Politics & Government

Tennis Center Overhaul $50K Costlier than Expected

Removing trees, lead and asbestos are some of the unforeseen problems driving up the cost of renovating Mission Viejo's Marguerite Tennis Center.

Ten trees, lead pipes and asbestos are some of the obstacles not counted on by city planners who budgeted the ongoing renovation to the . On Tuesday, the Mission Viejo City Council will be asked to spend an additional $51,000 to remove the trees, pipes, asbestos and other unforeseen project needs.

That's about 1 percent of the total cost of the project, which was originally planned at $4.68 million.

Western Alta Construction is replacing the tennis center building with one that meets Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. The contractor is also replacing one tennis court and adding two more for a total of eight courts.

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Part of the renovation is an update of the city sewer system. That became more costly when asbestos was discovered, requiring the replacement of 300 feet of sewer line.

Another snag in the project were five sycamore trees along the project's perimeter, which the city's arborist recommended replacing. That along with five pine trees with bad roots means the city will remove 10 trees.

Find out what's happening in Mission Viejowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Other unforeseen costs included further city permit fees, water district fees, temporary office space rental, temporary fencing and asbestos removal from drain pipes.

The renovation was planned for five years before being approved in June 2010.


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