Building Delays Said to Cost Jobs

Since moving to Southern California in 1972, I have never seen the construction industry as depressed as it is today.

Yet, in the first two weeks of April in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, millions of dollars worth of approved, appropriated and awarded federal construction contracts have been withdrawn because of a failure to break ground by the cutoff dates. This failure to meet deadlines is inexcusable and, were it a private company, someone would be fired over it.

The politicians whose districts are affected are attempting to get extensions by appealing the decisions to higher authorities. We must ask ourselves a question: Is it unreasonable for the federal government (or anyone else for that matter) to demand that a project get started within 30 months of award? Think about it. That’s 2 1/2 years.

In Ventura County, there are several large projects slowly grinding their way through the system: the Thousand Oaks development at the old Jungleland site, the new county jail and several large residential developments. Let’s cut through the red tape and break ground on these projects before they, too, are lost.

Any unemployed construction professionals out there should be as mad as hell and they should complain to their representatives. When this system doesn’t work, neither do you.

RALPH G. SMITH

Thousand Oaks