CITY OF OAKLAND
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
TO: Office of the City
Administrator
ATTN: Deborah Edgerly
FROM: Community and Economic Development Agency
and Public Works Agency
DATE: February 8, 2005
RE: REPORT ON THE STATUS OF MEASURE DD – THE OAKLAND TRUST FOR CLEAN WATER AND SAFE PARKS GENERAL OBLIGATION BOND PROGRAM; A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MODIFICATION OF THE MEASURE DD EXPENDITURE PLAN AUTHORIZED BY CITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION 77965; A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING AN AMENDMENT TO THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH FRIENDS OF OAKLAND PARKS AND RECREATION FOR ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT SERVICES TO THE MEASURE DD COMMUNITY COALITION IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED TWENTY THREE THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED AND FIFTY TWO DOLLARS ($23,752) FOR A TOTAL NOT TO EXCEED AMOUNT OF THIRTY NINE THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED AND FIFTY ONE DOLLARS ($39,751) AND A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE APPLICATION, ACCEPTANCE AND APPROPRIATION OF NINE MILLION DOLLARS FROM THE CALIFORNIA COASTAL CONSERVANCY FOR WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE LAKE MERRITT 12TH STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECT AND ONE MILLION DOLLARS FOR LAKE MERRITT WATER QUALITY TECHNOLOGIES
SUMMARY
This report provides
an update on the Measure DD (Oakland Trust for Clean Water and Safe Parks) bond
program and recommends the following resolutions and actions:
·
Resolution
authorizing the modification of the Measure DD expenditure plan adopted by City
Council in Resolution 77965 specific to the Lake Merritt Channel.
·
Resolution amending
the professional services contract with Friends of Oakland Parks and Recreation
to provide administrative support services to the Measure DD Community
Coalition from January 2005 to July 2006.
·
Resolution authorizing
the application for, acceptance, and appropriation of up to 10 million dollars
from the California Coastal Conservancy for water quality and habitat
improvements associated with the Lake Merritt Water Quality project and the 12th
Street Improvement project.
·
Approval of
specific projects and budget allocations within the Lake Merritt System-wide
Improvements category.
·
Approval to
defer design work associated with improving the Lake Merritt Sailboat House
until issuance of Series B and allocate $1 million of the $1.25 million in funds
appropriated to this project to the Municipal Boathouse project and $0.2
million to the Lake Merritt Bike/Pedestrian Path project to supplement their
current project budget allocations.
Measure DD
authorized $198.25 million in general obligation bonds for Lake Merritt ($88.25
million), Estuary Waterfront Access, Parks and Cleanup ($53 million), Lake
Merritt Channel projects ($27 million), Recreation Facilities ($20 million),
and Creeks ($10 million). Council has previously authorized spending the $198.250
million in three consecutive series, Series 2003A, Series 2006B, and Series 2010C. Exhibit A lists Measure DD Series A
legislated projects completed, underway, and to be completed in Series B and
C.
The Measure DD
Series A bond was sold in July 2003 ($71,450,000) with the expectation that 85%
of the $70,579,000 appropriated to projects would be spent or encumbered by
July 2006.
The majority of
projects are progressing on or ahead of schedule and within budget. However,
several projects have real estate and regulatory permitting issues that will
likely extend their completion beyond July 2006. These projects include construction of the Bay Trail under the
Fruitvale Bridge, construction of the Bay Trail on parcels adjacent to the
three bridges, and securing easements for the Bay Trail on the Gallagher and
Burk and Hanson Aggregate sites just south of the High Street Bridge.
The following exhibits are attached, and provide detailed project
information:
Exhibit A Project Status
Summary
Exhibit B Project Schedules
Exhibit C Original 2003 Project
Expenditure Plan
Exhibit C-1 Revised Project Expenditure Plan
Exhibit D Budget Tracking/Summary
of Project Expenditures to Date
Exhibit E Lake Merritt
System-wide Improvement Project Options and Recommendations
Exhibit F Grant Applications/Funding Requests Summary
Exhibit G Studio
One Interim Program Costs
Staff recommends
that Council accept this status report, approve the proposed resolutions
reappropriating Measure DD funds for the Lake Merritt Channel projects; approve
an amendment to the existing professional services agreement with Friends of
Oakland Parks and Recreation; and authorize application of Coastal Conservancy
funds for the Lake Merritt Water Quality project and the 12th Street project.
