HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007/11/06 Item 10
CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA STATEMENT
SUBMITTED BY: DIRECTOR OF ENG
11/6/07, ItemL
RESOLUTION APPROVING THE FILING OF A GRANT
APPLICATION TO THE SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL PROGRAM
FOR STATE FUNDS TO IMPROVE PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES AT
CASTLE PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL; AND CERTIFYING THE
COMMITMENT OF MATCHING FUNDS THEREFOR
AND GENERAL SERVICES~~.
AGER ~
4/STHS VOTE: YES 0 NO [Z;]
ITEM TITLE:
REVIEWED BY: CITY MANAGER
ASSISTANT CITY
BACKGROUND
The pedestrian facilities serving Castle Park Elementary School students are in need of
significant improvements. To improve the main school routes along Hilltop Drive and Oxford
Street, and minor streets within a quarter mile radius, an array of traffic calming and pedestrian
facilities have been recommended for the area to complement street and sidewalk work being
done with Housing and Urban Development (HUD) loan funds and with at least one already
approved assessment district. This funding along with the fact that one Capital Improvement
Project has already been budgeted for the area (TF300 - Signal Installation at the Intersection of
Hilltop Drive and Oxford Street) positions the City as best as possible for success in the grant
competition. The City proposes to apply for State of California grant funding from the Safe
Routes to School Program to help fund this project as well as the additional recommended traffic
calming and pedestrian facility improvements.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The Environmental Review Coordinator has reviewed the proposed activity for compliance with
the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and has determined that there is no possibility
that the activity may have a significant effect on the environment; therefore, pursuant to Section
15061(b)(3) of the State CEQA Guidelines the activity is not subject to CEQA. Thus, no
environmental review is necessary.
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RECOMMENDATION
Council adopt the resolution:
. Approving the filing of a grant application to the Safe Routes to School Program for state
funds to iDIprove pedestrian facilities at Castle Park Elementary School; and
. Certifying the commitment of matching funds therefor
BOARDS/COMMISSIONS
Not applicable.
DISCUSSION
The local Caltrans office works diligently to keep local agencies apprised of changing
requirements and deadlines associated with state and federal Safe Routes to School grant
opportunities. Lately, these monies have been subject to some uncertainty and altered schedules.
Caltrans recently informed jurisdictions of a quickly upcoming round of both state and federal
grants, with the state opportunity having a deadline of November 16, 2007.
As staff has shared with the City Council through various Information Items, the City has had
recent success with the last Safe Routes to School grant cycle by actively working with Caltrans
to present proposals within the context of the City's missing infrastructure effort. The quick
deadline for the new grant cycle made it impossible to recreate the community walking audit
process for this grant phase. However, a meeting with Caltrans staff and an analysis of potential
projects considering the extremely competitive nature of this grant led to the selection of Castle
Park Elementary School as the best candidate for the November 16th deadline. This selection is
based on the tremendous amount of work already planned for the area providing the benefit of
leveraging existing funds already being provided by the $9.5 million BUD loan and at least one
already approved assessment district (thus evidencing community involvement and contribution).
Success with the grant would also allow this school to become the first in the City to achieve the
goal of completing all infrastructure and pedestrian safety improvements within a quarter mile of
the school therefore maximizing opportunities for students to walk and bike to school.
The proposed project consists of numerous improvements aiming to iDIprove pedestrian safety in
the area surrounding Castle Park Elementary School. Castle Park Elementary School is located
at the intersection of Hilltop Drive and Oxford Street (see Attachment 1, diagram). The front of
the school is located on Emerson Street and also has access from Vista Way. Parents who are
dropping off students by car use Emerson Street. Parents and students heavily use Hilltop Drive
and Oxford Street during the school year as they walk to and from home. There is secondary
access to the school from the southwest comer of the school on Oxford Street. All of the
proposed improvements are within a quarter mile radius of the school boundary, well within
reasonable walking distance of the school.
Recommended Imorovements
Hilltop Drive and Oxford Street are collector streets with heavy vehicular traffic. Hilltop Drive
has a traffic volume count of approximately 9,400 trips per day, and Oxford Street has 5,700
trips per day. In order to increase the safety of pedestrian access to and from the school along
these heavily traveled streets, traffic-calming improvements are being proposed to reduce the
speeds of vehicular traffic along these streets and other nearby streets. Improvements include the
installation of a traffic signal with pedestrian pushbuttons and indications, a curb pop-out and
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multiple striping modifications, improving pedestrian ramps to current accessibility standards,
and signing modifications to meet current school zone signing standards. All construction will
comply with current Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) design standards. These
improvements are more specifically described below:
Intersection of Emerson Street and Vista Wav
This T -intersection is directly in front of the school and experiences heavy pedestrian volumes
during pick-up and drop-off times. The intersection is uncontrolled at this time, however, school
staff and students have established a long-standing school safety patrol that helps pedestrians
cross the intersection safely. Proposed improvements at this intersection include the installation
of a stop sign for the northern leg of the T -intersection. Dual pedestrian ramps are also proposed
for the northeast comer in order to improve the crosswalk alignment. The crosswalks would be
re-striped with thermoplastic in a zebra-style pattern to increase their visibility. The remaining
two pedestrian ramps would be modified to meet current accessibility standards by installing
truncated domes. Lastly, in-roadway pedestrian crossing signs would be installed in each
crosswalk to improve motorist's awareness of the crosswalks. Solar powered flashing beacons
activated by pedestrian pushbuttons will be installed on Emerson Street before the crosswalk.
