TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
FROM: ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER
DATE: JANUARY 10, 2004
SUBJECT: SUPPLEMENTAL STAFF REPORT RE: GRANT APPLICATION FOR OUTDOOR HISTORY MUSEUM AT LOWER POINT VICENTE PARK
Management of the Grant
In the original staff report prepared for this item, staff reported that following meetings with the Docents and the Land Conservancy about the grant application, the Land Conservancy decided to not participate as a joint applicant in the grant request. Because of the number of other major projects and commitments that the Conservancy is current involved in, the Executive Director indicated to staff that participation in the grant as a joint applicant would not be worthwhile for the Conservancy unless they managed the grant and had a significant guarantee of directing the project. However, the President of the Los Serenos de Point Vicente Docents has expressed a strong desire to retain the Palos Verdes Land Conservancy as part of the joint grant application in order to improve its chances for state approval. Given this situation, staff has identified the following three alternatives for the Council’s consideration:
| Alternative |
Description |
Pros |
Cons |
| 1. City and Docents as joint applicants. |
The City would act as the lead agency, manage the grant implementation and coordinate the reimbursement of funds from the state. |
The City could still subcontract with the Conservancy to provide the habitat restoration associated with the project and consultation services regarding the proposed interpretive outdoor displays. |
The Land Conservancy would not participate as a joint grant applicant, which may weaken its chances for approval. |
| 2. Land Conservancy, City and Docents as joint applicants. |
The Conservancy would act at the lead agency, manage the grant implementation and coordinate the reimbursement of funds from the state. |
The Conservancy could be designated in the application as the entity that will provide the habitat restoration, as well as taking the lead in developing and implementing the outdoor displays. |
The City would relinquish control of the funds and would assume a smaller roll in the development and implementation of the project. |
| 3. Do not apply for the grant. |
N/A |
None |
A potential source of funding for the proposed Outdoor History Museum would forfeited. |
Conceptual Project Site Plan
In preparing the grant application, the Docents initially took the lead to develop a conceptual project site plan, which is attached for the Council’s information. The Docent’s plan established the minimum size requirements for each of the grant components:
- 2 acres for the Tongva Gathering Area
- ½ acre for the Geology Area
- ¼ acre for the Archeological Dig Site
However, this initial plan also included a minimum of 4 acres of Coastal Sage Scrub habitat, as well as trail improvements in the upper portion of the site surrounding the dry farming area.
The initial plan has been modified, based on the input from Council last Tuesday night to maintain maximum future land use flexibility in the upper portion of the site and is attached for the Council’s review. While the minimum sizes of the exhibit areas have been maintained, the three outdoor exhibits have been clustered in the area of the site north of the existing museum complex. In addition to leaving the upper area open to future land use options, this modification would also improve the continuity between the three outdoor exhibit areas when tours are led through them, as well as increases the City’s ability to secure these outdoor displays when the public park is closed. The habitat restoration has been removed from the upper portion of the site and, instead, a maximum of 3 acres of habitat restoration area would be provided in the open areas between the outdoor displays and along the bluff top adjacent to the existing museum complex. In addition, the trail improvements in the upper portion of the site have been replaced with a conceptual trail network interconnecting the exhibits with the existing museum building and main parking lot. It is staff’s understanding that the Docents have no objection to this revised site plan, for the purposes of applying for the state grant.
Respectfully submitted:
Carolynn Petru
Assistant City Manager
Attachments:
Conceptual Project Site Plans