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2006/01/23 Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes ROHNERT PARK PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES January 23, 2006 The Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission met this date at 7:30 p.m. for an adjourned meeting at the Rohnert Park city offices, 6750 Commerce Boulevard, Rohnert Park. The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. with Chair Bird presiding. ROLL CALL Present: (5) Commissioners Bird, Black, Butler, Griffin, and Hansen Absent: (1) Commissioner Stevens Also present for the meeting was Recreation Services Manager Guy Miller. APPROVAL OF MINUTES—Upon motion by Commissioner Griffin and second by Commissioner Black, the minutes for the meeting of November 21st were unanimously approved as submitted. ELECTION OF CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR Election of Chair—Chair Bird opened nominations for Commission Chair for 2006. Commissioner Griffin nominated Commissioner Hansen, and the motion was seconded by Commissioner Black. There being no further nominations, Commissioner Hansen was unanimously elected as Chair. Election of Vice Chair—Chair Hansen opened nominations for Commission Vice-Chair for 2006. Commissioner Butler nominated Commissioner Black, and the motion was seconded by Commissioner Griffin. There being no further nominations, Commissioner Black was unanimously elected as Vice Chair. CHANGE IN AGENDA—Chair Hansen requested that Item IX, New Business,be moved up on the agenda. Commissioner Griffin made a motion to move the item. Commissioner Bird seconded the motion which was unanimously approved. NEW BUSINESS University District Presentation—Recreation Services Manager Miller introduced Kevin Pohlson from Brookfield Homes, the builder for the University District Plan. Mr. Pohlson stated Brookfield owns 87% of the area. He stated he has met with Manager Miller, Ron Bendorff, Director of Community Development, and Darrin Jenkins, the City Engineer, regarding improvements to the University District Plan area. Mr. Pohlson introduced Phil Vander Toolen who is their architectural designer. Mr. Vander Toolen presented a Power Point program regarding the preliminary landscape plans for the parks, including some of the components based on their discussions with Manager Miller. He explained they are including four major park components and a linear park component which will bisect the overall area. In Oak Grove Park, they will be preserving existing stands of oak trees. It is designed as a passive use park although there will be play components, a tot lot and playground for children, ages 6-12. Page 1 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes January 23, 2006 The park's approximate size is 4.77 acres. He explained that everything around the oak trees will be low impact and will include natural growth, which will be discussed with an arborist. Chair Hansen asked about visibility to the tot lot. Mr. Vander Toolen said it will be visible and will be close enough to the street so it won't be too far to walk. Street trees will be planted around the perimeter. They will also be planting additional oak trees to fill in the spaces. Commissioner Black asked about parking, and Mr. Vander Toolen responded that there would only be street parking. Manager Miller asked if restrooms are planned, and Mr. Vander Toolen said no. Commissioner Butler asked if Keiser Road would be improved, and Mr. Vander Toolen said yes. The next park planned is "Notch Park"which will include a creek running along the edge. It will be 1.63 acres with trees planted along the perimeter to the street. A walkway is planned around the park, and it will include picnic tables and benches. A tot lot and an area large enough for a soccer field are also being planned. Mr. Pohlson explained they are planning to allow a buffer area of 50-70 feet from the creek to the park that will be planted with native landscaping material and include a split rail fence. Including the buffer will make the area seem much larger. The third park is being called Twin Creeks Park which is located in the heart of the project near the retail and commercial area. A walkway is planned around the perimeter. A linear park will cross over this park area that will feature three full-sized bocce ball courts with a large lawn leading to the retail area. The park will include basketball courts, covered picnic tables, a tot lot, play area for 6-12 year olds, restrooms, a second building that could be a concession building, and a multi-use baseball/soccer field. The park is approximately 6.77 acres increasing up to 7.2 acres. Mr. Pohlson stated the retail plaza will lead people right up to this park. The plaza area is still being designed but will be similar to the Windsor town plan. He stated they will be coming back in the next 1-2 months to show the Commission the plans for this area. Manager Miller asked about housing, and Mr. Pohlson stated that part will be multi-unit housing and part single family houses. The Commission discussed the water retention area of the park, and Mr. Pohlson said they are proposing an area on the edge of the