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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004-06-04MINUTES ADJOURNED MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE - UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE (CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, SAN BERNARDINO, PALM DESERT CAMPUS) (UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE) Friday, June 4, 2004 — 9:00 a.m. City of Palm Desert - Civic Center Administrative Services Conference Room I. CALL TO ORDER Chairman Tschopp convened the meeting at 9:01 a.m. II. ROLL CALL Present: Excused Absence: Councilmember Jean M. Benson Mayor Pro Tem Buford A. Crites Councilman Jim Ferguson Councilman Richard S. Kelly Mayor Robert A. Spiegel David DeMauro, Vice President for Administration & Finance, CSUSB Fred Jandt, Dean, Palm Desert Campus, CSUSB — C. Michael Webster, Vice Chancellor, Administration, UCR Terry Green, Assistant Dean, Desert Programs, UCR David Tschopp, Committee Chair Also Present: Justin McCarthy, ACM for Redevelopment Mark Greenwood, City Engineer Philip Drell, Director of Community Development David Yrigoyen, Director of Redevelopment Michael Tracey, Associate Vice President, Development, CSUSB Hamid Azhand, Assoc. Dir., Capital Planning, Design and Construction, CSUSB Lauri Aylaian, Development Manager Rachelle D. Klassen, City Clerk III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS None IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. MINUTES of the Meeting of December 5, 2003. Rec: Approve as presented. MINUTES ADJOURNED MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE JUNE 4, 2004 Upon a motion by Councilman Ferguson, second by Mayor Spiegel, and unanimous vote of the Committee, with Councilmember Benson ABSTAINING due to her absence from the December 5, 2003, meeting, the Minutes were approved as presented. V. NEW BUSINESS A. CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY. SAN BERNARDINO Vice President DeMauro provided a slide show presentation, providing the Committee with an update on the University's development in the last six months, along with a review of project information provided in previous meetings, as follows. Indian Wells Center for Educational Excellence (Building No. 2) — Building project moving along well, although not as far along as had hoped due to fluctuations experienced in price and availability for both steel and cement. — Steel studs needed for the Annenberg Wing, which contains the academic classrooms and laboratories, were delayed; while the studs needed for the Center's theater were delivered ahead of schedule. — Contractor now estimates completion of the Annenberg Wing by November 5; although working with contractor to try to make up some time for completion by September. — Will begin installing telecommunication equipment. — Officially opening for classes January 2005. Group II Equipment — Very important to University officials. — Compact with the State provides as the City offered the land, that the University would do the capital campaign to raise funds for the building, and the State would come up with operating and equipment funding. Equipment funding was contingent upon passage of the Capital Outlay Bond Act last March, which was passed. There is nearly $1.4 million for the Palm Desert Campus in that Bond Act, which will provide tables and chairs for lecture rooms, everything needed to equip the science labs, electronic equipment, faculty office furniture, computer workstations, auditorium seats, etc. In the process of ordering the equipment now, and it will be installed as the project goes along. — Modified Project Budget to include the Group II Equipment and the Parking Lot. •Architectural and Engineering Fees - $1.7 million. •Construction - $7.7 million. •Group II Equipment - $1.4 million. •Parking Lot - $384,000 For a Current Total Project Cost of $11.2 million — Colors (light desert shades) and features to complement the Mary Stuart Rogers Building. — Current status is 58% complete. •Annenberg Wing masonry and structural steel done, waiting for steel studs to be delivered next week. Trying to get as much work done inside the building as 2 MINUTES ADJOURNED MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE JUNE 4, 2004 — possible, all of the heating/ventilating/air conditioning systems, electrical, plumbing, without having the steel studs in place. Extensive wiring being installed that will provide state of the art connectivity capability up to and including Internet 2. •Indian Wells Theater now completely enclosed — ready for plastering. — Courtyard will provide a nice social area, will be shaded most of the time. — Artwork (renderings shown) to be obtained in cooperation with the Palm Springs Desert Museum to be placed: 1-piece anchoring the ceremonial entrance, 3-pieces for the interior plaza, 1-piece for the interior theater lobby. Responding to questions, Vice President DeMauro explained that the Annenberg's had made a substantial contribution to the University, which was why one wing of the second building carried their name. He further explained that ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act) access included separate ramps (from the stairs) to the plaza area from the parking lot, and there were elevators in the multi -story buildings, as well as other amenities that made the campus fully accessible to all persons. Dean Jandt went on to report: — With careful scheduling, will be able to handle almost all classes in the Mary Stuart Rogers Building in Fall 2004. — Negotiating with the Joslyn Senior Center and College of the Desert for additional space, if needed. — Confident that their dates are conservative