Lead, mold, asbestos and contamination from bats living in the California Theater must be properly handled before renovation of the Pittsburg landmark can proceed, the City Council decided Monday.To do that, the council, acting as the Redevelopment Agency, approved spending up to $1 million with the Restoration Clean Up Company Inc. of Pittsburg. The extent of the work that must be done -- and the total cost to do it -- cannot be determined until the company begins working, but redevelopment director Randy Starbuck said he expects the cost to approach $1 million.

"This is an absolutely critical step in this whole progress," Starbuck said Monday.

The discovery of the contaminants and a colony of several hundred bats inside the theater has delayed work on the building by at least six months.

City officials and residents hope the California Theater can again be the regional attraction it was after it opened in 1920. It closed in 1954, was bought by the city in 1970 and has been in disrepair since 1991, when the roof was discovered to be leaking.

The city in April approved spending about $422,000 for Architectural Resources Group of San Francisco to prepare designs, plans and specifications related to the first phase of preservation work, but the company cannot enter the theater until the environmental concerns have been addressed.

Not including the contract approved this week, the city has spent almost $20,000 this year on two more contracts to assess and clean up contaminants found in the theater. The money for all three contracts comes from $2.5 million budgeted by the Redevelopment Agency for initial work on the theater.

Dominion Environmental LLC of Petaluma was paid $5,700 to evaluate the theater for mold, asbestos and lead. The company found all three, plus bat manure and urine -- contamination added by the flying mammals discovered there.
Animal Damage Management Inc. of Morgan Hill, hired in September, received about $14,000 to get rid of the bats and remove animal waste. The company disposed of carcasses and waste and installed a one-way door that prevents bats from re-entering the building after they leave it to feed.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/local/states/california/16113519.htm
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