Minutes 2003-04-29
MINUTES
SPECIAL JOINT MEETING
ARROYO GRANDE CITY COUNCIL and
LUCIA MAR UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF EDUCATION
Tuesday, April 29, 2003 - 6:30 p.m.
City Council Chamber, 215 E. Branch Street
Arroyo Grande, California
1. CALL TO ORDER
Arroyo Grande Mayor Tony Ferrara called the Special Joint Meeting to order at 6:30
p.m.
2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Arroyo Grande Mayor Ferrara led the Pledge of Allegiance.
3. ROLL CALL:
Arroyo Grande City Council Lucia Mar Unified School District Board
Tony M. Ferrara, Mayor AI Baughman, Board Member
Jim Dickens, Mayor Pro Tern Doreen Curtze, Board Member
Thomas A. Runels, Council Member Terri Ikeda, Board Member
Sandy Lubin, Council Member Georgie O'Connor, Board Member
Joe Costello, Council Member Gee Gee Soto, Board Member
LMUSD President Donna Mills and Board Member Erik Howell were absent.
Board Member Soto provided welcoming comments and introduced Terri Ikeda and AI
Baughman as the Board's newest members. She also introduced Diana Larsen, the
newly appointed Deputy Superintendent of Business.
4. CITIZENS' INPUT, COMMENTS, AND SUGGESTIONS
None.
5. DISCUSSION ITEMS
City Manager Steve Adams provided opening comments and stated that the purpose of
the joint meeting was to share items of mutual interest.
a. Fair Oaks/Orchard Street intersection traffic improvement concepts.
Director of Public Works Don Spagnolo provided an update on the status of the City's
efforts regarding traffic impacts at the Fair Oaks Avenue/Orchard Street intersection and
gave a brief review of alternatives that may provide relief for the congestion experienced
at the intersection.
Paul McClintic, representing Caltrans District 5, gave a presentation entitled "Fair Oaks
Arterial Improvement Alternatives Analysis Summary" which was prepared following
SPECIAL JOINT MEETING MINUTES
CITY COUNCIL AND LMUSD BOARD OF EDUCATION
APRIL 29, 2003
PAGE 2
concerns expressed about the traffic congestion condition along Fair Oaks Avenue and
the Fair Oaks Avenue southbound off ramp during the a.m. hours; reviewed the traffic
data collection process; and presented short and long-term improvement alternatives
using traffic simulation software. He stated that Caltrans staff would like to work with
the High School on a circulation plan.
Discussion and comments ensued regarding pros and cons of each alternative
presented; traffic relief experienced from the opening of Nipomo High School; favoring
an alternative that is not permanent and putting in place a temporary solution on a trial
and error basis; potential ramifications of closing down the Fair Oaks ramp; traffic safety
issues; and the importance of addressing the Fair Oaks off ramp stacking issue. There
was discussion regarding circulation around the high school; and a potential roadway
connection from Orchard Street to Valley Road. Mr. Sears stated they would consider
modifying school district work hours to reduce traffic on Orchard Street.
Mayor Ferrara opened up the item for public comments.
Colleen Martin, Arroyo Grande resident, acknowledged the traffic impacts and
suggested 1) installing stop signs at the high school parking lot exits; and 2) that Arroyo
Grande Police Officers get out of their cars to direct traffic during peak hours.
Nikole Miller, AGHS student, spoke on .behalf of her friends at AGHS stating that driving
to school should not be dangerous and scary. She encouraged the District and the City
to find a solution to the problem.
Hearing no further public comments, Mayor Ferrara closed the floor to public comments.
There was no action taken on this item.
b. Status and funding options for construction of the Hidden Oaks Elementary
School proiect.
Deputy Superintendent Mike Sears provided an update on the status and funding
options for the construction of the Hidden Oaks Elementary School project.
Discussion and questions included future district enrollment projections; proposed
funding sources; total costs for building a new school; clarification from the District that it
intends to keep the land even if the school is not built right away; and funding issues
related to ongoing maintenance of a new school.
Mayor Ferrara opened up the item for public comment.
Colleen Martin, Arroyo Grande, spoke in support of keeping the Harloe Elementary
School site open and the District's efforts to build a new elementary school in another
location.
Hearing no further public comments, Mayor Ferrara closed the floor to public comments.
There was no action taken on this item.
SPECIAL JOINT MEETING MINUTES
CITY COUNCIL AND LMUSD BOARD OF EDUCATION
APRIL 29, 2003
PAGE 3
Mayor Ferrara called a break at 8:00 p.m. The meeting reconvened at 8:09 p.m.
c. Community Recreation Center/Pool project concepts and alternatives.
Director of Parks, Recreation, and Facilities Hernandez provided an update and status
of the South County Community Recreation Center project, and displayed a rendering
of a proposed recreation center with amenities. He explained that currently, the City
has no funds designated or available for this project; however, there are grants that may
be available and other potential funding strategies are being developed. He also
reported that several implementation strategies have been developed, including the
pursuit of public-private partnerships. Director Hernandez also reported that staff had
been working with the school on the pool component.
