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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06/15/2010, B3 - DOWNTOWN MAINTENANCE AND BEAUTIFICATION councilnl�fi"D� j ne 15, 2010 acEn0A RepoRt �N . �3 CITY OF SAN LU IS 0 8 I S P 0 FROM: Jay D. Walter, Director of Works Direc - Betsy Kiser, Director of Parks and Recrea{{' n� Prepared By: Bridget Fraser, Senior Civil Engineer Shannon Bates, Recreation Manager SUBJECT: DOWNTOWN MAINTENANCE AND BEAUTIFICATION RECOMMENDATIONS: 1. Approve work scope Option 1 which includes completing improvements on three blocks of Higuera Street from Morro to Broad and direct staff to proceed with preparation of construction documents. 2. Authorize the City Manager to approve the plans and specifications for advertising and award the construction contract if bids are within the approved budget of$640,000. 3. As recommended by the Capital Improvement Plan Committee, approve funding in the amount of$34,000 for the downtown utility box public art project. DISCUSSION Background One of the Council'.s "Other Important Objectives" in the 2009-11 Financial Plan is expanding Downtown maintenance and beautification efforts. The intent was to enhance the maintenance and beautification of the Downtown through reprioritization of projects, new partnerships, clearer standards and design guidelines, and improved internal and external communications.. Specifically, beautification efforts will be focused on downtown signage, solid waste collection, tree maintenance, news rack management, and other enhancements of existing City infrastructure. At the February 23, 2010 Council meeting, staff provided an update on the progress of the Downtown "Objective" and asked Council for direction and input on the desired improvements to be made. The Council report is available for review in the Council Reading File. To summarize, three approaches were suggested by Staff - I Implement a block-by-block approach by bringing selected blocks up to standards. 2 Sprinkle improvements throughout the downtown area. 3 Combination of approaches 1 and 2. For the most part, Council's direction to staff was to first focus improvements on Higuera particularly the completion of the block containing the Wineman Hotel (Higuera Street, from Morro to Chorro). If additional funds were available, staff would then provide Council a "shopping list"of other possible improvements in the downtown. 3� - 1 Downtown Maintenance an. )eatification Page 2 Work Scope Options As shown in the Fiscal Impact section there is approximately $640,000 currently available from various projects that can be used to support improvements to the Downtown". Using this $640,000 target, various work scope scenarios were put together which generally included "completion" of one or more blocks in the downtown by in-filling areas without Mission sidewalk, removing and replacing trees as called for in the Urban Management Plan, upgrading existing tree grates, installing pedestrian lighting, updating trash receptacles and news racks to new standards, upgrading sign posts to new standards, and painting traffic/light poles within the block the standard dark green. In addition to completing a block or blocks, several of the work scopes also included various combinations of improvements outside of the completed block such as, street light/traffic pole painting, replacement of news racks in the downtown, upgrading sign posts in the downtown, replacing all the trash cans in the downtown and providing an allowance for a contingency fund. "Note: For the purpose of this report and project, the "downtown is the area bounded by Santa Rosa, Palm, Nipomo and Marsh. This area is most consistent with the Downtown Pedestrian Lighting District and the core area of the Mission Sidewalk District. Four work scope options are provided based on a budget of$640,000. Attachment 1 provides for a visual overview of the work that could be completed under each option. The work scopes and costs are only estimates at this time and final details and costs will be refined once the Council provides guidance on the preferred work scope. Consistent with Council's prior direction, all four concepts focus on Higuera Street. All options include completion of the block containing the Wineman Hotel. The four options are summarized as follows: tion 1 - Completes three consecutive blocks on Higuera Street from Morro to Broad. No other miscellaneous improvements are identified out side of these three blocks. This option provides for a contingency of$40,000. tion 2 — Completes two blocks of Higuera from Morro to Garden. This option provides further attention to Higuera Street by also upgrading of all sign posts, replacement of all trash cans and painting of all street light and traffic poles along a six block stretch of Higuera from Santa Rosa to Nipomo. It also includes replacement of all news racks in the downtown and provides for a$15,000 contingency. Option 3 — Also completes two blocks on Higuera