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  Friday, November 13, 2009 New debate may ignite on Newport Beach Civic Center project Food for Thought By BARBARA VENEZIA CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST Anyone who has ever built or remodeled a home will tell you there's a certain madness that takes over. On paper it seems anything's possible. You start out with reasonable goals and determined to stay within a budget. As time progresses, the temptation to start adding this and that grows. The next thing you know, your project is way past the scope of what you originally planned. It's easy to fall into excess. Wouldn't it be nice if the floors were granite instead of tile? It's only a few dollars more. If granite's good, marble's better! How about two dishwashers, instead of one? The add-ons are endless. Builders and architects are more than happy to indulge your creativity, but get ready for sticker shock once you get the bill. Emotionally attached to your dream amenities, you either go into financial hock, pare down the dream, or in extreme cases, get divorced! On a grander scale, it could be argued that's what happened in Newport Beach when the "build a new City Hall" concept morphed over the past few years into not just a structure but an entire civic center. The proposed components of the civic center project include: *An 89,000 sq. ft. city hall. *150-seat council chambers and a 275-person community room. *A 450-space parking structure. *A "south" park parcel and civic green. *A "central" park parcel, which includes wetlands. *A "north" park parcel, including a dog park, surface parking, north of San Miguel. *A pedestrian bridge over San Miguel linking the central and north parcels. *A 7,000 sq. ft. expansion of the current Central Library. *A "library connection" (9,150 sq. ft.) – connecting the Central Library to the civic green. Plans also include a 4,800 sq. ft. emergency operation center to operate in disasters such as earthquake, tsunami, etc. This could be located in the basement of city hall or a bunker separate from other buildings. City Manager Dave Kiff says it's important to remember "a price tag isn't a price tag until BIDS COME IN. We're at the estimation phase, and estimates, if they are well done, are very conservative (high). That way, when actual bids come in, folks are usually pleasantly surprised." With estimates ranging from $89 million-$140 million and the city facing approximately $5 million in deficit, I asked Dave, "How does NB pay for this?" "We have $80 million in reserves, having saved up for the civic center project (not all of the $80 million goes to the CCP), and will issue certificates of participation for the rest." Dave went on to explain that the project could be built in phases, thus spreading costs over time. Sure, it would be nice to have a cool looking city hall/civic center with an expanded library, wetlands, dog park, bunker, etc, but in a time when down-sizing is "in" and super-sizing is "out," will the debate over this project ignite once again as residents weigh in? This project's had years of turbulent history. The first debate was, "Do we need a new city hall?" Then it was, "Where should it be?" The next discussions may be the most important, with long-ranging consequences that are not only financial, but defining for this City Council and our new city manager. Freelance writer Barbara Venezia's opinion column appears online and in The Current every Friday. Email BV at bvontv@earthlink.net |
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