CONtext+disCOURSE

Council OKs Construction Of Airport Parking Garage
After more than six years of talking, a new parking garage should begin construction before the first of the year at the Long Beach Airport. Tuesday night, the City Council unanimously approved a design-build contract worth $44.5 million with ARB, Inc., for the first phase of a garage originally approved on Feb. 18, 2003. The actual contract is $42,470,170, with the rest in reserve as a contingency fund. On Jan. 3, 2008, the council approved an Environmental Impact Report for expansion and renovation of the airport terminal that included plans for a 3,200-car garage. But last February, newly hired Long Beach Airport Director Mario Rodriguez unveiled a two-phase plan that would build a garage with 1,989 spaces, waiting for the second phase until passenger load justifies its construction. Continue reading Downtown Gazette.