CC SR 20150804 05 - Enhancing Parks Operations and MaintenanceCITY OF tiRANCHO PALOS VERDES
MEMORANDUM
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR & CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS
FROM: CORY LINDER, DIRECTOR, RECREATION & PARKS
DATE: AUGUST 4, 2015
SUBJECT: ENHANCING PARKS OPERATIONS AND
MAINTENANCE
REVIEWED: DOUG WILLMORE, CITY MANAGER Mli,- J
Project Manager: Cory Linder, Director, Recreation & Parks
RECOMMENDATION
Approve the proposed plan to expand Recreation and Parks Department staffing
presence at specified park sites.
2. Adopt Resolution 2015-_, approving a budget appropriation in the amount of
$195,000 to fund the proposed plan to expand Recreation staffing presence to
enhance park operations and maintenance.
BACKGROUND
At the June 30th City Council meeting, during the discussion about the Parks Master
Plan Update, a number of residents speaking that evening noted concerns about trash,
graffiti, crime, safety, and vandalism at City Parks, open space areas and facilities. The
City Council shared these same concerns and directed staff to apply a broad "less is
more" approach, with an emphasis on pro -actively maintaining and improving the
appearance of the City's current facilities, parks and operations. Council further
directed staff to look into the possibility of "roaming" staff to patrol parks, as well as a
general review of staffing needs with a specific emphasis on trash and graffiti issues.
These statements echoed concerns that Recreation and Parks staff had heard during a
series of Parks Master Plan Workshops held from November 2014 through February
2015.
At its July 21, 2015 meeting, the City Council considered a two-tiered, preventative
approach to these concerns. Council approved an expansion of the Public Works
Department's existing trash and recycling program to minimize the negative impact of
trash in City parks, trails, along the rights-of-way and within the Preserve. The
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August 4, 2015
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approved increase in service will include one additional person and one truck available
to service all parks, trails, roadsides and medians, 7 days a week, 8 hours a day.
Marina Landscape currently provides this service 4 hours a day, Monday through
Friday. This proposal will expand their trash collection service from 4 to 8 hours a day
and to include Saturday and Sundays. This proposal also calls for shifting existing
graffiti -removal service from being reactive and service request -based to a full-time
graffiti removal strike -team actively seeking out and removing graffiti before it is
reported.
Council did not take any action on the second part of the proposal, an expansion of
park staffing at City Parks and the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve.
DISCUSSION
The July 21 staff report included increased staffing at parks as well as the addition of
staff in the Nature Preserve. The current proposal analyzes increased staffing just at
City Parks. Currently, many active park sites such as Hesse Park have only one staff
on duty at a time, even during busy weekend and summer hours, which limits staff's
ability to provide a full range of customer service, including the monitoring and enforcing
of park rules. Other staffed park sites, such as Ladera Linda Park, have limited park
hours, including days when there is no staff scheduled at all. Increasing staff levels
would provide a more consistent level of service to the public while enhancing the ability
of staff to prevent and reduce undesirable activities such as vandalism. Staff would
also perform daily inspections of unstaffed City parks such as Vanderlip Park and Del
Cerro Park to complete work orders, report and address unsafe conditions and enforce
park rules. Staff would also work closely with the enhanced Public Works staff and
contractors to help identify and mitigate trash, recycling and graffiti concerns.
Recreation and Parks Staffing Enhancement Proposal
Expanded staffing would enhance the City's ability to pro -actively improve operations
and better manage and maintain the City's existing park and open space resources.
This preventative approach would help protect and maintain the City's popular
recreation assets. Added staff would perform the following roles: augment Public
Works role by picking up overflow and scattered trash throughout the park grounds,
assisting with graffiti removal, enforcing park rules, educating the public about
appropriate use of parks and open space areas, curbing vandalism, increasing staffed
park hours especially during peak hours of operation, and providing higher levels of
responsiveness to public complaints and concerns. Along with increasing staff,
Recreation Staff will continue to look to expand its popular park clean-up days and
volunteer programs (currently at 1,598 hours in the first six months of 2015).
Additionally, increased staffing hours and the use of roaming staff could reduce or
eliminate the current practice of using a contractor to open and close certain park gates
and public restrooms.
Increasing staffing levels could also assist with staffing parks on holidays when the
parks are typically closed. Regularly staffed parks are currently unstaffed on the
following days: Thanksgiving, December 24 and 25, and January 1. The staffing
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August 4, 2015
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increases listed below would be sufficient to allow for staffing on those days. As an
alternative that would allow more part-time staff to enjoy the holidays with their families,
a single roaming staff person could open up park gates and bathrooms in the morning
and lock them up in the evening.
Additional staff would also be helpful in implementing and enforcing potential new City
rules such as banning alcohol on the beach (currently permitted), as well as enforcing a
comprehensive ban on smoking at the beach or in City parks. These new rules may
minimize trash in some of the most sensitive beach areas and parks.
