COUNCIL TO GET BALL MOVING ON CIVIC ARTS PLAZA FIXES.

Byline: - Cecilia Chan

A $4.7 million project is expected to begin next month to repair leaks at the Civic Arts Plaza.

During its meeting tonight, the City Council is expected to approve a budget for the two-phase project.

``All efforts will be made to minimize noise and disruption to operations,'' city Facilities Manager Tom Hare said Monday.

Most of the money will come from a settlement the city received last year after it sued a contractor over construction defects in the Civic Arts Plaza, which opened in October 1994.

The city received $6.9 million but had to pay a law firm $3.1 million for handling the case, leaving a $3.8 million balance, officials said. The remaining $950,000 for the project will be paid from the city's legal contingency reserve.

Assistant City Attorney Nancy Schreiner said the project's final cost could be higher or lower, depending on the bids received.

``So far we are finding things are coming in lower so things are better for us,'' she said.

The first phase will take six months to complete and will include repairs or replacements to the decking, windows and to the seismic expansion joint system, Hare said.

He said officials should know in three to four months whether the often-ridiculed Copper Curtain, a 50-foot-by-60-foot metal sculpture that hangs on the east exterior wall, will be removed for repairs.

Phase two is expected to begin in the summer or early fall of 2003.

Hare said the building began experiencing leaks after the first winter storms.

``My maintenance guys got so good at knowing where the leaks are, they are able to catch all of them,'' he said. ``So far this year, it hasn't gotten really bad.''