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2004/12/20 Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes ROHNERT PARK PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES December 20, 2004 The Rohnert Park Parkas 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 Carlson presiding. ROLL CALL Present: (6) Commissioners Bird, Carlson, Griffin, Hansen, Rogers, and Stevens Absent: (1) Commissioners Butler Also present for the meeting was Recreation Services Manager, Guy Miller. APPROVAL OF MINUTES—Upon motion by Commissioner Griffin and second by Commissioner Hansen, the minutes for the meeting of November 15th were unanimously approved as submitted. UNSCHEDULED PUBLIC APPEARANCE/PUBLIC COMMENT None SCHEDULED PUBLIC APPEARANCE/PUBLIC COMMENT Bonnie Black, 1065 Hawthorne Circle,representing Best Friends Canine Club, submitted eight new dog membership forms and reported they are averaging 27 dogs a day. She referred to an article in the Community Voice written by Jud Snyder which had some misquotes and reported he has since written a retraction. The article stated that Recreation Services Manager Guy Miller and the Park and Recreation Commission expressed that the Club's use of Golis Park was inappropriate and now they would have the dog park at Robert's Lake to use instead. She said as a result of the article club members' attempts to fund raise for the new park were fizzling, and she is trying to do some damage control. She reported the club has had a problem on the last four Saturdays of coming to the park and finding the gate locked. She said their sign was torn up the first week. Last week the locks were removed, and this week some new locks had been installed and no one could get in, including city employees. She stated that Public Works employees cut the locks, but the situation has made club members uncomfortable. She said she understands it is frustrating to find dog messes on the field,but the Best Friends Canine Club is working hard to keep the field clean and are hoping the problem can be resolved. Page 1 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes December 20, 2004 She reported that G Park was seriously tagged last week which she had reported, and they are finding many alcohol bottles in the park. She thanked the Commission for working with her and cooperating with the club. Commissioner Griffin asked if she has spoken to Jud Snyder regarding printing another article. Recreation Manager Miller advised he had spoken to Mr. Snyder and thought the problem was being taken care of He said the retraction seemed to be done tongue in cheek and suggested the best thing to do would be some positive publicity about the Best Friends Canine Club, which was what Mr. Snyder was going to do. A short discussion followed. Manager Miller said he will see how the new dog park progresses, and he may be able to provide some articles in the city pages of the Community Voice. He reported that the unauthorized change of padlocks and the vandalism at Golis Park have been reported to the Public Safety Department. OLD BUSINESS Community Center Floor Renovation—Recreation Services Manager Miller reported that the project is complete, and the floor looks wonderful. He said staff is learning how to maintain the floor and has met with the janitorial contractor regarding maintenance. He reported positive comments on the resiliency of the new floor have been received. Date for site tours of the Specific Plan Areas—Manager Miller reminded the Commission that touring the three specific plan areas was discussed at their November meeting, and the Commission still needs to get back to Senior Planner Ron Bendorff with their recommendation. He asked if the Commission had any comments on the recreation elements in the specific plan areas or if they wished to wait until they had toured the areas before making any recommendations. Commissioner Griffin asked if they could take the tour before their next scheduled meeting. He said he was not happy with some of the plans and didn't think there was enough parkland. Commissioner Hansen suggested getting together to see what would be considered parkland and whether it included bike trails and open space. He said he had some recommendations that could be given to the Senior Planner to find out if they could be considered. Chair Carlson said she was surprised that private parkland could be considered. Recreation Services Manager Miller recommended that if the Commission had questions about what is considered parkland, they should direct them to the Planning Department. He suggested a commission representative might want to attend the next Planning Commission meeting and clarified that the city is operating under a new general plan and old rules may not apply. Some discussion followed. Chair Carlson asked if anyone wanted to volunteer to attend a Planning Commission meeting. The Commission suggested the Park Master Plan Committee should meet first. —. Manager Miller suggested meeting with Senior Planner Ron Bendorff first to determine what rules apply. Page 2 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes December 20, 2004 Commissioner Rogers asked about the formula for determining parkland requirements because they seem to be different for each plan. Manager Miller advised every plan has to set aside land for the parks, but no one knows what amenities will be included in each park. Commissioner Stevens asked about the community fields park plan that was presented to the Commission when Tim Barry was the director. Manager Miller responded that there is a plan, but the City Council is putting together a committee to decide what would be included in the community fields park. He stated the Parks and Recreation Commission will be the lead commission for this project and will need to pick a couple of representatives to sit on the City Council committee. Chair Carlson asked about the recent trip to Redding to look at the ideas for the community fields park and asked why the location of the park is different from when they first discussed the park. Commissioner Hansen said he understands that the proposed park is not in the current city limits nor has the land has been acquired by the city or been approved by L.AFCO. Commissioner Griffin asked if there is money to purchase the land or to pay for the amenities. Manager Miller replied not at this time. Chair Carlson said she was concerned that the city is considering bringing in an outside company to run a park since it would mean giving away revenue to an outside organization. She said she