City of Culver City, California
City Council Agenda Item Report
RECOMMENDATION:
That the City Council approve the recommendations of the Parks and Recreation
Commission for improvements to reacquired areas of Culver City Park for parking
and storage purposes.
BACKGROUND:
Culver City Park has been the site of oil operations for many years which has
resulted in certain areas of Culver City Park being inaccessible to the public because
of oil rigs, tanks and storage facilities. The City Attorney’s Office has worked
diligently over the past several years to recapture areas of parkland made unusable
due to these operations, including pursuing litigation against the former oil well
operator. As a result of these efforts, an agreement was reached with the current
operator to remove several oil rigs, tanks, piping and related equipment from Culver
City Park, which has allowed the City to reacquire valuable land for public and City
uses.
DISCUSSION:
On May 6, 2005 the City entered into an agreement with the current oil well operator,
Plains Exploration and Production Company (“PXP”) to cease oil well operations and
remove several oil rigs, tanks, piping and related equipment in certain areas of
Meeting Date: 07/11/05 Item Number: A-8
AGENDA ITEM: Consideration of Improvements to Reacquired Areas of Culver City
Park for Parking and Storage Purposes.
Contact Person/Dept.: Marty Nicholson,
Recreation Manager; Heather Iker,
Deputy City Attorney; Mate Gaspar,
Deputy Director Public Works
Phone Number: (310) 253-6662
(310) 253-5660
(310) 253-5602
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [] General Fund: Yes [X] No []
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [X] Attachments: [X]
Public Notification:
Parks and Recreation Commission (7/7/05), Master Notification List (7/6/05)
Department Approval: William LaPointe,
PRCS Director 6/30/05; Charles
Herbertson, Public Works 6/26/05 (draft rpt);
Carol Schwab, City Attorney 6/30/05
CAO Approval:
Muriel Clark for Jerry Fulwood 7/6/05
Interim City Controller Approval:
Marlee Chang 7/6/05City of Culver City, California
City Council Agenda Item Report
Culver City Park. The agreement requires certain deadlines for PXP to complete
this work, including the soil remediation of the abandoned areas. It is anticipated
that much of the work will be done by early August 2005 with additional work to be
completed by early November 2005. As a result, more land will become available
for additional park improvements.
During this process and pursuant to the terms of the agreement, the City must
provide PXP with direction on certain elements of the park improvements. Due to
the deadlines imposed upon PXP for it to complete its work, it is important that the
City make a determination as to the uses for these reacquired areas in a timely
manner.
The Parks and Recreation Commission considered these issues at its June 14, 2005
meeting (Attachment 1). The Commission unanimously approved the park
improvements as listed below. Attachment 2 is a copy of the minutes of that
meeting.
CULVER CITY PARK IMPROVEMENTS
Below is a list of site improvement recommendations for use of the reacquired areas
of Culver City Park. Attachment 3 is a map of the specified areas designated below.
A. TANK FARM LOCATION (Lower Tank Farm Area)
1. Keep the existing small storage shed to be used as a storage facility for the
Parks Division.
2. City to fence in a small portion of the southwest portion of the existing tank
farm (near the small storage shed) as a Park Division maintenance storage area.
3. City to screen the fenced area for Park Division maintenance storage area.
4. City to relocate park storage items from the Babe Ruth field to the small
storage shed, eliminating the unaesthetic appearance of this area of the baseball
field. (Relocation of the park storage items will provide space to relocate the Babe
Ruth batting cage.)
5. PXP to pave the entire lower tank farm area and use that portion not occupied
by the small storage shed and maintenance area for parking (PXP to possibly stripe
this area).
6. City (or possibly PXP) to remove fence between the lower tank farm area and
the park (near basketball court) to allow easy access to new parking lot.
B. LARGE SHED AREA (Upper Tank Farm Area)
1. Due to configuration of the park site in the upper tank farm area and issues
with public access, PRCS and Public Works staff are recommending using the site
as a temporary Public Works storage area until further review of the uses for this
area is possible.City of Culver City, California
City Council Agenda Item Report
2. PXP to remove large storage shed. (Due to a time deadline imposed on the
City pursuant to the terms of its agreement with PXP, this action has already been
taken.)
3. Keep fencing around the area.
4. Keep existing vegetation surrounding area (PXP to possibly trim back
vegetation).
C. BLOCK #27, SMITH #6 AND NATURE TRAIL
1. PXP to pave any abandoned area around site near Block #27.
2. City (or possibly PXP) to relocate Fulcrum Storage Shed from the parking
area to the location next to Nature Trail entrance by Block #27.
