It’s makeover time for City Hall

June Casagrande

The plumbing is old, the air-conditioning system is atrocious and the

building itself is a Frankenstein’s monster patched together to meet

decades of growth demands. Slowly, City Hall is crumbling.

But all that could change. On April 11, City Council members will

hear a presentation on how to upgrade their aging home. And for some,

it can’t happen too soon.

“We have a very fragmented structure there, which is not

efficient, has Americans with Disabilities Act and seismic problems,”

City Councilman Tod Ridgeway said, noting that the current 40,000

square feet of buildings constructed in the mid-1940s is about 8,000

short of what’s needed. Not to mention a serious lack of parking.

The solutions range from the subtle to the extreme: Council

members could consider anything from renovations to razing the whole

building and starting again from scratch. In January 2002, the city

hired Griffin Advisors Inc. of Laguna Beach for $154,780 to study City Hall’s current and future needs.

“The condition of this complex is such that, over time, we’re

going to have to put a lot of money into it just to keep it up,” City

Manager Homer Bludau said.

Bludau said that the consultant will give a presentation to

council members in April on the full range of options that could

range up to about $20 million if the city decides to scrap the

existing City Hall.

“We’re just looking at our options now,” Mayor Steve Bromberg

said. “We won’t commit to spending any money without going through

the full public process we do with anything.”

Chances are, though, that no matter what they do, City Hall will

stay right where it is. Though some have questioned whether city

headquarters should be moved to a more central location, perhaps

someplace like Fashion Island, Ridgeway said that there’s little

support for this idea, least of all from him.

“It’s important for the viability of the west side of the bay for

City Hall to remain right where it is,” said Ridgeway, whose district

includes City Hall. “As the representative for District 1, obviously,

I think it should stay on the Peninsula where the city was

incorporated in 1906, and to help the vitality of the area.”

* JUNE CASAGRANDE covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport.

She may be reached at (949) 574-4232 or by e-mail at

june.casagrande@latimes.com.