New Conference Center bids are $9M over budget; fountain demo set.

For more than a decade, the fountain in the center Monterey’s Customs House Plaza has sat dry after it was found that water from the fountain was leaking in the bay. The city has slated $130,000 to tear down the asbestos-filled structure located on state park property beginning on Nov. 12.

The impetus for the removal is the upcoming renovation of the Monterey Conference Center says city spokesperson Anne McGrath. Removing the structure will increase space in the plaza and allow the city to erect a temporary pavilion to accommodate events from January to May 2016. The conference center is set to close in November.

While the city anticipated spending $35 million on conference center construction costs, the lowest bid came in at $47 million. That can be reduced to $43.2 million with deductive alternatives, says Assistant City Manager Hans Uslar.

The council will vote Nov. 17 on whether to allocate another $9 million to the remodel project.

The city will close the Lighthouse Tunnel in both directions for two nights, Monday and Tuesday Nov. 16 and 17, from 8pm to 7am for the fountain demolition. The city will also complete two other projects, including the repair of two manhole covers, at that time.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the Monterey City Council slated $35 million for the conference center remodel, when it in fact slated $35 million to only the construction costs and architects. This story has been updated to correct the information.