Never understood how Stanford can build many new buildings under budget and on time, but the city of PA can’t. Just two NEW buildings (Mitchell Park library & Station 3) in the last 30 YEARS and both have been way over budget and not even close to on time. What a mess!

Stanford is private money. Any idea how many NEW houses have been built in Palo Alto with private money in the past 30 years? Must be a thousand or more. ("NEW" meaning completely replaced, like the Mitchell Library or Fire Station 3.)

It would just not be a City of Palo Alto project if there were not significant delays and cost-overruns, now would it.

To free enterprise: I’m talking about city buildings, not private residence.

@Nick, I think they are competing for the same labor and the same materials and the same equipment and zoning and permitting agencies. Maybe the difference is the funding source attaching more urgency to getting it done. For the several new office buildings and hotels around here, TIME is MONEY. For the city, not so much. Does a new library or fire station generate income?

900 K in Arcitectural Fees is absolutely ridiculous !
DO NOT give Shah Kawasaki another project. And why bill the contractor for delays that were most likely beyond and out of their control. When will the city learn they are not qualified to evaluate the restraints and challenges of commercial construction ?
Nick as far as Stanford is concerned the answer is Arrillaga...

In the State of California, government projects have to take the lowest bid for construction. That law is really stupid. There are project changes which up the costs of construction involved.

In order to fix this, we need to understand the problem:

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It is the Public Contract Code, A State Law, that causes all the delays and claims on public projects. Repeal the Code and the situation will change. The Code hamstrings the public agencies and the contractors take advantage of it

Do Not Believe that BS about competing for the same labor. How do so many other buildings get completed throughout our city. Here’s the common denominator George Hoyt the Building Official for our city. He was in charge of the Mitchell Park Library & this Fire Station. He is the worst manager of people that has been in that position just the shear turnover under him is scary all that money the city invests in it’s employee’s just to walk out the door after they have had enough of this micro manager who’s not focused on development but instead converting city staff to contract staff to “4 Leaf” who he worked for previously and guess who’s in control of that contract George Hoyt conflict of interest. You think.