Title
Recommendation to Approve the Park and Recreation Facilities Project Priorities. (Recreation and Parks 51210)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In October 2019, the City Council directed staff to conduct a park and recreation facility project priorities review with the Recreation and Parks Commission (Commission) as part of a referral to establish an implementation plan for De-Pave Park. The Commission recommended its prioritized list of park projects with the top three being: the Public Access Pathways on Fernside and Eastshore; the Towata Park Kayak Launch; and De-Pave Park. Staff is requesting the City Council to approve a Park and Recreation Facility project priority list.
BACKGROUND
On October 15, 2019, the City Council considered a referral to “Establish an implementation plan to create a shoreline ecological park on the west side of Seaplane Lagoon at Alameda Point, commonly known as De-Pave Park.” The City Council provided direction to staff to conduct a process with the Commission to evaluate and prioritize existing and upcoming park projects and make a recommendation to the City Council.
On December 12, 2019, the Commission discussed the park projects and formulated a recommendation to the City Council. The prioritized list is included in Exhibit 2. During the course of the discussion, the Commission also discussed the large number of projects and recognized that staffing levels should also be addressed. The Recreation and Parks Director developed a staffing plan, which will be considered in the context of the mid-cycle budget process, when the City Council will be considering a number of other staffing requests associated with other identified priorities.
DISCUSSION
There are numerous park and recreation facility projects currently in various stages of development as well as many future park opportunities. Exhibit 1 provides a map that indicates which City park projects are in design development, construction, or have future phases to complete the park. It also shows future parks that have been identified and parks being built by developers that will be the responsibility of Alameda Recreation and Parks Department (ARPD) to operate and maintain when open.
Exhibit 2 provides details on all of these projects with the project status, the staff responsible for the project, estimated timelines, funding, and any previous direction provided by the City Council and/or the Commission. The Commission’s park and recreation facility recommendation prioritized the completion of all current projects first, including the Public Access Pathways on Fernside and Eastshore (Pathways). Their recommendation also included completion of the Towata Park Kayak Launch as a top priority, with the reasoning that this project is connected with the Pathways project since the addition of a kayak launch was discussed during the feasibility study process for the Pathways and Towata Park was recommended as the ideal location for a formal public launch for non-motorized watercraft. The Commission recommended the design and construction of De-Park Park as the next park project priority.
Most, if not all, of these park projects are funded by numerous sources including grants, developer impact fees, donations, and the General Fund. Grant funding sources are very unpredictable. Some park grants are broad and may be used for a variety of projects and some are very specific. Staff applies for grants when feasible and available but not all grants submitted are won. In addition, developer impact fees for parks were recently reduced by nearly half and are only collected on new housing developments. Given this variable nature of funding, staff recommends that this park and recreation facility project priority list be dynamic and allow flexibility to prioritize a project based on available funding and staffing capacity. For example, direct funding first toward existing parks such as Estuary Park and Jean Sweeney Open Space Park, which each have one to two phases remaining for park completion. However, grants and other funding could still be pursued concurrently to conduct a master plan process for new parks such as De-Pave Park. This is a less intensive component of park development. Funding also always needs to be identified for ongoing maintenance before starting construction of a new park or phase.
To give a sense of scale and scope for a park project, the steps below describe the “Life of a Park Project” from its inception to opening.
1) Identify funding for the three primary phases of a project: Master Plan/Conceptual Design, Detailed Design, and Construction. This includes writing and managing grants, identifying available City funds and requesting funds from the City Council as needed.
2) Conduct a Request for Proposals (RFP) process for a Master Plan/Conceptual Design or Feasibility Study.
3) Manage the high level design process with an architect and conduct a public input/participation process to ultimately develop a Master Plan/Conceptual Design.
4) Conduct an RFP process for detailed design and Construction Documents (CDs) and contract with an Architect.
5) Manage the development of detailed design and CDs. This step may be coordinated with the Project Manager (PM) on larger projects.
6) Identify ongoing funding sources for long-term maintenance of the facility.
7) Secure City, regional, state, and federal permits as needed per project.
