PISMO BEACH COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
Agenda Item #12.B
SUBJECT/TITLE:
BELLO STREET SPORTS COURTS LOCATION ANALYSIS
RECOMMENDATION:
Provide staff with direction on how to proceed with the Bello Street Sports Courts Relocation.
BACKGROUND:
The City has been working on a new Public Safety Facility which is proposed to be constructed on the corner of Bello Street and Wadsworth Avenue, displacing the two existing tennis courts and basketball court (sports courts) at that location. Figure 1, below, shows the corner of Bello Street and Wadsworth Avenue and the location of the existing (E) sports courts, Old City Hall, Fire Sleeping Quarters, Police Department and Fire Department or Fire Apparatus Bays.
Figure 1. Facilities at Corner of Bello Steet and Wadsworth Avenue Consistent with prior Council direction to relocate the sports courts somewhere else in the proximity of the Bello Street neighborhood, staff has been working with staff at the Lucia Mar Unified School District (LMUSD) since August 2019 on an agreement that would allow the City to relocate the existing sports courts to a location adjacent to the track on the lower field at Judkins Middle School. This site is in the same neighborhood as the existing site and less than a quarter of a mile away. (E) Sports Courts Old City Hall
Police Department
Fire
Department
Fire Sleeping Quarters
12.B-1Council Agenda 3-1-2022
Figure 2, on the next page, shows the proposed (P) location of the sports courts, and the relative proximity of the new location to the old location.
Figure 2. Judkins Middle School Location Map
In November of 2021, City staff and LMUSD staff came to an agreement on a location for the courts and conditions LMUSD would like to see met to allow the relocation of the sports courts on LMUSD-owned land. These conditions include the installation of a fence that would completely separate the publicly accessible sports courts from the school grounds for student safety, construction of a sidewalk from the Bello Veterans’ Hall to the track area, and providing the school with 30 days per year where the school would have exclusive rights to the sports courts during school hours.
Staff has also met with the Division of State Architecture (DSA), which has permitting jurisdiction over development of school property, to see what other requirements might be required for the development of the sports courts on LMUSD property. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that when publicly accessible sites are developed, re- developed, or modified that certain ADA improvements must also be made to the site.
The DSA’s initial directive is that an additional 20% of the total project cost would have to be spent on ADA upgrades to the site to meet the ADA guidelines. This would result in additional costs of the project into the six figures.
Because the project is still in the early stages of development and an agreement has not been solidified, staff has prepared a very high-level estimate of the improvements which are shown in the Fiscal Impact section of this report.
(E) Sports Courts
(P) Sports Court
Location
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The next step in solidifying the agreement would be to take it to the LMUSD School Board and City Council for consideration.
Figure 3 shows the exact location of the proposed sports courts in relation to the school’s track and the proposed sidewalk and fencing required by LMUSD, as well as the existing parking lot that has 33 existing parking spaces, which would be shared with other uses of the facility, such as the school’s track and field.
Figure 3. Proposed Improvements on LMUSD Property
While there are many factors that make the proposed site a good choice for relocating the sports courts, there are a few key drawbacks. First, the site is a known site of significant cultural interest. To build the courts in this location would most likely require modified building techniques, most notably that over-excavation and compaction of the native soil would most likely not be allowed. If this were to be true, soil would have to be imported and compacted on top of the native soil. This technique was used in the construction of Dinosaur Caves Park. This would increase costs. Second, the courts will not be as accessible to the public as if they were on City property, with an agreement for use needing to be approved by the school district that would set aside certain days of use by the school. Third, as previously mentioned, additional costs for ADA mitigations are required by the state. Finally, the courts would not as visible or as easily accessible to the public as the existing courts.
Based on some of these concerns, at the Goal Setting meeting on January 28, 2022, the City Council directed staff to investigate whether or not the City-owned lot on Ventana Drive would be a suitable alternative for the sports court’s relocation.
