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A $155 Million Project and Questions That Still Need Answers

recallburgis
Aug 3
2 min read

Updated: Aug 18

The East County Community Service Center is one of the projects that first made me start looking more closely at County decisions.


The idea of consolidating County services in East County is not the problem. The questions are how the project grew, what it costs, how the environmental review was handled and how much meaningful input Brentwood residents had before decisions were made.


The cost

Early estimates cited in the material I reviewed placed the project at roughly $110 million to $130 million. As the scope expanded, the estimated cost rose to approximately $150 million and then about $155 million.


A $25 million increase at the upper end of the earlier estimate deserves a clear public explanation.


Brentwood raised its own concerns


The issues described included outdated transit information, traffic-analysis assumptions, statements concerning contact with local police and fire personnel, and the County's refusal to enter a requested agreement to build in compliance with Brentwood's design requirements.


Those are not minor aesthetic disagreements. They go to the quality of the information being used to approve a major public project.


Where was the town hall?

At the January 27, 2026 Brentwood City Council meeting, a town hall was requested so residents could hear about the project and ask questions directly.


Supervisor Burgis' representative said the request would be considered. According to the record I have documented, Supervisor Burgis never held that requested town hall.


For a project of this size, cost and impact on downtown Brentwood, I believe residents deserved one.


The question I keep asking

Maybe there are good answers for every one of these issues.


If there are, the County should make those answers easy for the public to find.


A $155 million public project should not require residents to chase down meeting videos, reports and emails just to understand why major decisions were made.


Sources


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