Officials Expect Grant Funds for Coliseum Repairs

The first grants for repair of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum could come next week, two state officials said Thursday after a tour of the earthquake-damaged facility.

Word about the possible grants came from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the officials said. Douglas P. Wheeler, secretary for resources in the Wilson Administration, and Richard Andrews, director of the state Office of Emergency Services, added that they have an agreement with FEMA to block demolition of the Coliseum, a national historical landmark, while they strive to assess the damage and create a plan to correct it.

Meanwhile, the Coliseum Commission’s project director for the rebuilding, Don C. Webb, said he is hopeful that $17 million in federal funds will be granted next week to allow at least a start on repair work. Webb has said the work will cost at least $33 million and possibly more if hidden damage is discovered by structural engineers.

The new commission president, Los Angeles County Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, said FEMA officials have told her that the White House has expressed interest in expediting the Coliseum work.

During the tour for state officials, workers from the Tutor-Saliba Corp. were taking tiles off the peristyle section, stripping ivy from the stadium’s walls and demolishing a small section of the upper concourse level to get behind the facades for a direct examination of cracks in the superstructure. Tutor-Saliba is doing the work under a continuing contract for Coliseum renovations.

Webb said he expects a structural engineering report by the middle of next week that will identify the damage with enough precision to begin repair work if the federal grant is forthcoming.