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• BACKGROUND As indicated above, the City Council has allocated funding for the Bernal Community Park, Phase II Lighted Multi-Purpose Sports Fields and the Oak Woodland area with the expectation that additional funding will be provided through cooperative arrangement with the sports groups that will use the park most heavily. At the time this matter was presented to the Commission in August 2012, there was uncertainty regarding the inclusion of the 38-acre Oak Woodland area, however, the City Council's funding allocation assumes full development of this area. Notwithstanding this matter, staff and the project landscape architect, Harris Design, remain focused on the project budget in an effort to assure that both the park and the Oak Woodlands area will be developed with the amenities needed to assure programming efficiency and with the understanding that additional amenities may need to be added at some time after the initial critical amenities are constructed. A project summary budget is attached to this report. The Oak Woodland area is the grand open space at the heart of the Bernal property. Occupying nearly 40 acres immediately west of the developed Phase 1 and Phase 2 park areas, the Oak Woodland will provide a passive open space not found in many city parks. This area generally adheres to the 800-foot buffer for the homes on Oak Vista Way. The foundation for the design is the transformation of an existing, level agricultural field into an undulating natural landscape populated with native trees, shrubs, grasses, and wildflowers. Native plant communities to be introduced include Valley grassland, Valley Woodland, and Valley Foothill Riparian. There will be no irrigated ornamental landscape in the Oak Woodland. The Oak Woodland is also a place for people. There will be an extensive network of pathways that provide a variety of experiences. The pathway system has a three-part hierarchy. There is a continuous, multi-use perimeter path that circumnavigates the open space, a creek walk path, and paths that will provide access from both Phase 1 and Phase 2 to the residential neighborhood to the west. The pathways provide a sequence of experiences as one travels along them. Pedestrian park entrances will be provided at three locations along Oak Vista Way. The entrances will include small plazas with seating areas and informational and identification signage. Site drainage will be directed to the long, narrow swale (shown in blue) which will filter out pollutants and assist with ground water recharge. There are ample opportunities to place public art in the Oak Woodland. The artwork could create focal points at key locations terminating the strong view corridors that the plan for Phase 2 has created. In this way the more developed park will be visually tied to the less developed natural area. An interpretive area will occupy the southeast corner of the Oak Woodland. It will include nature trails, group gathering areas, and interpretive signage. The area will be suitable for docent-led tours, and for educational field trips. Page 2