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Update Oct. 2nd 2006 Mesa Drive Multi-Use Trail -- The City received a letter last week from Supervisor Silva asking the City to consider an amendment to the Specific Plan to delete the not-yet-constructed section of the Mesa Drive Multi-Use Trail. There has been no action taken on the letter as of the date of this update. Horse Arena -- So far, the funding for the design is coming from City general funds, because there is no agreement between the County and the City to fund the Arena's design or construction. The City has asked the consultants to continue working regardless of the lack of any City-County agreement in this regard. Arena Update from George Berger, City of Newport Beach: Fuscoe Engineering (along with landscape architect Dave Pederson who will provide landscape services later in the project), are surveying the area to provide the necessary support for grading plans and design. The arena sub-committee members with be meeting with the City and the contractors in a week or two to go over the topo information they have put together and verify the initial conceptual design. The city is working very hard to make sure the equestrian group has what it needs while at the same time making sure this project improves the water quality and natural landscape quality of the upper Newport Bay area...which we think we can actually do! After making necessary changes if needed, the plans will allow environmental consultant Keeton Kreitzer to complete his work to put together the submittal to the Coastal Commission. The initial equestrian concept is pretty solid, particularly along with the preliminary ideas that Fuscoe had about improving the water quality and flow. City Engineer Bob Stein, who has expertise in intermittent flow bio-swale systems, has been brought on board for assistance as well; between all of us we'll have a very good project to take to the Commission. Thanks again for your consistent involvement! Neighbors opposed to the Mesa Dr. trail being completed have sent letters to Supervisor Silva asking the trail be taken off of the Specific Plan. It appears that many of the letters are written by people that have been given false or misleading information. In past meetings PAC has voted to support the completion of the trail as was promised to the trail users in the specific plan. This trail was originally included in the specific plan as part of the redevelopment effort to maintain an equestrian theme of what was left of the neighborhood. This decision came about after many equestrian homes and a stable were torn down to make way for office buildings. ****************************** UPDATE AUG. 8th 2006 Update from George Berger, City of Newport Project manager On 7-18-2006 George writes: Jayne: At this time, the City is anticipating receiving the final documents for execution of a separate contract with Fuscoe Engineering for surveying, topographic mapping production, conceptual grading plans, and other engineering services in support of its existing contract with Keeton Kreitzer Consulting for CEQA and California Coastal Commission documentation. The contract with Fuscoe also includes landscape architectural services to be provided by Dave Pederson, ASLA, for both the arena area (owned by the OCFD) AND for a revegetation plan to return the "upper" ring within State of California property to a natural state. I believe that the slight delay in firming up the contractual scopes will allow us to make up time on the back end of the environmental documentation process, as it allows us to have a smoother transition between engineering, entitlement (at all levels), and construction. I anticipate that the contract between the City and Fuscoe Engineering will be executed by the end of July, and they will be underway with surveying on the site. Although Keeton has been proceeding with documentation, per his contract, that can be done without benefit of topographic information and a grading plan, I will let him add his thoughts about the schedule. George A. Berger, AICP Program Manager Community & Economic Development Planning Department --------------------------------------- Update 6/1/06 The city of Newport awarded the Environmental Services contract at the last city council meeting on May 9th to Keeton Kreitzer Consulting. This process should take approximately 3 to 4 months. Once the contract is completed we will have addressed the requests the Costal Commission gave us in order to move forward with the application process and schedule a hearing with them. The construction of the arenas will be scheduled after that Costal commission hearing. *********************** Update 4/6/06 Since the Arena Project application was submitted to The California Coastal Commission last November the CCC has asked for addition information on four separate items in order to proceed with the application process. Those Items are: 1. Update Local Approval and Project Description. 2. Site Ownership. 3. Department of Fish and Game Easement 4. Manure Management Plan. Items 2.3.and 4. Have been answered. Dave Kiff is currently working with consultants on Item #1. Here is an update from Dave Kiff last week: "I have two requests out to CEQA/Permitting consultants to help us with The horse arena -- one is to Keeton Kreitzer, the person who handled the first arena project. The other is to John Douglas, who has done similar work for the City in the past. I expect to hear back from them in a week or so and will keep you posted. I have sent them lots of information that I have along with the link to the sahpac website." Once Item #1 is completed the application will be presented to the commission for approval at their regularly scheduled monthly meetings. On Feb 9, 2006 The Arena Sub-Committee met with 3 members of the Newport Bay Naturalists & Friends (NBNF) and Assistant City Manager Dave Kiff at Newport Beach City Hall to discuss the Delhi Channel Arena Project. The meeting