from Morro to Garden as in Option 2. Rather than focusing additional improvement on the six block stretch of Higuera, additional improvements are spread throughout downtown by upgrading all of the sign posts and all of the news racks in the downtown. This option provides for a $50,000 contingency. Option 4 — Completes one block on Higuera from Morro to Chorro. The remaining improvements include all news racks, trash cans, sign post upgrades in the downtown as well as inspection and painting of ten light poles. This option provides for $60,000 contingency. Staff recommends Option 1 as it most closely meets Council's direction to complete blocks on Higuera. Completing these three blocks, as opposed to spreading the improvements throughout b5 -a Downtown Maintenance ario-aeatification - Page 3 downtown, will allow a more focused evaluation of the completed product, including news racks and trash cans, and allow modifications and adjustments to be made before moving forward with more improvements. This option, as well as Options 2 and 3, will provide much needed lighting in the block of Chorro to Garden - one of the "darkest" streets in downtown and will result in three consecutive completed blocks of lighting not to mention three consecutive blocks of Mission sidewalk. The matrix shown below summarizes the four work scopes. Council may choose the recommended Option 1 or any of the other "packaged" work scopes or Council may select other combinations. To help with this, approximate estimates are given for each item for use by Council in the event Council chooses to swap items or include items (increase the budget) or eliminate items (reduce the budget) from the work scope. ItemEstimate 2—F-7— 2 3 4 --- Higuera-Morro to Chorro(Wineman) $ 200,000 X X X X Higuera-Chorro to Garden $ 200,000_ X X X 0 Higuera—Garden to Broad $ 200,000 X Higuera-Osos to Mono $ 200,000 News Racks-Replace al l in DT-22t $ 130,000 X X X Sign Post Upgrade (Higuera Only) X o Sign Post Upgrade-Replace all in DT-200t $ 70,000 X X Street/Traffic Light Pole Painting(Higuera Only) X y Street Light Inspection& Painting- 10 Poles $ 50,000 X Trash Receptacles (Higuera Only) X Trash Receptacles-Replace all in DT-77f $ 140,000 X Contingency/Seed Money/Matching Funds $40K $15K $50K $60K Estimated Construcion Time(Heavy Construction) 6 mos. 4 mos 4 mos 2 mos Matrix Notes: 1. Completing these two blocks will result in 3 consecutive completed blocks of pedestrian lights 2. There is overlap in costs between the"block" items and the"miscellaneous" items because some of the miscellaneous items, such as news racks and poles, etc, are included in both the block cost and in the miscellaneous cost. - The News Rack and Trash Receptacle estimates are based on the cost of the items used in Wineman Hotel demonstration block. - Location and number of news racks is based on placing the new rack in same general location as existing. The total number of news racks and the location may change as a news rack ordinance is developed and adopted. 3. Construction impacts including time of year, daily work hours, etc., will be discussed and coordinated with the Downtown Association and affected business once the scope of the final project has been determined by Council. Contingency Fund. Staff recommends setting aside a portion of the budget for a contingency fund that can be used for various reasons; such as, absorbing design or construction costs of "unknowns" encountered in the project, and/or be available as matching funds. The concept of matching funds has been used to a small degree in the past few years to leverage City funds with private property owners to obtain additional improvements at a reduced cost. Property owners involved with building improvements frequently express an interest in doing more frontage improvements than are actually required, if the City is willing to provide some funding toward the work. In a couple of instances, the City has paid for the installation of curb and gutter, with Downtown Maintenance aria aeatification Page 4 the property owner paying for the sidewalk. Sidewalk repair budgets have been significantly reduced and staff has been unable to leverage these changes recently. Another potential use of contingency funds could be to purchase and install trash cans or paint some of the street light poles, above and beyond the approved work scope project. The funding could also be used for the originally proposed Warden Bridge resurfacing: This surface has become uneven and pedestrian traffic would benefit from its replacement. Other Work Efforts Affecting the Downtown Projects Final approval for news rack and trash receptacle standards is underway with the Architectural Review Committee. Staff will also meet with Pierre Rademaker for feedback on the new standards prior to final approval. Additionally, the City Attorney's office is working on a news rack ordinance so that the City can eliminate the individual news rack clusters in favor of a larger