency and the City.
Mr. Jacobs indicated it was expected the parking garage
will be completed in about four months after commencement of
construction, although the Schedule of Performance shows six
months as an outside date. The project has moved very well;
the quality of the construction and architecture has been very
successful, and at the moment no troubles are expected in having
this project go forward.
Mr. Jacobs said he was concerned for a while regarding
the proposed Environmental Protection Agency requirement for
permits, and the California Transportation Plan when it came out
in November required that any garage with more than fifty parking
spaces required a federal permit. They, in effect, would issue
a permit like the City would issue a building permit. This was,
Mr. Jacobs felt, legally beyond the power of the Federal EPA, and
his office filed eleven lawsuits for eleven different Redevelop-
ment Agencies, Bakersfield among them, on an emergency basis.
The Agency's approval was requested= at that time and the City
Manager and City Attorney, on behalf of the Agency, gave approval.
The only necessary action for this meeting would be the
Agency's ratification of the action of the City Manager and City
Attorney authorizing Mr. Jacob's office to file an action against
the EPA to test the validity of the EPA rules issued in November.
Motion was made by Dr. Puder and seconded by Mr. Stewart to
ratify the action of the City Manager and City Attorney to
authorize Mr. Jacobs fo file suit against the Environmental
Protection Agency. The motion carried unanimously.
Mr. Jacobs indicated the federal government did not
answer those suits, except that the EPA pulled back on its regu-
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Bakersfield, California, January 22, 1974 - Page 4
lations. The suit was probably won because the regulations are
not in existence, Another suit might have to be filed in the
near future, but if Congress passes the present law it won't be
necessary. The filing fee
was prepared by Mr. Jacobs'
were very minor.
is $50, and a one or two page document
office, so the fees for his office
Mr. Jacobs stated that a finalized Schedule of Perfor-
mance and documents for the Agency's action would be presented
/at the next meeting.
Dr. Puder questioned how the completion of the parking
garage would match the contemplated date of completion of the Bank
of America Building. Mr. Bergen reported the parking garage
project is about a year off from the original estimate. It is
hoped the completion date of January 15, 1974 can be shortened,
but the date as whown is realistic. Mr. Bergen suggested there
would be a recommendation to lease a portion of the "K" Street
lot when the Bank of America begins operation, sometime in the
month of February.
Mr. Bergen indicated that the Agency will need to meet
more often in the futllre, and a suitable time should be set. The
majority of the Agency members indicated an afternoon meeting
would be preferable.
There being no further business to come before the
Bakersfield Redevelopment Agency, the meeting was adjourned at
3:05 P. M.
-~edeve~ Agency
ACTING ASSISTANT SECRETARY to the
Bakersfield Redevelopment Agency
By: Margaret E. Payne