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Staff looked at the Ventana Drive site, which is approximately 2 miles from the existing sports courts by car. Figure 4, below, shows the relationship between the existing sports courts (shown with an x) and the Ventana site (shown with a star).
Figure 4. Map Showing Relationship between the Existing Sports Courts and the Ventana Drive Site
Figure 5 below shows the Ventana Drive site, which is located across the street from Chumash Park. If the sports courts were relocated to this site, staff has concerns with the possibility of users of the sports courts trying to cross Ventana Drive, which has a steep grade and often sees vehicles driving at a higher rate of speed, to the park and users for the park trying to cross Ventana Drive to the sports courts. Staff recommends that, should the Council direct staff to relocate the sports courts to this location, the following public improvements be made:
Install “No Crossing” signs on barricades at the driveway to Chumash Park and the sports courts site
Install “Pedestrian Crossing” wayfinding signs on the barricades Remove the existing curb ramps on Ventana Drive, shown in Figure 5 Install new curb ramps at the controlled intersection of Ventana Drive and James Way, shown in Figure 5
Install approximately 80 feet of new sidewalk across the landscape island, shown in Figure 5
Ventana Drive is included in the 2022 Paving Project that is currently out to bid, with bids due on March 31, 2022. If the Council wishes to move forward with the Ventana Drive site, staff recommends that a bid addendum be issued now, to include the above public improvements with the paving project.
A proof-of-concept layout of the proposed sports courts is shown in Figure 6, below. This exhibit shows that the two tennis courts, basketball court, and approximately 21 parking spaces can fit on the site. Staff would need to do a more detailed analysis to determine exactly what improvements could be constructed at this site and if any retaining walls would be required. The Council may choose to delegate the actual design and court selection to the Parks, Recreation and Beautification Commission.
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Figure 5. Ventana Drive Site and Recommended Public Improvements Chumash Park
Ventana Site
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Figure 6. Proof of Concept Layout of Proposed Sports Courts While staff has only done a preliminary investigation to both sites, the Ventana Drive site appears to be an easier site to develop since it is not a known site of significant cultural interest, would require fewer public improvements, and would not require spending an additional 20% of the project budget in site upgrades. The site is also more visible and accessible.
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the City Council discuss options for the relocation of the existing sports courts located on the corner of Wadsworth Avenue and Bello Street and provide staff with direction on how to proceed.
FISCAL IMPACT:
While there is no immediate fiscal impact from Council discussing options and providing staff with direction on how to proceed, each potential location for the new sports courts has different costs associated with construction. The estimates shown below are very high-level estimates that will require more time and effort to refine, including a topographic survey, which could cost $5,000—$7,000. Because a definitive site has not been selected by the City Council, staff did not invest the extra resources to refine either cost estimate.
Once a topographic survey is performed, staff will have an idea of the size of retaining walls that will be required. Staff estimates that the Bello site will likely need retaining walls
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in some capacity for the sidewalk which could cost between $35,000 and $45,000. This cost is not included in the estimate below.
Bello Street Site
Construction of sports courts $963,000
Special site considerations $90,000
Sidewalk (including utility pole relocation) $65,000
Fencing 980 lineal feet $45,000
Subtotal $1,163,000
Design (10%) $116,300
Project administration (20%) $232,600
ADA Improvements (20%) $232,600
Contingency (10%) $116,300
Total $1,860,800
Ventana Drive Site
Construction of sports courts $963,000
Sidewalk and ramps $15,000
Fencing 640 lineal feet $30,000
Subtotal $1,008,000
Design (10%) $100,800
Project administration (20%) $201,600
Contingency (10%) $100,800
Total $1,411,200
ALTERNATIVES:
1. Provide staff direction on a different project.
ATTACHMENTS:
None
Submitted by: Meeting Date: March 1, 2022
Benjamin A. Fine, P.E., Director of Public Works/City Engineer City Manager Approval:
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