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SR-01-23-2001-9D SUPP - 410-008 / 1000-005-01°Tb F: \CMANAGER \Staff Reports \transitoutreach.doc City Council Meeting: January 23, 2001 Santa Monica, CA To: Mayor and City Council From: City Staff Subject: SUPPLEMENTAL STAFF REPORT Construction Mitigation and Outreach for the Transit Mall Introduction This report provides information on the concerns that additional resources will be required for construction mitigation and outreach during construction of the Transit Mall. Background Bayside District Board members, merchants and property owners have expressed concern that 1) the amount of construction contract contingency ($1.4 million) that will be used in part for mitigation requirements that may arise during construction is not sufficient, 2) that enhanced enforcement will be required to respond to parking and circulation issues, and 3) the $150,000 contract with Harris and Company will not be sufficient to provide the outreach, public relations and advertising /promotion necessary to keep merchants and visitors informed about the project and how to access the Bayside and other areas of downtown during construction of the Transit Mall. Discussion A principal responsibility of Black and Veatch, the firm selected for construction management services, is to respond to mitigation needs that may arise daily during the 6"PPLC-M ` l 1 q D construction of the project. The construction contingency is the typical source of funding for unidentified mitigations. In addition to Black and Veatch, engineering has identified a project manager who will be involved with project daily and traffic management will provide some additional staff to monitor mitigations needs daily. With respect to enhanced enforcement to respond to circulation and parking needs during and after construction, staff is assessing the appropriate enforcement strategies, which will necessarily change in response to construction phasing and conditions. It is anticipated that immediate needs beyond current resources will be addressed during the mid -year budget discussion and long -term considerations will be included in the 2001 /02- budget discussion. A principal responsibility of Harris and Company, the firm selected for outreach by City staff and Bayside representatives, is to work with Bayside, the Big Blue Bus, merchants and property owners to effectively target and coordinate the resources devoted in their contract and the promotional resources of the stakeholders to encourage continued patronage during construction. Those efforts are just beginning. Should circumstances warrant, and the campaign requires additional resources beyond the contract amount and other existing outreach resources, City staff will take the necessary steps. 2 Recommendation It is recommended that the City Council direct staff to monitor Transit Mall outreach and promotional efforts and report back if additional resources or other strategy changes are required. Prepared by: Gordon Anderson, Assistant City Manager Judy Rambeau, Assistant to the City Manager for Community Relations 3