unit available through the City. A draft ordinance is currently circulating for review by staff. Once internal review is completed it will be circulated for review by external stakeholders. Public Art In January, Council approved several public art projects for funding through the 2009-11 Financial Plan. However, $145,500 remained unallocated from the public art fund. At that time, staff presented several ideas for future use of these funds TP '< including a utility box public art project that would be tied to the !; Downtown Beautification and Enhancement Goal. The proposed G f project would. enhance 15-17 old and unattractive utility/traffic control boxes at various high visibility intersections in the Downtown core. Over the past several months, staff has consulted with the Downtown Association (DA) to design a program that could use public art as a strategy to convert these j "eye sores" into a form of public art while adding to the beautification efforts taking place in Downtown. Similar programs exist in Palo Alto, San Diego, Vista, and El Cajon to name a few (see Attachment 2 for examples of proposed program). The approximate $2,000 per box would include an F: artist stipend and supply voucher as well as cleaning, prepping, and applying an anti-graffiti top coat. Staff and the DA have begun the conceptual work on a program entitled `BoxArt". A °BoxArt" Festival that would precede the Savor Central Coast Festival in the Fall would culminate the event with selected artists painting their assigned box in a festival type atmosphere(similar to the i madonnari festival). FISCAL IMPACT Funding for the Downtown projects comes from a combination of maintenance and upgrade Capital Improvement Plan projects approved for the Downtown as part of the 2009-11 Financial Plan. While the funding was originally approved for individual projects, Council has expressed an interest in developing a revised workscope incorporating some of the original elements along with new ones (i.e. news racks, trash receptacle and sign post upgrades). The following table summarizes the original allocations and expenses incurred to date with a total 8�r� Downtown Maintenance anu aeatifcation - Page 5 budget available for this project. As shown below there is $640,000 available to support this work in the Downtown. Cost Summary Capital Improvement Plan Downtown Projects Sec.No. 2009-10 2010-11 Mission Style Sidewalks 90739 100,000 100,000 Downtown Paving 90942 200,000 Downtown Urban Forest Plan 90759 25,000 25,000 Street Light Paint-Downtown 90944 50,000 50,000 Warden Bridge Deck Rehabilitation 90946 45,000 Pedestrian Light Installation 70,000 Demonstration Equipment&Lighting Expenses (25,000)1 1 Total $395,000 $245,000 1 640,000 Public Art Funding 2009-11 GFJ In-Lieu Fund JUtlity Box Program(Downtown) 0 34,000 $34,000 CONCURRENCES Downtown Improvements. The Downtown Association and the Chamber of Commerce are in favor of making improvements in the Downtown. Both organizations believe that improving the Downtown experience will have a positive impact on the City's economy in the long tern. Staff will be meeting with both organizations prior to the Council meeting to give them an over view of the work scope options/staff recommendation and to gain their feedback. Once the scope of work has been determined, both organizations will be contacted for input on how to lessen impacts and to coordinate construction timelines. Public Art. The proposed project was developed and recommended by the CIP Review Committee and subsequently supported by the ArtsObispo Art in Public Places Committee. Additionally, the Downtown Association has been an avid supporter and would be significantly involved in the execution of the project (see Attachment 3). ALTERNATIVES 1. Select another work scope option. Rather than approving staffs recommendation of Option 1, Council may choose one of the other "prepackaged" options or direct staff to modify one of these options. 2. Select other improvements or another approach to address the needs to improve the Downtown. Council members or other interested members of the community may have other ideas about how this objective should be tackled. Staff could be directed to explore those ideas and bring an alternative concept back to the Council. 3. Direct funds to another Public Art project. Deny the public art project and redistribute funds to another public art project or recommend other locations for public art. ATTACHMENTS 1. Work scope Exhibits B3- Downtown Maintenance anu oeatification Page 6 2. Examples of utility box public art programs 3. 