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2007/06/18 Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes ROHNERT PARK PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES June 18, 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 6:30 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 May 21St were unanimously approved as submitted. Unscheduled Public Appearance/Public Comment Zack Vasquez, 4700 Blank Road, Sebastopol referred to the skate park project the Commission is researching. He said he is a skate boarder and that all other local skate parks in the area are lacking something. He would like to see a little bit of everything in a new park...bowls,half pipes, and especially stairs. All skaters love stairs and there isn't a park that has them. Commissioner Armerding said the committee will be including skaters in designing the park and he would be happy to contact him at that time. The Commission had several questions for Mr. Vasquez concerning the steps, wearing protective gear and other features that could be included in a skate park. Review of Use of Golis Park Tennis Court for Off-leash Dog Exercise—Manager Miller explained this is a 6 month review of this item. He referred to his memo of June 11 (attached to the original copy of these minutes) and staff's recommendation. Discussion followed on how much the court is used and the effectiveness of having the gate locked open. Following discussion, Commissioner Griffin made a motion to approve the current arrangement for an unlimited period of time. Commissioner Aronis seconded the motion which the Commission unanimously approved. Park Regulation Ordinance—Manager Miller reviewed additions to the list of unlawful acts that were added to the Municipal Code after the Commission's recommendation in May. Commissioner Griffin asked what happened regarding historical reenactments. Manager Miller responded that it is still being studied, and there isn't a recommendation at this time. He explained that since the Commission looks at this list once a year, they can look at it again in a year and recommend other changes or additions. Commissioner Page 1 of 5 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes—June 18, 2007 Armerding asked if the code could be put in abeyance by getting a permit. Manager Miller said as the code is written right now, that wouldn't be possible, even with a permit. Some discussion followed on the types of equipment used and if they would be classified as weapons. Commissioner Aronis said it is his opinion that they let it go as is and let Public Safety deal with it. If they determine there is a problem, they can deal with it at that time. Commissioner Armerding said he is puzzled why the groups haven't approached the Rec. Dept. to find out if that is allowed or to get a permit. Commissioner Aronis said he doesn't know if there is a problem, and Commissioner Griffin said since it is just a few people playing around,he would hate to see them cited. Commissioner Aronis asked if staff has a suggestion. Manager Miller agreed with the suggestion to look at this at their next annual review. Staff would like to move ahead with the current amendments. He said he doesn't believe it is a problem at this time. Commissioner Bird made a motion to adopt the Park Rule Amendments to the Municipal Code as written. Commissioner Armerding seconded the motion which was unanimously approved. Skate Park Committee Report—Commissioner Armerding said he wasn't sure if the commissioners had enough time to look at the draft of the Skate Park Committee's report. If not, it can be tabled until the next meeting. He stated that once the Commission has discussed the report, it will be forwarded to the PROS Committee. Chair Black asked if anyone had any questions or general comments. Commissioner Griffin said he scanned the report,but he still believes that location should be the main focus. He agrees with the committee's approach and their recommendations. Manager Miller clarified the PROS Committee's responsibility regarding skate parks. They will make a recommendation for the Park Master Plan,but it won't be that specific regarding location, etc. The Commission will be responsible for scheduling any public hearings regarding skate parks. Commissioner Griffin stated he believes the skate park location should be separate from the PROS Committee recommendation, and if the Commission decides on a specific location, they would pursue the project. Manager Miller clarified the roles of the skate park committee members, commissioners and PROS Committee members. He recommended that the report be forwarded to the PROS Committee,but he believes that PROS will be receiving requests from other stakeholders who have special projects they would like to see included in the master plan. Commissioner Aronis advised that the committee has worked very hard on their report, and they did get a new location after talking to the assistant city manager, which is on the west side of town near the old stadium site. This means that the skate park wouldn't necessarily have to be included in an existing neighborhood. Discussion followed on the role of the PROS Committee and the Park Master Plan. Page 2 of 5 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes—June 18, 2007 Commissioner Armerding asked where to go from here—forward the report to PROS or come up with a list of specific sites and work on funding. Originally he thought they needed to find a site and then come up with a method of funding the project. Commissioner Aronis said we know that skate parks are on the radar list with citizens and with the PROS Committee. Manager Miller stated he thinks there will be a list with a number of items that the PROS Committee thinks need to be included in the master plan, but he doesn't know what will be on the list. Commissioner Aronis recommended that the commissioners spend time so they can be familiar with the report and make sure they agree with it. He asked if it would