Discussion and comments ensued with regard to the history of the pool at AGHS;
agreement that the pool should continue to be utilized for community use; agreement
that there was a great unmet need in the community for a multi-purpose recreation
center; completing the project in phases; suggestions for identifying grants for certain
recreation programs and services; concerns regarding funding issues, and support for
pursuing private-public partnerships.
Mayor Ferrara Qpened up the item for public comment.
Rob StronQ, Community Development Director, spoke regarding a Cal Poly project that
incorporated segments of the property adjacent to the Woman's Club Community
Center as a potential recreation center site.
Hearing no further comments, Mayor Ferrara closed the floor to public comments.
There was no action taken on this item.
d. Arroyo Grande HiQh School renovation project conceptual desiQn and
potential bond measure.
Deputy Superintendent Sears provided an update on progress District staff has made in
exploring the possibility of a major renovation plan for AGHS; as well as an update on
research into a possible local general obligation bond to pay for the renovation plan. He
presented a brief background on how the issue evolved; displayed a rendering of a
conceptual architectural plan and reviewed the proposed improvements; and stated that
the Board of Education has entered into an agreement with a firm to explore the options
for conducting a bond election to issue general obligation bonds to pay for the major
renovations.
Discussion and comments included questions about drainage; how long the project
would take to complete; how the project would be phased; comments received about
the appearance of the high school since the Clark Center opened and the need to
update the surrounding buildings; and other minor renovations currently underway on
campus.
SPECIAL JOINT MEETING MINUTES
CITY COUNCIL AND LMUSD BOARD OF EDUCATION
APRIL 29, 2003
PAGE 4
Mayor Ferrara opened up the item for public comments.
Colleen Martin, Arroyo Grande, announced the District's Board Meeting at 7:00 p.m.
tomorrow and encouraged residents to come and give input on what the school should
look like.
Hearing no further public comments, Mayor Ferrara closed the floor to public comments.
City Manager Adams asked if the Council would support staff working with the District to
pursue a partnership with regard to the pool. Following discussion, there was
consensus of the Council to direct staff to work with the District on a potential expansion
of the high school pool facility and increase in community use.
There was no action tc;lken on this item.
5.e. Arroyo Grande HiQh School parkinQ issues .and status.
Deputy Superintendent Sears provided an update on the issues arid concerns regarding
parking at AGHS. He explained that student population has decreased since the
opening of Nipomo High School, which also resulted in a decrease in staff population.
He commented that this would result in reduced daily traffic/parking at AGHS.
Police Chief TerBorch also referred to the usage of the Clark Center during the day and
the resulting difficulties of enforcing permit parking. He explained that an alternative
had been worked out which should resolve the issue. He also reported that some
permit only zones around the City may be eliminated due to the opening of Nipomo HS.
Chief TerBorch stated that one issue that has arisen is the fact that the Police
Department cannot enforce No Parking zones within Tract 2207 as the streets have not
yet been dedicated. In response to questions raised during earlier public comment,
Chief TerBorch explained that due to staffing issues, the Police Officers patrolling the
high school area during peak hours could not get out of their vehicles to direct traffic
because they may have to respond to other calls for service. In response to a question
whether Police Department volunteers would be appropriate for directing traffic, Chief
TerBorch responded they could be used only when teamed with paid personnel. He
concluded by thanking the District for working cooperatively with the Police Department.
There was further discussion regarding the opening up of the access road behind the
school. Superintendent Nancy DePue stated the road was located on school property
and concerns had been expressed with opening up the road for public use due to safety
concerns. She looked to the Board Members as to whether they would be interested in
readdressing the issue. Following a poll of Board Members, there was consensus that
the Board was open to looking at options. City staff was encouraged to work with
District staff on proposals to open and improve the road behind the high school to
access Valley Road.
Mayor Ferrara opened up the item for public comments, and upon hearing none, closed
the floor to pubJic comments.
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SPECIAL JOINT MEETING MINUTES
CITY COUNCIL AND LMUSD BOARD OF EDUCATION
APRIL 29;2003
PAGE 5
There was no action taken on this item.
S.e. Relocation of bus maintenance facility.
City Manager Adams explained that the primary purpose of placing this item on the
agenda was to provide an opportunity for the City to express a concern regarding
school bus traffic and congestion through the Village and to discuss ways in which to
work t6geth~r to address common issues. He expJained that City and District staff had
informally. discussed a number of preliminary concepts, which couJd incJude a joint
City/School District maintenance facility or a joint City/County/School District facility.
Board Members expressed concerns with relocating their existing bus maintenance
facility due to the expen$e issues involved and losing the acreage of the current site.
Mayor Ferrara opened up the item for public comments.
Colleen Martin, Arroyo Grande, spoke in favor of looking in other areas for the potential
relocation of the bus maintenance facility.
Michael Leon, Grover Beach, responded that there was no available land in Grover
Beach for such a facility.
Hearing no further public comments, Mayor Ferrara closed the floor to public comments.
There was no action taken on this item.
6. CITIZENS' INPUT, COMMENTS, AND SUGGESTIONS.
None.
7. ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Ferrara adjourned the meeting at 9:04 p.m.
Recorded by:
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Kelly tmor2
Director of Administrative Services/Deputy City Clerk
City of Arroyo Grande