A VERY Busy Week Ahead In Costa Mesa

LACE UP YOUR RUNNING SHOES!
OK, listen-up!  Next week, beginning on Saturday, is going to be a very busy time in Costa Mesa.  Here's a brief rundown of official events happening in our fair city.  I'll cover each in detail with individual reports.  Here goes...

SATURDAY, MARCH 11, 2017

 Groundbreaking Ceremony for Fire Station #1
At 10:30 a.m. there will be a groundbreaking ceremony for the re-build of Fire Station #1 at the site at the corner of Royal Palm and Adams Avenue.  Here's the announcement:

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MONDAY, MARCH 13, 2017

Planning Commission meets for a regular meeting
The Costa Mesa Planning Commission meets beginning at 6:00 p.m. in City Council Chambers for a meeting that includes three (3) public hearings - all small lot developments.  Read the agenda HERE.

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TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017

New Senior Commission Meets For The First Time
The Costa Mesa Senior Commission meets at 9:00 a.m. at the Costa Mesa Senior Center, 695 W. 19th Street, for the first meeting of this re-constituted group.  The business on the agenda, HERE, is to elect officers of this new group, then apparently have a presentation on the Goals and Objectives.

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Special City Council Meeting at the Hilton Hotel

The Costa Mesa City Council will meet in a very special meeting offsite at which they will discuss Goals and Objectives.  This meeting will be held at the Hilton Hotel, 3050 Bristol Street, Costa Mesa in the Bristol Room 1 beginning at 4:00 p.m. and run until an unknown hour.  This is Mayor Katrina Foley's idea - a team-building exercise at which the council members can present their individual ideas for the near and long-term future of the city.  The agenda, such as it is, may be viewed HERE.  Because this is a scheduled meeting, the public is welcome to attend and will be permitted to comment for three (3) minutes, although the actual schedule shows only 10 minutes will be provided to the public to comment.

According to rookie Councilman John Stephens, this event will be facilitated by a consultant who will have already met individually with council members.  According to Stephens, the City will validate parking for residents who attend this meeting.  I'm thinking this will certainly be worth the price of admission and find myself wondering if boxing gloves will be available for council members.

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Police and Community Forum - Vanguard University
Costa Mesa Police Chief Rob Sharpnack, in conjunction with Mika Community Development and Vanguard University, invites Costa Mesa residents to attend a Town Hall at which Sharpnack will discuss the state of the police department, Costa Mesa crime statistics and community safety, with a Q&A portion.  This event begins at 6:30 p.m. on the Vanguard University campus, Heath Academic Center (#26 on the above site plan) in Room 109.

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15, 2017

Parks and Recreation Commission Study Session
The new Costa Mesa Parks and Recreation Commission will hold a Study Session, HERE - the first such meeting I can remember for this commission - beginning at 6:00 p.m. in Conference Room 1A at City Hall in which they will discuss the Open Space Master Plan of Parks and Recreation, HERE, and provide direction to staff on updating that 14-year old document.  Public Comments will be taken at the beginning of this meeting, limited to two (2) minutes per speaker.

PHEW!

It's going to be a very busy week, indeed.

City Council Agenda for December 6th

 COULD BE A SHORT MEETING
The agenda for the Costa Mesa City Council meeting to be held on Tuesday, December 6, 2016 beginning at 5:45 p.m. in City Council Chambers at City Hall was posted Thursday afternoon.  You can read that agenda HERE.  A quick look at that agenda leads us to believe this may be a very short meeting.  Beyond the Consent Calendar, there is only one business item to be heard. We'll see.

MAYOR'S AWARD TO JIM JORDAN
First up on the agenda is the Mayor's Award, this time to Jim Jordan and creator of the Snoopy House that will be launched at City Hall on December 10th.  This seems like a worthy presentation for what may be Steve Mensinger's swan song, but I didn't realize we gave Mayor's Awards to consultants (see below).

CONSENT CALENDAR
After Public Comments and Council Member Comments and the CEO Report the council will consider the Consent Calendar.  As you know, I've griped about this segment for a long time, primarily because there seem to be issues on the Consent Calendar that would be more properly part of the open agenda.  Such is the case this time around.  This Consent Calendar has 15 entries!  I'm not going to cover all of them, but let's take them from the top.

