AGENDA REPORT
TO: Edward D. Reiskin FROM: Dana Riley
City Administrator Interim Director
SUBJECT: Request for Information RE: City
Stables Concessionaire Agreement
DATE: November 21, 2022
City Administrator Approval Date:
RECOMMENDATION
Staff Recommends That The City Council Receive An Informational Report From The City Administrator Regarding (1) The Status Of The License And Master Concessionaire Operation Agreement Related To The Oakland City Stables Located At 13560 Skyline Blvd, And (2) Recommendations Regarding The Ongoing Operation Of An Equestrian Center For The City, Including Providing Equestrian Programs To Oakland Youth From Low Income And Underserved Communities And Providing Horse Boarding And Horseback Riding And Instruction For Oakland Residents.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Diamond Equine Services (DES) currently has a Concessionaire/License Agreement with the City of Oakland to operate Oakland City Stables until December 31, 2022. On February 1, 2022, a meeting was called by former Oakland Parks, Recreation, & Youth Development (OPRYD) Director Nicholas Williams, that convened OPRYD staff, DES, and several stakeholders to discuss the current status of the youth programs/operations at the Oakland City Stables. Subsequently, OPRYD staff and DES were in communication regarding future programming, the end of the agreement, and the strategy moving forward. There were several requests made by OPRYD staff to DES for program and payment information per the agreement. In March 2022, City Attorney staff met with OPRYD staff to review the current agreement and to discuss the next steps. On October 5, 2022, OPRYD, City Attorney, and Real Estate staff met to finalize the plan going forward that included notifying DES that the City would not be renewing the agreement and that the agreement would revert to a month-to-month agreement while moving forward with the RFP process to secure a new agreement to commence on January 1, 2024. On October 6, 2022, Councilmember Loren Taylor submitted an agenda item to the Rules Committee for a Request for Proposal (RFP) for City Stables.
On October 17, 2022, Councilmember Taylor met with OPRYD, City Attorney, and Real Estate staff and altered the request to an informational report from OPRYD regarding City Stables Concessionaire/License Agreement.
Nov 22, 2022
Edward D. Reiskin, City Administrator
Subject: Request for Information RE: City Stables Concessionaire Agreement Date: November 21, 2022 Page 2
Life Enrichment Committee
November 28, 2022
BACKGROUND / LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
Resolution No. 84956 authorizing DES to operate equestrian programs and provide facility improvements was approved on May 6, 2014. A three-year agreement with two consecutive five- year options to renew at the city’s discretion was executed on April 11, 2015. The initial three-year agreement commenced on January 1, 2015 and set to terminate on December 31, 2017. A five-year renewal option commenced on January 1, 2017 and will terminate on December 31, 2022. On October 13, 2022, OPRYD notified DES the agreement will not be renewed for an additional five- year option, and that the agreement would revert to a month-to-month agreement while moving forward with the RFP process to secure a new agreement to commence on January 1, 2024.
ANALYSIS AND POLICY ALTERNATIVES
Information provided by the current concessionaire, DES, has not demonstrated its ability to deliver programs and services to youth participants from underserved Oakland communities. OPRYD’s mission is to provide best-in-class, relevant and equitable programs and services while meeting the specific needs of people and communities. OPRYD achieves this mission through intentional engagement and by removing the barriers that prohibit equitable opportunities for all.
In August of 2022, The Aspen Institute, in partnership with Stephen and Ayesha Curry’s Eat. Learn.
Play. Foundation released State of Play Oakland, reporting on a year-long analysis of the state of youth sports in the city of Oakland, and offered recommendations to grow quality access to sports and physical activity for all children.
The Aspen Institute identified 40 findings in the report that were guided by local Oakland experts in the fields of sports, finance, and physical activity, and obtained through multiple methods; individual interviews with a broad collection of stakeholders and community members; focus-group discussions with youth, coaches, and parents and caregivers; youth surveys; media accounts; and existing reports, policy analyses, and publicly available data. OPRYD believes a youth-serving equine program can mitigate some of the findings of the report, including:
• Nearly one-third of Oakland youth spend six hours or more on a screen daily for fun. In the youth survey, thirty-two (32) percent of respondents reported spending that much time on a cell phone, tablet, TV, computer, or video game for fun outside school. Nationally, forty-eight (48) percent of kids spend more than six hours per day online with mostly noneducational platforms; the average online time doubled during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Oakland, black youth are four times more likely than white youth to spend 11 or more hours per day on screen and about twice as likely as Latino/a and Asian youth. Kids in elementary schools are twice as likely to spend over 11 hours on screens as high school students. • Oakland youth are less physically active than the national average. Only fourteen (14) percent of youth in Oakland meet the 60 minutes of physical activity per day recommended by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, below the national average of twenty- three (23) percent. Oakland girls (nine (9) percent) are less likely to be sufficiently physically active than boys (nineteen (19) percent). Physical activity decreases as youth get older.
