HomeMy WebLinkAbout100119 - Minutes - Study SessionCITY OF DIAMOND BAR
MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION
OCTOBER 1, 2019
STUDY SESSION: M/Herrera called the Study Session to order at 5:50
p.m. in Room CC -8 of the South Coast Air Quality Management District/Government
Center, 21865 Copley Drive, Diamond Bar, CA 91765.
ROLL CALL: Council Members Chou, Low, Lyons, MPT/Tye,
M/Herrera
Staff Present: Dan Fox, City Manager; Ryan McLean, Assistant City
Manager; Omar Sandoval, Assistant City Attorney; David Liu, Public Works Director; Greg
Gubman, Community Development Director; Dianna Honeywell, Finance Director;
Anthony Santos, Assistant to the City Manager; Ryan Wright, Parks and Recreation
Director; Anthony Jordan, Parks and Maintenance Superintendent; Christy Murphey,
Parks and Recreation Superintendent; Marsha Roa, Public Information Manager, and
Kristina Santana, City Clerk.
Consultants Present: Jeff Scott, ICG and Ryan Hoak, PBLA
00. HERITAGE PARK CONCEPTUAL PLAN UPDATE:
PRD/Wright updated the Council on the Heritage Park Conceptual Plan with Option
5 as the focus for this evening's discussion. On July 16th the Council met to discuss
both Sunset Crossing and Heritage Park, and the two big takeaways from that
meeting were that Sunset Crossing Option 2 was the priority and while there was a
lot of discussion about Heritage Park, there were three areas that needed further
study so that staff could provide more information regarding phasing options due to
the slope, grade and ADA challenges as well as, the existing ballfield.
Sunset Crossing priority Option 2 has an estimated construction cost of $3.8 million.
Staff continues to search for funding and continues to work on design elements with
ICG for Option 2. The challenges at Heritage park is that the building was last
renovated in 1993 to eliminate the Transamerica offices and construct about 3 1/2
acres of park. Challenges with Heritage Park include ADA accessibility, older
facilities, slopes and grades around the buildings and picnic facilities, and
restrooms that do not meet ADA requirements. Heritage is a multi -use park with a
community center for seniors with special events, picnics and programs and of
course, the existing trees are a priority to the community.
The four options for Heritage Park previously discussed were: 1) Key component -
the splash pad; 2) the tennis courts and two pickleball courts, 3) basketball courts
relocated from one side of the park to the other and, 4) the existing ballfield and the
cost that would be required to maintain that field because of the slope issues that
would require an outfield fence and upgraded lighting at a cost of about $3 million.
Option 5, the focus of tonight's meeting, involves working from an inside out
standpoint. This includes a new restroom that would be relocated from the main
OCTOBER 1, 2019 PAGE 2 CC STUDY SESSION
entrance (existing outdoor restroom near the flagpole) to about 20-30 feet back
from the front entrance where it would be attached to the outside of the building. It
would be constructed to meet ADA requirements, provide restrooms for both men
and women and tie into the existing electrical and plumbing of the building. The
existing restrooms inside the building would be converted to storage where none
currently exists, and the new indoor restrooms would be located on the north side
of the building accessible through a doorway. The new restrooms will meet ADA
accessibility requirements and add one stall per each restroom. In addition, this
option will allow for kitchen storage that is not currently available.
Staff looked at the exterior of the park and came up with three phases. Phase I —
includes: the sidewalk and moving the existing restroom from the main entrance,
the community center rehab, parking lot, walkway around the community center to
meet ADA requirements, slope, etc., all of the new furniture, and fixtures as well as,
equipment for inside the community center, drainage, etc. (cost about $2.2 million).
C/Lyons asked what benefit would be gained from Phase 1 if the current parking
lot, sidewalk, etc. was retained. PRD/Wright reminded the Council that once the
City touches the project ADA issues have to be addressed for the parking lot and
the walkways around it. Phase I encompasses both restrooms, all furniture, fixtures,
equipment, audio/video, lighting, flooring, cabinets and everything on the interior of
the community center along with the perimeter parking lot and sidewalk.