The staffing emphasis would be on a) increasing staffing levels at the City's busiest
parks, b) providing roaming inspection staff at unstaffed parks; and c) augmenting the
efforts of Public Works staff and contractors to improve the cleanliness and appearance
of City Parks. In order to meet the needs of the public and achieve the Council
directive to keep City Parks clean and well-maintained, the following increases to
staffing levels are proposed:
Proposed Park Staffing Increase
Location/Purpose
Hours
Est. Cost
Roaming Patrol
1,460
$21,000
Eastview Park
3,650
$54,000
Hesse Park
1,100
$16,000
Abalone Cove
2,184
$32,000
Ladera Linda Park
760
$11,000
Robert Ryan Park
760
$11,000
Sub -total
9,914
$145,000
Start -Up Equipment Supplies
$40,000
Annual Equipment/Supplies
$10,000
Equipment/Supplies Subtotal
$50,000
TOTAL
$195,000
The Recreation and Parks FY 15-16 staffing budget (combined full-time and part-
time/salary and benefits) is $1,504,952.00. The proposed $145,000 staffing increase
would increase Recreation and Park's total staffing costs to $1,649,952, a 9.6%
increase.
The following is a site -by -site analysis of the proposed staffing level increase.
• Abalone Cove $32,000 (2,184 HR increase in PT staffing)
o An increase in 42 hours a week to the Abalone Cove's staffing levels
would greatly increase the customer service levels. During the peak
hours of the year (Memorial Day to Labor Day) Abalone Cove is staffed
from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. The Parking Lot closes at 4:00 pm and the
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August 4, 2015
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Park closes around 9:00 pm (an hour after sunset). Often, staff leave the
facility when there are upwards of 100+ cars still in the parking lot and the
public is in the Park, on the trails and at the beach/tide pools. With the
increased attention on Abalone Cove from social media, not having "eyes"
on the park, puts the City at risk and does not allow staff to address trash
issues, vandalism, and the validation of senior/ADA parking. The Council
recently approved a new fee structure at Abalone Cove raising the fees
from a flat rate of $5 to a fluctuating fee-based time duration. The public
can no longer pay when they arrive at the park, but must wait until they
leave to pay. This will present issues if staff are not available to assist
with technical issues with the pay station. In addition, when staff leave at
4:00 pm, the main pay machine is locked and the only way to pay is via
debit/credit card at the exit gate. This increase in staffing levels would
allow for increased presence during the summer, weekends and peak
hours. Educating the public on the Marine Protected Areas (MPA),
dangers of rough surf and addressing vandalism/graffiti would now be
greatly enhanced with the added staffing levels. This proposal would
increase the current staffing levels at Abalone Cove by the equivalent of
approximately 1.5 part-time staff working maximum hours.
• Roaming Staff $21,000 (1,460 Part-time staffing hours)
o Roaming staff would travel between various park sites to perform a variety
of tasks including: performing inspections, assisting Public Works in
picking up excess trash, educating the public and enforcing park rules,
and completing work orders. Roaming staff would focus on unstaffed
parks such as Del Cerro, Clovercliff, Marilyn Ryan Sunset Point Park, and
Vanderlip as well as scenic pull -offs vista points such as the ones near
City Hall and Abalone Cove. They would also assist with trash pickup
and enforcement at staffed parks such as Hesse Park, Ryan Park, Ladera
Linda and Abalone Cove as needed and especially during peak periods
such as weekends and holidays. Roaming staff could also help monitor
the resident- only parking spaces located adjacent to Del Cerro Park. The
hours listed above would cover 1 staff for four hours per day year-round.
This is the equivalent of approximately 1 part-time staff member working
maximum hours.
Eastview Park $54,000 (3,650 Part-time staffing hours)
o Eastview Park, at 10 acres, is the City's largest park on the East side of
the City. The park is open from dawn to dusk and is not staffed. There
have been reports from residents and observations by staff of trash,
vandalism, homeless encampments and park rules violations including
moon bounces and dogs off leash. Adding park staff at Eastview for an
average of 10 hours per day (more on weekends, holidays, summer and
less on non -Summer weekdays) would have a significant impact on these
issues. In addition, staff could also check out park equipment to park
visitors and lead park activities. A modular staff building would be
necessary with electrical connections and modest storage. A restroom is
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Enhancing Parks Operations and Maintenance
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already available on site. This proposed increase would fund the
equivalent of approximately 2.5 part-time staff working maximum hours.
Hesse Park $16,000 (1,100 HR increase in PT staffing)
o This increase would allow for an additional Recreation staff person to be
utilized during the weekends, summer and other peak periods as needed.
Currently, only one PT staff is scheduled at Hesse Park, unless there is a
rental or Council/Planning commission meeting. Staff are often not able
to walk the park to interact with the public, address trash issues, service
the restrooms, and assist the public with questions about the facility, such
as rental space and programs. When staff need to leave the office,
phone calls are forwarded to voicemail and no one is able to assist walk-in
customers. Staff are often not able to provide quick responses and
preventative actions to address day to day issues that arise. This
proposal would increase current staffing at Hesse Park by the equivalent
of approximately .75 part-time staff working maximum hours.
