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1996/10/21 Parks and Recreation Commission MinutesROHNERT PARK PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES October 21, 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 Vice -Chair Griffin presiding and leading the Pledge of Allegiance. ROLL CALL Present: (4) Commissioners Allred, Griffin, Plaisted and Stevens Absent: (1) Commissioner Desmond Also present for the entire meeting was Director of Recreation, James Pekkain. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Upon motion by Commissioner Plaisted and second by Commissioner Stevens, the minutes of September 16, 1996, were unanimously approved as submitted. YOUTH SPORTS Commissioner Plaisted reported he had recently met with Henry Bill and Ray of the Rohnert Park Youth Soccer League. They discussed the idea of the league using portable goals and they indicated the league is interested in working with the Recreation Department. They said they may be able to make more scholarships available for youth in the community. The league is also going to see if they can provide some volunteers for the Free Friday program. Director Pekkain said the possibility of volunteers for Free Friday had been passed on the Recreation Supervisor, Mary Hanlon, who is in charge of the program. She will follow up with the league. SENIOR CENTER Director Pekkain, in the absence of Commissioner Desmond, reported the Senior Center is sponsoring a Candidate's Social on Saturday, October 26, from 1-3 p.m. to meet candidates who are running for the Rohnert Park City Council. A brief panel discussion will be followed with an opportunity to meet the candidates on a one-on-one basis. The Center will be hosting a Holiday Dinner Dance on December 15 at the Community Center to benefit the Senior Center. Tickets are now on sale at the Senior Center or the Community Center. BICYCLE COMMITTEE Director Pekkain passed around the minutes from the last Bicycle Committee for the commission's review. SKATE PARK Director Pekkain reported that Commissioner Desmond had met with the Skate Park Committee on Wednesday, September 25. About 15 youths attended the meeting and presented her with a plan for the type of park they would like. The Director read a letter he had just received today from several youths expressing their wish for a skate park. A copy of the letter is attached to the original copy of Page - 1 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes October 21, 1996 these minutes. Director Pekkain said hopefully funding can be found for the project, and he will continue to keep the commission informed. REPORTS FROM THE DIRECTOR OF RECREATION Monthly Reports Director Pekkain pointed out the increase in attendance and memberships due primarily to the new weight room. The Director also advised a new treadmill has been added and some other weight equipment has been ordered. The other monthly reports were accepted without comment. Teen Meeting Update Director Pekkain reported Recreation Supervisor Hanlon had gone to Rancho Cotate High School for the teen meeting which was discussed with Celina Yong at last month's commission meeting , but a room had not been scheduled. A new meeting has been rescheduled for 8:45 a.m. on October 24 at the high school. Letter of Resignation from Katie Crump The Director reported he had received a letter of resignation from Katie Crump, president of Babe Ruth Baseball. He indicated problems within the league will be discussed later in the meeting under "Matters from Commissioners." Cablecast of 12/16 meeting Director Pekkain advised the Commission's December 16th meeting is still scheduled to be telecast by Century Communications. Weight Room Update The Director said this information was discussed under Monthly Reports. Winter Activities Guide The Director reminded the commission that the winter activity guide will be published on November 13th and said he would appreciate any feedback. Free Friday Update Director Pekkain reported that there were only 15 teens at the last Free Friday on high school night. He stated the middle school nights have been very successful, and the committee will be discussing the low attendance on high school nights. Programs for Physically Challenged Adults The Director referred the commission to the flier included in their packet outlining programs for people with disabilities which will be sent to those who requested being on a mailing list. A copy of the flier is attached to the orignal copy of these minutes. He pointed out the two new classes which two of the department's contract instructors, Candace Birchfield and Anita Levin, have agreed to teach, Ceramics and Acrylic Painting. He said information on their classes will also be included in Page - 2 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes October 21, 1996 the winter activity guide. Discussion followed and the Director said he will report back on the outcome of the classes. CPRS Workshop The Director invited the commissioners to attend the CPRS District 1 workshop being held at the Community Center on November 1. He reviewed several of the topics which will be discussed. Request by Bambino Baseball Director Pekkain referred the Commission to the request received from Bambino Baseball to locate storage continers at the following fields, Al, Cl, C2 and D. A copy of the request is attached to the original copy of these minutes. The Director said he had discussed the request with the Public Works Department and their biggest concern was that the units be maintained. He reported that the League would be responsible for maintenance. Commissioner Allred stated that she was also concerned about maintenance. The Director responded that if there were any problems, the league would be asked to remove the units. Discussion followed on the size of the continers since there was some confusion on the 4' height stated in the request. After reviewing the plans submitted, the consensus was the continers were 4' wide and only 23" high. The Director offered � to verify the dimensions with the league. Commissioner Plaisted asked if there was a reason why the league was getting away from storing equipment at individual homes. The Director said the league would like to get away from storing equipment at homes and reminded the commission that the Girls Softball League had already gotten approval for storage units. n Discussion followed on multi -use fields. The Director clarified that the fields the Bambino League uses are not multi -use fields and the only other users would be those who reserve a field in conjunction with a picnic. The Director offered to request that a league representative attend the next meeting to answer any of their questions before approving their request. After discussion, Commissioner Allred made a motion to approve the league's request for storage containers, Knaack model 2472. Commissioner Griffin seconded the motion. The motion passed