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2006/10/16 Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes ROHNERT PARK PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES October 16, 2006 The Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission met this date at 7:30 p.m. for a regular meeting at the Rohnert Park city offices, 6750 Commerce Boulevard, Rohnert Park. The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. with Chair Hansen presiding. Roll Call Present: (6) Commissioners Bird, Black, Butler, Griffin, Hansen, and Stevens Absent: (1) Commissioner Coleman Also present for all or part of the meeting was Recreation Services Manager Guy Miller. After roll call Manager Miller announced that he had received a call from Commissioner Coleman who said he was going to have to regretfully resign from the Commission due to the responsibilities of a new job. He will be submitting a letter of resignation. Approval of Minutes—Commission Griffin referred to the minutes from the September 18th meeting, page 5, 2nd paragraph, regarding his motion to designate the use of the Golis Park roller hockey/tennis court as an off-leash dog area. Commissioner Griffin stated that after the clarification question by Commissioner Butler, he had responded"No," and he would like the minutes corrected to reflect his answer. Manager Miller advised that was how it had been presented to the City Council. Commissioner Black referred to page 2, 2nd paragraph of the September minutes and stated her intent had been that the Municipal Code does not have the Parks and Recreation Commission reporting to the Planning Commission,but in the proposed revisions to the Municipal Code that they received, there were a lot of references to that. She stated she hopes that is not the intention. With the above correction and clarification,upon motion by Commissioner Griffin and second by Commissioner Butler, the minutes for the meeting of September 18th were unanimously approved. Unscheduled Public Appearances: Manager Miller introduced Barbi Buchanan who had submitted a letter requesting the use of the Sports &Fitness Center Activity Room,which the City Council referred to the Commission. He referred to the letter which was included in their packets. (A copy of the letter is included with the original of these minutes.) Barbi Buchanan, 1407 Muir Place, stated she has lived in Rohnert Park all her life. Her daughter participates in the Rancho Cotate Pop Warner cheerleading program, and she is a coach. Every year they bring the girls inside to practice during the month of October, and this year none of the schools are available. She stated the Sports &Fitness Center charges $20 per hour for use of the Activity Room. Her squad practices 6 hours a week and can't afford the fees so she is Page 1 of 10 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes October 16, 2006 here tonight to request a fee reduction. Chair Hansen asked for clarification of the request, and Ms. Buchanan said she believes if they were charged$20 a night instead of$20 an hour or$40 per night, she thinks they could get the money from the girls. She explained that league fees had gone up this year to $325 so it is difficult to collect more money from the girls. She has called all of the schools in the district, and none are available. She explained there are two other teams in the league that have found places to practice. The Commission and Ms. Buchanan discussed other possible practice sites and where the team had practiced last year. Commissioner Griffin said he would love to see the City reduce the rates,but if they do it for one group, they have to do it for all non-profit groups. Ms. Buchanan said that other places that can be rented are asking for all the money up front which they can't afford. Commissioner Stevens asked how many girls are on the team, and Ms. Buchanan said 23 now,but they can have up to 35. Manager Miller explained that the rate being charged is the non-profit rate for that room, and the group is currently using the activity room and paying in advance for as many days as they can afford. So far, they have been able to pay as they go. He informed Ms. Buchanan that the department does have a contract instructor in the wings who would like to use that room for a class. Commissioner Black said for many years she was a director of a non-profit organization and was standing where Ms. Buchanan is. Her concern is that once the fees are waived for this group that all the other non-profit groups will expect the same thing. Perhaps in the future they can look at all the fees charged to non-profit groups, but she can't in good conscience reduce the fees at this time for that reason and feels very cautious about opening the floodgates. Commissioner Stevens asked what time they practice. Ms. Buchanan said they are now practicing on Tuesdays from 6:30-8:30 and on Thursdays and Fridays from 5:30-7:00. She stated they had already moved their practice nights when they moved from outside to inside. Chair Hansen asked Manager Miller if the city might have any other sites that could be available. Miller asked Ms. Buchanan if she had checked with the recreation