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Minutes - City/Districts Liaison - 2022-02-11l_ SA I Al MesaWater Unified School DiStrict DISTRICT MINUTES OF THE CITY/DISTRICTS LIAISON COMMITTEE MEETING FEBRUARY 11, 2022 8:00 A.M. (TELECONFERENCE MEETING VIA ZOOM) NOTE: THIS TELECONFERENCED MEETING WAS CONDUCTED UTILIZING ELECTRONIC MEANS CONSISTENT WITH STATE OF CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLY BILL 361 (Gov. CODE 54953(B)(3)). A. CITY/DISTRICTS LIAISON COMMITTEE MEMBERS Committee Members present City of Costa Mesa (City) John Stephens, Mayor Arlis Reynolds, Council Member Lori Ann Farrell Harrison, City Manager Raja Sethuraman, Public Services Director Jason Minter, Parks and Community Services Director Alma Reyes, Assistant to the City Manager Alex Gonzalez, Chief of Staff Costa Mesa Sanitary District (CMSD) Bob Ooten, Board President Michael Scheafer, Board Vice President Arlene Schafer, Board Secretary Art Perry, Board Director Scott Carroll, General Manager Mark Esquer, District Engineer Mesa Water District (MWD) Marice DePasquale, Board President Shawn Dewane, Board Vice President Jim Fisler, Board Director Paul E. Shoenberger, General Manager Newport -Mesa Unified School District (NMUSD) Charlene Metoyer, Board Vice President Ashley Anderson, Board Trustee Leah Ersoylu, Board Trustee Wes Smith, Superintendent Jeff Trader, Chief Financial Officer Lance Bidnick, Director of Maintenance & Operations Ara Zareczny, Director of Facilities Shelley Humphrey, Director of Transportation CMSD Staff present Noelani Middenway (District Clerk & Public Information Officer) Gina Terraneo (Management Analyst II) Others present David Martinez Ibarra, City/District resident Adam Ereth, City/District resident Meeting called to order at 8:15 A.M. B. PUBLIC COMMENTS 1. Call to Order CMSD Board President, Bob Ooten, called the meeting to order at 8:15 A.M. 2. Roundtable Introductions CMSD Board President Ooten opened roundtable introductions. NMUSD Superintendent, Wes Smith, Board Vice President, Charlene Metoyer, Board Trustee, Ashley Anderson, Board Trustee, Leah Ersoylu, Director of Facilities, Ara Zareczny, Director of Transportation, Shelley Humphrey, Chief Financial Officer, Jeff Trader, and Director of Maintenance & Operations, Lance Bidnick, were present. MWD's General Manager, Paul Shoenberger, Board Vice President, Shawne Dewane, Board Director, Jim Fisler, and Board President, Marice DePasquale, were present. CMSD's General Manager, Scott Carroll, Board President, Bob Ooten, Board Vice President, Michael Scheafer, Board Director, Art Perry, and District Engineer, Mark Esquer, were present. The City of Costa Mesa's City Manager, Lori Ann Farrell Harrison, Mayor, John Stephens, Councilmember, Arlis Reynolds, Public Service Director, Raja Sethuraman, Parks and Community Services Director, Jason Minter, Assistant to the City Manager, Alma Reyes, and Chief of Staff, Alex Gonzalez, were present. 3. Public Comments No written public comments were received. CMSD Board President Ooten opened public comments. Hearing none, he closed public comments. C. DISCUSSION ITEMS 1. Shredding/Composting Event (CMSD) Mr. Carroll stated that the City of Costa Mesa and CMSD will be providing a shredding event for the community. He asked for cooperation from NMUSD to host the event at Estancia High School. He shared a diagram of the proposed event map. He noted that the event will be a combined shredding and compost giveaway event. He stated that the City and CMSD will provide staffing and that the event will be scheduled for April or May. He asked NMUSD about the process of securing Estancia High School as the event location. Mr. Bidnick stated that NMUSD will check their facility availability. He added that CMSD will have to obtain a facility use permit. He shared the contact information for NMUSD staff member, Matt Wong. NMUSD Board Vice President Metoyer inquired about the entrance and exit paths in the event map. Mr. Carroll confirmed that the entrance and exit ways are located near the traffic signal. 2. Access to City Permitting System (CMSD) Mr. Carroll stated that CMSD previously had access to the City's permitting system to cross-reference project data. He inquired if CMSD can reinstate its access to the City's permitting system to increase efficiency between the two agencies. Ms. Farrell Harrison shared that the City is in the process of changing their land management system. She stated that she will investigate the process to see if shared access is available. 