City Council Approves Contract For Annandale Canyon Open Space Trail Access Improvement Project

City Council on Monday approved a $247,359 contract for work on the Annandale Canyon Open Space Trail Access Improvement Project.

The Annandale Canyon Open Space project site at 1420 Wierfield Drive was previously known as Annandale Canyon Estates, a proposed development of 24 single-family homes to be situated on approximately 20.6 acres. In 2006, a draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) “was prepared for the development; however, it was not certified,” according to a staff report.

Three years later, the City Council approved the acquisition of the 20.6-acre property comprising 37 separate parcels and an additional 31,000 square-foot property located at 1410 Wierfield Ave. for a total amount not to exceed $6,464,000 for the creation of Annandale Canyon Open Space.

The project includes a parking lot for six cars at the end of Wierfield Drive, a trailhead, a trail, and an observation point, according to a report on the proposal.

The trail will be gated during the construction phase. Per the approval of a conditional use permit (CUP), signs will be posted prohibiting overnight camping and notifying motorists that their cars are subject to impound if they are in the parking lot at closing time. An emergency communications box could also be placed along the trail.

The trailhead would include a bench, a combination trash/recycling receptacle, a series of boulders along both sides of the parking lot, and a security gate to prevent vehicle access after hours.

The 23-acre project site is currently undeveloped and includes an abandoned unpaved graded access road extending to the north from Wierfield Drive that is overgrown in many areas.

The proposed trail will be 2,350 feet in length and three to five feet in width depending on any given point along the trail and the terrain and vegetation constraints.

The trail will also incorporate the existing abandoned unpaved graded access road, with the exception of the proposed creek crossing, where the trail will utilize a portion of the existing trail.

A wooden pedestrian bridge will be built at one drainage site and a proposed observation point would be located atop the San Rafael Hills. Work on the observation point would include the installation of a bench, interpretive signs, a perimeter railing, and boulders.

Upon completion of the project, maintenance of the trail, trailhead, and observation point would occur on an annual basis. Such maintenance would include the removal of trash and debris, trimming of vegetation that may infringe on the accessibility of the trail, and minor trail repairs and improvements for the trail’s overall maintenance.

The council also approved:

• A $334,161 contract with Iteris Inc. for traffic management center (TNC) staffing services for special events. Iteris will staff the TNC during the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Game, major events at the Rose Bowl Stadium, including UCLA football games, international soccer games, concerts and other displacement events such as marathons and half-marathons which have occurred in the city in past years.

• An amendment to a $158,668 concert with Norton Simon Museum to increase the fiscal year 2021 contract budget. In 1975, the city entered into a 75-year ground lease agreement with Norton Simon Museum (NSM). As a result of additional landscape maintenance work undertaken in FY 2021 to address overgrown trees and irrigation repairs, landscape maintenance costs exceeded the contract budget amount by $3,207.

• Authorization of a contract with Crown Promotions Group, which does business as Pasadena Promos, to reflect the full business entity name. On March 9, 2020, the City Council approved an agenda report authorizing the city manager to enter into a contract with Pasadena Promotions to provide equipment rental services in an amount not to exceed $136,871 for the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department. The March 9, 2020 agenda report did not include the full entity name of Crown Promotions Group Inc., doing business as Pasadena Promos. In order to continue to procure goods from this company, the City Council must confirm the approval of the prior action and acknowledge its full business entity name.

• A $315,000 contract with Scorpio Enterprises for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) replacement at La Pintoresca Library. The contract scope includes the replacement of the existing HVAC units with new energy-efficient models and a new control system. In order to complete the work, the La Pintoresca Library will be closed and staff will need to be temporarily relocated for three months. Public Works staff will coordinate scheduling of the work with the Public Library staff to minimize disruption to library staff and the community it serves.

• Approval of a side letter of agreement between the city and the Pasadena Police Officers Association. The most recent memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the city and the PPOA expired on June 30. Negotiations for a successor agreement began on April 19, and the parties reached a tentative agreement on July 19. It is anticipated that the PPOA membership will ratify the tentative agreement soon. The side letter will extend the existing MOU until March 31. Bargaining unit members employed with the city on the date of City Council approval of this agreement will receive a base pay increase of one-half of one percent (0.5%) retroactive to July 5. Effective Aug. 16, the regular rate of pay will be calculated by dividing total compensation during the work period by regularly scheduled hours. This is a modification to the current overtime formula in which the regular rate of pay is calculated by dividing total compensation during the work period by total hours worked. The compensation components that comprise the regular rate of pay remain unchanged.