Chances Are Slim and Grim
Chances for an agreement seem thin. As Bruce Gridley, attorney for the city of Culver City, told thefrontpageonline.com, “We haven’t even been able to agree on the size of the building” that has housed Mr. Vorgeack’s business for the last two decades.
Rays of sympathy for Mr. Vorceak’s plight are not emanating from City Hall. City official assert that they have tried to aid the owner but he has not co-operated.
City Hall’s Opinion
“It is not evident,” Mr. Gridley said, “that Mr. Vorceak has put any effort into attempting to relocate, which has put him in a difficult spot, given the deadline that is going to occur. He has known about Friday’s deadline for a long time.”
Mr. Gridley did not mince his words of warning.
“If Mr. Vorceak doesn’t address it, and chooses not to move, then ultimately the business will be moved to storage. It will stay there until such a time as he does wish to do that, or, frankly, if he chooses to go out of business, there is compensation associated with the loss of goodwill.”
A Selling Job
Since last June, when City Hall first contacted Mr. Vorgeack and since son Jean-Claude, the Community Development Dept. has been trying to convince them to sell and move. Sometime in the next couple of years, Culver City is planning to build a light rail station/business complex on the grounds to accommodate a projected 9-mile light rail route from downtown Los Angeles.
Mr. Vorgeack and Marc Chiat, his neighbor on block-long Exposition Boulevard, are the final impediments preventing City Hall from starting to develop the triangular patch of land immediately. Mr. Chiat’s whereabouts are unknown.
One Party Missing?
The city’s attorney, Mr. Gridley, says City Hall has been trying to work with Mr. Vorgeack for the past 9 months to facilitate a relocation but that the experience has been a one-way street.
“There are certainly people in the world,” Mr. Gridley said, “who are not pleased with the idea that what they have been doing for a long time, is not any longer pleasing to the general public.
“I appreciate that sense of personal value that Mr. Vorgeack and Mr. Chiat, and to some substantial extent, Mr. (Les) Surfas have.
A Little Assistance
“What exists, though, for individuals who are doing a commercial business is that they have the ability to have the city assist in their relocation.
“If you choose not to participate in that effort, you don’t need the benefit of that effort.
“What I think is missing is an understanding of what was done to attempt to assist Mr. Vorgeack to help him find another location,” Mr. Gridley said.
Assessing a Business
“Let’s start with the premise this metal-working business Mr. Vorgeack has is a fine business but not uniquely tied to the land on which his business sits. If it is uniquely tied to the land on which his business sits, eminent domain law says that becomes goodwill, and he is compensated for it.
About Participation
“Now the question is, what it is that Mr. Vorgeack did to be a participant in this process.
“The story begins with a letter to him in June of 2006 in which we, through an entity hired by the city to assist folks in relocation, contact him.
“We say, ‘You are involved in this area. Our job is to help you relocate, to help you move when you know where you want to relocate, to give you information about the benefits available to you if you relocate.’
Did He Believe?
“Mr. Vorgeack appears never to have completely believed that Overland Pacific (the relocation firm) was there to help.
“I can’t tell you how it is he would be convinced of that. But it appears that was the case.
Disinterested?
“It took two courses. First, when given an opportunity to meet with Overland Pacific, Mr. Vorgeack appears not to have been very interested in doing that.”
According to Mr. Gridley, neither Mr. Vorgeack nor his lawyer appeared at a scheduled court hearing last week. “We had issues in the court about valuation,” Mr. Gridley said. “We needed the assistance of the court to gain access to the facility in order to make the determination about what he would be entitled to.
Who Could Help?
“Mr. Vorgeack did not want to do that. The consequence is no one could really help him do that.
“I read in (last Friday’s story) about Mr. Vorgeack’s dismay over not being able to relocate. But what I did not find in the story was what was done (for him, by the city). We offered him assistance by locating places he could move. We met with him on 3 or 4 occasions. We had individuals at his business to say, ‘Here’s the way it’s done,’ or ‘Here’s the way it needs to be done. We encourage you to get a broker.’
Going for Broker
“At one time, Mr. Vorceak told us that he, in fact, had a broker looking for property. Mr. Surfas, who was as convinced as anybody he would have a difficult time relocating, through the efforts of a broker, found what appears to be an ideal site for him (on Landmark). And, I might add, this is what professionals do for you. The efforts of Mr. Surfas indicate what can happen if you put the effort into it.”