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OPTION 4 SAn WISOB|S O ATTACHMENT 2 Utility Box Public Art Programs (examples) San Diego El Cajon F LI n b Vista Palo Alto a r i � G o 133 -1 � ATTACHMENT 3 2 June 2010 To: Shannon Bates,City of SLO Recreation Manager F;& Public Art Coordinator Ji A San Luis Obispo From: Deborah Cash,Executive Director Downtown SLO Downtown Association Asseclation Re: Artist Painted Utility Boxes PO Box 1402 San Luis Obispo As you know,the San Luis Obispo Downtown Association Design Committee California 93406 became interested in a public art project viewed in Ventura,CA last year when Phone 805-541-0286 members attended a California Downtown Association conference there. The Fax 805-781-2647 www.downtownslo.co,n project,Think Outside the Box,is sponsored by the City of Ventura with the purpose of transforming that city's utility boxes into valued works of art. According to their project literature, "Not only will this program improve the curb appeal of one of California's most enchanting historic cities but also give artists and sponsors alike an opportunity to add their unique perspective to the City's public art collection. In February, 2010,you joined members of the Design Committee on a field trip to Ventura to meet with the city principals involved in the creation and coordination of Think Outside the Box. Our group was warmly greeted by representatives from the City's public art program and downtown organizers. We were given a tour of the program throughout their downtown area—we glimpsed as well other features that showcase that community's dedication to public art and downtown enhancements. Afterward,during a lunch meeting, we learned about how their program was implemented,paid for, launched, maintained...basically the recipe for how it's done was provided to us. Needless to say,the excitement generated by this visually fun and artistically valuable project was infectious and our group was even more encouraged to learn that you had already looked into this type of program for Downtown SLO and that funding might be available in the City's Public Art budget. Over the past few months, we have met and together worked out a plan that would in some ways replicate what Ventura has done with its utility boxes, in essence, our own boxes would be painted by local artists using a variety of artistic styles and subjects. The committee has named the project"BoxArt"and this name would be used in the `day of activities"BoxArt Festival"and"Walk BoxArt"map. Our goal is that on Saturday, September 25,2010, all selected artists would be painting their boxes in the Downtown area, with the Downtown Association providing a central location for map distribution,refreshments, entertainment and information about the project. The date was selected to ensure the art is complete prior to Sunset Magazine's Savor event the following week. 83,- 0- J ATTACHMENT 3 The Design committee and the Board of Directors have along history of supporting public art in Downtown,including the Chinatown mural art on the parking structure; artist painted banners, Cat and the Fiddle,jurying Downtown art projects,Trout About Downtown and participating in Art in Public Places. We consider ourselves partners with the City in this respect and have had a good working relationship on all these projects. Having a new project to look forward to is exciting and one the committee is willing to provide staff and volunteer resources,marketing,promotions and event planning towards. We believe we have worked out a tight but `do-able' timeline that will ensure the project's quick delivery during good weather and prior to our organization shifting gears for the holiday season. Shannon,thanks so much for your interest,support and extra work. We sincerely hope the City Council will give this project a green light and tum Downtown's unsightly and `graffiti-tempting' blank utility boxes into fun surprises at every turn. Paraphrasing from the Ventura project brochure, "the program promises to bring vibrant color and vitality to Downtown SLO's urban landscape." Especially in times when people need a little `lift' here and there during the day, this type of project would deliver cheer and beauty well beyond its investment. Thanks to everyone involved—in advance—for supporting this exciting and `paintbrush ready'project. �,3 - 13 From: Tres Feltman[SMTP:TRES@HANDSGALLERY.COM] RED FILE Sent: Monday, June 14,2010 10:07:49 PM — MEETING AGENDA To: Council, S1oCity DA '� v ITEM # La Cc: Deborah Cash; Landy Fike; Pierre Rademaker Subject: Downtown maintenance &beautification Auto forwarded by a Rule Dear Council Members, My name is Tres Feltman. My wife and I own Hands Gallery in downtown SLO and I am on the board of directors of the Downtown Association. I am writing because I am unfortunately unable to attend the city council meeting Tuesday night. I am aware of the $640,000 budgeted for downtown enhancements and, while I welcome any and all improvements to the downtown, I wanted to plead my case for building a vibrant night time economy in our downtown. As our downtown continues to improve, through remodels and retrofitting of existing buildings and change due to new development I believe the city must consider downtown lighting, in many forms, as an important part of the downtown's future. When the city replaces old sidewalks, runs