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Home My WebLink AboutAGENDA REPORT 2023 0301 CCSA REG ITEM 10HCITY OF MOORPARK, CALIFORNIA City Council Meeting of March 1, 2023 ACTION APPROVED STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS. BY A. Hurtado. H. Consider Relocation of Rocket Ship Play Structure from Tierra Rejada Park to Glenwood Park and Making a Determination of Exemption under California Environmental Quality Act in Connection Therewith. Staff Recommendation: 1) Approve the relocation of the Rocket Ship play structure from Tierra Rejada Park to Glenwood Park; and 2) Determine that relocation of the Rocket Ship play structure from Tierra Rejada Park to Glenwood Park is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act. (Staff: Jeremy Laurentowski, Parks and Recreation Director) Item: 10.H. MOORPARK CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT TO: Honorable City Council FROM: Jeremy Laurentowski, Parks and Recreation Director BY: Chris Ball, Senior Management Analyst DATE: 03/01/2023 Regular Meeting SUBJECT: Consider Relocation of Rocket Ship Play Structure from Tierra Rejada Park to Glenwood Park and Making a Determination of Exemption under California Environmental Quality Act in Connection Therewith SUMMARY The City Council is being asked to approve the relocation of the “Rocket Ship” play structure from Tierra Rejada Park to Glenwood Park and determine that said relocation is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). BACKGROUND On January 15, 2020, the City Council approved the design for an inclusive playground at Tierra Rejada Park and authorized staff to submit a Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grant application to the California State Parks, Office of Grants and Local Services (OGALS) for the project. In June of 2020, the City Council adopted the Operating and Capital Improvement Budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020/21, which established a new Capital Improvement Project (CIP) for the Inclusive Playground at Tierra Rejada Park (CIP #C0063), noting that the project was contingent on receipt of the LWCF grant funding. In July 2021 the City was notified that the LWCF grant application was being recommended to the National Park Service (NPS) for funding in the amount of $775,750. Grant awards were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however in March of 2022 the LWCF grant for the inclusive playground was officially approved by NPS. Additionally, in 2021 the City was also awarded $177,952 through the OGALS Per Capita Program to help fund the inclusive playground project. Item: 10.H. 178 Honorable City Council 03/01/2023 Regular Meeting Page 2 The inclusive playground at Tierra Rejada Park will be a significant addition to the City’s recreation facilities. Unlike the City’s other playgrounds, many of which contain individual accessible elements, the inclusive playground will be fully accessible, allowing individuals of all abilities, including those with mobility, cognitive, developmental, sight and hearing impairments to access the entire playground and its amenities. Site layout, design elements, and play features are carefully thought out and selected to create a safe, engaging space that is developmentally appropriate for all children. For example, a child in a wheelchair or with mobility issues will be able to get to the top platform of the play structure, or be able to swing and ride the merry-go-round alongside their able-bodied peers. Sight impaired children will have appropriately designed play elements to explore. Hearing-impaired children with cochlear implants, who are not able to use plastic slides due to static electricity, will have a slide they can use with their peers that will not interfere with their implants. Site design will also enable parents and caregivers with disabilities to access and engage with their children throughout the playground. Tierra Rejada Park is not the only park scheduled for renovation in 2023. On June 15, 2022 the City Council approved the Operating and Capital Improvement Budget for FY 2022/23, which included CIP #C0067 involving the renovation of Glenwood Park. Planned improvements at Glenwood Pak include replacement of the play structure and equipment in the age 5-12 play area, replacement of the existing sand with engineered wood fiber, sidewalk improvements to comply with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements, and the installation of a stand-alone sand play area with appropriate play equipment. This renovation project follows the 2020 renovation work at Glenwood Park that replaced the age 2-5 play equipment and installed engineered wood fiber in the age 2-5 play area. DISCUSSION Construction of the inclusive playground at Tierra Rejada Park will require a complete renovation of the existing play area and removal of all play equipment, including the “Rocket Ship” themed play structure (Rocket Ship). This play structure was installed in 2007 and has become the park’s unofficial namesake, with many residents referring to Tierra Rejada Park simply as “Rocket Park” or “Rocket Ship Park.” Due to the popularity of the play structure, staff explored the possibility of restoring the Rocket Ship and relocating it as part of the Glenwood Park renovation project. The Rocket Ship manufacturer (Miracle Playground Sales Inc.) conducted an evaluation of the play structure and determined that the cost to restore the play structure would be comparable to the cost of a new similarly sized play structure. To ensure the safety of the play structure all weight-bearing supports and platforms, as well as all plastic components (slides, climbers, decorative panels, etc.) would be replaced, and all relocated components would be carefully inspected, restored, and refinished prior to installation. 