FISCAL IMPACT
There
is no fiscal impact to the City’s General Fund associated with this status report and requested actions.
Actions requested
of City Council involving Measure DD funds include approval of the following:
·
Resolution
authorizing the modification of the Measure DD expenditure plan adopted by City
Council in Resolution 77965 specific to the Lake Merritt Channel. Funds are available in the Measure DD
Capital Improvement – Clean Water, Safe Parks Fund (Fund 5320) 7th
Street Flood Control Structure (Project C244510) for the reappropriations
suggested for the Lake Merritt Channel category of Measure DD.
·
Resolution
amending the professional services contract with Friends of Oakland Parks and
Recreation to provide continued administrative services support to the Measure
DD Community Coalition from January 2005 to July 2006. The proposed amendment will increase the
value of the contract by $23,752 from $14,999 to a total contract amount of
$39,750. Funds are available in the Measure DD Capital Improvement – Clean
Water, Safe Parks Fund (Fund 5320) Measure DD Administration (Project C241510) to
pay for costs associated with providing support to the Measure DD Community
Coalition.
·
Resolution authorizing
the application for, acceptance, and appropriation of $10 million from the
California Coastal Conservancy for water quality and habitat improvements
associated with the Lake Merritt Water Quality project and the 12th
Street Improvement project. Funds
received from the California Coastal Conservancy will be appropriated to the
State of California Grants – Other Fund (Fund 2159) as related projects to Lake
Merritt 12th Street (Project C241610) and Lake Merritt Water Quality
(Project C241710).
·
Specific
projects and budget allocations within the Lake Merritt System-wide
Improvements category. Funds are
available in the Measure DD Capital Improvement – Clean Water, Safe Parks Fund
(Fund 5320), Lake Merritt Systemwide Improvements (Project C242110) for Series
A projects recommended to be funded as a part of the Lake Merritt Systemwide
Improvement Project. Funds for Series B
projects will be appropriated as a part of the Series B issuance.
·
Defer design work
associated with improving the Lake Merritt Sailboat House until issuance of
Series B and allocate $1 million of the $1.25 million in funds
appropriated to this project to the
Municipal Boathouse project and $0.2 million to the Lake Merritt Bike/Pedestrian
Path project to supplement their current project budget allocations. Funds are available in the Measure DD
Capital Improvement – Clean Water, Safe Parks Fund (Fund 5320) Lake Merritt
Sailboat House (Project C242010) for re-appropriation to the Municipal
Boathouse and Lake Merritt Bike/Pedestrian Path projects.
Measure DD provides capital improvement
funding for a variety of projects including renovation and expansion of
parkland, renovation of buildings, construction of a new sports center, new
lighting and traffic signals, and acquisition of new open space and land for a
waterfront trail. Projects are being
designed to meet a high standard of energy efficiency and maintenance
sustainability including use of durable, long lasting materials. In order to maintain
the appearance and operation of these new and renovated facilities, a
significant increase in maintenance funding will be needed as these
improvements come on line. California
law prohibits the use of general obligation bond funds such as Measure DD for
ongoing maintenance or
operating expenses, so another source must be
identified before the first projects are completed in summer 2006. The estimated costs of these maintenance
needs will be provided to City Council as part of the FY 05-07 budget
process.
BACKGROUND
On November 5,
2002, Oakland voters overwhelmingly passed by an 80% percent margin Measure DD,
(Oakland Trust for Clean Water and Safe Parks). The measure allows the City to sell bonds in order to raise funds
for a variety of parks, clean-water protection and youth recreation
projects. This significant local
commitment is integral to the City’s capability to obtain outside funding by
providing matching funds. The projects
were identified in the bond measure enabling Ordinance 12435 by the following five categories:
· Lake
Merritt restoration and water quality improvements - $88.25 million;
· Estuary
waterfront access parks and clean up - $53 million;
· Lake
Merritt-to-Oakland Estuary connection (Lake Merritt Channel) - $27 million;
· Youth
and public recreation facilities - $20 million; and
· Creeks
and waterways restoration and acquisition - $10 million.
