Good morning, Andra. Thank you again for your article on Brad. The support from his friends, our friends, and people who live in the area or are somehow connected to Ojai, has been amazing. We are also so grateful for the increasing support of the scholarship fund we have established in his name.
Another ongoing saga to think about covering. For nearly 20 years, Joan Kemper and others have been trying to establish a Performing Arts Center in Ojai. She is still determined to do so. One existing building that is frequently talked about is the Matilija Auditorium. Another site for a possible new facility could be a portion of the OUSD land in downtown Ojai. I can give you more background when and if you want to look further into Joan's amazing efforts and determination (at 102 years old) to make her dream a reality. I am certain she would love to be interviewed about it.
Hi Jim. Thank you for the comment. It really was my honor to help share Brad's story. You're right, Joan would be an incredible interview! And the Performing Arts Center concept is an important thing to consider as I think about covering OUSD's future... I'll definitely follow up.
Some of us here in Golden West and Ojai as well, are wondering what exactly is going on with the old bowling alley property? I spoke briefly with the mayor once about this months ago, but I’m not sure about what if anything is happening recently. I am wondering what the hold up is and if the city could exert pressure on the current owner under a blight ordinance? This place is an eyesore and a fire trap.
Hi Sheila! Thanks for the comment. You're right, that would be a great topic to investigate! We have a number of blighted buildings around town that have been sitting for decades... it would be interesting to understand why.
Andra, my letter to the Editor of OVN was published yesterday about my concerns over the Cabin Village. I am not arguing about the decision to pursue the project, but what to me appears to be a significant overspending on the per unit (per cabin) cost of the project. Have you given that much thought. I hope you will do some investigative reporting that might explain why the City would pay approximately $250,000 cabin when ones that offer more are 1/5 the cost. I don’t get it… It doesn’t make sense to me.
Hi Richard! Thank you for your comment. I'm going to read your letter, do a little research and get back to you. I haven't gotten into the construction budget since earlier this year, and I know it's shifted. This story, about Thousand Oaks project with Dignity Moves, may provide some insight. Though two big differences are that TO's project is a) temporary supportive housing and b) modular units. I'll be back! https://andrabelknap.substack.com/p/field-trip-to-thousand-oaks
Hi again, Richard. I’m back at 100% now — thanks for asking. I’m planning to attend the 9/30 special City Council meeting. Should be illuminating.
Anyways — I read your letter, OVN reporting on the Casitas cabins, and took a look at the latest Dignity Moves budget projections. Here are a few observations. I’ll definitely look into all of these numbers in more depth in a future story.
* The Casitas cabins, according to OVN reporting, are prefabricated units. Their reporting indicates the cost per unit is approximately $64,000. (I'd like to double-check this number for myself. I try to double-check everything.)
* The planned “cabins” at Cabin Village (which, of course, aren’t really cabins) are not prefabricated units, but a custom-made building with 30+ rooms. I couldn’t say how custom v. pre–fab increases the cost of each individual unit — that would be another good question to ask someone with specific expertise.
* The single largest piece of that nearly $8 million (approx. $1.9M) is carpentry. That may give some insight into the cost of a custom building v. prefab units. But that’s a hypothesis.
* I also see approx. $1.4 million of that approx. $8 million is going to “plumbing, mechanical, and fire protection.” I’d like to know what plumbing costs are associated with the Casitas project. Another question to explore.
So, after exploring these documents, my sense is that a) we don’t have the full picture of costs associated with the Casitas cabins, and b) we are comparing prefabricated units to a custom-made building which also includes office spaces for service providers. I look forward to learning more 9/30.
Good morning, Andra. Thank you again for your article on Brad. The support from his friends, our friends, and people who live in the area or are somehow connected to Ojai, has been amazing. We are also so grateful for the increasing support of the scholarship fund we have established in his name.
