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DATE:
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December 11, 2001
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TO:
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Board of Supervisors
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SUBJECT:
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TIMELESS TURF FOR THE A.B. AND JESSIE POLINSKY CHILDREN’S CENTER (District: 4)
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SUMMARY:
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Overview
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The Polinsky Children’s Center is a valuable resource for theCountyofSan Diego. The Center prides itself on being a safe and fun place for over 3,400 children to stay each year during some of the most difficult times in their lives. The recreation program is an integral part of the Center with the baseball field playing a central role in the lives of the children throughout their stay at Polinsky. Approval of the following recommendations will allow for the replacement of the existing baseball field with a new, durable, and safe field that will be a tremendous asset for the Polinsky Children’s Center.
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Recommendation(s)
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VICE CHAIRMAN ROBERTS AND SUPERVISOR COX:
- Pursuant to Board Policy A-112 (Acceptance of Gifts and Donations) and County Administrative Code Section 66 (Acceptance of Gifts), accept a donation of $105,000 to the A. B. and Jessie Polinsky Children’s Center.
- Establish appropriations of $105,000 in the Health and Human Services Agency for synthetic turf on the Polinsky Children’s Center athletic field, based on unanticipated revenue from the Child Abuse Prevention Foundation. (4 VOTES)
- In accordance with Board Policy A-87, approve and authorize the Director, Department of Purchasing and Contracting, to enter into negotiations with SprinTurf and subject to successful negotiations and determination of a fair and reasonable price, award a contract through June 20, 2002 and up to an additional six months if necessary, and for one (1) option year, and to amend the contract to reflect changes in services and funding allocations subject to approval by the Director, Health and Human Services Agency and the CAO’s determination of economy and efficiency. Waive the advertising requirement of Board Policy A-97.
- Direct the Chief Administrative Officer to draft a letter for the Chairman’s signature to the Child Abuse Prevention Foundation voicing appreciation for the donation.
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Fiscal Impact
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Partial funds for this request are included in the Fiscal Year 2001-02 Operational Plan. If approved, this request will result in $210,000 current year costs and revenue. The funding sources are unanticipated revenue from donations to the Polinsky Children’s Center ($105,000) and Health and Human Services Agency Prior Year Fund Balance ($105,000). There will be no change in net General Fund cost and no additional staff years.
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BACKGROUND:
Opened on October 6, 1994, the A.B. and Jessie Polinsky Children’s Center (PCC) was created as a public-private partnership between the Child Abuse Prevention Foundation (CAPF) and the County of San Diego. The A.B. and Jessie Polinsky Children’s Center is a 24-hour emergency shelter for children who must be separated from their families for their own safety, or whose parents have neglected them, or cannot provide care due to
incarceration. An average of 290 children, ages birth to 18 years, are brought to the Polinsky Children’s Center each month.
The goals of the public-private partnership for creating this comprehensive Children’s Center are:
- To stabilize children for better assessment, improved case management, and more consistent care;
- To improve services for children by providing a physical base that could facilitate the creation and coordination of prevention and treatment activities.
- To provide a more friendly healing environment for children in crisis by replacing the Hillcrest Receiving Home, and
- To achieve progress in the prevention of child abuse by providing a focal point for community attention and action.
The campus includes six residential cottages, an infant nursery, medical clinic, school, library, cafeteria, gymnasium, two swimming pools, two playgrounds, and a baseball field.
The Polinsky Center’s recreation program was implemented in September of 1998 and provides daily recreational activities to complement the children’s educational, physical, and social development during their stay at the Center. The program includes planning, developing, organizing, coordinating, scheduling, and implementing daily recreational activities, including sports, crafts, games, and structured play for all PCC children. With financial support CAPF and the St. Germaine’s Auxiliary, paid teaching assistants were added to offer fully developed after-school recreation programs in the areas of Physical Education and Sports, Arts and Crafts, and Music and Drama.
With a daily population of about 190 children at the Center, the baseball field at Polinsky is one of the most popular spots on the campus. Children gather there for after school sports and various activities that volunteers and staff put together every day. Because of the field’s constant use throughout the year, and its popularity with the children, any maintenance of the field’s natural grass severely disrupts the recreational program of the children. Additionally, the high demand on the field makes proper maintenance of the field’s grass nearly impossible.
SprinTurf is the first all rubber infill synthetic turf system that looks, feels, and plays like natural grass, but is far safer and more durable. SprinTurf combines the advantages of synthetic turf to that of natural grass including a level playing field, consistency, and most importantly, safety. Through the new technology utilized in SprinTurf, owners have
the ability to use the synthetic surface every day of the year, rain or shine, without having to worry about reseeding, mowing, dangerous patches, or grassy bumps. SprinTurf is the only company in San Diego that currently offers this product and
Having a SprinTurf field at the Center will eliminate many of the costs associated with a grass field. Costs for seeding, resodding, mowing, watering, and fertilizing a natural grass field can add up over a period of years, but will be eliminated with the addition of the SprinTurf field. Full construction, including an eight-year guarantee with labor and materials for the baseball field at the Polinsky Children’s Center will cost $210,000, far less than the accumulated costs of safely maintaining the field over the next eight years.
The Polinsky Children’s Center is a unique public private partnership that continues to have strong ties with the local businesses and foundations. CAPF took on the responsibility for fundraising to build the Center and has provided ongoing financial and in-kind donations to the Center since its completion in 1994. CAPF provides funding for many of the recreation and creative programs offered at the Center and has offered to assist in funding half the cost of the artificial turf. CAPF has committed $105,000 to the Polinsky Children’s Center to match the County’s portion and allow the company to begin work immediately on the new field.
The Polinsky Children’s Center is a valuable resource for the County of San Diego. The Center prides itself on being a safe and fun place for over 3,400 children to stay each year during some of the most difficult times in their lives. The recreation program is an integral part of the Center with the baseball field playing a central role in the lives of the children throughout their stay at Polinsky. Replacing the existing baseball field with a new, durable, and safe field will be a tremendous asset to the abused and neglected children of San Diego County.
Respectfully submitted,
RON ROBERTS GREG COX
Vice Chairman Supervisor, First District