Ladera Linda Park $11,000 (760 Part-time staffing hours)
o Ladera Linda Park is currently staffed M/W/F/Sat/Sun 1:00 am to 5:00 pm
during the school year and M -F 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm and Sat/Sun 10:00
am to 5:00 pm during the summer. This results in approximately 75 days
when the park is potentially not staffed and a majority of days when the
park is only staffed for four hours. The hours above would allow the park
to be staffed five hours a day Mon -Friday and seven hours a day Sat/Sun
year round. Park staff received numerous reports of trash, vandalism,
crime and safety concerns, especially during the Master Plan process.
This increase in staffing would be a preventative measure designed to
make the park not only more accessible to the visiting public, but also a
safer and better maintained environment. This proposal would increase
current staffing at Ladera Linda by the equivalent of approximately .5 part-
time staff working maximum hours.
• Ryan Park $11,000 (760 additional Part-time staffing hours)
o Robert Ryan Park, the original park in Rancho Palos Verdes, is a popular,
well -attended park. The park is currently only open during the summer
from 10am-dusk every day and during the school year from 12 noon to
dusk Monday through Friday and from 10am to dusk Saturday to Sunday.
Staff has received numerous requests that Ryan Park be opened earlier
to accommodate parents and caretakers of young children who like to visit
parks and playgrounds early in the morning. The proposed staffing
increase would allow the park to be open from 9:00 am to dusk year
round. Staff would also have additional time to inspect the park, perform
minor safety and aesthetic repairs, pick up trash, interact with the public
and enforce park rules. This would increase current staffing at Ryan Park
by the equivalent of approximately .5 part-time staff working maximum
hours.
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• Equipment/Training Start Up Expenses $50,000 Annual Expenses
$10,000
• Start-up equipment and training will be needed including rental of a
modular staff building for Eastview Park staff, a truck for Preserve staff,
miscellaneous supplies and tools, uniforms, citation training, etc.
• Annual budget of equipment and supplies for additional staff estimated at
$10,000/year
Alternative
Maintain current park staffing level.
FISCAL IMPACT: This will increase the General Fund operating budget by $195,000,
$145,000 for increased part time staff and $50,000 for increased operating supplies in the
Recreation and Parks Program. These increased costs will result in a budget imbalance in
the estimated recurring General Fund Adopted Budget. Currently, the General Fund has
estimated excess reserves of $1 million. This is in addition to the 50% reserve per Fund
Policy. At this time, staff recommends funding the imbalance from General Fund excess
reserves and at midyear staff will return with an updated fund balance and
recommendations to balance the recurring expenditures to recurring revenues.
Amount Budgeted:
Additional Appropriation
New Amount Balance:
Account Number(s)
Attachments:
$ 20,936,748 General Fund Adopted Budget
$ 195,000
$ 21,131,748
101-5030-451-61-00
$
50,000
101-5030-451-12-00
$124,000
101-5030-451-29-00
$
21,000
685-1015-381-30-00
$
21,000
685-1015-499-23-00
$
18,000
685-1015-499-22-00
$
3,000
Draft Resolution No. 2015- ; (Page 7)
July 21, 2015 Staff Report (Page 9)
July 21, 2015 Late Correspondence from Eva Cicoria (Page 19)
Al
•
RESOLUTION NO. 2015-
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RANCHO PALOS
VERDES, AMENDING RESOLUTION 2015-47, THE BUDGET APPROPRIATION
FOR FY 15-16, TO ADUST THE BUDGET IN THE GENERAL FUND.
WHEREAS, Section 3.32 of the Rancho Palos Verdes Municipal Code provides that all
expenditures in excess of budgeted allocations must be by supplemental appropriation of the
City Council: and
WHEREAS, on June 16, 2015, the City Council of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes
adopted Resolution 2015-47; approving a spending plan and appropriating a budget for FY 15-
16: and
WHEREAS, on July 21, 2015 the City Council directed Staff to approve a proposal to
expand the City-wide Public Works Department trash and graffiti removal program: and
WHEREAS, on August 4, 2015, the City Council directed Staff to approve a proposal to
expand the Recreation and Parks Department staffing presence at specified park sites: and
BE IT, THEREFORE, RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RANCHO
PALOS VERDES:
The following adjustments are made to the FY 15-16 budget:
General Fund
Recreational Facilities/Operating Supplies 101-5030-451-61-00 $50,000
Recreational Facilities PT Salary and Wages 101-5030-451-12-00 $124,000
Recreational Facilities PT Benefits 101-5030-451-29-00 $21,000
Employee Benefits Interfund Revenue 685-1015-381-30-00 $21,000
Employee Benefits PERS Expenditure 685-1015-499-23-00 $18,000
Employee Benefits FICA Expenditure 685-1015-499-22-00 $3,000
Verified by Finance:
PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED THIS 4th DAY OF AUGUST 2015
Mayor
ATTEST:
City Clerk
State of California )
County of Los Angeles )ss
City of Rancho Palos Verdes )
7
I, Carla Morreale, City Clerk of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes, hereby certify that the above
Resolution No. 2015- was duly and regularly passed and adopted by the said City Council at a
regular meeting thereof held on July 21, 2015.
