| | Published March 13th, 2013
| Manzanita Room Remodel on Hold
| | By Cathy Tyson |  | | Manzanita room at the Lafayette Community Center Photo Cathy Tyson
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At over 60 years old, the 2,800-square-foot Manzanita room at the Lafayette Community Center has seen better days. It opened its doors when Dwight Eisenhower was just starting his first term in office. The large building is used for a variety of activities, including hosting Camp Awesome - 100 children per week throughout the summer, indoor sports classes from soccer to basketball to dodgeball, birthday parties and event rentals, teen dances and more.
Knowing that the structure was on its last legs, two consultants were engaged, Proto Architecture Inc. and Kleinfelder West, to see which would be the better option - repair and remodel or just tear it down and start from scratch. The findings suggested that while remodeling the existing building would be slightly cheaper and occur within a shorter time frame, replacing the existing building is more beneficial in the long run and would provide design flexibility that would better accommodate a range of uses.
Director of the Parks Trails and Recreation department Jennifer Russell obtained estimates on a complete remodel and two options for brand new buildings.With firm conservative estimates in hand, the three options went to the Parks Trails and Recreation Commission for review; the commission chose Option 2,coming in at a total of $1.8 million, a figure that includes insurance, fees, contingency, engineering and design. It was the less expensive of the two rebuild options.
Commissioners felt this structure would provide the most benefits at a reasonable cost - generating more revenue from rentals for weddings, bar mitzvahs and the like -- along with a generous space to offer classes, with energy-efficient lighting, heating and air conditioning. It would also include attached bathrooms - a big step up from having guests or students walk half the length of the former school to use existing restrooms.
Funding for the project will be provided by development fees that are exclusively paid by developers when they have a new project in Lafayette, known as Fund 12, along with earmarked Measure WW funds, the voter approved bond that can only be used acquiring and improving parks, trails and recreational facilities, and an anticipated contribution from the Lafayette Community Foundation.
Because the Parks, Trails and Recreation Capital Improvement Program (CIP) is expected to be presented to the city council in March or April, council members decided to hold off on a decision until that time. The CIP looks at current projections of anticipated revenue and infrastructure needs for the next five years.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA