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.
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