City Council Memorandum
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: NOVEMBER 28, 2023 FROM: PARKS, RECREATION AND COMMUNITY WARDS: 1, 3, & 7
SERVICES DEPARTMENT
SUBJECT: ACCEPT ADDITIONAL GRANT FUNDS FROM THE CALIFORNIA COASTAL CONSERVANCY AND authorize AN INCREASE IN REVENUE AND A supplemental appropriation in the amount of $354,000 to the Santa Ana River Coastal Conservancy grant project account; AUTHORIZE 32.3% CHANGE ORDER AUTHORITY IN THE AMOUNT OF $634,988.83 NOT TO EXCEED COMPENSATION OF $2,598,670.62; AND APPROVE SECOND AMENDMENT TO INCREASE COMPENSATION AND EXTEND TERM TO DECEMBER 31, 2025 FOR PROFESSIONAL CONSULTANT SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH MLA GREEN, INC. DBA STUDIO-MLA FOR THE RIVERSIDE GATEWAY PARKS PROJECT SUITE – PLANNING & DESIGN FOR PARK MASTER PLANS AND CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT SERVICES FOR PARK, TRAIL, AND GREENWAY IMPROVEMENTS – SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATION ISSUES:
Accept additional grant funds from the California Coastal Conservancy and authorize an increase in revenue and corresponding supplemental appropriation in the amount of $354,000 to the Santa Ana River California Coastal Conservancy project account; authorize 32.3% change order authority not to exceed compensation of $2,598,670.62; and approve second agreement amendment to increase compensation and extend the term to December 31, 2025, for professional consultant services agreement with MLA Green, Inc. dba Studio-MLA of Los Angeles, California, for the Riverside Gateway Parks Project Suite – Planning & Design for Park Master Plans and California Environmental Quality Act Services for Park, Trail and Greenway Improvements.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
That the City Council:
Accept additional grant funds from the California Coastal Conservancy in the amount of $354,000 for the Santa Ana River Coastal Conservancy Project; With at least five affirmative votes, and upon execution of grant agreement, authorize the Chief Financial Officer, or designee, to record an increase in revenue in the amount of $354,000, or the grant award amount, and appropriate an equal amount in expenditures in the Grants & Restricted Program Fund, Santa Ana River California Coastal Conservancy project revenue and expenditure accounts; Approve the Second Amendment to the Professional Consultant Services Agreement with MLA Green, Inc. dba Studio-MLA of Los Angeles, California, for the Riverside Gateway Parks Project Suite – Planning & Design for Park Master Plan and California Environmental Quality Act Services for Park, Trail, and Greenway Improvements to increase compensation to not to exceed $2,598,670.62 and extend the contract term to December 31, 2025; Approve an increase in change order authority to 32.3% in the amount of $634,988.83 increasing the not to exceed total compensation to $2,598,670.62; and, Authorize the City Manager, or designee, to execute the Professional Consultant Services Agreement Amendment with MLA Green, Inc. dba Studio-MLA, including making minor and non-substantive changes.
BACKGROUND:
In 2003, the Santa Ana River Task Force developed a vision and concept plan for developing a parkway along the river in Riverside. The plan recommends nature trails, a boardwalk, and a nature center with programming in the area now proposed for Camp Evans at Fairmount Park. The plan further recommends recreation improvements in the area around Tequesquite Ave and the Old Landfill, and that Martha McLean Anza Narrows Park be further improved and renovated to support the Santa Ana River Parkway concept.
In 2009, the Santa Ana River Task Force reconvened to review and update their prior recommendations based on work accomplished and other changes since 2003.
In 2014, through Senate Bill 1390, the California state legislature created the Santa Ana River Conservancy Program within the State Coastal Conservancy. The program addresses the resource and recreational goals of the Santa Ana River region, including open space, trails, wildlife habitat, agricultural land protection, water quality protection, educational use, and public access. The Conservancy has grant funding available to help agencies and non-profit organizations move forward with projects to meet these resource and recreational goals.
On May 21, 2019, the City Council adopted a resolution authorizing the submission of a grant application to the California Coastal Conservancy for a grant in the amount of $2,358,500 and appropriation of $390,000 of Regional Park Special Capital Improvement (413) Funds to: acquire one property, and to develop park master plans and complete California Environmental Quality Act analysis and documentation for nine project sites along the Santa Ana River corridor.
On December 26, 2019, the City of Riverside entered into a grant agreement with the California Coastal Conservancy for the River-side Gateway Project Suite Design and CEQA project in the amount of $1,960,000.
On January 6, 2020, the City of Riverside entered into a grant agreement with the Coastal Conservancy for acquisition of the property at 5200 Tequesquite Ave for the River-side Gateway Project Suite in the amount of $65,000.
On August 24, 2020, the Purchasing Division posted Request for Proposal No. 2034 on the City’s website and received nine responsive proposals on October 9, 2020. The top three highest rated proposals were invited to interview. Studio-MLA received the highest rating in the overall evaluation. The original fee submitted by Studio-MLA was $1,939,895.12. After discussions with Studio-MLA to clarify and negotiate the scope of work and pricing, the final fee is $1,963,681.79.
