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2006/12/06 Parks and Recreation Commission OtherCITY OF ROHNERT PARK PARK AUDIT One of the goals set by the Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission for the year 2006 is to undertake a comprehensive park audit. The audit is intended to provide the following information: • Create a Capital Improvement Project List to from which priority projects would be selected yearly for the City's Capital Improvement Program (CIP). • Establish a priority schedule for tennis and basketball court renovations • Establish a priority schedule for playground equipment replacements • Identify park maintenance concerns • Identify potential hazardous areas in the parks • Identify and make recommendations on improving aesthetics in the parks • Identify possible community service projects • Identify and propose new recreational uses and amenities in the parks • Propose new uses for existing parks The Commission selected an ad-hoc committee to make site visits and inventory each park with these goals in mind. Site visits were performed over a four month period. Both the neighborhood parks and recreational building were included in the audit. Many of our parks are adjacent to schools, which are noted in the audit, however no attempt was made to evaluate the school facilities or include them in the audit. GENERAL COMMENTS • Some of the items noted during the site visits may have changed. Suggestions and responses should be verified before any action is taken on these items. A comprehensive playground audit (play structures only) was completed in 2000. Each play structure was inspected for compliance with the National Playground Safety Institute guidelines. Nearly all play structures had violations noted. With the exceptions of parks where the play structures has been replaced, most of these violations have not been cleared. Every effort should be made to clear the violations noted listed in the 2000 audit. • The site visits were made during the early evening hours and the failure of some light fixtures were noted. The Committee recommends that an evening inventory of the park lights be performed to make sure all fixtures are operational. This needs to be done on a regular basis to keep the parks safe for night use. • Uniform irrigation seems to be a problem in almost all the parks. Several areas are consistently very soggy while others are too dry. The Commission understands the difficulty in establishing uniform watering, but the problem seems to be getting worse every year. The landscape contractor needs to be strongly encouraged to test and maintain the sprinkler heads on a regular basis. • The trash cans and recycling bins in most parks are in poor condition and unsightly. The new recycling bins are galvanized stand out because of their lack of color and odd shape. The Commission recommends purchasing exterior can receptacles to house the existing trash and recycling cans. This will provide a new, uniform appearance to these items and improve the overall aesthetics of the parks dramatically. • Almost all the parks have old, damaged locator signs. Replacing these signs would do much to improve the appearance of the parks. ALICIA PARK, 300 Arlen Dr. This park serves as one of the City's group picnic areas. The park is adjacent to John Reed Elementary School and shares a common soccer, baseball field and tennis court. The park consists of Alicia Swimming Pool, a large tot -lot, picnic area, horseshoe pits, barbeque area, baseball field, and recreation building (Scout Hut). The baseball field underwent recent volunteer renovation by the Cal Ripken Baseball League and is in excellent shape. This kind of community partnership should be encouraged and nurtured whenever possible. The play structures were replaced in 2001. The following items of concern were noted: • There is a large concrete slab near the picnic area. This used to serve as a foundation for a gazebo or stage. The slab serves no practical function at this time and should either be removed or reused. • The horseshoe pits are covered with weeds and look unused. They should either be removed or renovated. The poles create a hazardous condition. • The tennis court is in very poor condition. There are cracks over 1" in width and the surface is delaminating. This court is in the poorest condition of any tennis court in the city. • The teeter-totter is missing from the playground. .-� BENICIA PARK, 7469 Bernice Ave. Benicia Park is a large park in one of the older neighborhoods. The park is adjacent to Waldo Rohnert Elementary and the schools soccer fields are well utilized. Mountain Shadows Middle School is located on the north side of the park and provides two baseball fields, and a football field/running track to compliment the city park. The park consists of Benicia Park Swimming Pool, a tot -lot, baseball field, dog park, basketball court, older children's playground, and the Boys and Girls Club building (city owned). The baseball field underwent recent volunteer renovation by the Cal Ripken Baseball League and is in excellent shape. The older children's play area and basketball court are new installations and are in excellent shape. The Boys and Girls Club building underwent recent renovations and is also in excellent condition. The following items of concern were noted: • The play equipment is in very poor condition and should be of the highest priority for replacement. Numerous violations were noted in the 2000 Playground Audit and have not been corrected. The playground has continued to degenerate since then and needs to be complete replaced to eliminate the safety issues. • The park needs more picnic tables near the baseball field. • In 2005 the city was notified by the Sonoma County Environmental Health Dept. that the wood tables, combined with the recycled water in the irrigation system, are in violation of the health code. Recycled plastic/wood boards (like Trex) were bolted to the tops of the picnic table in an effort to provide a non -porous surface .