Author's Note: Dear Readers - Please remember that all characters are fictitious, even if events happen in real places!
Loving Claire - Part 5 - Shootout at the Planning Commission
Chapter Nineteen - Aimee and Elliot Face Their Big Test
Aimee had me in a death grip. We were in bed in the Fairfax condo and it was still dark. Her sharp teeth were fastened to my shoulder muscle.
"What is this attack about?" I turned over and went after one of her delectable nipples, located conveniently close.
"Elliot! I am worried! So many things could go wrong today!" The breathy accent endeared her to me once again.
I grabbed the wiggling body and walked us to the kitchen. Elise was already there, having heard our ruckus.
"Calm down, you two. Everything is going to be fine."
"Fine!? What about the 'Marin Anti-Growth Coalition?' "
Claire seized the French Professor from my arms, tickling everywhere. Shrieks filled the air.
"Here you are, the most talented concrete engineer around, parading naked in the client's kitchen! This will never do!"
With the espresso machine whistling in the background, the four of us had a giggling hugfest to let off excess energy. There were less than ten hours until our little date with destiny at the Marin Planning Commission. The presentation boards and handouts had been checked and double checked and printed at a shop in Fairfax. The precious concrete sample even had a custom made silk drape over it. After prodding from Elise, Aimee suggested that Claire do introductory remarks, thanking all and sundry and handing the main presentation of the project to me.
The Planning Director had cautioned us to be terse. "Remember, these folks have been through this cycle innumerable times. Keep your remarks to the short list of characteristics that deserve their favorable decision."
Aimee was to deal with the concrete. She and the clients had disappeared for most of a day while deciding on the proper outfit for a junior Professor and concrete engineer. There were tough issues about how a female engineer with expertise in concrete should appear in public. I rolled my eyes and was happy Aimee had two experienced professional women to assist her. When they returned, I was informed briskly that the outfit would not be revealed to the architect until we left for the meeting. I growled and made threatening male noises.
I proposed that there be a rehearsal, with the clients as audience. This was nixed. "Elliot, you will get stale. Let's go see the horses and do a run out there. You need to help us decide where to make riding trails."
Aimee and I were in the bedroom, getting into our running clothes, when Claire and Elise approached with frowns. Neither had their clothes on yet.
"Elliot, we have noticed you developing feelings for this lovely young engineer. We had a private talk with her yesterday. It appears that the two of you are falling in love. She asked how this could happen, since you have been sleeping with the clients all summer. Can you guess what we told her, and what she told us?"
I wrapped arms tightly around Aimee and replied, "I am clueless, as usual."
"We told her that the two of you were meant for each other, and she should ignore us. Somehow, the middle aged clients will get by. She pinned us down and said that if the two of you survive this meeting and actually hook up, we are not going anywhere."
I pushed everyone to the bed. "The French girl loves me, and I love her. The two of us love the two of you. The four of us are bonded. Do I have that right?"
Aimee whispered "Oui." The clients whispered "Oui," and tears fell. After a long minute, I ventured, "Do you suppose we could still do our presentation without giggling like lovebirds?"
The engineer jumped up, fists beating, and ordered us out the door with a great laugh. My little voice in my head wondered if anything could be salvaged from this incredible mess.
Three hours later, munching on deli sandwiches at the horse corral, there was an amazing calm. The meeting would begin at five in a county building in Fairfax. The time and location had been posted on the county website. There was a several item agenda also posted, on which we were the first item. Public comments would be received by the Commission after our presentation and before a vote on approval of the proposed project.
With our load of materials, we would depart for the meeting at four in order to have time to set up and say hello to the Planning staff. Aimee poked me and said, "The clients insist I take an hour to dress and primp!"
I didn't even frown. There was quiet satisfaction in our group enterprise. I went over to Annie and rubbed noses. "Wish us luck, Annie"
It sounded like a laughing whinny to me. Damn horse must know what is going on. We packed up lunch and headed back to the condo.
Chapter Twenty - Success
All of the tense preliminaries were over. The Commission Secretary was taking roll for the record. An audience of thirty or so was to our right. The Commission members, all of whom were in attendance, were to our left. The presentation easels and table with the sample, all draped, were across from us so the Commission members and the audience could see them. Claire and Elise were in the first row of the audience. Aimee was next to me, a vision in beige pantsuit with crimson silk blouse open at the top, revealing a gold necklace and a discreet amount of her chest.