SPENDING YOUR MONEY
Item #2 is Warrant 2567, HERE, and, as always, there are items of interest to us all.  I won't try to cover all of them, but here are a few that caught my eye.  I present them in order as they appear on the Warrant, so if you want a peek at them, and other items, just go to that link and scroll down:

• Civil Source - $42,112.00 - CIP Proj. Staff Support, Sept. 16
• Complete Landscape Care, Inc - $58,891.00 - Landscape Maint. Oct. 16
• Jones & Mayer - $74,214.22 - Legal Services, Yellowstone
• Travel Costa Mesa - $209,756.88 - BIA Receipts for Sept. 2016
• C3 Technology Services - $9,081.28 - Sharp Television and more
• James R. Jordan - $8,250.00 - Snoopy House Design Consulting
• Johnson Favaro LLP - $204,185.00 - Library/NCC Design 9/16-10/14
• Keolis Transit Services LLC - $49,447.68 - Senior Transport
• Liebert Cassidy Whitmore - $6,142.50 - Legal, CMCEA/Fire Negotiations
• Management Partners Inc. - $10,788.75 - Consulting Svcs DS 10/1-10/14

74 GRAND FOR YELLOWSTONE

A couple notes... That Jones & Mayer amount is for ONE case - Yellowstone - and represents about 25% of a typical monthly bill from them.  We'll see what the warrant looks like the next time around.

JORDAN A CONSULTANT?
It's interesting that we're apparently paying Jim Jordan - the gentleman who is receiving the Mayor's Award - as a consultant.  I've seen other payments to him in the past.

ANOTHER PILE OF CASH TO ARCHITECTS
And, we've paid Johnson Favaro another couple hundred grand for their work on the Library/NCC project.

MANY, MANY CONSULTANTS... AND STILL NOT ENOUGH
And, I didn't list them all, but this warrant has tens of thousands of dollars spent on consultants for a whole list of things - Plan Check, Building Inspection, etc.  More on this later.

FOR EXAMPLE...
Item #4, HERE, is the Emergency Purchase request for Professional Inspection Services.  Apparently we have so much Commercial building going on in the city that we don't have enough inspectors - staff or consultants - to meet the demand.  The cost for these services will be covered by unpaid salaries of vacant positions.

AND...
Similarly, on Item #5, HERE, is the request for contract change orders for two consulting firms currently working for us increasing the contracts by a combined $750,000!  Earlier the staff asked for, and received, authorization to spend $900,000 for Engineering staff support.  According to the staff report, we currently have eleven (11) vacancies in the Engineering and Transportation Divisions, including two Division Manager vacancies.  The council has approved $42 million in Capital Improvement Program (CIP) projects and we have insufficient staff to manage them.  The question here is WHY do we have the vacancies?  The answer may be because the Miscellaneous Employees contract approved earlier this year took them back 3 decades and folks just don't stick around when they can do the same job for more money at other cities.  And, I suspect the toxic work environment imposed by the current council majority may play a part, too.

FINALLY, FIRE STATION #1
Item #6, HERE, is the awarding of the contract to re-construct Fire Station #1 in the amount of $7,767.000.  Finally, this project will get moving!

STEVE'S MEDIAN PROJECT
Item #13, HERE, is the contract for the Median Landscape and Irrigation Improvement Project along Mesa Verde Drive, replacing grass with drought tolerant plants and installing irrigation.  The project cost is $457,737.00.

19TH STREET BIKE TRAIL
Item #14, HERE, is the Cooperative Agreement for the Bicycle Corridor Improvement Program Project - West 19th Street Bicycle Trail.  Two years ago the City secured grant funding in the amount of $1,704,000 for this project.

NEW CODES, PART 2
If nothing is pulled from the Consent Calendar it's likely that we will reach the first and only real piece of business on the agenda, Old Business #1, HERE, well in advance of the 7:00 witching hour.  This is the second reading of the ordinance involving the new California Codes.  The first reading took less than 5 minutes.  This will take 1 minute.

COULD BE AN EARLY NIGHT
So, depending on what gets pulled for discussion from the Consent Calendar, and how many people line up for Public Comments - most will have probably worn themselves out at the Planning Commission meeting on Monday - this could be a VERY short meeting.  We'll see...

HUGE Issues At City Council Tuesday Night

PACE QUICKENING?

Is it just me, or does it seem like the pace is quickening as we slide into the campaign season?  If these early days are indicative, we're going to see some very interesting times between now and November 8th.

FULL AGENDA
Anyhow, the next big event in Costa Mesa is the City Council meeting on Tuesday, June 21, 2016.  Proceedings begin at 5:45 in City Council Chambers, although there is a Closed Session that begins at 5:00, but you and I cannot attend.  You can read the full agenda for this meeting HERE.