179 Honorable City Council 03/01/2023 Regular Meeting Page 3 To better assess the community’s attitude toward relocation of the Rocket Ship, staff developed and released an online survey. The survey included a summary of the proposed relocation along with an image of the refurbished Rocket Ship structure and an illustrative map (see attachment). Respondents were asked to answer either “Yes, refurbish the rocket ship play structure and move it to Glenwood Park” or “No, give Glenwood Park a brand-new play structure.” The survey also asked if they lived in Moorpark and on what street (for verification purposes). The survey launched October 1st and was promoted to the community at the City’s Country Days booth, on the City website and social media, by direct e-mail to Moorpark residents, and was included in a feature in the Moorpark Acorn. Posters were also placed at Tierra Rejada Park and Glenwood Park promoting the survey with QR codes connecting directly to the survey form. A total of 270 entries were submitted before the survey closed on November 18th. The survey results are presented in Table 1 below. Table 1: Survey Responses Response Count % “Yes, refurbish the rocket ship and move it to Glenwood Park” 188 70% “No, give Glenwood Park a brand-new play structure” 82 30% Total: 270 The majority of the responses (70%) supported relocating the Rocket Ship to Glenwood Park. Eight of the responses were from non-City residents, and all of those were in favor of relocating the Rocket Ship. Conversations with City residents at the Country Days booth on October 1st and comments on the City’s social media indicate that some support for relocation is driven by a nostalgic attachment to the play structure, as a number of parents described how much their children enjoyed the Rocket Ship and therefore felt that it should be preserved for others. The question of whether or not to relocate the Rocket Ship was brought to the Parks and Recreation Commission on February 6, 2023. The Commission, after careful consideration of the survey results and acknowledgement of the emotional connection within the community to the Rocket Ship, unanimously recommended relocation of the Rocket Ship play structure to Glenwood Park. If the Rocket Ship is relocated to Glenwood Park, staff will also consider relocating one of the newer age 5-12 climbers from Tierra Rejada Park (installed in 2019) as well as acquiring new play equipment items to complete the age 5-12 play area renovation. If the City Council does not support the recommendation of the Parks and Recreation Commission to relocate the Rocket Ship, staff will begin the process of soliciting and evaluating proposals for an entirely new set of age 5-12 playground equipment for Glenwood Park. 180 Honorable City Council 03/01/2023 Regular Meeting Page 4 ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION The Community Development Director has evaluated the relocation of the Rocket Ship play structure from Tierra Rejada Park to Glenwood Park for compliance with CEQA and determined that the proposed action is categorically exempt from environmental review in accordance with Section 15301, Class 1 (existing facilities). The proposed project involves minor modification to existing park facilities with no proposed expansion of existing use. FISCAL IMPACT There is no anticipated fiscal impact related to refurbishing and relocating the Rocket Ship play structure from Tierra Rejada Park to Glenwood Park. The estimated cost to refurbish the structure is approximately $75,000, which is comparable to the cost of a similarly sized new play structure. A total of two hundred fifty-thousand dollars ($250,000) is already allocated in the Fiscal Year 2022/23 budget for the Glenwood Park renovation project (C0067). COUNCIL GOAL COMPLIANCE This action is consistent with the following City Council Goal for 2021-2023: • Goal 2, Objective 2.12: “Upon receipt of grant funding, construct an inclusive playground at Tierra Rejada Park.” STAFF RECOMMENDATION 1. Approve the relocation of the Rocket Ship play structure from Tierra Rejada Park to Glenwood Park; and 2. Determine that relocation of the Rocket Ship play structure from Tierra Rejada Park to Glenwood Park is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act. Attachment: Sample Community Survey Illustrative Map 181 ATTACHMENT SAMPLE COMMUNITY SURVEY FORM 182