| (Sept. 11, 2020, 7:10 p.m.) -- The City Council's LBREPORT.com has also learned that the El Dorado Park artificial turf field has been put out to bid (with an Oct. 2 deadline.) The project, controversial from its inception, has pitted park protection advocates, neighborhood residents and taxpayers against city staff, some soccer advocates and Councilwoman Stacy Mungo.
What accounts for an $850.000 taxpayer cost increase (over 50%)? "The additional budget need was discovered once we had a detailed design and updated cost estimates to go along with it. In addition, a combination of escalation and ADA design requirements contributed to the cost increases," Nancy Villasenor, Capital Projects Coordinator, tells LBREPORT.com. Ms. Villasenor says the artificial turf field's FY21 budgeted cost has increased 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." Councilwoman Mungo didn't mention the upcoming FY 21 budget item or its now $2.35 million cost in her recent "Neighborly News" newsletters. Or when the project 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.. [Although this was a 5th district item, all LB Councilmembers voted for it (9-0) as part of their adopted FY 21 City Hall budget and are thus fairly accountable to LB taxpayers for its cost.] Scroll down for further.] |
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At the March 17, 2020 City Council meeting (when management's cost estimate was $1.5 million), then-Acting City Manager Tom Modica indicated that in view of COVID-19 developments, city staff might not to spend some of the items as described in the agendizing memo but didn't specify which ones. He indicated that for some items city staff would return to seek Council approval before spending the sums. "When we put this on we were not expecting COVID-19 at the level where we're at, so we would ask your permission to hold off on any of these things if we find that really [audio unclear] redirect it given the crisis, so we would like staff permission and then we'd come back to you and reappropriate that and get your approval before spending it." A Council motion (by Mungo) to lay the item over to a future Council meeting carried 9-0.
A Feb. 18, 2020 agenda item (on FY19 budget performance) drew public responses when it referenced allocating $1.5 million for the artificial turf field. Veteran El Dorado Park advocate Ann Cantrell ("Friends of El Dorado Park East") submitted written testimony in opposition. Ms. Cantrell (in her 80's) noted that her doctor told her to isolate herself due to the coronavirus so she couldn't testify personally. She asked that her testimony be read aloud at the Council meeting Neither the Mayor nor any Councilmember acknowledged her written testimony much less read it aloud. Ms. Cantrell wrote in pertinent part: ...Replacing biological organisms with plastic in our environment is aesthetically, ecologically, and morally disturbing in an array of ways 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. In a March 17 email to Mayor Garcia and the Council, El Dorado Park South Neighborhood advocate Grace Earl credited the Council for eliminating plastic straws from Long Beach and enacting other ordinances showing "how bad plastic is for our environment" then asked pointedly: "[W]hy are you all wanting to install a plastic field in El Dorado Park West as a replacement for the grass field that has been used by Long Beach kids for over 30 years?" Ms. Earl urged the Council to vote "no" on the "1.5 million dollar unsafe, unsustainable, water wasting, manpower intensive maintenance plastic soccer field." Taxpayer Maria Arriola was more blunt. In a single sentence email sent to LB's City Clerk, she wrote: "Please do not vote yes on a soccer bill at this time when we don't what will come next with corona virus." Jon Schultz supported plans for the artificial turf field (without mentioning its then-$1.5 mil Measure A cost.) 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. 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 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 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.
Oct. 4. 2020: Text added and clarified.
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