Mailbag: Civic center audit sounds routine for industry

June 19, 2015 2:51 PM PT

On June 16, the Newport Beach City Council voted unanimously to initiate an audit of the civic center project, which ended up costing about $140 million.

A curious aspect is why the council had to vote on an audit at all.

Pasadena-based C.W. Driver was the project manager and general contractor. A C.W. Driver representative told the council that most contracts like this have an audit provision and that an audit is pretty common with large contracts.

That has been my experience in the construction industry, and it would surprise me if C.W. Driver has not already conducted its own end-of-project audit of its subcontractors’ invoices.

This suggests that the council’s vote was merely routine business past due.

Will O’Neill

Newport Beach

Change is OK in Lido Village

Unlike several members of my Newport Beach community, I fully support the sale of St. James the Great Episcopal Church in Lido Village and the new town homes planned in its place.

We need to move forward, not backward. This will add revenue to the community by bringing more jobs, more families and more people to the area. It should bring a bit of pressure to modernize the area and develop even more resources to be used and enjoyed. We have been stagnant too long.

Sheila Milano

Newport Beach

Washing car in driveway wastes water

During these days of drought in California, I am dismayed by the number of residents in Newport Beach who still insist on washing their vehicles with their garden hoses, creating rivers of wasted water. Our car wash businesses in the city filter and recycle the water they use.

I pay $17.95 for workers to vacuum the interior, hand wash the car, rinse it, dry it and handle the finishing touches. While waiting for my car, I enjoy a cup of complementary coffee and check my phone messages.

Compare this to flooding our streets and alleys with hundreds of gallons of wasted water that could do so much more good watering our gardens and being used for necessities.

Allen Drucker

Newport Beach