| (Nov. 13, 2020, 9:45 a.m.) -- Internal city staff communications sought and obtained as Public Records by LBREPORT.com show:thatwthin weeks of telling the public and LB's Parks and Recreation Commission (Nov. 2019) that an El Dorado Park artificial turf soccer field would cost roughly $1.5 million, city staff realized this was untrue, as much as $900,000 short, consumed by installation of two other artificial turf fields (Admiral Kidd and Seaside Park.)
In addition, in seeking November 21, 2019 Parks and Recreation Commission approval for the then-reprsented $1.5 million El Dorado artificial turf project, Meredith Reynolds (Manager of of Park Planning and Partnershi Bureau) wrote in an agendizing memo: "The Parks, Recreation and Marine Department will be responsible for maintenance of the artificial turf sports field. Funding for this cost has not been identified, and will be requested as part of the FY21 budget process." . But the El Dorado Park artificial turf maintenance cost isn't publicly listed in the City's FY 21 budget (approved by voted City Council action Sept. 8, 2020.) The ongoing cost taxpayers citywide would pay from LB's Parks/Rec budget for mainenance of the El Dorado Park artificial turf field remains publicly unknown, undiscussed and to our known publicly unbudgeted. In the coming weeks (tentatively expected in early December), a City Council majority will vote on whether to proceed with the project by accepting a city staff recommended bid or will say "no" to the spending item and reallocate the $2.35 million or $3.11 million or some other city staff recommended sum project cost to other City needs. Project opponent Ann Cantrell has publicly raised the issue (with no denial from city staff) that the artificial turf field will also require the use of more costly potable water (instead of recycled water). City staff hasn't provided taxpayer cost figures for future ongoing use of costlier potable water (for artificial turf) instead of recycled water (for natural grass.).
...PW received one-time funds in FY 14 and FY 15 for artificial turf fields. The FY 15 funding was identified for Admiral Kidd Park. Total funding was split between 3 parks (AK, Seaside and El Do). There wasn’t enough remaining to complete El Do along with CD5 residents not wanting the artificial turf and lights etc. thus the park construction was put on hold. AK was completed over 3 years ago, construction costs have gone up since then. All funds were used for artificial turf field construction, not diverted to another use. This project goes back several years -- it was originally awarded funding, then that funding was used to fund the other artificial turf fields as they were project ready, and now are back to finding funding to honor that original commitment and complete the project... Your explanation sounds potentially (politically) problematic to me -- but as long as you are comfy with it...I asked Grace [Yoon[ to ask you so we didn’t say the wrong thing, if we are asked... [Scroll down for further.] |
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In a November 12 email to LBREPORT.com (invited by us), City Manager Modica summed what took place: This project was one of the first artificial turf field projects contemplated in the City, along with three others. Through the community review process, some questions and concerns arose early on about this specific project, and at that time the budget was used to complete the other projects that were ready to proceed, with the idea that this project would be revisited in the future. We are now at that point to continue with this project as originally promised. Through the CIP process, staff recommended adding the funding necessary to complete the project and the bid for the project will be coming to the City Council shortly for their consideration. No Council incumbents (including Councilwoman Mungo in her self-published "Neighborly News" emailed newsletter) disclosed or discussed the $850,000 cost increase to $2.35 million publicly prior to Council voted approval of it. On Sept. 8, 2020, the Council voted without dissent to adopt a FY21 City Budget that includes a line item for a $2.35 mil cost for the El Dorado Park artificial turf field. The spending item was publicly reported by LBREPORT.com and The Beachcomber. City staff hasn't disclosed, and no Councilmember has publicly pursued, the ongoing Parks/Rec maintenance costs that Parks staff said would be included in FY21 City budget but remain publicly invisible to date.
All records (including texts, emails, memos, communications, correspondence and the like)) from July 1, 2019 to the present that concern, refer or relate to an increase of $850,000 ($1.5 mil to $2.375 mil) in the sum budgeted in FY21 for an El Dorado Park artificial turf soccer field. Said records are requested from the Department of Public Works, Department of Financial Management, Dept of Parks, Recreation and Marine and Councilwoman Stacy Mungo. The records requested from Councilwoman Mungo include all communications and/or correspondence involving constituents and/or other third parties to or from Mungo and/or her staff regarding the El Dorado Park artificial turf field (July 1, 2019 to the present.). This request includes all records on personal devices within the scope of City of San Jose v. Superior Court [Ed. note: The $850,000 increase is accurate, but a typo slipped into our text; the budgeted sum is $2.35 mil not $2.375 mil.] On Oct. 1, the City acknowledged "that responsive records exist and will be disclosed. but having received no documents as of Oct. 26, LBREPORT.com contacted Assistant City Attorney Mike Mais about the matter. Mr. Mais followed-up and indicated by email (Oct. 26) that he had reached out to the City’s PRA facilitator in the City Manager’s Office who was "informed by CD 5 (Councilwoman Mungo’s office) that they have no records responsive to your request."
LBREPORT.com has invited our readers' assistance in pursuing this story. If you sent an email, text or social network communication to Councilwoman Mungo's office regarding the El Dorado Park artificial turf soccer field, pro or con, between July 1, 2019 and the present, please contact us by private message to mail@LBReport.com or phone or text us at (562) 818-7651 to let us know how best to reach you. Councilwoman Mungo's "Neighborly News" Oct 22 newsletter linked to but didn't mention the FY 21 budgeted cost increase from $2.35 million to a $3.11 million total cost Her Neighborly News also remained mum on the subject when it came to a Nov. 21, 2019 Parks and Rec Commission meeting. Or when it came to the Feb. 11 Budget Oversight Committee meeting she chaired. Or when it was agendized for the Feb. 18 and March 17 Council meetings. Instead, the Councilwoman waited until AFTER the Council voted in Sept. 2020 to budget the project at $2.35 million and city staff put it out to bid. Then Mungo's Oct. 22 "Neighborly News" includes included a link to City brochure indicating a $3.11 million total cost. Councilwoman Mungo didn't cite the $3,11 million figure during an Oct. 28 Zoom meeting she ran. The project, controversial from its inception, pits park protection advocates, neighborhood residents and taxpayers against city staff, some soccer advocates and Councilwoman Mungo.
In September 2020, Nancy Villasenor, Capital Projects Coordinator, tells LBREPORT.com that the artificial turf field's FY21 budgeted cost increased to $2.35 million despite eliminating items from the scope to reduce cost These include eliminating "electrical conduit and panel upgrades for future sports field lighting, elimination of one goal stop (the one nearest to the parking lot remains), eliminating concrete pads for the decorative boulders, and reducing a 6’ fence to a 4’ fence. There were also plans to plant shrubs around some of the boulder clusters and that was removed as well." >
Parks/Rec staff contends 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. (Image below prior to project changes referenced above.) 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.
The artificial turf sports field, similar to those installed at 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 At the November 2019 Parks/Rec Commission 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. In wrapping up the Feb. 18 Council item, Councilwoman Mungo defended 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. Councilmembers signaled at their "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," Councilwoman Mungo said on February 18, 2020. In wrapping up the Feb. 18 Council item, Councilwoman Mungo defended 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. Nov. 13, 5:10 p.m. Summary by City Manager Tom Modica added. Other text polished or added for clarity.
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