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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/18/2000 BAKERSFIELD ~ ~~ Jacquie Sullivan, Chair Al~'n Tandy, C'~ty' Manager Patricia J. DeMond Staff: Alan Christensen Randy Rowles AGENDA SUMMARY REPORT SPECIAL MEETING COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMITTEE Tuesday, January 18, 2000 4:00 p.m. City Manager's Conference Room 1. ROLL CALL Call to Order at 4:10 p.m. Present:Councilmembers Jacquie Sullivan, Chair Councilmember Patricia J. DeMond (leaving at 5:20 p.m.) Absent:Councilmember Randy Rowles 2.ADOPT JUNE 2, 1999 AGENDA SUMMARY REPORT Deferred to the next meeting. ADOPT OCTOBER 22, 1999 AGENDA SUMMARY REPORT Adopted as submitted. 3.PUBLIC STATEMENTS None 4.DEFERRED BUSINESS A. STAFF UPDATE AND COMMITTEE DISCUSSION REGARDING ENTRY SIGNS AND BEAUTIFICATION OF ENTRANCES Alan Tandy updated the Committee on the City's application for TE money to put two entry signs with landscaping on the north and south entries to the City on Highway 99. This is a program that Kern COG controls with a three stage review process for certain kinds of grant monies that come through. Unfortunately, the City's project did not come through the first committee review level with a recommendation to fund. Although this is not the final decision as it still must go to the Kern COG board, it does not look favorable. There were 32 applications for projects Countywide and funding for on'ly 6 or 8. o,,,,,,..,. ooo FILE COPY AGENDA SUMMARY REPORT COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMITTEE Tuesday, January 18, 2000 Page -2- B. STAFF UPDATE AND COMMITTEE DISCUSSION REGARDING ICE SKATING FACILITY Alan Tandy stated that staff has contacted most of the firms regionally that own and operate ice skating rinks. Four of them came here and have expressed some level of interest, but it has become clear that we are a developmental market for ice skating because we do not have a history of ice here, such as you would have in Michigan where families grow up ice skating. It is not possible for someone to come in, buy and pay for a new building and operate it as a private sector business enterprise and make a profit, so it will require public assistance and possibly some private assistance to get an ice skating facility located in Bakersfield. There is a need for free land and some vehicle to discount capital costs for the building to get someone interested in locating in Bakersfield. A discussion was held on the different funding that may be available. The second issue discussed was possible locations and the need for a safe secure location so that parents would feel comfortable dropping their children off and choosing a central location so the entire population of the City would be served. Staff suggested (~ne possible site between "M" and "N" Streets that fronts Califomia and "M." This site is immediately across "N" Street from the proposed City Center project. If the City Center project is built, it would enhance this location with visibility and good traffic flow. The third issue discussed was whether it should be built minimally and small for ice only or a dual purpose building with two sides. Different uses were suggested for a side by side facility with ice on one side and the other side used for indoor soccer, roller hockey, indoor volleyball and after school programs. Mr. Tandy concluded that staff will need future direction from the Committee on the funding vehicles the Committee feels Council would consider undertaking, the size of the facility, land or location suggestions, and the need for donors or contributors from the private sector. The business portion of the Committee concluded at 5:20 p.m. as Committee member DeMond had to leave for a prior Council commitment and Committee member Rowles was absent. However, information was provided by the public to Committee Chair Sullivan. Barbara Grimes, Lod Ohama and Pete Yackley from the Bakersfield Blades Figure Skating Club all spoke about the need for an ice skating rink and offered suggestions. Start Dodson spoke about the interest and need for an ice facility. Shaun Sigrest spoke about he and his father being interested in opening an ice skating facility. 5. NEW BUSINESS (This item was heard first.) A. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING TRAFFIC MEDIAN STANDARDS THROUGHOUT THE CITY Alan Tandy explained that this referral was to address the condition of the street medians in what could be characterized as the older parts of the City and the disparity in quality and appearance/attractiveness that exists between the older sections and the newer developments. AGENDA SUMMARY REPORT COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMITTEE Tuesday, January 18, 2000 Page -3- For some years the City's policy has been where the majority of property owners in an area have petitioned the City, a maintenance district was formed and the medians were changed to a higher-level of improvements, such as on Chester Avenue. But those petitioned conversions to maintenance districts are extremely hard to form. In some cases public utilities or canal districts own adjacent land and cannot be compelled to be part of a maintenance district. Staff would like to propose a policy that could be adopted to begin upgrading the older unimproved or minimally improved medians throughout the City. It was suggested that using a long-term plan, each year $150,000 in gas tax money and $150,000 in Block Grant funds could be budgeted. Staff is working on a census tract eligibility establishment process and Block Grant money is available if an area is entirely within a qualifying census tract. The parallel equity issue of financial support of the medians by maintenance districts was discussed. If the amount of landscaping improvements in the unimproved areas were to be increased, then there would be a need to increase the contribution to the maintenance district areas from the General Fund so that the general City tax-payer would be paying the same proportion of improved value no matter where they live. Staff proposed plans using hard-scape treatments with plants and trees of different height variation and color with a reduction in asphalt area. Grass was not being considered because of its high upkeep with mowing and watering. Raul Rojas discussed several schemes that were designed and presented by Don Hoggatt. With the least expensive proposal, $300,000 would upgrade about 1-~ linear miles per year. Mr. Rojas estimated that with a long-term project if all the streets were upgraded, the cost would be about $22 million. Mr. Tandy suggested that since this is a big decision, Public Works could do a sample strip of median, so Councilmembers could drive by and see a finished product before making'a final decision on a median standard. A discussion was held about different trees, shrub heights, plant color, new concrete with planter boxes, irrigation systems and the different hard-scapes using asphalt, exposed aggregate concrete, stamped concrete and river rock. The Committee (with Randy Rowles absent) definitely did not want to use asphalt and expressed a desire to choose as good a standard as is economically possible. Public Works-was directed to focus on the preferred schemes and bring more detailed drawings to the next Committee meeting. 6. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 6:00 p.m. Attendance: Staff: City Manager Alan Tandy; Assistant City Manager Alan Christensen; City Attorney Bart Thiltgen; Assistant City Manager John Stinson; Public Works Director Raul Rojas; Fire Chief Ron Fraze; Public Works Engineering Services Manager Jack LaRochelle; Public Works Civil Engineer Ted Wdght; Public Works Park and Landscape Designer Don Hoggatt; and Assistant Recreation and Parks Director Allen Abe. Public: Barbara Grimes, Pete Yackley, Stan Dodson, Lori Ohama, and Shaun Sigrest. cc: Honorable Mayor and City Council S:V~C\CSCom mittee\cs00jan 18summary.wpd