Of the $198.25 million, current approved
expenditures are as follows:
Expenditure
Description Amount % of Bond
Direct
Costs
Land
Acquisition, and Construction $135,801,250 68.5
Project
Delivery $ 49,562,500 25.0
Public Art $ 2,973,750 1.5
Total
Direct Costs $188,337,500 95%
Indirect
Costs
Program
Staff $5,160,186 2.6
Contract
Services $1,700,000 1.2
Cost
of Bond Issuance $ 822,000 0.4
Contract
Compliance $2,230,314 1.0
(1½% of 75% of
bond)
Total
Indirect Costs $9,912,500 5%
Grand
Total $198,250,000 100%
KEY ISSUES AND IMPACTS
The Measure DD
Series A bond was sold in July 2003 with the expectation that 85% of the funds
would be spent or encumbered by July 2006.
The majority of projects are progressing on or ahead of schedule and
within budget. Exhibit A provides an
overview of project progress in a matrix format and is updated monthly by
staff.
The key issues and impacts associated
with Measure DD Series 2003A projects are highlighted by funding category,
current funding allocation and scope of work as follows:
·
Lake Merritt
Projects
12th
Street - $9,500,000 - Design
Staff is working with the California
Coastal Conservancy on a grant request to be reviewed by the Coastal
Conservancy Board in May 2005 for up to nine million dollars in additional
project funding. Coastal Conservancy
has verbally committed to provide grant funding for the project using a portion
of their proceeds from the State of California Proposition 50 water bond. Funding from the Coastal Conservancy is
necessary to fully implement the scope of work for 12th Street as
envisioned by the Lake Merritt Master Plan.
Without Coastal Conservancy funding, the project would not have enough
money to construct the proposed bridges over the Channel, construct wetland
habitat areas, or provide public access from the Lake to the Channel. Staff is working with the Lake Merritt
Breakfast Club to initiate a capital campaign to extend the Necklace of Lights
through the 12th Street area of the Lake. A presentation was given to the Club on January 27, 2005 to begin
the process.
Water
Quality - $2,000,000
Along with the 12th Street
project, application is being made to the State Coastal Conservancy for $1
million of Proposition 50 funds to implement further water quality technologies
at Lake Merritt.
Municipal
Boathouse - $6,500,000
A Request for Proposals to assist the
City in obtaining a restaurant concessionaire for the facility was released on
December 31, 2004, with a pre-proposal conference held at the boathouse on
January 14, 2005. Proposals are due
February 15, 2005. Project goals for
the building as noted in the Lake Merritt Master Plan state that the selected
restaurateur will participate financially in the completion of building
interiors associated with the restaurant operation. The restaurateur may also be eligible for funding through the
Federal Historic Tax credits program.
Several East Bay Rotary Clubs have joined together to raise up to
$120,000 towards the Municipal Boathouse entry staircase which will celebrate
Rotary Club’s centennial birthday. An official announcement of the gift will come
on February 23, 2005 at a formal presentation in front of the Municipal
Boathouse. Staff will be working with the Rotary Clubs to define the final
project scope and mechanism for accepting the gift of funds.
System-wide
Improvements - $3,350,000
This project provides funding to improve
and renovate maintenance facilities, landscaping, docks, restrooms,
furnishings, and signage and has become known as the Lake Merritt System Wide
Project. City Council appropriated
$3,350,000 for this project in June 2003.
Exhibit E contains staff recommendations for allocation of these funds
to various specific projects based upon input from the community, city staff
and elected officials. Priority was
given to projects that supplement and enhance other Measure DD projects,
address immediate health and safety concerns, or have received exceptional
community support. Once approved,
design and construction of these projects can be incorporated into existing
projects or be independently initiated with completion concurrent with the
master schedule established for all projects in Series 2003A, 2006B, and 2010C.