NO MAYOR'S AWARD?
For the first time in months there is no Mayor's Award scheduled.  I find myself wondering if Steve has run out of friends... I know... not fair, but then, neither is he if you believe the T-shirts around town.

PUBLIC, COUNCIL AND CEO (MAYBE)

Following the Public Comments, Council Member Comments and - if the mayor remembers - the CEO Report, we get to the Consent Calendar.  These items, as you know, are theoretically "routine" items that can be handled with one vote.  I'm thinking there may be at least one item pulled for separate discussion this time, though.  More on that in a minute.  If so, it will be trailed to the very end of the meeting - a tactic designed by the current power elite to discourage public participation.  There are nine (9) items on the Consent Calendar this time.

A BIG WARRANT
Item #2 is Warrant #2559, HERE.  These are expenditures already made on our behalf.  This time it represents almost $10 million in payments, so you might wish to take a little peek at it.  Here are some of the entries that caught my eye:

LOST IN THE MAIL?  WHAT?
The first four (4) pages show us something I've never seen before in all the years of checking out the Warrants!  It presents nearly $30,000 in items that were either voided or lost in the mail.  Lost in the mail?  What the heck is that all about?  How does that happen?  Did someone steal our outgoing mail?  Moving on...

Apple One Employment Services - $6,023.70 - Temporary Services, various
Stephen M. Mensinger - $2,456.96 - Refund Permit (assume it's for his new mansion)
City of Huntington Beach - $25,900.00 - Helicopter Svcs, April 2016
Clean Streets - $57,291.98 - Street Sweeping, April 2016
Costa Mesa Conference & Visitor Bureau - $451,909.16 - BIA receipts, Feb, March, April 2016
Costa Mesa United - $52,295.24 - Athletic Field Improvement, Estancia
Elasticsearch, Inc - $42,000.00 - 12 mos. Dev. to Gold Consulting ?
Jones &Mayer - $148,489.81 - Legal Services, various.
Liebert Cassidy Whitmore - $64,992.65 - Legal Services, Various
Moore Iacofano Goltsman, Inc - $97,091.80 - GP Update and EIR
Accountemps - $4,527.84 - Temp Svcs, Treasury
Anaheim Regional Medical Center - $9,000.00 - Victim Physicals (9)
Aviation System - $3,500.00 - Prof Svcs Agreement (7)
Benefit Funding Services Group - $6,250.00 - Retirement Plan Consulting, 1/1-3/31/16
CSG Consultants, Inc. - $6,374.66 - Plan Check and Inspection Svcs
Government Staffing Services Inc - $14,698.50 - Temp Svcs, Various
Info Tech Research Group, Inc - $12,935.00 - Membership?
Keyser Marston Assoc. - $2,918.37 - NIP &HTF Consulting
Michael Baker Intl. - $12,907.67 - Consulting Svcs, various
RJM Design Group, Inc. - $9,881.80 - Open Space Master Plan Update
Scientia Consulting Group, Inc. - $2,623.00 - IT Services
Costa Mesa United - $142,032.00 - Improvments, CMHS Gym, NHHS Fence
Johnson Favaro LLP - $28,910.52 - Arch. Des. Plng
Jones &Mayer - $43,145.88 - Dadey, Timothy
Keyser Marston Assoc. - $36.399.75 - NIP & HTF Consult.
San Joaquin Hills Transp. - $241,776.00 - Fees for March, 2016
Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth - $27,590.68 - Legal Svcs, Various
Accountemps - $4,160.48 - Temp Svcs, Treasury
CSG Consultants, Inc. - $1,638.15 - Plan Review Svcs
Fieldman Rolapp &Assoc. - $13,310.04 - GO Bond Election Analysis

On this warrant we find more than $284,000 in legal fees!  And, we continue to rack up consultant services and temporary services at an amazing rate.

EXTENDING CARE AMBULANCE CONTRACT
Item #5, Extend Term of CARE Ambulance Services Agreement, HERE.  Well, this extends this contract out until 2018 - about the time Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer is termed out.  Many in the community think there's something behind his rabid support of this contract when we have a half-dozen expensive Rescue Ambulances being used about half-time.  While CARE Ambulance may be fulfilling their contract terms - that's what the staff report says - the fact that Righeimer refuses to let Chief Dan Stefano implement the deployment model that serves the community best is unconscionable.  None of Righeimer's public utterances hold water, so we wonder if there's more to it.

