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2004/09/20 Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes ROHNERT PARK PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES September 20, 2004 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 7:36 p.m. with Chair Carlson presiding. ROLL CALL Present: (6) Commissioners Bird, Butler, Carlson, Griffin,Rogers and Stevens Absent: (0) None Also present for the meeting was Recreation Services Manager, Guy Miller. APPROVAL OF MINUTES—Upon motion by Commissioner Griffin and second by Commissioner Butler,the minutes for the meeting of August 16th were unanimously approved as submitted. UNSCHEDULED PUBLIC APPEARANCE/PUBLIC COMMENT Steven Riffle— 1428 Georgia Court,Rohnert Park, stated he is in the eighth grade at Creekside Middle School and explained he was attending the commission meeting to report why the Best Friends Canine Club has been important to him.During the summer it gave him something to do, and since he has a small yard,he listed the benefits of being able to take his dog to the park. He said he has learned some tips to help him take care of his dog better and also how to train her. He said he has learned about himself as well, and now that school has started again, he looks forward to going to the park on the weekends. Commissioner Griffin asked Steven what kind of dog he has. Steven replied his dog is Rottweiler and Collie. SCHEDULED PUBLIC APPEARANCE/PUBLIC COMMENT Bonnie Black, 1065 Hawthorne Circle,representing Best Friends Canine Club, thanked Steven and stated he has been one of the joys of coming to the park and that he has been very helpful beyond being part of the club. She submitted three new membership forms and reported they had turned away about five new members because the dogs were not spayed or neutered or were one of the bull breeds that do not work well with other dogs. She informed the Commission that the workshop featuring Trish King,the Director of Behavior and Training for the Marin County Humane Society,has been scheduled at the Community Center on Sunday, October 17 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and invited everyone to come. Topics will include learning how to recognize the canine body language, teaching your dog how to approach other dogs politely, learning when, and if,playing should stop,identifying breed specific playing and information on dog parks. She Page 1 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes September 20, 2004 reported the money raised by the workshop will be used for amenities at the new dog park. She will be making a flier and sending a news release to the newspaper. Commissioner Griffin asked about the Education Foundation event. Mrs. Black advised they are sponsoring a benefit this weekend at the Spreckels Performing Arts Center. Tickets are available at the box office for$30 apiece. OLD BUSINESS Community Center Truss Repair Update—Recreation Services Manager Miller stated this will be the last report on the truss repair since the job has been completed. The final walk through was done last week and there is a year's warranty on the work. He reported a sign has been placed on the outside wall of the Community Center stating that bond monies were used for the project. Community Center Floor Renovation Update—Manager Miller stated this is a large project and the multi use room will be closed for the months of October and November so that the floor can be replaced. He explained tests have been done which found that water is coming up from underneath the floor. After consulting with the building's original architect and the Winzler and Kelly Engineering Company, a product has been selected that has a wood appearance but is a laminate that is very resistant to moisture and is often used in gymnasiums. The floor will have a grain and include a pattern. He reported the architect's estimate was $95,000 for the main floor. The chair and table storage areas, and the stage will be considered as bid alternatives. In addition, a moisture barrier will be added, which will cost about$12,000. Manager Miller reported the project was approved by the City Council last month and went out to bid. Contractors licensed to install this product will be limited and they hope to have the project finished by the last weekend in November. He stated they are also doing an asbestos test but haven't received the results. Purchase of New Cardio Exercise Equipment for the Sports & Fitness Center Update—Manager Miller reported the city made a purchase of 18 pieces of new cardio equipment including new treadmills, recumbent bikes, exercise bikes and elliptical trainers. He explained the funds to purchase the equipment came from a lease communication project the city had intended to do a couple of years ago but was not done. He encouraged everyone to come by and see the new equipment. Review of Dog Park Plans—Manager Miller reported the second set of plans for the proposed dog park at Robert's Lake were not ready,but he had received a list of the costs. He read through the list which totaled$20,000 with an overrun estimate of$5,000. Manager Miller said his goal is to get the City Council to put the whole project out to bid,but they may try to get some community donations for the fountains and benches. Bonnie Black asked about the gates mentioned in the list and whether there might be some gates from the stadium that could be used which would reduce the cost. Manager Miller said the size of the fence might be the reason for that. Mrs. Black mentioned it seems like a lot of money for gates. Manager Miller explained the city engineer is Page 2 • Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes September 20, 2004 responsible for clearing out the stadium and there may be something there that could be used for the dog park. He referred to an e-mail he received from Mrs. Black about expanding the size of the park. He spoke to the city engineer regarding her suggestion and the engineer said this could be done so the fence will be moved to gain more space. Commissioner Griffin asked about the 45 feet of sidewalk since he did not remember that much. Manager Miller said he didn't know, but there is 245 square feet. Some discussion followed, and Commissioner Griffin asked Manager Miller if he could follow up. Manager Miller explained that once the plans are finished he thinks these questions will be answered. Commissioner Bird asked if there is a timeline for the project, and Manager Miller said he wants to bring the plans to the Commission first and suggested that the Commission may wish to schedule a public hearing. Commissioner Bird said the dog park would probably be a spring project, and Commission Griffin suggested scheduling the public hearing at the Commission's October meeting. Commissioner Griffin made a motion to schedule a public hearing for the proposed dog park at the next commission meeting. Commissioner Stevens seconded the motion. Commissioner Bird clarified this would be contingent on the plans being ready. Manager Miller said he will only schedule a hearing if the plans ready. The Commission voted unanimously to approve the motion. Review of Youth Soccer Development Grant—Manager Miller reported