(PRWEB) January 23, 2006 -- A free three (3) minute video presentation of the Full Disclosure Network™ series on the HALF BILLION BELMONT Learning Center in the Los Angeles Unified School District entitled, “Belmont: The Black Hole of School Construction” will be available starting Monday; January 23, 2006 on the Internet at the URL:
http://www.fulldisclosure.net/flash/444-5_belmontblackhole_preview.php “On Demand” 24/7, as a public service. This preview of a new two-part series, features exclusive video footage of all the major players involved in the planning, development, financing and investigations of the notorious Belmont Learning Center, in the L. A. Unified School District (LAUSD), they are:
“ Belmont: The Black Hole of School Construction ”
Steve Cooley , L.A. County District Attorney
Anthony Patchett, Belmont Prosecutor, Special Asst. D.A. (ret)
Don Mullinax, Inspector General, LAUSD
Roger Carrick. Special Legal Counsel. LAUSD Inspector General
Scott Wildman. Chair. CA Legislative Audit Committee
Jim Mc Connell,Chief Facilities Executive LAUSD
Dominic Shambra, Dir. Planning & Development LAUSD
David Cartwright, Sr. Partner O'Melveny & Myers.LAUSD outside legal counsel
Ed Scott, Environmental Assessor, Rialto City Councilman
Dr. Kaye Kilburn, USC Keck School of Medicine, Edgington Chair
The still incomplete public school is now estimated to have cost almost a half a billion dollars after seven years of investigations, lawsuits and controversy. When the Los Angeles news media ceased covering the Belmont Learning Center debacle the Full Disclosure Network™ (FDN) jumped at the opportunity to cover the story, on videotape, as a public service. Belmont was only 60% complete and had an estimated cost of $175 million to $228 million. Most public officials and the news media had pronounced the project a “dead issue". That could not have been farther from the truth.
Following the LAUSD Board vote to complete the Belmont project, costs continue to escalate. Demolition of the new and never occupied buildings located on an earthquake fault and costly re-reconstruction began in December of 2004. A one hundred-thirty-two($132) million dollar million remediation for methane and hydrogen sulfide gas has been planned but as of December 2005, not yet approved by the State of California.
Just fifteen days after the 2005 Full Disclosure Network™ series entitled “Belmont: The Black Hole of School Construction” was shown on "California Cable channels, Jim Mc Connell announced his intention to leave the LAUSD. As Chief Executive of the Facilities Division Mc Connell was featured in the FDN series saying, “the days of Belmont are over”. However, mistaken he was, as the days of Belmont were far from finished.
Here are a few of the revelations in Belmont: The Black Hole of school construction:
What lawsuit blocked BB Bond funds from being used to build Belmont?
Why was the site (an old oil field) purchased “as is”?
How did LAUSD Raise the first $92 million to pay for Belmont?
Why was construction on Belmont stopped when only 60% complete?
Who stopped the construction?
LAUSD had to change State laws to win approval for Belmont, why?
Full Disclosure network™ produces public affairs programming, billed as “the news behind the news” since 1992. In 2002 the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences presented a public affairs Emmy to host Leslie Dutton for the special series entitled “L. A.’s War Against Terrorism. Featured on over 40 cable systems and the Internet, worldwide on
www.fulldisclosure.net , Channels and air times are listed on the website.