8) Prepare bid documents and go out to bid for construction.
9) Build the project, which includes problem solving as issues inevitably arise, managing the budget and coordinating with Public Works, architect and contractor.
10) Accept the project and Grand Opening!
11) Maintain the park on an ongoing basis.
Staffing for park project development and construction includes the Recreation and Parks Director (Director), a Parks Manager (Manager) and a Public Works Project Manager (PM). The Director is responsible for the overall project management from start to finish, including identifying and managing funding sources, master planning process, detailed design and high level construction oversight. Steps 1 through 7 above are currently coordinated solely by the Director with the exception of assistance from the PM on construction document development. The Manager consults on park designs and handles daily field coordination during construction including problem solving with the PM, contractor and architect. The PM coordinates the bid process, coordinates directly with the contractor, inspector, and architect during construction and manages all aspects of the construction, including detailed paperwork. On larger projects, the PM is also involved during the detailed design development.
Planning a park project takes a strong attention to detail, managing a wide variety of tasks, an ability to facilitate an effective public input process, coordination with stakeholders, and an understanding of project components such as utilities and park facilities.
Based on discussions with the Commission, staff discussed a staffing needs associated with the current list of park priority projects. As mentioned previously, a more comprehensive staffing discussion is planned as part of the mid-cycle budget review process with the City Council. ARPD staffing options will be presented in more detail at that time.
To provide context for the park prioritization, below is a brief description of each project.
Current Park Projects
• Krusi Park Recreation Center - This is currently under construction and full buildout will include furnishing the Center. This will be completed in time for summer programs in June 2020.
• City Aquatic Center - This is a conceptual design process for a potential City Aquatic Center. There was a significant amount of public input throughout January and February 2020 with the full conceptual design completed by May 2020. Subsequent steps will include identifying funding, which may include private partnerships and/or an infrastructure bond, and, if funding is secured, detailed design and construction.
• Jackson Park Play Area - Design concepts are being developed. After public input and Commission approval, detailed design and construction will follow.
• Fernside and Eastshore Pathways - ARPD staff is working with the City Attorney’s office to conduct boundary surveys and create new easements. There are short-term safety improvements required and then the next step is an RFP for detailed design and permits, followed by construction.
• Annual Playground Replacement -Designs are being solicited for the Bayport Park playground with public input conducted in early 2020, followed by construction.
• Corica Park Parking Lot - This project is to install new utilities, resurface the parking lot, and add Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and drainage improvements. Utilities will be installed this year by Greenway Golf and the remainder of the project is designed and will go out to bid in early 2020.
• Northwest Territories Regional Shoreline - A Memorandum of Understanding with the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) was approved by the City Council in February. A detailed lease agreement will be developed within one year, after which staff will work with EBRPD to conduct a public input process for a conceptual plan that must be completed within two years of signing of the lease agreement.
• Jean Sweeney Open Space Park - The City is in eminent domain (condemnation) proceedings with Union Pacific to acquire the remaining parcels on the southern border of the Park with a court date in February 2021 if the parcels cannot be acquired without the need for a trial. These parcels are crucial for utility connections and until this legal process is complete, the remaining two phases of Sweeney Park cannot be built. Once the City owns those parcels, staff will seek grant funding to complete the park construction. Accordingly, completion of the Park could be 3 - 5 years in the future.
• Estuary Park - Construction of the second phase can begin once funding is secured. The most likely funding source is development impact fees from new housing development in the community. This construction could be within the next 2 - 3 years.
Future Park Projects
• Towata Park Kayak Launch - This is an unfunded project, but there is potential grant funding available from the Division of Boating and Waterways (DBW), which has a grant specifically for design and construction of public non-motorized watercraft launch (kayak, paddleboards, canoes, etc.). According to DBW staff, there are very few agencies that apply for this type of grant source and the full funding amount is never awarded. DBW staff strongly encouraged the City to apply.