-� and conform to this regulation. The plastic wood boards have warped and no longer provide a useful or aesthetically pleasing table top. These should be removed and another surface selected or the tables replaced. • There is a large barbeque pit located near the baseball field. It does not appear that this unit has been used for many years. There is no grate on the pit which limits its usefulness. A cooking grate needs to be added or the pit should be removed. • There are remains of a "Par Course" in the park. These are not functional and should be removed. • The median in the main parking lot needs re -landscaping. �. BURTON AVENUE MINI -PARK, 345 Burton Ave. Burton Mini -park is located on the west end of Burton Ave. The park has an ADA accessible playground. There is a path in the rear of the park that leads to a small community garden in Cotati. • The slide is damaged and blocked off. It should be replaced. • Violations noted in the 2000 Playground Equipment Audit should be cleared. --� CARLITA CIRCLE MINI -PARK, 765 Carlita Circle The Carlita Mini -Park is a small neighborhood park. There is a relatively new playground structure and swing set. The fall material was recently replaced. • Violations noted in the 2000 Playground Equipment Audit should be cleared. .-` CATERPILLAR PARK, 7430 Circle Dr. Caterpillar Park is a three acre park. Amenities include two separate play areas with play structures, and a small soccer field. During this audit the playground equipment was replaced on the south play area. The play area was enlarged and large play structures were installed. There are current plans to remove or repair the equipment in the north play area. The following concerns were noted: • The asphalt paths are in poor shape and have root damage. These need to be repaired or replaced. • There are large holes in front of both soccer goals. These need to be backfilled and re -sod. • Numerous small holes were noted on the soccer field. The field should be inspected and holes filled with a suitable material. • The trash cans are broken and in poor condition. • The picnic tables are in poor condition. • While visiting the park neighbors expressed concern about vehicles driving in the park and doing damage to the turf. Consideration should be given to providing some sort of vehicle barrier along Circle Drive. Items such as large landscape rocks or bollards could be placed along the park perimeter to prevent vehicular access. CIELO MINI -PARK, Cielo Cir. Cielo Mini -Park is located on Cielo Drive behind the shopping center on the corner of Southwest and Snyder. Originally, this park served as a walkway from Cielo Circle to the shopping center. At some time, there was a concrete wall constructed behind the shopping center that eliminated this park as a walkway. There is a concrete path that runs through the park and ends at the wall. The park consists of a basketball court and a few benches. Noted areas of concern include: The playground structure in the rear of the park has been removed. There is now a concrete ring at that location filled with sand and dirt. Either a small play structure should be installed in this location or some other use should be identified. The location of this area is prone to vandalism which may have decided the fate of the missing play structure. An alternative to installing a new structure would be to plant a tree in this location. • There is a planter area adjacent to the basketball court. The tree originally planted at this location is gone. A new tree should be planted. I--, CIVIC CENTER PARK, Civic Center Drive This park is located on Civic Center Drive between several condominiums across from Kirsten Ct. The park consists of a large play structure which is in relatively new condition. Noted areas of concern include: • Violations noted in the 2000 Playground Equipment Audit should be cleared. -� COLEGIO VISTA PARK, 1200 Southwest Blvd. Colegio Vista Park is a 5 acre park located next to the school on Southwest. The park consists of a baseball field, soccer field, two play areas, and a small picnic area. Adjacent to the park are a second soccer field and baseball field owned by the School District. The playground equipment at the main play area is scheduled for replacement. There are two wonderful picnic tables near the parking area that were donated by the Rotary Club. Noted areas of concern include: • Trees are overhanging the parking area. The crowns need to be raised. • The Trex table tops in the picnic area need to be replaced. • The perimeter walkway ends short of the return to the sidewalk. Consideration should be given to extending this walkway back to the sidewalk. This would provide a nice circular path though the park. • Needs picnic tables on the west end under the trees. • There is a power supply box behind the pitchers mound. The box was full of water and the GFI circuit had been tripped. The power supply should be rebuilt. • The play structure is damaged and needs to be repaired or replaced. • Violations noted in the 2000 Playground Equipment Audit should be cleared. : y � ` '''0;,r.,- ., mcr .. 3 „ - ^x�M i , �'� ,-may` a' - s � ^fit'•_ z�',� P 1111111, 'fir �� `�� tlR f4.