El
Embarcadero Greenlink - $2,000,000
Friends of Lakeview Library have met
several times since the initiation of concept design for this project and have
requested staff to incorporate the expansion concept for the Lakeview Library
as set forth in the Draft Oakland Library Master Plan. Staff will continue to work with Friends of
the Lakeview Library and Oakland Public Library staff as the project moves
forward.
·
Oakland
Waterfront Projects
The Waterfront Trail project involves
land acquisition and trail construction on 19 of the 40 sites along the Estuary
in Series A of Measure DD. Several of
the sites are privately or Port owned, and negotiations for trail easements are
ongoing. The United States Army Corps
of Engineers (Army Corps) controls the Tidal Canal, which borders many of the
sites from Park Street to High Street. Originally, this area was dry land, and
Alameda was a peninsula. Beginning in
1875, the Army Corps of Engineers condemned a strip of land and dug a canal,
making Alameda into an island. Consistent with the San Francisco Bay Trail
Project, the Estuary Plan and, most recently, the Oakland Waterfront Trail
Feasibility Study, the preferred route is proposed as close to the water’s edge
as possible. The trail would likely be on
new piers that would run out into the water and around the bridges. The waterside route would allow trail users
an uninterrupted path away from street traffic. Going into the Tidal Canal, however, requires an encroachment
license from the Army Corps.
The Army Corps has licensed many
encroachments into the Tidal Canal, including docks and other structures. Many more structures were constructed
without licenses, especially in Alameda.
In 2000, the Army Corps issued a moratorium on new encroachment licenses
and began a long-range planning process for the Tidal Canal to address
identified contamination issues and consequent liability issues. Despite the moratorium, the Army Corps
granted two encroachment licenses in 2002.
The Army Corps has stated that their goal
is to “get out of the landlord business” and transfer ownership of the Canal,
preferably to the cities of Oakland and Alameda. The Army Corps has stated that the moratorium on new encroachment
licenses is still in effect, and that they will not allow the Waterfront Trail
to encroach into the Canal unless the City accepts transfer of the land. They are currently sampling the soil and
testing it for contaminants in order to determine what remediation would be
necessary prior to any land transfer.
There is no funding identified or appropriated for remediation work and
relocation associated with physical encroachments.
City staff has been working with the Army
Corps to find an acceptable approach to providing access to the Tidal Canal and
move forward with construction of the Oakland Waterfront Bay Trail. Land transfer issues such as liability,
maintenance, unlicensed encroachments, and toxic soil issues have been
discussed but are not resolved. The
City has hired an engineering firm to study the different options for
constructing a trail around the bridges.
At the time of this report, a preferred trail design is being selected,
and a formal application for an encroachment license is being submitted. If a license is indeed formally denied, the
City is planning to appeal this decision through political channels. Until property rights are obtained, design
of the trail around the bridges will pause at the schematic design level.
In addition to the Tidal Canal issue, the
City and its consultants will be working closely with the United States Coast
Guard and Alameda County (owner and operator of the bridges) to successfully
address concerns and objections pertaining to trail routing under the bridges
including navigability and safety.
Despite these challenges, design work is
continuing at many locations. Hood
Design has been hired to prepare design standards and guidelines for the entire
trail. Based upon an earlier feasibility
study prepared by EDAW, Inc., these guidelines will be used by the City’s
designers as well as future private developers so that the trail will have
consistent design elements throughout its length. The EDAW study was the recent recipient of the Excellence on the
Waterfront Award at the 2004 International Waterfront Center Conference in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Brooklyn
Basin and Marine Max - $2,700,000
The City’s Real Estate Division made an
offer to the Port of Oakland to obtain a long term lease on this site for the
purposes of providing public access while improving and maintaining a visual
corridor from the freeway to the water.
The offer was withdrawn pending discussions between the Port of Oakland
and commercial investors with development rights to the site. Regardless of how
the site is developed, public access under Bay Conservation and Development
Commission (BCDC) will be required.
