The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutOB 3 CIVIC CTR EXPAN. 10-02-89ATE: OCTOBER 2, 1989 TO: WILLIAM HUSTON, CITY MANAGER FROM: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT SUBJECT: CIVIC CENTER EXPANSION/RENOVATION RECONMENDATION Pleasure of the City Council. BACKGROUND N0. 3 10-2-89 Inter - Com The City Council at their meeting on September 18th continued their discussion of this item until a full council was present. Please find attached a copy of the September 18, 1989 staff report. In addition to City Council action on the issue of the design of the Council Chambers, staff also believes it would be valuable at this time for the City Council to appoint two of its members to a sub -committee for further discussion and direction to staff on relocation opportunities for current City Hall operations. Christine Shingleton Director of Community Devalopment CAS : pef Attachment i N iULN-UA'/ —1, GATE: TO: FROM: SUBJECT: SEPTEMBER 18, 1989 14UI c 9-18-89 Inter - Com WILLIAM HUSTON, CITY MANAGER COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT CIVIC CENTER EXPANSION/RENOVATION RECOMMENDATION Pleasure of the City Council BACKGROUND Pursuant to concerns expressed by Councilman Prescott at a City Council workshop on the Civic Center project at a meeting on May 4,-1989, staff have asked John Bates, the City's architect on the civic center project,, -to provide additional narrative and graphic information on the design of the Council Chambers which attempts to address the issues raised by Councilman Prescott. As noted in the attached materials, Mr. Bates has modified the design in,an attempt to address Councilman Prescott's concerns. The attached material were ,transmitted to Councilman Prescott on August 21st requesting whether his concerns had been adequately addressed (see attached). In response to said request, Councilman Prescott requested that the matter be agendized for Council discussion. With the schedule for plan specification completion approaching, Council direction on this matter as soon as possible is critical to the project staying on tentative schedule. 4s'i�e tn01 n eton, Director of CommAity Development Attachment CAS:kbc Inter - Com )ATE: AUGUST 21, 1989 TO: EARL PRESCOTT, COUNCILMAN FROM: CHRISTINE SHINGLETON, DIRECTOR OF C0144UNITY DEVELOPMENT f/4' SUBJECT: CIVIC CENTER EXPANSION/RENOVATION Pursuant to your concerns expressed at a workshop of the City Council at their meeting of May 4, 19899. I have asked John. .B.ates ,._the - City's Architect to transmit additional narrative and graphic information justifying the design of the Council Chambers which attempts to address the issues you raised. As noted in the materials, Mr. Bates has modified the design to address your concerns. With the schedule for plan and specification completion approaching, please let me know within the next week if your concerns have been adequately addressed. I'd also be happy to set up a meeting with Mr. Bates as soon as possible to review with you the transmitted materials. If you have any questions, please contact -me. In the event I don't hear f rom you, I will assume you have no issues and tiho architect will begin finalizing the revised floor plan for the Council Chambers. CAS:pef cc: City Council William Huston Royleen White J!!B�a��RCHITECTURE &LAND PLANNING August 11, 1989 Ms. Christine Shingleton Director of Community Development City of Tustip .. 300 Centennial Way Tustin, CA 92680 Subj: Council Chambers Dear Christine: Enclosed please find the revised council chambers layout which was requested at our last public meeting. A copy of "Town Hall as Forum" is also enclosed which shows a number of conceptual alternatives. This layout avoids any Council member not facing the audience and still maintains the expanded presentation area we felt is deficient in the current plan. In this scheme each of the council members will have four lineal feet available as lay space. In addition the presentation area will be fully .accessible and exhibit area will be consolidated, and the space available dust about doubled. The asymmetrical plan avoids the pitfall of the current layout which is the fragmentation of the display areas. Hopefully-,. the questions raised have been addressed and resolved. Please advise if we can be of further assistance. B reg rds, J hn T. Bates, AIA encls. JB/ j b cor.