Capital needs assessment list annual update approved

The annual update of the County of San Diego's Capital Improvement Needs Assessment Program was approved April 7.

The 5-0 San Diego County Board of Supervisors vote approved the five-year needs assessment provided by the county's Department of General Services. The plan includes $717.4 million in partially funded and unfunded priority projects. The updated needs assessment retains land acquisition for the San Luis Rey River Park, land acquisition for the Multiple Species Conservation Program (MSCP), the replacement of the Regional Communication System (RCS) network, and improvements to Don Dussault Park as items requiring funding.

"It's a good process," said Department of General Services director April Heinze. "It's a good way to plan for our future requirements."

The 2015-20 needs assessment covers facilities projects slated for capital improvement between 2015 and 2020. Although the approval of the needs assessment did not include funding for those projects, the approval also referred the program to the county's chief administrative officer to determine timing and funding mechanisms to implement the individual projects. Because the capital planning process which includes the Capital Improvement Needs Assessment Program focuses on facilities, road projects are not included on the capital improvements list.

A Facilities Planning Board prioritizes projects based on criteria including benefits and linkage to the county's strategic plan and ranks major projects, defined as those with an estimated cost of at least $10 million. Projects estimated to cost less than $10 million are listed but were not ranked. Additional projects which have been identified but which require further analysis to define their scope will be brought to the Board of Supervisors for inclusion on a future Capital Improvement Needs Assessment Program list.

This year's update increases the number of major projects from six to eight. The replacement of the RCS ranks first. The estimated cost to design, procure, and install the next-generation system has an estimated cost of $105,000,000, and $18,982,388 of preparatory projects have been funded. County staff members worked with more than 100 public safety agencies and medical operations who use the current system as part of the effort to develop the requirements for the new system. The county approved a memorandum of understanding with its regional partners which includes a cost-sharing arrangement. The RCS replacement is considered to be in the planning process, although completion of the microwave technology upgrade is expected in December 2015.

The $104,800,000 crime lab project was ranked sixth in 2014 when it was in the planning stage. It is now in the design stage and was given the second-highest priority in the 2015 assessment. The new $24,000,000 North Coastal Health and Human Services Agency project ranked third.

The MSCP land acquisition dropped from second to fourth among the major projects. The county has already purchased more than 19,300 acres for the MSCP and anticipates the acquisition of up to 15,000 additional acres. The estimated cost to acquire the remaining amount is $301,297,954, and $161,569,607 of that has already been funded.

The future San Luis Rey River Park will include open space areas including trails, staging areas, and habitat preservation corridors. Since those open space areas are for the most part within the draft MSCP boundaries, the MSCP funding will be available to purchase open space land within the river park. The river park plans also include active recreation fields such as ball fields, play areas, and picnic facilities; the active recreation land would not be eligible for MSCP funding.

Somewhere within San Diego County, approximately 15 acres of flat land will be acquired and paved for use as an emergency vehicle operations center. That facility will be used for training and refresher course purposes, including high-speed law enforcement pursuits as well as other specialized emergency vehicle operation procedures. The estimated $15,000,000 project is ranked fifth on the 2015 assessment list; it is still in the planning stages and county real estate services staff members are evaluating potential sites.

The San Luis Rey River Park, which was ranked fifth among last year's six major priorities, is now ranked eighth. The Capital Improvement Needs Assessment Program, which in 2014 only addressed land acquisition for the river park, now addresses land acquisition and development of one of the two planned active recreation sites. The river park boundaries are yet to be determined and land will be acquired only from willing sellers, so the total acquisition cost estimate may need adjustment. The San Luis Rey River Park will cover approximately 1,600 acres, and the linear park will stretch for approximately nine miles.

In July 2005, the Board of Supervisors appropriated $5 million to purchase land for the river park. The county's 2006-07 budget provided an additional $3 million. More than 500 acres have already been purchased, and approximately 850 acres will be acquired as part of the California Department of Transportation mitigation requirements for the widening of State Route 76.

The estimated cost for the acquisition of an additional 250 acres, including 40 to 60 acres for two active recreation sites, and the development of one of the two active recreation sites is $38,242,239 including $13,282,249 which has been funded. The total estimated development cost of the river park is $50 million.

"We're continuing to plug along and we're achieving success on the project bit by bit every year," said Brian Albright, the director of the county's Department of Parks and Recreation.

Improvements to Don Dussault Park were added to the list in 2014. Don Dussault Park is a 3/4-acre recreational facility off of Alturas Road near the intersection of Aviation Road. The master plan for the park has a current cost estimate of about $850,000 for all of the planned improvements, and the $330,000 which has been funded allowed for a construction contract which resulted in the completion of the first phase of improvements during fall 2014.