Park Street Triangle
($46,000 – Traffic Study)
As a result of
conversations between the cities of Oakland and Alameda on January 18, 2005,
City Public Works Agency (PWA) transportation division staff submitted a Letter
of Intention to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) requesting up
to $20,000 in MTC support services. An MTC funded consultant would work with
Oakland, Alameda and Alameda County to implement a Stage 1 traffic study
consistent with the scope of work identified in prior traffic improvements
projects in the area and with the concept presented in the Oakland Waterfront
Bay Trail Feasibility Study document.
The consultant would also provide cost estimates for a traffic study and
related environmental clearance within the vicinity of the Park Street Bridge.
Environmental Remediation
Soil sampling and
testing have been conducted at Brooklyn Basin, the Cryer Site, Derby Street,
the Oakland Museum Women’s Board property, Lancaster Street, Alameda Avenue,
and 66th Avenue. Brooklyn
Basin and the Cryer Site were found to have seriously contaminated soil. As noted above, the Brooklyn Basin site is
currently on hold while the Port negotiates with a private developer. For the Cryer Site, a remediation plan is
being developed and will be submitted to the State Water Resources Board in
February 2005. Remediation work will be
performed in conjunction with the construction work. As additional segments of property along the trail are acquired,
further soil sampling will likely be undertaken.
·
Lake Merritt
Channel Projects
Projects along the Lake Merritt Channel include modifications to the 7th Street flood control pump station, construction of a bridge at 10th Street, and improvements to the Channel Park and pathway. Initially, $4 million was appropriated for the 7th Street pump station. URS Corporation was hired to study the costs and benefits of various options for the pump station. The options vary from minor modifications to the existing pump station to a complete relocation. As a result of that study, it was found that the proposed relocation of the pump station would be very expensive and would result in only minor improvement to the water flow into Lake Merritt. Instead, construction of a bypass channel at 7th Street would allow small boats and large fish to pass around the existing pump station. The existing pedestrian path will also be improved. The URS study also found that a dramatic improvement to the flow of water into Lake Merritt would be accomplished by replacement of the restrictive culvert pipes at 10th Street with a clear-spanning bridge. Therefore, it is proposed that part of the $4 million already appropriated be reallocated to begin design work on the 10th Street Bridge and the Channel park/path which were originally scheduled to be designed and built under a later bond series. This change will allow all three Channel projects to be designed and permitted in concert with each other and with the ongoing project at 12th Street. There is no net change to the distribution of Measure DD dollars assigned to the Lake Merritt Channel category. The dollars values of the three projects identified within the Lake Merritt Channel category have been adjusted to reflect new technical information.
The Series 2003A bond funds were appropriated to specific projects by City Council in July 2003. Exhibit C illustrates the expenditure plan that was accepted. Staff recommends that this expenditure plan be modified as shown in Exhibit C-1.
Additional Funding Needs
To date, five additional funding needs
have been identified for Measure DD Series A projects:
1)
Relocation costs and
interim facility(s) rental to maintain Studio One programs during construction;
2)
Provisions for fire
protection of buildings in Lakeside Park;
3)
Relocation costs and
interim facility(s) to maintain Sailboat House programs during construction;
4) Cost
estimates for the Municipal Boathouse exceed the available project budget by 1 million dollars which is part of the original project funding gap
identified in the July 2003 Measure
DD Implementation report;
5) Cost
estimates for the Expansion of Park Borders exceed the available project budget
by 2 million dollars, which is part of
the project funding gap identified in the July 2003 Measure DD Implementation report.
Studio
One - Interim Programming
The desire to maintain Studio One programs and staff during the facility rehabilitation period had been expressed by the Friends of Studio One, the Measure DD Community Coalition and elected officials. The projected construction period is scheduled to begin March 31, 2005 with hazardous materials abatement and conclude in Fall 2006 for a total of twenty months. The Office of Parks and Recreation has been working with Cultural Arts and Marketing Department staff to provide costs and accommodations that would allow current Studio One adult programs and art classes to be run out of the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts. Exhibit G was provided by Parks and Recreation and gives an overview of costs associated with rental of the facility for a twenty-month period and costs for moving equipment and materials to the Casquelourd Center for the Arts and back to Studio One once the renovation is complete. Children’s programs that are currently offered at Studio One would be incorporated into existing recreation centers. Staff is working to identify sources of funds that would be available for interim Studio One programs including Measure DD funds.