#24/cncichms.ltr 22952" N ill Creek ltd., Laiguna Hills, CAA 92653 (714) -155-9301 FAX (714) 455-9308 k THE TOWN HALL* A FORUM FOR PUBLIC DIALOGUE By Mary Comerio and George Miers ocieties throughout history have provided spaces and buildings to house public debate. The Agora of ancient Greece, Rome's Forum,and and "Das Rathaus" of the German Renais- sance were the forerunners of today's Town Halls and Council Chambers. As building types, these earlier meeting daces tended to be relatively simple, large orwn maces which allowed groups of people to assemble and interact. The focus of these meetings was the speaker who, endowed with a strong voice and imposing stature, took center stage and addressed those around him. During the last twenty years, public participation in civic matters has risen dramatically in communities through- out the country. The trend is illustrated by the increase of recently incorporated cities, the current wave of citizen spon- sored referenda, and the growing im- portance of citizen review committees such as Planning, Design .Review and ._ Redevelopment Commissions. As a re- sult, the concept of the town hall as the center of public dialogue is being revi- talized, and the need for a variety of public assembly spaces has grown. Many small communities in Califor- nia do not have purpose-built council chambers but hold public meetings in a variety of other public facilities include ing schools, libraries, and community —enters. The City of Amador, for in - (Mary Comerio and George Miers are Principals in the architectural firm, George Miers & Associates, San Fran- cisco, Cali, brnia. stance, with -a population of 156, holds council meetings in a fire hall and Holt- ville (population 4,700) holds council meetings in the city clerk's office. In many small towns this works perfectly well. As a city grows, however, such a solution becomes less satisfactory. Scheduling conflicts may arise --with other users of the space, outside noise, poor acoustics inside the room and insufficient seating are common problems. The small to mid-sized community is best served by a multi-purpose room, lo- cated in or close to the City Hall with moveable seating and a rectilinear floor plan. Users of a small room also are more comfortable if the room has a high ceiling, which improves air circulation and creates the feeling of spaciousness. Such a facility can be used for other community events such as plays and can- certs, dances and craft fairs, and can he (continued on next po,� e) TWA Diagram 1: U -Shaped Plan LEGEND 1. City Council 2. Staff 3. Main Entrance 4. Podium 5. Raked Seats (150) 6. Audio/VisuaVConference Room 7. Rear Projection Screen 8. City Seal 9. Coffee Counter 10. Gallery Seats o Presentation Wall 12. Additional Seating 13. Piano II III III TWA Diagram 1: U -Shaped Plan LEGEND 1. City Council 2. Staff 3. Main Entrance 4. Podium 5. Raked Seats (150) 6. Audio/VisuaVConference Room 7. Rear Projection Screen 8. City Seal 9. Coffee Counter 10. Gallery Seats 11. Presentation Wall 12. Additional Seating 13. Piano Western CitylOctober 1987 19 9. Diagram 2: Arc -Shaped Plan 5/ ; fim Diagram 3: Side Wall Presentation Town Hall as Forum (continued) rented out for receptions and seminar: Larger communities, with popU tions over ten to fifteen thousand, net more specialized facilities. These con munities are generally best served by council chamber facility, specifical] designed for public meetings but flexib enough to be used for other events. Lik a courtroom, these chambers must ac commodate presentation and discussic within the formal procedures of cit government, but no one particular layoff is accepted as a standard. Thus for community in the process of planning new council chamber, it is important t, realize that the functional floor plan re lationships between city council, city staff, audience and speakers will influ ence the political dynamics of a public meeting.- As Mayor Linda Jeffery o. Dublin, California, puts it, "The Cita Council should have to look the electo• rate in the eye — particularly when vot. ing on difficult issues." tanning a council chamber in- volves a myriad of technical is- sues such as sight lines, ceiling and wall angles for acoustical control, lighting and audiovisual equipment. The size of the room is also important. Should it be designed, for example, to accommodate the .average turnout, the maximum number of community mem- bers ever likely to attend a council meet- ing; or by contrast, should the chamber size be limited to prevent large and un- ruly crowds? Can arrangements be made for people to follow proceedings outside in the lobby using a video system? Should special provision be made for the press and TV crews? Although each of these issues needs careful consideration, the arrangement of seating is the most critical aspect of the design. Seating layout affects coun- cil, audience, staff, and public speaker alike. To arrange the seating one must decide on a hierarchy of relationships. Should a speaker face the audience or the council or both? Should the council be able