TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THRU: Tom Kisela, City Manager
FROM: Christopher Cash, Public Works Director
1. Subject
title
Approval of plans and specifications for Landscape Renovation at White Oak Ridge between Newport Blvd. and Trails End Ln.; authorization to advertise for bids; and finding of CEQA exemption.
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2. Summary
Approval of plans and specifications for Landscape Renovation at White Oak Ridge between Newport Blvd. and Trails End Ln. and authorization to advertise for bids. The total estimated construction cost is $600,000.
3. Recommended Action
recommendation
Approve plans and specifications; and authorize advertising for Bid No. 23-24.20.
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4. Fiscal Impact
None.
5. Strategic Plan Goals
Goal 3: Enhance and promote quality of life in the community
a: Renovate, maintain, develop, and/or expand public use places and spaces.
Goal 4: Provide outstanding public service
b: Provide facilities and services to meet customer expectations.
6. Discussion and Background
The Santiago Hills Landscape Assessment District (District) comprises over 32 acres of landscape, lighting and other infrastructure maintained by the City under service contracts. Funds supporting the maintenance of the District landscape and other infrastructure derived from an annual assessment of property owners within the District.
In 2015, property owners in the District approved a ballot measure to increase the landscape assessment to address rising maintenance costs and to gradually make improvements to the thirty-plus year-old landscape and irrigation throughout the District. Renovation work has been prioritized based on community input and annual available funding.
Several renovation projects have been completed within the District since the 2015 assessment increase. The latest project is the White Oak Ridge Landscape Renovation. The goals of the renovation included an overall reduction of turf while maintaining sufficient turf areas for pets and aesthetic continuity, irrigation improvements which meet the State mandate for water efficient landscapes, and removal and replacement of pepper trees with more appropriate tree species where possible.
The total estimated project cost for this project is $600,000 including a 10% construction engineering and contingency. Construction is expected to start in Spring 2024.
7. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Categorical Exemption: The proposed project is categorically exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) per State CEQA Guidelines Section 15301 (Class 1 (d) and (h) - Existing Facilities) and Section 15304 (b) because the project involves renovating existing landscaping at White Oak Ridge from Newport Blvd. to Trails End Ln. to comply with current industry sustainable landscape and water efficient irrigation standards. No public review is required.
8. ATTACHMENTS
• None