FACE LIFTING SCHEDULED FOR CITY HALL.

Byline: Sylvia L. Oliande Staff Writer

BURBANK - The City Council has hired a Glendale contractor to refurbish its historic council chambers, a project that will get under way after newly elected council members take office this spring.

After fine-tuning details about light fixtures and drapes to highlight the wall-size mural behind the dais, the council this week hired the Nazerian Group to complete the renovation for $395,000.

Although some members of the city's Heritage Commission initially feared that the renovated chambers would not look like the original, the chairman said Thursday that commissioners were satisfied with the final plans.

``Obviously we want the room to be restored as much as possible while still accommodating the modern needs of the building,'' Craig Bullock said.

Bullock said the chambers, which are on the second floor of City Hall, were completed in 1943 for little more than $400,000, then remodeled in the 1970s.

The latest refurbishment efforts were launched in 1997, soon after City Hall was listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. The work also has included restoring the fountain on the front steps.

Bob Van Hazelen, a Burbank fleet and building manager, said the construction was scheduled far in advance because city officials want the room kept open as long as possible while the contractor gathers materials and does other preliminary work.

During construction, public meetings will be held in the fire training center facility. The work is tentatively scheduled to begin May 11, with the first meeting in the renovated chambers to be Aug. 7.

The work will include raising the ceiling by about 4 feet, exposing a portion of the ``Four Freedoms'' mural that was covered up in a previous remodeling.

During the renovation, the contractor will hang new drapes and a curtain that can be drawn across the mural when necessary.

The new ceiling will have eight pendant light fixtures hanging from it, replicating the original light fixtures that disappeared during the 1970s remodeling. Bullock said the copies were preferable over simply installing old-fashioned lights.

``We were trying to be sure we don't create a false sense of history - either replicate exactly or not at all,'' Bullock said.

Van Hazelen said the woodwork will be refinished and new carpet installed. New chairs also will be purchased for the council and staffers, and the public seats will be reupholstered.

A second camera will be added to record speakers who address the council. Finally, a modern presentation board will be removed and a new screen installed in the ceiling and lowered as needed.

``It's not so obtrusive,'' Van Hazelen said. ``We're trying to clean it up. This is not an original piece, and if it leaves it's not a reminder that it's not an original piece.''