OPRYD intends to work with City Administration, Real Estate, City Attorney, and Race and Equity departments to develop a Request for Proposal (RFP) for Concessionaire Services at Oakland City Stables at 13560 Skyline Blvd, Oakland, CA 94619. Through the RFP process, OPRYD seeks to identify a concessionaire to provide equine-based learning opportunities that align with the OPRYD mission, which emphasizes providing equitable services and removing barriers to access.
Edward D. Reiskin, City Administrator
Subject: Request for Information RE: City Stables Concessionaire Agreement Date: November 21, 2022 Page 3
Life Enrichment Committee
November 28, 2022
It is OPRYD’s intention to perform a race equity analysis to identify the program disparities and lack of accessibility at City Stables. OPRYD will continue to work with the current concessionaire to increase accessibility and program offerings. The recommendations, as outlined above, advance the Citywide priorities of vibrant, sustainable infrastructure and responsive, trustworthy government; by recommending an RFP that incorporates equitable outcomes, includes a site equity plan, and creates a process for identifying a service provider with a focus on meeting OPRYD’s equity goals.
FISCAL IMPACT
Per the agreement, DES pays seven (7) percent of total revenue for each calendar year of the agreement. DES reported revenues of $257,374 between 2019 and 2021. OPRYD is anticipating a payment from DES of $18,016.
PUBLIC OUTREACH / INTEREST
The property is located within a residential neighborhood with adjacent open space trails. There have been several community members and stakeholders that have expressed interest in having increased access to the property for daily activities, to provide youth programs, and to schedule special events. It is the expectation that DES work with OPRYD to address neighbors’ concerns and to promote and lead equine opportunities to underserved youth in Oakland.
COORDINATION
This project is coordinated with the City Attorney, Real Estate Asset Management Division, and Department of Race and Equity. OPRYD will continue to coordinate with DES to schedule and maintain programs and services at Oakland City Stables during the RFP process.
This report has been reviewed by the Office of the City Attorney and the Controller’s Bureau.
SUSTAINABLE OPPORTUNITIES
Economic: Revenue generated through the rental fees charged per the agreement can be utilized to support underserved Oakland youth participation and program support.
Environmental: The RFP process will allow for provisions to be made for increased community access to the property and allow connectivity to adjacent trails. The intent is that the revised agreement would require contract holder to act as primary steward of the property and ensure that either they maintain the environmental conditions or work with city departments to ensure appropriate stewardship of these lands for the benefit of the public.
Race & Equity: OPRYD’s goal is to make the City Stables more accessible to neighbors, and especially underserved Oakland youth that do not have the opportunity to participate in equine services in their immediate neighborhood or otherwise.
Edward D. Reiskin, City Administrator
Subject: Request for Information RE: City Stables Concessionaire Agreement Date: November 21, 2022 Page 4
Life Enrichment Committee
November 28, 2022
ACTION REQUESTED OF THE CITY COUNCIL
Staff Recommends that the City Council receive an informational report from the City Administrator regarding (1) the status of the license and master concessionaire operation agreement related to The Oakland City Stables located at 13560 Skyline Blvd, and (2) recommendations regarding the ongoing operation of an equestrian center for the City, including providing equestrian programs to Oakland youth from low income and underserved communities and providing horse boarding and horseback riding and instruction for Oakland residents.
For questions regarding this report, please contact Cynthia Armstrong, Recreation Supervisor, at (510) 908-1000.
Respectfully submitted,
Dana Riley
Interim Director, Parks, Recreation & Youth
Development Department
Prepared by:
Cynthia Armstrong, Recreation Supervisor
Cultural Arts, Nature and Science Unit, Parks,
Recreation & Youth Development Department