Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma

Bid, award process started for Clemmens Lane Park

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 January 7 to authorize the advertisement for bid and subsequent award of a construction contract for Clemmens Lane Park.

“Good news for Fallbrook,” said Supervisor Bill Horn.

The 0.56-acre park site will include playgrounds, a practice soccer field, a sand volleyball court, a tot lot, a concrete picnic plaza with a shade shelter, a drinking fountain, and a parking lot.

Other improvements include irrigation, landscaping, and security lighting.

Perimeter security fencing will be an alternate bid option.

“If we can afford to, we’re going to put it in,” said Charley Marchesano, the division chief for park development at the county’s Department of Parks and Recreation. “It’s something that some people in the community were interested in.”

The County of San Diego’s involvement in Clemmens Lane Park began in spring 2005 when community members seeking a neighborhood park asked the county to provide a facility with off-street recreation.

The Department of Parks and Recreation presented the request to the County Service Area No. 81 advisory board, which makes recommendations for parks in Fallbrook, Rainbow, and De Luz (the San Diego County Board of Supervisors is the actual governing body of CSA No. 81) and the advisory board expressed support for the new park.

In 2006 the county supervisors approved the 2006-07 annual funding plan which included Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) revenue, and $100,000 was allocated for Clemmens Lane Park land acquisition.

The original planned site was a vacant 0.35-acre lot owned by San Diego Gas & Electric.

The appraisal for that parcel was higher than anticipated, and utility easement restrictions on the site rendered it unsuitable for park development.

Donald and Wilma Lanning were willing to sell a nearby parcel which was deemed more suitable.

In March 2007 the supervisors approved additional appropriations for the land acquisition and set an April 2007 hearing date for the purchase of that 0.56-acre parcel, and at the hearing the supervisors approved the purchase from the Lannings for the appraised value of $285,000.

The additional appropriations were obtained from Park Land Dedication Ordinance (PLDO) funds provided by developers to fund park facilities in the development area.

PLDO funds were also used for the park design and the preparation of the construction documents.

The construction drawings, which relied on a concept plan supported by Fallbrook residents during community meetings, were completed in November 2008.

Last year’s 2008-09 CDBG allocations included $250,000 for the construction of Clemmens Lane Park.

In August 2008 the CSA No. 81 advisory board recommended the use of $250,000 of PLDO funds for construction with the understanding that the construction would be phased over a one-year to two-year period as funding became available.

In September 2008 the CSA No. 81 advisory board recommended an additional $175,000 of PLDO funds to eliminate the need for phased construction.

PLDO funds can be used for land acquisition or construction of active recreation parks but not for maintenance.

Some CSA No. 81 funding is derived from a share of property tax revenue, and in December 2008 the advisory board submitted a letter to the Department of Parks and Recreation indicating that the CSA would provide funding for the park’s annual operation and maintenance once the construction was completed.

The annual operations and maintenance cost is estimated at $23,000.

The supervisors’ January 7 action also appropriated the $425,000 of PLDO funds into the capital project.

The estimated contract award amount, including contingency, is $600,000, and the remaining $75,000 will be used for inspection services and project management.

“Now that the board’s given us the go-ahead, we’re moving forward,” Marchesano said.

“We’re looking to try to award this spring and complete work in the fall,” Marchesano said. “The community of Fallbrook’s going to have a nice new park by the end of the year.”

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