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2003/10/20 Parks and Recreation Commission MinutesROHNERT PARK PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES October 20, 2003 The Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission met this date at 7:30 p.m. for a regularly scheduled 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 Stevens presiding. ROLL CALL Present: (5) Commissioners Bird, Butler, Carlson, Hotaling, and Stevens Absent: (1) Commissioner Rogers Late: (1) Commissioner Griffin Also present for the meeting was Assistant City Manager, Steve Donley, Finance Director, Sandy Lipitz and Recreation Services Manager, Guy Miller. APPROVAL OF MINUTES — Upon motion by Commissioner Butler and second by Commissioner Hotaling, the minutes for the meeting of September 15t' were unanimously approved as submitted. UNSCHEDULED PUBLIC APPEARANCE/PUBLIC COMMENT Bonnie Black, Best Friends Canine Club, 1065 Hawthorne, announced that the new fence in now complete at the Golis Park baseball field, including gates. She reported the Club is thrilled since it had been since February that the project was approved. She said she has noticed some changes since the fence was put up — they are starting to get some small dogs that like to run which has changed the dynamics of the club. Some of the community thinks we now have a dog park, and the Club is finding a lot of dog messes to clean up. She said the Club members have been cleaning up as they find the messes but are recommending some changes such as moving the sign stating when the Club meets. They would also like to request that Public Safetf officers stop and talk to people who are there other than the hours posted on the sign. She said it also shows the need to have other places and times for people to be able to run their dogs. In the last month the Club has picked up fourteen new members, and Mrs. Black said she thinks they have over one hundred members with daily attendance of approximately 25 a day. She said the Club would like to recommend establishing the dog park at Robert's Lake. She suggested getting some of the fence materials and a gate from the stadium before it is torn down. She said the Club has some volunteers to help put the fence up at Robert's Lake. Chair Stevens asked if the only problem with establishing Robert's Lake is the fencing. Recreation Services Manager Miller said the cost of fencing the park was $25,000, and Winzler and Kelly the Engineering Company is looking for direction from the city for funding the project. If there is volunteer labor or fencing materials that could be reused, it Page 1 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes October 20, 2003 could reduce the cost of the project. Mrs. Black said before proceeding with the project, she would like to meet with someone to discuss the design. The Commission discussed the fencing and recommended height of the fence. Manager Miller said there is some 4' fence at the stadium as well as some 8' fence. Mrs. Black also reported that in the last month Club members have taken their dogs to the stadium on Saturday mornings due to conflicts with the use of the Golis Park baseball field. She asked how much of the $25,000 projected cost for Robert's Lake was labor, and Manager Miller said he didn't know. Mrs. Black said she spoke to the fencing company when they installed the fence at Golis Park and found that much of the cost is due to labor and the cost of gates. Commissioner Carlson asked if this item could be on the agenda for next month's meeting since this is a limited opportunity to use the fence from the stadium. Manager Miller said yes. He stated he doesn't think there is a specific design for the project and the $25,000 cost was just an estimate. OLD BUSINESS Defining Parks & Recreation Commission's Future Responsibilities — Ad Hoc Committee Report — Chair Stevens reported he did not present the Commission's ad hoc committee report to the City Council at their last meeting since their agenda was full. He advised he requested that he be put on the next City Council agenda. Some discussion followed. Commission Goals for 2003 — Chair Stevens asked the Commission if they wished to set aside any goals pertaining to revenue until they know if funds are available. Commissioner Carlson suggested that they should wait until they know what the Commission's role will be. Assistant City Manager Steve Donley recommended the Commission sit down and talk to the City Council to set their responsibilities prior to setting any goals. Chair Stevens mentioned that the Commission used to have an annual joint meeting with the City Council. Assistant City Manager Donley said he has spoken to City Council members and he feels that now there is more of an opportunity to sit down with them. Commissioner Carlson said she thinks it is a great idea to sit down with the Council since it has been over two years, and the meetings help keep the Commission centered on what they should be doing. Chair Stevens also suggested it would be good to meet the two new City