By Charles M. Kelly
The City Council recently approved a proposal to buy and build Avalon Kids Park. The money would be reallocated to the project from Avalon’s Capital Improvement Funds that came from Prop. 68 to enhance park infrastructure, according to the Nov. 19 staff report by Community Services Manager David Hart.
Avalon will be reimbursed $177,952 on completion of the project, according to the staff report.
This was a Consent Calendar item. Consent items are voted on collectively unless a council member pulls one for further discussion. Nothing was pulled from the Nov. 19 Consent Calendar.
“The City of Avalon received an allocation of $177,952.00 from the Per Capita Program Funds, derived from Proposition 68, to enhance local park infrastructure,” Hart wrote.
“On October 5, 2021, staff presented City Council with some ideas on how to spend the Per Capita Program Funds for improvements to the parks and/or facilities in Avalon,” Hart wrote.
Nine projects were considered and four were approved, according to the report. They were the Joe Machado Field Project, the Lover’s Cove Project, the Front Street Project, and the Kid’s Park project.
“Due to unforeseen economic factors such as inflation and escalating regulatory compliance costs, the initial budget for Front Street Shade Sail Project and the expansion of the fitness equipment at Kid’s Park became insufficient to execute the project to the desired standard of quality,” Hart wrote.
To get the most out of grant funds and deliver a good park, staff proposed “reallocating the Per Capita Program Funds from the Lover’s Cove Project ($10,640), Front Street Shade Sail Project ($54,400) and the unused funds from the Joe Machado Field Project ($8,779) to the Kid’s Park Project. If approved, the funding for this project would increase to $148,253.00,” Hart wrote.
“This reallocation will enable a comprehensive renovation. The proposed scope of work includes the installation of state-of-the-art play equipment, the enhancement of park surfacing, and the beautification of the park’s landscape,” Hart wrote.
