City Approves Plan for Civic Center

When the Buena Park Civic Center was built in the early 1960s, it was considered state of the art. But, according to the mayor, the concept did not work.

The eight campus-style buildings that house the council chamber and city clerk’s office, the city manager’s office, the Finance Department, the Planning Department, employee lounge, engineering building, Police Department and redevelopment building are spread out over 10 acres.

Mayor Jack Mauller believes that the cost of maintaining the buildings is high and that job duplication is a problem.

“The secretary in engineering could easily be doing the same job in community development,” Mauller said last week. The ideal setup, he said, is a clearinghouse-type atmosphere that has all departments in the same building. He said this setup is common in other cities and more efficient.

The parameters for Buena Park’s new Civic Center complex, with a $6-million price tag, have been established, and if all goes well, the 75,869 residents will boast a “civic presence” along Beach Boulevard, according to Deputy City Manager Wes Morgan, meaning the new buildings will be highly visible from one of the county’s main thoroughfares.

The preliminary master plan was drawn up by Laguna Hills architects John Bates and Associates Inc. and was approved by the City Council. Officials chose what they said is the most practical and cost-efficient. Morgan stressed that what the council has approved is a master plan, not a design for City Hall.

Morgan said officials want City Hall built in the southern part of the land and the Police Department to the north.

“The vision is to have a one- or two-story facility that would include all of the municipal functions,” he said.

He said having these buildings moved to a different area will be a tremendous value because construction will not disrupt ongoing city operations. This also saves the cost of moving to temporary buildings and maintaining them for a couple of years.

Once the City Hall is completed, employees could move in to the new building. The old buildings could be demolished.

Morgan said within six months, officials will get a better idea of what the entire area will look like, but design specifications will not be made for about a year.

City officials are just now starting to look at ways to finance the police station.

Sitting before a huge aerial photograph of Buena Park in the city manager’s conference room, Morgan said he hopes the City Hall will be completed by fall of 2002.

“I would like to be sitting at this table a year from today with blueprints finished and ready to get into seeking bids for construction,” he said.

Ana Cholo-Tipton can be reached at (714) 966-5890.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

A Civic Presence

Buena Park has taken the first step toward revamping the Civic Center with preliminary drawings of the new City Hall and Police Department.