On May 11, 2021, the City Council approved a Professional Consultant Services Agreement with MLA Green, Inc. dba Studio-MLA for the River-side Gateway Project Suite - Planning & Design for Park Master Plan and California Environmental Quality Act Services for Park, Trail and Greenway Improvements through June 30, 2023, in the amount not to exceed $1,963,681.79 with a 10% change order authorization up to $196,368.
On November 16, 2021, City Council approved an appropriation of $62,500 in additional Coastal Conservancy grant funding and approved the Purchase Agreement for the 4.08-acre property at 5200 Tequesquite Avenue.
On October 25, 2022, City Council authorized a supplemental appropriation of $50,000 in the Regional Park Special Capital Improvement Fund, Santa Ana River Coast Conservancy Project Account from fund balance of the Regional Park Special Capital Improvement Fund; authorized 20% change order authority of $392,736.36 not to exceed total compensation amount of $2,356,418.15 for Professional Consultant Services Agreement with MLA Green, Inc. dba Studio -MLA for the River-side Gateway Parks Project Suite — Planning & Design for Park Master Plan and California Environmental Quality Act Services for Park, Trail, and Greenway Improvements; and approved Amendment No. 1 to increase compensation to not to exceed $2,356,418.15 and extended the contract term to June 30, 2024.
On September 14, 2023, the Coastal Conservancy Board approved an additional $354,000 in grant funds to augment the previous grant funds.
DISCUSSION:
The Riverside Gateway Parks Project Suite supports the Santa Ana River Task Force’s vision and concept for developing parks, trails, and open space resources along the Santa Ana River in an effort to ‘put the River back in Riverside’. The following park properties are included in the Riverside Gateway project suite.
1. Fairmount Park - Camp Evans (undeveloped property on west end of park, adjacent to the Santa Ana River levee).
2. Loring Park.
3. Santa Ana River trailhead at Carlson Park & St. Francis Falls Water Feature Restoration.
4. Santa Ana River Greenway Trail (between Carlson Park and Tequesquite South Extension).
5. Tequesquite North Extension.
6. 5200 Tequesquite (adjacent to Ryan Bonaminio Park at the Tequesquite Arroyo) – contingent upon the City’s acquisition of the site.
7. Tequesquite South Extension.
8. Martha McLean Anza Narrows Park/Riverside Gateway.
9. Jurupa Avenue Trailhead (near Van Buren).
The Consultant has inventoried environmental resources, analyzed opportunities and constraints, gained input and support from the community, and developed conceptual park master plans. The Consultant has completed drafts of the appropriate environmental compliance documents for each site. Once the draft environmental documents have been circulated for public review and the environmental documents finalized, the park master plans will be finalized and brought back to City Council for approval and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) certification. Grant funding will then be pursued to construct the improvements in priority order at a measured pace, in a manner that is sustainable for maintenance and operations.
The time, compensation and change order authority increase is for additional environmental and cultural resource studies for CEQA compliance, design, and Western Riverside County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan (MSHCP) natural resource agency coordination and compliance activities needed to provide a complete project with stronger environmental documentation. Some of this work is for Camp Evans at Fairmount Park and was previously going to be performed by a project partner using funds from a California Department of Water Resources Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) grant funded by Proposition 1, but after running into grant timeline issues related to environmental agency approvals and other issues, they opted to return the grant, leaving this work unfunded. The City contacted the Coastal Conservancy to request the funds needed to complete this work that is needed to finish out the park master plans, CEQA and Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan compliance work.
The additional $354,000 of grant funds will be used to award the change order to Studio-MLA, to cover costs related to the acquisition of 5200 Tequesquite Avenue, and to cover upcoming natural resources agency review and permit fees.
Purchasing Resolution Section 1104 (c) states that Change Orders which cumulatively exceed “10% of the original contract price for Contracts and/or Purchase Orders previously approved by the Awarding Entity” and Section 1104 (d) states that Change Orders which “extend the term of the agreement beyond one year of the original expiration date” will require Awarding Entity Approval.
The Purchasing Manager concurs that the recommendations to increase the change order authorization to 32.3% of the original agreement amount, increase compensation, and extend the agreement completion time to December 31, 2025, for the Studio-MLA agreement (RFP No. 2034) complies with Purchasing Resolution No. 23914, Section 1104 (c) and (d).
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT:
The work contributes to Strategic Priority 1 – Arts, Culture and Recreation, to provide diverse community experiences and personal enrichment opportunities for people of all ages. Strategic Priority 2 – Community Well-Being, to ensure safe and inclusive neighborhoods where everyone can thrive, Strategic Priority 4 – Environmental Stewardship, to champion proactive and equitable climate solutions based in science to ensure clean air, safe water, a vibrant natural world, and a resilient green new economy for current and future generations and Strategic Priority 5 – High Performing Government, to provide world class public service that is efficient, accessible, and responsive to all.