• De-Pave Park - This Park is detailed in the Alameda Point Town and Waterfront Precise plan with the intention to convert the existing concrete surface to passive parkland and a sustainable ecological area including wetlands. This Park would be designed to inundate over time with sea level rise and create a tidal ecology system, which has notable carbon sequestration benefits.
• Enterprise Park - This triangular park, between the Encinal Boat Launch and USS Hornet, includes the old Navy campground and recreation center. A UC Berkeley graduate student group recently conducted a high level conceptual survey with the public for this Park. There are opportunities for public/private partnership with both the campground and recreation center. There are local business people interested in developing and managing both the campground and recreation center.
• Alameda Point Regional Sport Complex - This 57-acre park will include amenities and programming for a wide variety of sports. There are possibilities for public/private partnerships for operation and maintenance. The Site A developer, Alameda Point Partners, is required to fund $1,000,000 for the Regional Sports Complex. This funding could be utilized to conduct the master plan process and permitting. The timing for construction of this facility is dependent upon when the Veteran’s Administration installs the main utilities lines along West Redline Road, which could be several years away.
Park Projects Constructed by Developers and Maintained by ARPD
The following three parks are built by developers and will open at various times over the next two years. The Alameda Point parks are anticipated to be open to the public in late 2020 and the Alameda Landing park is anticipated to open in phases in 2021 and 2022. All three parks are all anticipated to be open to the public by 2022 and are funded by Community Facility Districts that will fund additional maintenance positions and resources. City staff are working closely with the developers on the detailed design of these parks.
• Alameda Landing Waterfront Park - This is a 4.5-acre park that includes a picnic area, small playground, a water taxi terminal and non-motorized watercraft launch, public art, and a large promenade area for bicycles and pedestrians along the pier and connecting to Estuary Park.
• Alameda Point Waterfront Park - This Park will include a large picnic area, public art, seating, and opportunities along a waterfront promenade and is immediately adjacent to retail shops and cafes.
• Alameda Point Neighborhood Park - This is a small park that is intended for the neighborhood being built as part of Site A. It includes a picnic area, lawn areas, outdoor basketball courts, fitness stations, and playground.
Factors to consider when prioritizing may include:
1) Existing Parks - Is this project completion of an existing park or starting a new park?
2) Funding - Is the project funded and, if not, are there good options for grant funding?
3) Community Impact - Does this project impact the entire community or a smaller subset/neighborhood?
4) Climate Action & Resiliency Plan - Does the project have a significant impact on climate action (i.e., carbon sequestration) and/or support resilience (i.e., managed retreat or defense against sea-level rise)?
ALTERNATIVES
• Approve the park and recreation facilities project priorities.
• Consider a variety of prioritization options for park projects. Based on existing staffing and available resources, new park projects, such as De-Pave Park, will likely not start until 2021.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
There is no direct financial impact from this action to prioritize park projects. Each project will require funding sources for design, construction, operations, and maintenance.
During the mid-cycle budget process, staffing ideas generated during Commission meetings will be discussed in the context of other staffing requests and City Council priorities.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
There is no municipal code reference for this action.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This action simply establishes priorities, which does not impact the environment. Each project will be subject to project specific environmental review per the California Environmental Quality Act.
CLIMATE IMPACTS
Any new park design and construction will incorporate climate change and sea level rise impacts. Planting new trees and plants, creating marshland and other landscape strategies are a key component of all new park designs that increase carbon sequestration, create new wildlife habitat and provide more shade for heat reduction.
RECOMMENDATION
Approve the park and recreation facilities project priorities and provide direction on appropriate project staffing levels.
CITY MANAGER RECOMMENDATION
The City Manager requests that the City Council consider the park and recreation facility project priorities as recommended by the Recreation and Parks Commission.
In addition, there will be staffing requests by the Recreation and Parks Director that will be considered by the City Council along with other requests and the City Manager’s recommended budget during the Mid-Cycle workshop in May 2020.
Respectfully submitted,
Amy Wooldridge, Recreation and Parks Director
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Elena Adair, Finance Director
Exhibits:
1. Park and Facility Locations
2. Facility Projects List
cc: Eric Levitt, City Manager