BRENTWOOD — Dozens turned out this week for a ceremony celebrating the start of construction on the city's long-awaited civic center.

Politicos and police, chamber of commerce and school district officials, city employees in ties and construction workers sporting hard hats — all gathered downtown at Second and Oak Streets, where site preparation already has begun for a new city hall and community center.

"This is probably the largest thing to hit Brentwood in 50 years," said Mayor Bob Taylor against a backdrop of drawings showing what the complex will look like.

Incorporating the Spanish-style features of the former Brentwood Hotel, the approximately 60,000-square-foot, three-story city hall will bring departments all back under the same roof.

The status quo is a model of inefficiency, noted city management analyst Gail Leech. Offices are spread out over four buildings; both the park and recreation department and the council chambers are nearly 1½ miles away from downtown.

What's more, quarters are cramped; there isn't always enough room to put employees who work with each other all in the same area, Leech said.

The new community center will be an approximately 32,000-square-foot, two-story building that includes a kitchen and large banquet room.

Pegged at $47.8 million, the two-year undertaking also entails building a three-story parking garage with 280 stalls and City Park will get a new look.

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Once construction is finished in spring 2012, the county library branch that was relocated from its spot adjoining City Park this summer to make way for the center will boast about quadruple the elbow room.

Currently housed in an Oak Street building that it's sharing with city employees, the library will have the entire facility to itself after they move into the new city hall.

Spread over about 17,000 square feet, it will be the largest branch in East County, Taylor said.

Since discussions about replacing city hall began 15 years ago, proponents have encountered setbacks and controversy.

Dissatisfaction with the original design several years ago delayed the project, and when the economy went south the city decided to postpone building the tiered parking lot until it had more money.

Councilmembers reversed their position, however, when the winning bid came in 36 percent under the engineer's construction costs estimate.

Still, the civic center has its critics.

Councilmen Erick Stonebarger and Brandon Richey consistently have voted against it, and a small but vocal group of residents who don't want the construction encroaching on City Park were waving protest signs at Tuesday's ceremony.

Reach Rowena Coetsee at 925-779-7141.