Report to Mayor and City Council
Tuesday, August 06, 2024
Consent
SUBJECT:
Title
CONSIDER ACCEPTING A $10,000 PARKS CALIFORNIA GRANT THAT WOULD SUPPORT THE CITY OF CARSON'S URBAN WILDLIFE ADVENTURES PROGRAM
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I. SUMMARY
The City Council is asked to accept a $10,000 grant award by Parks California to support the City’s Urban Wildlife Adventures Project. The grant will provide partial funding for a City Parks & Recreation project that will allow up to thirty (30) 4th grade students living with a spectrum of disabilities - cognitive, physical, etc. - from Dominguez Elementary School and their families (a maximum of 45 individuals) to partake in a week-long trip wherein they will be engaged in school programs (e.g. interpretive guided tours provided for all participants who would like to observe wildlife or learn more about the natural ecosystem) and outdoor exercises such as hiking, biking, horse riding lessons & trail rides. The intended outcomes of this initiative include improving the mental/physical health of participants; bolstering youth creativity, imagination, cognitive function, and intellect as nature plays a pivotal role in promoting overall well-being; and alleviating stress, which will improve their immune system, as well as cardiovascular/muscular fitness.
As the grantee, the City of Carson is being asked to indemnify Parks California, as is typical for most grant agreements, for performance under the agreement or violation of laws. The contract was reviewed by Risk Management, and staff was not concerned with any liability issues that would impact the City in a meaningful way.
II. RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
TAKE the following actions:
1. ACCEPT the Parks California grant award in the amount of $10,000 to support the City of Carson’s Urban Wildlife Adventures Project;
2. APPROVE the proposed Grant Agreement between the City of Carson and Parks California (Exhibit No. 1), and AUTHORIZE the Mayor to execute the agreement following approval as to form by the City Attorney; and
3. ADOPT Resolution No. 24-075, “A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF CARSON CITY COUNCIL AMENDING THE FISCAL YEAR 2024-25 BUDGET IN THE GENERAL FUND TO ACCEPT A $10,000 PARKS CALIFORNIA GRANT THAT WILL SUPPORT THE CITY’S URBAN WILDLIFE ADVENTURES PROJECT” (Exhibit No. 2).
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III. ALTERNATIVES
TAKE another action the City Council deems appropriate.
IV. BACKGROUND
Parks California is a nonprofit organization and California State Parks’ official statutory partner that is dedicated to expanding programs, amenities, and resources so that all people are provided the opportunity to build lifelong, meaningful connections with nature. It works to ensure that protected lands, rich with natural and cultural resources, are stewarded for future generations while also meeting the evolving needs of everyone in California. The agency is steadfast and focused on creating brand-new opportunities to showcase the quality of park experiences and increase the capacity to welcome more people. In addition, it aims to deliver programs and strategies that increase access and foster a lifelong connection to state parks among younger and more diverse visitors.
Parks California informed the City of Carson that it had been awarded a $10,000 grant to support the City’s Urban Wildlife Adventures Project. This initiative will provide 4th grade students and their families the opportunity to partake in a week-long trip that will ensure that various recreational activities immersive learning experiences are widely available for project participants. Dominguez Elementary’s 98% minority student enrollment, 52% female students/48% male students student population, and 75% economically disadvantaged enrollment is why this school was selected, as these Carson's lower-income youth will be experiencing nature for the very first time.
Including accompanying families, there will be a total of 75 individuals joining with a 1:5 student to teacher ratio. In partnership with the nonprofit, SBCC, I Heart Carson's Youth Development Division will also partake in programmatic capacity as only 30% of BIPOC youth residing in the City engage in outdoor recreational activities. Closing this racial/economic "adventure gap" benefits not only Carson's youth, but also contributes to state conservation efforts. Because this outdoor adventure is a week-long trip, it's ideally suited for Carson's underprivileged youth (ages 9-10) whose parents are interested in experiencing Adventure Pass and engaging their children in school programs (e.g., interpretive guided tours provided for all participants who'd like to observe wildlife or learn more about the natural ecosystem) and outdoor exercises such as hiking, biking, horse riding lessons & trail rides. By taking a balanced approach to the provision of parks/recreation spaces that’s fused with educational materials and resources, Dominguez area residents will have the informed capacity to actively practice healthier community ways of living, building neighborhood relationships and their collaborative ability to personally advocate for the City along with its diverse variety of residents, children, and families who have little choice but to call its struggling neighborhoods home and who often lack the educational resources conducive to upward social mobility.
Grant Agreement Legal Terms
The proposed Grant Agreement (Exhibit No. 1) is on Parks California’s standard form and City staff has not sought to negotiate its terms as such agreements are generally not negotiable. In addition to indemnifying Parks California and the California Department of Parks & Recreation (“Department”) as stated in Section 15 on p. 3 and Section 4 of Attachment 2 of the Grant Agreement (which is on p. 9 of Exhibit No. 1), the agreement also contains the following provisions that the City Attorney would like to make the Council aware of prior to approval:
(i) before City makes any public announcement or publishes a written description of the grant and the project funded by the grant, including in the media or on the internet, City shall coordinate with, and seek approval of, all messaging with Parks California, which also will coordinate such public announcement and messaging with the Department (Section 6 on pp. 1-2);
(ii) in the event a court judgment is entered against the City and Parks California because of their concurrent negligence, an apportionment of liability to pay the judgment shall be made by a court; neither City nor Parks California shall request a jury apportionment (Section 16 on p. 3);
(iii) City waives claims against Parks California and the Department, including the right to contribution, for any loss, injury, death or property damage connected with the Grant Agreement, as stated in Section 3 of Attachment 2 (which is on p. 9 of Exhibit No. 1);
(iv) Any copyrighted materials or other works created by City as grantee for the Department in the performance of the Grant Agreement shall, unless otherwise agreed to in writing, belong to the Department, as stated in Section 9 of Attachment 2 (which is on p. 10 of Exhibit No. 1; See also Sections 13-15 on p.11 related to City obligations to transfer ownership of any works/deliverables in connection with the Grant Agreement to Parks California and the Department).
V. FISCAL IMPACT
Should the City Council approve the recommendation, the $10,000 grant award will be deposited into the Recreation/Administration Account Number 101-90-950-101-6009.
VI. EXHIBITS
1. Parks California Grant Agreement. (pgs. 4-15)
2. Resolution No. 24-075. (pgs. 16-17)
Prepared by: Luchie Magante, Principal Administrative Analyst, and Michael Whittiker, Director of Community Services/Recreation/Park Maintenance