Priority 1 – Arts, Culture and Recreation:
Goal 1.3: improve parks, recreational amenities, open space, and trail development, and fulfill critical lifecycle and facility maintenance needs. This project will create new recreational amenities, develop underutilized land, and renovate existing parks to better serve the community based on their expressed needs.
Goal 1.4: to prioritize safety at parks, trails, arts, cultural and recreational facilities. The park master plans followed Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design guidelines. While providing a welcoming community gateway to the Santa Ana River, the park master plans also implement low impact techniques such as berms, landscaping hardscapes, and other pedestrian friendly edge treatments to deter unauthorized vehicle entry to the river bottom to reduce the risks caused by campfires and other unauthorized activities.
Priority 2 – Community Well-being:
Goal 2.3: strengthen neighborhood identities and improve community health and the physical environment through amenities and programs that foster an increased sense of community and enhanced feelings of pride and belonging citywide. The amenities, materials and style of the parks will provide a sense of place, highlighting our connection to the Santa Ana River, and creating spaces for the community to recreate and experience our local native flora and fauna. Walking paths, open spaces, gathering spaces, a skate park, roller rink, and pickleball courts are a few of the recreational amenities planned, to provide local, no-cost ways for residents to be active, have fun, and develop community connections.
Priority 4 – Environmental Stewardship:
Goal 4.5: Maintain and conserve 30% of Riverside’s natural lands in green space including, but not limited to, agricultural lands and urban forests in order to protect and restore Riverside’s rich biodiversity and accelerate the natural removal of carbon, furthering our community’s climate resilience. The park master plans propose development of active recreation on only about 20% of the overall 282 acres, with the other 80% remaining natural lands, open space or native and low water landscaped areas.
Priority 5 – High Performing Government:
Goal 5.3: enhance communication and collaboration with community members to improve transparency, build public trust, and encourage shared decision-making. Our design team held several community meetings and used surveys and interactive web maps to gather community input and collaborate. The resulting park master plans reflect the community’s voices.
The project aligns with each of the five Cross-Cutting Threads as follows:
Community Trust – To build community trust and ensure that the Project reflects the public’s interests and needs. The planning process for the River-side Gateway Project Suite has relied on community engagement, including: three advisory committee meetings, three community workshops, four pop-up outreach events, presentations at community organization meetings, an online survey and interactive mapping tool, and a project website to distribute information and collect input from the community.
Equity –Multiple opportunities and modes have been used to get community input and a variety of tools and platforms have been used to advertise the opportunities to the community. These outreach and engagement efforts were advertised using social media posts, e-blasts, newspaper ads, a press release, direct mailing to residents within a 10-minute walk of the sites, signs posted at the project sites, sidewalk decals, digital reader board/billboard and a Riverside Monthly television segment.
Fiscal Responsibility – The project is being accomplished mainly with grant funds from the California Coastal Conservancy and will not require use of the City’s General Fund.
Innovation – The Riverside Gateway Parks Project responds to the community’s changing recreational, social, and health and wellness needs. The project proposes to create the first nature playground, challenge course, and pump track in the City park system. The Project will integrate preservation and enhancement of natural resources and establish agricultural areas to nurture Riverside’s movement towards its agricultural roots.
Sustainability & Resiliency – The Project seeks to increase park and recreational resources to meet the needs of the present community, without compromising the needs of the future by finding solutions that help Riverside adapt to climate change and resource depletion through actions such as planting more trees, using native and low-water landscaping, implementing on-site stormwater infiltration, and supporting active transportation. The Project also seeks to protect and enhance natural resources and habitat as well as increasing agricultural opportunities which allows for more locally grown food.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The total fiscal impact of the action is $354,000. Upon Council approval and grant award, an increase in revenue and expenditures in the amount of $354,000 will be recorded in the Grants and Restricted Programs Fund, PRCS Santa Ana River Coastal Conservancy grant project accounts as indicated in the table below.
Fund
Project/Program
Account
Amount
Grants & Restricted Programs
Santa Ana River Coastal Conservancy
Revenue
9339900-334300
$354,000
Expenditure
9339900-440220
$354,000
An increase in change order authority from 20% to 32.3% in the amount of $242,282.07 is being requested. The new amount will increase the total change order authority to $634,988.83 and increase the total contract amount to $2,598,670.62. The increase in grant funds for the Santa Ana River Coastal Conservancy grant will provide sufficient funding to increase the change order in the amount $242,282.07 to the Studio-MLA purchase order.
Prepared by: Pamela M. Galera, Parks, Recreation and Community Services Director Certified as to
availability of funds: Kristie Thomas, Assistant Chief Financial Officer/Financial Director Approved by: Kris Martinez, Assistant City Manager
Approved as to form: Phaedra A. Norton, City Attorney
Attachments:
Second Amendment to Professional Consultant Services Agreement Riverside Gateway Park Master Plans
Appropriate Grant Funds, Extend Contract Term, Increase Change Order Capacity for Studio-MLA for River-side Gateway Project ● Page 5