department about a room in another city facility. Ms. Buchanan said no, she wasn't aware the city had other rooms that would work. She stated they need a room with a high ceiling, and the mats make the Sports &Fitness Center ideal. The Commission discussed the possibility of scheduling practices at other times. Commissioner Butler suggested contacting the City of Cotati. Ms. Buchanan said one of the team mothers did,but they never heard back. Commissioner Stevens asked her to contact him because he may be able to help her with another site. Suzanne Sanders, 5702 Davis Circle, said she is here again this month because she is trying to get a skate park built in Rohnert Park. She advised she has requested an appearance at the City Council meeting on October 24th and she has some other contacts that will be appearing with her. She has been told that there are other ways to get the money to build a park, including grants and funds from private businesses. She passed around information she had gotten from a web site regarding building a skate park. She also informed the Commission that her son just —"N Page 2 of 10 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes October 16, 2006 participated in a meet in Terra Linda that had over 60 participants and 100 people in the audience. She asked if the Commission would be willing to listen to the speech she has prepared for the City Council and give her some feedback. The Commission agreed and Suzanne read her speech. The Commission thanked her and agreed that her speech was well done. Commissioner Black reported that she and Manager Miller had visited the Healdsburg skate park, and she was very impressed. She said the park was immaculate. They took pictures of the sign posted at the park that said that graffiti would not be allowed, and the park would be closed until any graffiti was cleaned up. Ms. Sanders responded that unfortunately the parks in Santa Rosa and Petaluma are two of the worst examples of parks. She recommended looking at the skate park in Terra Linda. Commissioner Stevens referred to a Van's skate and bicycle facility he had visited several years ago. Ms. Sanders stated that insurance requirements for skate parks have improved in the last few years, and it is now cheaper for a city to build a skate park rather than a private enterprise. She said she had looked around the city today and found several parks where a skate park might be okay. She mentioned several sites including an area at Honeybee Park between the pool and a nearby berm. Commissioner Stevens asked if the indoor skate facility in Rohnert Park had ever been approached about building an outdoor skate park. Ms. Sanders said she had thought of that today. She stated she was able to speak to all the City Council members today except Amie Breeze, and they told her they were all in favor of a skate park,including candidate Pam Stafford. Manager Miller recommended that Ms. Sanders attend the PROS Committee meeting because they are considering the use of city parks. He explained that even if the City Council is in favor of a skate park, they will be waiting for the PROS Committee's report before they make any recommendations. He pointed out that many of the sites she mentioned in her report involve land that doesn't belong to the city. The Commission briefly discussed the H Park site and whether that site had been considered before. Proposed Revisions to Municipal Code Regarding Park Dedications and Reservations—Manager Miller referred to last month's meeting when Director of Community Development Bendorff submitted some proposed amendments to the Municipal Code. Manager Miller advised that the Planning Commission is coming back with a complete package and had requested that this matter be tabled until a new presentation can be made. He believes that will be next month. He referred to Director Bendorff s memo and the Municipal Code that was included in their packet showing the proposed changes. Golis Park Off-Leash Dog Activity—Manager Miller referred to the Commission's recommendation to the City Council concerning the off-leash dog use of the multi-use court at Golis Park that was made at their last meeting. He reported that the recommendation was approved by the City Council and signs are being prepared. Page 3 of 10 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes October 16, 2006 He also referenced Assistant City Manager Dan Schwarz's memo for two items that the Council wanted the Commission to discuss further. (A copy of the memo is attached to the original copy of these minutes.) Chair Hansen asked about Council discussion regarding locking the gate open rather than locking it closed. Manager Miller reported that has gone forward as an experiment. After discussing it with Mr.O'Neil, staff decided to try locking the gate open to help discourage people from locking their dogs inside. Commissioner Black reported that after the council meeting, she spoke to Mr. O'Neil and suggested locking the gate open. The gate is currently locked open and has been for several days. The Best Friends Canine Club hasn't gone back to the court and hopes to only use the court sporadically. With Mr. O'Neill's help