Q SEW Pp�T
CITY OF
O �
z NEWPORT BEACH
<,FORN'P City Council Staff Report
November 14, 2023
Agenda Item No. SS2
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: Tara Finnigan, Assistant City Manager - 949-644-3001, [email protected]
PREPARED BY: Alan Rivera, Management Fellow, 949-644-3313, [email protected]
TITLE: Nighttime Closure of Public Restrooms
ABSTRACT:
Following a staff presentation on potential overnight closure of City of Newport Beach - owned public restrooms at the September 26, 2023 Study Session, the City Council discussed the matter and directed staff to return with additional information, including cost estimates and a timeline, for the nightly, automatic closure of some or all of the City's 34 public restrooms. Staff prepared a proposed plan and is seeking City Council direction regarding its implementation.
RECOMMENDATION:
a) Provide staff direction regarding the nightly closure of some or all of the City of Newport Beach's public restroom facilities.
DISCUSSION:
Background
The City of Newport Beach (City) owns, operates and maintains 34 public restroom facilities across the community. The facilities can be found adjacent to City beaches, within City parks and in high -use, urban areas. Most of the restroom facilities are currently open seven days a week, 24 hours a day, throughout the year. All restrooms are cleaned twice daily year-round, and high -use restrooms in the beach areas receive additional cleaning service from April through October. Despite the City's efforts to keep the facilities clean and well -maintained for public use, staff from the Public Works, Police and Recreation and Senior Services departments routinely respond to incidents of vandalism and loitering in several of the public restrooms.
Staff surveyed other Southern California cities and found that 26 of the 27 respondent cities close their public restrooms at night. One community closes most of its restrooms nightly. County beach cities (Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach and San Clemente) manually lock their public restrooms. Four San Diego County beach cities (Carlsbad, Oceanside, Imperial Beach and Chula Vista) also lock all of their public restrooms nightly via manual or automatic locking or a combination of both.
SS2-1
Nighttime Closure of Public Restrooms
November 14, 2023
At the City Council's August 22, 2023, meeting, Councilmembers Lauren Kleiman and Joe Stapleton proposed having a City Council discussion in which the Council could consider a policy for the nightly closure of City -owned restrooms. The Council, via a straw poll and with an excused absence from Mayor Pro Tern Will O'Neill, unanimously supported having such a discussion at a future meeting.
In response, at the Council's September 26, 2023, Study Session, staff presented councilmembers with an overview of the City's public restroom facilities; the survey findings of other local cities' overnight restroom closures; logistical considerations related to overnight closures; and estimated annual costs for both the manual and automatic closure of all 34 public restrooms or a selection of 13 restrooms that were identified as high -risk for loitering and vandalism by Newport Beach Police Department and Public Works Department staff.
Staff estimated the labor cost to manually close and open 13 restrooms nightly would be $195,000 and to manually close and open 32 restrooms would be $480,000 per year. The estimate to install automatic locks on 13 of the facilities was approximately $178,150 and the cost to install automatic locks on all of the restrooms was approximately $604,150.
The latter excludes any ongoing maintenance or labor expense, such as the cost to check and clear certain restrooms each night.
The Council heard public comments and discussed the method (automatic or manual), associated costs, and the number of facilities to close. There was general consensus among councilmembers that at least some of the City's restrooms should be closed at night and that automatic locks would be less expensive in the long run than the ongoing cost of manual locking. However, councilmember opinions varied regarding the locking method, timing and number of restrooms to be closed, as well as concerns with addressing automatic locks that are damaged or circumvented. The Council requested that staff return with a proposed plan for the automatic closure of some or all of the public restrooms and the costs associated with implementing the plan for further Council review and discussion.
Proposed Plan
Staff from the Newport Beach Police Department, Public Works Department, Recreation and Senior Services Department and the City Manager's Office met and worked together throughout October to develop a proposed restroom closure plan and refine costs.
Phasing
Attachment A is a list of City -owned public restroom facilities listed in order of priority for implementing overnight locking. Those that tend to be vandalized more frequently and/or have issues with individuals loitering within them are ranked highest.
The potential restroom lock conversions are also divided in phases to help staff manage the implementation work required.
After further discussion and in response to councilmember comments from the September 26 meeting, staff reviewed the list of "higher risk" facilities — those that are vandalized or in which loitering occurs more often — and expanded it from 13 to 22 restrooms.
SS2-2
Nighttime Closure of Public Restrooms
November 14, 2023
Should the Council opt to only close some of the City's public restrooms, staff recommends that the restrooms listed on Attachment A, and numbered from 1-22, close nightly.
Staff also color -coded the list to reflect the proposed phases of implementation.
Attachment B is a map of the restroom locations, also color -coded by phase.
Phase 1 - Includes 15th Street, Channel Place Park, Sunset Ridge Park, Civic Center Park, 28th Street Fire Station, Marina Park Lighthouse, and 38th Street Restrooms
Seven public restrooms are now currently locked at night, as staff began manually locking the 15t" Street and 38t" Street restrooms nightly since the Council's September 26 discussion. Five of these restrooms are already equipped with automatic lock fixtures and two are manually locked (15t" Street and Marina Park Lighthouse). Staff recommends converting the 15t" Street restrooms to automatic locks as part of the Capital Improvement Program project scheduled for 2025. Staff also recommends having the contract janitorial service continue to manually lock, and staff unlock, the Marina Park Lighthouse restroom facility due to the challenges staff sees in retrofitting the custom doors.
Phase 2 - Includes Balboa Pier, Washington Street, Corona del Mar State Beach West and Corona del Mar State Beach East, Little Corona, 58th Street, Orange Street, Bob Henry Park, Mariners Park, Cliff Drive Park Restrooms Based upon incidents of vandalism and loitering, staff recommends installing automatic locks in the 10 restrooms listed above.
Phase 3 - Newport Pier, 19th Street, Irvine Terrace Park, East Bluff Park, Bonita Creek Park Restrooms
There are some incidents of vandalism and loitering in the restrooms recommended for Phase 3, and staff recommends converting these 5 facilities to automatic locking once the previous phase is completed.
Phase 4 — Port Carney, Port Westbourne, Bonita Canyon Park East, Bonita Canyon Park Middle, Bonita Canyon Park West, Grant Howald Park, Arroyo Park, San Miguel, Balboa Island Fire Station, Balboa Island Ferry Landing, Lawn Bowling, Coastal Peak Park Restrooms
These facilities are rarely vandalized and staff has found little, if any, loitering occurring at these locations. However, should the Council desire to have a consistent approach across the city in terms of nightly restroom closures, these remaining 12 locations can be retrofitted for automatic locking once phases 2 and 3 are completed.
Automatic Locks and Restroom Retrofits
Should the Council desire to have more public restrooms facilities close nightly, staff recommends installation of an automatic lock that can be programmed onsite and contains a keypad.
SS2-3
Nighttime Closure of Public Restrooms
November 14, 2023
The keypad will enable staff and the janitorial service to readily access the facilities during nighttime closure periods.
The entryways to the City's restrooms generally fall into two categories: gates and doors.
Some facilities have two entry points and others have four. Public Works Department staff reviewed the access points to each facility to determine what level of work would be required to install automatic locks. The pricing discussed below and shown in Attachment A is based upon a recent contractor's bid.
Some facilities would only require changing out the lockset on the door. Staff estimates the cost to purchase and install a lockset on an existing door is approximately $3,000.
The remainder of the restrooms have gates or doors that will need to be retrofitted, as they are not currently conducive to automatic lock installation. This will involve working with a door fabrication firm to make and change out doors and gates, as well as make and change the entire door housing frames in several cases. The cost per gate or door retrofit is $23,000 for those facilities that have two entrances, and $46,000 for those restrooms with four entrances.
It should be noted that four restroom facilities — Port Carney, Port Westbourne, 58th Street and Orange St. — are included in the Capital Improvement Program for rehabilitation in early 2024. As part of this work, the automatic locks would be installed and the costs included in the project budgets. As previously mentioned, the 15th Street restroom facility is scheduled to be completely rebuilt in 2025 and automatic locks will be included with the project.
Hours
Attachment A includes the recommended closing and opening times for each facility. Park restrooms would close and open according to City park hours. For the non -park restrooms, staff took into consideration the volume of use of each facility and the location.
Timing
Phase 1, except for converting the 15th Street Restroom to automatic locks, is completed.
Should the Council desire to implement phases 2 and 3 of the plan, staff will immediately begin the bidding and contracting process. Based on average procurement times, the availability of parts, and the amount of retrofitting and fabrication needed, Public Works Department staff estimates that these phases of work will take between 10 to 14 months to complete. If the Council prefers to have all City restrooms converted to automatic locking, the process could be completed in approximately 24 months.
Interim Solution
If the Council desires to move forward with the City closing most or all of its public restrooms nightly, but is concerned about the estimated project timeline for converting the entryways to automatic locking, staff recommends that a security contractor be retained to manually lock the restrooms until the conversion project is completed. The Police, Public Works, and Recreation and Senior Services departments determined that due to current staffing levels and schedules, having available staff assume that responsibility could only be accomplished around employees' current responsibilities.
SS2-4
Nighttime Closure of Public Restrooms
November 14, 2023
This would lead to inconsistencies in the closure schedule. Staff also considered expanding the duties of the current janitorial service. That option, however, would also lead to inconsistencies in closure times and, would likely mean that the Newport Beach Police Department would be called to assist with clearing restrooms where loitering occurs. Hiring a security contractor would allow for the restrooms to be consistently closed, cleared and opened on set schedules. One of the City's current security contractors provided a quote of $20 per visit per location to manually lock and unlock the restrooms. Thus, the estimated annual cost to manually close and open the 15 restrooms in phases 2 and 3 plus the 15th Street Restroom until they are retrofitted would be $233,600. Manual closure of the latter mentioned restrooms (those included in phases 2 and 3 plus the 15th Street Restroom) and the 12 restrooms included in phase 4 would be $408,800, for a total of 28 restrooms.
If the Council is interested in having the City retain a security service for these duties, staff would issue a request for proposals.
Longer -Term Closing, Locking and Clearing
Councilmembers expressed concern that, based on the City's and other community's experiences, the automatic locks could be broken frequently and/or individuals could circumvent the locks. Staff provided an annual maintenance cost estimate for each location (see Attachment A) and would closely track any maintenance associated with the locks. If the City retains a security contractor to manually close the restrooms until the automatic locks are installed, the security guard would be responsible for reporting any issues found, including loitering. The information gathered would enable the City to determine which restrooms — even when automatically locked — would need to be checked each night.
Further, should Council wish to have the six restrooms listed under phase 1 cleared by security each night now, those services could be added at an additional cost of $43,800 per year (one visit at $20 each).
There are six restrooms that are heavily used, particularly during the summer months.
These include 15th Street, Balboa Pier, Washington Street, Corona del Mar East and West and Newport Pier. These facilities are proposed for automatic locking, but staff is concerned about the daily wear and tear on the doors or gates. The doors to these facilities should be latched open during the busy part of each day. To do so, staff or a contractor would stop by mid -morning to latch the doors open and then return in the early evening to close the doors. They would remain unlocked until the automatic locks secure the facilities at the scheduled times.
Council Direction Requested
Staff is seeking Council direction on the following:
1. Which phases, if any, of the proposed automatic locking to implement.
2. If the Council agrees with the proposed phasing.
3. If the City should retain a contractor to manually lock the restrooms until automatic locks are installed.
SS2-5
Nighttime Closure of Public Restrooms
November 14, 2023
FISCAL IMPACT:
Should the City Council desire to move forward with all or part of the plan, staff would return with a budget amendment request to provide the necessary funds to retrofit doorways, upgrade doors/gates, provide and install automatic locks, as well as a contract for any security services.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
Staff recommends the City Council find this action is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) (the activity will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment) and 15060(c)(3) (the activity is not a project as defined in Section 15378) of the CEQA Guidelines, California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Chapter 3, because it has no potential for resulting in physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly.
NOTICING:
The agenda item has been noticed according to the Brown Act (72 hours in advance of the meeting at which the City Council considers the item).
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment A — List of City -owned Public Restroom Facilities Attachment B — Map
SS2-6
Phasing for Proposed Automatic Locking of City Public Restroom Facilities Autolock
Vandalism Loitering New Installation Installation Est.
Name Address Use Type Risk Risk Required Cost
Est. Annual Proposed Proposed
Maintenance Cost Opening Closing
Notes
Attachment A
1 15th St.
1501 E. Ocean Front
Beach
High
High
Yes
$46,000.00
$6,844.80
6:00 AM
10:00 PM
Requires 4 new gates, closers and autolocks and deadbolts.
P
2 Channel Place Park
4400 Channel PI.
Park
Med.
High
Yes
$0.00
$3,422.40
6:00 AM
11:00 PM
Has autolocks on both doors. Deadbolts need to be installed H
3 Sunset Ridge Park
4850 W. Coast Hyw.
Park
Med.
High
Yes
$0.00
$3,422.40
6:00 AM
11:00 PM
Has autolocks on both doors. Deadbolts need to be installed A
4 Civic Center Park
100 Civic Center Dr.
Park
Med.
High
Yes
$0.00
$2,758.80
6:00 AM
11:00 PM
Has autolocks.
S
5 28th St. Fire Station
2807 Newport Blvd.
Urban
Med.
High
Yes
$0.00
$3,422.40
5:00 AM
12:00 AM
Has autolocks and deadbolts on both doors.
E
6 38th St.
3706 Balboa Blvd.
Park
Med.
High
Yes
$0.00
$3,422.40
6:00 AM
11:00 PM
Requires two new steel doors, closers, autolocks and deadbolts. 7 Marina Park Light House
1700 Balboa Blvd.
Park
High
Low
No
$0.001
$3,422.40
6:00 AM
1 11:00 PM
IManually locked / unlocked due to door type.
1 Phase I Subtotals $46,000.00 $26,715.60
8 Balboa Pier
801 E. Ocean Front
Beach
High
Med.
Yes
$46,000.00
$6,844.80
5:00 AM
12:00 AM
Requires 4 new gates, closers and autolocks and deadbolts. 9 Washington St.
208 Washington St.
Urban
High
Med.
Yes
$23,000.00
$3,422.40
5:00 AM
2:00 AM
Requires 2 new gates, closers and autolocks and deadbolts.
P
10 Corona Del Mar State West
3031 Ocean Blvd.
Beach
High
Low
Yes
$46,000.00
$6,844.80
6:00 AM
10:00 PM
Requires 4 new gates, closers and autolocks and deadbolts.
H
11 Corona Del Mar State East
2905 Ocean Blvd.
Beach
High
Low
Yes
$46,000.00
$6,844.80
6:00 AM
10:00 PM
Requires 4 new gates, closers and autolocks and deadbolts.
A
12 Little Corona (Buck Gully)
214 Glen Dr.
Beach
High
Low
Yes (Lockset Only)
$3,000.00
$3,422.40
6:00 AM
10:00 PM
Requires autolock installation only.
S
13 58th St.
5800 Seashore Dr.
Park
Med.
Med.
Yes
$23,000.00
$3,422.40
6:00 AM
11:00 PM
Current CIP rehab project. Requires 2 new gates, closers and autolocks and deadbolts.
E
14 Orange St.
6804 Seashore Dr.
Park/Urban
Med.
Med.
Yes
$23,000.00
$3,422.40
5:00 AM
12:00 PM
Current CIP rehab project. Requires 2 new gates, closers and autolocks and deadbolts. 15 Bob Henry Park
900 Dover Dr.
Park
Low
High
Yes
$23,000.00
$2,758.80
6:00 AM
11:00 PM
Requires 2 new gates, closers and autolocks and deadbolts. 2 16
Mariners Park
2005 Dover Dr.
Park
Low
High
Yes
$23,000.00
$2,758.80
6:00 AM
11:00 PM
Requires 2 new gates, closers and autolocks and deadbolts. 17 Cliff Dr. Park
301 Riverside Ave.
Park
Low
High
Yes
$3,150.00
$2,758.80
6:00 AM
11:00 PM
Requires 1 new steel door, closer, autolock and deadbolt.
Phase 2 Subtotals $259,150.00 $42,500.40
P
18 Newport Pier
72 Newport Pier
Beach
High
High
Yes
$46,000.00
$6,844.80
5:00 AM
12:00 AM
Requires 4 new gates, closers and autolocks and deadbolts.
R
19 19th St.
226 19th St.
Urban
High
High
Yes (Lockset Only)
$3,000.00
$3,422.40
5:00 AM
2:00 AM
Requires autolock installation only.
20 Irvine Terrace Park
721 Evita Dr.
Park
Med.
Med.
Yes
$9,000.00
$2,758.80
6:00 AM
11:00 PM
Requires 2 new steel doors, closers, autolocks and deadbolts. s
E
21 East Bluff Park
2401 Vista Del Oro
Park
Med.
Med.
Yes
$23,000.00
$2,758.80
6:00 AM
11:00 PM
Requires 2 new gates, closers and autolocks and deadbolts. 22 Bonita Creek Park
3010 La Vida
Park
Low
Med.
Yes
$9,000.00
$2,758.80
6:00 AM
11:00 PM
Requires 1 new steel door, closer, autolock and deadbolt. 3 Phase 3 Subtotals $90,000.00 $18,543.60
23 Port Carney
1910 Port Carney Pl.
Park
High
Low
Yes
$9,000.00
$2,758.80
6:00 AM
11:00 PM
Current CIP Rehab project - auto locking doors will be added to the remodel. 24 Port Westbourne
1891 Port Westbourne Pl.
Park
High
Low
Yes
$9,000.00
$2,758.80
6:00 AM
11:00 PM
Current CIP Rehab project - auto locking doors will be added to the remodel. 25 Bonita Canyon Park East
1990 Ford Rd.
Park
High
Low
Yes
$23,000.00
$2,758.80
6:00 AM
11:00 PM
Requires 2 new gates, closers and autolocks and deadbolts.
P
26 Bonita Canyon Park Middle
1880 Ford Rd.
Park
High
Low
Yes
$23,000.00
$2,758.80
6:00 AM
11:00 PM
Requires 2 new gates, closers and autolocks and deadbolts.
H
27 Bonita Canyon Park West
1641 Ford Rd.
Park
High
Low
Yes
$23,000.00
$2,758.80
6:00 AM
11:00 PM
Requires 2 new gates, closers and autolocks and deadbolts.
A
28 Grant Howald Park
3000 5th Ave.
Park
Med.
Low
Yes
$23,000.00
$2,758.80
6:00 AM
11:00 PM
Requires 2 new gates, closers and autolocks and deadbolts.
S
29 Arroyo Park
1411 Bayswater Dr.
Park
Low
Low
Yes (Lockset Only)
$3,000.00
$2,758.80
6:00 AM
11:00 PM
Requires 2 new gates, closers and autolocks and deadbolts.
E
30 San Miguel
2200 San Miguel Dr.
Park
Low
Low
Yes (Lockset Only)
$3,000.00
$2,758.80
6:00 AM
11:00 PM
Requires autolock installation only.
31 Balboa Island Fire Station
124 Marine Ave.
Urban
Low
Low
Yes
$9,000.00
$3,422.40
5:00 AM
2:00 AM
Requires autolock installation only.
4 32
Balboa Island Ferry Landing
501 S. Bay Front
Urban
Low
Low
Yes
$9,000.00
$3,422.40
5:00 AM
2:00 AM
Requires autolock installation only.
33 Lawn Bowling
1550 Crown Dr. North
Park
Low
Low
Yes
$9,000.00
$2,758.80
6:00 AM
11:00 PM
Requires autolock installation only.
FK::[Coastal
Peak Park
20403 E. Coastal Peak
Park
Low
Low
Yes
$23,000.00
$2,758.80
6:00 AM
11:00 PM
Requires 2 new gates, closers and autolocks and deadbolts.
Phase 4 Subtotals $166,000.00 $34,432.80
Total $561,150.00 $122,192.40
Est. potential savings due to near -term facility replacement (15th Street, 58th St, Orange St Port Carney, Port-Westbourne) $110,000.00 SS2-7
Attachment B
1 NBG°S e °
V F W V O R T R F A C H Miles
UPPER
NEWPORT
BAY
�4� !h
�� Illy �'•
NEWPORT
ResereeO W1x Z\ NEWPORT
T
U
3a
OR
F
HI L W A RO `
R' 34% I
� I
QGE
PQ '
3 I
R z COAST
O '
1 CRYSTAL COVE
STATE PARK
•
1 City of Newport Beach Stand -Alone and Maintained
Public Restroom Facilities
Auto -Lock Installation Proposed Phasing
0 Phase 1
1, 15th St., 1501, E. Ocean Front
2, Channel Place Park, 4400 Channel PI.
3, Sunset Ridge Park, 4850 W. Coast Hwy.
4, Civic Center Park, 100 Civic Center Dr.
5, 28th St. Fire Station, 2807 Newport Blvd.
6, Marina Park Light House, 1700 Balboa Blvd.
7, 38th St., 3706 Balboa Blvd.
0 Phase 2
8, Balboa Pier, 801 E. Ocean Front
9, Washington St., 208 Washington St.
10, Corona del Mar State West, 3031 Ocean Blvd.
11, Corona del Mar State East, 2905 Ocean Blvd.
12, Little Corona (Buck Gully), 214 Glen Dr.
13, 58th St., 5800 Seashore Dr.
14, Orange St., 6804 Seashore Dr.
15, Bob Henry Park, 900 Dover Dr.
16, Mariners Park , 2005 Dover Dr.
17, Cliff Dr. Park, 301 Riverside Ave.
0 Phase 3
18, Newport Pier, 72 Newport Pier
19, 19th St., 226 19th St.
20, Irvine Terrace Park, 721 Evita Dr.
21, East Bluff Park, 2401 Vista Del Oro
22, Bonita Creek Park, 3010 La Vida
0 Phase 4
23, Port Carney, 1910 Port Carney Pl.
24, Port Westbourne, 1891 Port Westbourne Pl.
25, Bonita Canyon Park East, 1990 Ford Rd.
26, Bonita Canyon Park Middle, 1880 Ford Rd.
27, Bonita Canyon Park West, 1641 Ford Rd.
28, Grant Howald Park, 3000 5th Ave.
29, Arroyo Park, 1411 Bayswater Dr.
30, San Miguel, 2200 San Miguel Dr.
31, Balboa Island Fire Station, 124 Marine Ave.
32, Balboa Island Ferry Landing, 501 S. Bay Front
33, Lawn Bowling, 1550 Crown Dr. North
34, Coastal Peak Park, 20403 E. Coastal Peak
SS2-8