1 Revised 9/6/2024
City of Corona
2025 FINANCIAL PRIORITIES
The project summaries below outline the city’s top-priority funding requests in conjunction with the City’s Legislative Platform. Corona's funding categories include Community Services, Public Safety, Public Utilities, and Transportation.
COMMUNITY SERVICES PROJECTS Cost
1.1 City Park Revitalization Project $14m
1.2 Park Improvements $3m
1.3 Historic Civic Center Renovation $2.5m
1.4 Trails Construction $16m
PUBLIC SAFETY Cost
2.1 Corona Wildfire Resilience Initiative $0.5m
2.2 Real-Time Information Center Technology (Police) $1m PUBLIC UTILITIES Cost
3.1 PFAS Treatment Facilities (3 Sites) $14m
3.2 Water Reclamation Facility #1, Improvements and Expansion $35m
3.3 Sewer Main Replacement $4m
TRANSPORTATION Cost
4.1 Magnolia Avenue Widening at Temescal Wash $15m
4.2 State Route 91 Improvements between I-15 and Pierce $31m 2 Revised 9/6/2024
Section 1. Community Services
1.1 City Park Revitalization Project
City Park, established in 1913, is Corona’s oldest park. This 20-acre park has historically consisted of a swimming pool, sports fields, playgrounds, and gathering areas for civic events. The park is in a disadvantaged area and has fallen into disrepair in recent decades. It has seen a high volume of homeless individuals and problems with crime. The City Park Revitalization Project was developed based on robust community engagement and identified key amenities that residents would like to see restored in the park.
The project will consist of a new aquatics center with recreation and competition-style swim amenities, a new community center to provide residents with recreational programming and fitness opportunities, a large community canvas to host large-scale events and sporting opportunities, a new splash pad, playgrounds, sports courts, and a skate park with an adjoining pump track. The total project construction cost is estimated at $100 million. However, this budget request is for specific park amenities: an aquatics center, a splash pad, a children’s playground, and a pump track.
• Cost: Approximately $14 Million
• Lead Department: Community Services
1.2 Citywide Park Improvements
After a lengthy and robust community engagement process, the City of Corona adopted a new Parks & Recreation Master Plan (PRMP) in 2023 to guide the build-out of the City’s Park system for the next ten years and beyond. The plan identifies 3 priorities for 2024/25:
A. Shade structures. To address extreme heat during the spring and summer, the City seeks funding to install 8 shade structures over play and seating areas at Village, Stagecoach, Husted, Rimpau, Sierra Bella, River Road, Promenade, and Buena Vista parks to reduce sun exposure to children and caregivers. Throughout the public engagement process for the PRMP, shade was highlighted as a key need in Corona’s parks. The community also repeatedly identified splash pads as a key amenity that would help fulfill recreational needs and diversify and enhance recreation across the city’s park system; the city is seeking to install an additional splash pad at Promenade Park or Village Loop Park.
B. Dog Parks. Residents identified dog parks as one of the city's most desired outdoor recreation features. This budget request would allow the City to construct a formally designated, fenced-off leash dog park on the city's south side, which currently lacks this amenity.
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C. Splash Pads. Lastly, the City’s Parks & Recreation Master Plan (PRMP) identified splash pads as a key amenity that would help fulfill recreational needs and diversify and enhance recreation across the park system. Splash pads would provide the public much-needed relief from the heat during the warmer months.
This budget request would allow the City to construct a splash pad at a park on the east side, which currently lacks this type of amenity. • Cost: Approximately $3 Million
• Lead Department: Community Services
1.3 Historic Civic Center Renovations
The Historic Civic Center, constructed in 1923, is currently used for recreation programming and is designated as Corona’s Center for the Arts. Due to the age of the building, several significant infrastructure, safety, and technology improvements are needed to upgrade this historic structure to a modern standard of use.
Proposed improvements include replacing the roof, rebuilding the outdoor breezeways, improving interior and exterior paint, improving lighting, upgrading theater technology, installing new doors, and installing a marquee sign to advertise programs and events at the facility. This project is also part of the City’s Downtown Revitalization Plan to enhance the beautification of the Sixth Street corridor.
• Cost: $2.5 million
• Lead Department: Community Services
1.4 Trails &Trailhead Construction
In 2023, the City completed a Trails Master Plan to guide the development of a trail system throughout Corona over the next 10 years and beyond. Funding is sought to implement the plan, including the following proposed trail segments:
A. The Canyon Crest Connector comprises two trail segments connecting residential neighborhoods to local parks, schools, and retail shopping.
