Orange Ca Government Buildings

Employees and residents will find a brighter, clearer atmosphere in public buildings once workers finish massive improvements to the city's air and lighting systems. Designers with Sacramento-based AirCon Energy Inc. are drafting plans for the senior center, the main library, fire headquarters and even the city's $14-million police station, which opened about six years ago. The company did an audit of the city's systems last summer and found them inefficient. The project will cost nearly $1.

Employees and residents will find a brighter, clearer atmosphere in public buildings once workers finish massive improvements to the city's air and lighting systems. Designers with Sacramento-based AirCon Energy Inc. are drafting plans for the senior center, the main library, fire headquarters and even the city's $14-million police station, which opened about six years ago. The company did an audit of the city's systems last summer and found them inefficient. The project will cost nearly $1.

The City Council has tentatively agreed to an "energy retrofit" to all city buildings and parks where officials are sure the resulting savings would be more than sufficient to recover the costs. The council voted Tuesday to hire a Sacramento-based engineering firm to conduct an audit of the city's mechanical and lighting systems. Officials at the firm, Aircon Energy Services Inc., estimate that the entire retrofit would cost about $700,000.

The City Council has tentatively agreed to an "energy retrofit" to all city buildings and parks where officials are sure the resulting savings would be more than sufficient to recover the costs. The council voted Tuesday to hire a Sacramento-based engineering firm to conduct an audit of the city's mechanical and lighting systems. Officials at the firm, Aircon Energy Services Inc., estimate that the entire retrofit would cost about $700,000.

City government will have an office away from City Hall by the end of the month. As part of the city's attempts to address problems in the troubled El Modena neighborhood, a trailer that will be staffed by public servants has been placed in the parking lot of Albertson's Food Center at 3325 E. Chapman Ave. "The whole idea is to improve the quality of life for people who live in this area and in the apartments," Mayor Gene Beyer said Thursday.

The city's development and housing agencies will move to new quarters today. The new offices for the city's Redevelopment Agency, economic development division and the housing and community development block grant programs are at 230 E. Chapman Ave. The office space will house 16 employees and is large enough to provide for expansion, said Redevelopment Agency Director Bert Yamasaki.

A study presented to the City Council has confirmed what city staff members have known for years: Orange has far outgrown its Civic Center. City departments, overflowing the 1960s Civic Center complex, are scattered into nearby trailers and leased office space. Within five years, the space crunch could more than double, said Bob Hall, a vice president of the Davis/Olsen Corp., a consultant hired to study the problem.

The federal government is studying whether to list the former Orange Unified School District headquarters on the National Register of Historic Places despite the opposition of school district administrators. The California State Office of Historic Preservation made the recommendation earlier this month after the Old Towne Preservation Assn. nominated the 79-year-old structure for the honor. But district officials contend that the building, at 370 N. Glassell St.

The doors were locked and the lights were off at Orange City Hall on Friday. The city's four libraries were closed, and residents seeking aid went wanting at the Community Services Department. Friday was the first day that City Hall shut down, and some people with city business seemed angry or puzzled over the closure. The reduction in service is the result of a decision by the City Council to furlough city employees each Friday and cut their pay by 10% to close a $1-million budget gap.

Consolidating the city's Community Services Department in one location has not enhanced community relations with the department's neighbors. The problem: a loud air conditioner. In November, a 1,300-square-foot trailer housing six employees was installed in the parking lot of the Community Services Department, on East Almond Avenue. But city staffers almost immediately heard from local residents about the noise the trailer's air conditioner made.

The federal government is studying whether to list the former Orange Unified School District headquarters on the National Register of Historic Places despite the opposition of school district administrators. The California State Office of Historic Preservation made the recommendation earlier this month after the Old Towne Preservation Assn. nominated the 79-year-old structure for the honor. But district officials contend that the building, at 370 N. Glassell St.

The doors were locked and the lights were off at Orange City Hall on Friday. The city's four libraries were closed, and residents seeking aid went wanting at the Community Services Department. Friday was the first day that City Hall shut down, and some people with city business seemed angry or puzzled over the closure. The reduction in service is the result of a decision by the City Council to furlough city employees each Friday and cut their pay by 10% to close a $1-million budget gap.

Consolidating the city's Community Services Department in one location has not enhanced community relations with the department's neighbors. The problem: a loud air conditioner. In November, a 1,300-square-foot trailer housing six employees was installed in the parking lot of the Community Services Department, on East Almond Avenue. But city staffers almost immediately heard from local residents about the noise the trailer's air conditioner made.

City government will have an office away from City Hall by the end of the month. As part of the city's attempts to address problems in the troubled El Modena neighborhood, a trailer that will be staffed by public servants has been placed in the parking lot of Albertson's Food Center at 3325 E. Chapman Ave. "The whole idea is to improve the quality of life for people who live in this area and in the apartments," Mayor Gene Beyer said Thursday.

The city's development and housing agencies will move to new quarters today. The new offices for the city's Redevelopment Agency, economic development division and the housing and community development block grant programs are at 230 E. Chapman Ave. The office space will house 16 employees and is large enough to provide for expansion, said Redevelopment Agency Director Bert Yamasaki.

A study presented to the City Council has confirmed what city staff members have known for years: Orange has far outgrown its Civic Center. City departments, overflowing the 1960s Civic Center complex, are scattered into nearby trailers and leased office space. Within five years, the space crunch could more than double, said Bob Hall, a vice president of the Davis/Olsen Corp., a consultant hired to study the problem.