RETROFIT FAILS TO FIX LEAKS CITY HALL ROOF REPAIRS ORDERED.

The city of Los Angeles spent $300 million to renovate City Hall, but it forgot one thing: the leaky roof.

The leaky tiles and other suspect parts of the more than 70-year-old roof weren't penciled into the original repair work, which was mostly to make the landmark edifice seismically safe along with refurbishing and remodeling the interior, city officials said.

But as they finished the monumental work - with the delayed gala opening just two weeks away - officials finally realized they had a leaky roof and rainy season wasn't far off.

So without telling the City Council and seeking bids, officials decided to pull $800,000 out of the maintenance budget and hire a contractor to repair the roof, according to Chief Legislative Analyst Ron Deaton and Department of General Services officials.

The work is to start today.

``They just spent $300 million, and now they're going to put a new roof on?'' said Councilman Dennis Zine, who represents the West Valley and sits on the council committee that oversees the General Services Department that does building maintenance.

``Anytime we spend money, I think we should learn about it. If we spent $300 million to retrofit and renovate this City Hall, I would think the roof would be a part of it. This is the first I've heard of it.''

Mayor James Hahn was disappointed the roof wasn't repaired during the renovation, said Deputy Mayor Matt Middlebrook.

``Luckily, it doesn't rain much in L.A.,'' Middlebrook said.

City Controller Laura Chick also said she wasn't aware of the roof addition but said she plans to evaluate all the City Hall reconstruction work.

``I'm going to examine this entire project from top to bottom,'' Chick said.

Deaton, who personally oversaw the entire City Hall restoration, said the roof project is considered separate from the $300 million renovation and indicated there may still be future unspecified work needed elsewhere in the building.

``It was not a rehab of the entire building,'' Deaton said.

He said city officials were aware the roof had problems before the renovation, but it apparently got worse. When moving back in, officials with the General Services Department decided it needed to be replaced.

``There were problems before we started the project, and over the ensuing time, the roof deteriorated,'' Deaton said.

The project, he said, can be considered a maintenance item that can be funded from the city's capital improvement budget without council approval.

``There were some concerns the roof would leak when the rains came. They wanted to get it done when there's no rain,'' Deaton said. Tony DeClue, Department of General Services assistant general manager, said both the flat sections on the fifth floor and the historic tile on the 10th floor are to be redone section by section, using as much of the old, unbroken tile as possible.

``This has a very high priority,'' DeClue said. ``We plan to provide maximum protection for the building, and to get it done as soon as possible.''

DeClue said the local firm, Best Roofing, got the award without the project going to bid as an amendment to an existing contract.

Stan Morimoto, project manager on the seismic retrofit, said leaks have been detected on the 10th floor.

Also, during the start-up, as workers were about to move back into City Hall, one of the cooling towers overflowed and flooded the roof, leaking into the fourth floor where the council members' offices are located.

``It's very old. It's the original roof,'' Morimoto said.

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The $300 million seismic retrofit at City Hall did not include repairs to the aging, leaky roof.

Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer