STAFF REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
DATE: Special Meeting of November 9, 2022
TO: The Mayor and Members of the City Council
VIA: Dante Hall, City Manager
SUBMITTED BY: Michael Roberts, Public Works Director/City Engineer SUBJECT: Memorandum of Understanding with Participating Contra Costa Agencies to Complete a Feasibility Study for Expanded Ferry Service including the Hercules Hub at a Participating Cost of $40,000 in Measure J Funding RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Approve a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) with the Cities of Antioch, Martinez, and Pittsburg, Contra Costa County, Eastern Contra Costa Transit Authority, and the Contra Costa Transportation Authority to advance planning and studies to evaluate the feasibility of expanded ferry service in Contra Costa County including the Hercules Hub at a participating cost of $40,000 in Measure J Funding.
FISCAL IMPACT OF RECOMMENDATION:
There is sufficient Measure J Funding for this study due to the savings on the Sycamore Avenue Rehabilitation Project. Future street maintenance and repair funding levels will be discussed as part of next year’s budget process and will be informed by the pavement management study currently underway.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The Hercules Hub is a regional, state-of-the-art housing and transportation development located on the waterfront overlooking the San Pablo Bay. It will connect thousands of housing units with a new train stop along the Capitol Corridor, bicycle and pedestrian pathways, bus routes, carpool options, and ferry service. To date $46M in capital improvements have been constructed for this new facility and the City is fully engaged in securing the funding needed to design and construct the remaining infrastructure that will allow the Capitol Corridor train to serve the Hub.
At this time staff is recommending the City enter into an MOU with other Contra Costa County public agencies to complete a feasibility assessment to provide ferry service to their respective jurisdictions. The scope of work would include assessing existing infrastructure, capital improvement costs, operational and maintenance costs including the use of small vessels, permitting requirements, estimate ridership, evaluate faire structure, evaluate possible management structures of the service, and identify funding options including grant opportunities. As the lead agency, the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) would complete the majority of the work under the MOU while each agency would participate through a designated representative.
Participating in the MOU will lay the groundwork for future service to the Hub by leveraging service expansion through the joint effort of 7 public agencies, providing the studies needed to better understand and plan for service, and the completion of a written plan by the regional transportation planning agency (i.e. CCTA) needed for the City to be competitive on future grant funding opportunities.
DISCUSSION:
Over the past year, the Cities of Antioch, Hercules, Martinez, and Pittsburg (“Cities”), Contra Costa County(“County”), Eastern Contra Costa Transit Authority (“ECCTA”), and the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (“CCTA”), collectively referred to as the “Parties,” have been discussing options for expansion of ferry service in Contra Costa County. The Parties have determined that increasing transit options in Contra Costa County will promote economic development, create jobs, provide additional emergency response alternatives, and support congestion relief by converting vehicle trips to transit trips. Providing ferry operations to service within Antioch, Martinez, Pittsburg, Hercules and the unincorporated areas of east County will provide a viable transit alternative to these communities for both commute and recreational trips.
The Parties have conceptual ideas of the goals of an Expanded Ferry Service and completion of additional studies will be required for the development of conceptual initial operating parameters of the service, including but not limited to projections for ferry demand, service frequency, fare structure, operating costs, and purchase/lease agreement(s) for vessels (if needed), and other matters connected with an initial demonstration period and ongoing ferry service. Ferry service planning, and development of an implementation strategy, will require coordination with key stakeholders, policymakers, and permitting agencies that may provide input and/or have project approval authority over some or all of the Expanded Ferry Service.
The Parties have developed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that defines the roles and responsibilities of each of the Parties to plan and complete studies and reports to better understand how or whether Expanded Ferry Service can be established. CCTA will develop the procurement documents needed to retain the Consultant to complete the Feasibility Study and will be responsible for managing the Consultant contract. Each Party will designate representative that will be responsible for actively representing that Party in meetings, planning activities, consultant selection, and Feasibility Study review.
The estimated cost to complete the planning work for the Expanded Ferry Service is $200,000 and will be equally shared between the Cities and the County. The Cities and the County may make payments directly to CCTA for the planning work using local funds or may choose to have CCTA withhold $40,000 of their Measure J Program 11 (Return to Source Funds) funds for Local Streets Maintenance & Improvements.
The planning work for the Expanded Ferry Service is anticipated to be initiated in early 2023 and to be completed by the end of 2023.
ATTACHMENTS:
Resolutions
Financial Impact
Description: Expenditure amount $50,000.
Funding Source: Measure J Fund No. 263-5432-611.90
Budget Recap:
Total Estimated cost: $40,000 New Revenue: $
Amount Budgeted: $40,000 Lost Revenue: $
New funding required: $ New Personnel: $
Council Policy Change: Yes No
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