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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 08/16/2016 - SECOND READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 094, 2016, APPROPAgenda Item 8 Item # 8 Page 1 AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY August 16, 2016 City Council STAFF Kurt Friesen, Director of Park Planning & Development Craig Kisling, Landscape Architect SUBJECT Second Reading of Ordinance No. 094, 2016, Appropriating Prior Year Reserves in the Capital Expansion Fund for Transfer to the Capital Projects Fund and the Cultural Services and Facilities Fund for the Art in Public Places Program for the Southeast Community Park. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This Ordinance, unanimously adopted on First Reading on July 19, 2016, appropriates funds for the Southeast Community Park Project in the amount of $1.6M from the Community Parkland Capital Expansion Reserves. The park is currently under construction and scheduled to open in 2017. An additional appropriation is needed to fully fund the park as designed. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on Second Reading. BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION During First Reading on July 19, 2016, City Council requested information on the following items: 1. McClelland Creek Prioritization within the Stormwater Stream Rehabilitation Program The stretch of McClelland Creek through Southeast Community Park along with the recently completed restored stretch downstream at Radiant Park is not part of the current Stormwater prioritization list. These projects were already underway when the prioritization was prepared, so were not included in the prioritization list. 2. Playground Accessibility On Aug. 1 2016, Councilmember Ray Martinez, Assistant City Manager Wendy Williams, and Kurt Friesen, Director of Park Planning and Development, discussed the handicap accessible attributes of the playground in more detail, then visited Northside Aztlan Center and Soft Gold Park to review safety surfacing options proposed at the Park, including bonded shredded rubber and engineered wood fiber. 3. Bus Stop at Southeast Community Park Southeast Community Park will be served by Transfort Route 16. There are two bus stops less than 1/2 mile from the Park. The first is located on Rock Creek Drive, just east of Ziegler Road and is 1/3 mile from the Park; the second is also on Rock Creek Drive, located just north of Fossil Ridge High School. Presently there are no plans to extend the bus route south on Ziegler to the new Park entrance. A map of the bus stops is provided as Attachment 2. Agenda Item 8 Item # 8 Page 2 4. Parks and Recreation Board Review A letter of support for the project provided from the Parks and Recreation Board is provided as Attachment 3. 5. Commission on Disability Board Review City staff is scheduled to meet with the Commission on Disability on September 8th to review the project in more detail. 6. Nature in the City - Land Conservation and Stewardship Board and Natural Resources Advisory Board Review Nature in the City representatives are scheduled to review the Nature in the City proposal for Southeast Community Park with the Land Conservation and Stewardship Board on Wednesday, August 10 and the Natural Resources Advisory Board on Wednesday, August 17. ATTACHMENTS 1. First Reading Agenda Item Summary, July 19, 2016 (w/o attachments) (PDF) 2. Bus Stop Locations near SECP (PDF) 3. Parks and Recreation Board Letter of Support (PDF) 4. Ordinance No. 094, 2016 (PDF) Agenda Item 19 Item # 19 Page 1 AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY July 19, 2016 City Council STAFF Craig Kisling, Landscape Architect Kurt Friesen, Director of Park Planning & Development SUBJECT First Reading of Ordinance No. 094, 2016, Appropriating Prior Year Reserves in the Capital Expansion Fund for Transfer to the Capital Projects Fund and the Cultural Services and Facilities Fund for the Art in Public Places Program for the Southeast Community Park. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of this item is to request appropriations for the Southeast Community Park Project in the amount of $1.6M from the Community Parkland Capital Expansion Reserves. The park is currently under construction and scheduled to open in 2017. An additional appropriation is needed to fully fund the park as designed. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on First Reading. BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION Southeast Community Park is a new park in southeast Fort Collins that is currently under construction and scheduled to open in summer 2017. There is currently a shortfall of $1,638,000 needed to fully fund park construction. There is approximately $2.8M available in Community Parkland Capital Expansion Reserves, which is sufficient to fund the shortfall. The sources of these funds are community park impact fees which can only be used to fund community park design and construction. An appropriation of $1,638,000 from the Community Parkland Capital Expansion Reserves will fully fund the park as designed. To comply with the City’s Art in Public Places (APP) ordinance, one percent of the project funds appropriated by this Ordinance will be transferred to the Cultural Services and Facilities Fund. A funding summary of the project is provided: Total Spent to Date (Tennis Courts, Pond, Streets, Design) $4,000,000 New Construction $10,500,000 Permit/Fees $838,000 