Important note: The following recommendation was approved by the Board of Supervisors on Sept. 1, 2015:
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Marlene Finley, Parks Director
Subject: Measure A Funding Agreement with Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District for the Ravenswood Bay Trail Connection Project
Recommendation
Adopt a resolution authorizing a funding agreement with Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District for trail design and engineering, permitting and construction for the Ravenswood Bay Trail Connection Project, for the term of September 1, 2015 through June 30, 2017, in an amount not to exceed $1,000,000.
Background:
In November 2012, San Mateo County voters approved Measure A, a ten-year half-cent general sales tax, to maintain the quality of life for all County residents by providing essential services and maintaining and/or replacing critical facilities.
Using the Shared Vision 2025 guiding principles, the San Mateo County Manager’s Office established a FY 2015-2017 Measure A application process to enable County Departments and community-based organizations to submit letters of intent for programs and projects.
In March 2015, the Measure A Subcommittee reviewed all the letters of intent and made recommendations to the Board of Supervisors. San Mateo County Parks received $5.0 million for FY 2015/2016 and for FY 2016/2017 from Measure A. Parks was asked to include a prioritized list of six grants to five grantees for $2,632,000 in the two year budget. This Project is the fifth of the six Measure A grants being brought to your Board.
Discussion:
The San Francisco Bay Trail (Bay Trail) is a 500-mile shoreline walking and bicycling path that will one day encircle San Francisco and San Pablo Bays. With over 340 miles complete, it follows the shoreline in nine counties, passing through 47 cities and crossing four-and-a half toll bridges.
Within San Mateo County, 49 miles or 72% of the planned 68 miles of Bay Trail are complete. The Ravenswood Bay Trail Connection Project (Project) will close a critical gap in the Bay Trail. It is also the last gap in 80 miles of contiguous trail that will link the three south bay counties and a toll bridge.
This Project is 0.6 miles in length, located between Ravenswood Open Space Preserve and University Avenue along the boundary between the cities of East Palo Alto and Menlo Park.
The Project has been underway for ten years as it is one of the more complex Bay Trail gaps. A working group composed of Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD), the cities of East Palo Alto and Menlo Park, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) and San Francisco Bay Trail staff of the Association of Bay Area Governments have steadily moved the Project forward.
Some of the challenges are existing wetlands, a railroad line that could be activated in the future, SFPUC lands, adjacent residential neighborhoods, nearby Hetch-Hetchy water pipes, South Bay Salt Pond restoration, and a former gun club site that needs clean-up. As the trail segment doesn’t yet exist, a two-mile detour for pedestrians and cyclists on city streets is needed.
In 2005, the City of Menlo Park used a Bay Trail/Coastal Conservancy planning grant to analyze the site and identify a preferred alignment. In 2010, MROSD used another Bay Trail/Coastal Conservancy planning grant to complete conceptual designs, CEQA initial study and environmental review, refine the alignment and enter in agreement with SFPUC for a public access easement.
Measure A funds will be used in FY 2015/2016 and FY 2016/2017 and will complement existing project funding in the following ways:
1) $365,000 will design development, public outreach, surveys and reports, construction documents, interpretive signage design and pre-construction trail use counts.
2) $635,000 will support bidding and construction management, biological monitoring and construction.
Additional project support includes $400,000 from the Santa Clara County Stanford University Mitigation Fund and $700,000 from MROSD’s Measure AA.
County Counsel has reviewed and approved the resolution and agreement as to form.
Approval of this resolution will contribute to the Shared Vision 2025 outcome of an Environmentally Conscious Community as closing this 0.6-mile gap in the Bay Trail will serve East Palo Alto and Menlo Park residents and supports an active alternate transportation corridor serving major employers.
Performance Measures:
|
Measure |
FY 2015-16 Actual |
FY 2016-17 Projected |
|
Miles of new regional trail designed and built. |
N/A |
0.6 |
FISCAL IMPACT:
The funding agreement has a not-to-exceed amount of $1,000,000 which will be used for the Ravenswood Bay Trail Connection Project design and engineering, permitting, and construction. Funding for this comes from the Parks Measure A List previously approved by your Board. There is no impact to the General Fund.
Important note: This is a copy of the official report -- item 7 on the Board's agenda.