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Placentia City Council
AGENDA REPORT
CITY COUNCIL
CITY ADMINISTRATOR
DEPUTY CITY ADMINISTRATOR / PUBLIC SERVICES AND INFRASTRUCTURE APRIL 5, 2022
APPROVAL OF COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT WITH CALTRANS FOR PUBLIC
ART INSTALLATIONS ON STATE PROPERTY
There is no immediate fiscal impact associated with the recommended actions. The proposed Cooperative Agreement is related to proposed public art installations located on State property along the 57 Freeway at the Orangethorpe on/off ramps and the 57/Crowther Avenue intersection. Caltrans will reimburse the City for the cost of developing engineered plans and specifications as well as artist procurement fees and design costs. Those final costs are unknown at this time however Caltrans will fully reimburse the City's costs in advancing these public art projects. The City Council allocated a total of $70,000 (501206-6740) in the mid- year budget adjustment to cover anticipated art and design costs.
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has allocated the City a total of $600,000 for public art improvements under their Clean California Program authorized by the Governor in 2021. Under this program, Caltrans will fully cover the cost to design and construct a public art piece/gateway monument within the cloverleaf on/off ramps at the 57 Freeway at Orangethorpe Avenue as well as to commission two (2) murals on the concrete paved slopes beneath the freeway deck at the Crowther Avenue intersection. Depending upon the design, scope and scale of the final selected gateway monument backbone infrastructure such as engineered footings or electrical connections may be required. Caltrans will reimburse the City for those design costs as well as reimburse the City for artist procurement and design costs. The proposed cooperative agreement functions as a reimbursement agreement for the purpose noted above. The City Council allocated a total of $70,000 in the annual mid -year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) budget amendment to cover design and art procurement costs under this grant program. That amount is estimated at this time as a final art piece/gateway monument has yet to be selected and its backbone infrastructure needs are unknown at this time.
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that City Council take the following actions:
1. Approve a Cooperative Agreement with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans); and
1. e.
Apr. 5, 2022
City Council Agenda
April 5, 2022
2. Authorize the City Administrator and/or his designee to execute all the necessary documents, in a form approved by the City Attorney.
DISCUSSION:
Caltrans has allocated the City $600,000 for public art displays under the State's Clean California Program signed into law by the Governor in 2021. This program provides funding Statewide for public right-of-way clean up and beautification efforts along with the installation of public art pieces. In coordination and cooperation with the City, Caltrans is proposing to install a new gateway monument art piece on State property at the 57 Freeway on/off ramps. In addition, they propose to commission two (2) murals to be painted on the paved slopes beneath the freeway at the Crowther Avenue intersection.
The 57 Freeway/Crowther Avenue Corridor has been the site of numerous homeless encampments and associated maintenance problems for the past several years. Through the City's leadership in advancing the North Orange County Service Planning Area's efforts to build two (2) new emergency navigation centers, these encampments were closed with most of the unhoused being provided shelter and services. During the past couple of years, City staff has held bi-weekly phone calls with Caltrans District 12 executive staff to work on solutions to assist Caltrans in more effectively securing State property. Caltrans District 12 staff submitted a pilot project to Caltrans Headquarters in Sacramento requesting funding to construct landscape improvements along this corridor, but more importantly to install hardened fencing to prevent trespassing upon State property. The pilot project was approved and funded by Caltrans Headquarters and construction began late last month. The project improvements include new trees, ice plant for ground covering, hardened fencing, and new rock cobble blankets at the base of the freeway slopes. The total cost of these improvements is approximately $1.1 million which is completely covered by Caltrans.
Based upon the City's ongoing partnership with Caltrans to beautify and improve State property through Placentia, Caltrans staff submitted a funding request to Caltrans Headquarters requesting an additional $600,000 in funding for public art improvements on State property along the 57 Freeway corridor. The proposed art pieces include a gateway monument constructed within the off/on ramp cloverleaf at Orangethorpe Boulevard. Additionally, two murals are proposed to be painted on the concrete slopes beneath the freeway bridge deck at the intersection of Crowther Avenue. Caltrans will retain ownership of the art pieces once constructed and a separate maintenance agreement between the City and Caltrans will be presented to the City Council for its consideration at a later date.
The proposed cooperative agreement functions as a reimbursement agreement with Caltrans reimbursing the City 100% for any costs related to engineering or landscape design improvements that may be required for the selected art piece/gateway monument. If the selected art piece requires an engineered concrete footing or electrical service for lighting for instance, the City will procure professional design services to prepare the engineered plans and construction specifications Caltrans will need to solicit bids to construct those improvements. Caltrans will take the lead on approving any engineered plans and specifications that the art piece/gateway monument itself may need. In addition, Caltrans will reimburse the City for administrative costs
City Council Agenda
April 5, 2022
associated with soliciting proposals from the art community to prepare and submit conceptual ideas for consideration as well as for commissioning scale models of finalist submittals. Staff is working with Arts Orange County, a local non-profit organization that is the County of Orange's official public art subject matter expert. Arts Orange County will manage the art proposal and selection process and will secure art experts to serve on the selection committee. The City Council may opt, at its discretion, to appoint one (1) or two (2) Councilmembers to serve on the selection committee as well. The cost for Arts Orange County to manage this process on behalf of the City is also reimbursable by Caltrans.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no immediate fiscal impact associated with the recommended actions. The City Council allocated a total of $70,000 as part of the annual mid -year Capital Improvement Program Budget to cover design costs associated with the proposed public art pieces. The current budgeted amount is an estimated cost at this time since the gateway monument has yet to be selected and its backbone infrastructure needs are unknown at this time. However, Caltrans will reimburse the City for all final design costs incurred by the City to support the construction of the proposed gateway monument art piece.
Prepared by: 1 Reviewed and approved,
Luis Estevez Damien R. Arrula
Deputy City Administrator
Attachment:
Cooperative Agreement with Caltrans
City Administrator