Loading...
2005/10/17 Parks and Recreation Commission Agenda Packet CITY OF ROHNERT PARK PARKS &RECREATION COMMISSION Monday, October 17, 2005 7:30 p.m. Rohnert Park City Offices 6750 Commerce Boulevard AGENDA 7:30 I. Call to Order II. Pledge of Allegiance III. Roll Call: Bird ErBlack 12tutler 0 Griffin ErHansen 0 Rogers Stevens IV. Approval of Minutes September 19 Commission Meeting V. Report on the Posting of the Meeting Agenda VI. Unscheduled Public Appearances/Public Comment (Please fill out a Speaker Card prior to speaking) VII. Old Business A. Status of Playground Renovations B. Proposed General Plan Clarification/Amendment VIII. New Business A. Report on Internet Registration Program B. Commission Goals IX. Staff Reports A. Department Highlights—September X. Commission Committee Reports A. PROS Committee B. Dog Park C. Golf Oversight Committee XI. Matters From/For Commissioners A. Holiday Meeting Schedule Pagel City of Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Agenda—October 17, 2005 Adjournment to a regular meeting scheduled on Monday,November 21, 2005, in City Council Chambers at the Rohnert Park City Hall, 6750 Commerce Boulevard, at 7:30 p.m. DISABLED ACCOMMODATION: If you have a disability which requires an interpreter or other person to assist you while attending this Parks &Recreation Commission meeting,please contact the Recreation Department at (707) 588-3456 at least 72 hours prior to the meeting to ensure arrangements for accommodation. Please make sure the Recreation Services Manager's office is notified as soon as possible if you have a visual impairment that requires the meeting materials to be produced in another format. Page 2 INTEROFFICE MEMO DATE: 10/13/05 TO: PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION FROM: RON BENDORFF,DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT RE: GENERAL PLAN CLARIFICATION/RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT PARKLAND REQUIREMENTS Staff has received and reviewed Commissioner Hansen's proposed changes regarding park sites/acreages identified in the General Plan and parkland dedications for multi-family projects. Staff apologizes for being unable to attend the October 17, 2005 Commission meeting but wanted to a chance to respond with the following memo: General Plan Clarification Staff appreciates that there is some confusion as to why the parkland acreages identified in the General Plan for each Specific Plan area do not always equate to the 5 acres/1,000 persons ratio specified in the General Plan and the Subdivision Ordinance. As the Commission is aware,this standard is derived from the "Quimby Act" (Section 66477 of the Government Code),which allows a City to require the dedication of land and/or in-lieu fees at a ratio of 3-5 acres of park land for each 1,000 persons to be served. Unfortunately, current Staff was not here when the parklands section of the General Plan was drafted, so the reason for this discrepancy cannot be readily explained. Nonetheless, it should be understood that the General Plan provides the framework for all development in the City and that the General Plan is the "highest authority" concerning land use planning decisions, with all other documents to flow from the General Plan (e.g. the Zoning Ordinance, Subdivision Ordinance, etc.). Given this hierarchy, Staff must respect the acreage numbers used in the General Plan and cannot use a policy as a mechanism to disregard the General Plan to require more acreage than that overarching document specifies. The proper method of changing the acreage figures would be to formally amend the General Plan, which is something that can be considered with the upcoming General Plan update. An alternative would be to use the development agreement process to impose requirements beyond the General Plan"nexus." Staff"intends to discuss this matter with the Specific Plan proponents during the upcoming development agreement discussions. It should also be noted that the proponent of the University District Specific Plan indicates that additional park acreage has been conceptually added to the overall site plan and this new concept will be brought before the Commission in the near future for consideration. Residential Development Parkland Requirements This policy suggests a means to assess multi-family projects for their potential parkland acreage needs. While it is true that park dedication requirements may not necessarily have been applied to multi-family developments in the past, they will be applied to the Specific MEMO TO PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION GENERAL PLAN CLARIFICATION/RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT PARKLAND REQUIREMENTS Plan Areas to the extent allowed by the General Plan. It should also be noted that new multi-family projects are currently required to pay the Public Facilities Finance Plan fee, as are any other residential developments. This fee is intended to pay for future infrastructure (e.g. roads, major utility lines) and certain other improvements intended to benefit the City as a whole, such as the Community Fields project and the expansion of the Community Center. Furthermore, the Zoning Ordinance