City Manager Objects to Default Story

While we in the City of Compton usually appreciate the coverage we receive from the Los Angeles Times, I must take strong exception to last Thursday’s story (“Compton Transit Center Builder Declared in Default,” March 30) on our new Martin Luther King Jr. Transit Center.

Most importantly the tone of the story made it seem as if city officials have been at the least naive and at the worst negligent in our dealings with Dalton Construction Co., the developer of the transit center. For your information, Dalton is a local minority developer with more than a 30-year history of developing projects. He has recently completed two major projects for the city, namely, the combined state-of-the-art Fire Station No. 3 and James H. Shern Training Academy, and the Dollarhide Senior Center. He has also completed two housing projects within the city.

In other words, Dalton has a proven track record. That, following careful consideration, we chose to issue a notice of default to Dalton only means that he is tardy in completion of the transit center and should take all possible measures to get back on track. We took this measure to protect ourselves, a normal procedure in this business. Part of the transit center is already open, having been rented by the U.S. Census Bureau which, incidentally, will soon be providing more than 700 jobs for local residents.

Your story also reported that I would not respond to questions about whether the CRA had “properly monitored Dalton’s progress.” In fact, I said that we had an on-site construction manager as well as a project architect from the firm of Edward C. Barker & Associates who, from the beginning of construction, monitored project activity on a daily and twice-weekly basis respectively.

In addition, you should be aware that it is our practice to keep City Council members fully apprised of development activity on an ongoing basis.

Although Compton is not without problems, there are a number of positive activities going on here. Out of 16 major projects under way in Compton, we have successfully completed 12 of them.

Moreover, your newspaper did not devote any space to the several hundred employees, community residents and young people who volunteered their time on March 11 to paint out almost all of the graffiti in Compton. We believe that such inspirational activities are the rule here, rather than the exception, and certainly worthy of your coverage.

JAMES C. GOINS

Compton city manager