and planning for late November official dedication events. — Third Building is designed to house the RN to BSN Program, Science Program, and Health Services for students, it will generally be known as the Health Science Building. — Capital Campaign for that building has just begun — $10 million is needed; a very small portion has been received to date. It takes approximately two years to begin the architectural and construction process following receipt of all the funds --optimistically, the Third Building would be a reality in three years. — Officials anticipate being able to serve over 1,000 students when the second building is fully operational. Vice President DeMauro recalled for the Committee that the Campus Master Plan specified a circular road that allowed vehicular access to the center of the campus. Currently, Berger Circle Drive is developed to a point. As officials looked toward keeping parking closer to the buildings for now, they felt it would not make sense to cross a four -lane road to get to the parking. Therefore, representatives of both universities worked together and determined to utilize Berger Circle Drive as a two-way street to connect with the UCR facility, and a parking lot will go into what would be the additional two lanes. As traffic counts grow and the need develops, the parking striping will be removed, and it will become the other two lanes of Berger Circle Drive. Landscape enhancement will be part of the total project. Responding to comments about the current two-way Berger Circle Drive, Vice President DeMauro said typically, someone drives in and parks, and then they become a pedestrian for walking throughout the campus as opposed to moving the 3 MINUTES ADJOURNED MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE JUNE 4, 2004 vehicle from location to location there. Eventually, he foresaw providing a shuttle along Berger Circle Drive to provide service to outer parking. He said general campus planning provided for parking capacity equal to about half the enrollment; but this situation was different, more like shopping center parking where more than capacity was normal. He offered to revisit the two-lane Berger Circle/parking lot issue to be sure it had been thoroughly analyzed. View Corridor Mr. Azhand had the following update. — Begins at the intersection of Frank Sinatra Drive/Cook Street and continues through to Berger Circle Drive. — CSU has been working with Ron Gregory and Associates Landscape Design, a draft rendering was displayed, and the Committee's comments were requested. The design includes desert palette landscaping, walkways, and seating. — Project cost is approximately $500,000 and currently unfunded. Seeking ways to acquire the necessary funding. Planning to work with the project in phases as funding allows. — Preliminary design will be left with the City for review and comments. City Council/Committee Members had the following comments: • Ensure the view corridor is geometrically aligned with the site's characteristics. • Design should be such that it draws the line of sight into center of the campus — sculpture, possibly something in honor of Frank Sinatra, opportunity for donation from his family? • Provide interesting walkways that transition easily between the two campuses yet are practical for students and campus visitors and protect the landscaping. B. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. RIVERSIDE Michael Webster Vice Chancellor Webster delivered a progress update on the UCR-Palm Desert campus, noting that they've been enjoying success in construction of their simultaneous projects, thanking the City and their colleagues at CSUSB. — Construction began several months ago, and acquisition of steel components was also an issue for them; but have been able to regain the approximately two weeks' time that they lost, and topped out in steel mid -April. — Steel decking was in place, and they were beginning to install the concrete decking. They are now right on schedule, with plans for Spring 2005 soft opening, commissioning the buildings in May or June 2005, soft programming in Summer 2005, and official opening in Fall 2005. — Two working committees on campus; one chaired by the Chancellor and the Deans on the program side, and the other chaired by Vice Chancellor Webster and Assistant Dean Green, developing the buildings and finalizing selection of the Type II Equipment and furnshings. Will plan to have sample color boards at the next meeting. Vice Chancellor Webster went on to report that there were four finalists resulting from their Executive Director search for the Palm Desert program, and they will all be 4 MINUTES ADJOURNED MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE JUNE 4, 2004 visiting the campus in the next two weeks. The Chancellor expects to have a decision by July 1. He concluded by stating that UCR was very pleased with development of the campus and looked forward to its continued growth from the two core buildings. It hoped to be a valued addition to the community as well as a complement to CSUSB-PD. He reiterated the goodwill that existed between the systems and how much they benefited from coordinated efforts, such as realizing a savings of around $100,000 in the telecommunications component alone. He added they were still working on sewer service with Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD). Overall, things were running very smoothly. Assistant Dean Green responded to a question, saying that during Chancellor Cordova's visit to the Valley and with its leaders, she found one major theme emerged over and over. He said that her decision, as expressed in the recent Desert Sun editorial, was to provide