By KIM CALVERT Special to the Daily Press
COUNCIL CHAMBERS — Elected leaders are expected tonight to waive the usual competitive bidding process so they can keep the lights on at City Hall.
The $311,000 contract, plus a $31,000 contingency fee, will go to Neubauer Electric, Inc. to provide temporary electrical power to the rest of City Hall while the section once used by the Santa Monica Police Department is demolished and replaced with a landscaped courtyard, according to city staff.
Neubauer Electric is already familiar with the project, having worked on both the old police facilities at City Hall, now vacant, as well as the new Public Safety Facility, the current the home of the SMPD, according to city architect Lauren Friedman.
The original U-shaped building, built in 1939, housed city administration, and police and fire department operations. Since 1958, there have been several renovations to City Hall, including construction of a three-story structure that enclosed the courtyard. The police department moved out of City Hall and into the new Public Safety Facility in September of 2003.
When costs of either reusing or demolishing the former police (Editor’s note: This is part of an ongoing series that tracks the city’s expenditures which appear on the upcoming Santa Monica City Council consent agenda. Items are routinely passed by the City Council with little discussion from elected officials or the public. However, many have been part of discussions in the past.)
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 8, 2005. Read the original PDF.