they identified three of the worst offenders. She spoke to all three and is hoping that will help. She said she hasn't seen anyone using the court since then. She referred to the health issue problems of dogs using the court that had been brought up as a concern. She reported she found a product that can be used for cleaning. It is a gadget that attaches to the end of a hose and can be used to wash down the court. She spoke to the OADS representative who supervises clean-up of the park and was told if that is something the city wants done, their group would be willing to do it. • Chair Hansen pointed out that one of the requests made by the City Council is to give them a progress report in 6 months, so he is hoping to revisit the matter in 5 months. Commissioner Griffin said that Councilman Flores asked that they consider more hours of use. He stated that he had gone to the court in the afternoon and found a dog mess, which he cleaned up. Commissioner Black said that she didn't think the Council realized that the Canine Club has specific hours of use. Chair Hansen said he thinks that Councilman Flores' desire was that by expanding the club's hours of use for the court, it would reduce undesirable use. AB 1234 Ethics Training—Manager Miller referred to his memo regarding Assembly Bill 1234 stating that the Commission is required to attend a class in ethics training. He pointed out the link where any of the commissioners who were unable to attend the recent training could take the training. He encouraged everyone to complete the training and get back to him. Commissioner Stevens asked for clarification on why the commission is required to take the training. Discussion followed. Automatic Two Month Review Period—Chair Hansen clarified his proposal to have major issues presented at one meeting with preliminary discussions then placed on the following month's agenda for discussion and the Commission's recommendation. This would be for items such as major changes in specific plans. He said he understands the Commission has the option to opt out now,but he was hoping that when they have to make a major decision, that instead they would have the option to "opt in."He wants to make sure they all have plenty of time to make a decision and understands that staff's position is they already have the"opt out"option,but he doesn't think that is as strong. '1 Page 4 of 10 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes October 16, 2006 Commissioner Griffin said he agrees with staff and doesn't like having an automatic two month waiting period. He likes having the flexibility of being able to make an immediate decision and is happy with the way it is now. Commissioner Stevens said there are times when staff brings something to them and needs an immediate decision. As long as they have the right to table and defer,he thinks the present policy is fine. Manager Miller said he thinks staff can do a better job of getting materials to the Commission sent more quickly. He pointed out that the Commission currently has the option to table an item for another month if they need more time to look at an issue. Commissioner Black said she appreciates this discussion being brought up because there have been times in the last few months when the Commission has been asked to make decisions on items that she didn't completely understand. The one advantage she sees to this proposed policy is that staff would know the Commission wouldn't be making a decision for two months. As long as the Commission knows that they can exercise their right to slow down on a matter, she said she doesn't have a problem. Commissioner Stevens said there are times when the Commission is considering budget items where time is important and their recommendation can't be put off for two months. Chair Hansen said the policy could be more specific so that the two month rule would only apply when they are considering a change to the city's specific plan. Maybe it's not for the every day kind of matters but only for the specific plan or other large decisions. Commissioner Bird said they already have that ability on a majority basis, and he doesn't see the need to change things since items can already be tabled if the Commission thinks it is necessary. Commissioner Stevens said he saw some pressure when developers were asking for park development. Manager Miller pointed out there had been a learning curve, and the Commission learned that they can slow the process down any time they believe it is necessary. Commissioner Butler said he agrees with staff and doesn't think they should hamper themselves by stating there is a two month waiting period. He doesn't believe they need to limit themselves by putting a two month guideline on decisions. Chair Hansen said he appreciated the Commission being willing to consider this item. Change in Instructor/City Revenue Split for Contract Classes—Manager Miller explained the Recreation Department's contract classes and how they work. He informed the Commission that the current fee split is 60%to the instructor and 40%to the city. He advised there have been several requests lately that the department take a look at the split. He advised