City Clerk
Resolution No. 2015 -
Page 2 of 2
�
•
Iky,I 4MINUMUN
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR & CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS
FROM: CORY LINDER, DIRECTOR, RECREATION & RKS
DATE: July 21, 2015
SUBJECT: ENHANCING PARKS AND OPEN SPACE OPERATIONS
AND MAINTENANCE
REVIEWED: DOUG WILLMORE, CITY MANAGER XAIJ
Project Manager: Cory Linder, Director, Recreation & Parks
Michael Throne, Director, Public Works
RECOMMENDATION
1. Approve the proposed plan to expand City-wide Public Works Department trash
and graffiti removal program.
2. Approve the proposed plan to expand Recreation and Parks Department staffing
presence at specified park sites and the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve.
3. Adopt Resolution 2015-_, approving a budget appropriation in the amount of
$419, 212 to fund the proposed plan to expand Recreation staffing presence and
enhance trash, recycling and graffiti removal services.
BACKGROUND
At the June 30th City Council meeting, during the discussion about the Parks Master
Plan Update, a number of residents speaking that evening noted concerns about trash,
graffiti, crime, safety, and vandalism at City Parks, open space areas and facilities. The
City Council shared these same concerns and directed staff to apply a broad "less is
more" approach, with an emphasis on pro -actively maintaining and improving the
appearance of the City's current facilities, parks and operations. Council further
directed staff to look into the possibility of "roaming" staff to patrol parks, as well as a
general review of staffing needs with a specific emphasis on trash and graffiti issues.
These statements echoed concerns that Recreation and Parks staff had heard during a
series of Parks Master Plan Workshops held from November 2014 through February
2015.
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Enhancing Parks and
July 21, 2015
Page 2
DISCUSSION
Open Space Operations and Maintenance
Staff is proposing a two-tiered, pro -active, preventative approach to these concerns.
First is an expansion of the Public Works Department's existing trash and recycling
program to minimize the negative impact of trash in City parks, along the rights-of-way
and within the Preserve. This proposal also calls for expanding existing graffiti -removal
service from being reactive and service request -based to a full-time graffiti removal
strike -team actively seeking out and removing graffiti before it is reported.
The second part of the proposal is an expansion of part-time staffing at City Parks and
the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve. Currently, many active park sites such as Hesse
Park have only one staff on duty at a time, even during busy weekend and summer
hours, which limits staff's ability to provide a full range of customer service, including
the monitoring and enforcing of park rules. Other staffed park sites, such as Ladera
Linda Park, have limited park hours, including days when there is no staff scheduled at
all. Increasing staff levels would provide a more consistent level of service to the public
while enhancing the ability of staff to prevent and reduce undesirable activities such as
vandalism. Staff would also perform daily inspections of unstaffed City parks such as
Vanderlip Park and Del Cerro Park to complete work orders, report and address unsafe
conditions and enforce park rules. Staff would also work closely with the enhanced
Public Works staff addressing trash, recycling and graffiti to augment their efforts.
Below are details of the two proposals:
Public Works Trash, Recycling, and Graffiti Removal Proposal
1. Trash and Recycling Removal
Trash collection is conducted by two separate contractors responsible for distinct areas
of the City. Venco Western Inc. provides trash collection along the City's roadside
areas and Marina Landscape Maintenance collects trash in the City parks and medians.
Trash collection is a service currently included in the City's maintenance agreements;
however, this service is a minor component of the overall maintenance contracts as
defined in the agreement. To properly respond to City Council's request to improve
maintenance, enhancing the trash collection detail component of our existing
maintenance contracts will be the most efficient manner to procure such services. The
increase in service will include one additional person and one truck available to service
all parks, trails, roadsides and medians, 7 days a week, 8 hours a day. Marina
Landscape currently provides this service 4 hours a day, Monday through Friday. This
proposal will expand their trash collection service from 4 to 8 hours a day and to include
Saturday and Sundays.
Trash cans currently located at beachside locations will be consolidated into accessible
areas that can be reached by vehicles. Currently, many of these locations are only
accessible by trail which is extremely labor intensive. This transition will necessitate a
public outreach process encouraging park visitors to adopt a "pack it in, pack it out"
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Enhancing Parks and Open Space Operations and Maintenance
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mentality to trash and supplies when visiting beach location. The table below
summarizes the current and proposed costs associated with trash and debris collection.
