The Casino Architect

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Rick Gonzalez, REG Architects
Won the Contract for our Casino, but did he?

REG Architects is the firm that was behind the restoration of the old Court House in West Palm Beach. They created a design for the original courtroom based on a tour of other old courthouses that were built during the same period. Restoration included the plaster ceilings and the maple wood flooring. Hedrick Brothers did the construction. REG are experts in historical structure design.

Because of this monumental restoration, they received the

• 2008 Florida East Coast Chapter AGC Build Florida Award of Excellence, Unique Career Achievement

• 2008 Florida Trust for Historic Preservation, Florida Preservation Award
  

Well, if you think REG architects won the contract to be our architect at the Casino in Lake Worth, think again. When you have to put up with politicians with one of them even saying that “historical doesn’t do anything for me,” then you know that YOU are in a lot of trouble. And then when you have to put up with three of them (Maxwell, Varela and Golden) whining about their top choice of an art deco green architect who lost in the count to REG, what are we dealing with here? Politics.

What is important to our community's memory? The 1922 Casino or the modern looking box design of 1950? Which one will generate more interest and more tourism? The National register of Historic Interest has a 50 year rule so either one of these could work. I doubt, however, that the box of 1950 would have any exceptional significance or importance to anyone, anywhere.

REG Architects won this contract fair and square. However, if you glance at the back-up for Tuesday’s workshop meeting under the Professional Consultant Services to be Provided, you will note that REG is crossed through just about everywhere on six pages of work. What does this all mean?

Apparently the City believes his fees to be too high; that is my guess. Instead of giving him a chance to adjust his proposed rates for services, the City went to Living Designs for its input. The City has said all along that if they can't afford REG, they will go to the next architect on the list. Think about how underhanded this approach is if that is the way it happened. Anyone wanting this job will bid it lower—anyone, even the local handyman down the street. Where are the ethics here? There are even some instances where REG is lower, but LDG’s bid is not crossed through, only REG’s. I don't know what all those lines crossed through mean but again, my guess is that REG is out and LDG is in.

We did not agree that there would be multiple architects involved in our Lake Worth Casino. Who circumvented the process? REG is listed as the Lead Project Architect. You would never know it. The City has Living Designs Group as a responsible party for "Sustainability Consulting/LEED Architect." Who decided upon that? Did they win that distinction in a bidding process? I attempted to call Rick Gonzalez for a comment but he is on vacation until June 14th.

It is no wonder people don't want to do business in Lake Worth. It’s no wonder that we can’t trust those in power. Not one single elected official to whom I sent an e-mail has responded so this is my determination of the situation after reading the back-up. We can't get answers. Hopefully, we will get those answers at tomorrow's workshop.

The Commissioners get their way even when they lose and the rest of us stand around wondering what in the hell just happened.