San Diego

City Councilwoman Judy McCarty on Monday asked her colleagues to consider approving a bond issue for November, 1987, to pay for the renovation of buildings in Balboa Park.

In a press release, McCarty said she will ask the council’s Public Facilities and Recreation Committee on Wednesday to order an inspection of the buildings--including the Navy Hospital complex--to see what a massive overhaul would cost.

“Balboa Park is the crown jewel of the city,” McCarty said in the release. “I am confident that if we lay out a program for the people of San Diego that makes sense for the park and for the people, then the people will vote to provide the necessary funds.”

McCarty issued a memo to her colleagues with the proposal and said it was prompted, in part, by the current controversy over what to do with the Conference Center at Balboa Park. The center is being used by square dancers and cloggers, among other groups, but the San Diego Automotive Museum is seeking to take over the building and has promised to renovate it.

Although McCarty said the offer is a “powerful part of their argument to use the building,” she added that the ultimate decision by the council should be based on “what is the best use, not on who can afford to restore the building.”