Public Services recently expanded its graffiti removal and pressure washing program. Historically, the Maintenance Division has dedicated a one or two-person operation to manage the program.

Maintenance staff is very dedicated and takes pride in the program, resulting in high level of success in managing graffiti issues throughout the City. Staff attempts to remove graffiti within 24 hours of discovery or reporting.

The program’s current expansion includes additional resources and equipment to better serve Costa Mesa. The program is now staffed by two full-time employees and one part-time employee operating out of two fully equipped graffiti abatement trucks, one pickup truck and trailer, and the gator which is dedicated to Fairview Park and the Joann Bike Trail.

Staff works an overlapping schedule to provide coverage every day. With the additional staff and equipment, the program now has increased the frequency of services to include weekly pressure washing of park shelters and pressure washing high use bus stops in conjunction with the City’s bus stop maintenance contractor.

As part of this program, maintenance staff performs regular pressure washing of the Skate Park, Bark Park, all City owned park playgrounds, Davis field restroom and sidewalks, senior center walkways and City facilities. Staff is also quick to respond with pressure washing services to daily requests related to paint spills, utility markings and graffiti removal.

The City of Costa Parks & Community Services Department has recently appointed Cynthia D’Agosta as the new Fairview Park Adminstrator, who is tasked with maintenance, inspiring local participation and trust in the improvement and protection of Fairview Park.

“Fairview Park as a truly unique and special, local and regional resource, that can serve the community through passive recreation, environmental and cultural education, volunteerism and its pure landscape beauty,” D’Agosta said.

D’Agosta is a native Californian, urban open space planner, landscape architect and artist.  She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in science and fine arts from UC Santa Cruz and a Master’s Degree in landscape architecture from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design.

In her 25-year career, she has focused on:  enriching human experiences with local landscapes; supporting and leading communities in the area of preservation; and in the creation of meaningful public spaces.

Her expertise includes community leadership, project management, and planning of urban parks, open spaces, natural areas, and cultural resources. She has studied and performed management and design of regional scale urban open spaces for both non-profits and government entities such as the Los Angeles County Dept. of Parks & Recreation, the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, the National Parks Service, and the San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority.

D’Agosta’s Southern California experiences have included projects for the Los Angeles, San Gabriel, and Santa Ana River restorations; LA County regional parks; and in private practice, designing trails and parks for housing developments of Newport Coast and Rancho Santa Margarita.

Most recently while in the Bay Area, she has served as Executive Director for a multi-jurisdictional urban infrastructure creek project (the SFCJPA), 50-year-old environmental advocacy non-profit, and a historic garden estate.

Following recently passed legislation and the corresponding closure of the Ramsay Rexall Pharmacy and Harbor Compounding pharmaceutical drop boxes, Costa Mesa Sanitary District (CMSD) installed a new pharmaceutical waste drop box at the district headquarters.

To dispose of medication in Costa Mesa, stop by the CMSD Headquarters located at 290 Paularino Avenue, Costa Mesa. Pharmaceutical waste will also be accepted at various Orange County drop sites on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017, the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.

The list of drop sites, which are coordinated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, are available at https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/index.html.

Beador Construction Co., Inc. has started construction of the partially grant funded Placentia Avenue Median Improvement project, between Estancia High School and Adams Avenue, this week.

This project with the construction of a landscaped median on Placentia Avenue will improve the streetscape adjacent to Fairview Park and Estancia High School. The raised median will also improve the traffic operations on Placentia Avenue as it will provide an overall appearance of a narrower roadway, which consequently provides a traffic calming effect.

During the first three weeks, Placentia Avenue, from Estancia High School to Adams Avenue, will be restricted to one-lane in both directions. The electronic traffic information signs located at each end of the project limits on Placentia Avenue will provide up-to-date traffic conditions to the community.

The project is scheduled for completion by spring 2018.

The city’s website staff has created a number of new web pages and features to assist residents using the website and to better highlight city initiatives.

One addition has been a page dedicated to issues around group homes and sober living. On this page, residents can learn about city ordinances and rights of those who live in group homes. Click here to view that page.

The results of the Point in Time survey of homeless by the nonprofit service organization 211oc indicates Costa Mesa’s homeless population has dropped to 103 individuals, a decrease from the last count by Vanguard University in February of 2016 that counted 158 homeless on Costa Mesa’s streets.

That Vanguard study was reported on here.

As always, there are many factors that have helped with this positive change. A key factor for Costa Mesa is the City’s Network for Homeless Solutions, which since 2013 has helped house nearly 300 people who were previously homeless.

The Network for Homeless Solutions is a collaborative effort among city outreach workers, code enforcement, police and park rangers, community churches, and non-profit and private organizations to address homelessness in Costa Mesa. The network works daily to assist homeless and educates community members and businesses on how to best manage the issues that arise from homeless populations.

Additionally, a recent survey by the County of Orange found that of the 422 individuals living in the homeless encampment along the Santa Ana River near Angels Stadium, only five of them or 1.6 percent stated Costa Mesa was the last place they called home. This demonstrates that Costa Mesa’s homeless is not necessarily contributing to the larger countywide problem.

The Point in Time count of homeless individuals in the county was conducted by the nonprofit service organization 211oc and began on the night of Jan. 27, 2017 and continued until the next morning.  There was a 40% increase in volunteers helping 211oc to conduct the count (1,184 people), which represents a 47% increase in the number of mapped areas covered, making this the most comprehensive and detailed count ever completed.

To see the city’s Point in Time Report prepared by 211oc click here.

Costa Mesa, with a population of 113,000, represents approximately 3.6% of the total population in the county. That 3.6% number is reflective of nearly the same ratio of the city’s homeless population in the entire county, which is at 4%.

