By Ashley Mackin

The La Jolla Parks and Beaches community advisory committee held a special meeting Dec. 23 to discuss plans for the Childrens Pool Walk beautification project and get updates on related money matters.

With just over $250,000 in the bank thanks largely to a $200,000 donation from La Jolla resident Tom Morgan the board needed to approve spending some of that money on the services of design architect Jim Neri.

Artists rendering of the Childrens Pool Walk project Courtesy

Through a statement read by LJP&B member Phyllis Minick, Neri requested the board approve $51,311 in additional fees for the design development, engineering, construction documents, plan processing, permit fees, BID administration and construction services, as submitted in the Dec. 12, 2013 proposal by Neri Landscape Architecture (NLA).

The LJP&B board, to cover any additional and unforeseen fees, voted to approve an amount not to exceed $55,000 to be paid to NLA. Neri said he would offer a fee reduction because he believes this project should come to fruition.

Since this is a community-funded project in my own community, NLA is discounting our fees 20 percent and is not charging the customary 10 percent markup of our consultant fees, saving $6,500 in fees for the construction of this much-needed project, his statement read.

While one set of fees was reduced, another increased. Minick reported that city permit costs have increased by 20 percent since the projects inception three years ago, which translates into $53,000.

However, Minick said she received a letter from the city indicating that $70,000 would be available in mid-2014, and another $30,000 might also become available. Should we laugh or cry? she joked, reflecting on the three years spent and dozens of grant proposals submitted for this project. We thank (District 1 City Councilmember) Sherri Lightner for getting this done.

Minick said, on the advice of some board members, that she will request $70,000 be used to cover city-permit costs.

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Parks & Beaches OKs first Children’s Pool project expenditures