Supervisors approve Don Dussault Park construction contract

San Diego County’s Department of Parks and Recreation will be undertaking the design phase of upcoming improvements to Don Dussault Park.

The county board of supervisors voted 4-0, Jan. 9, with Greg Cox in Washington for a National Association of Counties meeting, to appropriate $285,000 of Community Development Block Grant revenue for the design and construction phases, which will allow the Department of Parks and Recreation to perform the design work and found the design to be categorically exempt from California Environmental Quality Act review.

“The board’s approval of $285,000 in funding for Don Dussault Park is great news for the community of Fallbrook,” Supervisor Jim Desmond said. “Phase II improvements can now begin and will include an exercise area, picnic areas, walkways, security lighting, landscaping and irrigation.”

Don Dussault Park is a 3/4-acre recreational facility off Alturas Road near the intersection of Aviation Road. The planned improvements were divided into phases for funding reasons, and Phase I included the replacement of the children's playground structure with one meeting Americans with Disabilities Act standards, a new tot lot, a picnic shade pavilion, ADA-compliant parking stalls, ADA-accessible exercise stations placed intermittently along an ADA-accessible path, perimeter fencing, irrigation, picnic tables, a barbecue and a drinking fountain. Phase I was constructed in 2014.

Phase II is expected to include an adult outdoor exercise area, picnic areas with tables, additional paths meeting Americans with Disabilities Act standards, additional security lighting, landscaping and irrigation.

Don Dussault Park is in what the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development defines as a Neighborhood Revitalization Area, making it eligible for Community Development Block Grant Funding provided by HUD. Community Development Block Grant projects are intended to revitalize lower-income communities.

The county was given $1,188,037 of fiscal year 2018-2019 CDBG funding for the unincorporated area, and in April 2018 the supervisors approved the county’s annual funding plan including $302,945 for Don Dussault Park. The proposals were selected based on criteria which include benefit to lower-income residents, health and safety considerations, the ability to leverage block grant funds into additional revenue and availability of alternate funding sources. Because federal funding is involved, projects must undergo National Environmental Policy Act review as well as California Environmental Quality Act review.

“The grant program was very clear that you have to complete NEPA before you start construction,” Jill Bankston, chief of project development with the county Department of Parks and Recreation, said.

The need to compete NEPA review before the start of construction caused the planned approval of the project to be withdrawn from the Dec. 12 board of supervisors’ agenda. “It was a little bit unclear in the previous version,” Bankston said.

The version docketed for Dec. 12 also authorized the director of the county’s Department of Purchasing and Contracting to advertise and award a construction contract and designated the director of the Department of Parks and Recreation as the county officer responsible for administering the construction contract. The authorization for both design and construction didn’t stipulate that the construction would not begin until completion of NEPA review.

“It just wasn’t clear enough,” Bankston said.

The Phase II improvements are now officially considered speculative because the actual improvements and their locations have not yet been designed, but the completion of the design phase and NEPA review likely will not change the list of amenities. NEPA review can include a Finding of No Significant Impact.

The version approved Jan. 9 noted that the Department of Parks and Recreation will return to the supervisors with a request to issue a construction contract after the design and environmental analysis are complete.

“We clarified strenuously that we will complete NEPA on the design before we begin construction,” Bankston said. “It specifies we won't start construction until we complete NEPA.”

CEQA review could utilize a Negative Declaration rather than an Environmental Impact Report if no significant impacts are identified.

The CDBG allocation included the $2,945 budgeted for environmental review. The Department of Parks and Recreation now estimates construction costs to be $265,000 including contingency with $19,000 needed for design, environmental surveys, inspection services, construction management and project administration.

“We’ll come back to the board again once the design is complete to certify the CEQA and then request authorization to advertise the award, but the funding for the construction is included in today’s action,” Bankston said.

The county may amend its CDBG plan and reallocate the money if CDBG funding remains after the project is completed. The CDBG plan included a June 2019 estimated completion date for the Don Dussault Park improvements.