Trash Collection Costs
Existing
Proposed
Service Provider
Hours
Cost
Hours
Cost
Venco Western, Inc. (ROW
500
$9,375
2,080
$51,480
Roadside Maintenance
Marina Landscape, Inc. (Parks &
1,256
$32,732
1,256
$32,732
Median Maintenance
Total
1,756
$51,482
3,336
$84,212
In looking at the above table, the City currently spends $51,482 on 1,756 man-hours of
collecting trash and debris at specific locations within the city. Considering the proposal
to increase this service to 7 days a week, the total proposed cost increase will be
$84,212 for a total of 3,336 man-hours of trash and debris collection city-wide.
2. Graffiti Removal
In addition to debris removal in the city's rights-of-way, Venco Western, Inc. also
provides graffiti abatement as part of the overall maintenance services to the City. This
level of graffiti removal is limited in scope and restricted only to roadsides and certain
areas in the public rights-of-way. Often times, graffiti is reported in difficult to reach
locations such as trails, beaches or in drainage facilities. Because our current
maintenance contract does not cover these areas, it is staff's responsibility to remove
the graffiti. Further, the FY15-16 budget allocation for graffiti removal is only $4,500
and the expenditure of these funds is restricted to buildings and park facilities.
The effort to combat graffiti could be further augmented by the use of new technologies
including smart phone applications that allows staff to take pictures of graffiti that are
then entered into a data base with GPS coordinates. The system then generates an
electronic work order that is sent to the graffiti removal technician. The images can also
be catalogued and shared with local law enforcement to assist in identifying and
arresting perpetrators.
Expanding existing graffiti operations will require a dedicated roving operation to
proactively address graffiti city-wide. Venco Western, Inc. has proposed to expand its
current level of graffiti -abatement services to provide a Graffiti removal transit van fully
equipped with all the necessary tools to eliminate graffiti regardless of location. Full-
time graffiti abatement services by Venco will cost approximately $200,000 annually.
As an alternative, a consideration could be made for another graffiti abatement
contractor, Graffiti Protective Coatings (GPC), who has serviced the City of Torrance for
the past 10 years. They offer new technology with smart -phone applications to
proactively combat graffiti. The City of Torrance highly recommends GPC and
according to the City's Facilities Services Manager, "GPC has provided excellent
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Enhancing Parks and Open Space Operations and Maintenance
July 21, 2015
Page 4
service at competitive prices". GPC is proactive, seeks out and removes graffiti before
it's reported. They offer a smart phone app and a graffiti hotline. Their average
response time for removal has been less than 24 -hours. City of Torrance's contract for
graffiti abatement is approximately $200,000 annually.
City of Torrance is receiving a high service -level from GPC which funds a full crew, 5
days a week, with emergency weekend call —outs at no additional cost. GPC currently
has contracts providing full-time services with the Cities of Torrance, Compton, Long
Beach and Tustin, to name a few.
Although, we cannot justify paying for full-time graffiti abatement services because we
do not generate large volumes of graffiti calls, we can, however, in accordance with the
City's purchasing ordinance, utilize the procurement process of the City of Torrance to
enter into an agreement for a cost that is relative to our volume of graffiti in an amount
of approximately $75,000 annually. This would be the most efficient and cost effective
way to start the services quickly.
Recreation and Parks Staffing Enhancement Proposal
While increased trash and graffiti removal is essential to improving the quality of the
City's parks, increasing staff levels would also enhance the City's ability to pro -actively
improve operations and better manage the City's existing park and open space
resources. This preventative approach would help protect and maintain the City's
popular recreation assets. Added staff would perform the following roles: augment
Public Works role by picking up overflow trash and cleaning -up graffiti, enforce park
rules, educate the public about appropriate use of parks and open space areas, curb
vandalism, increase staffed park hours especially during peak hours of operation, and
provide higher levels of responsiveness to public complaints and concerns. Along with
increasing staff, Recreation Staff will continue to look to expand its popular park clean-
up days and volunteer programs (currently at 1,598 hours in the first six months of
2015). Additionally, increased staffing hours and the use of roaming staff could reduce
or eliminate the current practice of using a contractor to open and close certain park
gates and public restrooms.
Increasing staffing levels could also assist with staffing parks on holidays when the
parks are typically closed. Regularly staffed parks are currently unstaffed on the
following days: Thanksgiving, December 24 and 25, and January 1. The staffing
increases listed below would be sufficient to allow for staffing on those days. As an
alternative that would allow more part-time staff to enjoy the holidays with their families,
a single roaming staff person could open up park gates and bathrooms in the morning
and lock them up in the evening.
Additional staff would also be helpful in implementing and enforcing potential new City
rules such as banning alcohol on the beach (currently permitted), as well as enforcing a
comprehensive ban on smoking at the beach or in City parks. These new rules may
minimize trash in some of the most sensitive beach areas and parks.