another focus in the campus's second building; the Heckmann Center Building is still focused on entrepreneurial management, and the faculty has developed a lengthy list of degree options for which they're currently performing feasibility studies. Among the options being considered are MBA Degrees in: Entrepreneurial Management, Environmental Management, Technology Management. Students who will be recruited for these degrees are from outside the region, both nationally and internationally. He noted UCR's background of work in the Coachella Valley, especially in the area of environmental research, including active participation in the area's Multi -Species Habitat Plan. Therefore, it was felt that UCR's existing strength in environmental science and environmental management should be the basis for some activity at the second building at the Palm Desert Campus, as well as some academic programs to support that effort. Some other things that have already been linked to the Palm Desert Campus include the Center for Sustainable Suburban Development, a UCR interdisciplinary center concentrating on growth management in rapidly growing regions — certain activities will be extended to the Palm Desert Campus. Additionally, UCR has agreed to link its Center for Technology Development. It was hoped the Technology Transfer capabilities would be enhanced in the second building at the Palm Desert Campus as a catalyst for attraction of technology -based industries in the Coachella Valley and related activities. He said they'd been working with CVAG (Coachella Valley Association of Governments) to create a GIS Training and Research Center that will piggyback with UCR's existing work with GIS and multi -species monitoring, and extending that training for area cities. Further, he said they were also looking at the broader sense of managing the environment —the cultural environment, where they've done extensive work with the local Indian Tribes in Native American Studies and will also be bringing some of these programs to Palm Desert. They were also looking at working with the film and television industry here, providing yet another application for specialized training. Therefore, the second building was taking on a more thematic characterization; the Campus won't only focus on entrepreneurship but have a broadened scope, highlighting areas where UCR has strength and where it can complement CSU, and 5 MINUTES ADJOURNED MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE JUNE 4, 2004 in all cases working closely with College of the Desert regarding transitional programming. They anticipate having more discussion with CSUSB staff about the entrepreneurial aspect and opportunities for collaboration to serve area businesses and to create new ones. UCR's extension program, UNEX, already enjoyed a presence, and they've been working with Dean Jandt on some ideas there. He said it definitely was a work in progress, and the more exposure and experience the Chancellor and Deans obtained in the Coachella Valley, the more it will transform to meet the needs. C. CSUSB/UCR COOPERATIVE PROJECTS Hamid Azhand/Michael Webster Dean Jandt commented that technology had been the cornerstone of the CSUSB-PD campus from its beginning. The Mary Stuart Rogers Gateway Building enjoyed cutting edge technology, wireless throughout the building to get technology into student hands. They will continue that course in the Indian Wells Center, which requires high- speed broadband access, and they're working with a donor for the upgrading of the capacities in the next year. That capacity will be shared with UCR and College of the Desert. Responding to question about the average age of the student population and the hours of attendance, Dean Jandt answered that the population was evolving already. He said when the campus was started, it was largely the mature adult taking classes; the average age is dropping as the campus provided more and more day classes, and the trend was expected to continue. Committee Member Comments In answer to the earlier request for comments, Vice President DeMauro said the parking lot along Berger Circle Drive was already underway and a contract had been issued. However, the landscaping was not yet funded, so timing was not as critical; but it would be helpful if the comments could be received back within 30 days. Councilman Kelly offered that the City's Landscape Beautification Committee could review the project. Vice President DeMauro welcomed that opportunity and asked to be placed on the agenda. Councilmembers added that through its General Plan Update Process, the City had just thoroughly reviewed all the street corners in the City's North Sphere, and the intersection of Frank Sinatra Drive and Cook Street was one of the most prominent; therefore, it was hoped special care would be exercised in its design. Mayor Spiegel referred back to Councilmember Benson's suggestion to recognize Frank Sinatra as part of the View Corridor at the corner of Frank Sinatra and Cook Street, reiterating the idea to approach the Frank Sinatra Trust for a donation and naming opportunity. 6 MINUTES ADJOURNED MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE JUNE 4, 2004 With Committee concurrence, it was determined that the next University Planning Committee meeting would be scheduled for December 2004. VI. ADJOURNMENT Upon a motion by Mayor Spiegel, second by Councilman Ferguson, and unanimous vote of the Committee, Chairman Tschopp adjourned the meeting at 9:54 a.m. ATTEST: DAVID TSCHOPP, CHAIRMA RA HELLE D. KLASSEro, CITY CLERK/SECRETARY CITY OF PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA/ UNIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE 7