THOUSAND OAKS : Contract Given to Clear City Hall Site

The Thousand Oaks City Council has awarded a $109,975 contract to a Palos Verdes company to clear 22 acres for its $63-million development at the former Jungleland site.

Travers Tree Service was awarded the contract Tuesday night on a 4-0 council vote. Councilman Bob Lewis was absent.

Travers will clear brush from the property at Conejo School Road and Thousand Oaks Boulevard, where the city is building a new city hall and performing arts center.

Clearing the land is the first work on the project, said Ed Johnduff, city administrative services manager. Grading will not begin until December; construction is expected to start in May or June. The project includes a 1,800-seat arts auditorium, a 400-seat forum and a city hall to be built at the former wild animal park.

In addition to awarding the contract, the council agreed to use part of the old Goebel Senior Center on Conejo School Road as a central office for a team of project inspectors and managers on the Jungleland project.

The rest of the 6,300-square-foot Goebel center will be used as an information center for the civic arts plaza and as community rooms for civic meetings.