Council members. Assistant City Manager Donley said he believes after Chair Stevens meets with the City Council, they will suggest a time to meet. The Chair said he will make that recommendation when he appears at the next Council meeting. Discussion of the Commission's goals for 2003 was tabled until the Commission has a clearer idea of the direction the Council wants them to take. Page 2 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes October 20, 2003 1-011, NEW BUSINESS Overview of the Economic Development Strategic Plan — Assistant City Manager Steve Donley said he knows the plan was presented to the commission at an earlier meeting, but he wanted to highlight the sections of the plan that pertain to recreation. He referred to page 5 of the report regarding upgrading the Sports & Fitness Center and consolidating swimming functions, which are areas that pertain to the Commission. (A copy of the plan is attached to the original copy of these minutes.) Commissioner Griffin Arrives — At approximately 7:55 p.m. Commissioner Griffin arrived. Overview Continued - Assistant City Manager Donley reported the only thing the City Council has been able to do with the plan so far was agree to pursue looking at improving the Sports & Fitness Center by using bond money. Finance Director Lipitz informed the Commission that bond money has to be used to fund new projects or improve existing facilities. Assistant City Manager Donley said it can't be used for anything but a structure. Chair Stevens asked if the report had anything to do with the community fields park, and Assistant City Manager Donley said not specifically — it only mentions existing swimming pools. Some discussion followed. STAFF REPORTS Monthly Reports — Recreation Manager Miller announced that during the city's recent reorganization, some department heads changed. Finance Director Sandy Lipitz will now be the staff liaison with this commission, and he will be staff support. Finance Director Lipitz informed the Commission she has a strong interest in recreation and will also be overseeing the Performing Arts Center. Chair Stevens asked if the Finance Director had any direction on cost cutting in recreation. Finance Director Lipitz reported she sits in on all budget meetings, and all the cuts, which were mainly personnel, for this fiscal year have been made. There were no cuts in city services. The only thing that could affect the existing budget would be any reductions in the vehicle registration fees from the state. She advised the City is okay for this year, if there are no more changes. If the vehicle tax is repealed, the City will need to look for reductions of approximately $2,000,000. She reported the League of Cities is working very hard to communicate the cities' needs to the governor. Assistant City Manager Donley stated he will also be working on some recreation special projects and will continue to attend Commission meetings. Chair Stevens asked when was the last time fees were increased. Recreation Manager Miller replied that the field and facilities' fees were increased this past year, but aquatics fees were not. The Chair asked if there were any questions on the Community Center Quarterly Report. Commissioner Carlson why the Community Center Report was prepared on a calendar Page 3 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes October 20, 2003 year basis, but the Sports and Fitness Center Report was done on a fiscal year basis. Some discussion followed and Recreation Manager Miller asked which the Commission preferred. They agreed they would like the reports to be the same. Chair Stevens asked about the increase in fees for parks, fields and tennis courts. Staff responded that it was due to the increase in field use fees for 2003. Commissioner Griffin asked about looking at light fees again. The Commission also discussed community garden revenue. The Commission also briefly discussed the Sports & Fitness Center Quarterly Report. Department Highlights — Chair Stevens asked if the City has felt any impact from the new fitness center, University of Sports. Recreation Manager Miller said he thinks there has been an affect even though they have a different target market than the Sports and Fitness Center. The Commission also discussed after school programs, and Recreation Manager Miller said the YMCA has several sites in the city and the Boys and Girls Club is doing well and is growing. He said he believes the Boys and Girls Club has had an impact on the city's after -school program held at the Burton Avenue Recreation Center. Chair Stevens asked if the recreation department is doing any joint programs with the high school, and Manager Miller said not since the department's staff cuts. Chair Stevens asked about the teen center, and Manager Miller said the teen center is closed although the department has been having some teen dances at the Burton Recreation Center, which are on hold now due to renovation of the Burton Avenue Recreation Center. COMMISSION COMMITTEE REPORTS Golf Course — Recreation Manager Miller