� \� to 44 , � tW, d ii l AN, 41% I 14 1} DOROTEA PARK, 895 Santa Dorotea Cir. This six acre park includes a baseball field, tennis courts, basketball court, and two children's play areas. Noted areas of concern include: • Remove the stump on the north end of the basketball court. • Basketball court needs resurfacing. • Sand from nearby play area flows onto the basketball court when it rains. • Basketball rims need to be replaced. • Both play structures are in poor condition and should be replaced. The fall material also needs replacing. • Asphalt pathways are in poor condition and should be repaired or replaced. • There is a power supply box near the baseball field that needs painting. • The picnic table tops need replacing. • There is a large concrete pad in the south end of the park. It was most likely the site of a tennis wall that has since been removed. This pad might be a good location for a future bocce ball court or small skateboard park. • There is a bench in the park that has been damaged and needs replacing. -� EAGLE PARK This park constitutes 10 acres and offers lighted softball, soccer fields, and tennis courts. The softball field is used exclusively by the Rohnert Park Girls Softball League for practices and games. The park is adjacent to Evergreen School which also has a lighted soccer field. There are two play structures on each end of the park. Noted areas of concern include: • The playground equipment is old and damaged. It needs to be replaced. • There are remnants of a par course that need to be removed. • Many park lights were not working. • Snack bar building is small and in need of expanding/renovation. • Gate to the tennis court will not close. • Many of the willow trees need pruning. • Transition from park to bike path needs to be re -landscaped. • Violations noted in the 2000 Playground Equipment Audit should be cleared. FOOTHILLS PARK This park is little more than a landscaped walkway between Jasmine Circle and Copeland Creek bikepath to SSU and RCHS. The park is in good shape and no concerns were noted. GOLIS PARK Golis Park is one of our largest parks at 13 acres. The park consists of a lighted baseball field, soccer fields, softball field, lighted tennis courts, a tennis court converted to a multi -use area, picnic area with barbeques, and two children's play areas. Noted areas of concern include: • The tennis courts need resurfacing. There are large cracks in all. • The court fences have been damaged by soccer balls and are in need of repair. • There is an area behind the tennis court that needs weed abatement. It is a party hangout. • Several sprinklers were in need of attention. • There are numerous holes in the landscaped berms where trees were removed. • There is a drop inlet east of the soccer area that is hazardous. • Several landscape beds around the ball field need planting. • Benches along the walkway are broken. • Concrete pad of ballpark on third base side needs repairs. • Dog control signs mounted on fence have words misspelled. • Picnic tables need repairs. • Bake rack is broken. • There is a tree well on the east side of the baseball field that has a chunk of concrete in it. • Pre-school play structure is in bad shape and needs replacing. • Violations noted in the 2000 Playground Equipment Audit should be cleared. GLOIS PARK --� HONEYBEE PARK This 10 acre parks consists of large multi -use turf area, lighted basketball courts, two children's play areas, picnic tables with barbeques, and a swimming pool used year- round. The park is adjacent to Hahn school and shares a softball field. • The play structure near the pool is in poor shape and needs replacing. • The play structure on the east side of the park is devoid of any fun elements and needs replacing. • The benches and picnic tables need repair or replacing. • There is a gap in the sod behind the tennis court which needs infill. • There is a stump in the northeast corner of the park that needs removal. • Violations noted in the 2000 Playground Equipment Audit should be cleared. LACROSSE PARK This small park is hidden behind several houses on Lamont and Lacrosse Courts. Access to the park is via two narrow trails which pass between residences from each court. Noted areas of concern include: • A slide and teeter-todder originally located in this park have been removed. The play equipment should be replaced. • The walkways are overgrown and the pavement is uneven. • Lots of graffiti was noted. • Property line fences are in poor shape and make the park look poor. • There is a small area along the east fence that might serve as a neighborhood garden site. • Violations noted in the 2000 Playground Equipment Audit should be cleared. LADYBUG PARK This is the largest park in L -Section and is adjacent to LaFiesta School. The park consists of a soccer field, swimming pool, playground, tennis courts, and Ladybug Recreation Building. The park shares a baseball field located at LaFiesta School. There is a small picnic area across the flood control channel that is in Cotati. The play structure was replaced in the recent renovation and is in excellent shape. The tennis courts were resurfaced a few years ago and are in good shape. Noted areas of concern include: • The crowns of the redwood trees near the parking area need to be raised to open up sight lines to the playground. • There are large holes in each soccer goal. • Several of the light fixtures were damaged. These should be checked for operation. • The park has no picnic area. There is an ideal location between the new playground and tennis courts which should be considered. • The trash dumpster is located at the entrance to the park driveway. This is very unsightly. It needs to be relocated or a compound should be built. W LILAC MINI -PARK This is a small neighborhood mini -park located on Lilac Way. Noted areas of concern include: • All the play equipment and park amenities have been removed from this park. There is nothing there but an empty lot with a sign. This park needs to be rebuilt, sold, or redeployed for some other use. • Possible site for a neighborhood garden. .