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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 10042011 - C.29 (2)PDF Return C.29 To: Board of Supervisors From: Catherine Kutsuris, Conservation & Development Director Date: October 4, 2011 Contra Costa County Subject:Proposed Delta National Heritage Area APPROVE OTHER RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE Action of Board On: 10/04/2011 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER Clerks Notes: VOTE OF SUPERVISORS AYE:John Gioia, District I Supervisor Gayle B. Uilkema, District II Supervisor Mary N. Piepho, District III Supervisor Karen Mitchoff, District IV Supervisor ABSENT:Federal D. Glover, District V Supervisor Contact:John Greitzer, 335-1201 I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown. ATTESTED: October 4, 2011 David Twa, BY:June McHuen , Deputy RECOMMENDATION(S): ACCEPT report on the proposed Delta National Heritage Area as recommended by the Transportation Water and Infrastructure Committee; and AUTHORIZE the Chair of the Board to sign the attached letter to the Delta Protection Commission regarding the Commission's proposed Delta National Heritage Area. FISCAL IMPACT: NONE. BACKGROUND: The Delta Protection Commission is mandated by the Delta Reform Act of 2009 to develop a plan for establishing the Delta as a place of special significance, potentially including application for designation as a National Heritage Area. Areas so designated receive annual funding from the National Park Service for projects such as historic preservation, natural resource conservation, recreation, heritage tourism and education. On a related note, the Board of Supervisors adopted a support position for S. 3927, Senator Dianne Feinstein's bill in 2010 that would have authorized federal designation of the Delta as a National Heritage Area. Congress did not pass the bill, but Senator Feinstein has reintroduced this legislation as S.29, which will be active through this session of Congress to the end of 2012. The Delta Protection Commission is moving forward with a feasibility study to establish the Delta National Heritage Area (NHA) pursuant to the Delta Reform Act of 2009. Delta Protection Commission staff have made two presentations to the Transportation, Water and Infrastructure Committee (Committee) on this effort, most recently on August 10, 2011. The Committee acknowledged its prior support for the National Heritage Area and directed staff to provide a report and recommendation to the full Board of Supervisors. Subsequent to the August 10 Committee meeting, the Delta Protection Commission wrote a letter to the Chair of the Board, requesting the County support the Commission's efforts to establish the National Heritage Area (a copy of the letter is attached). Upon review of the Delta Protection Commission's latest documentation on the NHA - which was not made available to us for the August 10 Committee meeting -- it appears the Commission's proposed boundary for the Delta NHA is less inclusive than the boundary requested by County staff during their work with Commission staff in the early stages of the feasibility study. The County had requested that our entire northern shoreline be included in the NHA, extending westward from the Delta to Rodeo. This boundary was referenced in Senator Feinstein's legislation and is shown in maps produced by the National Park Service. This boundary was developed in partnership through the Delta Counties Coalition, the forum established by the five Delta counties to address Delta issues. The Delta Protection Commission is basing its feasibility study on a boundary that only extends as far west as Pittsburg. Attached are maps of both the Delta Protection Commission's proposed boundary and the National Park Service's more expansive boundary as referenced in Senator Feinstein's legislation and requested by the County. The Board is asked to authorize the Chair to sign the attached letter to the Delta Protection Commission, asking that the Commission use the more expansive boundary as requested earlier by the County and reflected in the legislation. The letter also urges the Commission to coordinate with Senator Feinstein's office on their proposal, including the boundary issue, to avoid any conflicts with the Senator's efforts at the federal level. The letter of request from the Delta Protection Commission also asks the County to commit staff resources to work with them on establishment of the NHA. The Department of Conservation and Development will not assign staff to assist in the effort unless the Delta Protection Commission has a process that provides effective two-way communications with their staff. Department staff needs some assurance that the time and input we provide will be taken into account, and if our suggestions are not followed, Commission staff will provide some explanation and justification for why they did not take our input into account. This was not the case with the boundary issue; Commission staff did not report back to County staff on why our boundary request was not accommodated. CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION: The Board would not send the attached letter to the Delta Protection Commission providing the County's position on several matters concerning the proposed Delta National Heritage Area, including proposed boundaries which are different than those previously recommended by the Board. CHILDREN'S IMPACT STATEMENT: Not applicable. AgendaQuick©2005 - 2021 Destiny Software Inc., All Rights Reserved STATE OF CALIFORNIA – NATURAL RESOURCES AGENCY EDMUND G. BROWN, JR., Governor DELTA PROTECTION COMMISSION 14215 RIVER ROAD P.O. BOX 530 WALNUT GROVE, CA 95690 Phone (916) 776-2290 / FAX (916) 776-2293 Home Page: www.delta.ca.gov Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors Sacramento County Board of Supervisors San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors Solano County Board of Supervisors Yolo County Board of Supervisors Cities of San Joaquin County Cities of Contra Costa and Solano Counties Cities of Sacramento and Yolo Counties Central Delta Reclamation Districts North Delta Reclamation Districts South Delta Reclamation Districts Business, Transportation and Housing Department of Food and Agriculture Natural Resources Agency State Lands Commission September 16, 2011    Gayle B. Uilkema, Chair  Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors  651 Pine St., Room 108A   Martinez, CA 94553    Dear Chair Uilkema:    The Delta Reform Act of 2009 required the Delta Protection Commission  (Commission) to do a feasibility study for a National Heritage Area  (NHA) in the Sacramento‐San Joaquin Delta.  The language specified  that the Commission develop a:     “A proposal to protect, enhance, and sustain the unique cultural,  historical, recreational, agricultural, and economic values of the Delta as  an evolving place....The Commission shall include in the proposal a plan  to establish state and federal designation of the Delta as a place of  special significance, which may include application for a federal  designation of the Delta as a National Heritage Area.”    The Commission has made significant progress on a feasibility study,  which serves as an application for a NHA in the Delta.  Public  involvement and outreach has been included throughout all steps of the  process.  Feasibility study tasks have included: the development of  proposed NHA Mission, Vision, and Goals; identification of proposed  NHA themes; delineation of a conceptual boundary; and proposal of a  management entity.  These topics have been incorporated into a  preliminary abridged draft of the feasibility study (attached).  A full draft  feasibility study will be completed in October 2011 and a final feasibility  study will be completed in December 2011.  The final study will be  presented to the Commission.  Upon acceptance, the study will be  submitted to a Delta Congressional Representative for presentation to  Congress for consideration of designating the Delta NHA.    When completed feasibility studies are presented to Congress, the  National Park Service is called upon to testify in Congress on the  worthiness of an area to receive NHA designation.  One of the criteria  by which feasibility studies are evaluated is based upon local support  and commitment, as described below:      Gayle B. Uilkema September 16, 2011 Page Two    “The proposed management entity and units of government supporting the designation are  willing to commit to working in partnership to develop the heritage area.”    As part of the feasibility study, letters of support and partnership commitment are being  requested from the five Delta counties. No financial commitment would be required, however a  commitment of in‐kind assistance, as staff time provides, would be of great benefit. This could  include assisting the Commission with local public outreach; meetings on potential heritage area  projects; acquiring county specific data for the NHA management plan, such as historical,  cultural, and natural resource inventories, and acquiring relevant planning documents to inform  a NHA management plan.     It would be helpful if a letter to the Commission in support and commitment of establishing the  Delta a NHA could be received by October 3, 2011.  We would like to include these letters as  attachments to our draft feasibility study, which will be released on October 7, 2011.     Please contact the Commission office with any questions or concerns.      Sincerely,    Michael Machado  Executive Director    Attachment: Feasibility Study for a Sacramento‐San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area,      Preliminary Abridged Draft