City awards Safe Routes to School action‑plan contract; council expands scope to include four Newport Beach campuses

The City Council authorized a professional services agreement on Jan. 21 for development of a Safe Routes to School Action Plan funded by a U.S. Department of Transportation SS4A grant. Staff recommended Kimley‑Horn and Associates for the $541,774 contract and a 10% contingency to cover unforeseen work.

Public Works staff said the plan will cover 19 Newport‑Mesa Unified School District campuses inside Costa Mesa and will produce school-by-school profiles, stakeholder engagement in English and Spanish, and conceptual design (30%) for implementable projects adjacent to schools and on routes to campus. Council Member Adria Maher successfully moved, and the council approved, a friendly amendment to include four Newport Beach campuses that many Costa Mesa students attend (Newport Harbor, Ensign, Mariners, and Newport Heights) and to use the remainder of grant funds to expand scope or refine design level so projects are more “grant-ready.” The motion passed 7–0.

Staff said smaller “quick-build” safety fixes discovered during outreach and inventories could be implemented using other funding sources while the plan focuses on 30% design and prioritization. The award will be executed once federal billing procedures are in place and the city will return with public outreach schedules and school engagement plans.

Ending: Council awarded the contract and directed staff to add the four external schools and use available grant funds to expand design readiness; staff will begin stakeholder engagement and provide periodic updates.