Decision time: Several issues will re-shape downtown skyline Construction begins for Central Library Officials broke ground on the new Central Library in East Village July 28, kicking off a three-year, $185 million project that will serve the city’s 35-branch system and put more than 1.3 million items into circulation. The nine-story facility will include a technology center with more than 400 computer workstations, multiple community gathering locations, a rooftop garden and a charter school. The first phase of construction, which will establish the building’s core, is expected to be complete in January 2012. Members of the San Diego Public Library Foundation are still looking for an additional $32.5 million needed to complete the second phase, which will address interior improvements. Mayor reverses stance on San Diego Civic Center Mayor Jerry Sanders has vetoed a decision made by the City Council on July 12 to put a proposal for a new City Hall building to a public vote in November. The veto represents a dramatic departure from the mayor’s stance earlier in the month, when he appealed to the public and council members to consider the long-term cost savings associated with the new building, compared with the expense of “holding steady” in the existing Civic Center, which was built in 1964. Sanders had championed the project as a way to save as much as $236 million over a 50-year period, but ultimately vetoed placing the project up for a public vote when representatives from the building’s developer, Gerdling Edlen, expressed concern about the cost of running a campaign in support of the project. There is still a chance the plan could move forward, however; the City Council has until Friday, Aug. 6 to override Sander’s veto and put the plan back on the ballot, or they could vote to approve the project without seeking public approval. But in earlier discussions, several council members were adamant that such a project should not move forward without the public’s support. Proposed homeless center project moves forward The city’s Land Use and Housing Committee voted 3-1 on July 14 to approve a $31 million proposal to create a one-stop homeless service center at San Diego’s World Trade Center building. The project will now move to the City Council for a final vote. District 2 City Councilman Kevin Faulconer, who represents the downtown area, voted against the project at the committee level, saying he would prefer a more comprehensive approach to handling homelessness. If the council approves the center, it will be a one-stop venue for services and shelter for up to 225 people; officials estimate that there are about 4,300 homeless people within San Diego’s city limits. The project has been a source of controversy, as opponents fear the location of the center in the heart of the city’s financial district will be detrimental to businesses. Massive concrete pour scheduled Aug. 7 A huge mat pour for Father Joe’s Villages newest development, a child development center at 15th and Commercial, will involve 264 truckloads of concrete pouring a foundation filling 2,640 yards of concrete ranging from 5 to 10 feet in thickness on saturday, Aug. 7, beginning at 6 a.m. Portions of 15th, 16th and Commercial streets will be closed to accommodate the trucks through about 10 a.m. The project will be three buildings in one: a new child development center, an updated Bishop Maher Center providing long term transitional housing, and affordable/ permanent supportive housing all under one roof. Construction to start on downtown quiet zone Construction on the city’s downtown quiet zone is slated to begin at the end of August pending a 30-day waiting period to ensure that an ordinance approving construction and maintenance contracts is not derailed by a public referendum, said Scott Johnson, senior project manager at Centre City Development Corporation (CCDC) — the agency overseeing the project. Although there has been no movement by the public to undertake such an effort, all city ordinances must comply with the mandatory wait, Johnson said. If the proposal passes the public test, contractors will be able to obtain permits after Aug. 13 and begin procuring equipment. Johnson said contractors will be working with railway authorities to minimize the potential impact to those who ride the trains and trolleys; most of the work at the intersections will be conducted between 2 and 4 a.m., he said. The quiet zone plan went into action June 22 when the City Council voted to approve the 15-month endeavor, which will involve spending an estimated $17.9 million on enhanced safety measures at 13 intersections along the railway from Laurel Street to Park Boulevard. Balboa Park receives national award The American Public Works Association (APWA) named San Diego’s Balboa Park Ornamentation Restoration Project as a Public Works Projects of the Year. It was chosen in the category of historical restoration, boasting a cost of less than $5 million. The project is being recognized as an example of an outstanding alliance between the managing agency, contractor, consultant and their cooperative achievements. The San Diego Museum of Man is one of the two buildings in the project being named for the Spanish colonial architectural restoration. The second building, originally built in 1926, is the Museum of Art. The ornamentation on this structure was built of reinforced architectural precast concrete. The city of San Diego, Soltek Pacific Construction and Heritage Architecture and Planning will receive the award for their work on the project at the APWA’s 2010 International Congress and Exposition in Boston from Aug. 15 through 18.