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1996/03/18 Parks and Recreation Commission MinutesROHNERT PARK PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES March 18, 1996 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 Desmond presiding and leading the Pledge of Allegiance. ROLL CALL Present: (5) Commissioners Allred, Desmond, Griffin, Plaisted, and Stevens Absent: (0) None Also present for the entire meeting was Director of Recreation, James Pekkain. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Upon motion by Commissioner Griffin and second by Commissioner Allred, the minutes of February 26, 1996, were unanimously approved as submitted. ADDITION TO AGENDA Director Pekkain informed the Commission he had an emergency addition to the agenda from the Rohnert Park Girls Softball League regarding installation of a storage unit at Eagle park. Commissioner Stevens made a motion to add the item to the agenda which was seconded by Commissioner Griffin and unanimously approved. UNSCHEDULED PUBLIC APPEARANCES Brad Treder, 10120 Old Redwood Highway, Penngrove, CYO Basketball athletic director at St. Elizabeth in Rohnert Park, said he would like to request more gym time at the Sports Center for CYO basketball. The league's time has been cut back at local schools and the number of teams were reduced in 1995 and the league may have to cut back again in 1996. Commissioner Griffin asked Mr. Treder how many children played in the league and Mr. Treder said they had 174. He also reviewed their current hours of use at the Sports Center and said they use the Mt. Shadows Middle School gym and the gym at St. Elizabeth Seton as well. Director Pekkain said the City may have to work with the school district to see if more time can be worked out at the schools. He informed the Commission that the City is currently working on a use policy with the school district. Commissioner Plaisted said a few years ago CYO didn't use the city facilities at all and began using the Sports Center because the schools had cut back on their use. School has been reduced because no janitors are on duty. Director Pekkain said that the youth sports committee might want to meet with the schools to see if there is some way use can be worked out. Page - 1 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes March 18, 1996 Upon questioning, Mr. Treder said their season begins in October. Commissioner Stevens asked if any of the schools use a drop net to allow more teams to be able to practice at one time. Mr. Treder did not know of any schools using drop nets. Commissioner Plaisted asked who is allowed to play in the league and if there is a cost. Mr. Treder said the league is open to all and there is a fee of $60 a year. Director Pekkain again recommended the youth committee meet with Mr. Treder, then with the school district, and determine if more time could be made available at the Sports Center. The committee would report back to the commission after all meetings are held. Commissioner Plaisted asked if CYO could practice outside and Mr. Treder said some teams do practice outside, but at that time of the year it is not always possible. Commissioner Stevens asked if all elementary schools now have basketball courts. The Director said they do, but the main problem seems to be staffing of the facilities. The Director reminded Mr. Treder that the CYO basketball coaches also need to work to get their coaches certified through the National Youth Sports Coaches Association training clinics held by the Recreation Department. Mr. Treder said he had 16 coaches but many had attended clinics for baseball. The Director responded that they would still need to attend the clinic that is sport -specific. Director Pekkain agreed to talk with Mr. Treder to set up a time to meet with the youth sports committee. GIRLS SOFTBALL REPRESENTATIVE John Maloney, 1480 Georgia Court, introduced himself as this year's liaison from Girls Softball. Director Pekkain said the Girls Softball League has always been very good about communicating with the City and has met the NYSCA requirements set by the Commission. STORAGE SHED AT EAGLE PARK Director Pekkain passed out information about a storage shed that the Girls Softball League would like to install at Eagle Park so they can expand the concession stand by the softball field. (A copy of the features of the shed and the outline of where the shed would be placed is attached to the original copy of these minutes.) He explained the cost would be about $1,200 and the league will pour the concrete slab for the shed. He said that he and Recreation Supervisor Guy Miller have seen the cabinet and felt that it would be appropriate. He said staff is recommending that the League's request be approved. Commissioner Plaisted said he remembered several years ago when soccer had requested something similar and were turned down. The Director replied that was at another park and was a different type of storage unit, and he would recommend taking each request on a case by case basis. Commissioner Plaisted asked if "1 Page - 2 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes March 18, 1996 equipment would be stored inside the unit year round. The Director replied that all equipment that is in the current storage area would be moved to the new unit. Discussion followed on the construction of the shed. Commissioner Griffin made a motion to recommend approving the request from Girls Softball to install the storage unit which was seconded by Commissioner Plaisted and unanimously approved. AQUATICS Director Pekkain asked if April 8th at 7 p.m. would be okay for an Aquatics Committee meeting. After discussion with the committee members, the meeting was scheduled for April 8th at 9 a.m. at the Community Center. BICYCLE COMMITTEE Chair Desmond asked if the Director had heard from Will Brown who wanted to know what the city is doing regarding bicycle safety. The Director replied that he had not heard from Mr. Brown, but any bicycle safety programs are done through the Public Safety Department. PROGRAMS FOR THE DISABLED Commissioner Plaisted gave a summary of the committee meeting that was held on February 29th. Frederick Coleman representing CORI, an organization that works with developmentally disabled adults, attended the meeting and was interested in getting involved with the committee. A copy of the minutes from the meeting is attached to the original copy of these minutes. Commissioner Plaisted said the idea was to integrate people with mental or physical disabilities into existing programs, but it doesn't always