CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
MEETING DATE: March 2, 2016
PREPARED BY: Chris Ghione, Community Services Director
APPROVED BY: City Manager
Title
GALVAN PARK PROJECT UPDATE
END
RECOMMENDATION(S)
RECOMMENDATION
1. Receive an update on Galvan Park Plans; and
2. Provide staff with any additional direction or input, if desired.
BODY
COUNCIL PRIORITIES, GOALS & STRATEGIES:
Ongoing Priorities
Supporting youth
Enhancing public safety
2016 Focus Areas
Developing Our Community
Enhancing Our Services
REPORT NARRATIVE:
The City is now completing several enhancements to Galvan Park, funded via Community Development Block Grant and Housing Related Park Grant Funds. The enhancements already completed include a new tot playground, expanding the large playground, adding a new picnic area, and a new walking path around the outside of the park. Security lighting enhancements are planned as the next phase of the project. All of these enhancements have been completely funded through the grants.
The City selected these enhancements through discussion with the community as a whole, but also through specific coordinated outreach to the nearby residents. Last fall, after talking with residents, Councilmember Constantine identified an additional possible project to expand the number of handball courts at Galvan Park. Working with the Police Department, teammates from the Community Services Department held a series of meetings to discuss several items related to the park. These items included neighborhood safety, future park needs, and the handball courts. The handball courts were an item that provided for a great deal of conversation, with some members of the community hoping to have the courts removed, while others hoping to have them expanded. From the feedback received at these conversations staff developed a plan to relocate the handball courts to another location in the park.
The new proposed location would be in the area north of the Friendly Inn Building. This site sits on the footprint of the former senior center building. The space was originally thought to be a possible location for a small community garden, however after seven years City staff has not been able to find a group or individuals interested in using it for this purpose.
By relocating the courts several benefits are hoped to be achieved:
- Increase park access by eliminating the need for users to enter the park next to or through handball games.
- Increase safety by creating enclosed courts with video surveillance viewable from Police Dispatch.
- Increase the number of courts available for use from one usable court to two or three.
It is currently estimated that costs to relocate the courts can be covered through current and future grant funds. However, since using these funds for the handball courts are not specifically identified in CIP, this update is being provided to inform the Council of the plan before staff moves forward spending time and money on design.
City staff will begin moving forward with the design as the next step in the project. This item would return to Council during the award of the construction contract for the courts.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: Inform
Engagement for this meeting involved three meetings with the Crest Avenue Apartment residents, two meetings with the handball players, an open community meeting held at PA Walsh School, and a meeting with the Friendly Inn tenants.
ALTERNATIVE ACTIONS:
The Council could direct staff not to continue down the path of having new handball courts designed or provide alternate direction for staff.
PRIOR CITY COUNCIL AND COMMISSION ACTIONS:
The Council approved the funding and improvements to Galvan Park as part of the Fiscal Year 2015/16 Capital Improvement Program Budget (Attachment 2). The Parks and Recreation Commission recommended moving forward with this project on February 16, 2016.
FISCAL AND RESOURCE IMPACT:
There is approximately $110,000 remaining in the Galvan Park project and the City anticipates receiving an additional $77,000 in CDBG grant funds this fiscal year. Staff anticipates spending approximately $20,000 on design work and would move forward with this work following this meeting. Approvals of expenditures for construction would be authorized by the Council at a future meeting. All funds for this project are received from Community Development Block Grant and Housing Related Park Grant Funds.
CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act):
Categorical Exemption
This project was exempt under the provisions of the CEQA, and more specifically pursuant to Section 15302 of the CEQA Guidelines setting forth a categorical exemption for the repair, maintenance, reconstruction or minor alteration of existing City facilities involving negligible or no expansion of the use or capacity of those facilities.
LINKS/ATTACHMENTS:
1. Handball Court Location Map
2. Galvan Park CIP Project