Recommendation to request City Manager to direct the Parks, Recreation and Marine Department in coordination with the Public Works Department to provide an update on and current cost estimate for previously approved soccer field turf conversion projects at three parks - Admiral Kidd, El Dorado and Seaside; request further report on what other appropriate park uses could be developed at El Dorado Park in lieu of an artificial turf project; and report on when it would be feasible to bid on any such in lieu projects.
Communication from Councilwoman Mongo. Councilwoman Gonzalez, Councilmember Dunga. Recommendation to request the Parks Recreation Marine Department to provide an update on and current cost estimate for previously approved soccer field turf conversion projects at Admiral Kidd, El Dorado and Seaside Park and request report on other appropriate park uses that could be developed at El Dorado Park in lieu of an artificial turf project. Thank you, Councilman Mongo. Yes. So first I know that there have been a couple of questions that came up. Ramon, I have the email with your ten questions. I'm glad that you got to speak with Amy Bodak in the building, the planning department, to get a lot of your questions answered. I know there are many more responding to. These will take a bit of time, but I'd be more than happy to meet with you right after the meeting to give you some verbal answers right away, because I know they're important to you. My colleagues and I have inherited a $3.5 million soccer project. I know the question was, when was this approved? It was actually and I don't know if the chair but at the time, vice chair of Budget Oversight Committee wants to comment on that or if you want me to commit me to do it. So under Vice Chair Lowenthal, now Chair Lowenthal of the Budget Oversight Committee, Patrick O'Donnell made a motion that solidified 2.7, I believe, in the original motion for artificial turf soccer fields at three locations identified as Seaside Admiral, Kid and Eldorado Park in the 2013 budget. The recommendations of the committee came to the full council, at which time that council approved them. Over time, we've we've come along with a few different things. One, there was a misstatement by the director of Parks and Recreation that there was a drinkable water savings at every park. What it actually is, is that there's a drinkable water savings at Seaside, an admiral kid, but a reclaimed water savings at El Dorado Park. And that over time, the costs of these programs have increased and some of the grants associated are no longer available. And so what I think my colleagues and I are asking today is that when this item comes back to council for a decision that we have all our options on the table. So I know that we've recently hired a wonderful member of the Parks and Rec team to look at rehabilitating our grass fields. And I think that that's a top priority across our entire park system. We need to look citywide and I think we have an item coming in the next few weeks with me and a few others where we're talking about what that infrastructure rehabilitation of all of our parks would look like because we know we need to do that. And then if we do move forward, which we have not yet decided with an approval of any artificial turf soccer fields, we want to make sure we have all of our options. The state of California is considering doing a study on chrome rubber. We want to be sure that if chrome rubber has any adverse health impacts, that we are aware of those and we'd be able to consider it at that time. And we have a recommendation from the Parks and Rec Commission to consider natural infill of many different sorts and or according to that meeting, coconut husk, which has only one provider. So we want to open it up to potentially all natural fill. And then in discussions with some of our community partners that play soccer on the fields, a majority of the players of soccer in the community don't play on full sized fields. The ten and under, they call them U10 and U12 and U six and U eight. They play on partial fields. They take a full sized field, and they divide it up so that multiple teams can play at the same time against one another. And so what I think this item is doing is saying. When we do need to make a decision. We would like public works in Parks and Rec to bring back all of our options because what we don't want to do as a council is make piecemeal decisions along the way. We want to make a comprehensive decision in the best interests of all the residents and all the stakeholders. So I think with that, if we're comfortable going to public comment. Chair. Yes, we can do that. Let me call in the second or the motion first. Okay. Public comment, please. I think I'm going to my my talk is going to make it a lot easier for her to say, yes, I'm going to try to make it as easy as I can. In my view, as a person who's played soccer, I was one of the people that started. I got the soccer approved in a morally, you know, there was nobody playing and we had to sneak around and play and then they told us not to. And we ended up working, strangely enough, for the air. So. So. We? I know that a lot of the bodies bodies are buried. And maybe in June somebody asked me to get involved with this. I thought it was crazy. But then I saw this George from the Parks and Recreation angle. He's even crazier than I am. So, um. Basically what I'm trying to say is that, you know, I've done a lot of analysis. I've been involved with contracts, have been involved with sports, being a world class athlete for over 25 years. You know, that was about £15 ago. So what I'm saying is I've actually done a lot of research and I've determined that that when I break out the numbers, we've got about a 40%. You know, grass is about 40% less, 40 to 50% less even than the crumb rubber. The lowest value, the lowest cost, least cost item is what I've done in grass hasn't changed that much in price, but crime has gone up a little bit since the last proposal. And so. You know, all I'm saying is it seems like a lot of