> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # CITY HALL Reed Park is getting a facelift - URL: https://www.smdp.com/city-hall-reed-park-is-getting-a-facelift/ - Published: 2007-01-23T16:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T23:53:22.000Z - Author: Kevin Herrera - Tags: Government & Politics, Santa Monica, #archive-import *FROM CONSENT PAGE 3 City Hall appears just too small to do it all* (Editor’s note: This story is part of an ongoing series that tracks the city’s expenditures appearing on upcoming Santa Monica City Council consent agendas — items routinely passed by the City Council that may have been part of public discussion in the past.) The City Council is expected tonight to spend just over $85,000 on a consultant to help design several improvements to the park, including new landscaping along the perimeter and the removal of the existing roque court, shuffleboard and horseshoe area to expand the existing and heavily used playground area, according to a city staff report. By removing the roque court, shuffleboard and horseshoe area, the council could add an additional 6,000 square feet for more children’s play equipment, including, but not limited to, basketball hoops sized for young children. In all, the council is expected to spend more than $722,000 on everyth00ing from the park improvements to a new maintenance contract for the Big Blue Bus fleet and office space on Fourth Street for the Cultural Affairs Division. with the upgrades, according to a city staff report. The firm of Katherine Spitz Associates was picked from the two firms that competed for the design contract. Spitz will be paid $85,085 for their services. The overall budget for improvements is $602,800. Spitz has worked on several civic projects before, including streetscape improvements to Ocean Park and Pico boulevards. Ensuring that the public can get to point A from point B, city staff is requesting the council approve two maintenance contracts for the Big Blue Bus fleet. One contract is for $250,000 and includes engine overhaul services that cannot be performed by staff because of insufficient garage space and the lack of warehouse space, and the specialized equipment required to test engines after the repairs are made. Current staffing levels are also insufficient, according to a city staff report. The second contract is for $200,000 and includes replacement parts for Detroit Diesel Allison engines and transmissions. Over the lifetime of a bus — around 12 years — diesel and natural gas engines experience normal wear and tear that may require engine replacement, head or cylinder repair, turbocharger replacement and an assortment of other engine parts that may need to be rebuilt or replaced. To perform this work, City Hall is looking to two firms — Valley Power Systems, Inc., and Service Motor Parts/Ironman Renewal. Valley will perform 60 percent of the work, while Ironman is expected to perform the remaining 40 percent. The contract for each firm is one year, but Ironman will have two additional one-year renewal options at rates subject to a 5-percent increase on the previous year’s price. The total estimated expenditure for the three-year term is $1.5 million, however, the cost is pegged at $250,000 for the remainder of the fiscal year. As for diesel engine and transmission repair, that work will also be done by Valley. That contract is for one year, with two one-year renewal options at a 3 percent price increase for each year, bringing the total estimated cost for a three-year term to $930,000\. The estimated cost for the remainder of this fiscal year is $200,000. Every day a bus is out of commission, City Hall loses roughly $550 in revenue, according to a city staff report. Due to the lack of office space at City Hall, city staff is asking the council to approve a five-year lease with one five-year option for 1,351 square feet on Fourth Street in downtown, which will serve as the new home for the Cultural Affairs Division. Metropolitan Pacific Capital, LLC, is offering to rent the space to City Hall for $3.30 per square foot, with an increase of 5 percent per year. The total cost for the contract is estimated at $60,000. Space continues to be an issue for city staff, with City Hall leasing approximately 46,000 square feet of office space throughout Santa Monica. City Hall remains compacted with two or more people sharing offices that were originally designed to hold one person, and staff working in areas that were once used for storage or hallways, according to a city staff report. City Hall was dedicated in November of 1939 and included just 40,000 square feet. The most recent expansion came in 1991 with the addition of the mezzanine level, which is currently occupied by staff from Planning and Community Development and Community and Cultural Services. If the council votes in favor of the lease with Metropolitan, City Hall will be occupying the entire third floor of a building located at 1433 Fourth Street. The Civil Engineering and Architecture Division is expected to move into that space in mid- March, followed by Cultural Affairs. Some unforeseen circumstances are forcing the council to approve an additional $97,000 for two contracts, one of which concerns the Civic Center Parking Structure, while the other involved hazardous waste management. When Smith Emery Co. was hired to perform inspection services for the parking structure, city staff did not realize that sand backfill surrounded a large, Los Angeles County stormdrain running diagonally under the structure. As a result, Smith Emery had to provide additional inspection services. That increased the cost of the contract by $50,000. As for the hazardous waste, the council is being asked to spend an additional $47,110.19 for services provided by General Environment Management Inc., after City Hall canceled a similar contract with another firm that performed poorly, according to a city staff report. On average, city staff serves about 3,000 people who dispose of approximately 130,000 pounds of various hazardous waste, ranging from pesticides and paints, to motor oil and nail polish. As a result of their performance during the interim basis, General was hired for three years for a total of $600,000. To ensure that public transit in Santa Monica gets its fair share of federal dollars, the council is expected to approve a lobbying contract with The Ferguson Group, LLC for $30,060. The Big Blue Bus works with six other transit systems in the county to obtain federal funds for transit projects. The cities — Commerce, Culver City, Gardena, Montebello, Norwalk and Torrance — are part of the Municipal Transit Operators Coalition. The Ferguson Group represents the coalition. Because of lobbying efforts, BBB received slightly more than $3.1 million last year in federal funds, one of the highest figures in California. In addition to the $30,060, Ferguson has another contract with City Hall for $70,885 to monitor federal legislation, spending bills and new regulations passed by Congress. *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 23, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/012307.pdf?ref=smdp.com)