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CC - Adoption of a Resolution Approving and Ratifying the Submission of a Grant Application to the Baldwin Hills Conservancy for Prop 1 Funding for the Greening the Greenway: Ballona Creek Bike/Ped Path Sustainability, Safety and Accessibility Enhancements Project
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Meeting Date: September 14, 2020
Contact Person/Dept: Heba El-Guindy/Public Works Department
Phone Number: (310) 253-5628
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [X] Attachments: Yes [X] No []
Commission Action Required: Yes [] No [X] Date:
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - City Council (09/10/2020)
Department Approval: Charles D. Herbertson, PW Director/City Engineer (09/03/2020)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council adopt a Resolution (Attachment 1) approving and ratifying the submission of a grant application to the Baldwin Hills Conservancy (“Conservancy”) for Prop 1 funding for the Greening the Greenway: Ballona Creek Bike/Ped Path Sustainability, Safety and Accessibility Enhancements Project.
BACKGROUND
California voters passed the California Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014. The State Legislature has appropriated funds to the Conservancy for capital outlay and local assistance projects, which funds are to be awarded for reduction of pollution or contamination of rivers, lakes, streams, or coastal waters, and protection or restoration of natural system functions that contribute to water supply, water quality, or flood management, consistent with the statute creating the Conservancy.
DISCUSSION
The City applied for Prop 1 funding for the Greening the Greenway: Ballona Creek Bike/Ped Path Sustainability, Safety and Accessibility Enhancements Project. Based on staff communication with Conservancy staff, the City’s application was accepted in the first batch which were due August 31, 2020, and will be screened when the Conservancy receives the required Resolution.
Submittal of this grant application was accompanied by letters of support received from Mayor Eriksson and BPAC Vice Chair Weiner, as well as letters of support from the US Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles County Flood Control, Culver City Unified School District, Ballona Creek Renaissance, Walk ‘n Rollers, Bike Culver City, and Women on Bikes.
The Greening the Greenway Project is located on the easternmost 1.1 miles of the 6.7-mile Ballona Creek Bike Path, between National Boulevard and the next Gateway to the west, at Duquesne Avenue. It should be noted the remaining segments of the Path within Culver City were not included in the grant application.
The City’s proposed Project will improve wayfinding signs and accessibility at the National Boulevard/Jefferson Boulevard Gateway, at Syd Kronenthal Park, and the Duquesne Avenue Gateway. The City’s application also includes planting of over 100 trees and the replacement of 1.1 miles of concrete surface with an eco-friendly permeable pavement along the Path segment between National Boulevard and Duquesne Avenue. The Project will also install solar powered lighting along this Path segment, add lighting under the overcrossings, replace damaged fencing, and enhance signage and markings for improved public safety and security, in order to promote greater usage among women and children and to increase utilization in the evenings and during the shorter days of winter.
These upgrades will improve utilization, mobility and access for persons with disabilities or mobility impairments, will provide for wildlife habitat, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and contamination of water runoff into the Ballona Creek watershed.
In addition to delivering habitat and sustainability benefits, the proposed enhancements allow more bicyclists and walkers to enjoy the extensive connections afforded by this major Regional Greenway multi-use path, which links to a wide array of important destinations and mobility hubs. For example, at the Project’s National Gateway, located in both critically underserved and disadvantaged communities, there are connections to the Metro Expo Bike Path, the Metro E Line light-rail stations at Washington Boulevard and at La Cienega Boulevard, the Culver City and Metro bus stops, and the Syd Kronenthal Park. This Gateway is also within a short walk to the Culver City Arts District and the historic Helms Bakery District.
At the western end of the proposed 1.1-mile Project, the Duquesne Gateway, the Path connects to the Baldwin Hills via the Park-to-Playa Trail. Here, users can enter a complex of parks including the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook, the Stoneview Nature Center, the Kenneth Hahn State Recreational Center and Culver City Park. These trails and parks are also accessible from the disadvantaged communities, via La Cienega Boulevard. This is particularly important for residents of Culver City and the City of Los Angeles in surrounding census tracts which have under 3.0 useable acres of park per person.
Alternatively, a Bike Path user could turn west on Duquesne Avenue where Class II bike lanes and sidewalks are provided, to reach Downtown Culver City and the civic center, featuring extensive employment and commercial opportunities. Heading further down the Bike Path to Overland Ave., there are K-12 schools and West Los Angeles Community College, the popular Julian Dixon Public Library, and the Culver City Transit Center (via a planned Overland-to-Transit Center Bicycle and Pedestrian Connection Project).
FISCAL ANALYSIS
Culver City is eligible to receive up to $2,000,000. The local match can be direct and third-party cash, staff time, and in-kind contributions. The application requested the award of $1,952,500 and proposed matching with a combination of approximately $130,000 in staff time and $847,660 of local funds including Metro local return funds (Measure M & R), development fees, and Measure CW funds as a cash match. Budgeting of the $847,660 of local funds can be carried out at a later date if the grant application is successful.
ATTACHMENT
1. 2020-09-14_Resolution for Submittal of the BHC Grant Application
MOTION
That the City Council:
Adopt a Resolution approving and ratifying a grant application to the Baldwin Hills Conservancy for Prop 1 funding for the Greening the Greenway: Ballona Creek Bike/Ped Path Sustainability, Safety and Accessibility Enhancements Project.