PRD/Wright continued by explaining that Phase 2 of Option 5 includes the northeast
corner of the park where there are stairs and ramps that go from the community
center to the patio open space to the rear of the center. There is a set of stairs in
the path of travel to the existing basketball court, walkways, picnic areas, tot lot,
drainage and runoff issue mitigation. The current walkway along the east corner is
very steep on both sides and in order to bring that to a safe path of travel, the
existing walkway will be pushed out toward the tot lot in order to meet the grade
(cost about $1.6 million).
Phase 3 is basically the ballfield and in staff's opinion, Phase 3 is probably
something that could be discussed at a later time. Decisions about amenities for
Phase 3 would probably be better considered down the road because amenities
and demand and interest tend to change over time.
Option 5, Phases 1 and 2 provide flexibility that allows for the upgrade of many
facilities including the community center and Tot Lot which are used on a daily
basis, while at the same time allows for the ballfield to continue to be used as it is
currently used with no impacts other than the approved walkway around the
outfield.
C/Chou asked if there was a specific reason for how these phases were decided
and PRD/Wright said there were. Staff looked at the slope and grade and how it
could all be tied together to comply with ADA. There is not a perfect line, but as
one looks at Phase 1 and 2, the community center can't be split in half so these
phases look at everything from the community center to the parking lot and
walkway. As one enters a facility, one comes to the parking lot first and, in order to
OCTOBER 1, 2019 PAGE 3 CC STUDY SESSION
get to another amenity, one must be able to access that which typically happens
via the parking lot, which is what led staff to work from the exterior to the middle,
i.e., the path of travel.
C/Lyons said this park is way out of ADA compliance and she wondered if there
were grants specifically intended to bring parks up to ADA compliance. PRD/Wright
said he was not aware of anything specifically, however, staff is looking at all
possibilities for funding. C/Lyons wondered if it might be eligible for a different type
of grant as opposed to Sunset Crossing Park which is a brand new park in an under-
served area, since it is a park in an old area that is totally out of compliance.
PRD/Wright said he would look into any and all possibilities.
PRD/Wright said that staff is asking for Council consensus to move forward with
Option 5, Phases 1 and 2 with the architect, in order to finalize designs and costs.
Thanks to AtoCM/Santos, the City has a grant request pending for Prop 68 monies
for the Sunset Crossing Park project. Staff expects to hear back on the application
late November/early December.
CM/Fox said that staff continues to reach out to legislators to remind them of the
importance of these projects to Diamond Bar.
Council Members concurred to have staff move forward with Option 5 as
recommended.
Public Comments:
Bruce Fuller, 2668 Castle Rock Road, has lived close to Heritage Park for 35 years.
The baseball field is important and when this was discussed three years ago there
was talk about residents wanting to keep the baseball field and staff commented on
how expensive it was due to do the ADA compliance concerns but, that every year
it is put off, construction costs go up 15 percent and he assumes that is a bigger
number now. Bruce Fuller again stated that the community wants to keep the
baseball field and appreciates Phases 1 and 2 but is concerned that if the ballfield
(Option 3) is considered two or three years down the road, it will be 30 percent more
each year than it is today and then perhaps pickleball will be cheaper or a basketball
court or a wading pond (splash pad) which is a really big problem.
Charleen Candia, 2660 Castle Rock Road, has lived in Diamond Bar since 1985
and on Castle Rock Road for almost 11 years. She has three children and her son,
his group and others play baseball and always use Heritage Park, primarily because
it is the only lighted baseball field in town so that kids can practice in the evening.
Even though her son is moving on to high school, he and his dad use the field at
least one day a week for practice along with other families. If the field goes away
it would be a big loss for the kids.
ADJOURNMENT: With no further business to come before the City Council,
M/Herrera recessed the Study Session at 6:14 p.m. to the Regular City Council Meeting.
