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2007/04/16 Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes .-� ROHNERT PARK PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES April 16, 2007 The Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission met this date at 6:30 p.m. for a regular meeting at the Rohnert Park city offices, 6750 Commerce Boulevard, Rohnert Park. The meeting was called to order at 6:35 p.m. with Chair Black presiding. Roll Call Present: (5) Commissioners Armerding, Aronis, Bird, Black, and Griffin Absent: (0) Also present for all or part of the meeting was Recreation Services Manager Guy Miller. Approval of Minutes—Upon motion by Commissioner Griffin and second by Commissioner Aronis, the minutes for the meeting of March 19th were unanimously approved as submitted. Unscheduled Public Appearance/Public Comment—None Vacancy on Golf Course Oversight Committee - Chair Black reported she had contacted the first three people who submitted applications and invited them to attend tonight's meeting. She referred the Commission to the fourth application that was passed out tonight. The Chair asked the two commissioners who are on the committee to give a brief overview of what the Golf Course Oversight Committee does. Commissioner Bird said the purpose of the committee is to oversee how the golf course is running and get input from the public. Commissioner Griffin stated they get an update on the banquet room,the amount of play and course conditions at each meeting. It is kind of an accountability committee. Chair Black thanked the four applicants for taking the time to apply and asked if there is a nomination for the committee. Commissioner Bird nominated Mike Harrow. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Griffin and unanimously approved. The Chair asked if Mr. Harrow will be notified. Manager Miller replied that all the applicants will be thanked for applying, and Mr. Harrow will be notified that he is on the committee. Crane Creek Regional Trail Project- Chair Black asked if staff has more information on the project than was provided in the staff memo. Manager Miller said he didn't have much more information and reviewed the memo and the three phases of the project. (A copy of the staff memo is attached to the original copy of the minutes.) He explained that staff is seeking a letter of support from the Commission. Commissioner Griffin said he is in favor of the project and asked if they need to go through the City Council. Manager Miller explained this is a grant the Engineering Dept. is already working on and the Commission's letter would be in support of the project. Page 1 of 5 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting—April 16, 2007 Commissioner Griffin made a motion to provide the letter of support under the Chair's signature. Some discussion followed, and Commissioner Aronis seconded the motion. The motion unanimously approved. Skateboard Parks - Chair Black said in the past the Commission did not believe there was funding for a skate park. Commissioner Griffin stated that most of the problems in the past have been finding a location. The Chair said the Commission is in favor of pursuing the project and may be able to find support or some grants to fund the project. Suzanne Sanders, 5702 Davis Circle, an advocate of building a skate park, presented a Power Point slide show of a skateboard competition that her son participated in last year, and reported that skateboarding will be included in the 2012 Olympics. She briefly recounted the presentation she given to the City Council last October and also ran the PowerPoint presentation that she had done. She explained this is a sport growing with the 10-12 year old age group. Her presentation included old style skate parks as well as the more modern parks, including ones in Windsor, Willits, and the McInnis Skate Park in Lucas Valley. Possible Rohnert Park sites she recommended are Honeybee Park by the pool, which would be next to parking lot and away from homes; the area behind the Sports and Fitness Center; the lot in front of the Spreckels Performing Arts Center; a site near the Boys & Girls Club, and one in Colegio Vista Park. She believes skate boarding is more of a mainstream sport than it was when the commission previously looked at finding a site, and she doesn't believe graffiti would be a problem if the park is fenced and locked. Manager Miller asked if she has a cost projection. Ms. Sanders said costs have risen in the past few years. She had spoken to someone who just built a park that cost $3 million, which had been funded through grants. She reported there was a park recently built in San Jose that cost $6 million,but it is supposed to be one of the largest skate parks. Commissioner Armerding asked what size she would recommend, and Ms. Sanders said she thought 25,000 sq. ft. would be an adequate size. Commissioner Aronis asked if she was able to design a park, what features would she include? Ms. Sanders said she would suggest a combination of a street and a bowl course including a small vert ramp. Commissioner Armerding asked about insurance. Ms. Sanders said she believes that cities are now protected from lawsuits as long as the park users sign a waiver. Manager Miller said he is aware of a law that basically exempts cities from liability. Skaters sign a waiver that states they are aware that skateboarding is a hazardous sport. Manager Miller said one of the trends is to build smaller skate parks or skate spots and asked Ms. Sanders if she believes that would work in Rohnert Park. Ms. Sanders said she wasn't sure if they would work. Manager Miller said that many cities build them so that kids can skate close to home and don't have to be driven. Ms. Sanders said she thinks it would be safer for the community if there was one nice sized skate park where all the kids could gather in one spot. Commissioner Griffin stated in the past he has advocated Page 2 of 5 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting—April 16, 2007 smaller skate parks as a way to get started,but insurance was always a problem. Manager Miller said he believes that has been worked out now. Commissioner Griffin suggested if they could at least build some small skate parks, they would be more affordable, and kids would at least have a place where they could skate. In the past the Commission has always hit a brick wall when they proposed building a skate park in Rohnert Park. Commissioner Aronis asked what the problems were in the past and whether the concerns were noise. Chair Black said she believes the problems people were worried about were graffiti and vandalism. Commissioner Aronis said he thinks there are ways to deal with those kinds of problems and asked if there were any other issues on why people didn't want a skate park in their neighborhood. Ms. Sanders said when she did the research there was someone who lived near Sunrise Park, one of the proposed sites, who was worried a skate park could bring in gang problems. She explained that when she has gone to skate parks she hasn't seen gang problems but mostly