TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Daniel C. Hernandez, Department Director
(568-2461)
Contact Info: Erik Axelson, Deputy Parks Director (681-5651)
SUBJECT: Allocation of $8,000 from the South Coast West
Quimby Fee Agency Fund for
Conversion of the Existing Restroom Facility on the Goleta Beach Pier
to a Community Multi-
Purpose Marine Center; Second Supervisorial District
| Recommended Actions: That the Board of Supervisors approve
a budget revision to appropriate $8,000 from the South Coast West Quimby
Fee Agency Fund (#1400) for renovations to the existing substandard restroom
facility on the Goleta Beach Pier to convert it into a community multi-purpose
marine center. |
Summary Text: The Parks Department has been approached
by the United Pier and Shore Anglers of California (UPSAC) with a proposal
to convert and reuse the antiquated, substandard restroom on the Goleta
Beach Pier as a multi-purpose marine center that will provide multiple
benefits to the community. UPSAC is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated
to providing angler education and community outreach. The proposed community
center would be used by UPSAC for teaching fishing skills and appreciation,
mitigating angler environmental impacts, community outreach, and to enhance
pier security and maintenance.
The total cost of the renovations to convert this restroom facility
to the community center is estimated at $8,000. It is recommended that
$8,000 be allocated from the South Coast West Quimby Fee Agency Fund for
this project. The Park Commission approved this funding request at its
July 26, 2007 meeting.
Background: Goleta Beach Pier is a 1,500-foot-long
recreational pier that is the centerpiece of the County’s most heavily
used beach park, Goleta Beach. The pier provides areas for fishing as well
as a hoist used to launch fishing boats and other watercraft.
The restroom located on the pier is an antiquated structure of substandard
condition, which has been an eyesore for many years. In fact, this facility
is the last non-plumbed, chemical holding tank restroom on the entire California
coast. Modern restroom facilities at the base of the pier and at other
locations in the park obviate the need for this deteriorating facility.
Parks staff has been approached by the United
Pier and Shore Anglers of California (UPSAC)
with a proposal to convert and reuse the pier restroom structure as a community
multi-purpose marine center. UPSAC is a private, nonprofit organization
which provides educational programs for anglers and community outreach
activities. The proposed community center would be staffed by UPSAC and
utilized for teaching fishing skills and appreciation, mitigating angler
environmental impacts (e.g., use
of environmentally-friendly tackle, non-lead
sinkers, etc.), community outreach, and to enhance pier security and maintenance.
Goleta Beach Park is notable for attracting
a significant percentage (up to 35%, according to recent surveys) of low
income, Hispanic families with at-risk youth, and also for being a common
destination for developmentally-disabled children and adults. Both of these
demographic groups would benefit from UPSAC’s proposed community and marine
center. School groups would also be invited to participate in the programs
offered at the marine center. In addition, the center will also help serve
a significant number of existing anglers at the park who already fish from
the pier. |
The total cost of the renovations necessary
to convert this dilapidated restroom facility to the community marine center
is estimated at $8,000. It is recommended that $8,000 be allocated from
the South Coast West Quimby Fee Agency Fund to complete this project. The
recommended funding will support the renovation of the restroom structure
into a center that will be a showpiece for the County Parks system. The
Park Commission approved this funding request at its July 26, 2007 meeting.
| In addition to funding the restroom conversion,
the Park Commission also recommended that a portable toilet be located
at the end of the pier to serve pier users and anglers. The Commission
felt that some provision should be made to replace the existing restroom
facility as a matter of convenience for the public who no longer will have
access to restroom facilities on the pier. The portable toilet can
be provided on a contracted basis at a relatively minor cost (approximately
$1,400 per year in FY 2007-08 and $1,800 per year on an annualized basis),
which includes maintenance and disposal services. The portable toilet will
be funded out of the Parks Department’s current operating budget. |
Narrative: The requested funding ($8,000) is available in the
South Coast West Quimby Fee Agency Fund (#1400). Use of South Coast West
Quimby fee funds is restricted to park or recreational facilities within
the South Coast West Quimby and Development Fee Demand Area. The current
combined balance in the South Coast West Quimby and Development Fee Agency
Funds is $446,976. Approval of this request will reduce the balance in
these two Funds to $438,976.
A portable toilet to replace the converted pier restroom can be provided
on a contract basis at a cost of $1,400 per year in FY 2007-08 and $1,800
per year on an annualized basis. This can be funded from the existing Parks
Department operating budget.
Authored by:
Erik Axelson, Deputy Parks Director (681-5651)
Note: The idea to decommission the former restrooms
and convert them to a community mult-purpose room was originally suggested
by Larry Austin, Head Ranger, Goleta Beach County Park and his assistant,
Ranger Paul Voyen. I remain indebted to them for their foresight.
|
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