Area designated for Cambria skatepark. Photo by Connie Pendleton.
By Connie Pendleton
A Cambria Community Services District meeting was held on April 24 to formally establish an updated funding amount for the skatepark budget after finding a shortfall a few months ago.
A standing room-only crowd filled the Veterans Hall with high anticipation of the skatepark’s future.
The podium was opened for public comments before deliberations. Approximately 25 community members, from business leaders to youth, spoke. A wide range of emotionally charged viewpoints, including criticisms and questions, were expressed. The majority of comments centered on strong support of the project, suggesting recommendations for a lower or “more reasonable” fundraising adjustment and quickly moving the project forward. A smattering of speakers also expressed feelings that it was time the community reward the fervent efforts of the very youth this project would serve.
Following lively deliberations after the public comments, Board Director Karen Dean made a motion to propose a new budget amount with a target and deadline for fundraisers. It passed 4 – 1 in support, with Tom Gray dissenting.
The motion included language describing the target budget be: “…[based] on the average of the three [lowest local engineering and construction] estimates but excluding [the highest outlier].”
Starting with $1.193 million, the report reads “we apply a twelve and a half percent contingency which comes to a total for the project at $1,343,328.95, which means the gap at this point would be $329,000. And we are asking for 6 months… [as a deadline for funds to be available].”
Board President Debra Scott had asked for feedback from the fundraising team, Skate Cambria, about the feasibility of a six-month deadline prior to the vote. The board and Cambria Community Council (CCC) previously signed a memorandum of understanding that states the project must be fully funded prior to obtaining official bids and beginning construction.
During deliberations, CCSD General Manager Matthew McElhenie presented the agenda, answered some questions raised by the community, and explained District staff concerns based on budget limitations, such as:
“Some of the capital improvement projects that we have ahead of us … have to do with public safety. We have multiple fire apparatuses need to be replaced.We do have to have that fire engine … run and [not] break down.
“When we talk about public safety, there are hierarchies of needs within the district — providing water, wastewater services, and fire protection. Those are life, health, and safety issues.”
For skatepark-related landscaping, he said, “Some of those are actually county requirements for actual drainage issues, but it shouldn’t be very expensive as far as landscaping goes.
“The District, as a part of the grant [for the skatepark], had to encumber $769,000 of general fund reserves as a part of the grant requirement. That is reimbursed as we submit invoices to the [grant provider]. Those reimbursements are at 80%. They hold 20% back and will not be given to us until we finish the project, and they do an inspection.”
McElhenie went on to say that once they break ground on the project, the District is “on the hook” for cost overruns, which could potentially come out of the general reserves.
Therefore, it is incumbent on the CCSD to limit the financial responsibility for which the District is responsible.
McElhenie explained the District was approved for a $600,000 grant from the California State Parks affiliated Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) which will be matched up to a total of $1.2M. The CCSD dedicated $178,000 from general fund reserves and secured $47,500 from the Cambria Tourism Board. He said that at that time, cash on hand from the CCC was $327,033. Skate Cambria and the CCC have raised more funds. However, some monies from the $178,000 general fund reserve, Skate Cambria, and the CCC have already been spent on pre-construction costs, permitting, archaeological, sound studies and design.
McElhenie referred to a recent financial appraisal by the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) to provide additional input relating to staff concerns about adequate funding. “When we went to do our municipal review … LAFCO said that our finances are healthy, but in their review over five years they have seen a steady decline in our general fund reserves from unfunded parks, rec, and open space projects. The Fiscalini Ranch is one of them and this, theoretically, would be another unfunded project.”
The District is working with a consultant from Waterworth, to provide long-range financial forecasting for a goal of ensuring financial stability.
The consultant provided analysis focusing on the next five years. He also presented graphs of 27 capital projects, totaling just over $7M; as well as six of the most “pressing” or higher-prioritized projects, which include the skatepark. He presented projected operating expenses, capital expenditures, and revenue requirements. He factored in the $600,000 grant and all the additional funds acquired by the district for the skateboard project and said, “with those funds included, cash is still depleting.”
The CCSD confirmed that the county permits expire in one year; however, the LWCF funding grant expires in three years.
Skate Cambria’s Project Manager Juli Amodei said that they brought in a total of $12,500 on Sunday, April 27, at a fundraiser held at Parr Collective. The team is reaching out to different sources and brainstorming new resource opportunities.
Tax-deductible donations may be made directly to Cambria Community Council, the fiscal agent, by check or with PayPal, debit, or credit card. The website is cambriacommunitycouncil.org/skate-park-initiative. Checks should have “skatepark” written in the memo section and mailed to P.O. Box 486, Cambria, California 93428.