reported he, Assistant City Manager Donley and Finance Director Lipitz had met with the golf course management and recommended that the Golf Course Committee meetings be resumed. Commissioner Carlson said the October meeting was cancelled and rescheduled for November. Assistant City Manager Donley reported that CourseCo had a conflict so the meeting was rescheduled. Adult Sports — Chair Stevens asked what winter adult sports are being held. Recreation Manager Miller replied that fall softball is the only sport being played at this time. He reported that there are no volleyball or basketball leagues this year due to lack of sign-ups and stated that participation in adult sports is dwindling. Some discussion followed. Aquatics — Chair Stevens asked if the Aquatics Committee would be meeting to discuss this past swim season. Manager Miller said he would be scheduling a meeting. MATTERS FROM/FOR COMMISSIONERS Financial Reports — Commissioner Griffin asked about the youth leagues' financial reports and whether the Commission is obliged or even able to look at them. Recreation Manager -� Miller said the direction he has gotten from the City Manager is that this is not in the Page 4 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes October 20, 2003 Commission's jurisdiction and they cannot request them. Commissioner Griffin asked if the records will be made public, and Manager Miller replied an audit would be handled through the city's Finance Department and the results would not be public. Commissioner Griffin asked how he could pursue requesting that the audits or records be made public, and Manager Miller suggested he request that the Chair discuss it with the City Council. Manager Miller stated he is involved with several youth organizations, and they always have a treasurer's report at their board meetings, which are open to the public. Commissioner Bird agreed that is how the Rohnert Park Girls Softball League works. Manager Miller said the city will prepare a contractual agreement with the leagues, and part of the contract will be submitting a financial report to the city. Commissioner Griffin asked if they could request the information once the audits have been completed and find out that the audits were okay. Manager Miller informed him that the contracts have not been written yet, but he believes that it will be part of the field use meeting, and the contract will be modeled on contracts obtained from other cities. Commissioner Carlson said in the past there have been many errors in the financial reports, and the boards have done no apparent oversight and money has disappeared. Recreation Manager Miller said he is sure that financial reports will be required but what the Commission's role will be has yet to be determined. Chair Stevens observed that many leagues have quite a bit of money placed in savings accounts. Manager Miller said fees would need to be set based on the cost of using fields and not on league bank accounts. Golis Park Field - Commissioner Hotaling reported the field at Golis Park is very muddy especially in the goal area. Finance Director Lipitz responded that she has talked to the Public Works Department, and the supervisor has done a review of all city fields and determined they were being over watered. The supervisor is working with the landscape contractor to solve the problem. Assistant City Manager Donley advised that Public Works is very short-handed, and if anyone sees any problems at fields, such as sprinklers running, to please call Public Works so the problems can be fixed as soon as possible. Sunrise Park - Chair Stevens asked for an update on Sunrise Park and what has been done to prevent any further problems in city parks. Recreation Manager Miller offered to find out but reported that trees and bushes have been trimmed, light schedules have been changed and security companies have been hired to patrol the parks. Assistant City Manager Donley stated that the Public Safety Department has concentrated on problems in city parks and gang prevention. Litter - Chair Stevens said he saw a letter to the editor complaining about litter in the parks. Commissioner Butler clarified that the letter referred to Caterpillar Park and that he had gone to the park and did not see any increase in litter. Commissioner Carlson said there were also a number of letters from students defending themselves regarding being the cause of increased litter. Page 5 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes October 20, 2003 Public Works Department - Assistant City Manager Donley stated that the Public Works Department is short about four positions due to retirement of staff, and the City is in the process of filling these positions, but staff is stretched right now. Copeland Creek — The Commission also briefly discussed the restoration of Copeland Creek between Country Club Drive and Seed Farm Drive. ADJOURNMENT - There being no further business before the Commission, the meeting was adjourned at 8:40 p.m. Chair Stevens Secretary Sandy rtz Finance Director ho Page 6