Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, January 3, 1994 TAG: 9401030019
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Which company has the background and experience? What will the fee be?
Councilman William White wants to add a third criterion: the racial and gender composition of the architectural or engineering teams.
White said the consultant teams should reflect the racial, sexual and cultural diversity of the city.
"I think we should look at the females and minorities on the staff which does the work," he said. "I think this should be a predominant issue."
William Clark, city public works director, said state law does not allow localities to use race and gender as criteria in hiring architects and engineers. But Clark believes White has raised a legitimate issue.
Even if the city does not have the backing of state law, Clark said, it can make sure that companies are aware of the city's desire for diversity.
"We haven't routinely been raising this question. But this is something we will do," Clark said. "We can let them know we are concerned about the issue."
Two companies get many of Roanoke's architectural and engineering contracts:
Hayes, Seay, Mattern & Mattern, founded and based in Roanoke for nearly 50 years, designs and oversees projects throughout the United States. It gets more city contracts than any other company. Frequently, Hayes, Seay is working on half a dozen city projects at the same time.
Mattern & Craig, a relatively new Roanoke company, founded in 1978, has been awarded contracts for several highway, drainage and flood-reduction projects. Sam McGhee, a former assistant city manager, is president.
John Bradshaw, chairman of the board of Hayes, Seay, said about 5 percent of its professional staff of architects, engineers and planners in Roanoke are women and minorities.
Hayes, Seay, Mattern & Mattern has 187 employees in Roanoke and 360 in all of its offices in Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina and other states.
"We would like to have a higher percentage of minorities and women, but it is tough to recruit them in Roanoke," said Bradshaw, who also is a member of the city Planning Commission.
Many black professionals prefer to live in large metropolitan areas, Bradshaw said.
McGhee said Mattern & Craig has no women or minorities now on its professional staff of engineers and surveyors, but it has had some in the past.
He said 11 percent of the firm's staff of 60 are women, but they are secretaries, bookkeepers and marketing and management employees.
McGhee said there is a scarcity of blacks and women in architectural and engineering schools. Many want to work for big-city companies, which offer better salaries and benefits, McGhee said.
Bradshaw and McGhee said they also wish there were more black- and female-owned architectural and engineering companies in the Roanoke area that they could hire as subcontractors. "I agree with the intent of what [White] is saying, but you have to look at what is available," McGhee said.
"I agree with him, but it means that some money will have to go outside the city to find people who can do part of the work," he said.
Some cities and state agencies require that part of their contracted work be done by "disadvantaged business enterprises" - companies owned by minorities or women.
The Virginia Department of Transportation requires that up to 15 percent of its architectural and engineering work be done by such companies.
Richmond and Washington, D.C., require that more than 30 percent of the work on some projects be done by such companies. The localities use such participation to help evaluate bids by architectural and engineering companies.
Bradshaw said Hayes, Seay also works for agencies and localities that have requirements for participation by minorities and women. Like McGhee, Bradshaw said the company finds it difficult sometimes to recruit individuals and companies to meet the guidelines.
by CNB