On May 25, 2023, the Board of Directors approved the submission of the Land and Water Conservation Fund grant application for the Cambria Skatepark Project. The District committed $178,000 towards the preliminary costs of the Skate Park project. The costs are shared with Cambria Community Council, which is documented in an MOU last updated and approved by the Board on May 11, 2023. To date, the District has spent approximately $26,000 on preliminary costs. Upon application submittal, the District restricted General Fund reserves in the amount of approximately $768,764 until construction begins. Grant funds would be reimbursed at an 80% rate during construction, and the remaining 20% would be due upon notice of completion.

The current cost for the Skate Park Project is estimated at $1,020,461. Since there is a likelihood that material and construction costs will escalate due to inflation, staff thought it would be prudent to provide a contingency for the project to bring the budget to $1,200,000. The District has an MOU with the Cambria Community Council (CCC) to share costs up to $178,000 for the project and holds $24,334 of the CCC funds to cover expenses already contracted for. As of May 2023, the CCC has raised $406,882 to help support this important project, including $75,000 worth of pledges. As funds are spent or more fundraising dollars are obtained, the General Fund reserves restricted for the project could be unrestricted.

This type of grant program requires a 50/50 match and is a reimbursement-based grant program. This grant program also requires all project cost funding to be committed at the time of the application submission. As LWCF understands that unexpected financial issues may arise through no fault of the District, staff verified with LWCF staff that the District can withdraw its application from the grant process at any time if there is an unexpected emergency. In that event, the District would be required to send an email or letter from its authorized representative requesting to withdraw the application and explaining its reasoning. This can occur during the grant review process or when the project is recommended for funding.

General Manager McElhenie submitted the Land and Water Conservation Fund grant application on June 1, 2023. On December 4, 2023, California State Parks announced recommendations to the National Park Service (NPS) for $35.6 million in Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grants for 16 local park projects, and Cambria Community Services District (CCSD) was selected as one of the sixteen projects to proceed with post-selection federal requirements to create a new skatepark facility. Grant awards are expected in late 2025. 

On June 15, 2023, the Board of Directors approved the Notice of Exemption (“NOE”) for the Cambria Skate Park Project. The District retained SWCA Environmental Consulting to address the required environmental determination for the Project in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”). SWCA evaluated the Project and determined that it qualifies for a Class 2 Categorical Exemption, pursuant to Section 15302 of the CEQA Guidelines.