was an introduction and fact-finding session for both groups. The NBNF was given an over view and update on the project. NBNF board member Dennis Baker stated that the board was in the process of gathering information about the project and did not have an official opinion regarding the project at this time. Now that contact has been make between both groups The Arena Sub-Committee will keep the NBNF informed as to the progress of the project. Dave said that the City wants to bring in an environmental consultant to address the Newport Bay Naturalists & Friends concerns. The consultant may have to prepare a new environmental (CEQA) document. The consultant’s cost to do this work, including the environmental documents and permit processing, will be about $39,000.00 . The consultant’s contract will have to be approved by the City Council. The consultant could refresh the old environmental work, but in light of the NBNF’s concerns, it’s likely that the consultant will have to prepare a Mitigated Negative Declaration – a process that could take 2-3 months, including public hearings. Dave has been talking with Keeton Kreitzer, the person who handled the first arena project as previously stated and seems to be leaning towards this consultant. Dave will be in touch with Jayne on this. ***************************** In Feb a letter was written by an individual belonging to the Newport Bay Naturalists to stop this project and ultimately ban all horses from the Back Bay. This was sent to the Coastal Commission. Please read that letter in the archives. Here is the letter I mailed on March 2nd. to the Coastal Commission. You can email Meg at the Coastal Commission directly On March 3rd, 2006 Paul Kuhn member of the board of directors of the Newport Bay Naturalists, emailed me to make it quite clear that Ms. Marson was writing as an individual not as a spokesperson for this group. That was not clear as her letter is written. She then emailed a note to the Coastal Commission making that clear. Regardless, YOU need to take action and write your own letter as to how you feel about protecting our arena project and the equestrian nature of our area. ***************************** Update 2/6/06 from Jayne Jones The Back Bay Equestrains have become incorporated and the City of Newport plans to build the arena, and lease it to the Back Bay Equestrians for a $1.00 per year. That group would carry the liablity insurance needed and over see the arena. At the next PAC meeting we will call for volunteers to work on the Opening Day Committees for our Arena. The target date is July 2006. Here’s what we will be looking for: An invitation committee to create an invitation that can be mailed to the community no later than two weeks prior to event. A Media Committee to create a press release to be sent out 1 month prior to event, and follow up with phone calls and emails to get press here. Create a media kit with fact sheets about the arena, and PAC projects. A Set Up and Clean up crew of volunteers to work the event and clean up It will be a fun filled day with festivities including: pony rides, parade of breeds, jumping demos, chuck wagon and food, raffle give aways of 3 riding lessons, trail ride for 2, and Back Bay T shirts. Let's try and get as many neighbors involved from East and West as possible so that it is really an event to be proud of . If you would like to be involved, just email and let us know. You don’t need to be an equestrian to come and join in the fun. Let's get going!!!! The PAC Riding Arena subcommittee, which includes Back Bay Equestrians, City Staff and contractor Gary Clapp of G & F Barns are in the process of submitting additional information and plans to the California coastal Commission (CCC), per their request. The application (# 5-05-476) was submitted, and accepted, last November. I (Jayne Jones) spoke with Anne Blemker at the CCC this week to get an update of permit approval . Anne stated the application is moving along "at a normal pace for the CCC". She also mentioned the CCC is approximately "two months out" on reviewing any information given to them in order to finalize a project. The CCC meets to approve applications approximately the middle of each calendar month. These public meetings take place in different coastal cities throughout California . The commission prefers to approve projects at public meetings that are close to the proposed site. If we can get the requested information and plans submitted to Anne at the CCC in the next week or so, she will do her best to get the project on the agenda for the March meeting scheduled in Santa Barbara. If the CCC doesn't have enough time to review the information the project will be held over for the April meeting that will take place in Los Angeles. For more information about the Costal Commission Meetings and the application process go to http://www.coastal.ca.gov/ A side note to the project: A regular meeting was held by the Newport Bay Naturalists and Friends (NBNF) www.newportbay.org on January 12th and was an "all hands" membership meeting of the NBNF. The subject of the meeting was to discuss a potentially larger role for the City of Newport Beach in administering the UNB Nature Preserve and the UNB Ecological Reserve. The subject of building a small equestrian arena next to the Delhi channel came up and the group asked to review the CCC application and possibly be involved in the process of the arena plan. Dave Kiff has encouraged the NBNF and the BBE to discuss the project. Dave believes any suggestions and concerns can be addressed easily, given the small scope of the project. A NBNF subcommittee has been formed to work with the City, PAC and BBE on these issues. The BBE and the PAC Arena subcommittee welcome this opportunity to work with their neighboring NBNF organization, and any other organizations that strive to preserve the Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve. |
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