two meetings have been held to discuss the grant. One meeting was with the local sports leagues to brainstorm. He summarized the meetings and the group's consensus to approach the Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District about converting the Benicia Park B1 &B2 baseball fields and the Mt. Shadows Middle School football field to artificial turf. Manager Miller stated he will be meeting with school district representatives next week to see about doing this as a joint project or leasing the land from the school district on a long-term basis. He said he would like to package this project with the renovations of the Burton Recreation Center and the Boys and Girls Club building as part of an ongoing project to renovate this area. He reported that several youth sports groups are very interested in participating in this project including the Rancho Cotati Pop Warner Football League, Rohnert Park Youth Soccer League and Rohnert Park Cal Ripken Baseball League. He advised the project is on the City Council's agenda for the first week in October. Commissioner Stevens asked about the turf. Manager Miller said it is called sports turf which includes rubberized turf. He said if the Commission wishes to see this surface,it is used at Sports City in Cotati and Santa Rosa. He reported that many cities now have facilities built using this turf. Discussion followed on the areas being considered. Manager Miller advised all the land is owned by the school district. Page 3 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes September 20, 2004 Steven Riffle, 1428 Georgia Court, asked how the project would be paid for. Manager Miller replied the city is applying for a state grant. Mr. Riffle asked about the B1 baseball field. Manager Miller explained that the Cal Ripken Baseball League recently renovated that field and it would not be changed. The Commission discussed the B2 field which would be used primarily for Cal Ripken Baseball and it would also be turfed. NEW BUSINESS Adopt-A-Park Program—Manager Miller referred the Commission to the packet sent to them outlining the Adopt-A-Park Program. (A copy of the packet is attached to the original copy of these minutes.) Commissioner Butler asked if there would be a minimum number of adults required for supervision of the parks. Manager Miller replied he didn't think this would be necessary. Chair Carlson asked about a list of the parks. Manager Miller said he anticipated starting with the smaller parks since the bigger parks are currently contracted for cleaning by Rohnert Park Services,part of Old Adobe Developmental Services (OADS). Commissioner Griffin made a motion to approve the Adopt-A-Park Program as presented and forward it to the City Council for their approval. Commissioner Bird seconded the motion. Commissioner Bird asked if the program would be advertised in the city pages of the Community Voice. Manager Miller said yes and pointed out that the program is self- advertising since signs will be posted at the city parks. The Commission voted unanimously to approve the motion to recommend approval of the Adopt-A-Park Program. Commission Vacancy—Manager Miller reported that at the last City Council meeting there were two applications from citizens interested in filling the vacancy on the Parks and Recreation Commission. Mayor Nordin was going to contact both candidates and then make a recommendation. STAFF REPORTS Department Highlights—Manager Miller offered to answer any questions the Commission might have about the Department Highlights Report that they received for August. (A copy of the report is attached to the original copy of these minutes.) Commissioner Stevens asked about the cancellation of the adult basketball leagues and wanted to know if the new recreation center at Sonoma State University has affected this Page 4 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes September 20, 2004 program. Manager Miller replied that he thinks it has affected the use of the Sports and Fitness Center,but SSU students did not play in city leagues. He explained the department will still offer a winter basketball league,but adult sports nationwide are in the decline, partly due to age and partly to economics. Commissioner Stevens asked about softball leagues and whether they still get players from Santa Rosa and Petaluma. Manager Miller said that one-half the players are non- residents. Quarterly Reports—Commissioner Stevens asked about the swim-gym pass offered this summer and whether Manager Miller was satisfied with the results. Manager Miller responded that he wasn't satisfied since not many were sold and this was the best bargain the department offered. Most of the comments he received were that people would participate if there was a pool at the Sports &Fitness Center,but they don't want to travel to a pool. Manager Miller said he would try offering it again next summer. Some discussion followed on Sports &Fitness Center memberships and the personal training pass. Chair Carlson pointed out that the Year-to-Date totals for 2004 are down $10,000 from 2003. Manager Miller advised that the City will be looking into offering electronic fund transfers for Sports &Fitness Center memberships. It will not be required, but members would receive a discount if they participate. COMMISSION COMMITTEE REPORTS Golf Course Committee—Commissioner Griffin reported the next Golf Course Committee meeting is scheduled for tomorrow night. Aquatics Committee—Commissioner Stevens asked about scheduling the annual Aquatics Committee meeting. Manager Miller explained the pools just closed last week and a meeting hasn't been scheduled yet. Senior Advisory Commission and Bicycle Committee Meetings—Commissioner Butler stated he is unable to attend the afternoon meetings of the Senior Advisory Commission or Bicycle Committees any longer and asked if another commissioner might be interested. After discussion,the commissioners suggested the newly appointed commissioner might be able to do it. Youth Sports Committee—Chair Carlson said she would like to change the assignments to this committee so she is the alternate and Commissioner Griffin is the regular member. Commissioner Griffin agreed to change. Page 5 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes September 20, 2004 MATTERS FROM/FOR COMMISSIONERS Performing Arts Center—Commissioner Butler said he attended a wedding at the Performing Arts Center with the reception at the Community Center and it was very beautiful. He recommended it to anyone considering this type of event. Golf Course—Commissioner Bird asked about the north golf course which looks very bad. He said some areas are too dry and wondered if this was due to lack of water. Manager Miller said he has asked CourseCo to make a report at the next Golf Course Committee meeting. Commissioner Griffin reported that he has taken a golf cart and driven the course to see the condition. Manager Miller said he is going to recommend at the Golf Course Committee meeting that they schedule a tour. ADJOURNMENT -There being no further business before the Commission, the meeting was adjourned at 8:40 p.m. Chair C. 1 on Gu ler Recreat.► Services Manager ..� L)d-t-W-9-) Secretary Page 6