APPROPRIATIONS LIMIT
Public Hearing #1, HERE, is the adoption of the FY 2016/2017 Appropriations Limit.

THE BUDGET
Public Hearing #2, HERE, is the adoption of the FY 2016/2017 Budget.  This budget represents a reduction of 6.2% from the previous year, most of which comes from a reduction of nearly $10 million in the Capital Budget from the previous year.  It also includes a lot of position juggling which are covered in detail in the various attachments.  One thing I did NOT see was the creation of a Public Affairs Manager for the Costa Mesa Police Department, but perhaps I just missed it in the morass of job title shifting.  If the council does not approve this budget they will have to call a special meeting before the end of the month.

GENERAL PLAN ADOPTION!
Public Hearing #3 is the 2015/2035 General Plan and Final EIR, HERE.  Funny, I get the sense that this process - which has taken nearly 4 years now - still seems rushed.  There's a kind of frenetic rhythm to the process recently which leaves me feeling like things may fall through cracks.  We have already seen uncharacteristic sloppiness in some of the staff work and I'm not sure whether it's at the consultant end, or whether the beleaguered, understaffed staff just has too much on its plate.  Regardless, it's discomforting.  This discussion should be interesting.

NEW SENIOR COMMISSIONER
New Business #1, HERE, is the appointment of a replacement of Stella Adkins on the Costa Mesa Senior Commission.  Her term expires in February, 2019.  Seven individuals applied for this position and their applications may be viewed HERE.  It appears there are some good choices available, including council candidate Lee Ramos, who probably has not yet attended a Senior Commission meeting.

$46 MILLION!
New Business #2, HERE, is the latest iteration of the funding mechanisms for the Lions Park Projects and Fire Station #1.  Suffice it to say that these projects have morphed into something that is hard to get your arms around.  At this point, the current scheme is for a combined project cost of $46,000,000!  To see the details of how this plan plays out read Attachment #1, HERE.  CAUTION:  This is going to make your head hurt!

FAIRVIEW PARK INITIATIVE**
New Business #3, HERE, is the discussion of the processing of the so-called "Save Fairview Park" initiative put forward by the Fairview Park Preservation Alliance.  The signatures have been certified by the Registrar of Voters in sufficient numbers to be placed on the November 8, 2016 ballot.  The council will be asked to accept that certification.

Additionally, the council will be asked to adopt the ordinance immediately, without alteration, or within 10 days after it is presented; or
 Order placement of the measure on the November 8, 2016 ballot; or
 Order a report; or
 Consider providing staff with direction as to the preparation of an alternative measure.
**I spoke with Brenda Green, City Clerk, on this issue.  The council MAY order a report and MAY direct staff to create an alternative measure.  That DOES NOT mean they can refuse to authorize the placement of the existing measure on the ballot.
 
DOES THAT MEAN THEY HAVE A CHOICE?
Now this is the dicey part.  The details of all those items are found on the staff report, but that last one implies that the council COULD choose to NOT place this item on the ballot.  Perhaps I'm reading that wrong, and I'll follow up with the City Staff Monday, because I don't believe they have an option.  They CAN order an alternative measure which would compete with this one, just as they will be doing with the Medical Marijuana issue (see below) and, perhaps, the Smart Growth Initiative.

JUST ADOPT IT, FOR GOODNESS SAKE!
My suggestion would be that they avoid placing this item on the ballot and simply adopt it immediately and save staff time and money.  We'll see what they do.

CITY MEDICAL MARIJUANA INITIATIVE

The final item on the agenda is New Business #4, HERE, is the consideration of a City Initiative Petition regarding Medical Marijuana Business.  As many know, there are already two competing Medical Marijuana initiatives qualified for the November 8, 2016 ballot.  The City has already authorized that action.  This measure will compete with those items and allow the city to manage this kind of business.  If the voters pass all three, then the highest vote-getter becomes the law.

LOCATION AND TAX
This issue - the proposed ordinance can be read HERE, controls where Medical Marijuana businesses may operate in the City - basically west of Harbor Blvd. and north of South Coast Drive -  and imposes a 6% business tax on each such business.  I suggest you read the staff report AND the ordinance for the details.

ANOTHER LONG NIGHT
Tuesday night is going to be another long one.  I suggest you pack a lunch and bring a pillow.

Planning Commission Has A Short, Productive Meeting

LESS THAN AN HOUR!
As predicted earlier, the Costa Mesa Planning Commission met Monday night for one of their shortest meetings on record, but still managed to accomplish a lot.  The meeting lasted twelve minutes short of an hour, but that doesn't mean there were not some memorable moments.

