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HomeMy WebLinkAbout3.3 - 1330 The Wave at Emerald Glen Park - Constructio Page 1 of 4 STAFF REPORT CITY COUNCIL DATE: March 21, 2017 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers FROM: Christopher L. Foss, City Manager SUBJECT: The Wave at Emerald Glen Park – Construction and Program Updates Prepared by: Damian Sandholm, Recreation Supervisor and Micki Cronin, Assistant Director of Parks and Community Services Department EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The City Council will receive an update on the progress of The Wave at Emerald Glen Park and the proposed and revised activity schedu le related to the opening of the facility. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Receive the Report. FINANCIAL IMPACT: None. DESCRIPTION: As construction of the Emerald Glen Recreation and Aquatic Complex, also known as The Wave, nears completion, the new substantial completion date has been set for mid- March. Staff anticipates moving into the building on or around April 7, 2017 to begin preparing The Wave for operations while the final stages of construction are completed. Completion date for the project is anticipated to be on or near April 12, 2017, barring no further delays due to weather or unexpected circumstances. Currently, the Dedication Ceremony and Ribbon Cutting is planned for Friday, May 19, 2017 and the public Grand Opening on Saturday, May 27, 2017. On October 18, 2016, the City Council received a summary on the various activities being proposed around the opening of the facility. With the opening date change, Staff would like to provide an updated schedule and project summary: Page 2 of 4 Grand Opening Details Dedication Ceremony: Staff proposes a facility dedication for Friday, May 19, 2017. Invitations will be sent to current and past City Councilmembers, Commissioners, City employees and contractors, public officials from neighboring cities, as well as re gional dignitaries. The event will include the ribbon cutting, light snacks, facility tours, commemorative item and entertainment at the amphitheater. Media Day: Staff proposes a Media Day and “soft” opening with limited activities/amenity access at The Wave on Saturday, May 20, 2017 from 1:00- 4:00 PM. These activities will include the First Slides event which will highlight the winners of the slide naming contest and allow a limited number of special guests access to the facility to use the slide tower, children’s splash zone, sports pool and natatorium pool for the first time. This would be an “invitation-only” event and is designed to serve a limited number of guests to test the various operational assumptions to determine movement and flow through faci lity, gauge reactions to the procedures in place, and allow front line Staff to provide direct customer service within the context of practice/dress rehearsal for the Grand Opening. Invitations for the event would be acquired by referral from a Councilmember, Commissioner or an employee from the City. The goal for the event is to have a limited attendance to give Staff an opportunity to evaluate and refine the park operations prior to grand opening to the public. Grand Opening: The Grand Opening for The Wave is tentatively scheduled for the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, May 27, 2017. This will be the first day of full operations for The Wave. The Wave will be open to the public from 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM from May 27 through May 29, 2017 and then begin operations seven days a week from June 3 through August 13, 2017. Additionally, Staff continues to evaluate its short-term and long-term concession needs at the facility. The City has contracted with Global Management Amusement Professionals (GMAP) to advise the Staff on concession operations at The Wave. Based on their input, Staff is evaluating the siting of a temporary building to house food preparation areas and meet health code regulations for outdoor food service. Staff is also working on securing partnerships with various food vendors to receive competitively priced products, equipment and signage. Lastly, Staff is reviewing potential food items for the facility includes: different types of waters, ice teas, lemonade, fruit juices, sodas, pizza by the slice, sandwiches, turkey and veggie wraps, salads, pretzels, churros, chips, and ice cream . Additional food options for guests with specific dietary needs will be available. Staffing Update Staff is in the process of hiring up to 200 part-time employees to fill a variety of positions at The Wave. These positions include cashier, food service, lifeguard, swim instructor, slide attendant, facility attendant, head lifeguard, and assistant swim lesson manager. Page 3 of 4 Staff is currently recruiting for all these positions through outreach to the local high schools and colleges. A job fair was held on Saturday, January 28, 2017 at the Dublin Senior Center. Eighty-nine candidates were interviewed and 83 candidates were selected to move forward in the hiring process. Staff recruitment is ongoing and there are currently 162 people moving forward in the hiring process with approximately 40 positions left to fill. Staff promoted open positions at Las Positas College on Wednesday, February 1 and at the Tri-Valley Teen Job Fair on Saturday, March 4. Staff has received 34 additional applications after the Teen Job Fair. Staff is scheduled to attend the Diablo Valley College Job Fair on Thursday, March 23. Slide Naming Campaign Naming the waterslides on slide tower presents a unique opportunity for marketing the facility to residents. The goal is to follow a similar process that the City uses for naming a park with a few key differences to generate additional interest in the park:  Acceptance of name suggestions from residents will take place at the onset of the process.  Staff will recommend review and submit the popular name suggestions for approval to the Parks and Community Services Commission to begin the voting process.  City Council will award a slide name and invite to the person(s) who named the slide to the “soft” opening as their guest to ride the slide. The Wave Website The Wave website is near completion and is tentatively scheduled to be launched in the coming weeks. The website will include a host of information to assist the public with directions to the park, facility amenities, and operational times and prices for swim lessons, lap swim and waterpark entrance. Program Update Programming at The Wave is included in the City of Dublin Camps an d Aquatics Activity Guide that was distributed to Dublin residents on February 14, 2017. Here is a list of the start dates for the major programs at The Wave. Green Gator Swim Team begins: Saturday, May 20 Waterpark Operations begin: Saturday, May 27 Lap Swimming begins: Saturday, June 3 Swim Lessons begin: Saturday, June 3 Pool and Facility Maintenance The City Council adopted the Resolution approving a contract with East Bay Pool Service to provide pool maintenance services at The Wave beginnin g Wednesday, March 1, 2017. Parks and Community Services Staff will be working with Public Works Staff, MCE and East Bay Pool Services to coordinate grounds maintenance, facility maintenance, and pool maintenance at The Wave. Page 4 of 4 NOTICING REQUIREMENTS/PUBLIC OUTREACH: None. ATTACHMENTS: None.