new water/sewer lines, or does any kind of infrastructure improvement it must always consider the opportunity to run electrical conduit to each of our tree wells. This would not be a large additional expense at the time of doing these improvements and would be an immediate benefit to the economy of our downtown. Lights, lighted tress in particular,have been show to improve business in many downtowns such as Santa Barbara, Ventura, Paso Robles, and countless cities throughout the US. As you consider the allocation of funds for the improvement of our downtown I implore you to not underestimate the value, the return on investment, of allowing for the lighting of our beautiful trees in the downtown. Thank you, YH?Y1L17 Cofx/ Eil A'/L Tres Feltman RECEIVE® : u COUNCIL Gn'CDD DIR Hands Gallery s CIFIN DIR (805) 543-1921 JUN 15 1010 ���L�W p CHIEF C3'ELERIVORIG ErPOLICE CHF WWW.HandsGallerv.com SLO CITY CLERK ` ❑ DEPT HEADS Q"REC DIR G i MTIL DIR Q�HP DIR_ i / J Tli15 7COttlJL �C�-r7zi /lfG� From: Brett Cross[SMTP:BRETTCROSS@YAHOO.COM] E Sent: Monday, June 14, 2010 9:58:25 PM To: Council, SloCity Subject: Downtown Maintenance and Beautification Project- Item B3 Auto forwarded by a Rule I was pretty surprised to see a $640,000 project slated for maintenance and improvements along Higuera St. between Morro and Broad, especially given the budget forecast that was in today's paper (Monday edition). Obviously the City has money budgeted for this project so the question then really becomes is this the most important project given the community's desires. I certainly don't believe so. I know some of you may want to argue that this isn't about competing needs but expending $640,000 of public money is all about competing needs and thus specific projects. For a number of years there has been public support for a new skate park. The City has already spent money on the design of the project, it is ready to be built. What is lacking is funding. It's time to fund the skate park. And it's appropriate to use the funding that is being budgeted for the downtown project. The skate park project will bring more benefits to the whole community than replacing sidewalks, pedestrian lights, tree planting, and the other expenditures that are planned as part of the downtown project. This community lacks recreation opportunities for children and adults who do not participate in what I call "mainstream" sports. Along with a skate park- which many other communities smaller than San Luis Obispo have, the community lacks a BMX park, and a community sailing program. Just to name a few obvious recreation opportunities that have not be met in this community which many other communities have created. Those recreation opportunities are what makes a community a desirable place to live and a desirable place to families who are looking to relocate. There is much talk about building workforce housing, which is all great and wonderful but without recreation opportunities for those families all the workforce housing in the world will not keep or bring families to our community. I encourage you to make what will be a tough choice, though it shouldn't be, and use the funding that is being proposed for the downtown maintenance and beautification project to finally build the much needed skate park. Sincerely, Brett Cross June 14, 2010 ARTS OBISPO Son Luis Obispo County Arts Council 570 Higucra St.,Ste.175 Mayor Romero and City Council, P.O.Box 1710 93406 Obispo,CA ARTS Obispo's Art in Public Places Committee, that includes a member of the San Luis Obispo Downtown Association Design Committee,has discussed at Phone:(805)544-9251 length the utility box art project and its process. We ask that you approve Fax:(805)5441522 staff s recommendation and move forward with this exciting.downtown office@artsobispo.org w .artsobispo.org beautification project.. It is our understanding that there will be new newspaper stands, as well. We Board of Directors would like to suggest an additional beautification idea. The back of these stands Steve Bland could provide another space for creative expression. For example, they could President include historical,whimsical,informational or directional images. Painted Mary Kay Harrington Vice-President newspaper stands, along with the utility box art,will be a wonderful addition to Jane Voigts the downtown area. Secretary Fred Ventura Respectfully submitted, Treasurer Kristin Bridgeford Ann Ream Julie Frankel Chairperson Art in Public Places Committee Crissa Hewitt ARTS Obispo, San Luis Obispo County Arts Council Richard Mortensen Ann Ream,e ofjido Stacy Willis staff Marta Peluso Executive Director Jenna Hartzell Program Director Sara Heinrichs - Operations Manager Barbara Radovich, Arts in Education Coordinator Mamie Parker,AmeriCorps Volunteer Coordinator @ ARTS Obispo Advancing the Arts in San Luis Obispo County From: chinosrocks@gmail.com on behalf of Javier Cadena[SMTP:JAV IER@CHINO SROCKS.COM] Sent: Monday, June 14, 2010 7:05:17 PM To: