HomeMy WebLinkAboutAGENDA REPORT 2015 0204 CCSA REG ITEM 09C ITEM 9.C.
CITY OF MOORPARK,CALIFORNIA
City Council Meeting
MOORPARK CITY COUNCILof -'V e�Oi5 �)
AGENDA REPORT ACTION: ,d zep o. 9tr'
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BY: 0.
TO: The Honorable City Council
FROM: Jeremy Laurentowski, Parks and Recreation Director
DATE: January 21, 2015 (CC Meeting of February 4, 2015)
SUBJECT: Consider the Renovation of the Tierra Rejada Road Streetscape; and
Resolution Amending the Fiscal Year 2014/15 Budget
BACKGROUND
On February, 19, 2014, staff prepared an agenda report in response to the on-going
drought conditions. The purpose of the report was to update the City Council regarding
staffs current and future work concerning irrigation water use and water conservation
efforts. Many professionals believe that 2013 was the driest year on record in California
since 1894, and several California cities recorded the lowest rainfall totals since 1850.
The Sierra Nevada snow pack that provides approximately one third of the state's water
was only twenty percent of normal towards the end of 2013 and on January 17, 2014,
Governor Jerry Brown declared a drought emergency in the State of California and
urged Californians to reduce water consumption by at least 20%. Many professionals
are predicting normal or above-normal rainfall totals in California during 2015.
However, it may be several years before the drought conditions are lifted and reserves
are back to normal.
For several years, the City Council has discussed the need to initiate a City wide plan to
address water conservation. On May 21, 2014, the City Council adopted the City of
Moorpark Mission Statement, Priorities, Goals, and Objectives for FY 2014/2015.
Although several Departmental objectives address the City Council's desire to reduce
water consumption, the following objective is specific to the Tierra Rejada Road (Tierra
Rejada) streetscape:
V. B. 5. Develop design plans to refurbish median landscaping and
hardscape on Tierra Rejada Road, from Spring Road to Los Angeles
Avenue, and Campus Park Drive from Princeton Avenue to Collins
Drive, including cost estimates, financing, phasing and water
conservation measures.
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February 4, 2015
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In 2013, staff had an opportunity to coordinate a demonstration project consisting of
native landscaping on Tierra Rejada, within the property owned by Southern California
Edison (SCE), east of Walnut Creek. This project was the result of work necessary to
install transmission equipment and was funded by Verizon. The result is a meadow of
native grasses and shrubs specifically chosen to compliment the meadow appearance
of the streetscape on Tierra Rejada. Due to the success of the project, the City Council
approved a 12,000 s.f. project along the north side of Tierra Rejada, from the SCE
property to Walnut Creek Road. The project included the same plant types installed
within the SCE property, which primarily consisted of Meadow Sedge (Carex pansa), a
low growing bunch grass native to central California, as well as Coffee Berry (Rhamnus
californica) and Western Redbud (Cercis occidentalis), both native to the California
foothills of southern California. The project also included retrofitting the existing
irrigation system with low volume spray heads and the installation of a drip irrigation
system. Staff estimates a 30% to 50% reduction in water use based on the type of
California native plant material and the installation of the low volume irrigation system.
The total cost of this work was approximately $34,000.
During the February 19, 2014 City Council meeting, staff also discussed the need to
develop a comprehensive plan to renovate all of the landscaping on Tierra Rejada,
including the slopes, parkways, and median islands, with drought tolerant and California
native plant material, or other low water use options. The majority of the Tierra Rejada
streetscape lies within LMD Zone 2 (Steeple Hill Area Tract 2865), LMD Zone 5
(Pheasant Run Tracts 3019 & 3525) and LMD Zone 10 (Mountain Meadows Planned
Community). LMD Zone 2 is fully funded and there is funding available for normal
maintenance procedures, and improvements can generally be completed with funding
from the LMD reserve account. However, funding for general maintenance procedures
in LMD zones 5 and 10, which includes the cost of irrigation water, has historically been
supplemented by the General Fund. These two zones were accepted by the City prior
to the passage of Proposition 218 (The Right to Vote on Taxes Act) in 1996.
Historically, LMD Zones 5 and 10 have exhibited negative fund balances of
approximately $41,437 and $51,118 respectively, resulting in substantial funding from
the general fund to supplement normal maintenance procedures. The cost of water for
these two zones in FY 14/15 is estimated at $87,000, which is equivalent to
approximately 94% of the negative fund balance. Clearly aggressive water
conservation measures and a reduction in maintenance procedures will be necessary to
lessen the impact on the general fund in the future.