Lakeside Park Fire
Protection
In reviewing schematic plans for a new pavilion in Children’s Fairyland, staff discovered that current provisions for fire protection were inadequate (fire hydrants connected to the park’s irrigation system) and that additional provisions to provide adequate fire protection to facilities within Lakeside Park including Children's Fairyland structures, the Garden Center and the Sailboat House would be required to meet current life safety codes. Staff recommends that a portion of funds available within the Lake Merritt System-Wide category be assigned to this project. The cost of this improvement is estimated to be $900,000.
Lake Merritt
Sailboat House
There is a desire to maintain Sailboat House programs and staff during rehabilitation of the facility. Parks and Recreation staff will work with PWA Project Delivery staff to determine interim programming options and their associated costs. A strategy will be developed concurrently with facility design which will occur in Series B. Once funding needs are identified, staff will work to identify sources of funds that would be available for interim programs including Measure DD funds.
Municipal
Boathouse
Detailed cost estimates recently received
by staff indicate that the cost of the Municipal Boathouse project will exceed
the funds available. Higher costs at
the Municipal Boathouse project can be attributed to unexpected seismic bracing
and underwater foundation repair work, the use of high-efficiency heating and
cooling systems to reduce maintenance and operating costs, the use of durable
materials to reduce ongoing maintenance costs, the use of sustainably harvested
wood materials, and costs related to maintaining the historic nature of the
building’s exterior. At this time, the
Municipal Boathouse project can either be scaled back or additional funds can
be committed. Scaling back the
Municipal Boathouse project is difficult, because the size of the building
cannot be reduced. Using cheaper finish
materials and building systems would lower the initial cost, but would result
in higher maintenance and operating costs and the need to replace elements
sooner. A commitment of $1 million in
additional funding is needed in order to complete the project.
Lake
Merritt Bike/Pedestrain Path
Detailed cost estimates recently received
by staff indicate that the cost of the Lake Merritt Bike/Pedestrian Path
project will exceed the funds available by $2 million. Higher costs can be attributed to an error
in the original Lake Merritt Master Plan estimate and higher than expected
inflation costs. At this time, the Lake
Merritt Bike/Pedestrian Path project can either be scaled back or additional
funds can be committed. Scaling back
the Bicycle/Pedestrian project is possible, but would result in a half-finished
appearance, with large areas of landscaping and pathways receiving no
renovation.
In an effort to continue to move projects
forward based on project descriptions represented in the Measure DD enabling
legislation, staff recommends that design of the Sailboat House project ($1,250,000
budgeted in Series A for design) be put on hold and $1,000,000 of the $1.25
million budgeted be reprogrammed to supplement the Municipal Boathouse project.
Of the remaining $250,000, $200,000 would be made available to supplement the
Lake Merritt Bike/Pedestrian Path project. The majority of funds that would be
made available from putting the design of Sailboat House project on hold are
proposed for the Municipal Boathouse project given that both boathouse projects
fall within the “Recreation and Youth Activities” description for Lake Merritt
within Exhibit A of the Bond Measure enabling language. The remaining $200,000 begins to defray the
budget deficit projected for the Lake Merritt Bike/Pedestrian Path project,
with the remainder of funds coming possibly from a portion of the bond interest
when it is appropriated.
Bond
Interest Allocation
Towards the end of Series A, staff will
make recommendations to appropriate any accrued interest to fund project
shortfalls which might include funding the design of the Lake Merritt Sailboat
House project and supplementing the Lake Merritt Bicycle/Pedestrian Path
project. In the meantime, staff will
continue to seek additional outside funding sources and investigate other
options for funding these improvements.