The cul-de-sac on Emerson Street immediately west of the intersection would receive
improvements as well. The cul-de-sac is quite short and vehicles picking up and dropping
children off make u-turns in the throat of the cul-de-sac, which causes traffic congestion and
dangerous situations for pedestrians crossing the street at the intersection. The project proposes
a small pin-on median be built along the centerline of the street in the throat of the cul-de-sac to
stop this situation from occurring. The result would be more organized traffic flow through the
intersection of Emerson Street and Vista Way, which would improve pedestrian safety in the
intersection.
Intersection of Hilltop Drive and Emerson Street
This intersection currently operates as an all-way stop controlled intersection with crosswalks
across all four legs. Improvements proposed at this intersection include a curb pop out on the
southwest comer of the intersection to shorten the distance a pedestrian needs to walk to cross
Hilltop Drive. Dual pedestrian ramps would also be installed on this comer to keep .crosswalks
properly aligned and crossing distances as short as possible. The existing crosswalks would be
re-striped with thermoplastic to increase their visibility. In order to increase visibility of the
existing crosswalk across Hilltop Drive, the project proposes the installation of solar powered
flashing beacons activated by pedestrian pushbuttons as well as additional advanced warning
signage for the crosswalk to both the north and south of the intersection.
Intersection of Hilltop Drive and Oxford Street
Currently operating under all-way stop control, this intersection handles a significant volume of
both cars and pedestrians. In accordance with State guidelines, City staff completed a traffic
signal warrant study and determined a traffic signal was warranted at this location. The proposed
project would install the traffic signal, complete with pedestrian pushbuttons and indications, in
order to improve efficiency for vehicles and improve safety for pedestrians. In order to install
the traffic signal an existing cross gutter would need to be removed and replaced with minor
drainage improvements including a storm drain inlet and approximately 400' of pipe to connect
to the nearest drainage system. Existing curb ramps on all four comers would be modified to
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meet current accessibility standards. All of these improvements were already contemplated and
budgeted for with Capital Improvement Project TF-300.
Intersection of Naples Street and Cuvamaca Avenue
Although this T-intersection is not immediately adjacent to Castle Park Elementary School, it is
within a quarter mile and is even closer to St. Pius X Elementary School. Northbound traffic
approaching the intersection must stop at the intersection, but fast-moving traffic along Naples
Street does not. In order to increase visibility of the existing crosswalk across Naples Street, the
project proposes the installation of solar powered flashing beacons activated by pedestrian
pushbuttons as well as additional advanced warning signage for the crosswalk to both the east
and west of the intersection.
Segment of Hillto1;l Drive between Emerson Street and Oxford Street
This segment of Hilltop is fairly wide (52' curb to curb) with Castle Park Elementary along the west
side of the street and residential frontage on the east side. The street itself is straight, very flat,
accommodates parking on both sides, and has a left turn lane running down the center of the street.
Vehicles traveling along this segment of road regularly travel at a high rate of speed posing a threat
to pedestrians and people getting in and out of the cars parked along the street, particularly during
pick-up and drop-off hours. This project proposes to sandblast the existing striping, replacing it
with parking lane stripes on both sides of the street, and a widened turning lane in the center, in
order to narrow the driving lanes in an attempt to reduce vehicle speeds. A similar approach was
recently used in another part of the City and successfully reduced the maximum speed experienced
on the roadway by over 15 mph. This project would place radar speed-feedback signs for both
directions alerting drivers of their speed and encouraging them to drive the appropriate speed.
Other Improvements
Additional improvements proposed by this project include the following:
· Parking stripes on Oxford Street between Cuyamaca Avenue and First Avenue similar to
those proposed along Hilltop Drive
· Solar powered, radar speed-feedback signs on Oxford Street immediately adjacent to
Castle Park Elementary and East Naples Street immediately adjacent to St. Pius X
Elementary
· Improved school zone signage to bring area in compliance with current MUTCD school
zone sign standards
· 32 pedestrian ramp modifications, all within one-quarter mile of the school boundary, to
bring the ramps in compliance with current accessibility standards
. 10 new pedestrian ramps
· Intersection of Oxford Street and Tobias Drive, installation of solar powered flashing
beacons activated by pedestrian pushbuttons as well as additional advanced warning
signage for the crosswalk to both the east and west of the intersection.
