TITLE:
title
APPROPRIATION OF GRANT FUNDS FOR VARIOUS PARK PROJECTS
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DEPARTMENT: PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT
PARKS AND COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT
PRESENTED BY: RAJA SETHURAMAN, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
JASON MINTER, PARKS AND COMMUNITY SERVICES DIRECTOR
CONTACT INFORMATION: RAJA SETHURAMAN, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR, (714) 754-5343
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Staff requests Parks and Community Services Commission provide recommendation to the City Council on the appropriation of recently-awarded State grant funds to various park projects.
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BACKGROUND:
The annual budget of the City of Costa Mesa includes a Capital Improvement Program (CIP) focused on capital projects throughout the City. These projects represent all departments and are funded from a variety of sources. The City Council considers input from the Commissions, Committees and community while approving projects on an annual basis.
Recently, State Senator David Min, representing the 37th District that includes the City of Costa Mesa, secured an appropriation of $10 million for park improvements in the 2022-23 California state budget. The appropriation identified four sites consisting of the Jack Hammett Sports Complex, TeWinkle Park and Athletic Complex, Fairview Park, and Shalimar Park. Per Senator Min’s office “the funding allows for Citywide overhaul of key projects aimed at improving access to open space and recreation amenities throughout Costa Mesa, including the expansion of Shalimar Park, which serves disadvantaged neighborhoods lacking open space.”
While the $10 million in funding provided by the State is not itemized by site or potential projects in detail, the funding is restricted for projects at these four park sites only, and must include a few key projects on which the City and Senator Min agree are consistent with his legislative priority to fund projects that support environmental sustainability. These projects include the following:
• Athletic Field Lighting Upgrade to LED - Replace current sports field lighting at the Jack Hammett Sports Complex and the TeWinkle Athletic Complex with LED lighting, to increase total playable hours for physical fitness, recreational and competitive sports. (Tennis Center lighting)
• Funding will be utilized towards the Fairview Park Bluff Stabilization and Restoration, and the Fairview Park Mesa Restoration - The Bluff Stabilization and Restoration project includes stabilization and restoration of Fairview Park’s westerly bluff slopes, which exhibit signs of progressive slope deterioration, erosion, and habitat disturbance. The Mesa Restoration project would include the removal of previously deposited fill materials and debris on the mesa, placement of an appropriate cap for the cultural resources site, and restoration of the native grassland and coastal sage scrub plant communities on the Fairview Park Mesa.
• Improvements to Shalimar Park - Includes a park expansion and/or rehabilitation of the entire park. These improvements are critical to the west side of the City given the current lack of open space.
As these projects are still in the very preliminary stages, it is not yet known how much these projects will cost, and how much will be remaining to fund additional projects at these sites, if any. However, it is important to note that at a minimum, the final application submitted to the State after City Council deliberations and public input must include these projects.
Additionally, State Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris, representing the 74th District that includes the City of Costa Mesa, secured an appropriation of $1.2 million for upgrades to Ketchum-Libolt Park for park expansion and recreation amenities. This will provide for significant expansion to the existing park space that will benefit adjacent neighborhoods.
The California Department of Parks and Recreation (CDPR) administers these allocations that were funded by the Budget Act of 2022 through the Local Assistance Specified grant program.
The City Council at its meeting on December 6, 2022, approved a resolution authorizing the preparation of formal application for projects for the above grants. CDPR will conduct a review of the submitted applications including Scope of Work, and following its acceptance, release funding to the City.
In addition, Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley contacted the City regarding the availability of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding that may be allocated for City projects. Staff developed a list of several projects for potential funding and submitted them to the Office of Supervisor Foley for consideration. The Office of Supervisor Foley selected Lions Park Café project in the amount of $1.2 million and Costa Mesa Skate Park Expansion in the amount of $2 million for this funding. The City Council at their meeting of December 6, 2022, approved these projects for funding and authorized the City Manager to execute necessary agreements.
Attachment 1 provides a summary of the above grants. The state-funded grant projects have a recommended completion date of December 31, 2025, with the project completion packets due to the Office of Grants and Local Services (OGALS) no later than January 31, 2026. The ARPA-funded grant project from the County has an expenditure deadline of December 2026.
While there are three grant funding sources for various projects, the grants awarded through Assemblymember Petrie-Norris and County Supervisor Foley are very specific in terms of project scope and allocation amounts. These are listed below:
• Assemblymember Petrie-Norris
o $1.2 million for expansion of Ketchum-Libolt Park
• Supervisor Foley
o $1.2 million for Lions Park Café
o $2.0 million for Costa Mesa Skate Park Expansion.
