Council OKs last of money for remodeling 1970s-era chambers in
August
Tucked into the city council’s consent calendar last night was an expenditure request for nearly $56,000. Added to the $127,000 already set aside for remodeling the tired council chambers, the cash will fund a $182,000 face-lift many say is long overdue.
“The council chambers is embarrassing now,” Councilman Dion Bracco said at the semi-annual policy summit last January. “We need to make it more presentable for the public, who owns it. Even the carpet has cigarette burns in it from when you were able to smoke in there.”
Bracco sits on a remodeling subcommittee along with Councilman Craig Gartman and Mayor Al Pinheiro. The entire council agreed Monday that it’s time for the orange-tinted chambers to join modern decor. The majority of the money was already included in the city’s capital improvement budget – the council approved just $8,000 in new spending at its January policy summit.
Only purchases greater than $35,000 require public bidding, according to City Clerk Shawna Freels, so the council’s direction for staff to start remodeling will not come back before the council for formal approval. The one remodeling item greater than $35,000 will be split up into multiple purchases, Freels added, meaning it won’t require a bidding process.
Some of the planned improvements, which total more than $182,000:
$2,800 to replace 16-year old window blinds
$4,000 for two flat-screen monitors
$7,500 for wall carpeting and painting
$15,000 to replace 16-year old carpeting
$21,000 for new seating
$32,000 to remodel dais
$35,000 for state-of-the-art electronic voting system with 15″ touch-screens
$45,000 for to replace 17-year-old audio system
