BREA : City Council to Weigh Bonds to Fund Center

The City Council today will consider issuing $6 million in bonds to pay for the Brea Community Center, under construction next to City Hall.

Groundbreaking for the nearly $7-million center was put on hold by the council in December in response to the collapse of the county-run investment pool. Work on the 54,000-square-foot center began in February, when city officials decided the project still was economically feasible.

The community center at Randolph Avenue and Madison Way will include a gymnasium, weightlifting and aerobics facilities, meeting rooms, a child-care center and a teen lounge.

Residents are being asked to support the project by purchasing etched-glass panes that will be part of an artwork at the center. Residents can also help by purchasing trees that will be planted along an entrance path, or by making contributions to a free after-school program at the center.

Also on the City Council agenda today is a study session on the investment pool settlement agreement reached between the county and the creditors committee. The city and the Brea Redevelopment Agency had a total of $9 million frozen in the pool when the county filed for bankruptcy Dec. 6.