San Mateo County Parks Applies for $3M Prop 68 Grant to Fund Part of Tunitas Creek Park Construction

AGENDA. From the San Mateo County Supervisor’s Agenda for Tuesday, January 8th, 2022 at 9:00am by Zoom.

To: Honorable Board of Supervisors

From: Nicholas J. Calderon, Parks Director

Subject: Submittal of an application to the California Department of Parks and Recreation’s Proposition 68 Regional Park Grant Program for funds to construct a portion of the Tunitas Creek Beach Improvement Project

RECOMMENDATION

Adopt a resolution authorizing the Parks Director, or the Parks Director’s designee, to submit an application to the California Department of Parks and Recreation’s Proposition 68 Regional Park Grant Program seeking $3,000,000 in grant funds to construct a portion of the Tunitas Creek Beach Improvement Project

BACKGROUND

The Tunitas Creek Beach Property (“Property”), located approximately eight miles south of the City of Half Moon Bay in unincorporated San Mateo County, totals approximately 58 acres in size and includes almost one mile of sandy beach, steep coastal bluffs, and the mouth of Tunitas Creek.

In May 2019, this Board authorized the execution of a grant agreement with the California State Coastal Conservancy (“SCC”) for $3,000,000 to plan, permit, and design a series of visitor amenities necessary to convert the Property into a County park. This effort has been branded the Tunitas Creek Beach Improvement Project (“Project”). Any grant funds not used during the planning, permitting, and design phase of the Project can be used for construction.  On March 10, 2020, this Board established the Tunitas Creek Beach Trust Fund by depositing $2,000,000 into a designated account for the purpose of constructing the Project’s visitor amenities and maintaining the future County park. Lastly, through its involvement in the protection of the Property, the Peninsula Open Space Trust (“POST”) committed $3,245,000 to the construction of the Project’s visitor amenities and future maintenance of the County Park.

Beginning in April 2020, the Project Advisory Team-comprised of representatives from the San Mateo County Parks Department (“Department”), the County’s Department of Public Works, POST, and the SCC-initiated a robust community engagement process consisting of paper and online surveys, online learning modules and videos, and virtual public workshops. Throughout this process, members of the public provided input regarding their vision and preferred uses for the future county park. The Department made all outreach materials available in English and Spanish, and co-hosted its first all-Spanish language public workshop on October 22, 2020 with its community partner, CARON. As a result of the public engagement process, the Department received almost 1,300 survey responses and 2,100 views of videos posted to the Department’s website. Throughout the process, the public advocated for improved access for people of all abilities and for limiting development to maintain the Property’s natural character.

The Project’s preferred plan was prepared based on: (i) the core values identified by the Community Advisory Committee; (ii) data collected during the public engagement process; (iii) impacts to natural and cultural resources; (iv) environmental permitting requirements; (v) known Property constraints; and (vi) the Department’s ability to efficiently and effectively manage the Property for coastal access and recreation and habitat restoration and preservation.

On February 23, 2021, this Board approved the Project’s preferred plan and directed the Department to proceed with the preparation of Plans, Specifications, and Estimates, and a California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) review. The CEQA document-an Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration (“IS/MND”)-was certified by this Board at its December 14, 2021 meeting.  The 100% Design Plans, Specifications, and Estimates will be completed in early 2022. Construction is anticipated to commence in Summer 2022; the new park is estimated to open to the public in Summer 2023.

The Department’s design contractor estimates that construction of the Project will cost $9,507,384.15.  This does not include management and oversight by the Department of Public Works, inspections, or unforeseen change orders.  In total, the Department has $8,245,000 to construct the Project.

DISCUSSION

The California Department of Parks and Recreation (“State Parks”) administers the Proposition 68 Regional Park Grant Program which originates from the Parks and Water Bond Act of 2018 (Proposition 68).  Eligible applicants include counties, regional park districts, open space authorities formed pursuant to Public Resources Code Division 26, Joint Powers Authorities where at least one of the members is otherwise eligible on this list, and non-profit organizations qualified to do business in California and qualified under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code for the creation, expansion, and/or improvement of regional parks and regional park facilities. Projects are eligible if they can be completed before March 2025.

In accordance with the Regional Park Grant Program requirements, grant applicants must provide an authorizing resolution from their governing body using the language in the Regional Park Grant Program form of resolution.  Therefore, the Department is seeking this Board’s authority to submit a grant application for $3,000,000 in grant funding to be used for the construction of unspecified visitor amenities at Tunitas Creek Beach.  The Tunitas Creek Beach Improvement Project is an eligible project for Proposition 68 funding, and by applying the funds to construction of the Project, the Department can minimize delays in opening the Property to the public and ensure adequate funding exists to properly maintain the park in the first years of operation.

FISCAL IMPACT

The Regional Parks Grant Program does not require a local match, therefore, there is no Net County Cost associated with approving this recommendation.

Author: Coastside Buzz

Me