Exhibit B shows
both the original schedule as provided in the July 2003 report to City Council,
as well as the current schedule. As
indicated in the Exhibit, despite the complexity of these projects, almost all projects
are progressing on schedule or ahead of schedule. These include Studio One, 12th Street Improvements, Municipal
Boathouse, Sailboat House, Lake Merritt Path projects, Children’s Fairyland,
Lake Merritt Water Quality, Creek projects, 7th Street pump station,
and the 10th Street bridge. The
Waterfront Trail projects face some challenges created by regulatory permits
and real estate issues that may impact the schedule. Staff is dealing with these issues and will alert City Council to
any changes in schedule. Staff expects
that 85% of the funds will be spent or encumbered by July 2006.
Exhibit C is the Measure DD Expenditure
Plan as adopted by City Council Resolution 77965. Exhibit C-1 shows proposed revisions to Exhibit C. As indicated in Exhibit D, almost all of the
projects are progressing within budget, and project expenditures to date total
$3.5 million. Initial project
expenditures were primarily City staff costs related to project management,
consultant selection, and pre-engineering tasks. As design consultants have been brought on board, non-staff
design expenditures have risen quickly.
When major construction work begins in Fall 2005, expenditures will
increase dramatically.
As noted in the June 2003 report to City
Council, the cost to fully implement all projects described under Measure DD
was estimated to be approximately $362 million, with $198 million being
provided by the bond measure. Since
that time, the construction cost inflation rate has risen from 3% annually to an
annual rate of between 5% and 8%, so the funding gap has increased further. The City’s approach will be to design
projects at the conceptual level with the ultimate project scope in mind, so
that we can build the best project if funds become available. If additional funds are not forthcoming,
staff will proceed with the detailed design work based on a project scope that
can be built with the funds available or request Council action for
reprogramming of funds. Exhibit F
identifies the current funding strategy and identifies the various funding
sources that have been secured and that will be pursued in the coming months.
Measure DD funds will address deferred
maintenance in some instances and improve and expand parks and public
facilities in parks throughout Oakland in others. Ongoing maintenance and operation needs for these facilities and
improvements are being analyzed as a part of the Measure DD program to ensure
that accurate information pertaining to O&M costs is presented to City
Council for their consideration during FY05-07 budget deliberations. New facilities are being designed with
durable and low-maintenance materials whenever possible. However, new or expanded facilities and
parklands will require additional operating and maintenance allocations. These additional needs will be presented
during the ongoing budget presentation to City Council.
The Measure DD Community Coalition has
held monthly meetings to cover a variety of Measure DD topics. Members have participated on consultant
selection panels, provided input on project implementation, and disseminated
project-related information to the community at large. A Measure DD web page is located at www.oaklandparks.org/measure_dd.htm. In addition, as projects have entered the
design stage, individual community meetings are being held to provide project
design information and receive community input. As agreed by City Council in the Measure DD Implementation
report, the City provides
financial support to the Coalition for recording and distributing Coalition
meeting minutes and coordination of Coalition meeting agendas and speakers for
Coalition meetings. Administrative support is provided in an effort to lend
assistance and recognize the entirely
volunteer membership. Friends of Oakland Parks and Recreation (FOPR)
was selected by the DD Coalition and recommended to the City after an open
proposal process where non profit organizations and small local businesses were
requested to submit fee and work proposals. FOPR’s scope of work includes
recording and distributing Coalition meeting minutes, coordinating Coalition
meeting agendas and speakers for Coalition meetings, creation and distribution
of an annual newsletter, maintenance of a webpage on the Friends site dedicated
to Measure DD and notification of public meetings, groundbreakings and special
events. FOPR is currently under
contract with the City to provide such services through December 2004. Staff requests that City Council approve an amendment
to the FOPR contract to continue providing support to the coalition through the
end of Series A in July 2006.
