REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
DATE: 08/21/2024
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Public Works Department
SUBJECT:
Title
COUNCIL MEMBER DADDARIO REQUESTED AN UPDATE ON THE STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECT AT GARRETSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This report is a future agenda item request from Council member Daddario to understand the cost share metric for the street improvements at Garretson Elementary School.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the City Council provide feedback and direction on the cost share metric for the street improvement project at Garretson Elementary School.
Body
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
In September 2021 a complaint was received from a resident about the school traffic at Garretson Elementary School. For the next two years, Traffic Engineering staff from the Public Works Department, in coordination with personnel from the Police Department, had several follow-up meetings with staff from Garretson Elementary School and Corona-Norco Unified School District (CNUSD) on various options.
CNUSD in partnership with the City’s Public Works Department hired Kimley Horn and Associates, Inc. to perform a circulation study. The results of the study were presented to the City Council at a Study Session on September 20, 2023. Council provided direction to staff to widen Garretson Avenue to improve circulation at the elementary school. The improvements would be optimal only if the improvements to the front and back parking lot were done at the same time. Therefore, staff continued to work with CNUSD to develop an agreement for a fair-share cost and an overall scope for the project. On April 9, 2024, CNUSD staff and City staff met and discussed the following regarding the project to improve the circulation around Garretson Elementary School.
• The City of Corona will be the lead on the project.
• CNUSD will fund its fair share of costs for design and construction on school property.
• The State Architect is required to review and approve the project plans.
• Construction will begin in summer of 2026 when school is not in session.
• CNUSD will not schedule summer programs during summer of 2026.
ANALYSIS:
The project’s current cost estimate is approximately $2 million. The City’s fair share amount is $1.6 million and CNUSD’s fair-share estimate is $413,000. These costs include both design and construction and were calculated based on the amount of the project taking place in the City right of way and on the school’s property, respectively. The respective amounts were based on the initial engineer’s cost estimate where the city would be responsible for the proposed improvements on the public right of way and CNUSD would fund the improvement on the school property.
The agreement is currently in development and will be brought to City Council when it’s near finalized between the City and CNUSD staff. The City is currently targeting construction to begin summer of 2026, but could be delayed to the summer of 2027 based upon funding priorities, staff resources, and coordination with CNUSD.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated with this action.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This action is exempt pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which states that a project is exempt from CEQA if the activity is covered by the general rule that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA. This action is an update on street improvements at Garretson Elementary School and to reaffirm moving forward with the project. Since there is no possibility that this action will have a significant effect on the environment, no environmental analysis is required.
PREPARED BY: SAVAT KHAMPHOU, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
Attachments:
1. Exhibit 1 - Presentation