Council, S1oCity Subject: Dowtown SLO Superblock Auto forwarded by a Rule Dear council, I am reaching out to you for a concern I have with the options put forth in the Downtown Maintenance and Beautification plan. I am the owner of Chino's Rock & Tacos located in the Downtown Centre in San Luis Obispo. I also own three other locations in Santa Barbara, Isla Vista and Paso Robles. Over the years I have been able to see how other downtown's work and how they are made successful for business to thrive and tourism. One complaint I hear over and over again is the lack of lighting in our downtown. It does not create a welcoming environment to spend more time in the downtown area after dark. I propose that the city really makes a "Super block" that other cities talk about and I am proud to say I live here. In order to do this, tree lighting must be implemented into the plan. I have seen this idea proven due to the fact that Paseo Nuevo, in Santa Barbara, recently added LED lighting to its trees. Business owners, especially Live Culture, has seen an increase in sales. Please consider at the least adding the "infrastructure" of conduit and power boxes to the tree wells before making the expense of repaving the sidewalks. I am proud to call San Luis Obispo my home and I want to make sure that we are designing a city for the future. Thank you for your consideration, Javier Cadena President Viva Enterprises chinosrocks.com 15 June 2010 RED FILE To: Mayor Romero and City Council Members -- MEETING AGENDA ITEM # B3 From: Deborah Cash, Executive Director San Luis Obispo Downtown Re: Downtown Maintenance and Beautification Association The Downtown Association Design Committee at its regular meeting held PO Box 1402 yesterday, June 14,2010, reviewed and discussed the Downtown Maintenance San Luis Obispo and Beautification staff report for today's meeting. The Board had, on June 8, California 93406 reviewed and discussed information about this item provided by City engineer Phone 805-541-0286 Bridget Fraser on June 2, and provided a statement to Ms. Fraser supporting an Fax 805-781-2647 www.downtownsio.com option"15' that is being considered. Because the purview of the Design Committee is primarily the aesthetics of Downtown, the committee believes its observations and recommendations would have been helpful to the Board before it issued its final recommendation. The Design Committee wishes to offer its observations about the staff report Option 1.5, however it does so without an official endorsement of the Board, though it seems that both the Board's recommendation and the Committee's recommendation can be accommodated with perhaps a"1.75"version that looks a little more toward the future with regard to infrastructure improvements. The committee urges the City Council consider installing infrastructure to support. the future, namely to install conduit under sidewalks that are going to be ' improved before the work occurs. Committee members feel very strongly that the future of Downtown lies in improving not only the daytime look of the area but also in addressing its lack of lighting at night; this can only be remedied by starting to plan now while funding is available. It would be highly unlikely that the City would want to come back at a later date and rip up improved sidewalks for this purpose; it makes much more sense to review the proposed budget and look for a way to include the installation of conduit as part of this plan. The Downtown Association has demonstrated that it wishes to be a part of this effort to create a beautiful and safe nighttime environment, particularly as it looks toward developing a nighttime economy and perhaps even implementing a hospitality zone, of which lighting is an essential element. As partners,we will look to contribute our resources where possible to realize a vision of what many towns have already found has meant a boost for business and a benefit for the community. fro M/0y RECEIVED LETTDD DIR RECEIVED � O, k&44� a � `"` NDIR K " #&Ct6RE CHIEF JUN Il 5 2010 �L7 B.�'l�1` ORNEY �'w DIR CLERK/©pld 21OLICE CHF ❑ 050T HEADS (d'FiEC DIR SLO CITY CLERK %-- _ QTjTIL DIR -772* 4 A14 �-9R DIR -- � ltd TrrnES L'6T,CKaC aL F Crit C CL-�2.GC At this critical juncture in making changes to Downtown's physical features, the Design Committee respectfully asks that the Council include some allocation for future infrastructure in this project. Cc: SLO Downtown Association Board of Directors SLO Downtown Association Design Committee Jay Walter, Director of Public Works Bridget Fraser, Senior Civil Engineer From: barbara frank[SMTP:ALA2BABA@GMAIL.00M] 03 Sent: Friday, June 18, 2010 10:11:33 AM " To: Council, SloCity Subject: Higuera Street Upgrade �BLcyL'�r Auto forwarded by a Rule Honorable Members of the San Luis Obispo City Council: ro '`1 It was with delight and much interest that I read the piece in today's Trib about the upgrade of Higuera Street. I have long harbored my own idea for the beautification of that lovely street—flowers! I even went so far as to inventory those stores and restaurants where flower planters might be installed or improved. In my many travels, one thing stands out that marks a city as "beautiful"—an abundance of flowers in the heart of downtown. From Carmel to Bath, from Bar Harbor to Positano, flowers abound. The downtown merchants have made a start, but we can do even better. May I offer two options for implementing such a plan: 1. Expanding Obispo Beautiful to include an award for Flower Beautification. (I served on that committee in its early years.) 