City Council to consider City Hall renovation bid

This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press December 13, 2000

By BOB WILSON
Staff Writer

PALMDALE - The City Council today will consider awarding a $4.1 million contract to continue the construction renovations and additions under way at Palmdale City Hall.

Only one bid was submitted for the continued work, which was estimated by city engineers to cost $4.9 million. The bid was submitted by Webb Bros. Construction, the same firm that recently completed the city's new Development Services building and is nearly finished constructing the city's new civil courthouse for Los Angeles County judges.

The new work will include the construction of a new chamber for the City Council as well as the renovation of the Palmdale Cultural Center.

The new council chamber will accommodate 130 people instead of 70, and it is expected to be equipped for the televised broadcasting of council meetings.

The new chambers building will connect the existing administration building at 38300 Sierra Highway to offices previously occupied by city engineers at 708 East Palmdale Blvd.

The engineering offices recently have been remodeled to house the city's Department of Finance, now found in modular buildings at Sierra Highway and Avenue Q-11.

Improvements to the Cultural Center at 704 East Palmdale Blvd. will include increasing the size of its second-floor auditorium, adding windows to the west side of the auditorium, moving an indoor elevator to one of two new outdoor towers joined by an outdoor balcony and changing the look of the entryway and outdoor plaza.

This coming week, finance employees are expected to move from their modular buildings into their remodeled offices at 708 East Palmdale Boulevard.

The modular buildings will be removed to make way for new parking spaces intended to serve both City Hall and the new civil courthouse, expected to open for cases early next year on the southeast corner of Ninth Street East and Avenue Q-11.