GARDEN GROVE : City Seeks Taxpayer Input on Spending

The City Council has delayed making a decision on how to spend about $23 million in redevelopment bond money until taxpayers get a chance to voice their spending preferences at a meeting on Aug. 24.

Staff members unveiled for consideration a number of public projects Tuesday, including construction of a satellite college building on vacant land in the downtown area, possible purchase of a building to serve as a new City Hall and the refurbishment of the Gem Theatre and Festival Amphitheater.

The projects and their estimated costs include: widening of Trask Avenue to reduce traffic congestion, $8 million; construction of building for a community college satellite campus, $4.5 million; expansion of the police station, $4.7 million; completion of a new theater near the Gem Theatre and the Festival Amphitheater, $3 million; refurbishment of the Gem and amphitheater, $300,000.

Staff members presented two alternatives for what to do about City Hall, which was built in 1923 as a school building.

Rehabilitation is estimated to cost $2.6 million, while purchase of a vacant building in the Civic Center area to serve as a new City Hall site would cost about $4 million, Assistant City Manger Michael Fenderson said..

City Hall doesn’t meet fire safety regulations or Federal Disability Act standards, according to Fenderson.

Money to finance the public projects comes from a $62-million Redevelopment Agency Tax Allocation bond sold earlier this year.