2007/09/17 Parks and Recreation Commission Agenda Packet DEPARTMENT
c,,roaN^ ROHNERT PARK PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION
AGENDA
(revised 9/13/07)
Monday September 17, 2007
6:30 p.m.
6750 Commerce Blvd., Rohnert Park
To any member of the audience desiring to address the Parks and Recreation Commission:
If you wish to speak on an item under discussion by the Parks and Recreation Commission, you may do so upon recognition
from the Chairperson.
After receiving recognition from the Chairperson, please walk to the rostrum located in the front and center of the room and
state your name and address for the record before making your presentation.
CALL MEETING TO ORDER
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
• Roll Call:
D'Armerding [/Aronis [2 Bird / Black Er/Griffin
• Approval of Minutes—August 20, 2007
• Acknowledgment of Recreation Department staff's report on the posting of the
meeting's agenda.
Agenda has been posted in three public places: Community Center, Public Safety
Building and City Hall, and on the City's Website.
• Unscheduled Public Appearances for public comments on items not listed on the
agenda, or on agenda items if unable to speak at the scheduled time.
Item#1 Establishment of Ad-hoc Sports &Fitness Center Committee:Action Item
Commission is asked to select two members to serve on the Callinan Sports & Fitness Center
Committee.This committee will review proposed changes to the membership fees and structure.
Item #2 Revised Skate Park Report: Action Item
Commission is asked to accept the revised Skate Park Report which was voted on at the June 2007
meeting. The revision removes the Stadium Lands site as a high priority site.This is done in light of
new information gathered by the Committee after the report was accepted.
Committee 1. Park Audit Committee
Reports 2. Golf Course Committee
3. Park Sponsorship/Adopt-a-Park Committee
Matters from 1. Update on Playground Renovations
off
Page 1 of 2
Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission
September 17,2007
Revised(9/13/07)
Matters to/from 1. CAPRCBM Training Oct. 20, 2007
Commissioners
Adjournment. Next meeting: October 15, 2007 6:30 p.m.
Disabled Accommodation:
If you have a disability which requires an interpreter or other person to assist you while attending this Planning Commission Meeting,please contact the
City Offices at (707) 588-2236 at least 72 hours prior to the meeting to insure arrangements for accommodation by the City. Please make sure the
Planning Department is notified as soon as possible if you have a visual impairment that requires the meeting materials be produced in another format
(Braille,audio-tape,etc.).
Page 2 of 2
Rohnert Park Skate Park 17 September 2007
AMENDMENT TO THE
Report to the PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION
regarding the Rohnert Park Skatepark
dated 16 July 2007
Deleted text noted with strikeout; new text is in italics with underline.
VI. Location
From the beginning of our study,the assumption was made that, if a skate park is generally
appropriate for Rohnert Park, then it should fit in with the other sports and recreational facilities
presently located in the twelve public parks which already exist(not counting mini-parks).
These presently cater to the following activities:
No. Activity Existing Number
1. Tennis courts 25
2. Playgrounds 20
3. Baseball and softball 14
4. Picnic areas 10
5. Soccer fields 9
6. Basketball courts* 6
7. Swimming pools 5
8. Creek pathways 4
9. Dog park 3
10. Golf course 2
11. Senior Center 1
12. Ceramic workshop 1
13. Lake 1
Note: there is some duplication in the above figures where two sports share a multi-use field.
There are also indoor facilities at the Callinan Sports Center for basketball, racquetball, exercise
machines and weight-training equipment.
Our first step was to establish criteria for evaluating whether a given park is suitable for a skate
park. These are:
1. Visibility
In order to promote safety and security and to discourage vandalism or other
unacceptable behavior,
• Ideally, the skateboard course will be located in a park which has a significant
number of other users present at the times when the course will be open
• A significant portion of the course should be visible from a passing police car
1
Rohnert Park Skate Park 17 September 2007
• An accompanying parent should be able to see the course from a significant portion
of the rest of the park in which the skate park is located
2. Accessibility
• A majority of Rohnert Park children must be able to reach the park by bicycle or
skateboard via sidewalks
• Ideally, the park will have a City bus stop within 2 blocks
3. Adequate space available
• The space available for the skateboard course should be between 15,000 and 25,000
square feet excluding landscaping and parking
• The design will take into account whether the space is flat or uneven
4. Parking
• There should be adequate parking for the existing park facilities plus a new
skateboard course
5. Proximity to a swimming pool
• In order to facilitate opening and closing of the skateboard course, ideally it will be
located in a park with a swimming pool or some other Parks &Recreation Dept.
facility
6. Proximity to houses or apartment buildings
• Ideally, the location is separated from the nearest houses by a street rather than just a
fence
• The fewer houses directly adjacent to the location, the better
7. Conflict with existing sports facilities
• Ideally, the location will not require the removal of or conflict with any existing
sports facility
The next step was to break down the list of parks into three categories using the above criteria.