Contingency (8%) $780,000 Total $16,118,000 Funding Available $10,000,000 Nature in the City Contribution $100,000 Stormwater Stream Rehabilitation Program $380,000 Funding Shortfall $1,638,000 Art in Public Places Contribution $16,380 Total Funding Request $1,654,380 ATTACHMENT 1 Agenda Item 19 Item # 19 Page 2 The following chart outlines the individual cost of park elements to be funded with this request: Park Element Cost Back Porch, Harvest Room and Orchard $405,000 Ballfield Restroom $386,000 Sports Field Lighting $326,000 Community Garden $63,000 Basketball Court $49,000 Dog Park $42,000 Orchard Trellis Structure $34,000 Hops Trellis $28,000 Concrete Band at Coulees $27,000 Gabion Seat Walls $18,000 The park design was presented to Council at the June 28, 2016 Work Session. At this meeting, several concerns and questions were raised. Responses to these issues are provided below: Creek Play Area Design The creek play area is designed as a place where visitors can safely access and play in McClelland Creek. The creek is a popular place for play today, with numerous rope swings fabricated by residents. In its current state, McClelland Creek is approximately 3’ wide, with many instances of steep slopes and eroding banks. In order to stabilize the eroding banks, the slopes of the creek banks will be laid back with additional plantings provided for stabilization. The restoration of the creek banks are being designed and funded through the Stormwater Stream Rehabilitation Program. A similar restoration effort was completed at Radiant Park in 2013. Meandering crushed stone paths lead visitors down to the creek play area. Sandstone blocks steps, and low walls are provided at the edges of the banks to provide places to sit and play. A concrete ramp provides safe entry into the creek. The width of the creek in the creek play area is approximately 24’ wide. The bottom of the creek play area is surfaced with a textured concrete that provides a non-slip surface for wading in the water and reduce erosion. Water depth is approximately 6”. There is a sand beach play area on the north side of the creek and in the island. Reclaimed logs from the site provide bridges for crossing the creek in several places. Trees and vegetation envelop the creek play area. Handicap Accessibility The park is designed to provide handicap accessibility to every major element within the park, including the shelter, restrooms, harvest room, orchard, back porch, ball fields, creek play, community garden, multi-purpose fields, basketball court, BMX course and trails throughout the park. The playground is designed to provide accessible play elements that comply or exceed requirements of the American Disabilities Act (ADA). Within the play barn and silo structures, there are a total of 28 elevated play events provided. Of those 28, 23 are accessible by either transfer steps or ramp. In addition to the elevated play elements, there are 18 ground level events that are accessible. As shown in the chart below, these totals far exceed what is required by the ADA. Southeast Community Park Playground Accessibility Provided Required Total # of Elevated Play Components 28 - Total Events Accessible via Transfer Steps 15 8 Agenda Item 19 Item # 19 Page 3 Provided Required Total Events Accessible via Ramp 8 8 Total Accessible Ground Level Events 18 9 Different Types of Ground Level Events 12 5 Rationale for Nature in the City Funding Nature in the City’s (NIC) 2016 capital budget is $200,000. Thus, the proposed $100,000 investment in the Southeast Community Park represents 50% of the 2016 capital budget. The creek play area represents an opportunity to meet many of the programmatic goals of NIC such as access to nature and encouraging native wildlife (in this case reintroduced native fish). From staff’s perspective, the play area represents a high leverage investment given the adjoining investments in public infrastructure and an expected high level of public use. Staff currently are exploring and pursuing numerous other NIC opportunities with public and private partners throughout the community Lee Martinez Park Raw Water Funds Based on Council input at the June 28 Work Session, the $300,000 appropriated for raw water conversion at Lee Martinez Park will not be used for raw water purchase at Southeast Community Park. Instead, other improvements to existing community parks will be considered. Council Involvement in Future Community Parks At the June 28 Work Session, Council expressed interest in more involvement during the design process for community parks. More discussion needs to occur on this topic, likely at the time the Parks & Recreation Plan will be updated, currently scheduled for 2019. CITY FINANCIAL IMPACTS The sources and amounts of the appropriation request are as follows: Community Park Capital Expansion Reserves $1,638,000 Transfer to Cultural Services and Facilities Fund $ 16,380 Total $1,654,380 City staff recommends approval of a project shortfall appropriation in the amount of $1,638,000. Use of existing Community Parkland Capital Expansion Reserves will shift available funding to an ongoing project with an imminent need. These funds are intended for community park construction purposes and will be applied to satisfy that purpose at the Southeast Community Park Project. BOARD / COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION The Parks and Recreation Board has reviewed the Southeast Community Park concept, along with staff recommendations to