AgdaPkt 2012-04-23 - Laserfiche WebLink

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6.1.G. - Page 1 RE PO RT To the Honorable Mayor and City Council From the Cit Mana er April 23, 2012 SUBJECT Accept a public access trail easement granted by Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) for the purpose of constructing the Bair Island Bay Trail Improvement project RECOMMENDATION By motion, approve an agreement with PG&E granting the Public Access Trail Easement, and authorize the City Manager to execute same agreement and accept the grant of easement. BACKGROUND The Bay Trail Project is administered by the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), and seeks to create a continuous bicycle and pedestrian trail that rings the San Francisco Bay linking all nine Bay Area counties and 47 cities. Existing trail segments provide recreational and environmental education opportunities as well as a commute alternative for the local community. As opportunities occur, Redwood City contributes to the build-out of the Bay Trail. In 2004, a bike/ped facility from Skyway Road in San Carlos to Whipple Avenue, parallel to and east of Highway 101, was completed during the installation of the recycled water transmission line. Most recently, a segment of bike/ped path was constructed along Bair Island Road as part of the improvements for the One Marina development. A trail segment linking the eastern terminus of Whipple Avenue to Bair Island Road remains unconstructed. Once constructed, it will provide a continuous bike/ped route stretching from Bair Island Road in Redwood City to Coyote Point in Burlingame. A federal grant of Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) funds totaling $337,000 has been awarded to the city to construct this much desired link. ANALYSIS The city's Bair Island Bay Trail Improvement Project consists of improvements to 2,000 feet of dirt trail between the terminus of Whipple Avenue and Bair Island Road. The existing dirt trail is owned by PG&E and provides maintenance access to PG&E transmission towers on the property. The proposed project would pave the trail to establish a Class I bicycle and pedestrian path. The city must secure property rights in order to construct and maintain the improvements and to secure access for the public in the future. The proposed easement agreement will allow the city to enter PG&E property, construct trail improvements, and maintain those improvements, and will allow public access in return for payment of $1,000.00, the appraised value of an easement over this trail.