By Brian CHERNICK

Glendale City Council initiated the first steps toward the development of a new and expansive soccer field and multipurpose park at Wilson Middle School by rewarding PlaceWork, Inc. with an environmental impact report (EIR) contract.

The Professional Service Agreement (PSA) with PlaceWorks includes a budget of $127,784, plus a 10% contingency of $12,778.40, to evaluate the field’s developmental impact on the environment including air quality, noise and traffic. The assessment is expected to take approximately nine to 12 months, during which the city will be accepting design bids.

After receiving positive feedback at a November project proposal at Wilson Middle School, the city’s Dept. of Community Services and Parks moved forward with bid requests for the EIR.

The Parks Department sent out the project proposals to eight consultants of which four responded. According to the Community Services and Parks director, Onnig Bulanikian, PlaceWorks was chosen based on its experience of working with school sites and sports fields.

Current design documents for the field include a full-sized U-14 artificial turf soccer field, a smaller practice field and a jogging track.

The $16 million project to construct two new soccer fields was approved by the city council back in March of last year as part of a strategic plan for the use of Development Impact Fees, or DIF, through a partnership with the Glendale Unified School District. The estimated cost for the Wilson Middle School location is an estimated $5.5 million.

Columbus Elementary School was the proposed location for a second similar park but was faced with concerns from the community at a town hall meeting in December regarding congestion.

The Parks Department has since determined a new location at Cerritos Elementary School and city council approved the reallocation of $3.4 million in funds to the new project location and approval to begin requesting proposals for an EIR of that project.

The city council also approved an additional 39-month PSA with WaterSmart Software Inc., which serves as a water conservation and educational program for Glendale Water and Power customers.

Currently the program only serves single-family residents but the approved measure will allocate $362,000 over three years to expand the services to multi-family residences.

  Brian CHERNICK