HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-05-21 Ordinance 4949ORDINANCE NO. 4949
ORDINANCE OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALO ALTO
APPROVING AND ADOPTING PLANS FOR IMPROVEMENTS TO
RINCONADA PARK
The Council of the City of Palo Alto does ORDAIN as follows:
Findings. The City Council finds and declares that:
(a) Article VIII of the Charter of the City of Palo Alto and Section 22.08.005 of
the Palo Alto Municipal Code require that, before any substantial building, construction,
reconstruction or development is commenced or approved, upon or with respect to any land held
by the City for park purposes, the Council shall first cause to be prepared and by ordinance
approve and adopt a plan therefor.
(b) Rinconada Park is dedicated to park purposes.
(c) The City intends to authorize construction of certain improvement projects
within Rinconada Park as shown on the Rinconada Park Well Site and Rinconada Park Well
Rehabilitation Plan (collectively "Plans") attached as Exhibits "A-I" and "A-2" including,
without limitation, the following:
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(1) Rebuilding and rehabilitation of the existing well, including repair or
installation of a new well casing, pumps, motors, and controls;
application of architectural, landscaping and soundproofing
treatments; and replacement of the existing fence.
(2) Clearing of vegetation and trimming of existing trees in accordance
with City policies and as necessary to provide equipment access for
construction.
(3) Connection to the storm drain or sanitary sewer system, or both, if
feasible, via an underground pipe from the well site to the public
right-of-way.
(4) If rehabilitation of the existing well is not feasible, a new well would
be constructed within the site. New well construction activities
include: drilling of a production borehole; construction of the well
(including well casing, pumps, motors, and controls); development of
the well (including pump testing); installation of architectural,
landscaping and soundproofing treatments, piping, mechanical and
electrical equipment and lighting; replacement of the existing fence;
and installation of new connections to the existing distribution
system.
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(d) The improvements at Rinconada Park will be limited to well facilities located
within the existing fenced area.
(e) The project improvements will avoid protected trees and other sensitive
resources. Existing park uses, including access to tennis and shuffleboard courts and the
swimming pool, will be restored following project construction.
(t) The projects described above and as more specifically described on the Plans
attached hereto as Exhibits "A-l It and "A-2" are consistent with park and conservation purposes.
(g) The Council desires to approve the projects described above and as more
specifically described on the Plans attached hereto as Exhibits "A-I" and "A-2".
SECTION 2. The Council hereby approves the Plan for replacement and
construction of improvements in Rinconada Park and hereby adopts the Plans attached hereto as
Exhibits "A-l II and "A-2" as part of the official plan for the construction of improvements in
Rinconada Park.
SECTION 3. The Council finds that the projects to construct new facilities at
Rinconada Park are subject to review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) A
Draft Environmental Impact Report for this project was prepared and circulated on November 8,
2006, and a Final Environmental Impact Report for this project was prepared and circulated On
February 8; 2007.
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This ordinance shall be effective on the thirty-first day after the
date of its adoption.
INTRODUCED: March 05, 2007
PASSED: May 21,2007
AYES: BARTON, BEECHAM, DREKMEIER, KISHIMOTO,
MORTON, MOSSAR
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTENTIONS: CORDELL, KLEIN, KLEINBERG
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
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pa207f11-6542.ai
Photo 1: View of Rinconada Park Well site looking east from Hopkins Street
(tennis courts in foreground)
Photo 2: View of Rinconada Park Well site looking west from Hopkins Street
Photo 3: Direct view of RInconada ParkWell site looking south from
residence across Hopkins Street
Exhibit A-1
RINCONADA PARK WELL SITE
CITY OF PALO ALTO
Exhibit A-2
RINCONADA PARK WELL REHABILITATION PLAN
The proposed Emergency Water Supply and Storage Project (Project) is intended to correct the
deficiency in the City's emergency water supply, when compared to the standards recommended
by the Department of Health Services (DHS). Implementation of the proposed project includes
rehabilitation of the existing well at Rinconada Park.
The proposed project design is preliminary and the final project facility design would incorporate
input from the public (including property owner and neighbors) received throughout the project
planning and environmental review process. The final project design will be subject to review by
the City of Palo Alto Architectural Review Board to ensure that project design is consistent with
that of the surrounding community.