The staffing emphasis would be on a) the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve, b) increasing
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Enhancing Parks and Open Space Operations and Maintenance
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Page 5
staffing levels at the City's busiest parks, and c) providing roaming inspection staff at
unstaffed parks. In order to meet the needs of the public and achieve the Council
directive to keep the Parks and Preserve clean and well-maintained, the following
increases to staffing levels are proposed:
Proposed Park/Preserve Staffing Increase
Location/Purpose
Hours
Est. Cost
Palos Verdes Nature Preserve
3,744
$55,000
Roaming Patrol
1,460
$21,000
Eastview Park
3,650
$54,000
Hesse Park
1,100
$16,000
Abalone Cove
2,184
$32,000
Ladera Linda Park
760
$11,000
Robert Ryan Park
760
$11,000
Sub -total
13,658
$200,000
Start -Up Equipment Su plies
$50,000
Annual Equipment/Supplies
$10,000
Equipment/Supplies Subtotal
$60,000
TOTAL
$260,000
The Recreation and Parks FY 15-16 staffing budget (combined full-time and part-
time/salary and benefits) is $1,504,952.00. The proposed $200,000 staffing increase
would increase Recreation and Park's total staffing costs to $1,704,952.00, a 13%
increase.
The following is a site -by -site analysis of the proposed staffing level increase.
Abalone Cove $32,000 (2,184 HR increase in PT staffing)
o An increase in 42 hours a week to the Abalone Cove's staffing levels
would greatly increase the customer service levels. During the peak
hours of the year (Memorial Day to Labor Day) Abalone Cove is staffed
from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. The Parking Lot closes at 4:00 pm and the
Park closes around 9:00 pm (an hour after sunset). Often, staff leave the
facility when there are upwards to 100+ cars still in the parking lot and the
public is in the Park, on the trails and at the beach/tide pools. With the
increased attention on Abalone Cove from social media, not having "eyes"
on the park puts the City at risk and does not allow staff to address trash
issues, vandalism, and the validation of senior/ADA parking. The Council
recently approved a new fee structure at Abalone Cove raising the fees
from a flat rate of $5 to a fluctuating fee-based time duration. The public
can no longer pay when they arrive at the park, but must wait until they
leave to pay. This will present issues if staff are not available to assist
with technical issue with the pay station. In addition, when staff leave at
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July 21, 2015
Page 6
4:00 pm, the main pay machine is locked and the only way to pay is via
debit/credit card at the exit gate. This increase in staffing levels would
allow for increased presence during the summer, weekends and peak
hours. Educating the public on the Marine Protected Areas (MPA),
dangers of rough surf and addressing vandalism/graffiti would now be
greatly enhanced with the added staffing levels.
• Palos Verdes Nature Preserve/Open Space Staff $55,000 (3,744 Part-time
staffing hours)
o The Palos Verdes Nature Preserve is one of the great sources of
community pride in Rancho Palos Verdes. Monitoring and maintaining
this 1,450 acre jewel is a tremendous challenge. The efforts of the
PVPLC, MRCA Park Rangers, Volunteer Trail Watch, Volunteers on
Patrol and others are too be commended. Assigning trained, designated
Recreation and Parks part-time staff who could immediately clean-up
graffiti, remove trash, educate the public, coordinate with Public Works,
MRCA, PVPLC and other agencies, and enforce Preserve rules
potentially utilizing citation authority would have a tremendous
preventative impact. The additional hours listed above would cover two
part-time staff on weekends at eight hours per day, and one staff on
weekdays -eight hours per day. Like the MRCA rangers, staff could focus
their efforts and time on different open space areas as needed and be
immediately responsive to reports of vandalism, homeless encampments,
graffiti and other problems.
Roaming Staff $21,000 (1,460 Part-time staffing hours)
o Roaming staff would travel between various park sites to perform a variety
of tasks including: performing inspections, assist Public Works in picking
up excess trash, educating the public and enforcing park rules, and
completing work orders. Roaming staff would focus on unstaffed parks
such as Del Cerro, Clovercliff, Marilyn Ryan Sunset Point Park, and
Vanderlip as well as scenic pull -offs vista points such as the ones near
City Hall and Abalone Cove. They would also assist with trash pickup
and enforcement at staffed parks such as Hesse Park, Ryan Park, Ladera
Linda and Abalone Cove as needed and especially on peak periods such
as weekends and holidays. Roaming staff could also help monitor the
resident- only parking spaces located adjacent to Del Cerro Park. The
hours listed above would cover 1 staff for four hours per day year-round.
• Eastview Park $54,000 (3,650 Part-time staffing hours)
o Eastview Park, at 10 acres, is the City's largest park on the East side of
the City. The park is open from dawn to dusk and is not staffed. There
have been reports from residents and observations by staff of trash,
vandalism, homeless encampments and park rules violations including
moon bounces and dogs off leash. Adding park staff at Eastview for an
average of 10 hours per day (more on weekends, holidays, summer and
less on non -Summer weekdays) would have a significant impact on these
14
Enhancing Parks and Open Space Operations and Maintenance
July 21, 2015
Page 7
issues. In addition, staff could also check out park equipment to park
visitors and lead park activities. A modular staff building would be
necessary with electrical connections and modest storage. A restroom is
already available on site.
Hesse Park $16,000 (1,100 HR increase in PT staffing)
o This increase would allow for an additional Recreation staff person to be
utilized during the weekends, summer and other peak periods as needed.