In February, 2014, the City Council approved funding for base mapping services for the
section of Tierra Rejada from approximately Countrywood Drive to Spring Road. This •
work was necessary to establish a base layer for the proposed landscape renovation
project. The base mapping was completed in July, 2014, at a cost of $18,500. Staff
initially determined that a portion of the renovation project would be completed with in-
house staff, primarily the completion of a conceptual landscape plan and phasing plan
that would identify general low water use planting concepts, or other water saving
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options for each landscape area along Tierra Rejada. However, due to the current
workload in the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department, it has not been
possible to complete this portion of the project with in-house staff. In an effort to initiate
the landscape renovation project on Tierra Rejada, staff recommends contracting with a
landscape architecture company that specializes in streetscape design and has
demonstrated significant experience with the use of California native plant material.
DISCUSSION
The Tierra Rejada streetscape extends from Los Angeles Avenue to Hwy 23, and
consists of approximately 2.8 miles of roadway. The median islands on Tierra Rejada
between Hwy 23 and Spring Road were installed in 2006 and are not being considered
at this time. The remaining 2.5 miles of streetscape, between Spring Road and the
Arroyo Simi, consists of high water use plant material, primarily Creeping Red Fescue
(red fescue) (Festuca rubra) and various California native and non-native tree species,
such as California Sycamore (Platanus racemosa), Coast Redwood (Sequoia
sempervirens), European White Birch (birch) (Betula pendula), Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus
spp.), Sweet Gum (Liquidamber styraciflua) and White Alder (Alnus rhombifolia). The
median islands generally consist of Gazania (Gazania spp.), a short lived non-native
perennial groundcover, and several trees species, such as California Sycamore
(Platanus racemosa) and Brisbane Box (Lophostemon confertus). Several of the tree
species within the Tierra Rejada streetscape are declining for various reasons, and in
addition to the high water use nature of the streetscape design, many areas are in need
of renovation.
Over the years, many of the Coast Redwoods that were planted along Tierra Rejada
have slowly been in decline due to localized environmental stress conditions. Coast
Redwoods are native to the coastal ranges and fog belt regions of northern California
and southern Oregon. The coastal climate generally includes mild day time
temperatures, rarely exceeding 75°F, long cool winters, a consistent marine influence
and moderate to high annual rainfall. Many native plant species utilized for landscape
purposes outside their natural range exhibit environmental stress conditions as climate,
water availability and soil conditions typically do not provide optimum growing conditions
required by these trees. Environmental stress eventually weakens their ability to resist
disease and opens the door for pathogens and other plant disorders. In 2011 the City
contracted with an arborist to prepare an arborist report and inspect the trees for
common pathogens and evaluate the physical site conditions along the Tierra Rejada
corridor. The arborist report confirms the presence of a fungal disease commonly called
Sequoia canker. The canker disease is the result of the pathogen Botryodiplodia spp.,
a fungus that infects trees that are exposed to environmental stress or weakened by site
conditions. Seasonal rain and wind is responsible for dispersing the fungal spores and
infecting neighboring trees. Unfortunately, most trees infected with the canker
eventually die and at this time, a cure for this disease has not been identified. To date,
94 sequoia trees have been removed.
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In addition, many of the birch trees are also declining. This is due to an infestation of
boring beetles, particularly the Bronze Birch Borer (Agrilus anxius). The larvae of the
borer feed on the cambium layer of the tree and ultimately inhibit the flow of water, sap
and vital nutrients to the tree. Due to the fact that insecticides are only effective during
certain stages of the egg development, treatment and preventative measures are
difficult to schedule, and they are ineffective once the infestation progresses to the
larvae stage.
Several landscape areas along the Tierra Rejada corridor are also in need of
renovation, primarily the north side of Tierra Rejada between Walnut Creek Road and
Countrywood Drive, as well as the majority of the median islands. The red fescue on
the north side of Tierra Rejada has started to decline, primarily due to reductions in
irrigation and the fact that the streetscape is subject to full sun exposure throughout the
year. The City will either need to increase the irrigation water use along the north side
of Tierra Rejada or replace the red fescue that has started to decline with a low water
use alternative. In addition, large sections of gazania within the median islands have
outlived their life span. Gazania is a relatively short lived perennial groundcover and
although it generally requires minimal supplemental water to thrive, it tends to die out in
large sections over time. Staff recommends replacing the gazania with a more
permanent low water use alternative, rather than replacing it in-kind.
