Neighborhood and Community Improvement Program Committee Meeting

MINUTES NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM COMMITTEE Special Meeting Tuesday, June 13, 2017 7:00 PM FEW MEMORIAL HALL OF RECORDS, 580 PACIFIC STREET MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA NIP Representatives & Aguajito Oaks Olivia Morgan, Rep. Alternates Present: Alta Mesa Rick Heuer, Rep. Casanova-Oak Knolls Michael Brassfield, Alt. Deer Flats Dave Overton, Rep. Fisherman Flats Tom Rowley, Rep. Monterey Vista Hans Jannasch, Alt. New Monterey Joanne Garden, Alt. Oak Grove Luz Adams, Alt. Old Town April Harrison, Rep. Skyline Forest Dennis Duke, Rep. Villa Del Monte Harry Mucha, Rep. Staff Members Present: Jeff Krebs, Jaci Abadilla CALL TO ORDER NIP Staff Coordinator Jeff Krebs called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm. ROLL CALL Eleven neighborhoods were represented with Del Monte Beach, Del Monte Grove-Laguna Grande and Glenwood Circle unrepresented. APPROVAL OF MINUTES There were no minutes to approve. PUBLIC COMMENTS Mr. Krebs opened public comments for items not on the agenda. Resident Maria Rabaiho announced that she tripped and fell in her wheelchair on the 400 block of Dela Vina by Montecito and North Fremont and wanted to bring the hazard to the Committee’s attention. She showed pictures of the sidewalk and submitted them as part of the public record. Seeing no further comments, Mr. Krebs closed public comments. INFORMATIONAL REPORTS & STAFF COMMENTS There were no informational reports and staff comments to report. NIP INFORMATIONAL REPORTS 1. NIP Spokesperson Reports There were no NIP Spokesperson Reports to report.  Neighborhood Improvement Program Committee Minutes Tuesday, June 13, 2017 PUBLIC APPEARANCE 2. Recommend City Council Deappropriate the Oak Grove Property Acquisition Project, Reappropriate Funds into a New Neighborhood Improvement Program (NIP) Opportunity Property Purchasing Project Account Mr. Krebs presented the staff report. Mr. Heuer asked why a vote was needed for the item since it was voted on by the Committee at voting night. Mr. Krebs explained that there was a need to clarify the votes which was the reasoning behind the item being brought back to the Committee. Mr. Rowley stated that a creative bookkeeping method should be used on voting night to prevent items returning to the Committee in the future. Mr. Krebs opened public comments. Seeing none, he closed public comments. Mr. Heuer made a motion to recommend City Council Deappropriate the Oak Grove Property Acquisition Project, Reappropriate Funds into a New Neighborhood Improvement Program (NIP) Opportunity Property Purchasing Project Account. Mr. Rowley seconded the motion. The motion was approved by the eleven representatives present. 3. Recommend City Council Approve Appropriation and Transfer of Supplemental Funds for the Lower Presidio Historic Park Improvements Mr. Krebs presented the staff report. Mr. Brassfield asked if the benches were donated and if there was an issue since the location could have been an old dump site. Mr. Duke asked about the cost of the other two phases of the project. Ms. Morgan asked about the archeological process if any bone and artifacts were to be found on the property. Ms. Luz asked about the accounting process and if the funding was approved. Mr. Mucha stated that he had experience with dump sites and knows what could be found. Ms. Garden questioned if the 10% contingency was also approved for the project at voting night and asked if staff had met with Finance to come up with a contingency for the project or worked with the designer or other City staff to get the cost down. Mr. Rowley stated that is was great to see action at the Lower Park of the Presidio. Mr. Krebs answered Committee Member questions by stating that with regards to the archeological process, experts would be on the site the whole time. He added that he had met with Finance to come up with a contingency for the projects and the 10% had been included. Neighborhood Improvement Program Committee Meeting Minutes Tuesday, June 13, 2017 2 Neighborhood Improvement Program Committee Minutes Tuesday, June 13, 2017 Bill Wojtkowski, representing the Old Monterey Foundation, thanked the NIP Committee for their support and stated that the Foundation is excited about the project. He explained that the Old Monterey Foundation is a non-profit organization that had been planning and working to get the walking historic path built and added that the signage is finished. He stated that the goal was to complete the project in May or June and the Foundation had been coordinating with the City and Army to obtain approvals for the Serra Trail and Sloat Monument path. He added that Serra had come in lower on the bids with Sloat being higher. Mr. Wojtkowski went on to say that the Old Monterey Foundation had held a meeting earlier and the board felt that there had to be a less costly alternative to the proposed project and couldn’t support the NIP Committee spending that money. He added that Mr. Bill McCrone supported going forward with the project to get it completed and finished that the Foundation would find the best use of the additional funding to get the project completed. He went on to answer NIP Committee members questions by clarifying the proposed paths, stated that the Army is not funding any of the project but the Foundation had received funds from the Rotary and NIP. He mentioned that the specs of the project could be