Currently, only one PT staff is scheduled at Hesse Park, unless there is a
rental or Council/Planning commission meeting. Staff are often not able
to walk the park to interact with the public, address trash issues, service
the restrooms, and assist the public with questions about the facility, such
as rental space and programs. When staff need to leave the office,
phone calls are forwarded to voicemail and no one is able to assist walk-in
customers. Staff are often not able to provide quick responses and
preventative actions to address day to day issues that arise.
Ladera Linda Park $11,000 (760 Part-time staffing hours)
o Ladera Linda Park is currently staffed M/W/F/Sat/Sun 1:00 am to 5:00 prr
during the school year and M -F 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm and Sat/Sun 10:00
am to 5:00 pm during the summer. This results in approximately 75 days
when the park is potentially not staffed and a majority of days when the
park is only staffed for four hours. The hours above would allow the park
to be staffed five hours a day Mon -Friday and seven hours a day Sat/Sun
year round. Park staff received numerous reports of trash, vandalism,
crime and safety concerns, especially during the Master Plan process.
This increase in staffing would be a preventative measure designed to
both make the park more accessible to the visiting public, but also a safer
and better maintained environment
Ryan Park $11,000 (760 additional Part-time staffing hours)
Robert Ryan Park, the original park in Rancho Palos Verdes, is a popular,
well -attended park. The park is currently only open during the summer
from 10am-dusk every day and during the school year from 12 noon to
dusk Monday through Friday and from 10am to dusk Saturday to Sunday.
Staff has received numerous requests that Ryan Park be opened earlier to
accommodate parents and caretakers of young children who like to visit
parks and playgrounds early in the morning. The proposed staffing
increase would allow the park to be open from 9:00 am to dusk year round.
Staff would also have additional time to inspect the park, perform minor
safety and aesthetic repairs, pick up trash, interact with the public and
enforce park rules.
• Equipment/Training Start Up Expenses $50,000 Annual Expenses
$10,000
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Enhancing Parks and Open Space Operations and Maintenance
July 21, 2015
Page 8
o Start-up equipment and training will be needed including rental of a
modular staff building for Eastview Park Staff, a truck for Preserve staff,
miscellaneous supplies and tools, uniforms, citation training, etc.
o Annual budget of equipment and supplies for additional staff estimated at
$10,000/year
CONCLUSION
Traditionally, we would propose other alternatives to the City Council. However, in this
case, we were asked to come back with a proposal that thoroughly addresses the trash,
maintenance, and graffiti issues. We explored other possibilities, but we believe this
proposal will successfully address the issues we face.
FISCAL IMPACT
The fiscal impact would be a combined $419,212 consisting of $159,212 for the Public
Works Trash/Recycling/ Graffiti proposal; and $260,000 for Recreation and Parks
increased staffing and operating supplies proposal. A FY 15-16 budget adjustment
increase to the Recreation and Parks Part-time staffing budget and Operating Supplies
would be necessary. A FY 15-16 budget adjustment increase to the Public Works Right
of Way Roadside Maintenance, Parks and Median Maintenance, and City-wide Graffiti
programs would also be necessary. Funding would come from the City's General Fund.
Approving these proposed increases would result in a FY 15-16 budget structural
imbalance of $305,851 based on the June 16, 2015 Budget Staff Report, which showed
a surplus of $113,361. If City Council approves the recommended increases, staff
would recommend returning at a later date with a full budget analysis to bring the
budget back into balance.
Attachments:
Draft Resolution No. 2015- ;
16
RESOLUTION NO. 2015-
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RANCHO PALOS
VERDES, AMENDING RESOLUTION 2015-47, THE BUDGET APPROPRIATION
FOR FY 15-16, TO ADUST THE BUDGET IN THE GENERAL FUND.
WHEREAS, Section 3.32 of the Rancho Palos Verdes Municipal Code provides that all
expenditures in excess of budgeted allocations must be by supplemental appropriation of the
City Council: and
WHEREAS, on June 16, 2015, the City Council of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes
adopted Resolution 2015-47; approving a spending plan and appropriating a budget for FY 15-
16: and
WHEREAS, on July 21, 2015 the City Council direct Staff to approve a proposal to
expand the City-wide Public Works Department trash and graffiti removal program and
also expand the Recreation and Parks Department staffing presence at specified park
sites and the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve: and
BE IT, THEREFORE, RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RANCHO
PALOS VERDES:
The following adjustments are made to the FY 15-16 budget:
General Fund
Street Maint. Medians 202-3003-431-43-00 $51,840
Parks, Trails and Open Space 101-3009-431-43-00 $32,732
Building Maintenance Service 101-3008-431-43-00 $75,000
Recreational Facilities/Operating Supplies 101-5030-451-61-00 $60,000
Recreational Facilities PT Salary and Wages 101-5030-451-12-00 $171,000
Recreational Facilities PT Benefits 101-5030-451-29-00 $29,000
Employee Benefits Interfund Revenue
Employee Benefits PERS Expenditure
Employee Benefits FICA Expenditure
Verified by Finance:
685-1015-381-30-00 $29,000
685-1015-499-23-00 $24,500
685-1015-499-22-00 $4,500
PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED THIS 21st DAY OF JULY 2015.