In order to reduce water use, and lessen the long-term impacts on the General Fund,
staff feels that it will be necessary to implement significant changes to the overall
streetscape design on Tierra Rejada. Water rates continue to rise and it is uncertain
whether water restrictions will be imposed on the City in the future. Severe reductions
in water use may ultimately limit our ability to maintain our urban forest and ornamental
landscape areas, particularly those landscape areas that require high to moderate
supplemental irrigation water. In addition, staff feels that a long-term replacement plan
for several of the existing tree species, primarily the Coast Redwoods and European
White Birch trees, will be necessary to maintain the tree canopy and aesthetic value that
the Tierra Rejada corridor has provided for many years to the residents of Moorpark.
Staff has solicited the services of Architerra Design Group (Architerra) to prepare a
landscape master plan for the complete redesign of the Tierra Rejada corridor.
Architerra is the landscape architecture company that completed the landscape
architecture plans for the Walnut Acres Park project. They have extensive experience
with streetscape design and landscape restoration projects and have provided
landscape architectural services for many cities and various water agencies throughout
Southern California. In addition, as a special consultant to the design team, Architerra
has enlisted the assistance of Robert (Bob) Perry of Perry and Associates
Collaborative. Bob Perry is a recognized expert in the field of drought tolerant and
California native planting design, as well as sustainable landscape development. He is
author of the three books on landscape plants and water conservation, including the
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most recent, 'Landscape Plants for Western Gardens', and he is Professor Emeritus of
Landscape Architecture at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, where he
started his academic career in 1972. Bob Perry will contribute to the project by
providing input for planting strategies during the site inventory, analysis and conceptual
design phase of the project. The total cost for this phase of the project is $27,900. Staff
will prepare a construction budget and will obtain a proposal from Architerra to prepare
landscape construction plans and specifications for the project once the design concept
has been finalized and approved by the City Council.
Staff recommends starting the first phase of this project immediately, particularly the
renovation of the median islands on Tierra Rejada. In July, 2014, the State Water
Resources Control Board (Board) approved an emergency regulation to ensure that
water agencies and their customers increase water conservation efforts in urban
settings or face possible fines. One of the mandates initiated by the Board was a
regulation to put an immediate stop of 'watering outdoor landscapes that cause excess
runoff.' In addition, the City's Landscape Design Standards and Guidelines, Resolution
2012-3096, requires that any new irrigation system, or landscape renovation project that
exceeds 2,500 s.f., shall not include the use of overhead spray heads unless they are
located a minimum of 2' from any hardscape surface to minimize concerns of irrigation
runoff onto hardscape surfaces. The irrigation systems within the median islands on
Tierra Rejada primarily consist of 4" pop up spray heads that are installed directly
adjacent to the curb. These spray heads are generally acceptable in turf or landscape
areas with very low growing groundcover, but are not adequate for most landscape
areas consisting of groundcover or shrubs that exceed 4" in height. The spray nozzles
simply do not pop up high enough to clear the groundcover and the result is excessive
irrigation runoff onto Tierra Rejada.
The first phase of the landscape renovation for the median islands on Tierra Rejada will
include the removal of all the gazania groundcover within the median islands from
Courtney Lane to Spring Road, retrofitting the existing irrigation system to include the
installation of an above ground drip irrigation system at each tree location, and the
installation of bark mulch provided by the City's contract tree trimming company, prior to
the development of a landscape master plan for all of Tierra Rejada. Staff believes that
this work will not only eliminate all irrigation runoff onto Tierra Rejada, but will also
reduce water use within the median islands by more than 50%. Once this work has
been completed, staff anticipates that the median islands will consist of bark mulch and
existing trees for approximately one year, or until the landscape master plan and
phasing plan has been developed. The future design of the median islands will include
California native and/or drought tolerant plant material in combination with natural
building materials, such as boulders or river cobble, or other low water use options
recommended by the landscape architect. It should be noted that staff does not
recommend the installation of a hardscape edge along the length of the median islands
unless warranted. A hardscape edge is required when the planting design completely
covers the median islands and does not allow adequate access for normal maintenance
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activities. Staff anticipates that the future design of the median islands on Tierra Rejada
will include selectively placed shrubs and other natural materials to minimize water use
and allow access for maintenance activities, while still providing an aesthetically
pleasing streetscape design
Staff does not believe that the work to remove the groundcover, retrofit the irrigation
system and install bark mulch along the entire 2.5 miles of median islands will inhibit
any future plans on Tierra Rejada or incur additional costs due to completing this work
at this time. Staff estimates that this portion of the project will cost approximately
$80,644 to complete and will save approximately $6,844/year due to a reduction in
water use, with a cost recovery of approximately 12 years at current water rates. A
summary of the associated costs with this phase of the project follows:
Tierra Rejada Streetscape - Phase I Median Islands
Description Qty Cost Unit Total
On-grade drip (6-8 emitters/tree) 125 $ 65.00 each $ 8,125.00
Valve conversion (drip irrigation) 20 $ 125.00 each $ 2,500.00
Groundcover removal 130,000 $ 0.25 sf $ 32,500.00
Bark mulch installation (City provided) 130,000 $ 0.10 sf $ 13,000.00
Fine grading 130,000 $ 0.05 sf $ 6,500.00
Traffic control 1 $ 7,500.00 each $ 7,500.00
Sub-total $ 70,125.00
15% Contingency $ 10,518.75
Total $ 80,643.75
Staff will return to the City Council to obtain authorization for this work once bid
proposals have been obtained.
