Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE By Samuel Strait, Reporter at Large – March 14, 2021 After reading an article in the Lost Coast Outpost by Jessica Cejnar titled "Child Support Services Will Move Despite Current Landlord's Objections, Threatens to Sue", I noticed that Ms. Cejnar once again has failed to do her homework. The idea that any threat was issued by the landlord, Thomas Barnes, is a stretch at best, and clearly Chair Chris Howard did not take it as such. Beyond that Ms. Cejnar has reported a good number of inaccuracies over the differences between the existing office space and the new one. So lets see just how that affects the decision to move over a very few items with the correct information. TAB vs North Plaza Professional /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:107%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} Escape clause should the space become unsuitable: YES No, full lease cost for entire ten years Size of space: 3850 sq ft 2690 sq ft Cost per sq ft: 95 cents $1.18 first year Lease cost per year: $43,890 $38,152 first year Room to expand : Additional 10,000 sq ft No Parking spaces: 165 16 In Tsunami Inundation zone: No, See updated Map No Proximity to City Center: In City Center 1.8 miles OSHA compliant, Code Compliant, ADA Compliant: YES Unknown, additional cost likely Security System: Yes No, up to $50,000 additional cost Cost to Move: Not Applicable, current office space up to $50,000 additional cost Utility Cost: Significant reduction from $900/mo Unknown likely similar due to smaller space Office Space Professionally Planned: Yes No In the head to head evaluation over just a very few items there was clearly a need for the County to have engaged the services of the Fair Practices Commission first and foremost to provide an accurate evaluation of the two proposals, to be transparent, to be viewed as honest, unbiased, and most importantly to be above any sense of impropriety. As this was clearly lacking in the bid process, it is understandable that the possibility of legal action might be forth coming. It is unfortunate that the Director of Child Support should be so careless with his evaluation and fail to use all tools necessary to provide a clear and accurate report to the Board of Supervisors. This was not done. It is also important to note on a previous occasion the neglect of an escape clause, imperative in government contracts with funding based on the State's economic health, caused an embarrassing cost to the County of several hundred thousand dollars which could have been much worse. This neglect by Director of Child Services, Aaron Goodwin, is an irresponsible over site in a lease of this magnitude. The fact that it wasn't questioned by the Board after the recent experience is equally irresponsible. Ten years locked into a $355,014 lease has disaster written all over it.