City set for repaneling

Mathis Winkler

WEST NEWPORT BEACH -- Eleven years by the ocean can wear you out.

Cars rust. Houses start to break up. Even glass isn’t impervious to

the ravages of saltwater.

Now, the city is having to replace 400 glass panels along West Newport

Park.

The original 11-year-old panels, made of polycarbonate, have become

opaque as a result of ultraviolet degradation. The new panels, made of an

acrylic that’s more resistant to sunlight, will be in place by the end of

the month, city officials said.

In November, the City Council discussed a contract to replace

two-thirds of the panels. But instead then-Councilwoman Jan Debay, who

could not run for reelection because of term limits, asked her colleagues

to set aside money to replace all of the panels.

“It’s kind of a house that you move out of and you only clean

two-thirds of the house,” Debay said at the Nov. 14 meeting.

On Wednesday, Debay said the replacement of panels will encourage

residents to care for their neighborhood.

“It’s going to be as clear as day and night when it’s done,” said

Debay, who now serves as a board member of the Orange County Water

District.

“It’s one of the most important entrances to the city,” she said,

adding that some of the old panels had been vandalized with graffiti. “It

will give an appearance of a city that’s being well maintained.”

All said, the city will have spent about $180,000 on the project, said

City Engineer Bill Patapoff.