Another ongoing saga to think about covering. For nearly 20 years, Joan Kemper and others have been trying to establish a Performing Arts Center in Ojai. She is still determined to do so. One existing building that is frequently talked about is the Matilija Auditorium. Another site for a possible new facility could be a portion of the OUSD land in downtown Ojai. I can give you more background when and if you want to look further into Joan's amazing efforts and determination (at 102 years old) to make her dream a reality. I am certain she would love to be interviewed about it.
Best regards,
Jim Halverson
Hi Jim. Thank you for the comment. It really was my honor to help share Brad's story. You're right, Joan would be an incredible interview! And the Performing Arts Center concept is an important thing to consider as I think about covering OUSD's future... I'll definitely follow up.
Hi Andra,
Some of us here in Golden West and Ojai as well, are wondering what exactly is going on with the old bowling alley property? I spoke briefly with the mayor once about this months ago, but I’m not sure about what if anything is happening recently. I am wondering what the hold up is and if the city could exert pressure on the current owner under a blight ordinance? This place is an eyesore and a fire trap.
Thanks Andra.
Hi Sheila! Thanks for the comment. You're right, that would be a great topic to investigate! We have a number of blighted buildings around town that have been sitting for decades... it would be interesting to understand why.
Andra, my letter to the Editor of OVN was published yesterday about my concerns over the Cabin Village. I am not arguing about the decision to pursue the project, but what to me appears to be a significant overspending on the per unit (per cabin) cost of the project. Have you given that much thought. I hope you will do some investigative reporting that might explain why the City would pay approximately $250,000 cabin when ones that offer more are 1/5 the cost. I don’t get it… It doesn’t make sense to me.
Hi Richard! Thank you for your comment. I'm going to read your letter, do a little research and get back to you. I haven't gotten into the construction budget since earlier this year, and I know it's shifted. This story, about Thousand Oaks project with Dignity Moves, may provide some insight. Though two big differences are that TO's project is a) temporary supportive housing and b) modular units. I'll be back! https://andrabelknap.substack.com/p/field-trip-to-thousand-oaks
Thanks for your reply. I hope you are doing well physically now.
If you are interested, I wrote two posts in “Nextdoor” a week or so ago and both have generated a lot of comments.
Hi again, Richard. I’m back at 100% now — thanks for asking. I’m planning to attend the 9/30 special City Council meeting. Should be illuminating.
Anyways — I read your letter, OVN reporting on the Casitas cabins, and took a look at the latest Dignity Moves budget projections. Here are a few observations. I’ll definitely look into all of these numbers in more depth in a future story.
* The Casitas cabins, according to OVN reporting, are prefabricated units. Their reporting indicates the cost per unit is approximately $64,000. (I'd like to double-check this number for myself. I try to double-check everything.)
* The planned “cabins” at Cabin Village (which, of course, aren’t really cabins) are not prefabricated units, but a custom-made building with 30+ rooms. I couldn’t say how custom v. pre–fab increases the cost of each individual unit — that would be another good question to ask someone with specific expertise.
* I assume you came up with 250K per cabin by dividing 7.5M by 30 — makes sense. That said, when we look at the projected budget, there’s more in that number than just the individual unit costs — there’s over $1 million in “site work” costs (see page 2). (I’ll also note that the true “site and building improvements” projection, at present, is $7,854,866.) https://legistarweb-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/3584357/Attachment_A_-_Ojai_PSHP-_Project_Budget_-_9.9.25_Final.pdf
* The single largest piece of that nearly $8 million (approx. $1.9M) is carpentry. That may give some insight into the cost of a custom building v. prefab units. But that’s a hypothesis.
* I also see approx. $1.4 million of that approx. $8 million is going to “plumbing, mechanical, and fire protection.” I’d like to know what plumbing costs are associated with the Casitas project. Another question to explore.
So, after exploring these documents, my sense is that a) we don’t have the full picture of costs associated with the Casitas cabins, and b) we are comparing prefabricated units to a custom-made building which also includes office spaces for service providers. I look forward to learning more 9/30.
Thanks for the question!
Ok, I will wait to see… but no matter how you cut it… spending 4 to 5 times more per cabin seems way too much.