OCTOBER 1, 2019 PAGE 4 CC STUDY SESSION
Respectfully submitted,
Kristina Santana
City Clerk
The foregoing minutes are hereby approved this 15th day of October, 2019.
Carol Herrera
Mayor
CITY OF DIAMOND BAR
MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING
OCTOBER 1, 2019
CLOSED SESSION:
Public Comments:
5:30 p.m., Room CC -8
None
► Conference with legal counsel pursuant to
Government Code Section 54956.9 —
Existing Litigation
San Gabriel Valley Water & Power, LLC v.
Chino Hills, et al.
San Bernardino Superior Court Case
No. CIVDS 1904434
STUDY SESSION: 5:50 p.m. — Room CC -8
Public Comments: Two speakers
Heritage Park Conceptual Plan Update
CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Herrera called the Regular City Council
meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. in the South Coast Air Quality Management
District/Government Center Auditorium, 21865 Copley Drive, Diamond Bar, CA.
Staff Present: Dan Fox, City Manager; Ryan McLean, Assistant City Manager;
Omar Sandoval, Assistant City Attorney; David Liu, Public Works Director; Greg
Gubman, Community Development Director; Dianna Honeywell, Finance Director;
Anthony Santos, Assistant to the City Manager; Ryan Wright, Parks and Recreation
Director; Anthony Jordan, Parks and Maintenance Superintendent; Christy Murphey,
Parks and Recreation Superintendent; Marsha Roa, Public Information Manager, and
Kristina Santana, City Clerk.
ACA/Sandoval stated there was no reportable action taken during the Closed Session.
CM/Fox reported that tonight's Study Session focused on conceptual designs for the
renovations at Heritage Park and it was the consensus of the Council to move forward
in a phased approach to address ADA access issues, with a focus on the community
building and parking lot in Phase I, the outdoor amenities, playground and some of the
picnic areas in Phase II. Phase III would involve future options for the ballfield, which
are undetermined at this time.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Mayor Herrera led the Pledge of Allegiance.
INVOCATION: None Offered.
OCTOBER 1, 2019 PAGE 2 CITY COUNCIL
ROLL CALL: Council Members Chou, Low, Lyons, Mayor Pro Tem
Tye and Mayor Herrera.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA: As presented.
i
2.
fid
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATES, PROCLAMATIONS:
1.1 M/Herrera and City Council Members presented a Certificate Plaque to
S&J Gran Cafe II, 21050 Golden Springs Drive Unit C, 107 & 108, as
New Business of the Month for October.
1.2 2020 Census Update — Engaging our Communities — Justine Chen,
Partnership Specialist, US Census Bureau — LA Region.
CITY MANAGER REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS:
CM/Fox introduced new employee Nicholas Delgado, Engineering Technician
who comes from the City of Fullerton where he served in a similar role.
CM/Fox introduced Kristina Santana, new City Clerk who comes to Diamond Bar
with over a decade of municipal clerk experience, having served the cities of Bell
Gardens, Santa Cruz and Lynwood.
CM/Fox spoke regarding the press about the LA Sheriff Department and their
budget issues which has not affected Diamond Bar as a Contract City. There is
a rumored hiring freeze which is apparently related to non -sworn personnel at the
administrative level. As information becomes available, the City Council will be
kept apprised.
PUBLIC COMMENTS:
Library Manager Pui-Ching Ho spoke about programs and events taking place at
the Diamond Bar Library during Read Together month of October and asked that
individuals go to the library website at https://Iacountylibrary.org/diamond-bar-
library for additional programs and information. Many library events are
sponsored by The Friends of the Library.
