CC MIN 04122022 - Laserfiche WebLink

Councilmember Arkin commended the project as being an amenity to the community and for its beautiful design. She advised this was the top response as a priority in the recent community survey. She encouraged grant funding and encouraged moving forward with the requested $100,000 for continued design. Councilmember Arkin inquired if the dais was interested in going out for a bond to help fund the playground and the many other community amenities to be discussed tonight in the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). She noted the City does not have the funds to build all it wants to but the aggregate total of$50 million would not be a large bond for a City of Pleasanton's size. Councilmember Balch advised this is an amenity the community needs but noted the City has to stay within its means. He supported learning more about a bond possibility and noted this project lends itself well to construction phasing. He encouraged grants and noted spending the $100,000 for additional design now would not be well-spent if the design is going to be stale in 2-3 years. Councilmember Testa commended the project but cautioned moving forward now is not prudent. She reported a capital project bond was discussed in the past and received poor community support. She advised the past bond discussion only saw high support for increasing the Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT). She encouraged corporate sponsorship of the playground. Mayor Brown commended the proposed facility but noted as it has continuously grown it became more expensive than expected. She noted that all-abilities elements have been incorporated into playgrounds City-wide. She agreed with Councilmember Narum to open discussions with Three Valleys and other similar organizations. She noted some areas of the design, like the picnic area, are duplicated from other locations near the site. She called for future design discussions to include more options. In response to Mayor Brown, Councilmember Narum clarified her motion was to approve the draft of the All-Abilities Playground Master Plan but to not move forward with any more spending. She clarified she would be open to amending her motion to direct staff to investigate opening a donation fund. Councilmember Arkin approved the modifications to the motion. In response to Councilmember Arkin, Assistant Director Crose reported design costs would likely increase in the future. She confirmed they can fund the $100,000 in requested design costs without funding the project. Councilmember Arkin implored her peers to approve the design funding, citing the project's importance to the community and ability to phase construction. She noted a value engineering study may also be needed in the future given the playground's cost. Councilmember Narum disagreed with the funding due to the risk of the design being stale in a couple of years when the time comes for bidding and noted ADA rules regularly change. She advised they could also revisit the $100,000 during discussion of Item 5, noting the playground is a wonderful complement to the Sunflower Hill project. Interim City Manager Dolan advised the City Council would have to go forward with the additional design if there is an interest in phasing the project. He advised it would allow for the study of what may be more achievable in the short term. In response to Mayor Brown, Interim City Manager Dolan confirmed staff has heard value engineering should be part of the discussion moving forward with the project's design. City Council Minutes Page 3 of 18 April 12, 2022