district but may design a 2 foot retention area in this park. Manager Miller said this would be an ideal area for an all-weather field,but it would not work if it is a retention area. Mr. Pohlson said he will continue to work with Darrin Jenkins, the City Engineer, and Ron Bendorff, Director of Community Development, on this area. Commissioner Black asked about including an area which could be used for community events. Mr. Vander Toolen agreed this might be possible using the area leading to the plaza. Mr. Pohlson said they will be continuing existing bike paths and will include other trails to tie the area together. He stated they have planned over 700 condominium units, and they will be providing private recreational areas for these residents. Mr. Vander Toolen pointed out that all walkways will be open to the public even if through private areas. Page 2 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes January 23, 2006 Mr. Vander Toolen stated they will be including a gateway to the park,which hasn't been fully designed yet. It will include a large lawn area which will not be large enough for a sports field. It will include a gazebo type structure, picnic tables, a tot lot, trails, and a shade area. The private portion will include a pool, wading pool and picnic area. It will be fenced and include a buffer between the two areas of the park. Chair Hansen asked if the buffer would be on the public or private side of the Park. Mr. Vander Toolen said it will be staggered on both sides so it is a soft edge to the area. He showed some of the components for the parks including landscape materials, trees,benches, fencing, waste receptacles, dog pick-up station, lighting, and play equipment. They are looking at some innovative play equipment including climbing walls and cable equipment. Mr. Vander Toolen said they have used some of this equipment in other park projects and have had very favorable feedback. He explained this is their first pass and they will still be refining the designs and welcome any suggestions. Commissioner Black proposed that when they start to focus on what kind of playground equipment to install, she thinks it would be better if they take into consideration the landscape of the park where the equipment is being installed. Mr. Vander Toolen said they will be considering the park sites when selecting the equipment and will be coming back to the Commission for their input. Manager Miller asked about the park names and Mr. Pohlson said the only park name they would like to keep is the Oak Grove Park. The other park names will be discussed with the city and the marketing group. Commissioner Griffin asked about bike racks and Mr. Vander Toolen said they are looking at another style,but he wasn't able to find a photo. The will definitely be looking at other styles. Commissioner Black suggesting in addition to benches they also place trash receptacles near the park pathways. Mr. Vander Toolen said as they look at greater detail,they will be considering those amenities. Chair Hansen stated he wants to make sure that the city is getting the required allotment of park area required by the General Plan. Mr. Pohlson responded that the park area will be more than the park area required by the city's General Plan. They will probably have an approximate total of 20 acres of parkland and including improvements would be comparable to 50 acres of parkland. Chair Hansen said he has some concerns about having a private park area adjacent to the public area of the park. Commissioner Bird stated there are other parks in the city that have private areas and he doesn't see a problem. Commissioner Black said that she could see a problem if a park was half public and half private which could be awkward. She suggested it could be mitigated by landscaping. Mr. Vander Toolen said they plan to use landscaping to soften the area. Chair Hansen said he believes the area near the university may be a major thoroughfare to Sonoma State University and it could be a problem for a tot lot because of heavy traffic to the school. Mr. Pohlson referred to the plan and showed the many walkways that will be included to and from the school. They will be working with SSU and the City so that traffic will be disbursed across a wide area. He agreed that the tot lot could be moved closer to the street. Page 3 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes January 23, 2006 Commissioner Butler said he believes it is important that the private area of the park not include anything that is too exclusive and isn't provided in another park of the city. He didn't see any problem with providing a pool since there are other pools in the city. Community Garden Non-resident Policy—Recreation Services Manager Miller referred to his January 19th memo regarding restricting non-residents at the community garden. (A copy is attached to the original copy of these minutes.) He explained the problem may go away in the future because the garden is included in the University District Plan and the area may no longer be available. He recapped the reason for limiting garden participation to Rohnert Park residents. Some discussion followed. Commissioner Black said