TEEN CENTER facade

I wonder how many were fooled (including me) by the Fremont City Council's passing of more than a 1/2 million taxpayer dollars that appeared to be benefiting teenagers.

This is what appeared in the City agenda for 7/13/10:

2.4 AWARD CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT FOR THE TEEN CENTER PLAZA PAVING

Approve Plans and Specifications and Award a Construction Contract for the Teen
Center Plaza Paving Project, City Project No. PWC 8502
Contact Person:
Name: Roger Ravenstad
Title: Senior Landscape Architect
Dept.: Community Development
Phone: 510-494-4723
E-Mail: rravenstad@fremont.gov

RECOMMENDATION:
1. Approve the plans and specifications for the Teen Center Plaza Paving project.
2. Accept the bid and award the construction contract to Suarez and Munoz.
Construction, Inc., for the base bid amount of $436,112.90 plus Alternate #1,
Alternate #2, Alternate #3, and Alternate #5, for a total alternate subtotal of
$90,420.00, and a grand total contract amount of $526,532.90.

It was my understanding that this >1/2 million of taxpayer dollars was going towards benefiting teenagers in our community, when in reality it was part of an entirely self-serving package. I later found out that the "Teen Center" had already been converted to a rental facility for the City of Fremont in order to charge attendees to obtain revenue to ensure their own paychecks. (After all, over $300,000 of our taxpayer money is needed EVERY YEAR to compensate just the City Attorney and even more than that is needed to compensate the City Manager. Other City employees are not far behind and this all adds up. This hefty compensation from all of us taxpayers then allows them to continue with their "Perception is more important than substance" activities.)

Even though taxpayers have contributed for years to the "Teen Center", most with the understanding that this would be used as a Teen Center, the City has taken it over and will not share it or even help to simplify the development of a skateboard park for teenagers in that area.

After taking over the former Teen Center, the City passed an increase in their fee schedule and included the "Teen Center" patio on April 5, 2011. While some of the public is in the know, the City doesn't help in perpetuating the deception. While it may sound innocent, this "Teen Center" deception will continue to help the city to pull over whatever they want on the general public without opposition. This more than 1/2 million of our hard-earned taxpayer dollars could have been better spent on truly benefiting teenagers, not hidden behind a deceptive practice to benefit only City of Fremont employees.

Why are the foxes allowed to "guard" the hen house? The City has purposely crafted a situation where there are no checks and balances. Others have come forward to note more questionable practices. While they can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, they can't fool all of the people all of the time.

I hope that they aren't expediting losing their jobs, after all, in these tough economic times, it wouldn't be easy for us taxpayers to give up severance in the form of:
<> 1 million dollars as was given to the former BART director who lost her job because of the Oscar Grant killing incident, or the
<> 35 million dollars as was given to the former PG&E CEO who lost his job because of the tragedy in San Bruno caused by PG&E.

Bob Fifield
Fremont