TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Talyn Mirzakhanian, City Manager
FROM:
Erick Lee, Public Works Director
Katherine Doherty, City Engineer
SUBJECT:Title
Discussion of Options to Upgrade an American with Disabilities Act (ADA) Parking Space Near the Catalina Classic Sculpture and a Potential Fiscal Appropriation Needed for the Project (Public Works Director Lee).
(Estimated Time: 15 Mins.)
A) DISCUSS AND PROVIDE DIRECTION
B) APPROPRIATE FUNDS IF APPROVED
Body
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RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council discuss and provide direction on options to upgrade an ADA parking space near the Catalina Classic Sculpture and a potential fiscal appropriation in the event the project is approved.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
If the City Council directs staff to complete the project as part of the City’s next cycle of the Annual Concrete Repairs Program, an appropriation of $30,000 from the unreserved CIP Fund balance is needed to fund the project. If the accelerated delivery schedule is chosen, an appropriation of $50,000 from the unreserved CIP Fund balance is needed.
BACKGROUND:
In 1955, the Manhattan Beach Chamber of Commerce created and conducted the first Manhattan Beach International Paddleboard Race. The 32-mile marathon started at Isthmus Cove on Catalina Island and finished on the south side of the Manhattan Beach Pier. The race was discontinued in 1961 and brought back in 1982. It has been held consecutively since 1982 with the help of consistent and committed volunteers. The Catalina Classic is the oldest and most celebrated endurance paddleboard race in the world. This historic 32-mile marathon attracts paddlers from all over the world and is known as the “Grand-Daddy of all paddleboard races.”
On July 11, 2018, a proposal was made to gift a statue to the City of Manhattan Beach in honor of the Catalina Classic Paddleboard Race. At the October 15, 2018 Cultural Arts Commission meeting, members of the South Bay Boardriders Club (SBBC) presented a comprehensive proposal to locate a sculpture commemorating the beginning of the sport of paddleboarding in Manhattan Beach, and its premier event, the Catalina Classic Paddleboard Race. City Council approved the sculpture in concept at the December 18, 2018 meeting.
Staff worked with the SBBC to establish an MOU, outlining responsibilities of the City and the SBBC (attached). The MOU was approved by City Council on November 16, 2021 and states that the SBBC shall engage a contractor to commence and diligently complete construction upon approval by the City Building Division of construction drawings and issuance of a building permit.
The initial proposed statue design consisted of a male figure knee-paddling on a 12-foot paddleboard. Following discussions with previous cultural arts staff and paddlers, the sculpture was revised several times, ultimately including three figures (one female and two male), a plaque, and improvements to comply with ADA (which were triggered by the inclusion of the plaque). To meet ADA parameters, the project originally proposed to relocate the existing ADA parking spot from the north end of the parking lot to the south end, closest to the sculpture and proposed plaque. No parking spaces would be eliminated.
The construction plans originally approved by the City’s Building Division required the relocation of one ADA parking space from the north end of the lower pier parking lot to the south end, near the proposed location for the commemorative plaque. The scope of work includes the installation of new striping at the new location of the ADA space, signage, adjusting the slopes of parking space, and removal of the signage and re-striping of the existing ADA space. To date, the re-striping of the new and existing ADA parking spaces to relocate the space has been completed. However, the slope adjustment work never occurred. Completion of the ADA upgrades described in this report are a condition of approval of the building permit.
Although the project had not been finaled, the sculpture was unveiled in a ribbon cutting ceremony on August 24, 2023, ahead of the 2023 race. During its May 21, 2024 meeting, City Council directed staff to analyze the staff time and potential appropriation required for the City to perform the upgrades needed to the ADA parking space near the Catalina Classic sculpture to accommodate the installation of a plaque.
DISCUSSION:
Staff assessed the project and developed a preliminary Engineer’s Estimate of approximately $90,000 to complete the originally proposed slope adjustment work that has not been completed. Due to the high cost in adjusting the slopes for the proposed plaque location, staff coordinated with SBBC to determine if an alternative solution for the commemorative plaque could be found to reduce costs. As a result, SBBC submitted revised construction plans to the City for approval on September 11, 2024.
The revised plans remove the commemorative plaque and move the ADA-compliant parking space back to its original location on the north end of the parking lot. However, similar but less costly slope work still needs to be completed to finalize this project. The costs for the City to complete this work now range from $30,000 to $50,000. Discussions are still ongoing related to a new location for the plaque.
If City Council directs City staff to complete the remaining work to finalize the project on behalf of SBBC, staff recommends that this scope be incorporated into the next cycle of the Annual Concrete Repairs Program with an additional appropriation of $30,000, including a 20% construction contingency, from the CIP Fund. The next cycle of concrete repairs is currently anticipated to complete design in early 2025 and begin construction in spring 2025.
Alternatively, to accelerate the project, staff could prepare a stand-alone bid package for this project to advertise for construction bids in winter 2024/2025, with construction occurring in early 2025. This alternative would be more costly and require an appropriation of $50,000 in order to complete. The additional costs for this option relate to utilizing consultant project management and construction management resources for this project in order to avoid diverting City staff resources from other high-priority CIP projects.
If the City Council directs staff to take no further action, the SBBC would be responsible for the completion of the work, per the MOU.
PUBLIC OUTREACH:
The Catalina Classic Sculpture has been discussed at previous City Council, Art in Public Places Committee and Cultural Arts Commission meetings. Staff has notified the SBBC of this discussion, and the item was identified in the posted agenda for this meeting.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
The City has reviewed the proposed project for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and has determined that the project qualifies for a categorical exemption pursuant to Section 15303 New Construction or Conversions of Small Structures and Section 15311 Accessory Structures of the State CEQA Guidelines since the project consists of a new installation of a statue and marker, located in a City parking lot (existing public facility), and there are no features that distinguish this project from others in the exempt classes; therefore, there are no unusual circumstances.
A Coastal Development Permit was issued for the project on March 17, 2023 by the Community Development Department per the City’s Local Coastal Program.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney has reviewed this report and determined that no additional legal analysis is necessary.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. MOU - South Bay Boardriders Club
2. Location Map
3. PowerPoint Presentation