REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF THE COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 23, 2020
FROM
TERRY W. THOMPSON, Director Real Estate Services Department
BEAHTA DAVIS, Director, Regional Parks Department
SUBJECT
Title
Cooperative Agreement Between the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority and the County of San Bernardino for the Redlands Passenger Rail Project for Design and Construction of a Certain Portion of the Santa Ana River Trail
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Cooperative Agreement No. 17-1001646 between the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority and the County of San Bernardino for the Redlands Passenger Rail Project for Design and Construction of a Certain Portion of the Santa Ana River Trail and for the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority to perform rough grading work for a certain portion of the Santa Ana River Trail at no cost.
(Presenter: Terry W. Thompson, Director, 387-5252)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Ensure Development of a Well-Planned, Balanced, and Sustainable County.
Pursue County Goals and Objectives by Working with Other Agencies.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). There is no cost to the County associated with the approval of this item.
The County of San Bernardino Regional Parks Department (Parks) is responsible to develop, operate, and maintain those portions of the Santa Ana River Trail system that are located within the County of San Bernardino (SART Project). The SART Project is funded by the Transportation Development Act (TDA Article 3, Bicycle/Pedestrian funds) and California Coastal Conservancy Proposition 84 grant funds. Cooperative Agreement No. 17-1001646 between San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA) and the County of San Bernardino for the Redlands Passenger Rail Project Design and Construction of a Certain Portion of the Santa Ana River Trail (Agreement) provides that (SBCTA) will perform, at its sole cost and expense, the rough grading work for that certain portion of the SART Project that runs under the existing Redlands Subdivision Rail Bridge in the City of San Bernardino, which will serve as a base for the County’s additional work. Parks is responsible for the construction costs of the SART Project, which will be reimbursed through grant funding. Sufficient revenue and appropriation for the County’s work on this and other portions of the SART Project will be included in the Parks 2020-21 recommended budget, subject to Parks securing environmental mitigation funding.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The recommended actions will approve the Agreement with SBCTA for SBCTA to perform rough grading work for a certain portion of the SART Project at no cost to the County.
The SART Project is part of a trail system proposed to extend from the Pacific Ocean to the San Bernardino County Mountains. Parks, with assistance from the Department of Public Works (DPW) for design and project management services pursuant to a Memorandum of Understanding in place since October 22, 2010, is responsible for the completion of 21.5 miles of trails in the County, which have been divided into four phases between the Riverside/San Bernardino County line and the Mentone area. Phases I and II of the SART Project have been completed. Phase III of the SART Project will consist of the future construction of a 3.8-mile trail segment on the south side of the Santa Ana River to connect the existing trail on Waterman Avenue in the City of San Bernardino to California Street in the City of Redlands. On April 21, 2020 (Item No. 66), the Board approved the plans and specifications for the construction of Phase III, including a bicycle trail, bridges, culverts, and access ramps, and authorized the Director and/or Interim Director of DPW to advertise Phase III for bids.
A portion of Phase III of the SART Project will cross underneath the existing Redlands Subdivision Rail Bridge (Rail Bridge) in the City of San Bernardino over property that is owned by SBCTA. On November 30, 2004 (Item No. 18), the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved License Agreement No. 04-1205) with SBCTA to permit the County to use approximately 4,000 square feet of property under the Rail Bridge for construction of a ten-foot wide paved bikeway with two-foot shoulders. Subsequently, SBCTA began constructing the Redlands Passenger Rail Project (Rail Project), which is an approximately nine-mile passenger rail system, on existing SBCTA right-of-way between the San Bernardino Transit Center, located at Rialto Avenue and E Street in the City of San Bernardino, to the University of Redlands campus in the City of Redlands. A portion of the Rail Project requires SBCTA to remove and replace the existing Rail Bridge.
The Agreement between SBCTA and the County acknowledges that SBCTA is responsible for the Rail Project, including the replacement of the existing Rail Bridge, that the County is responsible for the SART Project, and that the parties’ desire to cooperate to design the portion of the SART Project that passes under the Rail Bridge, which has yet to be constructed. The Agreement provides that SBCTA will, at its sole cost and expense, design and construct the new Rail Bridge as part of its Rail Project as well as perform rough grading work pursuant to a mutually agreed design of the portion of the SART Project that runs below the Rail Bridge, which will serve as the base for County’s additional work at the County’s sole cost and expense.
Because a portion of Phase III of the SART Project crosses under the Rail Bridge, the County will be required to submit a formal crossing application to the California Public Utilities Commission as part of the Agreement and to enter into a Temporary Right-of-Entry Agreement (TROE) with Southern California Regional Rail Authority. Parks and DPW will return to the Board for the necessary approvals to submit the CPUC application and to enter into the TROE.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Agnes Cheng, Deputy County Counsel and Dawn Martin, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on June 1, 2020; Parks (Beahta Davis, Director, 387-2340) on May 12, 2020; DPW (Brendon Biggs, Interim Director, 387-7906) on May 14, 2020; Finance (Elias Duenas, Administrative Analyst, 387-4052 and Wen Mai, Principal Administrative Analyst, 387-4020) on June 3, 2020; and County Finance and Administration (Matthew Erickson, County Chief Financial Officer, 387-5423) on June 5, 2020.
(JG: 677-0477)