3. PXP to extend paving at Smith #6 to increase existing parking lot.
D. BLOCK 24 & BATTING CAGE
1. PXP to pave area
2. City (or possibly PXP) to stripe parking spaces.
FISCAL ANALYSIS:
Approval of the above-described park improvements may have some fiscal impact
depending on the staff’s ability to negotiate the cost of certain issues (i.e. staircase
additional fencing and screening materials, striping of parking lot, etc.). Costs for
striping the parking lot would be determined once paving has been completed. If
any park improvements require additional City funds, staff will bring the item back to
City Council for further consideration.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. June 14, 2005 Parks and Recreation Commission Report
2. June 14, 2005 Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes
3. Map of Culver City Park Improvement Areas
MOTION:
That the City Council:
1. Approve the above-described park improvements as recommended by the Parks
and Recreation Commission; and/or
2. Provide staff with further direction.
MEETING DATE 07/11/05
AGENDA ITEM Consideration of Improvements to Reacquired Areas of Culver
City Park for Parking and Storage Purposes
ATTACHMENTS
Pages
1 June 14 2005 Parks and Recreation Commission Report
1-5
2 June 14 2005 Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes
8-9
3 Map of Culver City Park Improvements
10Cult
vz , 1 y ATTACHMENT 1
INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM
DATE
June 14 2005
TO
CHAIR SHAPIRO AND MEMBERS OF THE PARKS AND
RECREATION COMMISSION
FROM Marty Nicholson, Recreation Manager
THROUGH Bill LaPointe PRCS Director
SUBJECT
Consideration of Park Improvements in Culver City Park to Include
Removal/Remediation of Oil Equipment and Site Uses, and
Reconsideration of Location for Permanent Skatepark Within the
Site
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Parks and Recreation Commission review and
approve the recommendations regarding park improvements for Culver City
Park
BACKGROUND
Culver City Park has been the site of oil operations for many years As a result
certain areas of Culver City Park were inaccessible to the public because of oil
rigs tanks and storage facilities The City Attorney s staff has worked diligently
to mitigate the effects of oil operations at Culver City Park and regain some of the
parkland made unusable due to oil operations As a result of those efforts Culver
City Park has seen oil pumps removed from the front of the park freeing up
valuable grass area In addition a one acre parcel used as an oil tank storage
facility was reclaimed and dedicated for the Culver City Dog Park
DISCUSSION
On May 6, 2005 the City entered into an Access and Remediation Agreement
(Agreement) with Plains Exploration and Production Company (PXP) to remove
oil equipment and operations on certain areas of Culver City Park and provide for
remediation of those abandoned areas The agreement requires a 90 day turn
around time for PXP to abandon oil operations remove equipment and
remediate the areas Therefore no later than August 6 2005 much of the oil
operation sites in Culver City Park will be removed As a result more land will
become available for additional park improvements
The Agreement requires the City to provide PXP with direction on certain
elements of the park improvements Due to the extremely short turn around
time the park improvements need to be determined quickly and instructions
given to PXP so they may comply with the Agreement deadlines This item is
9770 CULVER BOULEVARD' CULVER CITY CA 90232 0507Page 2 of 5
before the Commission as an urgent issue Staff is requesting that the Parks and
Recreation Commission review and approve the recommendations in this report
and direct staff to agendize for City Council consideration
SECTION 1
Section 1 provides recommendations regarding the removal of oil equipment and
remediation of the site after the equipment has been removed Attachment A
provides a map of the areas designated below
A TANK FARM LOCATION |109| Keep the existing small storage shed to be used as a storage facility
for the Parks Division
2 Fence in a small portion of the southwest portion of the existing tank
farm (near the small storage shed) as a Park Division maintenance
storage area|109| Screen the fenced area for Park Division maintenance storage area
4 Relocate park storage items from the Babe Ruth field to the small
storage shed eliminating the eyesore by the baseball field Relocation
of the park storage items will provide space to relocate Babe Ruth
batting cage|109| Remove fence between the existing tank farm and the park (near
basketball court) to allow easy access to new parking lot
LARGE SHED AREA|109| Due to configuration of the park site in the Large Shed Area and issues
with public access staff is recommending using the site as a temporary
Public Works storage facility until further review of the uses of this area
is possible|109| Remove large storage shed|109| Keep fencing around the area|109| Keep existing vegetation surrounding area
BLOCK #27, SMITH #6 AND NATURE TRAIL|109| Pave area around abandoned site near Block #27|109| Relocate Fulcrum Storage Shed from the parking area to the location
