TITLE
Recommendation to authorize City Manager to transfer $516,600 in San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy grant funds from the West San Gabriel River Parkway Project to the
El Dorado Nature Center Renewal Project, Phases 1 and 2; and execute any documents necessary for the implementation and administration of the project. (Districts 4,5)
DISCUSSION
In 2005, the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy (RMC) awarded the City of Long Beach (City) a grant in the amount of $622,600 for the design and construction of the West San Gabriel River Parkway (WSGR Parkway), a pedestrian and bicycle path in the utility right-of-way between the San Gabriel River and El Dorado Golf Course. The California Department of Parks and Recreation also awarded the City a grant through the Habitat Conservation Fund. The Habitat Conservation Fund grant, along with its required match, would have fully funded Phase I of the WSGR Parkway. Unfortunately, due to the downturn in the economy, no matching funds were available for this project and the City was forced to cancel the grant. This left the WSGR Parkway with insufficient funding to construct a viable project.
The RMC had previously provided funding for restoration of the stream at the El Dorado Nature Center (EDNC), which is Phase I of the EDNC Master Plan. Following discussions with the RMC, the Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine (PRM) proposed that the RMC redirect the remaining grant funds from the WSGR Parkway to the EDNC to further the work called for in the Master Plan. The specific improvements proposed include installation of boardwalks to provide access to two locations subject to frequent flooding, repair of the switchback trail leading to Observation Point, replacement of the pedestrian bridge connecting the island and the EDNC building to the trail system, removal of invasive vegetation, and improved interpretive signage. The total cost of these ...
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