[Alicia Greenwell Selby]
On January 4th, the County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to accept the donation of approximately 40 acres adjacent to Charles Brown and Union Mine Schools, for the purpose of building a Sports Complex. Such a venue in El Dorado, with ball fields, a park, frisbee golf, and a gymnasium courtesy of the Boys and Girls Club would be a great asset to the area.
However . . . the Board has accepted this land (on the behalf of us taxpayers) WITHOUT:
–Waiting for an Environmental Impact Report that would examine drainage, road capacity, topography, possible toxins (the site is, after all, the location of a former lumber mill), impact to wildlife, among other important issues – all to help determine if this parcel can feasibly be developed as a Sports Complex
–Allocating funds for the necessary vegetation management to ensure the land is not a fire hazard, instead relying on the option to “look into” volunteer projects for vegetation management
–Allocating funds for the construction of the Sports Complex itself, instead relying on the less certain option of competing with other cities and counties for grants, and the idea of maybe “developing it as we go”, or possibly the use of a voter-approved bond
–Creating a plan to address homeless campers on the land that cannot be asked to leave due to recent court decisions
Members of the Board, and local residents certainly did bring questions and concerns about the proposed project, such as:
–Was there money for the Environmental Impact Report? The Parks Manager advised that there is $250,000 allocated for it, but that the actual cost of the report, or of the final design is unknown.
–Why was a housing development previously denied on the property? Supervisor Thomas, advocate for this acquisition, declared that she did not have any information about that. But surely documents are available, and the Supervisor should have been prepared to provide us with that information before voting to take ownership of the property on our behalf.
–Could this land end up like a parcel in Pollock Pines, where $405,000 was spent to plan a park, only to learn it was not possible? Since little research has been conducted, we simply do not know.
A major factor in the rush to accept this land is the Board Members’ desire to apply for a grant by its January 20 deadline. The stated thought is, that if we possess the land, the grant is more likely to be approved. While this reasoning seems possible, does it warrant the flippant use of taxpayer funds to maintain and develop the property, without waiting to first conduct due diligence?
That the Sports Complex is an interesting and exciting proposal is not in question. And possibly it will become a wonderful reality. But a responsible local government would have held more reverence for the taxpayer resources that will now be used to maintain the land, and they would have made the acquisition of this property contingent on further investigation. A responsible local government would have considered “us” over the rush for grants, and waited. For the Board, this seems like a situation of, “You had me at the word “grant”. If concerns over the many unknowns existed, they were tossed aside by the titillating pursuit of government funds. And apparently we had to first get the land, to find out what we can do with it.
Executive Summary – COUNTY OF EL DORADO Sports Complex Preliminary Fiscal Analysis Draft Report
As a result of interest from community partners in the greater Placerville area, a location and concept to create an outdoor, multi-sport complex has gained momentum. Although an exciting possibility, several unknowns still exist for funding the development, and operation, and maintenance of such a park.
The site identified is 39.59 acres of vacant land adjacent to Charles F. Brown Elementary School and Union Mine High School in the Diamond Springs / El Dorado area. The 29.87-acre portion of the site, located at 3447 Clemenger Drive, is currently owned by the Marshall Foundation. This portion is proposed for donation to the County with a restriction on use of the land for recreational purposes. The 9.72 acre portion of the site, which lies just north of the 29.87-acre portion, is owned by Motherlode Union School District. While preliminary, informal discussions with community partners, led by the District 3 Supervisor and Parks Division staff, have been initiated with the school district exploring a long-term lease of this site, no formal discussions or negotiations have taken place.
The site could conceptually accommodate four ball fields, four soccer fields, a natural/ecological area, a Frisbee golf course, picnic area, snack shack, restroom and playground, as well as associated parking areas, creating a regional, recreational asset in the Diamond Springs community.
On September 1, 2020, the Board provided the Parks Division with direction to conduct a fiscal analysis of the Sports Complex. The fiscal analysis addresses fiscal considerations and a series of planning, development, and management implications for this concept. The analysis estimates a total project cost of $8,963,077 (including environmental documents, permitting, oak tree mitigation, project management, and construction). The operation and maintenance costs are estimated at $480,740 each year. Several revenue scenarios are listed in the analysis, some of which point toward the possibility that fees would cover operation and maintenance costs in full, or even exceed operating costs, however, this is dependent on the user fee amounts to be charged as well as the accuracy of the cost assumptions. At this early stage, many aspects of the project are still unknown.
On May 27, 2021, the Planning Commission found that the use of the site for this purpose is consistent with the General Plan, a prerequisite requirement for acquiring the land. The next steps for the project require Board direction, including: 1) review and discussion of the Fiscal Analysis, 2) direction to negotiate with the Motherlode School District on use of their 9.72-acre portion of the site, and 3) direction on returning with an agreement with the Marshall Foundation to accept the donation of property.
Should the Board provide direction to move forward, staff will begin discussing options with key stakeholders including the Marshall Foundation, Motherlode School District, the El Dorado County Boys and Girls Club, and housing developers in the area to determine possibilities for the development and operation of the Sports Complex
Link to the meeting (SEE @ 1:43)
Preliminary plans for the site include:
Four ball fields;
Four soccer fields;
a Natural/ecological area;
a Frisbee golf course;
Picnic area;
Snack shack;
Restroom and Playground;
Parking areas.
Sports Complex PDF:
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The board once again failed to learn from grand jury reports about some scandalous past land deals. Look, for example, at the reports about the Logan Building as well as the land the county bought for an animal shelter before years and millions of dollars later figuring out that it could never have been used for that purpose since the land is largely under water about half the year. In the business world you do serious study first, before spending money.