This brief report provides information for Costa Mesa on the estimated number of people who were experiencing unsheltered homelessness within the city on the morning of the 2017 Point-In-Time Count.

The estimates were derived using the total unsheltered PIT count as well as census data indicating the 2016 estimated poverty population of the city (see Appendix for a discussion of the data and assumptions used). In addition to the total number of people experiencing homelessness who were unsheltered, the table below provides additional estimates of that population in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, and race.

As the table below indicates, three people in families experiencing unsheltered homelessness and 100 unsheltered individuals (a total of 4% of the all people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in the County of 2,584 individuals) are estimated to have been in Costa Mesa. Single adults were primarily: over 24 years old, male, and Caucasian. The family household had two adults over 24 years old and one child under 18 years old.

The Table below illustrates both family and adult only households

The Point in Time count is mandated by Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to be conducted at least every two years, and includes counting those sleeping in both sheltered (emergency shelter and transitional housing) and unsheltered locations.

Orange County, and the cities within Orange County, were further interested in the geographic distribution of the people experiencing homelessness. Because the location of shelters varies throughout the County, the only information that is useful to report at a city level is people experiencing unsheltered homelessness. The full PIT report can be found at http://www.211oc.org/.

Last Wednesday Oct. 4, Costa Mesa officially went on the bond market for the Lions Park Projects and the 2007 COPs refinancing. A total of $29.8 million in bonds were offered for both the project and refinancing of existing debt.

Orders were exceptionally strong. A diverse mix of investors including 33 investor accounts and many individual investors ordered six times the amount available. As a result, the City was able to obtain better pricing (lower interest rates) resulting in additional interest cost savings over the life of the bonds.

Final pricing results in a total of $29.7 million in bonds and compares to our Sept. 19, 2017 Council agenda report as follows:

• True interest cost is 2.76% vs. 3.11%.
• For the 2007 COPs, the new annual payment averages $1.76 million, which equals a savings of $514,000 vs. the prior estimated savings of $503,000 per year.
• Total savings from the refinancing increased to $4.625 million over the remaining nine years compared to $4.524 million previously reported.
• For the new money portion, the annual payment averages $1.084 million compared to $1.133 million previously estimated and compared to the former 2003 COPs payment of $1.24 million which was the original target not-to-exceed amount when staff took the first financing concept to Council nearly two years ago.

The success of this financing plan is credited to members of the City Finance department, Public Services and the City Manager’s office as well as outside advisors including Fieldman-Rolapp, Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth and Stifel Nicolaus & Co.

Pictured above is the city’s bond financing team of Interim Finance Director Steve Dunivent, policy and legal analyst Michelle Manu with Chelsea Redmon and Anna Sarabian of Fieldman-Rolapp.

As part of the I-405 Improvement Project, OCTA announced that beginning Monday Oct. 9, construction work will take place from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. at the following locations:

• NB I-405 HOV inside lane from MacArthur Boulevard to SR-73
• NB I-405 merge lane from Bristol Street to South Coast Drive
• SB I-405 / SR-73 connector to Bear Street
• SB I-405 near Harbor Boulevard to Fairview Road
• Fairview Road bridge
• Harbor Boulevard bridge

OCTA in cooperation with The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is widening the San Diego Freeway (I-405) between State Route 73 (SR-73) and Interstate 605 (I-605). The project will improve 16 miles of I-405 between the SR-73 freeway in Costa Mesa and I-605 near the L.A. County line.

In conjunction with the 10-year Master Site Plan, OC Fair & Event Center will be launching a Strategic 5-Year Business Plan to develop our organizational goals.

Fair & Event Center officials will be seeking input at two open community discussions on how the OC Fair & Event Center can further support its mission of developing programs focused on community, education and agriculture.

If you’re an interested neighbor, educator, member of the agricultural community, non-profit leader or business associate, your input is appreciated.

Join OC Fair & Event Center officials on the following dates:

• Wednesday, Oct. 18 from 2:30-4:30 p.m. or Thursday, Oct. 19 from 7-9:30 p.m.

RSVPs are not required. If you’re unable to attend but would like to provide input, please email your thoughts and ideas to CommDept@ocfair.com.

The Parks and Community Services Department recently launched the return of the Mobile Recreation program at Shalimar Park.

More than 75 kids from the surrounding neighborhoods had the opportunity to engage with staff and recreate in an area that isn’t typically conducive for outdoor recreation.

The program will take place at Shalimar Park on Mondays and Fridays, Lions Park on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and at Ketchum-Libolt Park on Wednesdays during the month of October.

The Daily Pilot featured a story on the program here: http://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/tn-dpt-me-cm-mobile-rec-program-20170926-story.html.

Public Services recently completed landscape improvements to the Mesa Verde North median located on California Street.

The City’s contractor, Empire Landscape, replaced over 3,000 square feet of sod with drought tolerant plants. This project conserves water and beautifies the Mesa Verde North neighborhood.

After a four-year hiatus, Walk to School Day will return in Costa Mesa on Oct. 4 at three elementary schools in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District.

The schools talking part in this year’s event are the following:

• College Park — Click here for route details and times for this school.
• Kaiser — Click here for route details and times for this school.
• Victoria — Click here for route details and times for this school.

City elected leaders, staffers from the Fire and Police Departments, Public Services and the City Manager’s Office will be out that day to assist families as they walk their children to school.

The first Walk to School Day – called Walk Our Children to School Day – was held in 1997. Since then, it’s come a long way. In May 2012, the first-ever National Bike to School Day was celebrated across the USA. Event organizers have reported that this one-day event has led to great changes such as long-term walking and bicycling programs, new sidewalks and pathways, enforcement of unsafe driving behaviors and needed policy changes at schools and in communities.