she agrees this is a good concept but felt there should be a penalty if a non-resident tries to register for a plot using a resident's name and address. She stated there should be a plan in place in case this does occur. Manager Miller said this would give the city a policy in case a problem does occur. Commissioner Griffin made a motion to limit the participation in the community garden to Rohnert Park residents beginning with the upcoming gardening year. Commissioner Black seconded the motion. Discussion followed and Commissioner Butler asked what happens if someone makes improvements on a plot. Manager Miller explained that anything put in the garden becomes part of the garden. Chair Hansen said he believes participation in the garden is a privilege -� that can be revoked at any time. He suggested making the change for only a year and then looking at it again. The Commission agreed this could be done at any time if staff recommends it be changed. Following discussion, the motion passed unanimously. UNSCHEDULED PUBLIC APPEARANCE/PUBLIC COMMENT -None SCHEDULED PUBLIC APPEARANCE/PUBLIC COMMENT-None OLD BUSINESS Status of Playground Renovations—Recreation Services Manager Miller advised the Commissioner recommendations for playground renovations will be on the City Council agenda tomorrow night. He and Chair Hansen will have a Power Point presentation and hopefully the Council will approve the recommendations so the bid process can be opened up. He explained that a$7,000 grant has a sunset of June 3e. He invited any of the commissioners to attend the Council meeting to support the presentation. Commissioner Griffin Leaves—At approximately 8:48 p.m. Commissioner Griffin left the meeting. Status of Playground Renovations Continued- Manager Miller stated the City has almost$100,000 in grant money to fund these projects. Page 4 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes January 23, 2006 Recreation Department Sponsorship Program—Commissioner Black referred to the rough draft she had passed out regarding the development of a park sponsorship program and reviewed the material in the packet. (A copy of the packet is attached to the original copy of these minutes.) Commissioner Griffin Returns—At approximately 9:02 p.m., Commissioner Griffin returned to the meeting. Recreation Department Sponsorship Program Continued- Commissioner Black encouraged the Commission to look through the information so it can be presented to the City Council with their recommendation. She explained she tried to be flexible and said at some point they may want to look into developing an endowment program which would be a huge undertaking. Report on Internet Registration Program-Manager Miller explained that the Recreation Department's internet registration program, RecEnroll, was launched in December. He explained it was a"soft" launch for a limited number of classes so that any bugs that might occur could be worked out. He reported that everything seems to be working now, and sixty people had registered using the internet. He sated everything is going smoothly, and the department will be going live for all programs being offered in the summer activity guide. Commission Goals—Chair Hansen said that Manager Miller mentioned before the meeting that the Commission needs to start thinking about capital improvement projects and recommended that the Commission start looking at the city parks and what needs to be done. Commissioner Griffin reported he had met with Manager Miller about what kind of format or checklist they could use. Commissioner Black said she believes this is a good goal to look at the city's parks even if it is just to keep them in good shape. She stated it is important that the commissioners be familiar with the city's parks. Commissioner Bird said Manager Miller had mentioned that Public Works needs to know what park improvements are necessary including maintenance of the parks. Manager Miller mentioned that the Dorotea Park basketball lights need to be replaced so it would be helpful to know how much they are used. He proposed that doing the park audits including looking at each individual component of the parks and providing a guide for repairs would be very worthwhile goal for the Commission. Chair Hansen asked about an audit form and who would be developing it. Manager Miller said that Public Works had some ideas that he will follow up on. He is also on the CPRS list serve and offered to inquire to see if other cities have a form that they use. Commissioner Black suggested that if the commissioners do go to the parks,many things will be very obvious. Manager Miller stressed that it is important that this doesn't become a work list for Public Works of what we want them to do since they are short staffed and the city's parks are aging. He stated it might be better to have a timeline. Chair Hansen said he believes it is important to find out if the city's parks will meet the current needs of residents and that the Commission has an overview of them. Manager Miller said he believes that public feedback is invaluable to find out what is working and what isn't. Commissioner Black suggested also getting this feedback from Public