Mayor
ATTEST:
City Clerk
State of California )
County of Los Angeles )ss
17
City of Rancho Palos Verdes
I, Carla Morreale, City Clerk of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes, hereby certify that the above
Resolution No. 2015- was duly and regularly passed and adopted by the said City Council at a
regular meeting thereof held on July 21, 2015.
City Clerk
Resolution No. 2015 -
Page 2 of 2
Matt Waters
From:
Cory Linder
Sent:
Tuesday, July 21, 2015 12:42 PM
To:
Nicole Jules
Cc:
Daniel Trautner; Matt Waters
Subject:
FW: Enhancing parks and open space operations and maintenance
fyi
From: Doug Willmore
Sent: Tuesday, July 21, 2015 12:36 PM
To: Cory Linder
Subject: FW: Enhancing parks and open space operations and maintenance
From: E Cicoria [mailto:cicoriae@aol.com]
Sent: Tuesday, July 21, 2015 12:27 PM
To: CC
Subject: Enhancing parks and open space operations and maintenance
Mayor Knight, Mayor ProTem Brooks, and Councilmembers Campbell, Duhovic, and Misetich,
I was elated to see that City staff has so promptly come up with a plan to address some of the problems we are seeing
(and reporting) at our parks, beaches and preserve lands. While I am generally supportive, I want to bring to your
attention some concerns I have and some suggestions for considering alternative approaches
Trash Collection
Eliminating trash pick up at hard to reach places such as our beaches is a terrible idea. These are some of the most
problematic areas and trash in these areas currently sits for days and weeks, unsightly, pecked at by wildlife, and often
washed into the sea by the tides. Staffs proposal will exacerbate the problem. Staff proposes the adoption of a public
outreach process to encourage a "pack it in, pack it out" mentality. If only it were so simple. It is possible that with
increased staffing in the right places, this could work, but we have seen this "public outreach" process fail time and time
again. Unless you propose to have a full-time staff person (overtime, actually, during summer months) at remote
locations such as Sacred Cove (aka Smuggler's Cove), I foresee an increase in trash left behind and degradation of our
beach and ocean environment. (Note that the proposal for enhanced staffing at Abalone Cove seems to focus on the
Shoreline Park area and being available to deal with parking payment issues, not roaming other more remote areas.)
We need to "think outside the box" and find other solutions. Here is one possibility:
When I served on the committee that provided input regarding Abalone Cove Shoreline Park improvements, I raised the
concern regarding trash pickup at the park. Committee members shared the concern that trails not be the width of
roads. So, how were trash trucks going to access trash cans for removal? I asked about the possibility of using a smaller
motorized vehicle designed for such purpose. That was outside of the realm of our work at the time, so the question went
unaddressed.
It seems to me that it is time for the City to consider purchasing equipment to pick up trash from trash cans on our trails
and beaches. We should analyze whether it would be less expensive if trash pickup at these remote locations were done
by City staff, instead of by a private waste hauling company. Perhaps, with the right equipment, City staff could deliver
trash to a central location to later be collected by a contracted waste hauling company. Alternatively, perhaps there is a
waste hauler who has experience in remote areas. Marina is doing a terrible job in remote areas.
Graffiti Removal
1 19
With the adoption of the Volunteer Trail Watch program, reports of graffiti have been on the rise, not only within the
Preserve, which is the program's focus, but in parks, on roadways, and on beaches, because we (the VTW
members) pass through these areas on "watch". Thus, we are reporting more, not only to PVPLC but to the City as
well. Perhaps City staff is receiving more reports of graffiti from others also. What is the status of the Sheriff program for
Volunteers on Patrol in our City? Is that a possibility for addressing graffiti? I am unfamiliar with how the City of Torrance
program works to "seek out" graffiti and remove it before it is reported, so Staff's recommendation in this case may be the
best we can do. 1 am glad the recommendation was not limited to "public outreach".
Recreation and Parks Staffing Enhancement
In general, I support the proposal. It is costly and there appears to be some overlap between the recommendations for
graffiti removal and for staff enhancement to address trash collection and graffiti removal. There also didn't seem to be
much focus on staff presence to address safety issues, but perhaps that is assumed to be a staff responsibility. In any
case, there is no question that a greater presence is necessary to both educate the public and to provide a presence
that the public perceives as increasing the likelihood that they will be cited if they violate city ordinances.
My primary concern with the staff enhancement recommendation is at Abalone Cove. The staff focus at this location --a
City park, beach, and preserve --needs to go beyond the pay stations and addressing payment issues. If the latter is their
charge, they won't roam far from the payment station and will do little to elevate the public's behavior or to increase the
perception that the City enforces its ordinances.
Sincerely,
Eva Cicoria
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