Torrey Pines North Forging Ahead Under Cloudy Skies

Governmental projects gone awry don't usually make the best Friday reading, but in case you're dealing with a nutty boss or the condo board isn't making much sense, take heart in the mess that is the City of San Diego.

First, there is Mickelson's purported disqualification from inclusion in the project, which now is made more clear in this report by John Strege at GolfDigest.com. It turns out the DQ referenced by Mickelson is not been as a result of a ruling or pending ruling, says Jay Alan Wierenga of the California Fair Political Practices Commission.

Wierenga declined to address whatever reasoning would be behind excluding Mickelson from the bidding process, even though he said he was offering to do the work for less than half the city’s $12.6 million budget.

However, contract law contains a “reasonable person standard” that might apply in this case. A reasonable person might conclude that because Mickelson was involved with the design, he would have an unfair advantage in the bidding process on the actual work, based on his familiarity with the project and his having already established a working relationship with the city officials involved.

Tod Leonard says with Mickelson out over cost and possible red tape, that's not going to stop the city from having a contractor carry out work at a steep price tag.

Bids were due by midday on Tuesday on the $12.6 million project and Marney said he was told three or four had been received. A city committee representing several departments will review the bids and score them to determine which presents the “best value.” No bid could exceed $12.6 million.

Once the project is awarded, Marney said planning with the architects and construction company will start, with the goal of beginning work soon after the conclusion of the Farmers Insurance Open on Jan. 31.

Architects? Carrying out Phil's design or a contractor's choice for architect?

Either way, I can't fathom a worse approach. And nothing like a rush job on an important project.