Torrance OKs Bid for General Aviation Center

The Torrance City Council’s approval Tuesday of a general aviation center at Torrance Municipal Airport appeared to put to rest a longstanding dispute over the airfield’s future.

The council voted 4 to 3--with Councilmen Dan Walker, Bill Applegate and George Nakano dissenting--to accept a $1.8-million bid by NOW Construction Corp. of Santa Fe Springs to build the 9,800-square-foot center.

The new, single-story complex, scheduled for completion in about a year, will house airport administration offices, flight planning facilities, an observation area and community meeting rooms.

Council members originally had been set to approve the project in 1989, but retreated from the plan after bids came in nearly 25% over the city’s estimate.

The council later stalled further action on the center and discussed shutting down the airport after a group of pilots sued the city to block construction of a nearby housing tract. The group later dropped the suit.

Despite accepting NOW Construction’s bid, council members said they still are upset that in the most recent round all nine bids were more than the city’s planned $1.5-million budget.

Phil Tilden, the city’s management programs administrator, said he expects to shave costs to about $1.7 million during construction by altering air-conditioning and electrical specifications for the project.