County Votes to Redesign La Puente Park Center for Another $300K
LA County Board of Supervisors terminated a $300K contract with an architectural firm after neighbors said the designs were too modern
Los Angeles County Parks and Rec
Supervisors voted July 17 to terminate a roughly $300,000 contract with an architectural firm after neighbors worried that the firm's designs for the San Angelo Park Multi-Purpose Center were too modern. San Angelo Park, located in unincorporated La Puente, is shown above.
A nearly $300,000 contract with an architectural firm was terminated Tuesday after neighbors complained that the firm's design for a La Puente park center was too modern and did not fit in the community.
The LA County Board of Supervisors also voted to draw up a new contract with a different firm to redesign the San Angelo Park Multi-Purpose Center, a move that could cost the county up to an additional $350,000.
The board's decision came after neighbors expressed concerns that Lehrer Architects’ finished designs were too modern and did not complement the traditional-style buildings around the San Angelo Park neighborhood.
"Residents there like to keep the equestrian character of their neighborhood," said Roxanne Márquez, a spokeswoman for supervisor Gloria Molina, whose district includes the park. "We always give neighbors the chance to voice their opinions before these things actually get built."
The decision puts an end to an almost three-year partnership with Lehrer Architects, which was given $353,076 in October 2009 to complete design and construction drawings of the center, which will be located at 245 S. San Angelo Avenue in unincorporated La Puente (map).
Lehrer Architects has already been paid roughly $292,000, according to a Tuesday letter (PDF) to the board from Sean Rogan, executive director of the county's Community Development Commission.
Officials have not yet decided on a firm for the new contract, but Rogan's letter said the commission would choose from a shortlist of architectural firms.
Though a complete redesign could cost an additional $350,000, Rogan wrote in his letter that the move would not make an impact on the County's general fund.
The Board voted in 2008 to allocate $3.5 million for the project, and there are enough remaining funds to pay for a new design and the construction of the center, Rogan said.
Márquez said she did not know which firms were on the shortlist, but added that a new design company should be selected and ready to begin work on the project in about two months.
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