there has been a downturn in the number of instructors offering classes, and class revenue has declined. He did a survey of 18 agencies in Northern California,and Rohnert Park is at the high end of revenue percentage. He said only a couple of cities use the 60/40 split, and Page 5of10 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes October 16, 2006 he thinks the department has hit a point of diminishing return on this. Staff is asking for an approval to roll the fee back to 65/35 which the city used several years ago. He referred to the spreadsheet that the Commission received and stated that staff feels the risk in the difference in revenue is worth taking. He reported he is also working with the Finance Department to reduce the cost of the business license for contract instructors. For many years it was $15 and then it was discovered that fee wasn't in writing so the license reverted to $50, which is the lowest fee for a license. He is trying to work with Finance to waive the fee until an instructor reaches a threshold of$1,000 and then they would purchase the$50 license. He pointed out this is the amount required to file a 1099 income statement. Commissioner Griffin made a motion to change the contract instructor split from 60/40 to 65/35. Commissioner Stevens seconded the motion. Commissioner Butler asked if he had a conflict of interest since his daughter is a contract instructor for the department. Manager Miller replied he thought the safe thing to do would be to abstain. The motion passed as follows: Ayes: (5) Commissioners Hansen, Bird, Black, Griffin and Stevens Abstaining: (1) Commissioner Butler Change of Regular Meeting Time—Manager Miller reminded the Commission they had discussed changing the start of their meeting time to 6:30 p.m. at last month's meeting. He had thought this was an administrative decision but found it was something that had to be voted on and made official. Commissioner Stevens asked if they had considered beginning at 7 p.m. Chair Hansen said they did discuss it and felt they would like to get the meeting over earlier. Commissioner Griffin asked if it would be a conflict with Commissioner Stevens' coaching. He replied it might occasionally make him 15-20 minutes late. Following discussion, Commissioner Black made a motion to change the regular meeting time to begin at 6:30 p.m. on the third Monday of the month. Commissioner Stevens seconded the motion, and it was unanimously approved. Chair Hansen reminded Commission that the November and December meetings were moved up a week and will be held on the second Monday of the month. Organization of Recreation Department—Chair Hansen requested a discussion about the duties of the Recreation Department in relation to management and maintenance of the city's parks and recreation facilities. He said what he has seen in the City of Rohnert Park is there is a recreation services manager who is under the assistant city manager, and he is supposed to see how city facilities are used. The care of those facilities is under the Public Works and Engineering Departments. The city doesn't have a parks department and asked if the Commission might be interested in making a recommendation to change that and forward it on to the City Council. He said he would like the Commission to start thinking about that as a possibility. Currently Page 6 of 10 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes October 16, 2006 when there is a field problem, it goes to the Public Works Department, and if there is a landscaping problem, it goes to Engineering. He said he believes having a parks department would make the city parks better. Commissioner Griffin said in a perfect world it sounds great,but perhaps the reason things don't get fixed right away is because of the number of staff available and doing something like this might duplicate responsibilities which would require more staff. Chair Hansen said that is something that needs to be considered because we don't want to have duplication of services,but we need to look to see how we can make better uses of staffs time and take better care of the city parks by not having to go to other departments. Currently, there isn't any responsibility and accountability that comes with having a parks and recreation department. He said he is hoping a change would make the department more cohesive. Commissioner Griffin said he doesn't see how we would do that. Commissioner Black said that several years ago it seemed like there were specific people in the Public Works Department that were assigned only to parks. In the last few years, she hasn't observed that and has seen the changes. Since being on the PROS Committee, she also noticed that the public is confused about what is a recreation matter and what is a public works matter. Staff bears the brunt of that and may be blamed for problems that they are not responsible for. She said she thinks whatever would help make for better communication would be a good thing and right now it isn't working as well as it should. She would encourage the city to find a solution to that, whether it is having public works staff dedicated to the parks or whatever else would work