| Ashurst faces Kirkland in tapas bidding war
Ashurst and Kirkland & Ellis are going head-to-head as their respective clients are locked in a bidding war for tapas restaurant chain La Tasca. Ashurst client Tragus, which is owned by private equity house Blackstone, made a 96m recommended bid yesterday (28 March) for the AIM-listed restaurant, which is being advised by Dickson Minto. But property tycoon Robert Tchenguiz's investment vehicle R20 has countered that with a rival 98m bid, working with Icelandic bank Kaupthing. Kirkland partner Raymond McKeeve is advising Tchenguiz, a client McKeeve brought with him to the US firm when he left Linklaters last April along with private equity partner Graham White. Eversheds partner Stephen Nash is leading a team advising Kaupthing on the joint approach. R20 and Kaupthing had made a previous bid for La Tasca at 190p a share prior to Tragus's approach.
Parking lot paving bids taken
Parking your vehicle at the north end of Voigt Park will soon be a smoother experience, based on a plan to complete the paving on the east end of the lot there.
At its April meeting, the Board of Works opened quotes for a paving project at the park on the city's southwest side.
Plans call for the rolling and compacting of 42,320 square feet of the north lot, as well as the application of binder coat of paving this year, followed next year by a top finish coat of asphalt.
Quotes received as of the deadline on Monday came from Milestone Paving at $43,180, Central Paving with a quote for $32,200, and American Paving & Asphalt for $32,500.
"Actually, it's a little better than what I expected," said Monticello Parks Superintendent Mitch Billue of the quotes received.
Although the board took the quotes under advisement for review by Billue and street superintendent Doug Roberts, Billue said it's likely one that will be approved at a special Board of Public Works meeting at 5:45 p.m.
Plans to revamp UM field in limbo
OXFORD Ole Miss' plans to expand Oxford-University Stadium have been thrown a curveball after athletic director Pete Boone learned last week the project will cost roughly $6 million more than anticipated. Ole Miss received bids from construction companies interested in renovating and expanding the baseball stadium. Instead of the $10 to $12 million estimated, construction firms placed bids in the range of $18 million. "We thought we were on the high side at $12 million," Boone said Sunday. "That's a big difference. ... I guess surprise would probably be the right word." The discovery comes weeks after Ole Miss announced its stadium expansion plans, which are scheduled to be completed in time for the 2008 season. Ole Miss - along with Jackson-based architects Cooke Douglass Farr Lemons - unveiled plans that would include 880 club-level seats located between first and third base.
The Danger of Charity Auctions
I have a weakness that I'd like to confess. I generally lose my mind at charity auctions. If you're not familiar with charity auctions, they often work as follows. First, there will be a silent auction, in which you make bids by writing your name or a number that represents you on sheets of paper next to items you'd like to bid on. For example, I often bid on sports tickets to get good seats to a particular game. My wife bids on handmade jewelry. The silent auction will end at a certain time---whoever has bid the most wins. It's the eBay model. The second part of the auction is usually a live auction, in which bigger items are auctioned off with a real live auctioneer. If you want to bid on something, you do so, but in this auction the bid goes on until there's only one man or woman standing.
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