next to Nature Trail entrance by Block #27|109| Extend paving at Smith #6 to increase existing parking lot
D BLOCK 24 & BATTING CAGE|109| Pave area|109| Stripe parking spaces|1010|FILE NAME CULVER CITY PARK PARK IMPROVEMENTS PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPERPage 3 of 5
SECTION 2
Section 2 provides information regarding use of the northern section of the Tank
Farm There are two suggested uses for the northern section of the Tank Farm
which include (A) a parking lot to better serve this area of the park or (B) a
possible venue to relocate the permanent skateboard park project
A Parking Lot
The northern section of the Tank Farm adjoins the basketball court and picnic
area of Culver City Park This area currently only affords on street parking and
does not have any existing parking lot to serve the area The picnic area is
below the street and to access the park guests must walk down an incline
making accessibility extremely difficult for people with disabilities Since the
northern section of the Tank Farm is on the same level as the picnic area, a
parking lot in this area would make that area of the park extremely accessible to
patrons with disabilities
B Skateboard Prolect
Since the writing and awarding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund grant
and since the remediation of some locations within the park began the
suggestion of possibly relocating the permanent skatepark (to be constructed)
noted in the has been raised This is an opportunity for the Parks, Recreation
and Community Services Commission to review the future location of the
skatepark in Culver City Park
However relocating the grant-funded permanent skateboard park project brings
up several issues that much be considered These include grant proposal
requirements remediation issues, security issues safety concerns and
accessibility
Grant Proposal Requirements
In May 2003 staff applied for a Land and Water Conservation Grant to fund a
permanent skateboard park in Culver City Park The grant application was
approved and the City entered into a contract agreement with the State
Department of Parks and Recreation (State) to build a skateboard park in Culver
City Park at the Duquesne Blvd entrance to the park in November 2003
Attachment A provides the site pictures for the location of the park provided to
the State
The Land and Water Conservation Grant require that the application provide the
State with documentation of California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
compliance as part of a completed grant application Attachment B provides a
copy of that requirement The Culver City Skateboard Park application provided
the necessary documents using the entrance to the park as the location filed with
the Los Angeles County Clerk Attachment C provides a copy of that filing|1010|FILE NAME CULVER CITY PARK PARK IMPROVEMENTS PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPERPage 4 of 5
Since the Land and Water Conservation Grant is a competitive process and
applications are rated based upon submittals at the time of the grant deadline
significant changes to the grant after it has been awarded may pose significant
problems with eligibility In essence the grant application was awarded based
upon the project presented at the time of the application
Remediation Issues
To date all Land and Water Conservation grants require that CEQA
requirements have been met for this project
As part of the PXP agreement, page 11, Section 4 3 PXP is only required to
grade compact and pave the tank farm Attachment C Therefore any
disturbance of the underlying soil, as in the case of excavation to install a
skateboard park, would result in the need to complete additional remediation and
assessment that has not been identified as the responsibility of PXP and would
require the City to identify funding This could create an extremely long delay in
the skateboard project and an increase in costs
Security Issues
The Culver City Police Department was contacted regarding the relocation of the
skateboard project to the Tank Farm area and concluded the Tank Farm is not
visible from Jefferson and is much more difficult for police to supervise
Therefore the Police Department is recommending against any relocation of the
skateboard project to the Tank Farm
Safety Issues and Accessibility
The Tank Farm lies adjacent to a side street which carries traffic from the top of
Culver City Park to Jefferson Blvd Due to the steep incline of the street vehicles
exiting the park tend to pick up significant speed on their way out of the park A
skateboard park located at the Tank Farm may create an unsafe condition for
youth entering or exiting the skateboard park In addition the street may become
an unwanted part of the skate park experience for youth that might result in
further safety concerns
FISCAL ANALYSIS
Approval of Section 1 recommendations would not have any fiscal impact to the
City s general fund Relocating the Skateboard Park to the Tank Farm in Section
2 may have significant impact to the Skateboard Park in site assessment
security and remediation activities