B. The Public Safety Way Trail: This trail will connect Lincoln Avenue to North Cota Street via a flood control channel.
C. The Rincon Street Multi-Use Trail: to help complete Phase II of the Santa Ana River Trail (SART) alignment. This trail connects directly to Stagecoach Park and can accommodate a SART trailhead. Due to the location of the Prado Dam and the Army Corps of Engineers' resistance to developing “river adjacent” trail alignments, 4 Revised 9/6/2024
constructing this trail would be a strong first step in closing the SART gap in the City of Corona.
• Cost: $16 million
• Lead Department: Community Services
Section 2. Public Safety
2.1 Corona Wildfire Resilience Initiative
Corona is confronted with ongoing and escalating wildfire threats, now exacerbated by climate change and the expansion of the wildland-urban interface. To fortify the community against this persistent danger, the city requires critical funding to support a comprehensive suite of mitigation, prevention, and education initiatives.
Funding would enable the implementation of vital projects that align with the strategic priorities identified in the City’s Wildland-Urban Interface Hazard and Risk Assessment and the City’s Community Wildland Protection Plan. Proposed projects will include creating defensible spaces around properties, enhancing early detection systems, acquiring stateof-the-art firefighting equipment, and launching community outreach programs to educate residents about wildfire readiness and resilient landscaping practices. • Cost: $500,000
• Lead Departments: Fire
2.2 Real-Time Information Center Technology (RTIC)
The City recently installed and implemented a Real-Time Information Center in the City’s Police Department’s Headquarters to help improve emergency response times, decrease crime within the business districts, increase case closure rates, utilize technology to enhance community safety and improve community collaboration.
Funding will specifically go towards purchasing artificial intelligence software and other leading-edge technology, making Corona PD's RTIC a regional asset. This will help improve the solvability of crimes, improve response times, provide police officers with more accurate information while responding to crimes, and improve our ability to locate offenders who pose a danger to public safety.
• Cost: $1 Million
• Lead Department: Police
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Section 3. Public Utility
3.1 PFAS Treatment Facilities
PFAS and other “forever” chemicals are an increasing concern for consumers. To address this issue, the City proposes constructing a granular activated carbon (“GAC”) Treatment facility to remove PFAS and 1,2,3-TCP contaminants from groundwater. This will allow the Utilities Department to produce additional potable water while complying with PFAS and TCP water quality standards for drinking water and wastewater discharge after use. This project will include the phase II conversion of the existing GAC to a lead/lag configuration, increasing media life and making future media changeouts more convenient. At wells 7 and 8, new vessels will be constructed in a lead/lag configuration and designed to accommodate the well capacities.
• Cost: $14 million
• Lead Department: Utilities
3.2 Water Reclamation Facility #1, Improvements and Expansion To meet current and future water reclamation demands, the City proposes to complete upgrades at the WRF #1B treatment plant to increase capacity and improve treatment processes. Upgrades are expected to include new primary clarifiers, a conversion of the biological treatment process to fine bubble aeration, the addition of a third secondary clarifier, the installation of either a membrane bioreactor (MBR) process or downflow dual media filters, the expansion of the chlorine contact basin (CCB), and the construction of a fourth digester.
• Cost: $35 million
• Lead Department: Utilities
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Section 4. Transportation
4.1 Magnolia Avenue Widening at Temescal Wash
The City proposes to widen Magnolia Avenue between El Camino Avenue and All American Way from two to three lanes in each direction, including widening the bridge over Temescal Wash, to complete a gap in the City's transportation network. The existing roadway and bridge are under capacity and lack continuous pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure. This project will modernize Magnolia Avenue for all modes of transportation and provide for improvements at a railroad crossing, signal improvements, and other associated work. Additionally, this project will expand capacity and increase operational efficiencies and public safety within the City of Corona. • Cost: $15 million
• Lead Agency: City of Corona
4.2 State Route 91 Improvements between I-15 and Pierce The State Route 91 (SR91) Improvements east of I-15 will reduce congestion and delays by providing additional capacity from I-15 to Pierce Street. Improvements include an express lane east of McKinley Street and adding a general-purpose lane to Pierce Street in each direction.
• Cost: $31 million
• Lead Agency: Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC) ###