Opinion by FRANK ORZELL

Finally, a response to the issues I raised regarding the lack of effective management and control in the McEuen Park planning effort. I presented my observations to the City Council on August 2, 2011 and to date, Parks Director Doug Eastwood's response (Press, My Turn, Aug. 26) is the first I have seen.

I am disappointed with the lack of understanding it reflects. It was my hope and expectation that a critical review of the contract could serve as a wake-up call to the City and to the public that there is a serious need to improve the management of work contracted by the City. But, I was naïve. I had hoped Doug and the City would acknowledge that errors were made, learn from them and take steps to ensure processes are put in place to avoid such problems in the future.

Unfortunately, such is not the case. Apparently, the City feels it must defend...The City must be right; this private citizen and his fellow citizens throughout the community must be deemed wrong...sounds like arrogance to me. That is my interpretation of what Doug is saying. He has missed the point and certainly, the intention of my comments (Press, My Turn, Aug. 19).

I am very interested in McEuen and the potential opportunity it can present to this and future generations. I have been frustrated in my attempts to get answers to my questions. So, I obtained a copy of the contract and did some investigation. I shared my findings with the City Council and with the public.

I found symptoms of a project with potential problems that could become serious. Just reflect for a moment. Every instance I mentioned was a reaction to a perceived need to make a change that had not been taken into account when the contract was drafted. I was not objecting to the need for the change; rather, I was taking issue with the way in which the change was not managed.

Perhaps there was a need to increase the number of meetings from 10 to 50. If there indeed was such a legitimate need, timing and cost implications should have been evaluated and presented to the steering committee for approval. They should have been documented in the minutes and should have been supported by a change order amending the contract. In the interest of transparency and accountability, I should have been able to see a process under control. Such was not the case.

But even that example is but a symptom, not a significant issue in and of itself. The symptom suggests that if such practices are allowed to continue, the plan as presented could easily grow out of control and cost us, the taxpayers significantly more than the $40 million estimate. And, we have not even begun the actual construction where the escalation typically surfaces. Are we getting an early start on escalation?

Project management is about learning. But, arrogance is a known impediment to learning. No one, no organization is perfect. Unforeseen events will occur, mistakes will be made. But the key is to learn from them and to take advantage of those learning opportunities. The need for changes will hit every project. That is a fact. The challenge is to manage them, to control them, lest project costs spiral out of control.

My question to the City of Coeur d'Alene is:

"What will you do to ensure all (i.e. McEuen) projects are managed effectively, consistent with the City's obligations and responsibilities to the community?"

The evidence suggests there is a lot of work to do to accomplish that and re-gain public trust.

I saw no mention in Doug's comments of the financial issues I raised:

* The 5% holdback stipulated in the contract was not in fact held back in any of the payments, and

* The final payment was made 7 days before acceptance of the final product, contrary to the contract which called for payment 30 days following acceptance by the City.

I assume his silence on these two items is acknowledgement of their validity.

All deliverables that are specified in the contract and all changes to them and to any other terms and conditions should be included as part of the public record.

What can we do?

We, the community own McEuen. City government is our representative, chosen by us through the election process. They are responsible to us and we evaluate their performance through our voting rights/obligations. Come November, keep that in mind and vote accordingly, but, please, PLEASE VOTE!

Frank Orzell is a management consultant and Coeur d'Alene resident.