Proiect Cost
The total estimated costs to achieve these improvements to the Castle Park Elementary School
route are $850,902.00 (see Attachment 2, cost estimate).
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DECISION MAKER CONFLICT
Staff has reviewed the property holdings of the City Council and has found no property holdings
within 500 feet of the boundaries of the property that is the subject of this action.
FISCAL IMPACT
The City has already budgeted $450,000 for Capital Improvement Project TF300 from the
Traffic Signal Fee Fund. If the City is successful and receives the grant, the funds from TF-300
would exceed the required grant match of 10%. As a result, there would be no impact to the
General Fund, or any need for the additional allocation of funds of any kind. If the resolution is
approved, the City will apply for Safe Routes to School funding in the amount of $400,902.00.
This amount of grant funding, combined with the funds from TF-300, would total $,850,902.00
available for the proposed improvements. If the grant is awarded, staff will return to Council
with a recommendation to accept and appropriate the grant funds into the FY2008/09 Capital
Improvement Program.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Diagram of Proposed Project Area
2. Cost Estimate - Castle Park Elementary School Pedestrian Facilities
Prepared by: Jim Newton, Sr. Civil Engineer, Engineering and General Services Dept.
M:\Engineer\AGENDA \CAS2007\11-06-07\Safe routes to school.doc
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City of Chula Vista
ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT \ TRAFFIC
COST ESTIMATE
Safe Routes to School Prollram
Castle Park Elementary
Project Number:
DATE:
PREPARED BY:
CHECKED BY:
CYOl4
October 25, 2007
Ben Herrera
James Newton
Project Title:
l#M~,:.,,~...,:
~ Traffic Signal at Hilltop Drive and Oxford St
i 2!School Safety Signs
J Pin On Median (Vista Way)
4 Pedestrian Ramps
5 Truncated Dome Pedestrian Ramp Modification
6 PCC Bulb Out (Hilltop Dr & Emerson St)
, 7jCrosswalk Zebra Striping (Emerson St & Vista Way)
i~parking Striping
, 9 I Flashing Pedestrian Beacon (solar)
101 Radar Feedback Signs (solar)
\~
II i Curb Inlet (Type B)
12 Storm Drain Cleanout (Type A)
IJ 24-inch RCP Storm Drain Pipe
14 Concrete Lug
15 Removal of Cross Gutter
1 16 Sandblasting
'~
' 17 Traffic Control
L".-..,;,",",~"""""",,,,,,,,,",,,,,,,,_,,""""""';';;~"-',
$375,000.00 $303,600.00
$10,000.00 $10,000.00
$10.00 $550.00
10: Each $5,000.00 $50,000.00
351 Each $500.00 $17,500.00
601 LF $60.00 $3,600.00
I, LS $5,000.00 $5,000.00
4000 LF $1.50 $6,000.00
7 Each $2,000.00 $14,000.00 i
6, Each $8,000.00 $48,000.00
2: Each $4,000.00 $8,000.00
I: Each $4,000.00 $4,000.00
400, LF $110.00 $44,000.00
Ii Each $1,200.00 , $1,200.00
1 LS $10,000.00 ' $10,000.00
I LS $10,000.00 . $10,000.00
I LS $10,000.00 ; $10,000.00
".,'"_..,","""''''-''''
Subtotal: $ 545,450.00
Notes:
1 0/25/2007
Castle P~s7Estimate
RESOLUTION NO.
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE
CITY OF CHULA VISTA APPROVING THE FILING
OF A GRANT APPLICATION TO THE SAFE
ROUTES TO SCHOOL PROGRAM FOR STATE
FUNDS TO IMPROVE PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES
AT CASTLE PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL; AND
CERTIFYING THE COMMITMENT OF MATCHING
FUNDS.
WHEREAS, there are high volumes of both pedestrian students, parents,
and vehicles during peak school hours on the streets serving Castle Park
Elementary School; and
WHEREAS, available pedestrian facilities along Hilltop Drive, Oxford
Street, and Naples Street are limited or non-existent, including a high-volume
parent drop-off area; and
WHEREAS, the proposed project will improve the school route to Castle
Park Elementary by adding or upgrading pedestrian facilities in the area as well
as providing signage, warning lights, and vehicle speed feedback signs to alert
motorists; and
WHEREAS, City staff recommends applying for project funding from the
Safe Routes to School Grant Program to help meet project expenses; and
WHEREAS, as part of an existing capital improvement program project,
the City has already identified Traffic Signal Fee funds and Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) loan funds to help mitigate traffic impacts near the school;
and
WHEREAS, grant requirements include Council certification that these
funds are available to be used as a grant match and are committed for the
project;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City
of Chula Vista does hereby
1. Approve the filing of a grant application to the Safe Routes to School
Program for state funds to improve pedestrian facilities at Castle Park
Elementary School; and
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2. Certify the commitment of matching funds therefor.
Presented by
Jack Griffin
Engineering/General Services Director
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Approved as to form by
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Ann Moore
City Attorney