The City Council discussed spending more money for Heather Park improvements during the June 7 budget workshop. The slide presentation for the five-year capital improvement program reported $250,000 was budgeted for replacing playground equipment in Heather Park. The city has a longstanding fund of $477,000 specifically designated for College Park East improvements.
During the public comment segment of the June 7 budget workshop, College Park East resident Michele Newman said she and others were concerned that they are not being heard. (Newman and other CPE residents raised concerns about the condition of neighborhood parks at the June 2 budget workshop.)
Newman said the city received a letter in February that was signed by more than 100 individuals who were concerned about the condition of local parks.
“Last month after receiving the draft of this budget, I emailed Council Member Sustarsic asking what plans this city has for the half million dollars earmarked for College Park East that could be used for the rehabilitation of our parks—and I got crickets,” Newman said.
The half million to which she referred was the more than $477,000 in a fund specifically for College Park East Capital Projects.
However, during the June 7 budget workshop, Acting Public Works Director Iris Lee said the city did not have additional funding sources from the $250,000 at that time.
District One Councilman/Mayor Joe Kalmick asked for background on the $477,000 earmarked for College Park East.
City Manager Jill Ingram said it was before her time. (According to her LinkedIn account, she was hired as the assistant to the city manager in October 2008.)
Ingram said it dated back to probably 2004, when the city reached a development agreement with Bixby Ranch. The agreement specified the use of $1 million for College Park East. According to Ingram, in 2005, the city spent about half a million dollars on Seal Beach Tennis Center (now the Tennis and Pickleball Center).
Ingram said in 2008 the District Four council member at that time moved the $477,000 into a separate fund for College Park East improvements. She described that money as the second half of the $1 million from the Bixby agreement.
Current District Four Councilwoman Schelly Sustarsic said that Gary Miller was looking at putting in a restroom.
Sustarsic said the money has been there but has “popped back and forth.”
She said Miller was looking at putting in a restroom, which is where she was.
Then there was a lawsuit against CalTrans. According to Sustarsic, then the city was looking at using part of the money (apparently for the lawsuit) and then the money was used and replaced.
“I have gone back and have been considering, you know, the restroom thing but we also had this Proposition 68 money coming up and then possibly some equipment from the centennial and so it was sort of moving target,” she said.
Sustarsic said she started using some of the discretionary money on some of the other parks because she had two parks that were “sort of” competing.
She went on to say that she was a little leery of CalTrans because the state agency has promised some things in the past that didn’t come through. She said part of her hesitation is because CalTrans is back at the West County Connectors project CalTrans had promised to put up trees to hide the abutment behind Wisteria. She said she figured the city wouldn’t “pick up that money.”
According to Sustarsic, it has been suggested that the money marked for College Park East be put into the bike lane.
Kalmick asked how many years the money had been in that account.
Ingram said they were on 18 years. Ingram confirmed that the council used money from that fund when the council at the time decided to filed a lawsuit against CalTrans over the I-405 improvement project. Ingram said once that case was settled, the money spent was credited back to the College Park East account.
“That $477,000 is depreciating badly,” Kalmick said.
“I’d like to see the money go to College Park East—the sooner the better,” Kalmick said later.
Sustarsic expressed concern about costs.
“The costs may not go down,” said District Three Councilman Mike Varipapa. He said waiting makes it worse.
Ingram said staff could take a look at the issue. She pointed out that the city’s parks master plan is 10 years old. “I think there’s some opportunity here,” Ingram said.
