INSIDE CITY HALL Here are a few...

INSIDE CITY HALL

Here are a few items the council considered Tuesday.

JOB CENTER

The council called a special meeting for 6 p.m. Tuesday to discuss

a request by resident Mike Berry to rehear the April 5 decision on

the Job Center. In March, the council voted to close the Job Center

at the end of June, but earlier this month council members agreed to

keep it open three additional months while supporters look for

alternatives.

Berry filed a request with the city to rehear the issue. He cited

nine reasons: the motion the council approved April 5 was unclear,

the public notice on the agenda was inadequate, and others.

WHAT IT MEANS

The council will decide Tuesday whether to rehear the Job Center

decision. Also at the special meeting, the council will discuss

proposed changes to the ordinance forbidding solicitation of labor on

city streets and in parks.

COSTA MESA SENIOR CENTER LEASE

A new five-year lease for the Costa Mesa Senior Center’s facility

was approved, along with the addition of a full-time maintenance

worker to rehabilitate the building. The council typically spends

$300,000 a year on the senior center. The new deal will add between

$25,000 and $61,000 to that total to pay for a maintenance worker,

and the amount the center gets will grow by $5,000 in each year of

the lease.

Mayor Allan Mansoor wanted to approve the lease and consider

part-time maintenance rather than full time, because he worried about

setting a precedent by pairing the promise of an employee with the

lease.

WHAT IT MEANS

The Costa Mesa Senior Center will remain in its city-owned

building for at least five more years and will get a maintenance

worker devoted to the building’s upkeep.

CIRCLE OF SERVICE AWARD

Former Costa Mesa Mayor Robert M. Wilson will be inducted into the

city’s Circle of Service, a memorial to residents who have

contributed to the city. Wilson was active in helping the city net

amenities such as Fairview Park and South Coast Plaza. He served on

the council and was active in the city’s historical society, and he

wrote a book about Costa Mesa. Wilson died in January 2004.

WHAT IT MEANS

Wilson will be inducted into the Circle of Service at a July 29

ceremony at Lions Park.

FAIRVIEW DEVELOPMENTAL CENTER

The council agreed to work with officials at the Fairview

Developmental Center on Harbor Boulevard to develop athletic fields

that could be used by the center and the community. Currently unused

space at the center could be turned into as many as four fields for

soccer and other sports and possibly a small softball field.

WHAT IT MEANS

The city could have more athletic fields to ease its shortage of

recreation space. But the council has not yet promised any funding to

develop the fields, which could cost at least $85,000.