� LYDIA MINI -PARK This small park is located at the south end of Lydia Court. The park is well hidden and is accessed via a small path between houses. The park consists of a small playground. Noted areas of concern include: • The asphalt path is in poor shape and not accessible for wheelchairs. • The park could use some picnic tables. • Raise the tree crowns for security. • Needs perimeter landscaping for shade. • There are weeds growing in the play area. • A neighbor suggested paving the pathway through the park. • There is a significant amount of undeveloped land in this park. This may be a suitable site for a neighborhood garden, or BMX area. • Violations noted in the 2000 Playground Equipment Audit should be cleared. MAGNOLIA PARK Magnolia is our largest and newest park. Features include three soccer/softball fields, a snack bar, playground, basketball courts, picnic area, swimming pool, tennis courts, and an open play area. This park is the major center for many activities in the city including regional soccer and softball tournaments. The tennis courts are the.home to the Rohnert Park Tennis Club and serves as a location for their matches and tournaments. Areas of concern include: • The basketball courts need to be resurfaced and new nets. • The tennis court rules signs need to be replaced. • There are several planters near the tennis courts that need planting. • There is a light near the pool that needs repair. • The snack bar needs to be repainted MEADOW PINES PARK This small park is located at the corner of Civic Center Drive and San Simeon. There is a single piece of playground apparatus. Areas of concern include: • The playground equipment is old and in need of replacement. • There are several dead trees that need to be removed. RAINBOW PARK Rainbow Park is located on the corner of Rosanna Way and Roman Drive. The park consists of a playground, picnic area, tennis court, and basketball court. Areas of concern include: • The tennis court is in poor shape and needs to be resurfaced. • The basketball court is in poor shape and needs to be resurfaced. The baskets need to be repaired and nets replaced. ,—. ROBERTS LAKE Roberts Lake is a five acre park highlighted by our only lake. Amenities include picnic tables and a fishing pier. The lake is stocked yearly for the annual fishing derby. An off leash dog area, Rohnert Bark, was recently developed on the north end (audited separately). Areas of concern include: • Ducks and geese have taken over the lake. This provides a possible area for the spread of the avian flu virus. Signs should be posted to discourage park patrons from feeding them and they should be relocated if possible (this is a daunting task). • The grass area next to the lake has been ruined by duck feces. • There is significant erosion caused by the wave action of the lake to the surrounding trees. 11—N ROHNERT PARK OFF LEASH AREA (Rohnert Bark) This new off -leash dog area was opened a year ago. The area is very heavily used by residents and non-residents, which has created some problems for us. Areas of concern include: • The park does not drain well and significant turf damage was done last winter. The area needs to be closed during the rainy season. • The drainage needs to be improved. The area holds too much water even when it is dry. This makes for muddy conditions. • The entrance area is very muddy and needs a rock or gravel base. • There are numerous white chairs in the park that patrons have dropped -off. This practice needs to be discouraged and the extra chairs removed. • The park needs benches. SUNRISE PARK Sunrise Park is one of our largest parks and is very well used. The park includes a soccer and softball field, tennis courts, children's playground, basketball court, and picnic tables. The park recently underwent a significant renovation. The old tennis backboard was removed and replaced by new ones on the court. A large children's play area was created where the old backboard was. New pathways and landscape areas were created. The old play area will be removed and replaced with a picnic area. This renovation will be a great asset to the park. Areas of concern include: • The asphalt paths need to be repaired and resurfaced. • The tennis courts need to be resurfaced. There are cracks throughout and surface wear. Several lights were out on the courts. This park has our second largest tennis area (four courts) and should be a priority to get back into shape. • The softball field fence is damaged and needs to be repaired or replaced. • The basketball court needs to be resurfaced. • The drinking fountain by the court needs to be replaced. • The soccer field needs to be renovated. There is significant turf damage. There is an excessive crown to the field which limits its desirability as a field. • The picnic tables are not accessible (ADA) and need to be refurbished or replaced. SCOUT HUT The Scout Hut is a small building located in Alicia Park on Santa Alicia Dr. This Konocti Girl Scout organization has a long-term use agreement for the use of the building. It is also used for community meetings. Areas of concern include: • The building needs a new roof. • The planters around the building perimeter need to be replanted.