to confer with staff during public discussion? Should the staff be able to come and go, or confer among them- selves during the council meeting? These decisions are important because the physical arrangement of the room will come to symbolize the city's atti- tude towards government. The council chamber that has council members on a raised dais, staff seated to one side and October 19871 Western City the public looking up to the speaker making a statement about both how t officials view the public and, to somr. extent, the role of public participation. When the seating for council and staff is lower and the audience seating steps up, like theater seating. the speaker's po- dium seems less intimidating and the sense of distance between council mem- bers and citizens is diminished. As the diagrams illustrate, a number of basic meeting room seating arrange- ments exist. The U- and arc-shaped configurations (Diagrams l and 2) are probably the most common. These ar- rangements enhance the hierarchical importance of the Council or commis- sion and emphasize a direct relationship between audience and council. This di- rect relationship is also of impor tanc¢ relative to the speaker. In either of these plans, when a speaker must address the Council, the audience is at his or her back, and it is difficult to "play up" to the audience. This arrangement gener- ally places staff on either side of the Council, which hinders communication between staff and Council. Another negative aspect of these ar- rangements is the lack of a "double fo- - cus" for formal presentations requiring ►isual aids. If a speaker is presenting a building design or a proposal to the Council, Planning Commission, or De- sign Review Board, the speaker will generally refer to a combination of sl ides and drawings to make his or her point. The problem in Diagrams 1 and 2, is one of orientation. Which way should the speaker face, toward the audience or to- wards the Council? Where should the graphic material be placed so that both the audience and the Council can see them? In a recent survey of California City Halls, the lack of adequate presen- tation facilities was one of the most frequently mentioned complaints. Generally, Council Chambers. have not- been designed to accommodate graph- ics, so presentations frequently are made on the walls behind the Council seats, which makes the presentations visible to the audience but difficult for Council- members to read. More often such pre- sentations are made directly from the speaker's podium with the speaker's back and material turned away from the .-audience. In this case, the public often els left out and deprived of infor- .,iation, a circumstance which usually translates into public frustration. Diagram 3 illustrates a variation of the arc-shaped configuration, which we (continued on page S2) 9. Diagram 4: Front Wall Presentation a 10. Diagram 5: Council Chamber as Theatre. _ Western City/October 1987 21 PERSONNEL ASSOCIATES A Prol••sioaal Corporaltos • Ciassilicalia/lob Aaalyw • lob Emlwlwa • Compo•satioadbesalN Studios ■ Executive Search/Assess nent � Orgaaiulioa/Proe•dltn A•villrr Northers California Southern California (415)S30-8572 (213)873.2434 RUSTEN ASSOCIATES man"Gait" cea swwms To Gly a covey CV6"W tVW& • fYfMfirrr(Mf ahlpfs • o"Aaaors a.w Krs • COW tffec" W"a f.hpOMCMMft �ssr ts.rr�rt • sp9e "rs/srMOM19:f shows ass Munro SL. N.W.. suss 320. um"Vgwk O.C. (409) 039.1401 300 WAV" GwAr d sum 900. los finge" at (9131 SS7436s ` .LY t, wiiliams-Kaebelbeck 'L and Associates, Inc. 11..E tstsa tssw•wNs 81 ffiwswslsl c«»rNssa Feas"ly slueies. ecalomic ane fiscal impact analysis. elarllef research. Property dla"silitlrt slal•pf•s. 9~1w• t11er11 ane privlo finanual studies. N1 V 0w4. flea" 4166 11.rw.tl p1Y, ca► ...A • (.1flj ass-ssa Irm Idle... M.r7y1 I..In.. eve • �s41q ass-ss�s Town Hall as Forum (continued from page 21) have used in our recent Dublin City Hall design. This plan eliminates one portion of the arc, allowing for presentations on one side of the Council platform. This _enables staff, Council and audience to e both the graphic presentations* and .e speaker. The seats which are re- moved from this side are then reassigned behind the remaining staff seating. In this arrangement the 'City Manager, City Attorney and Recorder can sit adjacent to the Council while the de- partment heads are available for confer- .encing immediately behind. During Planning Commission hearings, the Community Development Director, Planning Director, or Redevelopment Director could sit adjacent to the Com- mission with their staff or consultants behind them. A further variation of this scheme is illustrated in Diagram 4. The split arc configuration contains most of