establishes on-site open space requirements for multi- family developments, which are presently 500 square feet per unit for medium density projects, 400 square feet per unit for high density projects, and 200 square feet per unit for mixed-use projects. The Ordinance states that "this shall include private open space of a minimum area of one hundred square feet when on ground level and/or sixty square feet if equal to or greater than six feet above ground." It should also be noted that usable open space is defined as that which is "adjoining and directly accessible to a dwelling unit, reserved for the exclusive use of residents of the dwelling unit and their guests." While on-site open space cannot completely satisfy the recreational needs of a multi-family project's residents, it does provide for some of that need. Staff does think that some language related to additional in-lieu park fees or on-site "park" development for condominium conversions may be appropriate and can look into amending the existing ordinance to address this sort of situation. It should be understood that any fee charged would likely be pro-rated to acknowledge any on-site amenities have already been provided for a given project, as these amenities are intended to lessen residents' need to use neighborhood parks. Should the Commission wish for Staff to pursue such an approach with the Planning Commission, please advise me to begin the effort and I will bring this before them. If you have any questions regarding the above, please feel free to contact me at 707-588- 2231. Thank you for your consideration. Page 2 INTEROFFICE MEMO wx""'Pitt To: Rohnert Park Recreation and Parks Commission 119 62 Subject: Commissi� foals cA,,F000 From: Guy Mille kecreation Services Manager Date: Oct 14, 2005 At the last meeting the Commission inquired about their yearly goals and input on capital improvement projects. In doing some research,the goals established in the past appear to take two shapes: 1) Goals related to advocating,promoting, and the support of facility improvements and new facility development and 2) Goals related to support of existing facilities and programs. Over time, the two types of goals seem to transitioning from capital improvement-based goals to a mixture of both types. With the recent development of the city's Capital Improvement Program(CIP) and the creation of the PROS Committee, I believe that the capital improvement-based goals will be adequately met. The PROS Committee is charged with creating a master plan for Park and Recreation Facilities for the next 20 years. Ultimately their report will outline the facilities necessary to serve the planned population build-out of the city. From this report,the most immediate needs for facility improvements and development will be selected for the CIP,which covers a five year span.New capital outlay projects will be selected each year from the Park and Recreation Master Plan and identified for funding. Both the Park and Recreation Master Plan and the CIP document are not static documents and will need to be reviewed and updated each year.This will be the responsibility of the Parks and Recreation Commission. The CIP process is held each year in the spring and will include input and recommendations from the Commission. Any suggestion for Capital Improvements Projects needs to go through this process. If it is not on the CIP list, the City Council will not fund it. Many of the recent Commission goals,while well-meaning, were not within the ability of the Commission to accomplish. Goals such as support a better working relationship with the School District, assist in the promotion of an indoor swimming pool,reduce vandalism and criminal activity in the parks, are not necessarily within the reach or the responsibility of the Commission. Unless the Commission acts upon these goals,they just become statements of position or directives to staff. The Recreation Department staff has their hands full in just maintaining the daily operations of the department. Often,the Commissions goals are not the same goals as the staff, so they are put on paper and just sit there until next year. I would like to see the Commission establish personal goals and take ownership in these goals. The last thing that the Recreation Department staff needs is additional work and seven more bosses (we already have six!). The Commission's goals should be to assist the staff in the establishment of new programs,not direct staff. If a goal is put down on paper there needs to be a champion behind the goal and individuals willing to put in some work to make the goal a reality. For each goal you need to ask the question"who will make this goal a reality and how?"I would much rather see a single Commission goal become a reality than six that never happen. In summary, I am asking you to work as a team to establish,plan, and accomplish your goals. Select attainable goals and the Recreation staff will give you guidance and support to make your goals a reality. INTEROFFICE MEMO matt P44 timaNs To: Steve Donley, City Manager Cc: Sandy Lipitz, Finance Director Parks and Recreation Commission Subject: Recreation Department Monthly Highlights: Sept 05 From: Guy Miller, Recreation Services Manager Date: Oct 14, 2005 ADMINISTRATION • We completed the major portion of our internet registration program:RecEnroll. This is the city's first venture into e-commerce. The new system will allow participants to register for Recreation Department courses on-line through the city's own web server. We will do a"soft launch"of limited courses during the December/January registration period to make sure the system is functioning properly. The official"go live"date for all courses will be late spring for the busy summer registration season. We anticipate 50-60%of registrations will be done through the web initially, increasing with each registration. • The PROS Committee has developed an extensive Needs Assessment Survey. This survey will be used in conjunction with stakeholder interviews and community workshops to gather public input to determine the future needs of recreational facilities and programs in Rohnert Park. The committee plans to make the survey available on-line and distribute hard copies as needed. • The Rohnert Bark dog park,located at Roberts Lake,has been a major success story for the community. Drive by any time during the evening and weekends and you will see dozens of happy dogs and their owners enjoying the park. If anything,the park has been too successful and is beginning to get quite crowded. Hopefully,the opening of the two additional parks, one at Benicia Park and one at the Animal Shelter will help share the load. These other sites will be open within a week. We are in the process of establishing a sponsorship program to help raise funds for maintenance,new park amenities, and future parks. Also, a monitoring group is being formed to help new users understand the rules and"petiquette" so they can safely use the parks. • The ADA improvement project at Burton Avenue Recreation Center has begun. This project is intended improve access to the building and includes restroom renovation,-alterations to the sidewalk and-entry--way,-removal-ofthe stage,and the construction of a ramp to the back courtyard. Additionally, the building is being re-roofed. Construction is scheduled to be complete by mid-December. SENIOR CENTER • The center prepared all month for our Flu Shot Clinic which was scheduled for the first Friday in October. Our sponsor this year was Maxium Healthcare Services. The clinic was open for all ages to attend. Folks not covered my Medicare or HMO's paid $25.00 for their injection. However,Medicare Part B and contracted HMO's members showing proof of such coverage were billed by Maxium. I'm happy to report,we had 303 folks show up for the clinic. • Fun After Fifty held their annual Country Fair on September 9th and 10th. I understand it was quite successful. A final report on the event has not been turned into the office. • We took 4 buses with 29 (paying)passengers to the SF Farmers' Market via the Larkspur ferry. The weather couldn't have been more perfect! Everyone seemed to really enjoy it. Profit... $153.00. • Our Casino trip was to Robinson Rancheria. We had 41 passengers. Profit...$189.72. • The Senior Center semi-annual Used Clothing Sale has come and gone. Five volunteers helped with this: They sorted and hung clothes, then set up,kept the clothes tidy, and worked as cashiers on sale day. Profit after expenses... $161.05. • The Annual Senior Center Cruise departed Long Beach on Friday, September 23rd. Vicki escorted 15 seniors from our Center and four seniors from the Concord Senior Center. A Great time was had by all. Profit from this event...$800.00. (Plans are in the works for next year's excursion.) AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM • The after school program at Ladybug is off to a good start,with 15 children _� enrolled. Homework time is enhanced with the assistance of a volunteer tutor from SSU. Since the soda vending machines in Ladybug Park were vandalized and subsequently removed, the after school program has made available Gatorade, juice, and bottled water(no soda!) for sale to the children. Proceeds from the sale of beverages go towards renting movies and other treats for the kids. YOUTH BASKETBALL • We have a great group of 15 children, ages 6-12,participating in our fall skills and drills program. Coaches Joelle, Marissa and Caitlyn are keeping the kids busy working on their dribbling,passing and shooting skills. The program runs Sept. 12-Oct. 25. ARTS & CRAFTS FAIRE—Nov.25-26. • We've received 40 applications to date,with inquiries coming in from old and new vendors. New this year we will be teaming up with the Rohnert Park Middle School Athletic Booster Club to provide a raffle and a kids' crafts workshop. All proceeds will go to the MSABC,which will also be running the concession stand at the Faire. The Faire will also be a collection site for the annual RPPSOA Holiday Toy Drive. • psis AQUATICS • Honeybee Pool is open for daily lap swims and weekend public swim through October. The pool will remain open through the winter to accommodate the Piranha Swim Team,master's team,lap swim, and SCUBA classes.There are concerns about the anticipated increases in the cost of natural gas this winter. This will be closely monitored.