doesn't want to give city business away. Manager Miller explained there are other people who feel this way, and he believes it will be expressed at the meeting. He said that the city is looking at all options and nothing is set in stone. Commissioner Stevens said he believes it is important to include someone from the Commission since they have the experience to be involved on any matter the city is considering that affects parks and recreation issues. Commissioner Hansen asked why the City Council was pushing the community fields project instead of assigning the project to the Parks and Recreation Commission since it is important for the Commission to be able to do their job. Commissioner Stevens responded that the Commission serves in an advisory role, and the City Council can do what they want although there are times when they have directed items through the Commission. Chair Carlson suggested pursuing this project may have been a private concern of the City Council. Manager Miller said if this process is done correctly the Commission will be evaluating all city parks, including planning new parks and evaluating current parks to see what needs to be done. He said he believes it is time sensitive to begin planning the new park because of the development being considered. Commissioner Griffin suggested scheduling a tour of the specific plan areas, setting what questions and concerns they have, and then going to the Planning Commission with their suggestions or questions. He proposed setting a date for the tour. After discussion, the Commission scheduled a tour of the three specific plan areas on January 8th at 10 a.m., meeting at the Community Center. The Commission discussed scheduling the committee meeting after the tour, and committee members discussed possible meeting dates. Page 3 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes December 20, 2004 NEW BUSINESS Reschedule January and February Meeting Dates Due to Holidays— Since the regularly scheduled Commission meetings in January and February fall on holidays, Commissioner Griffin made a motion to reschedule these meetings to the 4th Mondays of the month. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Hansen and unanimously approved. The adjourned meeting dates are January 24 and February 28. Recreation and Parks Master Plan—This item was covered earlier in the meeting during discussion of the Recreation Element in the Specific Plan Areas. Community Fields Committee Appointments—Manager Miller proposed using the same three members that comprise the Parks Master Plan Committee and the Commission agreed. STAFF REPORTS Department Highlights for November—Chair Carlson referred to the Robert's Lake dog park item in the report and said she loves the name Rohnert Bark Park. Manager Miller said he has received some favorable comments from that. Commissioner Stevens asked for clarification of what community groups the school district thought were recreation department groups. Manager Miller replied they were youth sports leagues such as Cal Ripken, Pee Wee Baseball, etc. Manager Miller said he clarified with the district that the city books fields for the groups,but they are not affiliated with the city. The school district will be sending a representative to the annual field use meeting in January, and Manager Miller suggested the district could levy a fee to the groups to help offset their costs. The district has decided they do not wish to do this since they are having a special election to approve a parcel tax. Commissioner Griffin clarified that members of the Best Friends Canine Club will be given the opportunity to give input on the new dog park at Robert's Lake. Manager Miller said they will be included, and the committee will meeting with Club members for their input. Chair Carlson asked about membership revenue at the Sports & Fitness Center and the membership special being offered now. Manager Miller explained the special and the revenue mentioned in the report. Commissioner Stevens asked if there is a fitness component at the Senior Center, and Manager Miller responded that they do have fitness classes at the center but no weight training. Community Center Quarterly Report—The Commissioners commented that revenue keeps going down. Commissioner Stevens stated that many people are leaving Rohnert Park for Santa Rosa and Petaluma, and there are apartment vacancies in Rohnert Park. Page 4 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes December 20, 2004 Commissioner Hansen asked about the increase in revenue at the Burton Avenue Recreation Center, and Manager Miller said it was being renovated last year and therefore was not available for rental the entire year. Manager Miller clarified that the swim school figures on the report represent only session 1 registration done at the Community Center since the remaining sessions are done manually at the pools. He said he will be scheduling an Aquatics Committee meeting in the next couple of months. Sports &Fitness Center Quarterly Report—The Commission discussed figures for college students and the impact that the new fitness facility at Sonoma State University has had on membership at the Sports &Fitness Center. Chair Carlson asked what special needs refers to, and Manager Miller said those are schools and groups of special needs students who come to use the Center. The Commission also discussed child care, and Manager Miller reported they are going to try to expand child care in January by offering some evening child care. COMMISSION COMMITTEE REPORTS -None MATTERS FROM/FOR COMMISSIONERS Vandalism—Commissioner Rogers said he was concerned about the vandalism problems that Bonnie Black reported at Golis Park. He said he thinks it is important to keep abreast of these problems. Crafts Faire - Commissioner Hansen reported he had attended the Recreation Department's annual Holiday Crafts Faire at the Community Center, and it was nice to see so many people attending and to see the new multi-use room floor. Resignation—Chair Carlson announced that she has submitted her letter of resignation to the City Council which marks the end of eight years for her. She said she needs some respite, even though she feels strongly about preserving the recreation areas in the city. She advised this will be her last meeting. The other commissioners thanked her for her time and dedication to the Commission. ADJOURNMENT - There being no further business before the Commission, the meeting was adjourned at 8:40 p.m. r poi Chair Carlson Gu 4# Recreation Services Manager Secretary Page 5