Los Angeles School Board Says Yes to Romer’s Choice for Belmont Bid
By Michelle Logsdon - March 13, 2002The majority of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Board members agreed March 12 with Superintendent Roy Romer’s suggestion to support the bid from Alliance for a Better Community (ABC) to complete construction of the Belmont Learning Center (BLC).
The board halted construction on the half-completed school in January 2000 due to environmental concerns. The center was being built on top of an abandoned oil field and district officials were worried about the toxic gases seeping up from the soil.
Romer was hired as LAUSD superintendent shortly after the project was shelved and chose to revive it. The center will relieve severe overcrowding at nearby Belmont High School where 5,000 students squeeze into a facility meant for 3,300.
“With the completion of Belmont Learning Complex, we will finally be able to deliver the promise of a neighborhood school and a better education,” said School Board Member José Huizar. “The success of this project further demonstrates LAUSD’s commitment to relieving district-wide overcrowding.”
ABC is a non-profit coalition consisting of community activists and businesspeople from the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund as well as the National Assn. of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. The group is headed by Ed Avila, former chief of the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency.
ABC’s proposal would cost $98.3 million to complete the school and install a protective membrane under the entire 34-acre site to trap toxic gases. The Center is already the nation’s most costly school with $175 million spent on the project so far.
ABC’s plan also includes a liability insurance policy through American International Group, Inc. (AIG). AIG has three claims services offices in California. The Los Angeles office is headed by Leslie Stewart; the San Francisco office is run by Howard Endean; and the San Ramon office regional vice president is Ed Jokerst.
One of the other bids Romer had to choose from was submitted by Komex, an environmental mitigation firm, and also included an insurance policy through AIG.
The next step for the school board will come in two or three months when the negotiated contract arrives in front of them for final consideration. | 
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