EVIDENCE OF FALSE STATEMENTS
Right off the bat local businessman Tim Lewis stepped to the speaker's podium during Public Comments and told the commission that he has evidence that the applicant in the first Public Hearing for the evening did not have the legal right to move forward with this project because his group didn't hold title to a segment of the property in question.  He posed the question, "Did Red Mountain have clear title to the property?".  He then gave reasons for denial of this application whichever way they answered - citing false statements made to the City Planning Department originally.

BETH ON THE TOY DRIVE RESULTS
He was preceded at the speaker's podium by Beth Refakes, who presented a slide show of the recent Christmas toy celebration at Camp Pendleton for the children of our adopted unit, the 1/5 Marines, which are currently deployed.

HARBOR AND HAMILTON
When Public Hearing #1, the above-mentioned Red Mountain project at Harbor and Hamilton, was announced Senior Planner Mel Lee told the council that the staff was recommending continuation of this item.  The commission was ready to proceed, but there were speakers to deal with.

FAILURE TO MITIGATE GROUND WATER PROBLEMS
Once again, Tim Lewis stepped up and announced he had a letter from Rose Scott, whom he identified as a geologist from the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Board that, in response to a request by Red Mountain for a letter in support of their mitigation efforts, said they could not support the current efforts, and that Red Mountain was now out of compliance.  Apparently this letter has been provided to the city as part of the public record.  Have we mentioned that Lewis owns property contiguous to this project?

MAYOR MICROMANAGING PROJECTS
A "Mr. Cline", a representative of Red Mountain, also spoke, and told the commission that the City has a copy of the letter Lewis mentioned.  He then said something I thought was very interesting.  He said..."demolition of the building has occurred out there at the persistent request of the Mayor of Costa Mesa - it's down to the slab."  So, if we believe this gentleman, our mayor is now micromanaging pending projects in the city!  Why is this no surprise to me?  At the end, the commission voted unanimously to continue this project until their meeting of February 22, 2016.

FIRE STATION #1
Public Hearing #2, the proposed reconstruction of Fire Station #1, went smoothly.  Fire Chief Dan Stefano enhanced Senior Planner Mel Lee's brief report and affirmed his agreement with the staff committee and the public who attended the November meeting at the Fire Station that Option #2 was the preferred choice.  Both choices have exactly the same floor plan and facilities - the difference is purely cosmetic.  The decision to replace this aged facility was described by one speaker as a "no-brainer".  Indeed - I attended the November community outreach meeting.  We NEED a new facility.  Stefano described it as a "50-year station" - one that will accommodate any anticipated growth or expansion necessary.  The commission voted, 5-0, to approve it and move it forward to the City Council - with Option #2 as their choice, too.

2242 PACIFIC AVENUE
Public Hearing #3, the proposed Small Lot Development at the corner of Pacific Avenue and Wilson Street on the far Westside of town.  Commissioner Colin McCarthy was almost orgasmic as he described this project.  It meets ALL elements of the Small Lot Ordinance and even provides 50% open space!  Chairman Rob Dickson shared McCarthy's glee, observing that this project "Hits on all cylinders".  The commission voted to move it forward on a 5-0 vote.

And that was it.  The recently-defoliated Chair Dickson closed the meeting at 6:48 - a very nice change.

Short Planning Commission Meeting Starts The New Year

COULD BE  A QUICKIE TO START THE YEAR, SO TO SPEAK
What should be a short Planning Commission meeting Monday, January 11, 2016 commences at 6:00 p.m. in City Council Chambers at City Hall.  You can read the brief agenda report HERE.

OWNERSHIP IN QUESTION?
I say "short" because there are only a few items on the agenda and, according to the staff report for Public Hearing #1, HERE, the staff recommends continuing it for six weeks.  This involves a request for a two-year time extension for a 28-unit residential and live/work development at 2089, 2095 and 2099 Harbor Boulevard.  The reason given in the cover sheet of the long staff report is, "The Applicant has requested additional time to re-assess the site remediation action plan and the timing of the project."  Well, that may be the case, but it's possible there's more to this story.  I've seen correspondence within the past couple days that brings into question the actual ownership of a chunk of the property involved.  We'll see how this plays out Monday evening.

