Supervisors approve grant applications for Fallbrook Local Park, Bonsall Community Park

A pair of 5-0 San Diego County Board of Supervisors votes Wednesday, Jan. 13, authorized grant applications for Fallbrook Local Park and Bonsall Community Park.

One vote approved an Urban Greening Grant Program application and subsequent acceptance of any award for what is currently known as Fallbrook Local Park. The other action authorized the application and acceptance if awarded for Statewide Park Program grants for Fallbrook Local Park and Bonsall Community Park.

The Urban Greening Grant Program application seeks $1,000,000 for Fallbrook Local Park while the county desires Statewide Park Program grants of $1,200,000 for Fallbrook Local Park and $3,000,000 for Bonsall Community Park.

The Urban Greening Program was created by 2016 state legislation and is administered by the California Natural Resources Agency. The program supports infrastructure projects which reduce emissions and provide other benefits.

State legislation approved in 2018 allocated $30 million of Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund money to the Urban Greening Program, and $28.5 million of that has been made available for competitive grants for projects which acquire, create, or expand community parks and open space or for natural systems which provide environmental and social benefits to low-income or other disadvantaged communities.

The Urban Greening Program grants do not have a local funding match requirement.

The county's Department of Parks and Recreation reviewed 97 active park projects and determined that four of them – Fallbrook Community Park, Don Dussault Park, Alpine Park and Calavo County Park in Spring Valley – meet the minimum eligibility requirements for the Urban Greening Program.

DPR determined that Fallbrook Local Park would be the most competitive of those four parks for the Urban Greening Grant, and Fallbrook Community Park is also the most ready of those four projects to move forward with construction.

In March 2020, the board of supervisors approved the purchase of 6.8 acres of land on the south side of Fallbrook Street between Morro Road and Golden Road for use as a local park.

DPR expected to ask the board of supervisors to authorize the advertisement for bids and subsequent award of a construction contract for the park in late spring 2021, and construction is currently expected to take place during fall 2021 and winter 2022.

In August 2020, the Fallbrook Community Planning Group unanimously voted to recommend that the new park be named after Jim Russell, who was a community leader before his January 2020 death.

The California Natural Resources Agency priorities for Urban Greening Grant funding include being shaped by a community-driven design process, and three virtual public meetings were held last fall with the input being used to develop a conceptual plan.

The priorities also include a partnership with a local nonprofit and an infrastructure approach which will reduce emissions and energy use, improve stormwater infiltration and enhance local habitat.

Two options for the park in terms of amenities were presented to the community. Both options include 68 parking spaces, including stalls meeting Americans with Disabilities Act standards, and bicycle parking. Both options will have play areas, a picnic area, a multipurpose field and an open field.

A skateboarding facility is also expected to be part of the park and Fallbrook Skatepark Inc. has committed $20,000 to support the development of skateboarding elements in the park.

One of the options includes a dog park while the other version would have exercise stations in that area.

Other features include rainwater harvesting gardens and bioswales which will capture runoff and assist with stormwater infiltration. More than 300 trees will be planted. The restrooms will be shaded to reduce energy use and mitigate heat effects. Gardens with native plants will provide local habitat for wildlife. The park will have multiuse trails.

Approximately 81% of the residents in the area are classified as low-income or moderate-income. Community Development Block Grant projects are intended to revitalize lower-income communities.

In February 2020, the board of supervisors appropriated $1,172,000 of CDBG funding into the capital outlay fund for the Fallbrook park project. In March 2020, the county supervisors approved the purchase of the land from Barr Ranch LLC for the appraised value of $1,100,000. The county's purchase also included $3,000 for closing and title expenses and $69,000 of staff time needed for the transaction.

The estimated construction costs for the park are $3.8 million. The county's 2019-2020 budget appropriated $2 million for the park.

The county expects $30,000 of initial stewardship and other one-time land protection costs and annual operations costs of $161,000.

In June 2018, the state's voters passed Proposition 68, which allocated $4 billion for state and local parks, environmental protection and restoration projects, water infrastructure projects and flood protection projects.

Proposition 68 included $185 million in per capita grant funding to local governments for park projects, and the county's share of that is $5,487,140, and the competitive Statewide Park Development and Community Revitalization Program will allocate $395.3 million during the current round of applications to projects which provide park and recreation opportunities in critically underserved areas.

The Statewide Park Program eligibility requires either a ratio of less than 3 acres of park land per 1,000 residents or a median annual household income below $56,982.

DPR compared the park projects to the Statewide Park Program eligibility criteria and determined that Fallbrook Local Park, Bonsall Community Park and the Tijuana Valley River Regional Park met the eligibility requirements.

The Tijuana Valley River Regional Park was determined not to be eligible because most of the public engagement occurred before the passage of Proposition 68.

Fallbrook Local Park meets both the medium income and the lack of park land criteria while Bonsall Community Park meets the lack of park land eligibility requirement.

The Statewide Park Program priorities include engaging local residents in the design process, generating volunteer opportunities by working with the California Conservation Corps, and infrastructure which will reduce emissions, improve stormwater infiltration and enhance local habitat.

Bonsall Community Park will be part of the San Luis Rey River Park and will be located near the intersection of state Route 76 and Camino Del Rey. The county acquired the land which includes the future Bonsall Community Park in 2015.

Bonsall Community Park will have 63 acres, including 55 acres to be developed. Two public workshops to ascertain community desires and preferred amenities were held in 2019, and DPR is designing a final concept plan which incorporates that community input.

The likely amenities for Bonsall Community Park will include soccer fields, baseball or softball fields, basketball courts, tennis courts, a skate park, a bicycle skills park, playgrounds, multiuse pathways, picnic areas, a dog park and restrooms.

The estimated total cost for the park improvements is $25 million, and the park will be developed in phases based on available funding. The county's 2018-2019 budget allocated $800,000 for Bonsall Community Park. If the Statewide Park Program grant is awarded, the first phase will include one soccer field, the skateboard and bicycle skills area, a playground, connecting pathways, a restroom and parking.

Phase 1 of Bonsall Community Park is expected to open during fiscal year 2022-2023. If full funding is obtained, the park in its entirety would be open during fiscal year 2023-2024. DPR expected ongoing annual operations and maintenance costs to be $707,000 including the need for four full-time equivalent staff positions.

Joe Naiman can be reached by email at [email protected].