City Chambers Reopen After Repairs

The Redondo Beach City Chambers officially reopened Tuesday as the City Council resumed its regular meeting at the location.

The chambers went through a three-month repair project after workers noticed a crack in the side of the building, which was later determined to be damage to a vertical column supporting the roof beams.  

The city took advantage of this damage repair period to update the AV system at the chambers and to make the facility compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act.

The double doors have been replaced with wheelchair-accessible single doors. Four hearing assistant devices, two disability chairs, and handrails have been installed.  

When the chambers were built in 1962, the building was not equipped with an AV system. The current AV room, which is located near the doors, used to be a coatroom, said Nancy Wong, the city's assistant civil engineer and project engineer.

The existing AV system was installed more than three decades ago, and residents complained that the live video streaming of council meetings was poor quality.    

"It was a massive coordination effort," said Maggie Healy, assistant to the city manager. "This facility wasn't built for audio video. There was no place to run conduit, and the floor was concrete."

The renovation started in January.  It took two general contractors, several subcontractors and one consultant to finish the work, Wong said. The total cost was more than $400,000, and it was paid for by Cable Operators PEG (public, educational, governmental) Fees and Capital Improvement Project Fund.

Council and City Commission meetings were held at the library next door while the work was being completed.

Healy said the project was not a makeover, but a necessary step to correct the chambers' safety hazards.  

"We want (Redondo Beach residents) to feel nothing has changed at the chambers, " she said.  "We just want them to feel safe. Our No. 1 priority was the safety and structural integrity. We want people to feel comfortable and feel this is the place they can come and talk to the council."