Redesign cost city thousands

Let me see if I've got this right.

Last year, Mayor Jay Knudtson put his foot in his mouth by speaking from the hip before checking his facts on the Shawnee Community Centre project. At a meeting that I was not invited to attend, Knudtson publicly slandered me to the media and on the front page of the local newspaper. My design was under budget until Knudtson's staff (Dan Muser and the parks department) added upgrades. Instead of apologizing, Knudtson and the city council instructed the city manager to have the project redesigned by another architect. As a result:

* Taxpayers paid an additional architect's fee (probably 6 percent of $2,363,852, or $141,831).

* Citizens of Cape Girardeau got a building more than 2,000 square feet smaller (original design 16,753 square feet versus redesign 14,703 square feet).

* The project completion date was set back by one year.

* The project came in $142,817 over estimate.

* Last month the city entered into a contract with my original bidder.

Am I missing something here?

RON GROJEAN, Grojean Architects, Cape Girardeau