TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Bruce Moe, City Manager
FROM:
Mark Leyman, Parks and Recreation Director
Melissa McCollum, Senior Recreation Manager
Eilen Stewart, Cultural Arts Manager
SUBJECT:Title
Consideration of a Resolution Approving Amendment No. 1 to the Professional Services Agreement with History Associates Incorporated Which Adds Not-to-Exceed $310,000 for Historic Archiving Services and Extends the Agreement Term for One Year (Parks and Recreation Director Leyman).
A) ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 23-0055
B) ALLOCATE FUNDS
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council:
A. Adopt Resolution No. 23-0055 approving Amendment No. 1 to the professional services agreement with History Associates Incorporated;
B. Allocate up to $310,000 of additional surplus Los Angeles County Library funds to pay for implementation of Phase III of the Historical Collection Action Plan
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FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
The current agreement with History Associates Incorporated (HAI) for historic archiving services has a maximum compensation of $175,000. Amendment No. 1 would add an additional $310,000 for expanded scope of services and extend the term for one year for a total maximum compensation of $485,000.
The City of Manhattan Beach Historical Collection Action Plan is outlined in the following five phases:
Phase I Policy Development up to $65,000
Phase II Inventory and Survey Collections up to $110,000
Phase III Process, Catalog, Rehouse Collections up to $310,000
Phase IV Digitization Determined by size and scope
Phase V Maintain Collections Determined by size and scope
Los Angeles County Library previously approved use of surplus library funds to fund implementation of Phases I and II of the Action Plan. Los Angeles County Library is supportive of using additional surplus library funds to implement Phase III.
Manhattan Beach has a branch of the Los Angeles County Library system. Property taxes paid into the system by Manhattan Beach residents exceed the cost of operating the branch, including the debt service on the library building. The surplus funds accumulate for the benefit of the Manhattan Beach library branch. Currently, there is an accumulated surplus balance of $9.5 million. Most recently, for Fiscal Year 2021-2022, the library generated a surplus of $1,559,784.
BACKGROUND:
On July 15, 2022, City Council received a Collections Assessment Report from HAI and approved an agreement with the firm to help implement Phases I and II of an Action Plan for improving the care and management of the City of Manhattan Beach’s historic objects and archives.
HAI conducted an on-site survey and inventory of the Historical Collection during January and February of 2023. During this time, the team compiled comprehensive inventories of the object collection and archival collection. The inventories provide brief descriptions of materials, measurements, and recommendations for the disposition of materials. HAI also drafted a collection policy, processing manual, and cataloging manual to aid the next steps towards full control of the collections.
On March 7, 2023, City Council accepted the Collection Policy for the City of Manhattan Beach Historical Collection and directed staff to begin implementing Phases III (Process, Catalog, and Rehouse Collections) and Phase IV (Digitization) of the Action Plan.
DISCUSSION:
HAI, staff, and the Manhattan Beach Historical Society (MBHS) are ready to proceed with implementation of Phase III of the Historical Collection Action Plan. Phase III priorities include:
• Item-level cataloging of all objects in the Historical Collection currently owned by the City
• Folder-level descriptions for the archives collection to improve accessibility of the collection
• Housing objects and paper materials in preservation quality containers, folders, and enclosures
HAI will utilize a team of four archivists/collections managers and one project manager to process and catalog the Historical Collection. If City Council adopts Resolution 23-0055 approving Amendment No. 1 and allocates up to $310,000 of additional surplus Los Angeles County Library funds, Phase III will commence by fall 2023.
Phase IV of the Historical Collection Action Plan, digitizing newspapers and photographs of items related to the history of Manhattan Beach, remains a priority. Additional coordination with digitization vendors and copyright owners is necessary prior to commencing work. Staff plans to return to City Council before the end of the year for approval of an agreement to implement Phase IV of the Action Plan.
PUBLIC OUTREACH:
The City Council considered the Collections Assessment and Action Plan on July 15, 2022, and the Collection Policy, Inventories, and Project Updates on March 7, 2023.
The Manhattan Beach Historical Society contributed to the Collections Assessment as well as development of policies during Phases I and II of the Action Plan. They will continue to be active partners during implementation of Phase III.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
The City has reviewed the proposed activity for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and has determined that the activity is not a “Project” as defined under Section 15378 of the State CEQA Guidelines; therefore, pursuant to Section 15060(c)(3) of the State CEQA Guidelines the activity is not subject to CEQA. Thus, no environmental review is necessary.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney has reviewed the agreement and is approved as to form.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Resolution No. 23-0055
2. Amendment No. 1 - History Associates Incorporated
3. Agreement - History Associates Incorporated