FISCAL IMPACT
The cost for landscape architectural services is $23,100.00, plus reimbursable
expenses of $1,200.00 and a contingency of $3,600.00, for a total cost of $27,900.00.
As discussed, the 84-2 Steeple Hill T2865 Fund (2302) for Zone 2 is fully funded and
there is enough fund balance to cover 25%, or $6,975 of the costs of this work, which is
equivalent to the proportionate area on Tierra Rejada covered within LMD Zone 2. The
remaining costs of $20,925 will be paid from the General Fund (1000), as there is not
funding available within LMD Zone 5 (Pheasant Run Tracts 3019 & 3525) or LMD Zone
10 (Mountain Meadows Planned Community).
A budget amendment is needed from the 84-2 Steeple Hill T2865 Fund (2302) in the
amount of $6,975 and from the General Fund (1000) in the amount of $20,925 to fund
the above described work. -
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STAFF RECOMMENDATION (ROLL CALL VOTE)
1 . Adopt Resolution No. 2015-
Attachments:
1. Resolution
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RESOLUTION NO. 2015-
A RESOLUTION OF CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
MOORPARK, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING THE FISCAL YEAR
2014/2015 BUDGET BY APPROPRIATING $20,925.00 FROM
THE GENERAL FUND (1000) AND $6,975.00 FROM THE 84-2
STEEPLE HILL T2865 FUND (2302) TO FUND LANDSCAPE
ARCHITECTURAL SERVICES FOR THE RENOVATION OF THE
TIERRA REJADA ROAD STREETSCAPE
WHEREAS, on June 18, 2014, the City of Moorpark adopted the Operating and
Capital Improvement budget for Fiscal Year 2014/15; and
WHEREAS, on February 4, 2015, a staff report was presented to the City Council
requesting approval to obtain landscape architectural services for the renovation of
Tierra Rejada Road between the Arroyo Simi and Spring Road: and
WHEREAS, a budget amendment in the amount of $20,925.00 from the General
Fund (1000) and $6,975.00 from the 84-2 Steeple Hill T2865 Fund (2302) is requested
for this work; and
WHEREAS, Exhibit "A", attached hereto and made a part hereof, describes said
budget amendment and the resultant impact to the budget line items.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MOORPARK
DOES HEREBY RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. A budget amendment in the amount of $20,925.00 from the
General Fund (1000) and $6,975.00 from the 84-2 Steeple Hill T2865 Fund (2302) as
more particularly described in Exhibit "A", attached hereto, is hereby approved.
SECTION 2. The City Clerk shall certify to the adoption of this resolution and
shall cause a certified resolution to be filed in the book of original resolutions.
PASSED AND ADOPTED this 4th day of February , 2015.
Janice S. Parvin, Mayor
ATTEST:
Maureen Benson, City Clerk
Exhibit A — Budget Amendment
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Resolution No. 2015-
Page 2
EXHIBIT A
BUDGET AMENDMENT FOR
General Fund(1000)and 84-2 Steeple Hill T2865 Fund(2302)for landscape architectural services for the
landscape renovation of Tierra Rejada Road
2014/15
FUND ALLOCATION FROM:
Fund Account Number Amount
General Fund 1000-5500 $ 20,925.00
84-2 Steeple Hill T2865 Fund 2302-5500 $ 6,975.00
Total $ 27,900.00
DISTRIBUTION OF APPROPRIATION TO EXPENSE ACCOUNTS:
Account Number Current Budget Revision Amended Budget
2302.7900.7901.9601 $ 6,300.00 $ 6,975.00 $ 13,275.00
1000.7900.7901.9601 $ 2,446.50 $ 20,925.00 $ 23,371.50
Total $ 8,746.50 $ 27,900.00 $ 36,646.50
9,-‘-
Approved as to Form:
-1a-`---
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