Daniel Luevanos, City Ambassador for One Legacy/Donate Life, spoke about the
organization and its mission, and announced that their float entitled "The Power
of Hope" would participate in the 132nd Tournament of Roses Parade. He invited
Council Members to attend the first exclusive look event on December 11, 2019
and to please RSVP their intentions by December 4th
4. RESPONSE TO PUBLIC COMMENTS: None
OCTOBER 1, 2019 PAGE 3 CITY COUNCIL
5. SCHEDULE OF FUTURE EVENTS:
5.1 Diamond Bar Restaurant Week — October 4, 2019 through October 20,
2019. Visit the website at http://dbrestaurantweek.com/ for a listing of
participating restaurants and their offerings. Participants are reminded to
save their receipts for entry in the drawing at City Hall.
5.2 Special General Plan Update Joint Meeting of the City Council and
Planning Commission — October 8, 2019, 6:00 p.m., Windmill Community
Room, 21810 Copley Drive.
5.3 Traffic & Transportation Commission — October 10, 2019, 6:30 p.m.,
Windmill Community Room, 21810 Copley Drive.
5.4 City Council Meeting — October 15, 2019, 6:30 p.m., AQMD/Government
Center Auditorium, 21865 Copley Drive.
6. CONSENT CALENDAR: C/Low moved, MPT/Tye seconded, to approve
the Consent Calendar as presented. Motion carried by the following Roll Call
vote:
AYES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: Chou, Low, Lyons, MPT/Tye, M/Herrera
NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: None
ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBERS: None
6.1 APPROVED CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES:
6.1a Regular Meeting of September 17, 2019— as presented.
6.1 b Study Session Minutes — September 17, 2019 — as presented.
6.2 RATIFIED CHECK REGISTER DATED SEPTEMBER 12, 2019
THROUGH SEPTEMBER 25, 2019 TOTALING $1,222,334.92.
6.3 APPROVED TREASURER'S STATEMENT FOR AUGUST 2019.
6.4 APPROVED FIRST AMENDMENT TO CONSULTING SERVICES
AGREEMENT WITH WILLDAN GEOTECHNICAL, LEIGHTON AND
ASSOCIATES, AND NINYO & MOORE FOR ON-CALL GEOTECHNICAL
ENGINEERING SERVICES, EXTENDING THE TERM OF THE
AGREEMENT TO JUNE 30, 2021.
A. APPROVED AND AUTHORIZED THE MAYOR TO SIGN,
AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO THE CONSULTING SERVICES
AGREEMENT WITH WILLDAN GEOTECHNICAL, FOR A NOT -TO -
EXCEED ANNUAL AMOUNT OF $60,000;
B. APPROVED AND AUTHORIZED THE MAYOR TO SIGN,
AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO THE CONSULTING SERVICES
OCTOBER 1, 2019 PAGE 4 CITY COUNCIL
C. AGREEMENT WITH LEIGHTON AND ASSOCIATES, FOR A NOT -
TO -EXCEED ANNUAL AMOUNT OF $20,000; AND,
D. APPROVED AND AUTHORIZED THE MAYOR TO SIGN,
AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO THE CONSULTING SERVICES
AGREEMENT WITH NINYO & MOORE, FOR A NOT -TO -EXCEED
ANNUAL AMOUNT OF $20,000.
6.5 APPROVED FIRST AMENDMENT TO THE CONSULTING SERVICES
AGREEMENT WITH ITERIS, KIMLEY HORN, FEHR AND PEERS, AND
STANTEC FOR ON-CALL TRAFFIC ENGINEERING SERVICES,
EXTENDING THE TERM OF THE AGREEMENT TO JUNE 30, 2021.
A.
APPROVED AND AUTHORIZED
THE MAYOR
TO SIGN,
AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO THE
CONSULTING
SERVICES
AGREEMENT WITH ITERIS, FOR A
NOT -TO -EXCEED ANNUAL
AMOUNT OF $60,000;
B.
APPROVED AND AUTHORIZED
THE MAYOR
TO SIGN,
AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO THE
CONSULTING
SERVICES
AGREEMENT WITH KIMLEY-HORN,
FOR A NOT -TO -EXCEED
ANNUAL AMOUNT OF $20,000;
C.
