Upgrades Planned for Diamond Bar Center

The Diamond Bar Center will be getting some improvements.

The Diamond Bar City Council this week voted 5-0 to authorize the city manager to enter into a $30,000 contract with LPA Inc. for the development of construction drawings for upgrades to the center.  The vote also included the award of a $169,000 contract with NexusIS for design and installation of additional security cameras and the approval of an $184,000 agreement with Muzak for design and installation of audio visual upgrades.

The center opened in April 2004 and is open to the public seven days a week for nearly 18 hours a day, staff wrote in a report to council.  The facility is used heavily for community events, weddings, classes, crafts, banquets, workshops, and business conferences.

“After nearly eight years of continuous use and the increasing number of events and activities, there is a need to upgrade certain systems and a desire to remodel the staff office area, modify the front counter and create a ‘sales office’ area,” staff wrote, adding that each project will be done under separate contracts independent of each other.

The estimated cost to renovate the sales office and staff area is around $272,000, including construction, furniture, fixtures, equipment, consultant fees, and design.  However, the exact costs won’t be known until the construction documents are completed, according to staff.

The security camera upgrades are needed to improve and enhance the coverage of the system on both the inside and outside of the building, especially with advances in technology.

“The new Diamond Bar Center camera system will leverage the city’s current investment in security technology by tying it into the existing operating system at City Hall,” staff wrote in the report.

Plans for the audio and visual system upgrades include new microphones and media players, hearing impaired listening devices, additional ceiling speakers, new monitors, and a Creston control system to allow staff to control it remotely.  Also proposed is the retrofitting of existing lights with new ballasts and dimmer switches for the lights.