TITLE
Recommendation to receive a presentation on the new City Hall seismic study;
Authorize City Manager to prepare and issue a Request For Proposals to the selected short list of RFQ respondents to design, build, operate, finance and maintain a new Civic Center; and
Consider the establishment of a Committee consisting of members of City Council and Board of Harbor Commissioners for the purposes of guiding the preparation of the Request for Proposals and other purposes related to the new Civic Center. (District 2)
DISCUSSION
In May 2007, the Department of Public Works presented findings of a study that identified the seismic deficiencies of the existing Long Beach City Hall. This study, and a parallel report identifying the current physical condition of City Hall, concluded that necessary seismic renovations to protect lives during a significant seismic event, required building code upgrades, systems replacements and overall maintenance, soft costs, and lease of temporary facilities during renovations would total an estimated $170 million in 2013 dollars. Even with this investment, after such a significant seismic event, City Hall could not likely be occupied, and essential government operations would be sporadic and fragmented at best until undamaged and available facilities could be identified and leased. Additionally, the Main Library suffers from similar seismic and building deficiencies.
On February 12, 2013, the City Council requested staff to update the seismic report on City Hall, either through a peer review of the previous study or, if warranted, a new seismic study. Given the original study was performed in 2005 and newer established criteria that assess building performance during a seismic event now exist, staff commissioned a new seismic report. The conclusions confirm the precarious stability of City Hall and the extensive renovations necessary to retrofit the building to perform in a seismic event. The study concluded that action must be...
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