APPROVED AND AUTHORIZED
THE MAYOR
TO SIGN,
AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO THE
CONSULTING
SERVICES
AGREEMENT WITH FEHR AND PEERS, FOR A NOT -TO -EXCEED
ANNUAL AMOUNT OF $40,000; AND,
D.
APPROVED AND AUTHORIZED
THE MAJOR
TO SIGN,
AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO THE
CONSULTING
SERVICES
AGREEMENT WITH STANTEC, FOR A NOT -TO -EXCEED
ANNUAL
AMOUNT OF $20,000.
7. PUBLIC HEARING(S): None
8. COUNCIL CONSIDERATION:
8.1 CITY COUNCIL RECOGNITION POLICY:
ACM/McLean stated that this item is an update to City Council Policy C-3,
a policy that the City Council initially adopted in 1990. The purpose of this
policy is to govern the issuance of City Council recognition which includes
Certificates, Plaques, City Tiles and most recently, Keys to the City.
Earlier this year M/Herrera established the committee consisting of
M/Herrera and C/Lyons. The committee met with staff on three occasions
during which the committee revised the policy and forwarded its
recommendation to the City Council for approval. Key provisions included
in the revision focused on bringing it up to current policy format and
practices.
The policy also sets defined conditions for the issuance of each type of
OCTOBER 1, 2019 PAGE 5 CITY COUNCIL
recognition so there are clearly defined categories of recognition for a
Certificate, for a Plaque, for a City Tile or for a Key to the City.
And finally, the City Manager is authorized to establish a process to
receive, manage and track those requests and make sure they are fulfilled
in accordance with the policy.
The City Council Recognition Committee recommends that the City
Council consider and adopt the revised policy, as presented and, if the
policy is adopted by the City Council it also recommends that the
subcommittee be dissolved, having completed its work.
C/Chou asked if an individual City Council Member could issue a letter of
recognition that did not go on official City letterhead and if so, would it fall
under this policy or would it remain something separate and apart from
this policy.
M/Herrera said that at one time, each Council Member had letterhead
"From the desk of........" with their name on it. She thought if individual
Council Members wanted to do that with letter head that did not carry the
official City seal, it should be acceptable.
ACM/McLean said that the Council's Standards and Operations Policy
which was adopted by Resolution in 1996, specifically states in a section
relating to the use of City media which includes letterhead, that "City
media, including letterhead may not be used for personal use. It is only
available for City use by the City Council unless otherwise directed by the
City Council" so an individual Council Member would have the ability to
write a personal letter. If the Council wished to re -introduce letterhead
from each Council Member, it is another option that is specifically called
out within the current Standards and Operations Policy.
C/Lyons said that she, M/Herrera and staff were looking to make this
process more efficient because sometimes staff gets a request to present
a Certificate but they do not get the full information in order to get the
Certificate printed, which takes up a lot of time and effort for staff having to
additional research. As such, CM/Fox will be looking to provide a form
that the individual requesting the Certificate can complete to render the
operation smoother and more efficient. In addition, the committee went
through the policy and updated and modernized it by, for example,
including "Girl" Scouts, etc.
C/Lyons moved, C/Chou seconded, to adopt the revised Recognition
Policy and dissolve the subcommittee. Motion carried by the following
Roll Call vote:
AYES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: Chou, Low, Lyons, MPT/Tye,
OCTOBER 1, 2019 PAGE 6 CITY COUNCIL
M/Herrera
NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: None
ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBERS: None
9. COUNCIL SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS AND MEETING ATTENDANCE
REPORTS/COUNCIL MEMBER COMMENTS:
C/Chou had the pleasure of attending a joint session with the Planning
Commission and City Council, during which the group was able to move forward
with the first four chapters of the updated General Plan. He looks forward to next
week's meeting to tie up loose ends and move forward to the Public Hearing
phase. He and MPT/Tye attended a breakfast meeting with Senator Ling Ling
Chang who gave an update on items she worked on during the last legislative
session. A few Council Members attended the Nekter Juice Bar opening on
Saturday which was a lot of fun. It was great to see the community turnout at
8:30 on a Saturday morning. Staff and Council did a great job promoting that
event and he would love to see more of the same in the community going
forward.
