Council to look at three possible City Hall plans

Alicia Robinson

Moving Newport Beach City Hall to another location, outsourcing city

services and remodeling the building were among the suggestions

pitched by residents at recent public meetings on what to do with

City Hall.

On Tuesday, it will be up to the City Council to decide which, if

any, of three overhaul plans to pursue. The plans were presented by

consulting firm Griffin Structures to more than 200 people at four

public meetings.

At the meetings, costs to add to or redo City Hall ranged from

$19.1 million for mostly new buildings to $23.6 million to keep

several of the existing structures.

A rebuilt fire station and a parking garage also are part of the

project. Costs for the fire station and parking garage will be given

at Tuesday’s meeting.

The meetings showed people have “a lot of mixed feelings” about

the City Hall, but at least as many people spoke in favor of a new

one as people who spoke against it, Newport Beach City Manager Homer

Bludau said.

“I think it gave us a good list of concerns expressed by people

that we can try and deal with, but I think it gave us a lot of

encouragement that there are many people who feel like it’s a

no-brainer, and the City Hall should be rebuilt,” he said.

A few of the suggestions just weren’t feasible, Bludau said.

Moving city offices to the Newport Technology Center would require

major remodeling because it was built for light industrial

businesses, and contracting out services doesn’t necessarily lessen

the need for office space.

“Really the only way to deal with it would be to downsize in a

major way,” he said. “Do we want to reduce services so we don’t need

to build a city hall? That’s one of the options for the City

Council.”

At one of the meetings, members of a new citizens group advocated

a public vote on the project, but they haven’t made a formal move to

get it onto the ballot.

“We’re going to wait and see what happens at the City Council

level,” said John Buttolph, spokesman for Newporters for Responsible

Government and a former council candidate. The group wants a vote

because of the project’s potential cost, which it estimates at $40

million to $60 million.

“You’re talking about a decision to use public funds that will

have lasting impact on the taxpayers of the community,” Buttolph

said.

While some residents have wondered why the council didn’t solicit

public input before hiring a consultant to work on plans for a city

hall, others say that decision is one they elected the council to

make.

“Why elect a city council if you’re going to put major decisions

to a vote?” resident Laura Dietz said. “I do think that this is the

council’s job, and that’s what we elect them for, and by electing

them, they are accountable to us.... Those that always put items on

the ballot are accountable to no one.”

Dietz said she’s not sure which plan is the best, but she would

like to see work done on City Hall.

Depending on which plan the council chooses, construction could

start in June 2006. If the council picks one of the three rough plans

Tuesday, detailed design work will begin. The council would vote

later on whether to spend the money to build the project.

* ALICIA ROBINSON covers government and politics. She may be

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

@latimes.com.