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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2014
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Volume 13 Issue 306
Santa Monica Daily Press
NEW MYSTERY SEE PAGE 10
We have you covered
Proposed bikeshare vendor struggles with delays BY DAVID MARK SIMPSON
THE SWEET ISSUE
Council considers parking operators in $6.2M consent
Daily Press Staff Writer
BY DAVID MARK SIMPSON CITY HALL In late 2013, CycleHop was boasting plans open a 500-bike bikeshare in Phoenix by early 2014. They’d add 500 in Tempe and Mesa by the spring, they told the Phoenix New Times. They had plans to bring 300 bikes to Tampa by this time last year. In Ottawa they planned to open by the end of this past summer, maybe sooner, they told the Ottawa Citizen. In Orlando they’d add 200 bikes by the spring, to coincide with the launch of Central Florida’s commuter rail, with more coming after the launch. “That’s the goal, to get bikes on the ground before SunRail gets here,” CycleHop’s program director told the New York City radio station WNYC in 2013. SunRail opened in May but no bikeshare. In fact, in all of those cities CycleHop’s bikeshare system is still “coming soon.” Bike stations are popping up around Phoenix but there’s still no launch date. Tampa may have a ribbon cutting later this month. Orlando could open its system by the end of the year. Ottawa’s won’t launch until at least the spring. Tonight, City Council will consider authorizing a $10.4 million contract with CycleHop to add a 500-bike system in the
Daily Press Staff Writer
Editor’s note: This story is part of an ongoing series that tracks the city’s expenditures appearing on upcoming Santa Monica City Council consent agendas. Consent agenda items are routinely passed by the City Council with little or no discussion from elected officials or the public. However, many of the items have been part of public discussion in the past.
CITY HALL City Council will consider spending $6,202,100 on a three-item consent agenda. Almost all of the cash would be set aside for parking operations. City Hall is recommending that council add another year and $5.9 million dollars to a 5-year $30 million contract with Central
Parking Systems for the operation of their parking garages around the city. City Hall controls 14,283 parking spaces spread across 12 garages and 30 lots. Its contract with Central Parking expires at the end of the month and it was expected that they’d transition to a new parking operator right around now. But City Hall’s parking and traffic manager left the job in early September and the parking administrator left a week later. This disrupted the plans and so city officials say council should approve month-to-month payments of $490,000 to Central Parking for the next year. The transition to a new operator should happen around Oct. 1 of next year, city officials say.
EASY METERS
Council will consider testing out newfangled water meters. A $220,000 payment to Badge Meter, Inc. would lead to the replacement of 1,700 of City Hall’s 17,000 water meters with Advanced Meter Infrastructure (AMI). AMI uses radio-based technology to collect data more frequently and without the need for manual readings. “AMI would aid in water conservation and improve customer service by alerting staff and customers to irregular fluctuations in water usage immediately and allow current staff assigned to meter reading to perform more efficient maintenance of the SEE CONSENT PAGE 7
SEE BIKE PAGE 6
Recipe Corner: A doahead cornmeal biscuit to sop up your gravy ALISON LADMAN Associated Press
These rich cornmeal biscuits aren’t just an easy and delicious way to have fresh bread at the Thanksgiving table. They also let you get a jump on your dinner prep.
SOCCER VICTORY
Morgan Genser editor@smdp.com The Santa Monica College women’s soccer team hosted Antelope Valley on Nov. 7 and won 8-2. With the win SMC improves to 9-0-3 in conference 17-1-3 overall. Pictured are Victoria Scribner and Jennifer Tobias celebrating after Scriber scored her first goal of the season and Brittney Chow shielding the ball.
SEE BISCUIT PAGE 7
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