This yielded the following lists:
GROUP A—Good potential; no major changes required
1. Honeybee (central open area)
2. Magnolia(between tennis courts and parking lot)
3. Country Club Dr. Minipark(corner of Country Club and Golf Course Dr.)
2
Rohnert Park Skate Park 17 September 2007
4. Sunrise (southeast corner)
GROUP B—Fair potential; some negatives exist or major changes required
1. Benicia (next to Boys & Girls Club)
2. Colegio Vista
3. Community Center Complex (behind Callinan Sports Center)
4. Eagle(southwest corner)
5. Golis (either the southwest corner or the north section)
6. Rainbow
GROUP C—Poor or no potential
1. Alicia
2. Dorotea
3. Fire Station on Southwest Blvd.
4. Ladybug
For the full list of potential sites and the detailed analysis of each,please refer to Appendix C.
The next step was to rate each of the parks in Group A so that the Commission could offer the
City Council a firm recommendation as to the best location for a skate park. That resulted in the
following ranking:
1. Honeybee (next to the parking lot)
2. Magnolia (between parking lot and tennis courts)
- -- ' B and Water Treatment Plan)
3. Country Club Dr. Minipark(corner of Country Club and Golf Course Dr.)
4. Sunrise (southeast corner)
The detailed ratings are shown in Appendix D.
In addition to potential sites within existing parks, there is the possibility that a skate park could
be included in either the Stadium Area or the Northeast Specific Plan Area. The City has
discussed this both areas with the proposed developers of that land and it offcrs and they offer
two advantages:
1. The cost of the skate park would be fully borne by the developer.
2. The skate park would be built before new residents move in.
On the negative side, it should be noted that this the Northeast Specific Plan Area was added to
the General Plan in 2000 but seven years later it has still not been annexed to the City. It will be
a long time before this area is developed due to the facts that:
1. legal issues must be settled;
2. annexation must be approved; and
3
Rohnert Park Skate Park 17 September 2007
3. it will take time to build out the area(including the new park).
For the Stadium Area, the City received a Notice of Preparation and Initial Study from Parsons
in 8 June 2005 but no subsequent progress has been made in the development. The plan includes
a 13-acre residential portion (comprising 168 units) and a half-acre park. The negatives are:
1. A 20,000 sq.ft. skatepark would use up the entre half-acre leaving no space for other
activities; and
2. The park is located right in the middle of the residential section.
Conclusion:
We believe that there are several sites which offer a good combination of attributes for a skate
park and recommend that the Commission endorse these locations in its report to the City
Council.
4
Rohnert Park Skate Park 17 September 2007
APPENDIX C
SITE ASSESSMENT
GROUP A—Good potential; no major changes required
1. HONEYBEE (central open area)
• Open space not currently used for organized sports
• Knoll screens houses on the other side of Hudis
• Otherwise, no houses directly adjacent to proposed site
• Swimming pool
• Outdoor movies will be moved to the Community Center
• Bus service
2. MAGNOLIA (between tennis courts and parking lot)
• Lots of people around at all times
• Minimal number of houses directly affected
• Swimming pool
• Easy access for SSU students
• Tennis Club wants four more courts built there
• Courts are also used by SSU and Rancho Cotati
. . .. - . -- . - -•-- ' ..
• Bus service along Labath Ave.
• Greenfield site
• Next to planned Public Safety satellite-office
• Close to shopping centers
3. COUNTRY CLUB DR. MINIPARK(corner of Country Club and Golf Course Dr.)
• Very visible from passing patrol cars
• Good bus access
• Adequate space for a 100'x 200'skatepark
• Minimal number of houses affected
• No competing demands for this space
• Parking available at Mountain Shadows Shopping Center
4. SUNRISE (southeast corner)
• Central location with bus service
• Existing soccer and baseball fields are not good
5
Rohnert Park Skate Park 17 September 2007
• Trees can be thinned to improve visibility from Snyder/Expressway
• No houses directly affected
• Near to the Community Center(staff to open and close)
• Near to the Public Safety building
[NOTE:No changes to Groups B or CJ
6
Rohnert Park Skate Park 17 September 2007
APPENDIX D
SITE ASSESSMENT
SITE VISI- ACCESS SPACE PARKING PROXIMITY PROXIMITY TOTALS
BILITY TO POOL TO HOUSES
GROUP A(Good potential; no major changes required)
Honeybee 4 4.5 4.5 4.5 5 4.5 27
Magnolia
(beside 5 4 4 3.5 5 3.5 25
tennis)
Country
Club Dr. 5 5 5 4 3 3 25
Minipark
Sunrise 5 3 4 4 3.5 5 24.5
Stadium 45. S 45 2.5 4- a
GROUP B (Fair potential but some negatives exist or major changes required)
Colegio
Vista(SE 5 4.5 4 3 1 3 20.5
corner)
Benicia
(Boys& 3 3 3 2.5 3.5 4.5 19.5
Girls Club)
Golis(SW 5 3.5 5 3 1 1 18.5
corner)
Colegio
Vista(NW 3 5 5 2.5 1 1.5 18
corner)
Golis(north 4.5 3.5 4.5 3 1 1 17.5
section)
Community
Center 1 4.5 3 4 3 2 17.5
(behind
Callinan)
Eagle 4 3 3 2.5 1 2 15.5
Rainbow 4.5 3 3 1.5 1 1.5 14.5
7