Rinconada Park Well
Introduction
The existing Rinconada Park Well site is located in Rinconada Park, a City-owned park and
recreation area, located along Embarcadero Road and Hopkins A venue. The Rinconada Park
Well is located within the 19-acre neighborhood park, which includes a community swimming
pool, two large picnic areas, tennis and shuffleboard courts, playgrounds, open turf and jogging
paths. Dense shrubs and mature trees screen both the recreational facilities and the existing well
site. The well site, which is nestled in between the pool and tennis area, is set back from the
roadway (See Exhibit A-I).
The Rinconada well was drilled in 1954 to a depth of 1,084 feet, with a 14 inch steel casing. The
well is currently operational and recently collected data suggests a capacity of 1,250 gallons per
minute (gpm). The existing Rinconada site includes 8 foot high, black coated, chain link fencing
that surrounds the site and has a City padlocked entrance gate. The well at this site can be
connected to a portable generator (no generators ate on site) to provide power to the facility. The
Rinconada site has no external lighting.
Under the proposed project, the Rinconada well would be rehabilitated to increase its production
capacity and improve the well site reliability in accordance with the City'S Emergency Water
Supply and Storage Project.
Proposed Well Rehabilitation Activities
Prior to rehabilitation, the well would be inspected and the scope of the required well rehabilitation
effort would be identified depending on its condition. Upgrade of existing wells would include
repairing or installing a new well casing, pumps, motors, and controls. Appurtenances required
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070227 syn 6050106
could include piping, valves, and meters. The upgrade or reconstruction of the well building may
be required depending on the condition of existing structure. Other construction related activities
would include site-clearing activities, upgrades to the electrical service, and
architecturaVlandscapinglsound proofing treatments.
Lighting would be provided similar to existing conditions, and would be dependent on the
location of the facility, security requirements, public input and per City, DRS and other
requirements. If external lighting is required, motion sensor lighting would be installed. The
existing fencing would be replaced with the City's current standard fencing 8 foot high minimum,
PVC black coated, special security type chain link steel fencing, with a locked entrance gate.
Because the rehabilitation activities would increase the volume of water produced at each well,
modification to the existing water distribution system could be required. Potential modifications
include moving the existing groundwater well piping connection point to the distribution system to
a different location or increasing the number of pipes connecting the groundwater system to the
distribution system in order to dissipate the pipe velocities.
While construction activities would primarily be located within the fenced well site, construction
vehicles and equipment could be located within recreational use areas during the construction
period.
Following completion of well construction activities, construction work areas and staging areas
would be regraded, contoured, and returned to conditions and uses similar to that prior to
construction activities or as desired by the local community. Bare ground would be seeded with
native plant species or plantings. Following pipeline construction, disturbed areas would be
restored to conditions similar to those prior to pipeline construction.
Construction Schedule
Well rehabilitation activities would require approximately four to six months to complete if the
well casing is in good condition and only the well pump needs to be replaced. If the well casing
needs to be replaced, however, the construction activities would mimic those for a new well, as
described for Eleanor Pardee Park for example, which would require approximately 25 months.
The overall project (including preliminary design, design, and construction) may last up to 47
months, if replacement of the existing well is required. Actual installation time could vary
depending on geologic and site conditions. Construction, with the exception of the 24-hour
drilling/well testing, would likely occur during weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Anticipated Results
The anticipated benefits of this rehabilitation include:
.:. The ability to meet the Emergency Water Supply and Storage Project's objective to provide a
supplemental water supply during "emergency" conditions through providing 11,000 gallons
per minute (gpm) of reliable well capacity and 2.5 million gallons of water storage for
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070227 syn 6050 I 06
emergency use in Pressure Areas 1, 2 and 3. Rehabilitation of the Rinconada Well would
support this objective by:
};> Increasing the production capacity of the Rinconada well to 2,300 gpm.
};> Increasing the reliability of the Rinconada Well for emergency purposes.
};> Producing chloraminated water that is compatible with the water in the distribution system.
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0702Z7 syn 6050106