The Planning Director, at the staff desk, introduced the agenda and gestured to Claire to approach the podium. We were on.
Claire was at her veteran lobbyist best. Addressing a public body with deference but in a firm voice describing her conviction that the proposed project met county planning guidelines and would contribute both a horse facility and an appropriate residence for herself. She noted the letter in the agenda package from the president of the Trailriders Association, which commended the publicly accessible trails to be created and recommended approval of the project.
Pointing to Aimee and me, Claire introduced her architectural and engineering team and turned the presentation over to us. Saying to myself that this was no worse than presenting to the Dean a few weeks ago, I quickly covered the essentials of the project, emphasizing the uniqueness of the property and the challenge of using the land well. Seeing nods among the members, I moved to the presentation boards. A staff member had volunteered to be the undraper, and lowered the cover on the first panel, which showcased the property from a distance, with horse facility in the foreground, and the concrete structure of the residence partially hidden in the tall trees to the rear. There were noises of surprise and pleasure from the audience.
Remembering the admonition to be brief, I described the opportunity in the vertical world of the redwoods, none of which were to be removed, to erect a complementary structure of concrete and turned the presentation over to Aimee.
She instantly captured the attention of everyone in the room. The looks, the accent, and the authority with which she described worldwide progress in adapting concrete to emerging architectural and structural requirements were amazing. Quickly shifting to Claire's project, she described the challenge of finding a color in the exterior shell that would do justice to the trees surrounding the residence. As the staff member removed the cover from the sample, Aimee expressed her satisfaction with the result of our tests and mentioned the likely view on a wet misty morning. The audience thought so too, with louder happy noises than before. The Commission members were impressed, but trying to be neutral toward an applicant.
Another of the large boards was uncovered, which showed the completed building in proper scale against the trees, with mist provided by my hand. There was a silent moment, with nods from around the room as eyes switched back and forth from the gleaming sample to the presentation board. I stood and asked the Commission if there were questions before the meeting was opened to public comment. The Planning Director was smiling, so I guessed we hadn't done too badly.
There was a question about seismic, given the nearness of the San Andreas Fault. Aimee answered it with ease, noting that reinforcement of concrete against seismic loads was an active research area, and the concrete core of the Cartright residence would have shear and compressive strengths in excess of requirements in Marin County.
A staff member had been collecting cards with requests to speak from among the audience and brought them to the Chair of the Commission, who smiled as she shuffled them and called on a man who came to the podium and identified himself as speaking for the antigrowth coalition.
"Chairman and Members of the Commission, you have a statement in your agenda package from us opposing the project. We question the need for any further development in West Marin and have advocated revision of the zoning in this area for years. However, the proposed project appears to conform with present zoning, so you would not have a basis for denial related to zoning. If I may say so, this is a brilliant piece of work and will grace the community. I just wish it didn't have to be here."
The audience applauded, with some laughing quietly.
The other speakers were supportive and we hardly heard them. The atmosphere in the room was warm as the Planning Director rose to speak for the staff. He turned and looked to the rear of the audience, where Dean Collins was rising and coming forward! Good grief, I thought, now what.
Having been introduced as the Dean of the School of Architecture, George addressed the Commission.
"Members of the Planning Commission, your Staff Director recently reminded me that neither our architect nor our engineer are currently licensed to practice in California. But, as you have seen this afternoon, their work on the proposed project is of the highest professional quality. I am blessed to have these two brilliant individuals among my faculty and student body. With pleasure, the required documents will be submitted over my signature as a licensed architect and engineer in the State of California."
More audience applause. Aimee gripped my hand tightly. The rest was anticlimactic. The Planning Director complimented the project and pointed to the letter in the agenda, which we had not seen, that recommended approval. The Commission vote, after more compliments, was unanimous in favor of approval.
At the celebration dinner, expensive white Burgundy flowed freely. George grumped to the table that he would receive no end of teasing about signing planning documents for junior faculty and students. Joyce said he was a hero and needed to sleepover in Woodacre. The clients were jubilant. The architect and engineer were limp.
Epilogue - Two years later.
