The American Institute of Mathematics and the city are haggling
over who should pay for further geology studies on land where
someday the prestigious AIM headquarters will be located.
AIM headquarters in Morgan Hill will benefit the region
The American Institute of Mathematics and the city are haggling over who should pay for further geology studies on land where someday the prestigious AIM headquarters will be located. The attention the Institute will bring to Morgan Hill should increase the area’s global visibility, but it’s up to the developer to pay the costs to bring that project to fruition, regardless of how much the city and residents would like to see it succeed.
Latest in a slew of setbacks for electronics magnate John Fry
Before development can continue at the site, located on the southeast corner of Foothill and Maple avenues east of U.S. 101, AIM and the city’s geologists have to agree that the building won’t “reactivate” a square-mile adjacent landslide. City geologist Peter Anderson contends that AIM geologist Rex Upp didn’t dig deep enough when researching the matter, and therefore Upp’s study does not meet state requirements.
A second peer review, Cotton, Shire and Associates, Inc. agrees with Anderson.
This is the latest in a slew of setbacks for the math institute and electronics magnate and institute founder John Fry. In 1998, the city discovered that Fry had begun redesigning the Institute Golf Course without permits. Both the golf course project and the adjacent castle-cum-AIM headquarters have been mired in scrutiny from the city and environmental groups since.
Additional costs are the risk any developer takes
The city showed good faith when, in a compromise, council members agreed to pay $4,000 toward Anderson’s work and another $750 for Upp to meet with Anderson. Upp and Anderson met in late July to negotiate their differences, and were unable to reach agreement. Anderson says between $50,000 and $100,000 in work still needs to be done for the study to be conclusive. But AIM officials refuse to pay for further study. And while one can sympathize over the costs, the city is in no position to pay the additional costs. It is Fry’s burden, not the residents, nor the city’s. That is the risk developers take.