work. Committee members stated they would like to have a couple of programs that would be just for people with disabilities. He has gotten a list of care homes from Mr. Coleman so he can contact people to find out what kind of programs they need or would like to see added. Commissioner Griffin said the response to the survey in the activity guide was not very good, but Mr. Coleman is willing to work with the city on programs and asked if the city would be able to fund any of the programs. Director Pekkain said he might be able to squeeze some money out of his current budget, but nothing has been set aside for next year and that budget will be tight. Commissioner Plaisted said he also met with an aerobics instructor from Santa Rosa who teaches a class for people with disabilities and is willing to come to Rohnert Park to teach something similar. He also met with another gentleman who said he may be able to access funding once they know what kind of programs the city is thinking about offering. The Director said the next meeting is scheduled for the end of the month, but he would like to find a date when both committee members can attend. After '-N discussion., the committee meeting was scheduled for Thursday, April 4th. Page - 3 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes March 18, 1996 REPORTS FROM THE DIRECTOR OF RECREATION Monthly Reports Director Pekkain asked if there were any questions on the monthly reports the commissioners had received. Commissioner Stevens asked about the Senior Center report and the mileage on the "Dan van" compared to the handicap van. The Director said he will look into the matter and report back at the commission's April meeting. The other reports were accepted as submitted with no questions. Spring Arts and Crafts Faire The Director reported that approximately 800 people had attended the Spring Arts and Crafts Faire held on March 16 and 17. The Faire may be cut back to just one day in 1997 due to the low attendance. Some discussion followed on the reasons for the low attendance including the nice weather that had occurred that weekend after many days of rain and the fact that it was a three day weekend for local schools. NYSCA Clinic Update The Director reviewed the report on NYSCA Certification Clinics held this year and how the leagues are doing meeting the requirements. Copy of report is attached to the original of these minutes. Some discussion followed on what the commission will do if some leagues do not meet the requirements. —� Free Friday Update Director Pekkain reported that staff is attempting to increase the number of programs being offered at Free Fridays and challenged the commissioners to volunteer at least one night before the end of May when the program is over for the school year. Commissioner Allred, Griffin, Desmond and Plaisted indicated they are interested in helping. Possible dates were discussed. Apache Indoor Soccer Donation The Director reported the city had received a $300 donation from the Apache Indoor Soccer League in appreciation for their use of the Sports Center for soccer games and practices. They had over 300 youths involved in the program and also donated money to the schools they had used. Staff wanted to make sure their contribution was acknowledged. MATTERS FROM COMMISSIONERS Pesticides in Parks Director Pekkain responded to Commission Griffn's inquiry made at the Commission's February meeting and reported the city does, use pesticides and herbicides in the parks in order to keep the grass green and weeds down. The —IN Page - 4 ate. 500 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes March 18, 1996 landscape contractor is licensed and spray records are kept. County guidelines are Apache Indoor followed and spraying is done only when parks are not crowded. Soccer Donation Commissioner Griffin made a recommendation that the Commission send a letter G Park Baseball to the Apache Club thanking them for their donation. Field Dugouts Commissioner Griffin asked about expanding the dugouts at the baseball field in Golis Park. Director Pekkain said that is included in a proposal from the Babe Ruth League. He said he will have an update for the Commission at their April meeting. Ad Hoc Committee Members Commissioner Plaisted asked about adding Sabrina Snyder as an ad hoc committee member. She could be appointed to the disability committee. She had told him she would be willing to attend a meeting two or three times a month. He asked that ad hoc committee members be added to the Commission's agenda for April for further discussion.. Improvements to City Facilities Commissioner Plaisted said he thought it would be a good idea to have a record of improvements that groups have made for the city so that citizens know that groups not only use city facilities but also give something back to the community. Scholarships Commissioner Plaisted said he would like to see a way that citizens can find out about various groups which provide scholarships or sports leagues which offer scholarships. He said he would like to discuss this item at a future commission meeting. After discussion, it was decided to discuss this matter at the commission's June meeting. Monthly Reports Commissioner Plaisted asked the Director what he looks at when he looks at the monthly reports. The Director responded that he looks at the attendance figures and the profit and loss figures for the Sports Center. He mentioned he has noticed the Community Center seems to have peaked out and attendance will not increase much more but will probably remain constant. Golis Park Chair Desmond said that she has observed that the roller hockey rink at Golis Park is in constant use and asked about the drinking fountain because if is always filled with sand. She also asked about pruning some of the trees near the playground and basketball courts so that people can sit under the trees and still be able to see the playground. The Director said sand has been a problem in the drinking fountain because it is adjacent to the play area. He said trees are being trimmed in the city parks as time allows. Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee Director Pekkain read a news report regarding a public hearing on water, parks and wildlife that is being held in Sacramento on March 19. , Page - 5 4 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes March 18, 1996 ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:40 p.m. to a regular meeting on Monday, April 15, at 7:30 p.m. to be held in the City Hall council chambers, 6750 Commerce Blvd. Chairman _� , ' _E-=A� . "IN Page - 6