City Council
MEETING DATE: 10/11/2017
TITLE:
Title
Cathedral City Heritage/Commons Amphitheatre and Park Design Presentation and Project Status Update.
End
FROM:
John A. Corella, P.E. - City Engineer
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
The Cathedral City Heritage/Commons Amphitheatre and Park Design Presentation and Project Status Update is presented for City Council information and discussion.
Body
BACKGROUND:
In January 2017, State Parks awarded Cathedral City a $1.4 million Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Grant for the Heritage/Commons Amphitheatre Park Project (Project), which includes an outdoor amphitheater, children’s play area, walking paths, restroom/concession, landscaping, lighting, and fencing. The Project is located on a vacant 2.5-acre City-owned property at the northeast corner of Avenida Lalo Guerrero and Cathedral Canyon Drive.
As a requirement of receiving the Grant, LWCF requires the receiving organization to provide a 50% match of $1.4 million. For this Project the City Urban Revitalization Corporation (CURC) will provide the match, for a total Project budget of $2.8 million.
On June 14th, City Council approved David Evans and Associates (DEA) to provide design and engineering services for the Project.
Design is slated to be completed by the end of this year as the Project needs to be out to bid for construction by early 2018. To be in compliance with the LWCF Grant, the City is required to have the Project completed and signed off by the State by early 2019.
DISCUSSION:
Since June, DEA has conducted several outreach meetings with City Staff, local artists, community stakeholders and residents to discuss the Project and hear feedback on design concepts.
Initiating the outreach process, DEA conducted a kick off meeting with key City Staff on June 27th to discuss the key components that are required to comply with the Grant and design ideas.
On August 3rd, DEA and the City held an outreach meeting at City Hall with community stakeholders to discuss the needs of local artists, performers, and those involved with the arts. The outreach meeting included strong representation from Cathedral City High School’s theater and music departments, as well as artists in the City’s Cove neighborhood and throughout the City. In addition, representatives from the Cathedral City Parks and Community Events Commission and the Public Arts Commission attended.
On September 12th, the Key City Staff met with DEA to discuss Project design and engineering issues, as well as to address Grant cost constraints and community outreach feedback for the Project.
On September 18th, a community open-house meeting was held at City Hall where the DEA team provided several site plan concepts for the park, as well as design concepts for the amphitheater. DEA and City staff gained insight from local residents, artists, and community stakeholders who provided feedback on the various designs and site plans. The meeting was well attended by community members and included representatives from the City Council, Cathedral City’s Parks and Community Events Commission and Public Arts Commission.
On September 25th, DEA and City Staff updated the Cathedral City Parks and Community Events Commission on the design process and community outreach. The DEA team presented a proposed site plan and concepts for the Project. The Commissioners provided comments on the design and outreach process. Good Project design comments were received and overall the Commissioners were supportive of DEA’s design, the design was moving in the right direction, and the Commissioners looked forward to the successful completion of the Project.
DEA and City Staff will be presenting to the City Council at this Study Session, a refined site plan and design concept for the Project based on the comprehensive and collaborative input received from the meetings and understanding of the community needs in an effort to and create a signature Project for the City.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Not applicable.
ATTACHMENTS:
None