Proposed Budget, New Senior Center at City Council Meeting Tuesday

In their final gathering before Coronado officially welcomes summer, City Council will hold their meeting Tuesday at 3 p.m. to discuss a proposed budget, consider modifications to the entrance of the Coronado Cays, approve plans for a new Senior Center and much more.

Visit the city website to download the agenda.

The City Council will review and vote on whether to adopt a $52.2 million operating budget for the coming fiscal year which starts July 1.

A public workshop was held May 21 to discuss the budget and hear organizations plead their case for why they deserve funding.

Since the workshop was held, community group grant funding has been increased $215,000 to $1.28 million. Grant money will be given to 15 organizations and causes ranging from the 4th of July celebrations and the Miss Coronado pageant to the Coronado Historical Association and Visitors Center.

See the full list of organizations to receive grants on page 157 of the agenda.

The city plans to spend $4.8 million on capital improvement projects around town in the coming fiscal year. 

Beyond sewage and street maintenance, city staff recommend City Council approve funding for: 

• $210,000 for maintenance and replacement of the heater at the community pool.
• $390,000 for a range of projects at the municipal golf course.
• $200,000 on Coronado Cays entrance bike improvements.

The city would also like to add eight full-time employees to increase city staff to 233 full-time positions. New hires will include lifeguards and office staff.

See details of the proposed budget on page 141 of the agenda.

A plan for a proposed new senior and adult center will also be considered Tuesday. Construction is estimated to cost roughly $5.8 million and between $75,000 and $250,000 a year to operate, according to a staff report. The current senior center costs the city $54,200 to operate.

The proposed senior/adult center would be about 9,000-square-feet, more than twice the size of the current senior center.

Discussion of this particular agenda item will take place at 3:45 p.m. See page 101 of the agenda for more details.

In a letter published on Coronado Patch and in the meeting agenda packet John and Barbara Tato urge the city to consider underutilized city space that can host senior activities instead of a large, new senior center.

http://coronado.patch.com/groups/opinion/p/update-on-the-proposed-senior-center

A month after the start of a bike corral program, the city will consider a summer shuttle bus pilot program Tuesday. The bus will carry residents and visitors along the same route a Metropolitan Transit System bus already operates but for $1 or less or free as opposed to the current $2.25 fare.

The bus would bring travelers on Route 904 from Coronado Island Marriott Resort & Spa to City Hall and to business district stops in July, August and September. Currently the single MTS bus travels through Coronado once an hour from 10 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. and makes a round trip once an hour.

The pilot program is expected to cost the city anywhere between $10,000 and $141,000 depending on the frequency of travel and number of buses. $6,500 could be spent to wrap each bus in an advertisement announcing the reduced or free fare during the summer. This portion of the program may be funded by the Coronado Tourism Improvement District.

See page 137 of the agenda for more information.

The city plans to modify the entrance of Coronado Cays within the next year.

The Coronado Cays Homeowners Association have requested the city grant additional funding for the project so a contractor can make 3D visualizations of design concepts, including a possible tunnel, and consider additional design options.

Residents often complain about the safety hazard bicyclists on the Bayshore Bikeway present at Coronado Cays Boulevard, the only entrance and exit for the Cays. 

At a public workshop held in April to review alternative design concepts attended by 100 people, some expressed a concern that plans to modify the entrance will drastically change its appearance. Others requested no modifications be made and instead bicyclists be required to stop at the entrance in order to avoid collisions with cars.

In a letter sent to the city last month the Coronado Cays Homeowners Association said it found "an overall feeling of dissatisfaction with all of the alternatives presented by the consultants."

See page 119 for more information.

Among items on the consent calendar, multiple items approved with a single vote:

• City staff will introduce an ordinance to change City Council regular meeting times from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.
• A briefing on 4th of July celebrations.
• A request by city staff to advertise a bid to install Class II bike lanes on 6th Street and H Avenue.
• Renew an agreement with Oti's Place to manage a coffee cart outside the Coronado Public Library.
• City Council will approve the list of payments made by the city within the past two weeks. The Warrant List can be found on page 7 of the agenda.