Charles Fouquette joins hospital construction oversight group

A volunteer citizens group overseeing the spending of millions of dollars in voter-approved bonds for construction projects at Grossmont Hospital has a new member. El Cajon resident Charles Fouquette has agreed to serve on the Independent Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee (ICBOC). He will serve on the ICBOC as a representative of the building industry and construction trades. Other ICBOC members represent various constituent groups and have experience in project management, large-scale construction operations, finance, labor and healthcare industries.
Fouquette, 73, is a retired construction industry supervisor, labor union representative, vocational trade instructor. He served for four years, from 2003 to 2007, as an original member of another citizens group in the East County overseeing bond revenue expenditures for construction projects at Grossmont College and Cuyamaca College.
A tenth generation San Diegan, his family lived in the Old Town area and operated a tamale business before moving to El Cajon in the second grade. He attended Grossmont High School and El Cajon Valley High School. In 1961, he began a 45-year career as an iron worker, which included several remodeling construction projects at Grossmont Hospital while employed for a steel and aluminum fabricating company.
For 18 years during his career, he served as a field representative, board member and on contract negotiations as a member of the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Ironworkers Local 229. He also served for 18 years as an instructor for apprentice and journeyman retraining programs for workers in the iron and construction trades. He retired in 2001.