3. CMSD Capital Improvement Projects (CMSD) Mr. Esquer provided updates regarding CMSD's capital improvement projects (CIP), including President Pump Station, calcium removal, ductile iron pipes, sewer siphons, Aviemore Pump Station, and Westbluff Pump Station. He shared that a new force main will be installed at the Gisler Pump Station this summer. He discussed CMSD and the City of Newport Beach's interconnection facility relocation project near Newport Harbor High School. Councilmember Reynolds asked if there are any upcoming park access closures at President Pump Station. Mr. Esquer stated that there will be a half -day closure to park access to pour concrete next week. He added that there will be two additional closures to rehabilitate the pump station's asphalt driveway and to slurry seal the cul- de-sac. 4. Safe Routes to School (City/NMUSD) NMUSD Board Vice President Metoyer stated that this item is on the agenda to illustrate how well NMUSD and the City are collaborating on their effort to increase safe school routes for students. She recommended assigning specific contacts from each agency to ensure coordination. She noted that NMUSD has approved of the City's map of safe routes. Ms. Farrell Harrison stated that the City will coordinate with Mr. Smith to enhance collaboration. NMUSD Board Vice President Metoyer stated that the safe routes refer to walking and biking routes rather than bus routes. Mayor Stephens shared that a constituent in the College Park neighborhood would like to have a crossing guard on Loyola Road and Fair Drive. NMUSD Board Vice President Metoyer stated that several schools are busier in the mornings than they used to be. She noted that the City can provide information on crossing guards. Ms. Farrell Harrison stated that she will work with the Public Services Department to determine if a crossing guard study has been conducted for that area. NMUSD Board Vice President Metoyer thanked the City for their assistance. Councilmember Reynolds suggested contacting parent -teacher associations as an additional resource for crosswalk support. Ms. Humphrey shared that NMUSD and the City are working on increasing the number of crossing guards in College Park. She discussed the procedures for a crossing guard study. NMUSD Board Vice President Metoyer stated that a certain number of students are required to instate a crossing guard. S. NMUSD/Community Field Use (City/NMUSD) NMUSD Board Trustee Anderson stated that the neighborhoods of Wilson Street, Pomona Avenue, and Whittier Avenue do not have parks near them. She inquired about arranging park ambassadors and asked if the City has any interest in field access for these communities. NMUSD Board Vice President Metoyer suggested revisiting NMUSD's joint - use agreement with the City. She noted that this item is a wonderful opportunity for collaboration between the City and NMUSD. Councilmember Reynolds shared that the City's goal is to increase access to open space. She stated that the City will be conducting an analysis to determine which areas do not have access to a park within a 10-minute walk. She added that there are more neighborhoods on the west side of Costa Mesa that do not have access to a local park. She noted that the City is working on establishing longer term solutions for this issue and that collaboration related to school fields is an important aspect of the City's plan. NMUSD Board Trustee Ersoylu expressed support for exploring joint -use opportunities between NMUSD and the City to create community schools with accessible green spaces. Ms. Farrell Harrison stated that she has discussed this item with Mr. Smith and shared that there is strong interest between both agencies to revisit the joint -use policy. 6. Bike Safety Education (City) Councilmember Reynolds discussed two areas of bike safety education. She discussed the City's on -campus bike safety events, which were supported by an Orange County Health Care Agency grant. She stated that schools are partnering with electronic bike (e-bike) safety education programs. She noted that she is working on establishing partnerships to promote e-bike safety throughout the City. Mr. Sethuraman stated that the City's Police Department is developing a program for bike safety education. He shared that the City has recently hired a new Auto Transportation Coordinator, who will be working with NMUSD to coordinate bike safety education. 