go to the City Council after that and continue from there. Manager Miller confirmed that would be the procedure. Commissioner Griffin said he would like clarification on whether the report should go to the City Council once the Commission agrees with it or should they pursue a site first. Chair Black said she would like to look at the stadium site so she could be familiar with it. After they have a chance to look at the report and look at the sites, she would like to be able to come to a consensus as a commission so they can go to the city council with a recommendation. Commissioner Armerding asked if they should share the report with the PROS Committee. Commissioner Bird said he thinks that can only help so that they would be able to get input from the PROS Committee members. Manager Miller agreed it would be appropriate to discuss the report with the PROS Committee. Commissioner Aronis said he believes they should pick at least 2 or 3 sites and schedule public meetings for those sites. He stated that senior staff has told them that there is a skate park included in the northeast specific plans,but the Skate Park Committee is continuing with the project because it could be at least 10 years before that plan is developed. Mr. Vasquez suggested building a park near a fast food restaurant. Discussion followed regarding problems with litter and trash receptacles. Mr. Vasquez said he has also noticed skaters using trash cans for skating at other parks. Commissioner Griffin asked if they wanted to pursue this project, would they have to get the city council's approval before scheduling a public hearing? Manager Miller said it would be a courtesy, and he recommends keeping them informed since the Commission serves as an advisory body to the council. Commissioner Armerding asked if they can formalize a plan so he knows how to proceed. He clarified that the commissioners will look over the report, the committee will formalize at least 2 or 3 potential sites, and then public hearings can be scheduled. Chair Black said there might be some lag time before scheduling the public hearings. Manager Miller encouraged the commissioners to send or e-mail their comments to him, and he will summarize them and forward them to Commissioner Armerding. Page 3 of 5 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes—June 18, 2007 Suzanne Sanders thanked Commissioner Armerding for all the time he has spent on this project and the amount of research he did. Commissioner Griffin confirmed that the Commission will discuss the report at their next meeting and it will still be a draft report. 2007 Park Audit—Manager Miller passed out the park audit that the Commission had started about 18 months ago with the idea that they would be taking a close look at all the city parks. He reviewed the Commission's goals in completing the audit. He reported he had used the report for determining the next group of playground renovations and in making recommendations for capital improvements in the parks. The committee also incorporated the 2000 playground audit in their report. He advised he was unable to get a copy of the audit for each commissioner in time for tonight's meeting, but he will get them a copy. He requested that the Commission look at the portion handed out tonight and come back in July with their comments. He is hoping to have the audit available for them next month. Chair Black encouraged the Commission to look at the report prior to their July meeting. Manager Miller said the document may also be incorporated into the PROS Committee's report. Commissioner Aronis asked how long the average tennis court surface lasts. Manager Miller said it depends on how much it is used. The M Park courts are heavily used and were resurfaced after 7 years. Other parks not used as much could last up to 10 years. Committee Reports: Golf Committee- Commissioner Bird reported the next meeting is tomorrow. Matters from Staff: Monthly Highlights—Manager Miller asked if anyone had questions about the monthly report they had received. There were no questions. Status of Community Center Fountain—Manager Miller reported the City is working on a plan to decommission the fountain at the Community Center complex and replace it with a nicely landscaped area. The fountain is empty because it was leaking severely, and one of the supply lines had a leak. The timeframe for the renovation is approximately 1-11/2 years. The latest interim plan is to fill it with some wood chips and perhaps some potted shrubs. He stated the plan which will go to the Commission after it is finished. It will include some water features as well as some landscaped areas that perhaps can be revenue producing. Commissioner Bird asked about the sculpture that is currently in the fountain, and Manager Miller said that hasn't been determined. Playground Renovations: Phase 2—Manager Miller reported he is looking at some proposals but doesn't have anything to report at this time. Page 4 of 5 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes—June 18, 2007 --� Matters to/from Commission: Colored Dog Tags—Commissioner Griffin asked if staff found out anything about using the colored dog tags. Manager Miller replied that the Commission's recommendation was forwarded to animal licensing,but he hasn't heard back. Neighborhood Gardens—Commissioner Griffin asked if there is an update on the neighborhood gardens. Manager Miller said it was discussed at the last city council meeting,but he doesn't know the specifics. Chair Black said she heard that the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center was going to be asked to make a presentation to the PROS Committee. Commissioner Griffin asked whether the matter should have come to the Commission. The consensus was that it should eventually. ADJOURNMENT—There being no further business before the commission, the i eeting adjourned at 7:33 p.m. Xf;11-"fee--;Kije—se) Chair Black Guy Mi• - , •ecrea ion - Manager -r&J‘k_ cetiS\0_) Secretary Page 5 of 5