C/Low thanked M/Herrera and C/Lyons for their hard work on the Recognition
Policy revisions. She thinks it is a great policy and was thankful it was updated.
She welcomed CC/Santana and ET/Delgado. She reminded everyone that the
Multi -Cultural Festival will be held this coming Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00
p.m. at Peterson Park with family fun, food and games. And, she is very excited
to partake in Diamond Bar Restaurant Week.
C/Lyons said that the City Council had a very good joint meeting with the
Planning Commission on the first four chapters of the General Plan and the next
meeting will focus on the remainder of the General Plan as well as, other related
documents. As Library Manager Pui Ching Ho said, today is the first day of Read
Together Diamond Bar and there are three books for different ages, all of which
are available at the Library. One can get a list of activities or go onto the County
Library website which is LAcountylibrary.org and click on Diamond Bar. Last
Thursday she attended the Diamond Bar Friends of the Library Annual Librarian
Luncheon, a worthwhile event that brings together the Diamond Bar Community
Librarians and school librarians who get together and talk about how to increase
literacy in the community. She is excited about Restaurant Week with 28
restaurants participating and is plotting her strategy to enjoy all 28. She sincerely
hopes that everyone in the community will decide to try at least one new
restaurant during this event. Residents need to support the local restaurants to
keep them open and to get more restaurants into the community.
MPT/Tye wondered if the Council should consider a resolution for the next City
Council Agenda to relabel Restaurant Week to Restaurant 16 Days. He would
recommend that the City keep track of what is happening with the Board of
Supervisors and the Sheriff's Department. He heard Supervisor Kuehl say today
that budget implications will not impact deputies and it will not impact contract
OCTOBER 1, 2019 PAGE 7 CITY COUNCIL
cities. He welcomed CC/Santana and said that not all meetings are this long.
Congratulations on being the newest City Clerk, the third in 30 years. It was
great to participate in Nekter's Grand Opening to see Paul and Nita open their
Diamond Bar store. As the franchise owners, they can choose where they want
to be and with the line around the building, Diamond Bar was a good choice.
The trailhead reconstruction is coming to an end (at Sycamore Canyon Park) and
it is exciting that it is close to reopening. Come January 2020, it will be three
years ago that we had a massive storm that washed out that trail. One of the
things that took so long was getting FEMA to agree to pay what they should pay.
It is hard to tell that this involved the reinforcement and reconstruction of the
terrace drains. There will be two sets of staircases at a cost of a million dollars,
90 percent of which was paid by FEMA — money that did not come out of the
City's General Fund. Once again, being prudent and aware of the City's fiduciary
responsibilities and making sure the Fed pays what they are supposed to pay
has, in the long run, paid off for Diamond Bar. The scheduled reopening has
been moved to the end of October with a Grand Opening and re -dedication
sometime in November. Quick is not important — doing it right is the right way to
do it, and he is glad the City did it the right way and got its rightful share of
reimbursement.
M/Herrera welcomed CC/Santana and said the City is thrilled to have her and
that ACM/McLean is even more thrilled to have her. M/Herrera's colleagues
reported on the many meetings and events Council Members attended. There
are a lot of brand new restaurants that have recently opened in Diamond Bar and
she asked everyone to please, please go visit them and support them so that
they will stay. She thanked everyone for a great Council Meeting and thanked all
who attended.
ADJOURNMENT: With no further business to conduct, M/Herrera adjourned
the Regular City Council Meeting at 7:21 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
A�
Kristina Santana
City Clerk
The foregoing minutes are hereby approved this 15th day of October, 2019.
Carol Herrera
Mayor