Project update as of May 5, 2012
A Message from the CIP Committee regarding upcoming Special Council Meetings to discuss the Phase 2 application for this project:
The Council will hold two special CIP meetings:
Tuesday, May 15th
and
Wednesday, May 16th
Both meetings begin at 6:00 p.m.
In Council Chambers
(475 20th Street)
Format for May 15 meeting: No action will be taken at this meeting. The focus will be only on these six Phase 2 projects:
Ashley Pond Park Improvements
Golf Course Improvements
Ice Rink Cover and Improvements
Nature Center
Teen Center
White Rock Civic Center
Because of the large number of projects that must be presented in one evening, there will be no public comment at the beginning, during, or close of the meeting; instead, the Council will hear brief presentations by each project sponsor and/or applicant, followed by Q&A. Discussion will be limited to the projects listed above. The meeting will be recessed on May 15th and continued on Wednesday, May 16th.
Format for May 16 meeting: At this meeting, Council plans to take action on the Phase 2 applications listed above, OR consider any other requests for funding capital projects not listed above. Opportunities for public comment will be provided at the May 16 Council meeting.
How can I voice my opinion to Council?
Citizens can e-mail comments in advance of May 15 to lacadministrator@lacnm.us. Written comments can be dropped off in the comment box at the 311 Customer Care Center (150 Central Pk Square).
Note: Seating in Chambers on May 15 and 16 will be limited with overflow seating and television provided in the adjacent Training Room. Interested citizens are encouraged to watch the meetings LIVE on PAC-8 or stream it at www.pac8.org.
Project Background
Ashley Pond Park is approximately three acres located in the heart of downtown Los Alamos. It is located within the Fuller Lodge/Historic Districts Advisory Board’s (FL/HDAB) oversight. Ashley Pond Park has significant historic value to Los Alamos, and presently serves as a center for community activities.
Ashley Pond Park is considered "the jewel" of Los Alamos to many citizens. However, the pond itself is in the early stages of eutrophication - a depletion of oxygen in the water; it is the process by which a body of water becomes rich in dissolved nutrients from fertilizer or sewage, thereby encouraging the growth and decomposition of oxygen-depleting plant life and resulting in harm to other organisms. The causes of eutrophication in the pond are: overabundant fish population, waterfowl, limited circulation and inadequate recirculation of water, limited introduction of fresh water and pollutants conveyed by the collection of storm water runoff.
The Scope of the study will be to address Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) issues, reservoiring of water for irrigation use, redesigning the pond bulkhead and pathway surrounding the pond, water quality and circulation, landscape buffers, infrastructure and built amenities for a concert venue, riparian and wetland plantings, storm water quality techniques and devices, and a balance of wildlife, aquatic life and the established and cultural uses of the pond areas as a community feature and asset.
The County is currently negotiating a contract with a consultant to perform the work for the Phase 1 study. The project was funded in the FY 12 budget for $125,000.
The public meeting held January 12, 2012 at the Betty Ehart Senior Center was facilitated by design consultant, Sites Southwest, LLC. An overview of the scope of work and what the Stakeholder Committee envisioned for the park was presented through diagrams. A project study schedule was also reviewed. Discussions included aeration and drainage solutions for the pond, replacement of the bulkhead and 6 ft pathway, maintaining existing footprint and memorials, ADA accessibility, concert venues, retaining green areas, possible waterfall features, wetlands, noise buffers through use of plants and trees and preferences for a design which is more formal or natural in appearance and meld in to the current local architecture.
A conceptual plan reflecting the input and comments gathered from the 3 conceptual design plans presented by the design consultant at the 2nd Public Meeting held on February 9, 2012 will be presented to the CIP Evaluation and Oversight Committee on March 8, 2012 at the Community Building. Separate presentations will be made to he Parks and Recreation Board on February 29, 2012 at Fuller Lodge at 5;30 p.m. and to the Fuller Lodge Historical Advisory Board at Fuller Lodge on March 7, 2012 at 5:00 p.m.
A straw pole taken at the meeting resulted in ½ of the attendees in favor of Concept #1- Naturalistic and ½ were in favor of Concept #3- Mixed Design. There was no support for Concept #2- Formal. The preliminary concepts can be viewed at the link below. Meeting notes and comments can also be viewed at the separate link below.
The public is invited to submit comments regarding the plan(s) by email to the project manager at richard.mcintyre@lacnm.us. Comment cards and plan concepts will be available also at the Customer Care 311 Center and the reference desks at both public libraries.
Public meetings are tentatively being set for January and February 2012, with a goal to complete the Phase 2 "Design" application by March 2012 in order to submit the project for consideration in the FY 13 budget in April 2012.
The final conceptual design and Phase II Application were presented to the Parks and Recreation Board (PRAB) on February 29, 2012, to the Fuller Lodge Historical Advisory Board (FLHAB) on March 1, 2012 and to the Capital Improvements Program Committee (CIPC) on March 8, 2012. The PRAB passed a motion of 6-0 in favor to support the preferred option for the final conceptual design as presented.The PRAB noted that the Ashley Pond project was its number one priority. The FLHAB passed a motion of 5-1 endorsing the proposed design as presented with the stage cover to be removable including canopy and posts and that it be removed between events. The Board prefers not to have any lighting around the perimeter of the pond; in order to preserve the Historical Aspects of the Pond. The CIPC recommend to the County Administrator that the Phase II study be approved as proposed and that a placeholder be set for funding this request. The motion passed 7-1. In addition, that CIPC recommends that the following conditions of approval be attached to the proposal:
- Lighting that allows for safe enjoyment of the pond and surrounding areas without causing light pollution to adjacent spaces to be considered to be included in the design, and the design should consider bollard type lighting.
- The Los Alamos County Council’s original directive as stated on December 15, 2010 be shown to be addressed at the 30% construction document phase which is Phase 4A in the CIP flow chart.
The recommendations have been passed along to the County Administrator for the consideration in the 2013/2014 fiscal year County Budget Development. Prioritization and funding of CIP projects will be discussed at the budget hearings April 16, 17, and 18, 2012.
To view the Final Conceptual Design presented to the CIP Oversight Committee click the following links:
The following Links are from the February 9th public meeting:
To view meeting minutes and public comment click here
To view the preliminary conceptual designs click here
The graphics from the last public meeting is posted on the consultants site. To view and/or download the graphics click the following link:
http://www.sites-sw.com/current_projects/