The
project architect has entered a misdemeanor guilty plea, and is cooperating
with the San Diego County district attorney’s investigation of construction
corruption in connection with construction managers’ bids on Southwestern
Community College District’s Corner Lot conference center, restaurant
bookstore, and gallery multiuse construction project in Chula Vista. The $54.9
million, 141,500 square foot project, was put out to bids for at risk
construction management. The project was awarded to Echo Pacific Construction,
at a bid price of $4.06 million for construction management services, though
competing bidder Barnhart Balfour-Beatty had a lower bid of $3.69 million.
Examination of the bid documents disclosed that Echo Pacific’s bid was based on
a construction budget of $59 million, while the Barnhart bid was based on a
budget of only $55 million.
The
investigation centers on how the differing construction budgets were provided
to competing bidders on the same project. Project architect Paul Bunton pleaded
guilty to violating California’s Fair Political Practices Commission rules in
not reporting $2,800 in gifts to Southwestern Community College Vice President
Nicholas Alioto, who handled most of the analysis of the competing construction
manager at risk bids.
The corruption
investigation is ongoing, and has delayed completion of this project for at
least a year.
