Vote to decide how many millions

Alicia Robinson

It’s not the OK Corral, but the Newport Beach City Hall could be the

scene of at least metaphorical gunslinging tonight as City Council

members vote on which of three rough designs they prefer for

renovating or rebuilding City Hall.

The plans range in cost from $19.7 million for mostly new

buildings to $24.4 million for renovations to existing buildings and

some added facilities. The cost of a new fire station and parking

garage, also part of the project, will be presented tonight for the

first time.

City Manager Homer Bludau and the council’s building subcommittee

are recommending the $19.7 million choice, which is 90% new

construction and includes a new council chambers.

Mayor Steve Bromberg, Councilman Tod Ridgeway and a number of

residents have said they favor building a new City Hall. They say the

existing one -- a collection of five buildings, the newest of which

was built in 1985 -- is cramped and inefficient, and it’s not

designed to withstand an earthquake or accommodate disabled visitors.

Other residents have questioned the project, saying it’s too

expensive and that there are other ways to solve the city’s lack of

space. A new citizens group, Newporters for Responsible Government,

is calling for a public vote on the City Hall project.

It’s likely the council will move forward tonight to select one of

the three designs, which were shown at four public workshops attended

by more than 200 residents.

“I look at it as how can we have an efficient and functioning City

Hall, so we can deliver services to our city,” Councilwoman Leslie

Daigle said.

Council members also will choose whether the parking garage should

hold 250 or 350 cars, if the project should include a room to be used

for community meetings, and whether the project should be built

according to environmentally friendly “green building” standards.

If the decision was to be made on cost alone, the new City Hall

project would be the clear winner. Councilman Steve Rosansky said the

$19.7 million mostly new building option looks like the most

efficient choice.

While Councilman Don Webb wants more information before he picks a

design, he said, “I was initially hoping very much that we could save

some of the buildings, and apparently that’s the most expensive

option.”

The current City Hall is “not exactly optimal in any sense of the

word” according to Councilman Dick Nichols, who thinks the council

has more homework to do before moving forward with a design.

“You need to consider what are your alternates, where it should

be. I don’t think we’ve done that satisfactorily,” he said. “I do not

feel comfortable at this point making a vote that we should go ahead

... I probably won’t vote for it.”

Once a design is chosen, it will be fleshed out and brought back

to the council, which will then vote on whether to spend the money to

build it.

Tonight’s meeting is likely to draw a number of residents with a

range of opinions, including some who have questioned the project.

Even some people who think a new City Hall is a good idea want a

public vote, said Dolores Otting, a member of Newporters for

Responsible Government. Some questions still haven’t been answered to

her satisfaction, such as exactly how the construction will be

financed and how long it will take to pay off.

“I just feel that people think they should have the right to vote

on this issue because of the large dollar amount,” Otting said.

* ALICIA ROBINSON covers government and politics. She may be

reached at (714) 966-4626 or by e-mail at alicia.robinson

@latimes.com.