ATTACHMENTS
A Map of the oil remediation work sites
B Land and Water Conservation Grant CEQA requirements
C Copy of the Notice of Filing with the Los Angeles County Clerk|1010|P/LE NAME CULVER CITY PARK PARK IMPROVEMENTS
PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPERPage 5 of 5
D Page 11 Section 4 3 of the Agreement
MOTION
That the Parks and Recreation Commission
Approve all the recommendations for park improvements as provided in Section
1 and Section 2A of this report and direct staff to forward those recommendations
to City Council for consideration |1010|FILE NAME CULVER CITY PARK PARK IMPROVEMENTS PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPERParks and Recreation Commission
ATTACHMENT 2
MOVED BY COMMISSIONER JAMES, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER DALY-
REDHOLTZ AND CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY, TO RECEIVE AND FILE THE
SECRETARY S REPORT REGARDING AGENDA POSTING FOR THIS MEETING
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Item A-1
(6 12 p m )
Consideration of park improvements in Culver City Park to include the
removal/remediation of oil equipment and site uses, and reconsideration of
the location for a permanent skate park within the park
William La Pointe, Director of Parks, Recreation and Community Services, introduced
the staff report
Marty Nicholson, Recreation Manager, gave the staff report regarding the
removal/remediation of oil equipment and site uses She acknowledged the assistance of
the City Attorney s staff that negotiated the agreement with Plains Exploration and
Production Company (PXP) to remove oil well operations from Culver City Park, which
will provide additional parkland and facilities First, the storage shed at the tank farm
should remain and become a parks maintenance facility with a fence and screen, away
from the public, and the park equipment stored behind the Babe Ruth Field will be
located in the new maintenance facility That will free the area behind the Babe Ruth
Field for a new batting cage The tank farm area would become a new public parking lot
adjacent to the basketball court
She noted a correction to the report, in that PXP has i8o days to remove the oil wells
The large shed will be removed and the paved area will remain for temporary use by the
Public Works Department until a master plan is created to determine overall park use in
order to obtain future park development funds
A staircase may be required for access to the upper level, which is part of the agreement
Block No 24 identified on the plans will become additional parking PXP will be
removing above-ground pipes from the Dog Park, which will increase the use area
Mr La Pointe said most of the remediation by PXP will be paving over areas of oil well
activity
Marty reported Block No 27 and Smith No 6 at the bottom of the Nature Trail will be
paved for additional parking Possibly one active pump will remain in this location The
Fulcrum storage shed will be relocated adjacent to the Nature Trail Additional funds
may be required for security fence and screen at the small shed of approximately $6000
Heather Iker, Assistant City Prosecutor, pointed out Block Nos 21, 25 and 28 oil wells
will be removed m seven years and this area will be available for use after that
Carol Schwab, City Attorney, said trenching will be necessary to reconfigure oil well
pipes across street for approximately two weeks She briefly summarized the history of
the oil well operation which led to the current legal settlementParks and Recreation Commission
June 14 2005
She answered questions from Commissioners
Charles Herbertson, Public Works Director, described how Public Works would use the
large shed area after removal of the shed, which would be used to store large equipment
items He added that landscaping could be added to naturally screen the area
Mr La Pointe gave the staff report regarding the location for the permanent skateboard
park within the site
He gave a brief history of the grant process for the new skateboard park, to be located in
the grass area of the lower park below the playground The grant for a
12,000 sq ft
skate park has been awarded and consultants have been identified
Mr La Pointe responded to an inquiry from someone who posed the question If you
dzdn t know anything about this park and you were going to put in a new skateboard
park, what would be your opinion ? He offered an alternative, that is, to locate the new
skate park at the basketball court (which would leave the lower grass area of the park
open) and move the basketball court to another location in the park This would allow
parents in the picnic area to watch their children and the skate park
Charles Herbertson had a plan to show Mr La Pointe s alternative location for the
skateboard park The grant funding agency would have to be consulted and approve the
location change Soil testing may be needed to determine if the area is contaminated
Mr La Pointe suggested the Commission take more time to consider his alternative
location and could make their recommendation at next month's meeting, but expressed
