Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Ann M. Stillman, Director of Public Works
Nicholas J. Calderon, Director of Parks
Subject: Ohlone-Portolá Heritage Trail Historic Monument Project
(County Project No. P35I1; Project File No. E5108)
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution:
A) Adopting plans and specifications, including conformance with prevailing wage scale requirements, for the Ohlone-Portolá Heritage Trail Historic Monument Project; and
B) Authorizing the Director of Public Works to call for sealed proposals to be received by October 9, 2025, at 2:30 p.m. in the office of the County Executive/Clerk of the Board; and
C) Authorizing the Director of Public Works to extend the call for bids and bid opening up to sixty (60) calendar days beyond the time and date originally set forth by the Board of Supervisors.
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BACKGROUND:
On June 25, 2019, this Board approved the Ohlone-Portolá Heritage Trail Feasibility Study (Study). The Study, which was developed with oversight by a project steering committee comprised of over 60 partners including federal and state agencies, cities, tribes, special districts, legislators, historical interests, and land trusts, proposes a 90-mile-long, multi-use regional trail that traverses the route used by Gaspar de Portolá’s 1769 expedition in what is now San Mateo County. During this expedition, the expedition team became lost, used all available supplies, and was reliant on local Native Americans who rescued, fed, and guided them from village to village. As a result of the Ohlone people’s generosity, the Portolá expedition recorded the first sighting of the San Francisco Bay by Europeans.
Previously, the State of California designated State Historic Monuments at each of the expedition’s campsites, which were located adjacent to Native American villages, but the monuments did not acknowledge the Native Americans themselves. Since 2019, the San Mateo County Parks Department (Parks Department) and the San Mateo County Historical Association (SMCHA) have been working with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), a division of the California Department of Parks and Recreation, to re-write the background and context for the corresponding State Historic Monuments to recognize the Ohlone’s contributions to the expedition, in conformity with the Statement of Historical Significance narrative of the Study. In March 2020 the State Historical Resources Commission approved that the previously referred to Portolá campground State Historic Monuments would be redesignated the Ohlone-Portolá Heritage Trail in San Mateo County. Also, at the request of the Parks Department and SMCHA, the State Historic Resources Commission in 2021 and 2023 approved renaming the existing and proposed State Historic Landmarks in San Mateo County as the Ohlone-Portolá Heritage Trail and adopted revised background and contextual information for these landmarks, as recommended.
The Study provides design recommendations for overlook and trailside State Historic Monument sites. The Parks Department has chosen four monument sites to improve or construct State Historic Monuments: Cowell-Purisima Coastal Trail, Hillcrest location along Crystal Springs Trail in Millbrae, Crystal Springs Trail at the Crystal Springs Dam, and Don Horsley County Park at Tunitas Creek Beach. There are four phases to this effort: (1) design, (2) development of interpretative content (including consultation with SHPO staff for the Historic Monument plaques and for the interpretive signs), (3) tribal and interagency consultation, and (4) construction of all improvements.
To fund this effort, Senator Josh Becker secured a Legislative request in the amount of $500,000 that was included in the State’s FY 2022-23 budget, and these funds are being awarded to the County through a grant by the California Department of Parks and Recreation, which has designated this project the Ohlone-Portolá Heritage Trail Historic Monument Project (Project).
The California Legislature delegated responsibility for administering the Project grant, including creating the necessary procedures that govern the application process, to the California Department of Parks and Recreation. Said procedures required that the Board of Supervisors adopt a resolution that provides authority to proceed with submitting the application and receipt of grant funds pursuant to the applicable policies and procedures for local assistance specified grants.
On May 7, 2024, this Board approved Resolution No. 080333, which authorized the Parks Department to apply to the California Department of Parks and Recreation seeking $500,000 in specified grant funds for the Project, and to take all actions necessary to implement and/or effectuate the grant. Grant Agreement SG-41-013 was signed by the County and the California Department of Parks and Recreation on May 10, 2024. The grant funds have been awarded to the County with the Project grant ending on June 30, 2027.
DISCUSSION:
The Project improvements will include, in general, the installation of monuments at four (4) locations along the Ohlone-Portolá Heritage Trail:
1. Cowell-Purisima Coastal Trail Overlook: Two (2) interpretive panels and one (1) State Memorial. The Parks Department has completed consultations with the property owner, Peninsula Open Space Trust, who has concurred in writing with the proposed improvements. The County Planning and Building Department has amended Coastal Development Permit PLN 2006-0036 to accommodate minor modifications to the previous approval.
2. Hillcrest location at Crystal Springs Trail in Millbrae: One (1) State Memorial. New Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessible surfacing and two interpretive panels were previously installed in January 2023. The existing State Historic Plaque on the existing State Memorial is proposed to be replaced through the Project.
3. Crystal Springs Overlook at the Crystal Springs Dam: Two (2) interpretive panels and one (1) State Memorial. The Parks Department has completed consultation with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, who have concurred in writing with the proposed improvements.
4. Tunitas Creek Overlook at Don Horsley County Park at Tunitas Creek Beach: Two (2) interpretive panels and one (1) State Memorial. The County Planning and Building Department has amended Coastal Development Permit PLN 2021-00485 to accommodate minor modifications to the previous approval.
The County Attorney has reviewed and approved the resolution as to form.
COMMUNITY IMPACT:
The proposed installation of State Historic Monuments and interpretive signs at the expedition sites will facilitate a more accurate narrative of local history, particularly regarding the efforts and contributions of the Ohlone people to the Portolá expedition in 1769. The San Mateo County Parks Department is committed to using its resources, including at its parks and through its programs, to share stories of the Ohlone people and ensure visitors to the parks are aware of the native inhabitants of this County.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The estimated construction cost of the Project is $170,000. Funding for this Project is primarily comprised of State Parks Grant Funds, which have been previously awarded to the Parks Department and are currently included in the Parks Department FY 2025-26 Recommended Budget.
There is no impact to the General Fund.