Pasadena Alters Plan for Retrofit
A $93.3-million retrofitting of Pasadena’s historic City Hall for earthquake safety may exceed estimates by several million dollars because of the increased price of steel and concrete on the international market, city officials said.
As a result, the city has identified renovations that could be delayed, such as landscaping and tiling, to offset the projected $5.5-million cost increase to improve the domed building on Garfield Avenue, said Martin Pastucha, Pasadena’s director of public works.
“Short of a catastrophic increase in cost, it would be very hard” not to continue forward with the project, Pastucha said. “The council is dedicated to see it through completion.”
The 77-year-old building would still undergo fixes that include the installation of stabilizers beneath the structure to absorb the shock of an earthquake.
The city is screening contractors before opening bidding in October. Construction is set to start in November or December in hopes of completing the project by 2007, Pastucha said.
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