INSIDE CITY HALL Here are a few...

INSIDE

CITY HALL

Here are a few of the items that will be discussed Monday.

REPORT FEE

State law requires a mobile home park property owner to prepare a

report on the effects of relocating tenants before closing or

converting the park for another use. The city’s fee schedule doesn’t

include any provision for the review of these reports. Staff requests

that the fee schedule be changed to include this review and that it

be applied retroactively to include the closure and conversion

proposed for the El Nido and Snug Harbor Village trailer parks.

Staff recommends this report review be done by an independent

consultant under contract because staff does not have the necessary

expertise. For the El Nido/Snug Harbor report, staff expects the

independent review will cost about $3,000 to $5,000.

WHAT TO EXPECT

The independent review will help the city determine whether the

mobile home park property owner is reasonably compensating the park’s

tenants for relocation.

“Our staff are not experts,” Mayor Gary Monahan said. “It’s

something that we need to do.”

JOB CENTER

The Job Center opened in 1988 to provide a central clearinghouse

for contractors/employers to find temporary work. Since the opening,

its performance has been reviewed every so often by the council.

Councilman Allan Mansoor requested that the center be put on the

agenda for discussion this time. Mansoor has indicated an interest in

limiting the center to residents only. Also, Councilman Chris Steel

requested that the funding for the center be discussed as well.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Staff is requesting council direction. Steel said he believes the

Job Center is well run, but it has unintended harmful effects on the

community.

“The Job Center should be out of business,” Steel said. “The only

reason it has survived for 15 years is the past -- and unfortunately,

our present -- council lacks the conviction, courage and common sense

to end it ... . Assuming it has three votes for survival, the issue

of limiting access to just Costa Mesa-based businesses and Costa Mesa

dayworkers should be addressed.”

UPDATE ON LANDSCAPED MEDIANS

The council allocated funds last fiscal year and this fiscal year

for the design of landscaped medians on 19th Street from Placentia

Avenue to Park Avenue, and for the construction of a portion of these

medians.

At the Feb. 18 council meeting, because of the number of

businesses being affected by the full landscaped medians, the council

directed staff to prepare other designs and to pursue additional

public participation and input on the new design. The design and

engineering work on the medians is presently underway.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Staff recommends that the council authorize it to complete the

final engineering of the landscaped medians and to construct median

islands from Placentia Avenue to Meyer Place and landscaped parkways

from Placentia Avenue to Anaheim Avenue with available funding as

part of the upcoming Pavement Rehabilitation Project.

“It’s much improved from the original idea of a median straight

down the entire street so that nobody could get into any businesses,”

Monahan said. “It appears the majority of commercial owners are OK

with it and it will definitely enhance the look of the streets.”

DESIGN CONTRACT

The Newport Boulevard southbound frontage road serves as an

important gateway to the city, particularly to the Orange County

Fairgrounds. The existing asphalt trail on the west side of the

southbound frontage road between Arlington Drive and Fair Drive is in

poor condition and requires total reconstruction.

Several possible alignments for the proposed reconstruction, as

well as landscape improvements, in this area have been discussed

within the city and with fairgrounds staff. The council also needs to

approve a cooperative agreement with the 32nd District Agricultural

Assn. for the reconstruction.

WHAT TO EXPECT

The city got a Caltrans grant for $207,090 to reconstruct the

existing asphalt bicycle trail on the west side of the southbound

Newport Boulevard frontage road and to put landscape and irrigation

improvements between the trail and the fairgrounds fence. Staff

believes this project will enhance the streetscape along this

significant gateway to the city.

“I think it’s great,” Councilwoman Libby Cowan said. “I’m ready

for the reconstruction and hopefully it will be something that will

help the community.”

-- Compiled by

Deirdre Newman