changed by moving the trails to a different location to try and lower the cost, but added that the proposed trails are easier. Sandy Freeman, designer, stated the NIP is at the top of donator list for the project. She explained there would be two trails built out depicting a walk through history and this would set the foundation for Phase II. She added that she would like to see the project completed now and the existing museum would be a connecting point between the two trails. Ms. Freeman ended by stating that the projected cost was more than expected and ended by showing a mock up of the bilingual signage that would be displayed along the walking paths. Mr. Krebs opened public comments. Seeing none, he closed public comments. Mr. Rowley stated that the Serra Monument is just as important as the Sloat Monument. He went on to say that Jimmy Doolittle held a meeting at the base of the Sloat Monument and that both would need to conform to ADA requirements in the near future. He added that the cost of material will be rising in the future, that timing is everything and that the proposed project is important to the history of California. Mr. Heuer asked how soon the project could be rebid, why the parking access was cut off and added that prices are only going to go up in the future. Mr. Krebs stated that the project would be prioritized with the other projects that he was working on. He was planning to start the Serra Monument in the winter and added that parking was cut off as a result of 9-11. Ms. Harrison stated that she would hate to see future NIP projects stopped because the Committee gave additional funds to the Foundation. Mr. Brassfield asked if the Monterey Regional Park District was asked to donate. He stated that BRAC is coming back and the City should capitalize on the military history. He ended by stating that the NIP is here to help but not carry the whole load. Mr. Wojtkowski stated that Mr. McCrone had made a presentation to the District, but they did not contribute. Ms. Morgan stated that there is a lack of geography and history in the schools today and advised the Committee to approve the funding. Mr. Duke asked about the access to the parking lot, if the Army was in support and stated that others would have to pay for Phase II. Mr. Krebs answered that the staging area would take place in the parking lot and the Army was in full support of the project. Neighborhood Improvement Program Committee Meeting Minutes Tuesday, June 13, 2017 3 Neighborhood Improvement Program Committee Minutes Tuesday, June 13, 2017 Ms. Garden asked if visitors would be able to use the parking lot after the project is completed and if the area would be weeded. She inquired if any grants were applied for. Mr. Krebs answered that the City’s Parks Division weeds the parking lot. Mr. Wojtkowski stated that the Foundation will explore the grant process once the project is under construction. Mr. Heuer stated that the Lower Presidio is the most historic part of Monterey. He wanted to not vote for the funding but the Committee changed his mind to get the project moving forward. He added that the NIP should get top billing for the project and that they shouldn’t pay for Phase II. Mr. Mucha stated that it is a good project that blends with Monterey. Mr. Heuer made a motion to recommend City Approve Appropriation and Transfer of Supplemental Funds for the Lower Presidio Historic Park Improvements. Mr. Rowley seconded the motion. The motion was approved by the ten representatives present. Mr. Jannasch voted no. COMMITTEE MEMBER COMMENTS Luz Adams stated that there is a lot of historic value in today’s parks. Tom Rowley stated that in 10 years he will be watching the importance of the NIP Committee meetings on television. Rick Heuer mentioned that not only children, but adults don’t know the history of Monterey. Michael Brassfield stated that in 10 years the NIP Committee will be voting on only one item. Dave Overton had no comment. Dennis Duke mentioned that when he was a Scout Master they met at the stables and that they are in need of major improvements. Olivia Morgan stated that a world map should be in every classroom for the students, she added that she would be traveling back home to Whales this summer. Hans Jannasch stated that he likes history and added that he hopes the NIP projects that were approved at voting night won’t be impacted since the additional funding for the Lower Presidio project passed. April Harrison asked about the joint powers with the school district and the installation of swings. Harry Mucha stated that he liked the comments made by the Committee members that evening and that NIP is not a gamble but a risk. He added that the Hotel Del Monte is an elegant building and ended by stating that it is a privilege to serve on the NIP Committee. Joanne Garden stated that she didn’t think she was going to vote for the Lower Presidio project but the educated discussion of the Committee won her over. She added that time is of the essence and that they made a good decision. Neighborhood Improvement Program Committee Meeting Minutes Tuesday, June 13, 2017 4 Neighborhood Improvement Program Committee Minutes Tuesday, June 13, 2017 NEXT MEETING The next meeting will be scheduled as needed. ADJOURNMENT Mr. Krebs adjourned the meeting at 8:30 pm. Respectfully Submitted, Approved, Jaci Abadilla Jeff Krebs Recording Secretary NIP Staff Coordinator Neighborhood Improvement Program Committee Meeting Minutes Tuesday, June 13, 2017 5