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HomeMy WebLinkAboutJoint Special Meeting 8.16.18 CITY OF SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO JOINT SPECIAL MEETING of the PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION and CULTURAL ARTS COMMISSION Thursday, August 16, 2018 I. CALL TO ORDER: 6:00 pm A joint special meeting of the Parks and Recreation Commission and Cultural Arts Commission of the City of South San Francisco was held on Thursday, August 16, 2018, at the Municipal Services Building, 33 Arroyo Drive, South San Francisco, California. II. ROLL CALL: Present: Commissioners Holt, Flores, Battaglia, Camacho, Lock, Garrone, Boldenweck, Looper, Monce, Woo, Ventura (6:02), Hobson-Coard (6:11) Absent: Uy, Hobson-Coard, Madrid-Nickle Staff: Mike Futrell, City Manager Marian Lee, Assistant City Manager Sharon Ranals, Director of Parks and Recreation Greg Mediati, Parks Manager Angela Duldulao, Recreation Manager Jake Gilchrist, Landscape Architect Susan Filereto, Administrative Assistant Marie Patea, Administrative Assistant Ercie Santos, Cultural Arts Specialist III. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE IV. AGENDA REVIEW: No changes. V. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION: None VI. OLD BUSINESS: A. Community Civic Campus Update Marian Lee, Assistant City Manager thanked both Commissions for their time. She provided an update on the Community Civic Campus. Some of the details that she highlighted were that on July 25, City Council provided direction to staff on the Civic Campus. This included the following:  Build a building for PD, Fire, P&R and Library  Found and purchased a site (north east corner of Chestnut) for P&R, Library and PD. Fire needs to stay on the west side of El Camino Real for response time.  Modernize a new facility for the community. Joint Special Meeting of the Parks and Recreation Commission and Cultural Arts Commission Minutes from August 16, 2018 Page 2  Hired Smith Group – they are under contract and have spent three months meeting with staff and gathering community input.  June/July was the critical juncture where the architect needed to design the master plan and it is complicated.  There have been significant increases in construction costs over the last two years (over 6% per year and only two years ago was only 1-3% increase).  Discussion with the team and City Council on what can we give up to keep the project on budget of $170,000,000.  Tasked the project team to keep the costs between $190,000,000 - $210,000,000.  Biggest challenge was parking and needed 220 parking spaces. Surface parking is most cost effective saving 8-10 million dollars.  Approx. 1.5 acres of open space could be freed up for active or passive uses if a portion of the parking can be tucked under the building.  On July 5, direction from City Council was $210,000,000 maximum for PD, P&R, Library, Theater/Council Chamber, surface parking and fund the new Fire Station at a later date.  Subsequent comments from the community and expressed by speakers at City Council meeting were that under building parking was critical for open space.  For the August 22, City Council Meeting, staff is preparing an alternate design which includes a combination of structured under building parking and surface parking. The staff report will be available on Legistar on August 17. Assistant Manager Lee encouraged Commissioners to attend the City Council Meeting at 7:00 p.m. City Manager Futrell noted that on June 13, staff presented a plan to City Council that was one building for P&R and Library for a cost of $190,000,000; noting that the City had funding of $185,000,000. Council rejected the proposal stating that it was missing aspirational community requests. At the July 13, Special Council Meeting, which lasted four hours, Council agreed on $210,000,000 maximum for the project. A fundraising specialist has been hired and a meeting was held today. One goal of the Community Civic Campus is to have a special facility that could move the needle for quality of life in South San Francisco. Staff and Architects are still in discussion and need to get into design. With rising construction costs and costs of steel and other materials time is critical. We need to make a decision together. Manager, Futrell encouraged the Commissioners to participate at the upcoming City Council meeting and noted that we are all in this together. Commissioner Camacho thanked Manager Futrell and Assistant Manager Lee for providing an update on the Community Civic Campus noting that this project means a lot for the community. She understands Council’s priorities and does not envy the architect firm. She suggested a survey for the community to provide their priorities, for example under building parking vs. the building canopy. Joint Special Meeting of the Parks and Recreation Commission and Cultural Arts Commission Minutes from August 16, 2018 Page 3 Manager Futrell stated that in June the design was presented to City Council and it did not go well. In July we received the costs and menu of amenities. Now working with architects to see what can be switched out and identify priorities. Assistant Manager Lee said that the project team could have done a better job of informing the community when the discussions were happening at Council meetings. The stakeholders for this project should have been invited when it was critical for Council to receive public input. The title of the City Council agenda item is not always as clear as it could be. She noted that she directs the architect and City Council decides on what is best of the community. Commissioner Camacho said that it is hard to know what the right venue is to provide input to City Council. She was surprised about the separated P&R and Library buildings. Manager Futrell reflected on the original drawings and there were separate buildings for P&R and Library tied together with an enclosed atrium connecting the two buildings. He stated that he does not want a rivalry and it is currently planned to be one big building with glass event space. Assistant Manager Lee stated that one reason that Smith Group won the bid was their aesthetic visual of the campus from El Camino Real. Commissioner Lock thanked the managers and asked about building and costs. He noted that at the focus group meetings the architect encouraged attendees to state what they wanted and priorities. Assistant Manager Lee said that was the dot exercise and it was not a waste of time. It was helpful and she hoped that the Commissioners are not discouraged by it. Commissioner Lock said that the pain is in the details and discussed maximizing the space. He mentioned that open space is important and Sunshine Garden neighborhood is in need of space. Manager Futrell said that 99% that was asked will be used and parking is the issue, “people and their cars.” Architects are working with staff to maximize the space efficiently. Chair Garrone stated that parking and traffic flow is important and agreed with Commissioner Camacho that a survey would have been good. “Stakeholders, this is your budget, how would you spend it?” Commissioner Looper questioned the methodology of financing the project and cost estimates. Joint Special Meeting of the Parks and Recreation Commission and Cultural Arts Commission Minutes from August 16, 2018 Page 4 Manager Futrell stated that Measure W funds and we will have $71,000,000 at construction time. Borrow $105,000,000 and pay off debt. $2.2 million from PD and $600,000 from Friends of the Library. Commissioner Looper is concerned about the look of the building and that underground parking would be best if we can afford it. Assistant Manager Lee stated that the parking must be decided at the upcoming City Council meeting and it will stay forever. Commissioner Woo asked if Building and Planning Divisions were given the opportunity to provide input on the facility. Assistant Manager Lee said yes, they are involved and meet regularly. She stated that everyone wants under building parking, but it is a cost issue. Manager Futrell requested that the Commissioners help him reignite the project and energy behind it. He noted that the ribbon cutting will be amazing and this is a unique opportunity for all of us to be a part of. Let’s maintain the enthusiasm and get excited about delivering something great! Commissioner Boldenweck said, “Let’s get it done and keep costs down!” Assistant Manager Lee asked that between now and December, how can she engage with the Commissioners when she has information? The Commissioners agreed that updating the project website and they will engage and participate when needed. Commissioner Camacho inquired if the Theater/Council Chamber is included in the $210,000,000? Assistant Manager Lee said yes. The architect is packaging the amenities in a way so things can be removed if necessary. Commissioner Woo also mentioned creating a survey to get community feedback on their priorities. Commissioner Camacho suggested a ranking system of 1-5 to gather top priorities. VII. Adjournment at 7:06 p.m. Respectfully submitted by: Marie Patea, Administrative Assistant