2. Establish a new committee for that express purpose. As I see it, the expense to the city would be minimal—a volunteer committee and the cost of the awards. I would be happy to discuss at length this idea or to present it before the council at a regular meeting. Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to hearing from you. Regards, Barbara Frank 2725 Augusta Street pp <. San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 RECEIV EL 544.7930 JUN 2.1 2010 SLO CITY CLERK RECEIVED' --` t JUN 14 1010 RED FILE SLO CITY CLERK �� MEETING AGENDA ITEM # 3 � /1 San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce 1039 Chonro Street•San Luis Obispo, California 93401-3278 (805) 781-2777• FAX (805) 543-1255 David E. Garth, PresidenUCEO tS June 14, 2010 rCCUNCIL G-CDD DIR ff eAe-cer ,,wG.c CT"PIN DIR "Are 13-FIFIE CHIEF Mayor Dave Romero VA TTORNEY E-PW DIR d 2tILERK/ORIG 2TOLICE CHF Members of the City Council ❑ DEPT HEADS Ca-REC DIR City of San Luis Obispo C'rOTIL DIR ET-RR DIR 990 Palm Street j iUOdT/r� �uk)afL San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 Corti � /L Subject:June 15 Council agenda item B3 re downtown maintenance and beautification Dear Mayor Romero and Council Members, The San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce would like to thank the City Council for the enhanced focus and expanded efforts to maintain and beautify the Downtown. We have not studied in-depth the different work programs proposed by staff and are not recommending one approach over another.All of the proposed options represent a significant investment in the heart of downtown that enrich the area as a multi-use restaurant, entertainment, shopping, civic, and professional center and fuel a healthier climate for all local businesses. It is the Chamber's vision that downtown San Luis Obispo should be treated as a city jewel that requires continuous care and enhancement.During challenging economic times, leadership is required to make the strategic investments that ensure long-term vitality. We would like to thank the City staff for their ongoing commitment to engage business community input on these efforts and we urge the City Council to c remain steadfast in its commitment to maintain and beautify the Downtown. We look forward to continuing to partner with you on this community goal. Sincerely, David Garth President/CEO cc: Katie Lichtig, City Manager Jay Walter, Director of Public Works From: Kiser, Betsy RECEIVED Sent: Monday, June 14, 2010 5:22 PM JUN 15 2010 To: Carter, Andrew; Walter, Jay Cc: Lichtig, Katie SLO CITY CLERK Subject: RE: Downtown Utility Boxes Hi Andrew, The Utility Box Beautification project budget includes: $ 1,500 per box for artist's stipend $ 200 per box for a supply voucher $4,000 for cleaning, prepping and sealing all boxes $ 1,100 for dedication,festival, promotional materials and contingency funds Please let me know if you need additional information. Betsy Kiser, Parks and Recreation Director City of San Luis Obispo 1341 Nipomo Street San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 -__�n OPY G�JYIR�L C?COUNCIL p CDD DIR LAIN DIR LrAG#&�"Axe-21-FIRE CHIEF RED FILE RrATTORNEY 21"OW DIR -- MEETING AGENDA OtLERK/ORIG ❑ DEPT HEADS ITIRECID 2-POLICE ITEM # BDA 3-UTIL DIR -_'RAA Zd HR DIR t°c r?f ltitG2 �,KIK council memomnbum Date: June 10, 2010 TO: City Council RED FILE VIA: Katie Lichtig, City Manager -- MEETING AGENDA FROM: Jay Walter, Public Works Director PATEALAOo ITEM # SUBJECT: Red File Item B-3 Downtown Beautification/Maintenance Work scope Council Meeting June 15, 2010 Staff contacted the Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Association and Pierre Rademker to inform them of the upcoming Council agenda item regarding the Downtown Beautification and Maintenance project. Staff presented a review to Mr. Rademaker and the Downtown Association Board of Directors of the four options listed in the staff report, along with the staff recommendation. A letter was received from Mr. Rademaker (Attachment 1) indicating his support for Option 1. A letter was also received from the Downtown Association (Attachment 2) indicating their preference for a slightly modified version of Option 1 and 2 now referred to as "Option 1.5." Staff has included an additional exhibit (Attachment 3) for "Option 1.5" depicting the DA recommendation in order for Council to understand it before the meeting. Please contact Bridget Fraser in Public Works Engineering if you have further questions. krrcv &oma ,maic. [!