the char- acteristics of Diagram 3, but allows for a central presentation area straight ahead of the audience. This arrange- ment lends itself more readily to having a rear view projection screen and audio- visual room behind the presentation board. In all the plans, the audiovisual room can double as a caucus or confer- ence room. The idea has been used in City of Brea's Council Chambers 1 in our design for the City of Dublin. In many cities, the Council Chambers also is used for other public events. Dia- gram S illustrates a facility with -150 fixed seats that can be converted into an intimate 200 -seat performance hall for 3- MCNOASSOCIATES •Ordonismisa 1, I f - • Ceeipenr•ti•n • Eseft*m 8eahhilm" • Perforomms AW*iW • Cio"ific tim • ►marvel system Colwoeth John Shorts• (916)187.1S81 3350 ww Ave.. Suite 140. S•aeas"o. CA 95821 16� i REWARD STRATEGY GROUP, INC. Personnel and Compensation Consultants • CNss*ul en A COffWndalan s Job Evalw"n Plans • PalrfarPerlonaane0 Plant • Pay Eauey Analysis • Pe.torinante Apprasal • Orparrrauon ENecuveness • Eosu"e Ca•puwlan • ►roactwey wwoveehem 1314 IMaN Glahoass oomW*ar•. Ginn"*. CA eu01 1$161246.41774 URBAN F UTURES I N C . PLANNING - REDEVELOPMENT - FINANCE - IMPLEMENTATION 4101 E. Chapman Ave.. Ste. 106 Fullerton. CA !2X3117111731}1277 If your firm is reaching out for new clients, building a name for itself, or introducing new services, invest in an- annual listing in Western City's Professional Services Directory. Call today to find out how you can take your place in the Professional Services Directory California city officials consult when they need help. Contact Western City's Advertising 1Aanager Jean Flagg at (916) 444-8960. theater and music performances, lec- tures and other presentations. Vith proper design considerations, the Coun- cil Chambers can double as a perfor- mance space without expensive lighting or acoustical aids. Whatever the seating arrangement _ and whatever multi-purpose use is en- visioned, the design of a Council Cham- bers should fit the -needs and style of the city that it serves. The Council Cham- bers is a strong symbol of local gov- ernment and its design reflects a community attitude towards public dialogue. ■ Farmers' Markets (continued from page 25) primary reason consumers say they prefer the farmers' markets to supermarket pro- duce is freshness, not price. (His research also has found consumers make ten times as many social contacts during a trip to a farmers' market as they do at the supermarket.) ehind a successful farmers' mar- ket, we usually find someone with a clear vision and a healthy amount of energy gathering a number of local people to consider how to incor- porate such a market into a community. A poorly chosen location ,can attract little business for producers or create parking problems that can hurt, rather than help, existing retailers. So, a mar- ket's chance of success -is increased when a wide range of community people, in- cluding city officials, local business rep- resentatives, nonprofit organizations and farmers take part in planning farmers' markets. By combining their knowledge, skills and perspectives, the market be- comes more representative of the com- munity and everyone gains a sense of ownership. This was particularly important when, in 1980, members of Long Beach churches began planning the revival of their long -cherished farmers market, a local tradition for 60 years until its clo- sure in 1973. It was the first of three farmers' markets now sponsored by the South Coast Ecumenical Council as means for providing lower cost food to residents of the community and provid- ing a marketing alternative for small farmers. Knowing the market promised to draw significant crowds, the city's redevel- opment staff insisted the market be lo- cated in the downtown redevelopment zone. City officials view the market as a valuable component within a mixed- use area around the city's newly com- pleted transportation center. Since the reopened market draws more than 2000 shoppers to the area each Friday afternoon, says David Biggs, development project manager for the city, "There will always be a place for it downtown." (For more information on farmers' markets, contact The Direct Marketing Program at 1213] 749-5775.) 52 October 19871 Western City ti co z co ..� • LU W CU CC Q U V z z. D. � CO O .F- U r U Q R �.■•�.... �■■r■■.■■.■r.rnrr►..■■.■e eiiiiio�.wii �.iii WN wine i rn...■..w■rnl■■■■■■r,lti�u ..... .ww�■s.■a■.■l �_ l..r... ■_ w■w.■.■■..w.r.u.■r.■.r■■■■./ ■ � L...a.% ..■rte/■■./■...■1 ................____--- n��r■...tCuR....■ .. .r .■z.■ . ■.■.owns `s.a■/i.■ ■....o■"" C ■ ■NR....r. rn�■+ ■w■■•.r..■ ■..■..■.■■ ■■ ■■t../■/.■. .. .��rr.•... • Mi 'I 0 ON �i we r. al