RECONSTRUCTION OF FIRE STATION #1
Public Hearing #2, HERE, involves the Master Plan for the reconstruction of Fire Station #1 at 2803 Royal Palm Drive.  The staff is asking the Planning Commission to approve the plans as presented subject to conditions and to advise them on one of two design options - one a contemporary design and the other a more modern theme.  Improvement of this station is long overdue, so we look forward to the discussion of this project.  You may recall that the cost for this project is estimated to be $7 million in construction and $1.5 million in design, temporary crew relocation during construction and construction management services.  It is estimated to take two years to complete.  Some may recall that the financing of this plan was included in the bond scheme proposed to create a new Downtown Library.

2242 PACIFIC AVENUE SMALL LOT DEVELOPMENT
Public Hearing #3, HERE, is a planning application for a two-unit residential small lot subdivision development at 2242 Pacific Avenue, at the corner of Wilson Street.  Each unit would be greater than 2200 square feet.  One would orient to Pacific Avenue and the other to Wilson Street.  No deviations are requested for this project.

THAT'S ALL, FOLKS!
And that should be it, barring any unforseen events that might occur during Public Comments.  One never knows these days.

New Fire Station Plans Discussed

SMALL TURNOUT
Monday night a small group of residents - 20 individuals - and Public Services and Fire Department staff met in a chilly, noisy truck bay at Fire Station #1, 2803 Royal Palm Drive, to discuss plans to completely rebuild that aging facility - it was built in 1961 and is, indeed, getting long in the tooth.  The floors show signs of soil shifting and the layout is very out of date, as are the housing facilities for the staff.

SENIOR STAFF PRESENT
Fire Chief Dan Stefano, Director of Public Services Ernesto Munoz and Consulting Architect Kelley Needham guided the discussion for most of an hour in a casual environment.  CEO Tom Hatch was also on hand, but only listened.  Other staff members, including Associate Engineer Arash Rahimian, who is the Project Engineer on this project.  Battalion Chief Tim Vasin was also present and answered many questions.

NICE TRY, BARRY
Barry Friedland brought his Costa Mesa Brief camera to record this discussion for his YouTube Channel, but gave up shortly after the meeting began because the sound was impossible to record due to the echo and street noise.  He quietly folded his equipment and sat patiently listening with the rest of the residents.

OTHERS
Among the attendees were Councilwoman Sandra Genis and former Interim Fire Chief Tom Arnold.  Among the residents were several familiar faces plus some folks attending this kind of an event for the first time because it will be in their neighborhood.

TWO OPTIONS
Two different options were presented by Needham, both as part of a slide show and on charts along the wall.  Both are identical inside - the only differences are cosmetic.  Among the improvements were the egress from the facility for the fire apparatus out onto Adams Avenue, which will be facilitated with Fire Department actuated all-stop signals, to permit the trucks to leave quickly and without having to dodge traffic.  There are NO plans to consider another location for this station.

 Option 1

 Option 2

 Floorplan

NO SOLAR, BUT...
The current plan does NOT anticipate a solar power installation, but we were told the new building will be LEED-compliant.  The building WILL be strong enough to accommodate solar panels, if necessary.

EXPENSIVE, AND FUNDING UNDEFINED YET
In response to questions by the audience we learned that this project will cost an estimated $8.5 million, and that funding of it will be included in the discussion at the City Council meeting Tuesday night as part of the package for the new library, community center and Lions Park enhancements.

NOT SURE HOW THAT WILL WORK
We also learned that the City hopes to continue to operate from this site during the anticipated year-long construction process.  Mention was made of utilizing modular buildings to house the staff on a temporary basis.  The use of Fire Station #6, which is anticipated to close, is not a consideration at this time because of response time issues.

EXPANDABLE ONCE COMPLETE
The new facility will have expansion capability according to comments made by Stefano and Vasin - additional staff and equipment could be domiciled there once it's complete.

CONSTRUCTION COULD BEGIN NEXT SUMMER
According to the tentative timetable, this issue will be heard by the Planning Commission on December 14, 2015 and then passed on up to the City Council in January.  Presuming all issues are resolved - including how to pay for this new facility - construction drawings would be rendered and the actual demolition of the site could begin next summer.  A one-year completion time is anticipated.  According to Munoz, construction hours will be 7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday and it is anticipated that construction parking will not encroach on nearby neighborhoods, which - we found out - have permit-only parking.

SEND YOUR QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS TO...
Questions and comments from the meeting Monday night will be folded into the staff presentation to the Planning Commission.  If you were unable to attend, but wish to comment, any questions and/or comments should be addressed to Arash Rahimian by email at Arash.Rahimian@costamesaca.gov or by mail to the City at 77 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626.  For more information please review the city announcement HERE.