people love to play on grass. Everyone I know in soccer would prefer to play on grass rather than artificial turf. And I think Steve actually said that to me when I was at Eldorado Park. That's what they prefer to play on. He knows that. But we have a problem in that. I think, Charles, I'm going to say interpretation of what happened in that meeting. I know you said it. I've read the documents and I've seen the video. And I talk to you about the federal prosecutors that have seen it and the judge. So there's a huge difference between what our local prosecutor is saying versus what experienced, seasoned people who do this and deal with corruption every day know they know what things are said as legal definitions. You can't get around it. You can't just say, oh, this is a judgment call. There are certain things that are yes or no. And there's nothing that says, Hey, look, we did it, you know? So, I mean, the documents have got to show that. They have to reflect it. People have got to do it. So the numbers actually show that the grass is is cheaper for all of us. And I know that, you know, we have District seven. He's looking into it. He's doing a good job. But. I don't. Nobody can understand why we know grass is so much less expensive. And I mean, you can't justify 50% more for something when and it's safer and everybody wants it. Versus versus something that's, you know, 50% less. And everybody I mean, everybody wants to have that other thing I'm getting ready to take off. I understand. Thank you, sir. And, uh, just. Thank you, sir. That's all right. Actually, time's up. We won't pass the time. Thank you, sir. Okay. And Cantrell. And I appreciate you staying and listening to me. I sent an email today to all of you and recommended that you go to this website. The Dirt on turf. Because it has a lot of good information. Comparing artificial turf with natural grass. As has been said before. Natural grass can be half as much. And the geode fill or the coconut. Huske will. Is much more expensive than chrome rubber. Chrome rubber has not only possibilities of. I'm sorry I'm interrupting your conversation, Mrs. Mungo. Crumb rubber. Gets hot. It has to be cooled with water. It has to be cleaned. And so there's so many problems with it. I'm hoping that when Parks and Recreation and Public Works looks at these. Looks at the. Artificial turf they will also be considering. Putting in natural grass. May I ask is is that going to be part of the study? But natural grass will be considered also. Can I get an answer on that? I guess not. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. I see no other public comment. I'll take this behind to the council now and the rail here and start off with Councilman Manga, the maker of the motion. I'll hear from my colleagues. Councilman Gonzales to the second of the motion. I think Councilwoman Mango for bringing this forward. I know this has been a big issue and I'm very glad that the speakers came up and spoke to us about their passion for this issue. Most certainly, quite frankly, you know, in the first District in Seaside, we just want to park and we just want grass. We haven't had grass for some time. And so it's been. You know, it's it's been a long time for us to have something, and we're just very excited to have the opportunity to look at options at this point. But I'll tell you, my community most, most definitely is very excited about this because they're they're they're they just want something to play on. I think, you know, currently it's been dirt for the last five years, very impacted neighborhood. I think some of our lowest poverty in the city. It's pretty tough. So I just thank you for being open to giving us some options. I know you have been working on this as well, Stephen, with Councilman Mongo and I know Councilmember Suranga and I have been talking about other options and I know he'll speak a little bit about Admiral Kidd, but this is all great discussion and I'm looking forward to seeing what what comes next of it. Thank you. Now turning things over to Councilmember Ranga. Thank you, Mayor. And I do want to thank Councilwoman Mangal for bringing this forward. You know, this is a difficult conversation to have, frankly, because, you know, we are in the middle of a drought, my my in my district Advocate Park, tons of kids and in the senior adult leagues play there. It's become dirt. I would prefer, obviously, grass just like everybody else. And like it's always been traditional how we've got to look at our options and, you know, the options that we have right now is that we do have this fund, these funds available to enhance our soccer fields. Whether it's artificial or not, you know, but even with grass, you know, there's other infrastructure stuff that we need to look at, too, that can be just as expensive, if not more so. The options that we want the staff to come back with are are viable. We want it. We want to look at them. And yes, when we do get the staff report back, we want to see it all. We want to see what all the options are and they're all before us so that we can discuss them and then take it from there in terms of what we would like to see . There's some research, obviously. And Control brought about that report in terms of what's out there, which is fine, something to look at and to to consider. But at this present time, I think what we need to do at this time is just to direct staff to look at all the options and come back with a report so that we can move forward from there. Thank you. Turn this. Go back to Councilman Longo. Thank you. I hope my colleagues will support Parks and Rec and public works, bringing back all of our options so we can make a comprehensive decision. I think that the decision to be made needs to be an informed one. So I look forward to that opportunity and the continued public input. Thank you. Thank you. With that, please cast your votes. Motion carries. Okay. Now we're going to go, I think, two announcements. Let me start off I want to start with Councilman Andrews because he wants to close a meeting in someone's honor.