Image source: City management agendizing memo

A decision on whether to actually allocate the sum will come in a Council majority voted action in March...AFTER LB voters decide (in ballots counted March 3) whether to enable City Hall to collect the Measure A General Fund ("blank check") sales tax without its current legally specified dates to drop in half (2023) and expire (2027.)

Councilwoman Mungo said "Measure A and the promises of Measure A have consistently year after year been fulfilled. The promises that this dais, this board, made were for infrastructure and public safety. And maintaining our parks and libraries are [sic] as important as our streets."

For extended on-demand audio of the Council item (including public testimony and responses from the Mayor and Councilmembers), click here.

Councilwoman Mungo said she was comfortable with management's recommendations for allocating $4.3 million in Measure A FY19 "surplus" (sales tax collected from LB consumers beyond amounts expected) for a number of items (subject to some amendments from her committee that didn't mention the El Dorado Park artificial turf field.) Management's recommendation re the el Dorado Park item as stated in its agendizing memo was: "Enhancement for the Public Works Department of $1.5 million for the funding needed for the El Dorado Field Turf conversion project, which was recently approved and recommended to the City Council on November 21, 2019 by the Parks and Recreation Commission and includes construction of a new artificial turf field similar to those recently completed at Admiral Kidd, Seaside, and Drake Parks."

On Feb. 18, any Councilmember(s) could have moved to change the $1.5 million Measure A recommendation, and in a March 2020 vote could still do so, and use all or part of the $1.5 million Measure A surplus elsewhere. (Management acknowledges that a FY20 police academy class isn't fully funded (is still short of funds) with $1.79 million as presently recommended from FY19 Measure A surplus.)

Other items recommended for the $4.3 surplus: $800,000 to contribute to converting a former land fill to expand NLB's Davenport Park, $100,000 for parks irrigation pumps and $100,000 for Public Works tree stump removal. "These recommendations will be included in the FY 20 First Budget Adjustment Report for City Council's formal consideration, but the appropriation approval will be contingent upon the confirmation by the Measure A Citizens Advisory Committee that the proposed uses are in conformance with the intent of Resolutions No. RES-16-0018 and RES-16-0017 prioritizing spending," city management's agendizing memo states.

[Scroll down for further.]

As previously reported in detail by LBREPORT.com, a November 2019 Parks/Recreation Commission vote recommended the artificial turf field funded by $850,000 from Measure A plus $617,000 from City Council "one-time funds" budgeted in the Public Works Capital Projects Fund. Parks/Rec's staff acknowledged at the time that funds to maintain the artificial turf field hadn't been "identified" and would be "sought as part of City Hall's FY21 budget process" (and the lack of identified funding for maintenance of the artificial turf field led Commissioner Sievers to dissent on the recommendation.)

Parks/Rec staff has said replacing natural grass turf with synthetic turf on soccer fields has several benefits, including providing a playing surface that addresses field safety issues and enhances playability to meet demand" and would mean less "down time" for soccer fields.

The artificial turf field would include a 42" wire fence and soccer netting behind each goal on the north and south ends of the field with permanent perimeter boulders at the east and west ends to restrict vehicle access without blocking views into the Park. Electrical conduit would also be installed enabling installation of field lighting if approved by subsequent votes of the Parks/Rec Commission and/or City Council.

Image source: City management agendizing memo

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In public testimony at the Feb. 18 Council meeting, ELB taxpayer (and veteran park protection advocate) Ann Cantrell said she supports a new soccer field at the location but said it should be natural (not artificial) turf. Ms. Cantrell said artificial turf fields and their plastic faux grass get much hotter and have to be cooled by using water (and not reclaimed water.) Eastside Voice president (and former 5th dist. Council candidate) Corliss Lee supported Ms. Cantrell's points and cited El Dorado Park areas she said need repairs and would be better use of $1.5 million sum.

Jon Schultz [currently pursuing separate playground project in El Dorado Park West a bit northward] supported artificial turf field without mentioning the artificial turf field's $1.5 mil Measure A cost.

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Mayor Garcia likewise didn't mention the cost figure (although the agenda item was a budget-related item.) Instead, Garcia shifted discussion to the benefits of soccer fields. He said artificial turf soccer fields are popular and successful across the city, he wholeheartedly supports putting one in El Dorado Park and he commended Councilwoman Mungo for her efforts to do so.

Mayor Garcia asked city staff when construction would begin...to which staff replied that the Council would first have to vote in March 2020 on an agenda item that formally allocates the $1.5 million sum as part of FY20 budget adjustments. Councilman Roberto Uranga added that an artificial turf field in his district is popular. No Councilmembers signaled disagreement with the recommended $1.5 million allocation from Measure A.

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In wrapping up the agenda item, Councilwoman Mungo likewise didn't mention the $1.5 million Measure A sum but did defend her record on El Dorado Park projects and the City's record on Measure A spending.

Councilwoman Mungo: Measure A and the promises of Measure A have consistently year after year been fulfilled. The promises that this dais, this board, made were for infrastructure and public safety. And maintaining our parks and libraries are [sic] as important as our streets.

You will hear me at community meeting after community meeting fighting for streets, streets, streets, streets, but one of the frustrating things about street repair is it's a long planning process and we can only do so many streets a year because there are only so many asphalt vendors...

Additionally, in relation to the extensive amount of maintenance and repairs needed at El Dorado Park, both West and East, I've consistently helped form fiends groups ["friends of" groups]. I've consistently requested the groups to maintain a list of their needs, and the items on the lists that are easily identifiable and maintained and communicated to our office have been funded. We're doing a $2 million duck pond restoration and enhancement. We've replaced and funded new tables, there were 40 tables identified throughout the park that were in disrepair. I went to one of the friends group meetings and proposed where we should place them and talked about the different strategies on how we could repair other benches throughout the park, not using Measure A funds but using Council district funds for something that was on their list, and then the $100,000 in filtration pumps that were allocated tonight with this vote that will be helpful and millions of dollars throughout the city but several of them will be for park bathrooms in El Dorado Park done this summer. So that's about $6 million in investment in just El Dorado Park East and West...

I look forward to meeting with those groups again potentially as early as this Friday but I hope my colleagues will support moving forward on these items tonight because the community as I have heard them are in huge support...

The El Dorado Park artificial turf field (including the possibility of field lighting) has been controversial. Councilwoman Mungo chose not to mention the Nov. 21, 2019 Parks and Rec Commission meeting, or the Feb. 11 Budget Oversight Committee meeting she chairs, or the Feb. 18 City Council item in her periodic "Neighborly News" newsletter..

[LBREPORT.com has learned the project may have been recently discussed in at least one nearby neighborhood group meeting; if you or your neighbors attended that meeting, please contact us at mail@LBReport.com or via a private message to LBREPORT.com's Facebook page.]

Artificial turf fields have already been installed at four other LB parks: Seaside Park, Admiral Kidd Park, the Drake-Chavez Park greeenbelt and Molina Park.

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The artificial turf sports field, similar to those installed at the four other LB parks to date and planned for others, will use cork and sand fill, not "crumb rubber" (the latter have drawn public pushback and prompting a 2015 Parks/Recreation Commission majority vote to recommend cork/sand fill.) A 2015 3-2 Parks/Rec Commission vote recommended more costly cork/sand fill over staff-recommended acrylic coated crumb rubber.)

At the November 2019 meeting, Parks/Rec Commissioner Thomas asked Parks/Rec staff if there'd been any pushback or negative responses to the other artificial turf fields in use now. Parks/Rec staff said response had been all positive and hadn't heard of anything negative.

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