Squid indulges in all things Fort Ord, including a bizarro contract process with the Reuse Authority board.

It is true that Squid loves forests more than the average cephalopod.

It’s a love born out of Squid’s youth, when Squid—still just a squidlet—would while the days away exploring Monterey Bay’s swaying kelp forests, which were always teeming with life and filled with potential discoveries.

So when Squid recently decided to take a stroll through the forests of the former Fort Ord, in the area known as “Happy Trails” near the intersection of Gigling Road and 8th Avenue, Squid was happy see volunteers from Keep Fort Ord Wild had set up a table in the parking area.

The volunteers were there to inform hikers and bikers that much of the adjacent oak woodlands are in the crosshairs of developers. Specifically, developers represented by Brian Boudreau, who for the last several years has been trying various magic spells to conjure water out of thin air so that Monterey Downs—a proposed mega-development and horse racing track—might finally get built.

It’s a project Squid is adamantly opposed to for two simple reasons: It would raze thousands of old oak trees, decimating an entire ecosystem, and, it could very well end up costing Seaside more money than it makes for the city.

The KFOW volunteers wanted to make sure that any hikers and bikers passing through knew who their supervisor was, and of the importance of upcoming June 7 election, wherein two candidates supported by the group—District 4 Supervisor Jane Parker and District 5 supe candidate Mary Adams—are facing off against political opponents that KFOW sees as enemies of the oaks.

Both former Salinas mayor Dennis Donohue and District 5 Supervisor Dave Potter have expressed support for Monterey Downs in the past, and the Keep Fort Ord Wild volunteers wanted to make sure that those who are recreating in Happy Trails know the score.

Whether or not the volunteers will make an impact on the election is impossible to tell, but at least, Squid would venture, there’s a chance.

Such is not the case, however, when one volunteers their time for the Fort Ord Reuse Authority, the agency charged with overseeing development on the former Fort Ord.

A few months ago, FORA convened a four-member advisory panel to interview consultants who’d responded to a request for proposals to provide FORA with an oak woodland management plan. The panel comprised one member from the FORA staff, and one each from Seaside, the county and CSUMB.

After each of the panel members spent some hours reviewing the proposals, they dedicated the better part of a day interviewing the candidates, and in the end, reached a consensus: They chose Dudek, an environmental consulting firm based in SoCal and with an office in Santa Cruz.

According to Seaside City Councilman Jason Campbell, who sat on the panel, Dudek stood out with its excellent public outreach, and because of the firm’s focus on ecosystem management. He felt the lowest bidder, the Monterey-based Denise Duffy & Associates, was more focused on urban forest management, and because they’ve already done a lot of work with FORA, Campbell thought it would be beneficial to bring a fresh perspective to bear.

Dudek’s estimated project cost was $219,995, whereas Duffy came in at $176,578, a difference that was weighed by the volunteers, but which did not ultimately sway them: They wanted Dudek.

Furthermore, according to Campbell, FORA Executive Officer Michael Houlemard assured the panel that the board almost always agrees with a staff recommendation for a consultant, so they should trust that their voices will be heard.

Then things get fishy: When the issue came before the FORA board April 8, the staff report stated that $190,000 had been budgeted for the consultant, although that number wasn’t disclosed in the RFP. Additionally, the staff report gave no reasons as to why the panel selected Dudek as the preferred firm.

After the staff report was read, FORA board member Jerry Edelen, the mayor of Del Rey Oaks, immediately began denouncing the choice, given that Denise Duffy & Associates—a local firm—came in with a cheaper bid and has worked with FORA for several years, including work on the agency’s Habitat Conservation Plan.

Edelen made a motion to not go with the staff recommendation, which was seconded by Seaside Mayor Ralph Rubio, who added his thoughts on the advisory panel.

“That’s exactly what they are, advisory,” Rubio said. “They don’t have the fiduciary responsible this board has.”

Seaside City Councilman Ian Oglesby added that the panel’s choice made little sense to him.

“For me, it doesn’t smell right,” he said.

Potter, meanwhile, disclosed that his son works for DDA, but that he need not recuse himself from voting as he had no financial interest.

The sole voice of opposition to the motion was from Marina City Councilwoman Gail Morton.

“When you’re asking volunteers to come in, we need to get their opinion represented,” she said. Morton, an attorney in her day job, likened the process to an appellate court, and that a judge doesn’t overturn a ruling unless there is new information at hand.

“We are defending a process,” she said.

When the issue came up for a vote, only Morton voted no (Parker was not in attendance), and the issue would come up for a second vote in May.

That time came five weeks later, at the May 13 meeting, and with no discussion, the board matter-of-factly moved to hire DDA, with only Morton and Parker voting no.

There are a few conclusions one might draw in watching the process play out, and one is that if you care about forests, you might want to consider volunteering your time elsewhere. Because if you think the majority of the FORA board gives one damn about oak trees, Squid’s got some swampland to sell you in Florida.

Lots of trees.