Newport officials discuss future of old City Hall site

From the Daily Pilot

Even as Newport Beach city officials broke ground this week on a new $128-million civic center on Avocado Avenue, plans on what to do with the old City Hall site on the Balboa Peninsula remained up in the air.
Newport Beach City Manager Dave Kiff said he’ll feel sorry for the Starbucks employees across the street when the 240 people who work at the old City Hall at 3300 Newport Blvd. clean out their desks and move to the new building in late 2012.

“We really are an economic engine for this area,” Kiff said.

Whatever happens to the land, no decision will be made without ample opportunity for public input, said Councilman Mike Henn, whose district encompasses the Balboa Peninsula.

“No matter what happens, it’s going to be a controversial issue, so we want to make sure we have as much factual input as we can,” Henn said.

Newport Beach is working with two the largest land owners in the Via Lido area to come up with a unified plan on what to do with the old, roughly 4-acre City Hall site.

… Continue Reading: Two in talks for old City Hall site

N.B. council negotiates moorings’ contract

From the Daily Pilot

The Newport Beach City Council this week unanimously voted to negotiate a new, five-year, $1.7-million contract with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Harbor Patrol to manage the city’s boat moorings.

City officials had been looking at dropping the Harbor Patrol in favor of a private contractor, to cut costs.

At one point, the city was eyeing private shipyard firm BellPort Group to take over the city’s mooring management contract. The firm said it could take over the city’s moorings for about $180,000 a year, or about $100,000 less than the Harbor Patrol.

Harbor Resources Manager Chris Miller told the council Tuesday that the city should stay with the Harbor Patrol because it can provide 24-hour, on-call service.

Newport Beach has about 1,200 moorings, about 800 offshore and 400 on shore.

The Harbor Patrol has managed the moorings for the city for the past 25 years.

Poll: Harman leads Cooley in A.G. primary

The latest poll numbers show state Sen. Tom Harman (R-Huntington Beach) leading Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley by seven points in the Republican primary for state attorney general.

But with 36% of likely voters still undecided, the race could go any way.

The survey of 548 likely GOP primary voters was conducted by the research firm Survey USA for CBS 5 and KPIX-TV.

… Continue Reading

Harman leads in latest poll

The latest poll numbers show state Sen. Tom Harman (R-Huntington Beach) leading Los Angeles County District Atty. Steve Cooley by seven points in the Republican primary for the state attorney general seat.

John Eastman came in third in the pole, with 14% of likely voters saying they would vote of the Chapman University law professor.

With 36% of likely voters still undecided, the race could go any way.

… Continue Reading

Newport Beach breaks ground on civic center

Members of Newport Beach's City Council, including Leslie Daigle, Ed Selich, Mayor Keith Curry, Steve Rosansky and Nancy Gardner, break ground on the new civic center and 16-acre park project. The project is set to be completed in 2012.

From the Daily Pilot

After a years-long public debate, a battle at the ballot box and several lawsuits, Newport Beach city officials broke ground Tuesday on a new civic center on Avocado Avenue with an estimated cost of $128 million.

“Special places like this do not happen without vision and this project reflects the vision of our entire community as expressed at the ballot box and the thoughtful implementation of many people,” Mayor Keith Curry said at a small morning ceremony overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Workers will spend the next six months moving 280,000 cubic yards of dirt onto the 16-acre site, City Manager Dave Kiff said.

Construction on a parking structure there is scheduled to begin in December. Work on the library addition, park and city hall is slated to begin in early 2011.

City officials anticipate that the project will be completed in late 2012.

… Continue reading: ‘This is a proud day’

Newport may build park, sailing center in phases

From the Daily Pilot

Newport Beach could phase in plans for a multimillion-dollar park and sailing center on the Balboa Peninsula to lessen the project’s effect on the city’s already strained budget, city officials said Tuesday.

The City Council on Tuesday night approved an environmental-impact report for the park.

Preliminary estimates have put the cost of the park as high as $23 million. The plans could now be realized in three phases, said Dave Webb, deputy director of public works.

“Based on how the economy is, we will move forward,” he said.

City officials project Newport Beach will face an $8-million deficit for the budget year beginning July 1 and a $12-million deficit during the 2011-12 fiscal year. Phasing the Marina Park project would allow the city to spread the cost of the project over multiple budget years.

… Continue reading: Project may go in phases

Newport Beach officials break ground on civic center project

GROUND BREAKERS- Members of Newport Beach's city council including Leslie Daigle, Ed Selich, mayor Keith Curry, Steve Rosansky, and Nancy Gardner, break ground on new civic center and 16 acre park project at Avocado and Farallon. The project is set to be completed in 2012. (Daily Pilot staff photo by Don Leach)

From the Daily Pilot

After a years-long public debate, a battle at the ballot box, and several lawsuits, Newport Beach city officials broke ground Tuesday on a new civic center with an estimated cost of $128 million.

“Special places like this do not happen without vision and this project reflects the vision of our entire community as expressed at the ballot box and the thoughtful implementation of many people,” Mayor Keith Curry said at a small morning ceremony on the construction site of the massive project on Avocado Avenue overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

… Continue Reading

The Early Edition

Laurie O'Connor sweeps up hair at Hair West Salon in Newport Beach on Friday. The salon is collecting hair to be donated to help clean up the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Hair helps clean oil spill: Local salon donates clippings toward what’s basically giant towels for the oil that has been spewing into Gulf Coast.

UCI opens new facility: Building is the only one built from the ground up dedicated to stem cell research. Couple donated $13 million to the project.

CdM tops Sailors in five: Sea Kings rally in fifth game to prevail in Battle of the Bay, likely earn No. 2 seed for CIF playoffs.

State breaks up homeless sex offender camp: Parole agency tosses 30 to 40 off of Anaheim street.

New book peers at Orange County’s dark side: Unsure if Orange County is noir-challenged?

Family claims city of Newport Beach is to blame for Ferrari crash death

From the Daily Pilot

The family of a 24-year-old man who died in a fiery Christmas Eve crash of a Ferrari on Pacific Coast Highway has filed a $5-million wrongful death claim against the city of Newport Beach. The victim’s 18-year-old cousin was at the wheel of the luxury sports car.

Members of the Abinader family of Huntington Beach allege that Newport Beach rescue workers did not respond fast enough to the scene where their eldest son and brother, Ralph Abinader, died shortly after dusk, according to claims filed recently against the city.

They also claim that the head-on crash could have been prevented had the city installed higher traffic barriers on the stretch where the crash occurred.

… Continue Reading

Newport Beach to break ground on new civic center

Newport Beach will break ground on a new civic center next to the Newport Beach Central Library on Tuesday.
The project includes building a 99,800 square-foot city hall building, a 14.3-acre park and a 17,000 square-foot addition to the central library.

City officials will host a brief groundbreaking ceremony near the corner of Avocado and Farallon avenues at 11 a.m.  Tuesday before work begins on the site.
The 16-acre park and city hall site at 1000 Avocado Avenue will be fenced and screened within a week after work begins.

Workers will remove more than 280,000 cubic yards of dirt from the site duringthe next few months before construction begins. The project is scheduled for completion in late 2012.