COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

Department of Parks

DATE:

October 15, 2007

BOARD MEETING DATE:

October 30, 2007

SPECIAL NOTICE/HEARING:

None

VOTE REQUIRED:

Majority

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

FROM:

David G. Holland, Director, Department of Parks

SUBJECT:

Application for a $350,000 Grant from the California Resources Agency’s Environmental Enhancement and Mitigation Program for Construction of the 1.2-Mile Bay Trail within the Coyote Point Recreation Area

RECOMMENDATION:

Adopt a Resolution: 1) Approving the application for $350,000 in grant funds for the Coyote Point Recreation Area Bay Trail Project from the Environmental Enhancement and Mitigation Program under Section 164.56 of the Streets and Highways Code; 2) Certifying that said applicant will make adequate provisions for operation and maintenance of the project; and 3) Appointing the Director of the Parks Department as the agent of the County of San Mateo to conduct all negotiations, execute and submit all documents, including, but not limited to applications, agreements, amendments, payment requests and so on, which may be necessary for the completion of the project.

VISION ALIGNMENT:

Commitment: Preserve and provide people access to our natural environment.

Goal(s): 15. Residents have nearby access to green space, such as parks and recreational opportunities.

BACKGROUND:

The San Francisco Bay Trail is a planned recreational corridor that, when complete, will encircle San Francisco and San Pablo Bays with a continuous 500-mile network of shoreline trail in all nine Bay Area Counties. To date, over 290 miles of the trail alignment have been completed.

Streets and Highway Code Section 164.56 provides for the Environmental Enhancement and Mitigation Program and authorizes the allocation of up to $10 million annually for grants to State, local and federal governmental agencies and non-profit organizations to mitigate the environmental impacts of modified or new public transportation facilities. The California Resources Agency has established the procedures and criteria for reviewing grant proposals and is required to submit to the California Transportation Commission a list of recommended projects from which the grant recipients will be selected.

In 2001, the County was awarded a $42,000 grant for the design and realignment of the Bay Trail in the Coyote Point Recreation Area. The construction documents for Coyote Point Bay Trail Improvements were completed in 2004. For the past three years, the County has strived towards fully funding the construction of the estimated $1,829,442 project.

Additional confirmed sources of funding for this project include City of San Mateo Golf Course land sale ($125,000), City of San Mateo Redevelopment Agency ($350,452), State Parks Bond Act of 2002 ($270,713), State Parks Bond Act of 2000 ($179,000), and San Francisco Bay Trail regional Development Program ($348,000). A second grant request of $152,000 is being submitted to ABAG in October 2007 when they have received their first allotment of Proposition 84 funds from the State. The remaining $404,277 is being sought from upcoming competitive grant programs.

DISCUSSION:

Completion of the Bay Trail within Coyote Point Recreation Area will provide a safe, accessible, contiguous, easy-to-navigate route for Bay Trail users and completes an important gap in the San Francisco Bay Trail. This 14-foot-wide multi-use trail will parallel Beach Access Drive and Coyote Point Drive from Burlingame to San Mateo. The trail design remedies several busy intersections where pedestrians, cyclists and other trail users face significant automobile traffic. These intersections are where Coyote Point Drive intersects roads to the Poplar Creek Golf Course, the Rifle Range, Coyote Point Museum for Environmental Education and Coyote Point Marina.

This trail alignment provides a trail along the edge of the Recreation Area which allows Bay Trail users to link to spur trails within the park or bypass the park altogether. These spur trails within the Recreation Area will bring trail users to picnic areas, play areas, and other park features.

FISCAL IMPACT:

There is no impact to the County General Fund. Other sources of funding have been confirmed to fully fund the project or are identified as strong prospects for competitive grants.