Witte Hall News Today

Approvals for the project went through in a tight 4-3 vote of the City Council in January. The total cost of the lecture hall, $23.4 million, will be split between the city and the Newport Beach Public Library Foundation.

Daily Pilot readers share their thoughts about local issues including off-leash dogs, proposed charter amendments in Surf City and the Newport Beach Library Lecture Hall project.

Construction could begin next month and the hall could open by 2026.

Construction on the lecture hall, which will cost an estimated $23.5 million overall, is expected to begin this spring for completion in winter 2025. The Newport Beach Public Library Foundation is expected to split its costs with the city.

In the last few days, though, at least 200 emails have flooded City Hall, with more residents questioning the new price tag and the city's contribution than supporting the project.

This is the second time the project has gone out to bid, and total estimated costs have risen. Initial talks for a library lecture hall date back to 2017.

The cost has grown to $19.3 million from initial estimates a couple of years ago.

Its hoped the renovation will carry Sellery Hall for another 60 years before another major project could be needed, University Housing Director Jeff Novak said.

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The Spyglass Hill Community Assn., seeking to boost security measures, approached the city about the possibility of installing cameras in discreet locations near the entrance to the neighborhood.