young boys. She reported the second site the commission had looked at was by a senior housing complex on private property which didn't work out. Commissioner Aronis said he frequents the Mt. Shadows Shopping Center, and he has seen lots of kids skateboarding there and feels it is not safe with all the cars. Ms. Sanders pointed out that skateboarding is a very healthy sport for kids and helps keep them in good shape. Commissioner Armerding asked if there is an organization in Rohnert Park that she is working with and that supports the project. Ms. Sanders said she has several friends who support the project, and she has gotten together with the previous non-profit group, Skate Coalition, that had been working to build a skate park. Commissioner Armerding said he believes there are three issues—the first is cost, design, and size; the second is a firm proposal of three possible locations; and the third is concerns such as noise and crime. Ms. Sanders reported she had previously prepared a packet for the City Council, and she would like to distribute it to the Commission. Commissioner Armerding asked how the city would pursue the project if they determine the best location and then the neighbors said they don't want a skate park in that park. Would the city move ahead with the project even if some residents object? Ms. Sanders said she had spoken to the assistant city manager, and he told her money isn't the issue, it's location. Chair Black said it sounds like the Commission wishes to pursue the matter, and she thinks they would need to start from scratch. Commissioner Bird asked if the commission would first need to know the design and whether it would fit in a specific location. Ms. Sanders said she believes the location needs to be determined, and the skate park would be designed for the location. Commissioner Aronis asked if Ms. Sanders has an idea of the size of the H park site. She didn't, and he said that would have to be determined. Chair Black asked about the possibility of planning a park that could be expanded in the future or built in phases. Ms. Sanders said she hasn't seen that done,but she believes the minimum size would need to be 18,000 sq. ft. Commissioner Armerding questioned choosing the site first and then designing a park to fit. He said it makes more sense to Page 3 of 5 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting—April 16, 2007 find out what the skating community wants and then trying to find a location that will work. Ms. Sanders stated that the design of skate parks has gotten a lot more interesting, but it is important to have a skate park architect design the park so it is designed correctly. Chair Black stated she has a problem locking public parks and would like to get a final product that doesn't have to be locked. Decisions would have to be made as to who would be responsible for locking and unlocking it. Ms. Sanders explained locking the park would help prevent vandalism and use of the park when conditions aren't safe. Chair Black asked if the Commission would like to re-form a committee to work on this project and include Ms. Sanders in the process. Commissioner Griffin asked if there would be a better way to pursue the project rather than going through all the work, scheduling public hearings and then being told not in my backyard. Manager Miller said there are several matters that have to be figured out before scheduling a public hearing, and he believes there may not be as much resistance this time. They will need to know the cost of a park and perhaps suggest 3 locations. He said it is very important to educate the public in order to sell the project. Ms. Sanders said the skate park designer does try to include the public and skaters in the design of the park. Manager Miller said he doesn't think it would be a problem finding a design company. Commissioner Griffin made a motion to re-form the skate park committee and add Suzanne Sanders as an ad hoc member. Commissioner Armerding seconded the motion -- which was unanimously approved. Commissioners Armerding and Aronis offered to sit on the committee with Commissioner Armerding chairing. Chair Black suggested that the committee meet prior to the next commission meeting so they would have a report. Committee Reports: Park Audit—Commissioner Griffin reported the audit is finished, but the report still needs to be completed. Chair Black stated the only thing left is a final draft of the summary. Manager Miller said the other task is how to incorporate the 2000 playground audit into the 2007 audit. Dog Park Monitor Program—Chair Black reported the monitor program is still on hold until the park rules are established. Status of Nip and Run Ordinance#786—Manager Miller reported the ordinance was approved at the City Council meeting and will include language regarding accurate contact information. He said he was not at the meeting but understands the contact information was added back. Chair Black said she spoke to Councilman Mackenzie, and he told her the point of the ordinance was to be able to share contact information to avoid having to contact Public Safety. She said she believes the contact information that was added does not require giving addresses. Page 4 of 5 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting—April 16, 2007 Park Development Guidelines—Chair Black said the committee finished the Commission's portion,but they are waiting to hear about the guidelines from city staff. PROS—Manager Miller reported the city had received 3 RFP's by today's 5 p.m. deadline. The committee will look at the proposals at their next meeting. Matters from Staff: Status of Nip &Run Ordinance—See above item. Status of Park Rules Ordinance—Manager Miller reported the park rules are still undergoing legal review. The Commission's comments from the last meeting have been forwarded to staff, and they should have some feedback at their May meeting. Memorial Program—Manager Miller passed out a proposed draft of the memorial program that he is working on and will include both memorial benches and bricks. The city will then have a brochure that can be passed out to the public. He reported this is a work in progress, and he is trying to find a bench design that can be standardized and will be in production for a long time. The bench design will include a place where a bronze plaque can be added. Some discussion followed. Community Garden—Manager Miller reported there is an item on the City Council's April 24th agenda regarding community gardens. This is a project that has been worked on with city hall staff and the city council. He stressed to staff that this should be a project that includes the Parks and Recreation Commission, and he thinks the matter will be referred to them after the meeting. Manager Miller reported he believes they are looking for a volunteer organization to work on this project. Matters to/from Commissioners -None ADJOURNMENT—There being no further business before the commission, the meeting adjourned at 7:43 p.m. 2 "(Y‘-ze.,, l'',)a-'-1- -, Chair Black Guy '- er, Recreation Services Manager I )-N Secretary Page 5of5