Cotati City Council
Agenda Staff Report
Item type: REGULAR AGENDA (ACTION)
To: City Council
Subject: APPROVAL OF A DESIGN CONTRACT FOR THE VERONDA
FALLETTI RANCH BARNS
Date: February 13, 2024
Written by: Damien O'Bid, City Manager
Recommendation
It is recommended that the City Council adopt a motion authorizing the City Manager to execute an agreement with ArchiLOGIX for the schematic design of the Veronda Falletti Ranch barn and brooder house.
Background
The City purchased the 4.37-acre Veronda-Falletti Ranch (Ranch) in 2008 through the Open Space and Agricultural Preservation District’s (Open Space District) Matching Grant Program.
As part of this program, the funding recipient (the City in this case) is required to provide a 50% match for the property purchase, which is memorialized in the matching grant agreement and agree to the recordation of a conservation easement on the property. Both documents have certain restrictions and requirements that the City must comply with.
In 2016, the City completed the initial phase of work to begin allowing more public access to the Ranch, which consisted of a new walking path along the East School and El Rancho sides of the property, a new picnic area at the corner of El Rancho and East School Street, and some related crosswalk, sidewalk, and landscaping improvements at the community center building across East School Street from the Ranch. In 2020, the City refurbished the ranch house, demolished and reconstructed the water tower, and performed related access improvements, including ADA parking and installation of a motorized access gate. Subsequent improvements to the ranch house include the addition of a fire sprinkler system to permit children's programming.
The remaining major infrastructure improvements at the Ranch include rebuilding the barn and brooder house. The City held a public workshop on December 9, 2022, to gather community input on the barn, brooder house and general site circulation. The City held a second public workshop on October 14, 2023 to continue to gather community input, followed by a meeting with the Board of the Cotati Historical Society.
Analysis/Discussion
Based on the preliminary work conducted by Archilogix to inform the public workshops, the City requested a scope of work for a schematic design of the barn and brooder house. The intent of the schematic design is to fully flush out the design, include renderings and cost estimates, to allow the City to begin a community fund raising campaign. Once sufficient funds are received, the City can move the schematic design to full construction documents to bid and build the project.
The matching grant agreement for the purchase of the Ranch requires the City to match the Open Space District contribution of $3,650,000. There is no timeline to provide the City match, but staff have been told that the City will not receive any new matching grants until this obligation is satisfied. The intent is to provide the City match through on-going capital and operation and maintenance expenditures.
Total expenses for the Ranch, through January 9, 2024, are as follows:
CAPITAL PROJECT EXPENSES 1,179,020.27
OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE 522,850.13
Grand Total 1,701,870.40
Financial Considerations
The proposed scope of work is proposed not to exceed $57,000. The current fiscal budget includes $150,000 of funding for appropriations for the Falleti Barn Refurbishment at account 605-00-91300-27PWGL. These expenditures are budgeted with transfers from the General Fund.
As such no additional appropriations are required currently.
Environmental Issues
This action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it is not a project which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, pursuant to CEQA Guideline section 15378.