Trust Breached
They dont trust PXP. Nor are Culver Crest residents betting a nickel on the objectivity or fairness of the state agency, the California Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources, known not so playfully by its barking acronym, DOGGR.
How can you accurately evaluate someone who has made a habit of concealing information? Mr. Salkin asks in reference to PXP.
He advocates hiring an independent third party to assess PXPs plan for 24 drilling sites before a partial or full green light is given by the state.
Keeping Watch
Meanwhile, all the homeowners association can really do is stand by and watch the process, Mr. Salkin says.
The environmental impact study is expected to begin in late spring. It should take close to a year to complete.
Culver Crest, in the meantime, has pulled ahead of Washington D.C. in its concern over potential leaks.
At the Meeting
Back in Council Chambers
At the very end, the drama of the past year was absent. Final approval barely required 5 minutes.
The Skateboard Park, fronting on Jefferson Boulevard at the foot of Culver City Park, now seems a cinch to be built this summer.
Barring fire, flood or famine, cracked City Councilperson Carol Gross.
Under Contract
The news of the night was that the City Council awarded an impatiently-awaited construction contract to an Upland company, California SkateParks, at a price tag of $539,655.
Based purely on last nights predetermined, businesslike decision, a visitor would not have guessed that it took longer to agree on a fairly simple Skateboard Park than it did to organize Culver City 90 years ago.
Little Difference
The difference between the winning bid and the runnerup was a hiccup, about the cost of a family meal at McDonalds.
That was scarcely a main point, though, at the end of a year of handwringing and anxiety.
Construction is scheduled to start next month. Staffers say 4 months will be needed for completion, cutting into the next school year.