concern that if the Commission took too long (six months) to make a determination, the
original location may be preferable
There was discussion by the Commissioners and further suggestions that the basketball
court may be moved to the existing skate park location
Commissioner Daly-Redholtz mentioned the basketball court is heavily used and should
not be displaced and remain somewhere in the park
Commissioners generally responded positively to Mr La Pointe s alternative suggestion
Chair Shapiro complimented staff on their hard work and dedication in obtaining the
grant for the skateboard park
Mr Herbertson suggested testing the soil at the alternate site would be a good idea
At this time, Chair Shapiro asked if there was any public comment
Harry Welsh addressed the Commission He said he favored the original location for the
new skateboard park (lower grass area)
Henry Welsh addressed the Commission, also favoring the original site
At this time, the following action was takenParks and Recreation Commission
June 14 2005
MOVED BY COMMISSIONER DALY-REDHOLTZ, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER
JAMES AND UNANIMOUSLY CARRIED, THAT THE PARKS AND RECREATION
COMMISSION APPROVE STAFF S RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PARK
IMPROVEMENTS IN CULVER CITY PARK AS OUTLINED IN SECTION 1 OF THE
STAFF REPORT RELATING TO THE REMOVAL OF OIL EQUIPMENT AND
REMEDIATTON OF THE SITE AFTER EQUIPMENT REMOVAL
TANK FARM LOCATION
1 KEEP THE EXISTING SMALL STORAGE SHED TO BE USED AS A STORAGE
FACILITY FOR THE PARKS DIVISION
2 FENCE IN A SMALL PORTION OF THE SOUTHWEST PORTION OF THE
EXISTING TANK FARM (NEAR THE SMALL STORAGE SHED) AS A PARKS
DIVISION MAINTENANCE STORAGE AREA
3 SCREEN THE FENCED AREA FOR PARKS DIVISION MAINTENANCE
STORAGE AREA
4 RELOCATE PARK STORAGE ITEMS FROM THE BABE RUTH FIELD TO THE
SMALL STORAGE SHED ELIMINATING THE EYESORE BY THE BASEBALL
FIELD RELOCATION OF THE PARK STORAGE ITEMS WILL PROVIDE
SPACE TO RELOCATE THE BABE RUTH BATTING CAGE
5 REMOVE THE FENCE BETWEEN THE EXISTING TANK FARM AND THE
PARK (NEAR BASKETBALL COURT) TO ALLOW EASY ACCESS TO THE NEW
PARKING LOT
LARGE SHED AREA
1 DUE TO CONFIGURATION OF THE PARK SITE IN THE LARGE SHED AREA
AND ISSUES WITH PUBLIC ACCESS, STAFF IS RECOMMENDING USING
THE SITE AS A TEMPORARY PUBLIC WORKS STORAGE FACILITY UNTIL
FURTHER REVIEW OF THE USES OF THIS AREA IS POSSIBLE
2 REMOVE LARGE STORAGE SHED
3 KEEP FENCING AROUND THE AREA
4 KEEP THE EXISTING VEGETATION SURROUNDING THE AREA
BLOCK #27, SMITH #6 AND NATURE TRAIL
1 PAVE AREA AROUND ABANDONED SITE NEAR BLOCK #27
2 RELOCATE FULCRUM STORAGE SHED FROM THE PARKING AREA TO THE
LOCATION NEXT TO THE NATURE TRAIL ENTRANCE BY BLOCK #27
-3 EXTEND PAVING AT SMITH #6 TO INCREASE EXISTING PARKING LOT --
BLOCK #24 AND BATTING CAGE
43Parks and Recreation Commission
June 14 2005
1 PAVE AREA
2 STRIPE PARKING SPACES
AND THAT THE COMMISSION DIRECT STAFF TO FORWARD THOSE
RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE CITY COUNCIL FOR CONSIDERATION
FURTHERMORE, THE COMMISSION DIRECT STAFF TO RECONSIDER THE
LOCATION FOR THE SKATEBOARD PARK SITE AND BRING BACK A
RECOMMENDATION WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR COMMISSION
CONSIDERATION AT THE JULY 5 TH MEETING
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Item A 2
(725PM)
Consideration of a recommendation to the City Council to amend Section
13 03 025 (A) of the Culver City Municipal Code to allow the sale of beer and
wine in Veteran's Park during the Fiesta La Ballona celebration
Marty Nicholson gave the staff report, addressing the liability, enforcement regarding
minors, safety procedures, insurance, and revenue generation regarding this issue
She pointed out that although revenue generation is the top reason for providing a
beer/wine garden, there is a value to having an additional amenity of this nature for the
enjoyment of the patrons who attend the Fiesta This added value to the festival can
increase marketability of the event and increase the sales for other vendors
The Fiesta Committee has identified the Culver City Lions Club (Lions), a local nonprofit
service organization, who is willing to sponsor the beer/wine and have agreed to the
following conditions, including but not limited to the Committee s requirements
• Funds raised will be earmarked for annual school free eye-screening program and
senior citizen Thanksgiving Dinner
• Obtain indemnifying liability insurance with minimum $1 million coverage,
subject to the City Attorneys approval
• Strictly adhere to all federal state and local laws
• Serve only in a fixed, secure and confined location with a single guarded entrance
and exit
• Secured entrance will have identification checks and restrict area for adults only
over the age of 21
• Limit purchases per person in line
• Monitor consumption and behavior of participants
• No glass containers
• Maintain required hours of operation as per Fiesta La Ballona rules
• Provide volunteers for the beer/wine garden to serve, clean and secure the area
Ms Nicholson called attention to the email proposal from the Culver City Lions Club and _
a copy of the site plan proposed for the beer/wine garden by the Lions
?ATTACHMENT 3
10