BID VIEWED FOR OLD CITY HALL RENOVATION; T.O. COUNCIL TO VOTE TONIGHT ON AWARD OF CONTRACT FOR WORK.

Byline: Kevin F. Sherry Daily News Staff Writer

The landmark former city hall may finally get a much-needed face lift after a second round of construction bids to reduce the project's cost.

Last month, the City Council rejected all bids for renovation of the south half of the Hillcrest Drive complex - known as the ``eyebrows on the hill'' - because each exceeded the budget. Planners then increased the budget from $1.3 million to $1.78 million and the rebidding process produced a low bid of $1.65 million compared with a previous low bid of nearly $1.9 million.

The National Park Service has an agreement with the city to move into the renovated facility.

The council is scheduled at its meeting tonight to vote on awarding the construction contract to Alpha Construction of Van Nuys, which submitted the low bid.

If the council approves the bid, construction could begin next month with an expected completion date of March 1. The Park Service had hoped to move into the building by December, said Ed Johnduff, the city's special projects and programs manager.

``We need to go forward and do the improvements so we can deliver the building,'' Johnduff said.

The revised estimate of $1.65 million for basic construction takes into account all the things that have changed since the time of the first estimate a year ago, Johnduff said.

``The initial analysis was based on a generic look at the building,'' Johnduff said.

For example, he said inflation alone added $50,000 to the cost of the project. Also, the unique outer walls of the building have been declared a historic landmark.

``We needed to be more careful about the historic character to the building,'' Johnduff said.

Protecting the all-around windows is particularly costly. The old single-pane glass must be replaced with a more energy-efficient double-pane system, and the heating and cooling system must be improved, he said.

``That building, as it was designed originally, couldn't meet the energy requirements of today,'' Johnduff said.