Final Report OKd on Conversion of Alex Theatre : Renovation: But officials withhold a permit for asbestos removal to make sure the contractor will adequately dispose of hazardous materials.

The Glendale Redevelopment Agency by a 4 to 1 vote Tuesday approved a final environmental impact report on the conversion of the historic Alex Theatre into a performing arts center.

But the agency withheld action for one week on granting a demolition permit to remove asbestos from the theater because a contractor’s bid of $39,978 was far lower than the city’s estimate of $230,300.

Officials said they want to be certain the job will be completed for the low price. Bids from three other contractors ranged from $70,741 to $127,400. Officials attributed the wide variation to differences in the estimates by contractors on the amount of hazardous material that needs to be removed.

The city’s estimate was based on a survey by Applied Environmental Services, a private consulting firm.

Agency members said they want assurances from the low bidder, A.W.S. Construction, that all hazardous material will be removed for the agreed price. They said the contractor may have based his bid on previous disposal practices that only this month have been banned by the state.

The negative vote on the environmental report was cast by City Councilwoman Ginger Bremberg, who said the report fails to adequately answer the objections of preservationists and architects opposed to the city’s plans to remove a canopy at the theater’s entrance at 216 N. Brand Blvd.

The agency, which consists of the five City Council members, last month approved a design plan that calls for the canopy to be torn down in order to reveal the original neo-Greek facade of the theater, which was built in 1925.

The canopy, an Art Deco-style marquee, and a 100-foot-high neon spire were added in a 1940 modernization of the movie house. Preservationists argue that the canopy, supported by a row of distinct columns, enhances the entrance and adds to the historical frame of the structure.

The council members, however, said removal of the columns and canopy will provide more space in the forecourt for theater parties and will reveal the structure’s unusual stepped-back roof line, which has been hidden for decades.

The $6.2-million renovation is expected to begin next month and to take about a year to complete.