100% Park Dedication Funds.  
  

Walden Green 1 and 2 are located along the Iron Horse Corridor, between Treat Boulevard and Mayhew Way, in unincorporated Walnut Creek (see attached location map). The property is owned and maintained by the County as the successor to the County Redevelopment Agency. The property comprises the Iron Horse Trail (a paved path and a parallel unpaved path) and associated landscaping. The original corridor improvements were constructed in 2002-2013.  
  
With the dissolution of redevelopment agencies statewide there is currently little to no funding for maintenance. Maintenance of Walden 1 is conducted by Contra Costa Centre’s landscape maintenance contractor using limited funding provided by the County. There is no available funding for maintenance of Walden 2; limited trash can servicing is provided by the Walden 1 contractor. Special Districts staff has met with representatives of Contra Costa Centre to obtain input and concurrence on the proposed project, which will involve renovation of existing landscaping to attain a more sustainable and maintenance-reduced landscape. Staff has also presented the project to the Iron Horse Corridor Management Committee and conducted interviews of trail users at the site to gather comments and input; the proposed improvements incorporate these inputs; all comments received were favorable.  
  
The project will replace high water use turf areas within Walden 1 with landscaping requiring less water, and with decomposed granite in picnic and seating areas. One existing turf area within Walden 1, the crescent along Coggins Drive north of Las Juntas Way used regularly as a play area by dog owners, will remain. Within Walden 2, the currently non-irrigated weedy meadow area between the paved and unpaved trails will be replaced with a variety of mulch and stone hardscape, and drought tolerant plantings will be installed as well. Existing vegetation to remain will be trimmed and newly mulched. The existing irrigation systems will be renovated to cap systems no longer needed and to provide irrigation via a water-saving drip system. These improvements are estimated to save over 1 million gallons of water annually.  
  
Additional seating areas, trash cans and recycling cans may be included, as funding allows. This will be evaluated once bids have been received.  
  
Following project CEQA approval by the Board of Supervisors in January 2020, trees that were potentially hazardous, were not thriving, or were negatively impacting desirable species, were removed and trimmed as a maintenance activity, per the recommendations of the arborist’s report and the approved CEQA document. The planned landscape improvements build on this prior maintenance work to create a more attractive and safe trail environment.  
  
Plans and specifications for the project have been prepared for the Public Works Department by Stantec Architecture, Inc. The construction cost estimate is $577,782. General prevailing wage rates to be used in the contract are on file with the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors and will be the minimum rates paid on this project. Bids were received and opened by the Public Works Department on September 24, 2020, and the bid results are as follows:  
  

If the contract is not awarded, the improvements will not be constructed.