-<OUNCIL 2"bDD DIR 24Ae C`L r M6Z CT�FIN DIR [a'AGAO+rrus m,cr- C LIRE CHIEF Attachments: MATTORNEY M-Pw DIR 12't'LER0RIG 27-POLICE CHF ❑ DEeli HEADS O'REC DIR 1. Letter from Pierre Rademaker C�! Pi�3 M-UTIL Diff 2. Letter from Downtown Association - e-HR DIR 3. Exhibit depicting Option 1.5 as recommended by DA r//;4C;:- tAcouncil agenda reports\public works car\2010\cip\90979 downtown beautification-maintenance\red file memo-letters\red file downtown workscope.doc RECEIVE® JUN 11 2010 SLO CITY CLERK \ I ATTACHMENT 1 PIEh�E•RADEMAKER DESIGN 762 HIGUERA STREET,SUITE 216 SAN LUIS OBISPO.CALIFORNIA 93401 rademakerdesign.com TELEPHONE:805/544-7774 FAX:805/544-0832 Jay Walter Director of Public Works 919 Palm Street San Luis Obispo,CA 93401 Dear Jay, I enjoyed meeting with Bridget yesterday to discuss the various downtown beautification options you've prepared for council consideration. The range of scope represented should generate lively discussion and hopefully give the council sufficient latitude for finding consensus. Although each scenario has its benefits, I would favor option 1 because it would provide the opportunity to evaluate each design decision in a completed environment. Furthermore, if any individual component (trash receptacles for instance) did not work out, it would be easier to remedy in the future if the installation area is more confined. 1 realize there are stakeholders who would prefer to spread the improvements throughout the downtown but 1 feel that it may be more productive to make sure that we "get it right" before expanding the program to the periphery. Additionally, we had a brief discussion about bulb-outs. 1 know it is beyond the scope of the current project but I believe that a bulb-out master plan should be prepared as a guide for future.beautification efforts. It would also serve as a useful planning tool for building owners and tenants as they contemplate sidewalk improvements. With a plan in hand we should be able to avoid conflicts like we experienced at the Wineman. I'm pleased that the council has chosen to move forward with this important work and look forward to seeing the results. Sincerely, Pierre Rademaker cc: Bridget Fraser ATTACHMENT 8 June 2010 To: Bridget Fraser, Senior Civil Engineer City San Luis Obispo From: Deborah Cash, Executive Director San Luis Obispo Downtown Association Re: Downtown Maintenance and Beautification The SLO Downtown Association Board of Directors on Tuesday, June 8, reviewed the Council Agenda Report and Exhibit Options 1 —4 showing a variety of areas that could be improved in accordance with current Council objectives as part of the 2009-11 Financial Plan. After receiving a presentation from Bridget Fraser, the Board discussed the pros and cons of each option and ultimately arrived at the following recommendation: To support a combination of Options I and 2 (also referred to as Option 1.5) with the focus being on the central project area between Morro and Garden streets and further improvements of existing infrastructure along Higuera to Nipomo and Santa Rosa streets. While the Board supports the replacement of news racks throughout Downtown with a more streamlined system of newspaper placement, it was the consensus of the Board, with regard to this particular project, that starting out with upgraded news racks in a limited area as a `test' project makes better sense,particularly if issues arise with respect to space assignments, non participatory papers or sidewalks replacements necessitating removing and replacing news racks. There was also discussion about applying unallocated funding, if available,toward installing electrical conduit and outlets to tree wells in the project area, allowing for lighting of Downtown trees as we look to increase the sense of safety and well being for nighttime guests. Many people say they do not come Downtown at night because it is dark, businesses who have installed lighting say they have experienced an increase in nighttime sales as a result of the lighting. However, the Board did not issue a recommendation on this idea and believes Option"1.5"would deliver the most benefit. Cc: SLO Downtown Association Board of Directors Jay Walter, Director Public Works Robert Horch, Downtown Champion ATTACHMENT 3 § ~\ §2E §2 �\ o O - �xx0§ ��, o o N 'IS o o N . a__ ���;§co ■ °m)��f ` | | ' • �C0§ I § £ 2 | a 0C4 A c e - ! > 2 ' 2 § k § | | | 9 q ; q ! | ■ § § kkk//k§ | . \ ' § aAe ) \ j § � \ § § a2ew � Jm 0 \ S mo , . WHO _ / x q � k $ . ' k ozz � ¥ Nan »ri) , / m \ o § } km } > § � sae< r mm m $ kLnP3 $ kaon Z 7, co \ [ \ o \ } . , , , , Kk � � mm z 2 0 . % • #90 z / $ ! r- cl) ¥ Dom � � > 7kk k . § � k � ° co / � § ■ z a0 § a > ca > § e � $ � 2 § # § q3 , ui r z > m . \ § QQz - 3. | | f ( f ee & | 7 ao I&s 'ao Vias . | DOWNTOWN MAINTENANCE & BEAUTIFICATION W C|tY Of OPTION 1 .5 (DOWNTOWN ASSOC.) San luis oms o