Center of 'Community' Life Project Director Calls it Quits

Roy Miller, Head Honcho for Massive Project,
Suddenly Leaves Emery

Roy Miller, Project Director for the contentious Center of 'Community' Life announced he will quit his position at the Emery School District, leaving the quarter billion dollar City/Schools project without a construction supervisor before ground is even broken at the San Pablo Avenue site. Mr Miller told School Board members, "This is the most awkward I've felt approaching the Board" as he announced he would leave in early January.
The District must now quickly search for an alternate director as construction is set to begin in December.  Board President Melodi Dice told attendees at the November 13th meeting the task will be difficult, "We'll be hard pressed to find a replacement" she said as the District now faces a massive project, ready to start, with no institutional construction project memory.  Mr Miller leaves behind reams of drawings and plans for the project, slated for delivery in the fall of 2015.

School Superintendent Debbra Lindo asked the Board to accept Mr Miller's "retirement", something Board member Josh Simon said he would do, "with great sadness."

Roy Miller
Project Director, Center of 'Community' Life
and Emery School District Chief Architect

Since the announcement on Wednesday evening, the School Board has already begun talking about how to best absorb the sudden loss of the Project Director for the Center of 'Community' Life.  Under consideration is the hiring of an interim project director, a construction management firm, a person in charge of providing a "full service vision" as well as several consultants.  The City of Emeryville, a partner in the project, may also be on the hook for some expenses as a result of Mr Miller's vacating his position the Board indicated.

Roy Miller has been the face of the Center of 'Community' Life, shepherding it since its inception; through four School Superintendents and 11 years.  He has served as the point man for the School District at countless boisterous City Council and community meetings; often taking heat, sometimes generating heat for miscalculations large and small through the years.  He told the School Board members Wednesday his long tenure at Emery has comprised more than a third of his career.

Mr Miller leaves his position as Project Director as Turner Construction is ready to start demolition of the existing buildings on the site, work that is more than a year late according to his announcements in 2011 and 2012.

The Tattler will follow this explosive news as stories develop.

 Correction:  This story originally reported Mr Miller will leave his post in mid December.  We have since learned the actual time is early January.  The story has been corrected as of 3:28 on Saturday 11/16/13.

Video courtesy of the Emeryville Property Association: