BY KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
STAFF WRITER
kpierceall@pe.com
Published: 25 November 2011 01:01 PM
The board members overseeing San Bernardino International Airport will consider at their next meeting paying subcontractors owed about $4 million for work done on the airport’s main passenger terminal, a three-story U.S. Customs building and a fix made to a bay inside one of the hangars to fit Boeing’s 747-8 freighter while it was undergoing tests there.
A.J. Wilson, the new interim executive director of the Inland Valley Development Agency and separate San Bernardino International Airport Authority, said that subcontractors for each of the projects have been waiting to be paid.
Scot Spencer, the airport’s developer who receives a percentage of funds based on every construction contract awarded, is supposed to submit billing records and documentation as to the exact amount each subcontract is owed. Wilson said he couldn’t explain why Spencer hadn’t submitted the documentation this time.
“We’ve asked him to be timely,” Wilson said.
The Inland Valley Development Agency has overseen the redevelopment of the entire Norton Air Force Base area, including funding construction and operation costs for the airport, while the San Bernardino International Airport Authority has overseen work pertaining to just airport property. Both boards are made up of elected officials from the county’s east valley.
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If I was on the board and was asked to approve the disbursement of “about $2 Million” without documentation supporting the obligation, my response would be a resounding NO! This would be particularly true if the Executive Director “couldn’t explain” why the documentation had not been provided, as is the case here.
Here is an opportunity for the board to show the taxpayers that it is not business as usual at the San Bernardino International Airport. I am not holding my breath.
How many aircraft have landed at this facility? NOT many if any.
What a joke, and those who continue to support this project are a joke and dummer than a rock. But your a crook so I understand.
The real joke is how many times this has happened. All of spencers projects are deserted most the time as comtractors spend more time off the job due to lack of payment. The airport pays spencer and then the money disappears. Then spencer goes back to the board and gets more money no questions asked.
All the contracts are awarded without a public bidding process to spencers hand picked contractors. The grand jury prooved this and included it in their 200-page report (still only covering a fraction of bad management and cooruption).
When spencer/rogers came to the board 6 months ago and asked for an additional $7 million for the customs building, the board was told that would be enough money to finish the project. Now spencer wants more money. This happens time and time again. This is how the terminal project ballooned to $140 million.
Why are they building a $20-30 million customs building at an airport that has at most one or two 12-seat aircraft flights per day? The rational behind the building is to accept a 747 full of passengers from another country. When would that happen? Never. International flights only fly to where they can get a connecting flight. Therefore, a customs builing is not needed until they have domestic flights. When will that be? Also never.
Even the US customs Dept has said they dont need all the bells and whistles on this building, even for its design purpose. As usual, they are adding on things that arent needed to pad the pocket of spencer.
The truth is san bernardino gets about one international flight per year with a 17-seat airplane. That doesnt justify spending $20 million.
Spending $140 million improving a terminal building that already had Two Gates and was nice and big enoungh for any airline was also another unneed expense.
There were no experts consulted, no studys done, nothing. Just a big government money grab to build things the local community paid for but do not need.
And it continues and continues.