address community concerns, and supports the overall park design. The Board has not reviewed the proposed funding approach for the project. PUBLIC OUTREACH Four community meetings were conducted over the life of the project to gather resident feedback on the Southeast Community Park design. An online survey was prepared for citizens to provide input. The park concept was revised considerably based on citizen feedback to address concerns of light spill into adjacent neighborhood and traffic congestion. Following these changes, the park has been well received and eagerly anticipated by residents. Agenda Item 19 Item # 19 Page 4 ATTACHMENTS 1. Powerpoint presentation (PDF) Southeast Community Park Bus Stop Locations ATTACHMENT 2 Parks & Recreation Board PO Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522 2016-2017 Chair – Scott Sinn August 3, 2016 To Mayor and City Council, On July 27, 2016, the Fort Collins Parks and Recreation Board supported the appropriation of $1.6 million from prior year reserves in the capital expansion fund for transfer to the capital projects fund and the cultural services and facilities fund for the art in public places program for the Southeast Community Park by a vote of 8-1. Regards, Scott Sinn Chair, Fort Collins Parks & Recreation Board ATTACHMENT 3 -1- ORDINANCE NO. 094, 2016 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS APPROPRIATING PRIOR YEAR RESERVES IN THE CAPITAL EXPANSION FUND FOR TRANSFER TO THE CAPITAL PROJECTS FUND AND THE CULTURAL SERVICES AND FACILITIES FUND FOR THE ART IN PUBLIC PLACES PROGRAM FOR THE SOUTHEAST COMMUNITY PARK WHEREAS, in order to construct the Southeast Community Project (the “Project”) as designed and on the current schedule, staff has identified a need for additional funding; and WHEREAS, staff has identified One Million Six Hundred Thirty Eight Thousand Dollars ($1,638,000) available from the Capital Expansion Fund Reserves as an eligible funding source to complete the Project as designed; and WHEREAS, staff presented its proposal for additional Project funding and sought Council input at the June 28, 2016 Council work session; and WHEREAS, under the City Code, one percent of the final appropriation for the Project must be transferred to the Cultural Services and Facilities Fund for a contribution to the Art in Public Places (APP) program, with 75% (totaling $12,776) reserved for the APP artwork component of project and 25% (totaling $3,604) reserved for maintenance of the artwork and operations of the APP program; and WHEREAS, Article V, Section 9, of the City Charter permits the City Council to make supplemental appropriation by ordinance at any time during the fiscal year, provided that the total amount of such supplemental appropriation, in combination with all previous appropriations for that fiscal year, does not exceed the current estimate of actual and anticipated revenues to be received during the fiscal year; and WHEREAS, staff has determined the appropriation of revenue proposed herein will not cause the total amount appropriated in the Capital Projects Fund to exceed the current estimate of actual and anticipated revenues to be received in that fund during any fiscal year; and WHEREAS, Article V, Section 9 of the City Charter permits the City Council to appropriate by ordinance at any time during the fiscal year such funds for expenditure as may be available from reserves accumulated in prior years, notwithstanding that such reserves were not previously appropriated; and WHEREAS, Article V, Section 10, of the City Charter authorizes the City Council to transfer by ordinance any unexpended and unencumbered appropriated amount or portion thereof from one fund (project) to another fund (project), provided that the purpose for which the transferred funds are to be expended remains unchanged. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS as follows: -2- Section 1. That the City Council hereby makes and adopts the determinations and findings contained in the recitals set forth above. Section 2. That there is hereby appropriated from prior year reserves in the Capital Expansion Fund the sum of ONE MILLION SIX HUNDRED THIRTY EIGHT THOUSAND DOLLARS ($1,638,000) for transfer to and expenditure in the Capital Projects Fund for the Southeast Community Park Project. Section 3. That the unexpended appropriated amount of TWELVE THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED SEVENTY SIX DOLLARS ($12,776) in the Capital Projects Fund for the Southeast Community Park Project is authorized for transfer to the Cultural Services and Facilities Fund and appropriated therein for the Art in Public Places Art Project. Section 4. That the unexpended appropriated amount of THREE THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED FOUR DOLLARS ($3,604) in the Capital Projects Fund for the Southeast Community Park Project is authorized for transfer to the Cultural Services and Facilities Fund and appropriated therein for the Art in Public Places Maintenance and Operations. Introduced, considered favorably on first reading, and ordered published this 19th day of July, A.D. 2016, and to be presented for final passage on the 16th day of August, A.D. 2016. __________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _______________________________ City Clerk Passed and adopted on final reading on this 16th day of August, A.D. 2016. __________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _____________________________ City Clerk