7. CMSD Residential Trash Collection (City) Ms. Farrell Harrison stated that there were some recent challenges with residential trash collection. She noted that the trash issues have been addressed. She suggested for the Committee to meet quarterly to discuss disaster preparedness and emergency management. She recommended for the agencies to review each other's continuity of operation plans. Mr. Carroll expressed support for Ms. Farrell Harrison's suggestion. He requested for the City's emergency manager to contact Mr. Esquer. Mr. Shoenberger also expressed support for Ms. Farrell Harrison's suggestion. 8. City Community Workforce Agreement and Apprenticeships (City) Ms. Farrell Harrison shared that the City has entered into a community workforce agreement with the Los Angeles and Orange County Trade Council. She stated that trade jobs associated with the City's capital projects will be available to City residents and local students. She stated that the agreement's goal is for every capital project over one million dollars to be 35% staffed by City residents or by someone from the region and 10% staffed by disadvantaged workers. NMUSD Board Trustee Anderson stated that she will share this information with NMUSD's Career Technical Education Advisory Committee. CMSD Board President Ooten suggested to collaborate with Orange Coast College or other educational resources in the local area. Ms. Farrell Harrison stated that the City is hoping to make trade careers more accessible for students and other residents. 9. Water Supply Update (Mesa Water) Mr. Shoenberger presented a water supply update. He stated that the rainfall in December 2021 helped the entire state and region, and prevented mandatory water cutbacks. He shared a map of California's Drought Monitor comparing October 2021 to January 2022. He noted that most of the snowpack comes from Northern California. He discussed the Northern Sierra snowpack water equivalent. He added that the Colorado River is one of California's largest water sources. He stated that the Mesa Water District's water source is 100% local and reliable. He discussed the Metropolitan Water District's water storage and Orange County Water District's (OCWD) groundwater basin. He shared that Mesa Water District has been working on two new groundwater wells and doubling the amount of storage of their reservoirs. He briefly discussed the effects of water scarcity on water prices. He provided an update on the Wilson Street pipeline and OCWD's Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS). NMUSD Board Vice President Metoyer shared that Arizona's demand for water has increased over the past 20 years. She inquired if Arizona's demand is impacting Costa Mesa. She asked about Mesa Water District's dependence on the Metropolitan Water District and OCWD. Mr. Shoenberger stated that Arizona's water demand is a highly regulated and litigated issue with many rules about water usage. He discussed the issues associated with sharing the Colorado River as a water source. He shared that the states that utilize the Colorado River are in tough negotiations about how divide it. He noted that Arizona's issues only impact Costa Mesa secondarily and minimally. He stated that OCWD is responsible for maintaining a full groundwater basin, and that Mesa Water District receives 75% of their water from that basin. NMUSD Board Vice President Metoyer asked if water recycling is performed at OCWD's water plant. Mr. Shoenberger stated that the water provided by Mesa Water District enters CMSD's collection system, which then goes to the Orange County Sanitation District's (OCSD) plant for treatment. He added that OCWD receives the treated water from OCSD, which eventually enters OCWD's groundwater basin. Discussion followed regarding tours at OCSD and OCWD. Councilmember Reynolds inquired about the repaving of Wilson Street. Mr. Sethuraman stated that the City is coordinating with Mesa Water District to have the repaving completed by March or April 2022. NMUSD Board Vice President Metoyer asked if the repaving project will impact students who live south of Wilson Street. Mr. Sethuraman stated that the repaving project will not impede school traffic. Councilmember Reynolds recommended for Mesa Water District and the City to promote water conservation tips in conjunction with Earth Day 2022. WIMUMEMMM The next Liaison Committee meeting will be held on April 22, 2022 and hosted by NMUSD. CMSD Board President Ooten adjourned the meeting at 9:15 A.M. Arlene Schafer Secretary Bob Ooten President