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Mayor Garcia & Councilwoman Mungo Open El Dorado Park Artificial Turf Field Without Mentioning Its Artificial Turf Or Its $3.1 Mil Council Budgeted Cost; Former CD5 Councilwoman Schipske (Now 2022 Council Candidate) Joins Grassroots Taxpayers In Opposition; Homemade Signs Say "Mungo Must Go"; Public Works Dir.Says Bids Received Were Lower Than Budgeted Amount, Producing $2.7 Mil Full Cost

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(Oct. 2, 2021, 7:20 p.m.) -- Mayor Robert Garcia and CD5 Counciwoman Stacy Mungo spoke about how important parks are but didn't mention the words "artificial turf" or the $3.1 million Council budgeted full cost of what is now the city's largest artificial turf soccer field in El Dorado Park West (along 2700 block of Studebaker Rd.


Councilwoman Mungo touts artificial turf field

LBREPORT.com provides extended C-SPAN style VIDEO of the Oct. 2 Parks/Rec Dept. event without video commentary. To launch video of the ceremony, click here.

Former CD5 Councilwoman (2006-2014) Gerrie Schipske -- a declared candidate seeking to unseat Mungo in 2022 -- attended the Oct. 2 event alongside Corliss Lee, president of the Eastside Voice, and Ann Cantell of Citizens About Responsible Planning. Ms. Schipske said the extent of Council spending on the project showed the current Council's misplaced priorities amid other city needs. Ms. Lee and Ms. Cantrell brought homemade signs saying "Public Input Didn't Matter" and "Mungo Must Go."


VIDEO of comments by Ms. Schipske and Ms. Lee can be viewed here.

Ms. Lee said throughout the process residents voiced overwhelming opposition to the artificial turf field, including a December 2020 survey posted on NextDoor indicating 85% of respondents didn't support the artificial turf field Throughout the process, Ms. Cantrell supported a new soccer field but using natural turf.

Final Council approval of the project came Dec. 8 (Dec. 9 after midnight) on a 7-1 Council vote (Supernaw dissenting, Andrews exiting early). (LBREPORT.com coverage here.) A Council majority budgeted the item for roughly $3.1 million, approving use of $2.35 million from the Measure A ("blank check") sales tax increase plus $761,644 in one-time City Council District Priority Funds.

Speaking with LBREPORT.com shortly before the Oct. 2 event began, City of Long Beach Public Works Director Eric Lopez said the project's successful bidders (the contract performers) managed to deliver the project "under budget" for roughly $2.7 million (less than the $3.1 million Council approved budgeted sum.) The reduced cost is attributable to the bidders/contract performing parties, not to Council taxpayer saving actions. (VIDEO here.)

Controversial from its inception, the artificial turf field pitted El Dorado Park park protection advocates, neighborhood residents and taxpayers against city staff, the leadership of some soccer team groups and CD5 Councilwoman Stacy Mungo.


North end


South end

Ms. Schipske said Council approval of the costly spending item showed misplaced Council priorities with multiple other city needs requiring attention. She said it also showed unwise water policies during an emerging drought.

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The project as originally presented to the public was to deliver three soccer (Admiral Kidd, Seaside Park and El Dorado Park) for roughly $3/6 million...but that didn't happen. Costs of the Admiral Kidd and Seaside Park artificial turf fields consumed the total budgeted sum, leaving the El Dorado Park project short of funded. City management dealt with that by simply increasing the proposed budgeted sum for the El Dorado park field to $2.35 million, tapping Measure A ("blank check" sales tax funds. Councilwoman Mungo voted to approve that action as part of the City's FY21 spending budget.

On final passage, city management added $761,644 in one-time funds for City Council District Priority Funding. Councilwoman Mungo voted to include that too...which brought the fiscal impact of the full project to roughly $3.1 million.

Sponsor

City management has said replacing natural grass with synthetic turf will reduce water use and provide better storm water runoff management through subsurface drainage systems. A Parks/Rec Sept. 24 release stated "synthetic turf fields also have lower maintenance costs, are more accessible year-round than grass and have been shown to improve usability, safety and performance for athletes."

Some soccer team groups supported the artificial turf field. Councilwoman Mungo steadily voted to advance the project as a budget item without holding district public hearings on the proposed project.

Sponsor


In a Sept. 24, 2021 Parks and Rec release, Councilwoman Mungo said: "We are very excited to celebrate the grand opening of the new El Dorado Park West all-weather sports field," said Mungo Flanigan. "The parents, kids and coaches who led this initiative should be proud. It was with a great amount of community input that resulted in what I believe is our best field revamp yet."...

Sponsor

Sponsor

The artificial turf field was opposed by The Eastside Voice, El Dorado Park South Neighborhood Association and veteran El Dorado Park advocate Ann Cantrell. Ms. Cantrell supported a new soccer field using natural, not artificial turf, charging that the artificial turf field will consume costly potable water instead of reclaimed water. Councilwoman Mungo has said reclaimed water isn't used to irrigate publicly playable surfaces. LBREPORT.com is pursuing Water Dept. details on this issue.

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

CD 8 Councilman Al Austin and Assemblyman Patrick O'Donnell (D, Long Beach-San Pedro.) attended the Oct. 2 opening ceremony to show their support for the project but didn't speak.

Support really independent news in Long Beach. No one in LBREPORT.com's ownership, reporting or editorial decision-making has ties to development interests, advocacy groups or other special interests; or is seeking or receiving benefits of City development-related decisions; or holds a City Hall appointive position; or has contributed sums to political campaigns for Long Beach incumbents or challengers. LBREPORT.com isn't part of an out of town corporate cluster and no one its ownership, editorial or publishing decisionmaking has been part of the governing board of any City government body or other entity on whose policies we report. LBREPORT.com is reader and advertiser supported. You can help keep really independent news in LB similar to the way people support NPR and PBS stations. We're not non-profit so it's not tax deductible but $49.95 (less than an annual dollar a week) helps keep us online.

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