HomeMy WebLinkAboutCORRESPONDENCE_85B - CENTENNIAL PARK REPAIRS_MEMOMEMORANDUM
To: City Manager Date: May 18, 2015
From: Executive Director, Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Agency
Subject: Update on 85B College District's Request Regarding Centennial Park
The City Council meeting of May 19, 2015, has an 85B agenda item seeking to
approve the College District request to direct their contractor to repair sections of the
parking lot in front of the Adult Education Center, slurry seal and restripe the lot, and
for the City to cover 50% of the cost to do this work. 85B is also seeking commitment
that the City will provide a plan to repair or replace the lights in Centennial Park on
or before the City Council first meets in September 2015.
Per the District's website, the District placed a notice of inviting formal bids to do the
work on the parking lot in front of the Adult Education Center at Centennial Park with
a mandatory pre-bid conference on February 17, 2015. The District first informed
City staff on February 25, 2015 about their request to take lead in repairing the
parking lot and offered to pay $225,000 for the repair work if the City could provide
$35,000 for the District to manage the project. Staff immediately informed the District
that since the work is on City property, staff could not dispense the City's usual bid
process and project management by the City's Public Works Agency.
After discussing with the City Manager, City staff informed the District on March 4,
2015 that though the City could not grant them authority to manage their contractor
to do the work on City property, the City would repair the parking lot and restripe at a
cost to the City of $24,900 during their spring break. The City's work on the parking
lot improvement proceeded as agreed upon with College during their Adult
Education Center April spring break per their request and the safety concerns with
the parking lot surface area were eliminated. The funding came from the City's
annual $100,000 fund available for citywide park deferred maintenance.
The District called for a meeting with the City on April 29 at the College Adult
Education Center at Centennial Park. In attendance from the District was Board
Trustee Claudia Alvarez, Chancellor Raul Rodriguez, District Attorney Ruben Smith,
and District Staff. From the City, Mayor Miguel Pulido, Mayor Pro Tem Vince
Sarmiento, City Manager David Cavazos, and Executive Director Gerardo Mouet
attended the meeting. The meeting discussed the District's request to take lead in
Update Memo on 85B of the May 19 Council Meeting
May 18, 2019
Page 2.
proceeding with managing the contractor to repair the parking lot. The City informed
the District that the parking surface lot safety issues had been taken care of during
the College's spring break and that the City will be providing with a more permanent
and complete reconstruction of the parking lot surface area. The meeting then
discussed the land exchange process required by the National Park Service (NPS)
in order for NPS to consider lifting the deed restrictions from the 2.6 acres of the
Centennial Park land being used by the District for their Adult Education Center from
the requirement that the land can only be used for recreational purposes. The final
topic of discussion during the meeting was the length of a long-term lease on the
Adult Education Center at Centennial Park if indeed the City is granted permission to
do so by NPS.
PRCSA staff consulted with the City Attorney staff on this matter. Both offices agree
that the work being proposed by the District on the parking lot requires a City Public
Works bid process. Also, the original expired 30 -year license agreement that allows
the 2.6 acres of the Adult Education Campus to operate at Centennial Park does not
include the parking lot. The City should manage and maintain control of any physical
improvements on the parking lot since the main purpose of the lot is to serve park
users. As you know, the license agreement was allowed to get a temporary
extension by the NPS and the City's extension of the license agreement expires in
November 2019.
Staff believes the City's $24,900 investment this past April in fixing the parking lot
and restriping it alleviates all the immediate safety concerns with the parking lot
surface. Also, staff is working on a proposal to the City Manager for improving
various deferred maintenance areas to deal with this summer and fall in order to
enhance safety for all park users at Centennial Park. In addition, the City has a
Memorandum of Understanding with the Orange County Water District (OCWD) that
plans to improve the operations of the region's water underground water system.
OCWD plans to construct four water injection wells and provide various park
improvements including complete reconstruction of all the roadway and parking lots
at Centennial Park in such a way that water runoff and percolation on the surface of
the pavement areas improves water conservation and water quality management
best practices. Given the unprecedented drought crisis in the state, continuing with
the plan as described in the MOU between the City and OCWD, is highly
recommended.
Should you have questions or require additional information, please do not hesitate
to contact me.
c: Mayor and Council
City Attorney
Executive Director, Public Works Agency
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