The grant awarded through Senator Min’s office in the amount of $10 million is restricted by locations, but has some leeway in the funding allocations for individual sites and flexibility in considering additional improvements at the four approved locations. The locations and minimum improvements that need to be included are:
• Jack Hammett Sports Complex - LED upgrades to existing sports field lighting;
• TeWinkle Athletic Complex - LED upgrades to existing sports field lighting;
• Shalimar Park - Improvements/upgrade of existing park area; and
• Fairview Park - Bluff Stabilization and Restoration, and Mesa Restoration.
The LED upgrades to Jack Hammett Sports Complex and TeWinkle Athletic Complex are estimated to be up to $1.75 million. The improvements to the existing Shalimar Park without any expansion is estimated to be approximately $1 million. The restoration of Fairview Park Mesa and Bluffs are major projects. The City’s Five-Year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) identifies a preliminary need for over $8 million for these projects. The actual cost for restoration of the entire Mesa and Bluffs could be significantly higher.
ANALYSIS:
Staff presented a report on Parks grant funds to the City Council at their Study Session on March 14, 2023. As part of this report, staff proposed the following additional projects for allocation of grant funds for discussion:
• Fairview Park Pump Station and Wetlands Recirculation System Improvements - This project will evaluate and implement improvements to the Fairview Park pump station and wetlands system intended to ensure reliable water supply to the wetland pond complex. Design elements to be incorporated include recirculation components to enhance water flow through the wetland pond complex, aeration systems, and monitoring and communications equipment to enable remote operation of the diversion system and water supply facilities.
• TeWinkle Amphitheater improvements - One of the lesser known amenities at TeWinkle Park is the Amphitheater. Improvements needed at this location include new concrete, seating, lighting, performance equipment hookups and signage.
• Enhanced signage at TeWinkle Park - The signage throughout the park will be upgraded to add wayfinding and education.
• Tennis Center Improvements - Improvements that are needed at this facility include restroom, club house, shade structure and concrete surface renovations.
• Bark Park Turf Improvements - The project will renovate the Bark Park with new turf and other amenities.
• TeWinkle Lakes Renovation - The lakes are a major feature of TeWinkle Park. However, the lakes are in disrepair with significant daily loss of water. The Lakes Improvement project is currently in design and will renovate the lakes with improved and well-defined shoreline, new lining of lakes, ozone treatment of water and landscaping.
• Baseball field drainage and batting cage improvements - TeWinkle Park baseball fields have ongoing drainage issues due to underlying soil conditions. The project will address these concerns as well as provide additional amenities.
• TeWinkle Tennis Center and Bark Park LED Lighting - Improvements to convert existing lighting to LED. This will improve reliability and reduce maintenance and operation costs.
• Pickleball Courts at TeWinkle Park - This project involves adding pickleball courts adjacent to the Costa Mesa Tennis Center.
Preliminary City Council Recommendations: The City Council at their meeting on March 14, 2023, recognized that majority of $10 million in grant funds through Senator Min would be allocated for LED upgrades at TeWinkle Athletic Fields and Jack Hammett Sports Complex, Fairview Park restoration efforts and Shalimar Park improvements. While there may be some funds available, the City Council recognized the need to limit the number of projects to ensure higher quality investments on fewer projects, and to allow for potential cost increases. If additional funding is available, the following projects were identified as priority by majority of City Council:
• TeWinkle Athletic Complex drainage and other improvements;
• TeWinkle Lakes Improvements; and
• Tennis Center and Bark Park LED upgrades.
Staff requests input from the community and the PACS Commission on potential projects for allocation of grant funds, considering the funding limitations as well as obligations. The recommendations from the PACS Commission will be considered by the City Council while providing final direction on the funding applications that will be submitted to the State.
ALTERNATIVES:
There are no alternatives suggested for this item.
FISCAL REVIEW:
The Public Works Department will return to the City Council to approve and adopt the proposed capital improvement project and include relevant information of the scope, budget, and timeline for each project, including ongoing maintenance costs, if any.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney’s Office has reviewed this agenda report and approves it as to form.
CONCLUSION:
Staff requests Parks and Community Services Commission recommendation to the City Council on the appropriation of recently-awarded State grant funds to various park projects.