A hall fit for the Newport City Council

There’s no doubt about it: Newport Beach is a world-class city. It

has world-class views, a world-class harbor, world-class golf courses

and homes with out-of-this-world prices.

One building in town, though, clearly doesn’t live up to that

hype: City Hall.

Anyone who’s been in the home of the city’s government knows about

its winding halls, its limited parking, its overcrowded offices and

its deteriorating structure. More than a few people find the

experience of dealing with City Hall frustrating enough without even

getting into regulations, permits or other city statutes.

And so it’s no surprise that city leaders are looking to make a

change. Just what that change might be -- and how much it might cost

-- is still up in the air.

The council is right to be proceeding along this line and with due

caution. Council members decided last week to plunk down a pretty

penny -- to the tune of $578,000 -- to get a gauge of public opinion

and a preliminary design for a new City Hall. Something has to be

done to modernize the building. The public absolutely has to be in on

the decision. And figuring that something out while having public

support is bound to cost money.

The council, though, needs to remain intent on keeping that cost

within reason. Council members say they don’t want anything over the

top, which is obviously the right direction to be headed -- unless by

some strange twist residents decide they want the “Taj Ma City Hall.”

A promising solution may be Councilman Don Webb’s. Webb, who worked

so many years in City Hall before retiring and winning his council

seat, wants to save the main building, which is the oldest, along

with its newest, which houses planning and public works. Perhaps

there is an innovative, and not too expensive, way to keep the

character of these structures while incorporating them into a complex

that best serves everyone, resident and city worker alike.