HomeMy WebLinkAbout13 - Marine Studies Center at Shellmaker IslandAgenda Item No, 13
CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH
Office of the City Manager
TO Mayor and Members of the City Council
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FROM: Dave Kiff, Assistant City Manager CJ'
Bob Burnham, City Attorney
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RE Marine Studies Center at Shellmaker Island
DATE October 9, 2001
BACKGROUND
The Newport Beach City Council has been a leader in the effort to improve
water quality in Upper Newport Bay and Newport Harbor. As part of that
effort, the City Council has approved, in concept, the construction of a
Marine Studies Center (MSC) on Shellmaker Island. The Marine Studies
Center would include a County - operated water quality lab, facilities for DFG
personnel involved in the management of the Upper Newport Bay Ecological
Reserve, and exhibits (like tidepools) designed to help children and young
adults understand why good water quality is essential to a health
environment.
The Marine Studies Center is one of the projects submitted to the public
agencies overseeing use of the American Trader oil spill funds and those
agencies have approved use of those funds to pay for planning, design and
construction of the facility.
The proposed Marine Studies Center is a cooperative project involving
Newport Beach (City), Department of Fish and Game (DFG), the California
Coastal Commission, the County of Orange (County), Orange Coast College
(OCC), the Newport Bay Naturalists and Friends (Naturalists), and the
University of California at Irvine (UCI). The participants believe that the
project should proceed in phases - with the initial phase to include
installation of a temporary structure to house the water quality lab along
with community input and completion of additional planning, design and
feasibility studies. The second phase - construction of the Marine Studies
Center and the new UCI crew base - would proceed after permits and
funding commitments have been secured.
The County's water quality lab is a critical component of the MSC. The lab
will house ALL of the County's water duality testine nroerams - these are
programs that are located in Santa Ana today even though at least 35 of the
testing sites are in Newport Bay. The installation of a temporary facility on
Shellmaker Island will allow the Dr. Doug Moore, the Public Health lab
director, to fully utilize the new microbiology positions established by the
Board of Supervisors as part of their effort to improve water quality. The
County has committed funds to staff and equip the water quality lab but are
looking to the City to use the American Trader account to funds the lease
and installation of the temporary structure. The estimated cost of
providing the temporary structure is estimated to be $96,000 and staff is
recommending that the American Trader account be used for that purpose.
RECOMMENDATIONS
We recommend the City Council authorize the following:
• Payment, from the American Trader oil spill account, of the costs of
leasing and installing a temporary facility (a triple -wide mobile unit)
to house the County Health Care Agency's water quality lab;
• The City Manager to execute an interim cooperative agreement, short
term lease or right of entry with DFG authorizing installation of the
temporary facility to house the water quality lab;
• The City Manager to develop, and submit for City Council approval, a
cooperative agreement with other participants that establishes the
process for the planning, design, construction and operation of the
Marine Studies Center; and
• The City Manager to execute contracts with Ron Yeo (Architect) for
planning and design services, Rick Ware (Biologist) for habitat
restoration, and a geotechnical firm for a soil analysis of the site. The
total contract price of each agreement shall not exceed $30,000 and
all contracts shall be paid from the American Trader oil spill account.
Dave Idff
Assistant City Manager
Robert Burnham
City Attorney
"RECEIVE AFTER AGENDA
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RINTED: 3
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10/6/01
Dear Newport Beach City Council Members
I have been involved with the planning of the Marine Science Center since it was
first discussed and I really like the plans that have been created. I believe
that the Marine Science Center is essential as a supplement to the Peter and
Mary Muth Interpretive Center. The Interpretive center is a great place to
interest and enlighten people about the many wonders of Upper Newport Bay. The
Marine Science Center will allow us to actually carry out research on water
quality, tides, currents, weather, fishes, invertebrates, birds, plants, and
ecology with the assistance of students. Students will learn how a beach seine
is carried out and what is done with the fish once they are captured. These
data will be entered into a data base that will allow us to keep and on -going
monitoring of the condition of the marine life in Upper Newport Bay. The
center will serve as an initial training center for thousands of young, aspiring
marine scientists. It will allow those of us with professional degrees to
continue research projects that we have already begun and supplement with
additional data and observations. The Marine Science Center, in my opinion, is
essential to the continued protection and preservation of our estuary resource.
Dennis Kelly, Professor
Marine Science Department
Orange Coast College
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