Cities to Consider 4 Firms for Gym Project

Agoura Hills and Calabasas officials have selected four consulting firms as finalists to manage construction of a regional gymnasium and community center.

The four companies--Nello Group of North Hollywood; Picon Inc. of Encino; CBM Consulting Inc. of Los Angeles, and CMTS Inc. of Culver City--will be interviewed by officials from the two cities in May, said Greg Johnson, Calabasas’ director of community services.

The finalists, chosen from a list of 10 companies, were selected because they had the most experience in designing public facilities, Agoura Hills community services director Audrey Brown said.

Johnson estimated that the company that is selected will be paid between $70,000 and $90,000 for its work.

No date has been set for groundbreaking for the project, which is expected to take about one year, he said.

The facility would be built on 4 1/2 acres near the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station in Calabasas.

The site would accommodate a 26,000-square-foot building, which officials estimate would cost about $3 million.

The two cities have been working together on the plan since July 1993.