Safety. Page 5 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes January 23, 2006 Chair Hansen asked about scheduling an early evening tour so they can observe whether the lights are working. He asked how the commissioners how they want to schedule their visits. Manager Miller suggested clustering the parks together and agreed that early evening visits were a good idea. Commissioner Black suggested that the commissioners bring their schedules next month so they can start scheduling their visits. Manager Miller offered to look at the city parks and come up with a list of possible park visits, and the commissioners can come with dates they are available. He asked if the Commission wished to make this their#1 goal. He referred to the list of possible goals that he presented to them in November and read through the list. He suggested looking at the off-leash dog areas for the coming year would be also be a good goal. He advised the Chamber of Commerce may be developing a community calendar, and he would need to talk to them. He stated the two big items are the off-leash dog areas and the park audits. Commissioner Black suggested that by doing the park audits, it may help define the off-leash dog areas. Youth Sports Committee—Manager Miller referred to the youth sports groups using city fields and advised it is possible that while he may not recommend raising the day use fees,the city needs to cover the cost of light use. He reported he had discussed this at the annual field use meeting and the groups seemed more than willing to work with the city. If the groups know what the hourly light fee will be, it will give them more of a goal. He stated he would like to schedule a meeting of the Youth Sports Committee to discuss his proposal which he would like to have ready by July 1st in time for the new fiscal year's budget. A meeting was scheduled for 5 p.m. on Tuesday, January 31, at the Community Center. STAFF REPORTS Department Highlights for November and December—There were no questions regarding the Department's Highlight report. COMMISSION COMMITTEE REPORTS Park Master Plan (PROS) Committee—Commissioner Hansen reported the PROS Committee is working on getting the internet survey completed. The survey will be presented to the City Council by the PROS Committee Chair Dan Blanque. He stated the survey will be available on the city's web page, and Manager Miller is arranging for an informational flier to be distributed in the city's utility bills. The survey will run about four months with hard copies available for those who don't have internet access. In addition, a Spanish version will be available. Commissioner Black said the Committee is making a big effort to get every Rohnert Park resident's input on the survey, not just sports groups or people using the city's parks. Golf Course Oversight Committee—Commissioner Bird reported this committee met last week and learned the north course is very playable while the south course has had problems with water. The management company will be doing a major marketing campaign this year including wine tasting events in the club house. He reported that annual members are up from last year, and they are hoping this will be a trend. Everyone would like to see some cart path improvement, but there isn't any money to do it at this time. During the New Year's flood there was a lot of debris that ended Page 6 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes January 23, 2006 up on the golf course. Manager Miller reported a lawsuit has been filed because of some silt and homes that were flooded. MATTERS FROM/FOR COMMISSIONERS Grammy Award- Commissioner Butler reported that Sonoma State University professor Lynn Morrow has been nominated for a Grammy Award on February 8th in cultural arts. New Contract Classes - Commissioner Butler reported that his daughter Kelly will be offering two new classes through the Recreation Department in the summer activity guide, Children's Chorus and a Musical Theater Workshop. Outgoing Chair—Chair Hansen thanked Commissioner Bird for all his work as Commission Chair in 2005. CPR Rescue—Commissioner Bird asked about an article he had read in the newspaper regarding a CPR rescue at the Sports and Fitness Center. Manager Miller responded that six days after they received their defibrillator a member collapsed in the weight room, and staff was able to use the equipment to save his life. Hospital staff called and got the readout from the defibrillator so they were able to find out what the problem was. He reported that the member probably would have died if they hadn't had the defibrillator. Manager Miller said that Recreation Supervisor Maya van den Heuvel worked along with him on the defibrillator. Light Problems—Commissioner Black reported she has had two people approach her about light problems at Dorotea Park. The lights are working but tree growth is obscuring the lights. She stated she hasn't been able to go see the problem. Manager Miller said he will have someone look at them. ADJOURNMENT - There being no further business before the Commission, the meeting was adjourned at 9:30 p.m. Chair Hansen Guy 1VIIT r Recreation Services Manager Secretary Page 7