best. Commissioner Bird asked if this is more of a man power issue. Manager Miller discussed the city reorganization that was done several years ago and staff who retired and were never replaced. He advised there used to be a park supervisor in Public Works who watched over the maintenance contract and had several people assigned to him. As far as he knows now,there is one general services division and everyone who works in the parks is assigned to that division and can get called away to handle other matters. By not having a parks supervisor knowing what has to be done in the parks,they seem to be a step behind in knowing what needs to be done. He said there isn't a problem with what Public Works does,but he thinks staffing is down about 20% and city parks have started disintegrating. He has had to take charge of some of the park projects, such as the playground renovations,that ideally should be the responsibility of a parks supervisor, so he has taken it upon himself to step up so the projects get finished. If there was more money and more staffing,he believes that the problems could be alleviated. Many cities do have parks and recreation departments. He feels there needs to be better communication in the current system because the city's recreation department is the one that receives the complaints about problems in the parks. Manager Miller said he has discussed this with the assistant city manager, and he believes it would help if there could be a public works staff person assigned full time to the community center complex. Chair Hansen said he appreciated everyone's input. He doesn't believe the current system is good enough and would like to see a better system. He's not sure if a parks department is the answer but thinks this is a matter that needs to be looked at. It may just be that there needs to be Page 7 of 10 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes October 16, 2006 more staffing and better coordination. In sitting on the PROS Committee,he can see problems that need to be addressed. Commissioner Griffin pointed out that other cities post small signs at city facilities stating who to call if there is a problem or if something breaks. Manager Miller said that Public Works has been reluctant to have groups contact them directly but knows they have talked with some of the groups that use the parks. He mentioned that he takes great pride in taking care of problems in the parks, and even if he refers a problem to Public Works,he follows up to make sure the problem is solved. He said he wouldn't like to be left out of the process because it is important that he knows what is going on. Commissioner Black said she thinks the Commission needs to do whatever they can to make preservation of the city's parks a first priority. Commissioner Butler suggested a good goal for the Commission would be to encourage the City Council to make parks maintenance a higher priority. Chair Hansen said doing the park audits and having the PROS Committee will help make the city parks a priority. Matters from Commissioners and Committee Reports: Parkland Committee- Chair Hansen said there was a parkland credit meeting last week, and he drafted a letter with the help of Commissioners Black and Griffin which was passed on to Manager Miller. The committee wants to make sure that parkland credits are required, in addition to any other requirements outlined in the city's municipal ordinance. He said the Commission was told that the parkland line starts in the middle of the street,and they have asked for clarification of where the lot line for parkland credit begins. He said he understands there is a process in the ordinance right now,but the committee wants to make sure there is another process to make sure the appraisals are fair,honest and accurate. He stated that if there is an apartment to condo conversion after 5 years,no parkland credits are required. He would like to change that to 25 years. Commissioner Stevens asked if that is the same in other cities. Commissioner Black said committee members will be discussing this with representatives of other nearby cities to find out how these items handle are handled. Chair Hansen asked if there was a timeline for a response to the letter. Manager Miller said they may have an answer in early November. Commissioner Stevens asked about appraisals and if the amount listed could be a tax write-off. Manager Miller responded that the appraisals would be done for the city to find out what the land is worth. Golf Course Committee Meeting—Commissioner Bird reported the main thing discussed at the last Golf Course Committee meeting was that CourseCo lost Dick Rudolph, which was a major loss. He said he didn't know if he'd been replaced. Commissioner Griffin said he spoke to John last week and wasn't sure if they had found a replacement. Chair Hansen asked how the golf course is doing, and Commissioner Griffin replied that business is down. The city reduced CourseCo's rental fee a couple years ago. Commissioner Griffin reported they have cut back on "\ some of the capital improvements they were making. The greens are in great shape. Page 8 of 10 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes October 16, 2006 Sponsorship Proposal—Commissioner Black reported that she met with Manager Miller this morning, and they made some progress on the Sponsorship Proposal. She will be getting a prototype of the sign being proposed in the package and will be doing a power point presentation for the Commission. They discussed separating memorial benches out of the proposal so that portion will be ready to go sooner,but eventually the benches will be part of the package. Dog Park Committee—Commissioner Black stated they need to set a meeting date to discuss a monitoring program that the City Council would like to see implemented. Commissioner Griffin suggested including the date of the next meeting on the Commission's agenda. Manager Miller agreed. PROS Committee—Chair Hansen reported that the committee has moved on to stakeholder interviews and will begin that process this week. Five different meetings will be held, and the interviews should be finished in December. Commissioner Griffin asked who is a stakeholder. Chair Hansen said that was discussed many times at the PROS Committee meetings, and it was decided stakeholders would be the groups that use the parks. In addition,the committee will be scheduling community workshops to get input from the public, which is in addition to the surveys. Snyder Lane Bridge Crossing- Commissioner Stevens referred to the bridge crossing on Snyder Lane by the path near the high school that extends to SSU. He said it is very dark at this time of the year and the bridge is narrow. He asked about the possibility of adding some kind of street light for the area since it is very hard to see once it gets dark. Many people use the path for jogging, and he believes it is important to make this crossing safer. He asked if the paths are part of recreation. Manager Miller replied that he believes this item would be a Public Works or Public Safety responsibility. Commissioner Stevens said he will take the matter to Councilman Flores. Magnolia Park—Commissioner Stevens asked about the event at M Park over the weekend and whether it was a rugby tournament. Manager Miller responded there was a Fiji Festival on Friday and Saturday, and there were numerous problems that he has been dealing with. Commissioner Stevens said the group was still there on Sunday, and the PA system was very loud. Manager Miller explained that this was an experiment to see how it would work for a large group to use the park for this type of venue. Unfortunately,the group abused their use, and it wasn't a good event for the city. He apologized to the M Park neighbors and promised that kind of event won't be scheduled again. Matters from Recreation Staff: Sports and Fitness Center—Manager Miller reported the Sports &Fitness Center has a new roof, and during the first rainfall, the problem areas around the skylights leaked worse than ever. This is being handled by the city's Engineering Department. There have also been some problems with Page 9of10 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes October 16, 2006 the photovoltaic collector system. He advised the roof hasn't been accepted by the city yet, and staff is still working with the contractor. Diving Boards—Commissioner Stevens asked about the diving boards at B and L Park pools. Manager Miller said the board broke at B Park and has to be replaced, and the L Park board split. Playground Renovations—Manager Miller reported that all three playgrounds are being renovated now. Ladybug Park is finished except for the fall material. Caterpillar Park is just about finished. They need to remove a pile of dirt and get fall material. They removed the picnic tables at Caterpillar due to neighborhood input, and some of the neighbors are going to write letters because they don't want the large picnic area. Sunrise Park should be finished in about a week and a half. The City will be scheduling a combined dedication for all the parks,probably on a Saturday. Staff is waiting to hear from the City Council for a date. Magnolia Park Tennis Courts—Manager Miller reported the M Park tennis courts have been refinished, and the courts have been busier. A dedication ceremony is being scheduled. Monthly Highlights Report—Manager Miller offered to answer any questions on the monthly highlights. Community Garden—Chair Hansen referred to the Press Democrat article today regarding some city parks being renovated into community gardens. He said they will be considering the gardens, but he didn't see anything about the Parks and Recreation Commission. Commissioner Black said she believes that the article was the result of a discussion that the City Council had at their last meeting, and the Council seem enthusiastic about it. She said she didn't think there were as many pocket parks as referred to in the article and encouraged everyone to look at the newspaper's web site because there is an interesting discussion after the article. Manager Miller advised that this matter will be coming to the Commission. Adjournment—There being no further business before the commission, the meeting adjourned at 9:38 p.m. Chair Hansen Guy Mil -r, Recreation Services Manager (4111kLi Secretary • Page 10 of 10