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HomeMy WebLinkAbout- CC-2 - 05/24/12 Minutes Special SS - 6/19/2012UNOFFICIAL UNTIL APPROVED CC -2 SPECIAL ADJOURNED/STUDY SESSION OF THE CITY COUNCIL CITY OF COSTA MESA May 24, 2012 The City Council of the City of Costa Mesa, California met in a Special Adjourned/Study Session on Thursday, May 14, 2012 at 4:30 p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall, 77 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa. The Mayor called the meeting to order at 4:30 p.m. ROLL CALL: Council Members Present: Mayor Eric R. Bever Mayor Pro Tem James M. Righeimer Council Member Wendy Leece Council Member Stephen M. Mensinger Council Member Gary Monahan Council Members Absent: None Officials Present: City Chief Executive Officer Thomas R. Hatch Assistant Chief Executive Officer Rick Francis City Attorney Thomas Duarte Deputy CEO/Economic & Develop Dir. Peter Naghavi Public Services Director Ernesto Munoz Transportation Services Manager Raja Sethuraman Public Affairs Manager Bill Lobdell Public Affairs Manager Dan Joyce Acting Deputy City Clerk Christine Cordon Executive Secretary Chris Goldsworthy PUBLIC COMMENTS 1. Perry Valantine, Costa Mesa, spoke about the SR -55 Monument Sign and asked if all signs will be considered together to keep a unified theme and asked the Council to determine the priorities and needs of the city. (00:00:31) 2. Joy Williams, Costa Mesa, spoke about locking trash cans, expressed concerns in more money being spent on the Eastside for streets and alleys than on the Westside, and asked for links to each item on the budget to better understand the budget process. (00:02:24) 3. Beth Refakes, Costa Mesa, commented on the SR -55 Monument Sign, stating that she did not like Design 3 in the report and felt that landscaping needs more care, not replacement and prefers palm trees. (00:04:24) UNOFFICIAL UNTIL APPROVED CC -2 ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION 1. SR -55 Gateway Improvement Project — Monument Sign Option (00:07:13) Transportation Services Manager Raja Sethuraman presented the report, noting that two years ago staff presented monument sign options and have been working with Caltrans for approval of the design and location of the sign. Mr. Sethuraman presented landscape concepts, hardscape designs, monument designs and barrier rail concepts and asked that the City Council indicate a preference to present to Caltrans to get the project underway by 2013. Council Members suggested adding a message on the monument thanking people for visiting the city, date of incorporation, branding city signage and asked staff to present a more up-to-date monument design. The City Council took no action on this item. 2. City Street and Alley Pavement Needs Update (00:27:36) Ernesto Munoz presented the report, stating that in March 2011, staff presented a comprehensive report to the Council. The pavement condition index (PCI) was described as the standard to determine the condition of roadways. A photo of pavement in various stages of PCI condition was presented. Mr. Munoz stated that the city adopted a priority list in 2007 and charts indicating street and alley improvements were presented. In the very poor category, 6.1 miles of streets and alleys need to be improved at a cost of $1.4 million per year. Funding consists of OCTA grant funding, Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), gas tax and any other grants the city is able to capture. Mayor Bever asked which projects were "shovel ready" qualifying for federal funding and asked for a detailed explanation of the condition of the arterial roads in city. Mayor Bever asked for a PCI overlay map showing traffic volumes on arterial highways and connectors and stated a preference that whole streets are improved, not sections at a time. Mr. Munoz stated that the city has focused on arterial roads for 20 years and the bulk of local and federal funding programs have been used for arterial roads and most are in very good condition. Mr. Munoz stated that most residential streets are in need of repair and good maintenance can help streets last up to 100 years. Council Member Mensinger stated a need to improve and maintain the very poor conditions of residential streets and requested that a policy be created to include funding for roadways in the seven-year Capital Improvement Plan. 4 UNOFFICIAL UNTIL APPROVED CC -2 Council Member Monahan asked questions regarding the asphalt pavement life cycle chart and alleys scheduled for improvement in 2012-13 budget and spoke of combining funding with other cities for adjoining streets. Mayor Pro Tem Righeimer asked for the cost to rebuild Redhill Street. Mr. Munoz indicated the cost would be approximately $2 million to reconstruct the 1.5 miles and Redhill is the budgeted to be improved in 2013. Council Member Leece stated that past City Councils created an alley maintenance priority list and asked that the Citywide Street Network PCI map show the improvements that have been made. CEO Hatch spoke of $4.7 million needed for maintenance in the best case scenario, but with grant opportunities, that amount would be reduced. 3. City's Master Drainage Plan Update (01:22:49) Mr. Munoz presented the report stating that the city Master Drainage Plan was last updated and adopted on August 15, 2006. The City drains half of its water to Newport Bay and half to Santa Ana River through County channels. There are seventeen watershed areas. Mr. Munoz presented the methodology to come up with a realistic 20 year storm drain CIP program. A photo of the county storm drain system showing a need for a regional upgrade and localized hot spot areas of recurring flooding was presented. Mr. Munoz stated that the city uses revenue from drainage fees which nets $200,000 annually, but the lack of available grant funding for storm drain improvements has made it difficult to address all major storm drain priorities. Council Member Mensinger referred to comments by residents of Canyon Drive who have had drainage problems for years at end the of Pacific and would like to see an improvement in this area and at the entrance into Fairview Park. Council Member Monahan asked what needed to be done to budget for the "hot spots" and questioned putting in curbs and gutters in areas without sidewalks. Mr. Munoz stated that the city's drainage system is constrained by the capacity of the regional system and suggested a water storage system to capture storm water until the regional system is relieved. Mr. Munoz stated that annual funding is appropriated from year to year to be able to pay for large projects and some neighborhoods have expressed a desire not to have curbs and gutters. Council Member Leece asked that streets be prioritized and budgeted for drainage improvements. COUNCIL MEMBERS' REPORTS, COMMENTS, AND SUGGESTIONS (01:58:18) Council Member Leece thanked everyone for the information and stated that safety, flooding and health are important, and hopes that budget recommendations include the 3 UNOFFICIAL UNTIL APPROVED CC -2 urgent safety issues for streets, storm drains, public safety and the need to attain and attract good employees. Council Member Mensinger complimented CEO Hatch for the information provided to the City Council and wants the city to modernize its approach. Mayor Pro Tem Righeimer thanked staff for the reports and asked for a plan to maintain the roads, alleys and drainage in the city. Mayor Bever reiterated the aforementioned/previous Council comments and spoke of a possible ballot initiative to spend 15 percent of each year's budget on infrastructure. Council Member Monahan referred to the priority list as more of a needs list and stated that the city needs to focus on roads, alleys and hot spots. ADJOURNMENT The Mayor adjourned the Special Study Session at 6:41 p.m. /_�11111111*15 Mayor of the City of Costa Mesa Acting Deputy City Clerk of the City of Costa Mesa !!