Los Angeles, CA. Due to popular demand and continuing revelations of methane gas and hydrogen sulfide on new development sites in Los Angeles, the Full Disclosure Network® is re-running the two-part series entitled, “Belmont: The Black Hole of School Construction” to be featured tonight on
- L. A. Cable Channel 36
- Sunday, July 29th Part-One at 8 p.m. Part-Two at 8:30 p.m.
- Monday; July 30th, Part One at 4 p.m. Part 2 at 4:30 p.m.
For Internet viewers an exclusive, free ten minute video on the toxic conditions at Belmont can be seen on “On Demand” 24/7, as a public service. Tonight's cable TV presentation features exclusive video footage of all the major players involved in the planning, development, financing and investigations of the half a billion dollar, notorious Belmont Learning Center, in the L. A. Unified School District, (LAUSD) that was built on top of the old Los Angeles oil field.
Belmont Players Featured In The Cable Series:
Steve Cooley , L.A. County District Attorney
David Cartwright, Sr. Partner O'Melveny & Myers, (former outside legal counsel to LAUSD)
Jim McConnell, LAUSD Cheif Facilities Executive
Anthony Patchett, Belmont Prosecutor, Special Asst. D.A. (ret)
Jerry Thornton, LAUSD Interim Inspector General
Don Mullinax, Inspector General L.A. Unified School District
Roger Carrick. Special Legal Counsel to Inspector General
Scott Wildman. Former Chairman CA Legislative Audit Committee
Dominic Shambra, Director Planning & Development LAUSD
Dr. Kaye Kilburn, USC Keck School of Medicine, Edgington Chair (transcript)
Ed Scott, Oil and Gas Expert, Licensed Environmental Assessor
Also offering their comments on the Belmont series are:
Michael Schneider, former President California Board of Accountancy
Tony Beall, Mayor Rancho Santa Margarita, Leader CUSD Recall Trustees Committee
Still incomplete the Belmont public school is now estimated to have cost almost a half a billion dollars after questionable remediation of toxic gases, seven years of investigations, lawsuits and controversy. In the early 2000's the Los Angeles news media ceased covering the Belmont Learning Center debacle, the LAUSD renamed the school "Vista Hermosa" and began plans to to redesign the project. The Full Disclosure Network® (FDN) began documenting the history of the project by interviewing each of the major players at a time when Belmont was only 60% complete and had an estimated cost of $175 million to $228 million at that point in 2003.
"Dead Issue": Most public officials and the news media had pronounced the project a “dead issue" and so did the mainstream media that had ceased following the day to day and on going planning for a new phase. In December of 2004 the Full Disclosure Network® was the only media to cover the demolition in a five minute video of the brand new and never occupied Belmont school buildings being destroyed.
Denied Access to the Site: When LAUSD officials denied FDN access to the site to videotape the demolition, an airplane was rented to capture the costly demolition on tape, noting the dozens of new and unused large airconditioning units were removed and taken by the contractors after having been placed on the roofs by costly helicopters.
A $132 million remediation for methane and hydrogen sulfide gases was planned but it is still uncertain if that has taken place and approval by Department of Toxic Substance Control, State of California was delayed for unknown reasons.
Facilities Chief McConnell Resigns: Following the release Full Disclosure Network's® 2005 series entitled “Belmont: The Black Hole of School Construction” LAUSD's Jim Mc Connell resigned. 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 are still to this day, far from finished.
Revelations on the Belmont Project:
- 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® programs are billed as “the news behind the news” for the past fifteen years. In 2002 the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences presented a local public affairs Emmy to host Leslie Dutton for the special series entitled “L. A.’s War Against Terrorism." Featured on over 45 cable systems and the Internet, worldwide on http://www.fulldisclosure.net/, Channels and air times are listed on the website