Public Art
Public Art staff is working to complete a
Measure DD Public Art Master Plan which will be available for review in
February 2005. While the plan is being
completed staff has been proactive in facilitating connections with artists and
designers on current projects that are moving forward. Staff has been approved by the Public Art
Commission to contract with Mildred Howard, an internationally known artist
with public art all over the county including significant contributions in San
Francisco and the East Bay. Ms. Howard
will be collaborating with Walter Hood of Hood Design to finalize the design of
the Oakland Waterfront site marker, including defining graphic methods for
providing historical interpretation of the Oakland waterfront. Staff has also approved the commissioning of
a public art piece for placement in Union Point Park along Oakland’s waterfront
trail by Ned Kahn. Ned Kahn is as a former artist in residence at the San
Francisco Exploratorium, currently works as an environmental artist who focuses
on activated elemental work with major works commissioned all over the world. He produced a major exhibit “Planetary
Landscapes” for Chabot Space and Science Center that is now traveling to
science centers throughout the country.
Environmental: In general, Measure DD projects will be implemented in a manner
to reduce the impact of development on certain ecosystems, promote water and
energy conservation, promote a reduction in air pollution and promote
environmental goals with the public.
Specific to this report, the Lake Merritt Expansion of Park Borders, the
Lake Merritt Channel and Oakland Waterfront Bay Trail projects when complete,
will reduce air pollution by increasing access to pedestrian and bicycle
trails, an alternative to vehicular transportation.
Economic : Measure DD Administrative staff, with Community and Economic
Development Agency (CEDA) Workforce Development staff, will work with the
California Conservation Corps, the Youth Employment Partnership and other
employment programs to incorporate a scope of work within construction
contracts primarily along the waterfront which involve youth and adults in the
implementation of Oakland projects.
Social Equity: Measure DD projects, when complete, will assist in bolstering the
inventory of accessible open space in the flatland neighborhood districts of San
Antonio and Fruitvale as a result of construction of the Oakland Waterfront Bay
Trail.
DISABILITY AND SENIOR CITIZEN ACCESS
All Measure DD projects will be built in accordance with the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), providing improved access to the affected parks, trails, and buildings.
Staff recommends
that the City Council accept this status report and approve projects and
amounts specific to the Lake Merritt System Wide project category for Series A
and B; approve deferring design work associated with improving the Lake Merritt
Sailboat House until Series B and allocating $1 million of the $1.25 million in
funds appropriated to the Sailboat
House project to the Municipal Boathouse project and $.02 million to the Lake
Merritt Bike/Pedestrian Path project; approve a resolution authorizing the
modification of the Measure DD expenditure plan; approve a resolution to amend
the Professional Services Agreement with Friends of Oakland Parks and
Recreation to provide administrative support to the Measure DD Community
Coalition; and approve a resolution to apply for, accept and appropriate funds
from the California Coastal Conservancy for the Lake Merritt 12th
Street Improvement project and the Lake Merritt Water Quality Improvement
project.
ACTION
REQUESTED OF THE CITY COUNCIL
Staff recommends
that the City Council accept this status report approving projects and amounts
specific to the Lake Merritt System Wide project category for Series A and B; approve
deferring design work associated with improving the Lake Merritt Sailboat House
until Series B and allocating $1 million of the $1.25 million in funds
appropriated to the Sailboat House
project to the Municipal Boathouse project and $0.2 million to the Lake Merritt
Bike/Pedestrian Path project; approve resolutions authorizing the modification
of the Measure DD expenditure plan, amending the Professional Services
Agreement with Friends of Oakland Parks and Recreation to provide
administrative support to the Measure DD Community Coalition; and approving the
application for and acceptance and appropriation of funds from the California
Coastal Conservancy for the Lake Merritt 12th Street Improvement and
Lake Merritt Water Quality Improvement projects.
Respectfully
submitted,
______________________________ ________________________________
CLAUDIA CAPPIO RAUL
GODINEZ II
Director, Director,
Public Works Agency
Community and
Economic Development Agency
Prepared by: Prepared
by:
Kerry Jo
Ricketts-Ferris, Joel
Peter,
Project
Manager, Waterfront Open Space Project
Manager, Project Delivery Division
APPROVED AND FORWARDED TO
THE LIFE ENRICHMENT COMMITTEE
_______________________________________
OFFICE OF THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR