'Wonderful' new City Hall opens

This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press June 28, 2000

By BOB WILSON
Valley Press Staff Writer

PALMDALE - Beginning today, nine of the city's municipal service offices will be found at a new location - a new $3.8 million City Hall at Sierra Highway and Avenue Q-11.

The agencies - planning, business licensing, code enforcement, building and safety, engineering, economic development, housing, public works, and traffic - now are grouped together instead of being in six separate buildings in the Civic Center area.

These offices were closed Friday, Monday and Tuesday for the move, which "is going well," Planning Director Laurie Lile said.

"There are a few glitches here and there, but we will have the doors open tomorrow," Lile said Tuesday afternoon. "At least I think the phones and computers will be working."

Technicians were testing the phone lines and computers while workers helped relocate the furniture, files, documents and personal belongings of about 70 people to the new two-story, 30,000-squarefoot City Hall.

Lile said she and her staff were pleased with the amenities of the location, particularly a new rolling-file system.

"Everybody's happy because now we can see everything," Lile said.

In the old office at 38306 Ninth St. East, filing space was at a premium and "we couldn't put everything in one place," she said.

Until October, parking also will be at a premium around City Hall until workers complete a new civil courthouse and an adjoining parking lot, Lile said.

Despite the inconveniences, the new building "is wonderful. We love it," said Public Works Director Steve Williams.

"It was hectic for awhile - yesterday morning and part of this morning," he said Tuesday. "But now it's all gelled. Virtually everybody has the bulk of their files put away and their personal things in order."

Asked if he would be ready for the public when the building's doors opened at 8 a.m., Williams replied, "Absolutely. There will be a little bit of fine tuning as the week goes by, but we're in great shape to be open for business."

Until today, the Public Works Department has been at 708 East Palmdale Blvd. Now it is at 38250 Sierra Highway, as are the city's economic development and housing departments - previously at 950 East Palmdale Blvd.

The city is expected to discontinue the leases it has at two privately owned buildings and use its old planning building to temporarily house the administrative services department, currently housed in modular buildings at Sierra Highway and Avenue Q-11.

After renovations to the old Public Works offices, administrative services will be moved there. That will set the stage for the demolition of the portable buildings and addition of more parking.

Once administrative-services personnel are relocated from the old planning building, they will be replaced by public safety and human-resources employees.

These are the first steps toward a $3.4-million renovation of the entire City Hall complex.

The renovation project will include the demolition of a small free-standing building on the east side of the existing City Council chambers, now home to the drainage division of the engineering department. In its place will rise new chambers for the City Council and new offices for the city attorney and city clerk - offices that will be connected to the existing administration building.

Also slated for renovation is the city's Cultural Center, part of the City Hall complex. The work on the Cultural Center will include the installation of windows on the west side of the upstairs ballroom and the elimination of a stairway now inside the lobby area.

Two towers will be added to the east side of the Cultural Center, with one tower housing a new stairway and the other housing new offices. The towers will be connected by a new outdoor balcony, and the fountain and the plaza outside the Cultural Center will be removed.

All the work should be completed by about next June.