Title
Highlights of the Facilities and Transportation Committee Meeting of October 19, 2016
Body
CITY OF SAN LEANDRO
CITY COUNCIL FACILITIES AND TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE
OCTOBER 19, 2016
5:00 - 6:30 p.m.
San Leandro City Hall
835 East 14th Street
San Leandro, California
(Sister Cities Gallery)
HIGHLIGHTS
1. CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Pauline Cutter called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m.
1.A. Attendance
Committee members present: Mayor Pauline Cutter, Councilmember Corina Lopez, Vice Mayor Ursula Reed
City staff present: Community Development Director Cynthia Battenberg; Engineering & Transportation Director Keith Cooke; Associate Engineer Vibha Deshmukh; Administrative Services Manager Kirsten Foley; Assistant City Manager Jeff Kay; Principal Engineer Michael Stella; City Engineer Nick Thom; City Manager Chris Zapata
Public present: Chris Craig, Curtain Call Performing Arts (CCPA); Dan Dillman, CCPA; Josh Dillman, Bal Theatre;; Gina Dillman, Bal Theatre; Jim Prola, Observer
1.B. Announcements
C. Zapata introduced Assistant City Manager Jeff Kay.
2. DISCUSSION ITEMS
2.A. BAL Theatre Update
J. Kay introduced the Bal Theatre Update as the start of a discussion about supporting the Bal Theatre which is an important community asset.
D. Dillman provided a handout consisting of a list of needs and proposed improvements for the theater with estimated costs. He spoke to the Committee about the history of theater in San Leandro, the programs they provide for the community, the restoration and enhancement needs for the theater, and their funding challenges. Parking improvements are not on the list as D. Dillman hasn’t received recent complaints about parking and construction of additional parking would not be feasible without acquiring additional properties. The theater received a $50,000 loan for facade improvements from the City which was forgiven in 2016. To keep the theatre open, $350,000 is needed to retire the mortgage at the end of 2017. D. Dillman stated that any reduction in mortgage costs will result in more spending on restoration and enhancement.
C. Zapata noted that the theater is an important part of East 14th Street but that there are other community needs which must be addressed. He proposed that staff work with the Bal Theatre to draft a proposed funding agreement and that the draft be brought to the committee for review and discussion.
Mayor Cutter requested that joint use or community programing be a condition of any funding agreement, and requested quantification of the amount of community programing that is currently provided.
Councilmember Reed requested that some amount of restoration of historical elements be a condition of any funding agreement.
Councilmember Lopez noted that theater restoration cost $15 million in Alameda and suggested that the Bal Theater use an architect familiar with historical buildings to determine the extent, character, and cost of work required for restoration.
2.B. Discussion Regarding Green Infrastructure Outreach to Elected Officials
K. Cooke introduced green infrastructure outreach to the Committee. He briefly mentioned the new permitting requirements including education for City Council. Green Infrastructure will be an important component to capital improvements, especially those within the public right-of-way. There are new State mandates, and the City needs to be prepared.
M. Stella gave a presentation on green infrastructure which is items that remove trash and pollutants from our storm water. Current regulations have extended the requirement for green infrastructure to some projects within the right of way. Trash screens and vegetated water filter areas around storm drain inlets will be required and installed on certain street projects. It was noted that storm water requirements are separate and different from drinking water regulations and that many recent projects outside the right of way such as Siempre Verde Park, the High School parking lot, Senior Center, and Bridge Housing have green infrastructure elements. The regulations have a target for trash capture and the City has met this target. The regulations do not yet have a target for filtering of storm water runoff with vegetation within the right of way.
Councilmember Lopez requested we include a description of the green infrastructure potential for each CIP project in the project description.
Mayor Cutter requested that we touch base with the SLUSD and find out if any Measure J1 funds will be used for green infrastructure, and requested that when storm water filtering targets are mandated for right of way projects staff make a presentation to the full council on green infrastructure as part of the CIP process.
Councilmember Reed requested we touch base with Alameda County Flood Control and document any trash capture devices they have installed within City limits.
2.C. Project Updates
N. Thom updated the Committee with projects that are currently under construction: Annual Street Sealing and Annual Overlay Rehabilitation.
2.D. Discussion Regarding Future Agenda Items
K. Cooke reviewed future agenda items.
Councilmember Lopez requested that the November meeting be moved up a day to accommodate a previous commitment.
Councilmember Lopez referenced the BRT project and requested to have an improved traffic signal (dedicated left turn) to the intersection of Best Avenue and East 14th Street. K. Cooke will review plans with AC Transit to determine the possibility of such an improvement and provide an update to Committee.
K. Cooke will also explore the possibility of changing the direction of traffic on Euclid Court at the request of Mayor Cutter.
Councilmember Lopez requested that the proposed crosswalk prioritization process be presented at a future meeting.
3. PUBLIC COMMENTS
None.
4. COMMITTEE MEMBER COMMENTS
Councilmember Lopez commended the work that Associate Engineer Kyle Lei put into the Siempre Verde Park project.
5. ADJOURN
The meeting was adjourned at 6:36 p.m.