by the following vote: Ayes: (3) Commissioners Allred, Griffin and Stevens Nay: (1) Commissioner Plaisted Commissioner Plaisted said he feels if the boxes can be kept at the field, they can be kept at individual homes. Page - 3 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes October 21, 1996 Outdoor Recreation Workshop The Director notified the Commission of a workshop on outdoor recreation being offered by Sonoma County Regional Parks held on Saturday, November 2, at 9:30 a.m. at the Cotati Veterans Building. The commissioners indicated they had received notices. MATTERS FROM COMMISSIONERS Babe Ruth Baseball Commissioner Griffin referred the commission to the letter received this evening from Katie Crump, former president of the Babe Ruth Baseball League, giving some of the background of the league, improvements made while she was president, and recent problems that have developed. See copy of letter attached to the original copy of these minutes. Commissioner Griffin said he will be contacting officials of the Babe Ruth League to see if anything can be done. He also asked Director Pekkain what the commission can do. The Director said the only thing they can do is to try to make sure that problems similar to what have occurred in the past do not happen again. He said he did not recall any other youth league in the city having a president living outside the city, and he had concerns about a husband and wife running a league. He said Mrs. _N1 Crump's suggestion of combining the Babe Ruth and Bambino leagues with one executive board and several sub -boards might be a solution. Commissioner Stevens asked about using out of town players. Commissioner Griffin responded that was for the fall league only because they did not have enough players within Rohnert Park. Director Pekkain said the Commission's Youth Sports Committee could meet with league representatives to get answers about their concerns. They might be able to serve as mediators for the league. Commissioner Plaisted said that previous attempts to obtain a copy of the league's bylaws had not been successful. Commissioner Griffin replied he had a copy of the Babe Ruth rules and the local league's bylaws. Director Pekkain suggested the Youth Committee meet to determine the direction the Commission wishes to take. A breakfast meeting was set for Saturday, October 26, at 8:30 a.m. at the Red Lion coffee shop. Policy on Memorial Plaques Commissioner Griffin asked the Director if he had any information on placing memorial plaques in local parks as a follow-up to discussion held at last month's meeting. The Director said he will do some research and report back to the '11N Page - 4 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes October 21, 1996 commission. Commissioner Griffin suggested setting up a committee to develop a policy for putting plaques in parks. After some discussion, Commissioners Allred and Griffin agreed to sit on the committee. They agreed to meet at 8 a.m. on Saturday, October 26. Benefit Awareness Strategy for Marketing Recreation Activities Commissioner Plaisted reported when he met with youth soccer representatives they discussed this subject, and they said they would be happy to put together a list of certain programs which show the importance of recreation to the community. They reported the league is helping SCAYD with kids in diversion programs and uses young men and women as referees which helps in their development. Commissioner Plaisted said he would be happy to work on getting information together to show the benefits of recreation since he feels it is an important issue. He said he feels it is important to have some statistics in case recreation activities are cut from the budget to show the effects it would have on the community. Director Pekkain said that the Commission needs to determine that when cuts are made in the budget, how this will affect the department. Outside groups may not be affected. Discussion followed. The Director suggested getting a letter to the Parks and Recreation Commission from each of the youth sports groups with testimonials on what recreation means to their league. Commissioner Plaisted agreed to contact the leagues. Soccer Fields Commissioner Plaisted said when he met with the soccer league they mentioned the league is running short of practice fields. They discussed developing the area at M Park and indicated they would be willing to contribute to the project. The Director said it could be a very expensive project with irrigation and grading, and this is one of the sites discussed for use as a skate park. Discussion followed on the cost. Proposition 204 Commissioner Stevens asked the Director about Proposition 204, The Safe, Clean, Reliable Water Supply Act, which is to provide funds to ensure safe drinking water, clean up pollution in rivers, lakes, bays and coastal areas, and to protect fish and wildlife. He wanted to know if the California State Parks and Recreation Society had a recommendation. The Director said he hadn't received any special information, but did know they had lobbyists who worked on their behalf. Committee Studying Programs for People with Disabilities Commissioner Griffin asked about the automatic doors that have been approved for city buildings since this issue had not been brought up in any of the meetings the Committee Studying Programs for People with Disabilities had held. He stated that Ms. Snyder had only attended a few of the committee meetings and had stopped coming. The committee had worked to set up a.program at the Sports Page - 5 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes October 21, 1996 Center to use the weight room and to improve access for the physically challenged community. General discussion followed. Commissioner Plaisted stated he felt it was important to know that the committee worked hard on the matter and had appointed Ms. Snyder as an ad hoc member to the Commission, and she was welcome to voice her concerns at any time and had not done so. Commissioner Griffin reaffirmed with the Director that all programs the Recreation Department offers are open and accessible to all segments of the community. The Director confirmed that classes are open to all members of the community, but he had been directed to add the two special classes discussed earlier. The Director said he knows of at least two people who are confined to wheelchairs and use the weight room. He said we have had no problems with people confined to wheelchairs gaining access to the Community Center or Sports Center. Discussion followed and Commissioners Griffin and Plaisted, members of the committee, agreed to get together to write a letter stating their concerns of how the committee was represented. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:50 p.m. to a regular meeting on Monday, November 18, at 7:30 p.m. to be held in the City Hall council chambers, 6750 Commerce Blvd. Chairman Secretary Page - 6 .IN