Loading...
2005/05/16 Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes (3)ROHNERT PARK PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES May 16, 2005 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 Bird presiding. ROLL CALL Present: (7) Commissioners Bird, Black, Butler, Griffin, Hansen, Rogers, and Stevens Absent: (0) None Also present for all or part of the meeting Recreation Services Manager Guy Miller. APPROVAL OF MINUTES — Upon motion by Commissioner Hansen and second by Commissioner Black, the minutes for the meeting of April 18a` were unanimously approved as submitted. UNSCHEDULED PUBLIC APPEARANCE/PUBLIC COMMENT - None SCHEDULED PUBLIC APPEARANCE/PUBLIC COMMENT - None OLD BUSINESS Playground Equipment Replacement —Recreation Services Manager, Guy Miller, introduced Ewing Philbin and Marcella from Ross Recreation Equipment, who presented a power point slide show with proposed playground equipment designs for the city parks where the playgrounds will be renovated. The parks include Caterpillar, Cielo Circle, Colegio Vista, Sunrise and Ladybug. (A copy of the power point presentation is attached to the original copy of these minutes.) The Commission discussed visibility around the play equipment to ensure that Public Safety officers will have clear sight lines. Mr. Philbin advised visibility is not a problem and also pointed out that there are many color options for the equipment. Commissioner Stevens asked about focusing on preschool play equipment at Caterpillar Park. Mr. Philbin explained that when he met with Tom Kelley from Public Works that Mr. Kelley had avised that the emphasis for this park will be for young children. Manager Miller advised that there is another play area nearby that focuses on older children. Commissioner Stevens asked about the safety at the park and referred to a report the Commission had received awhile back that showed a higher incidence of police calls regarding this park. Some discussion followed. The Commission also discussed the difference in the two options presented for Caterpillar Park. Commissioner Hansen asked about maintenance and the life of the structures. Mr. Philbin responded that painting is not required and the life of the structure is 100 years. He explained when the equipment is installed a maintenance package is provided which includes information on removing graffiti. Manager Miller asked about the engineered wood fall material, and Mr. Philbin advised it is considered an accessible surface and has been approved by the courts. Manager Miller advised Page 1 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes May 16, 2005 that the city is in the process of replacing all the fall material in the city's parks and will also be putting the fall materials in the parks where the equipment is being replaced. Commissioner Black asked about problems with vandalism for the Spacenet that is being proposed for Colegio Vista Park. Mr. Philbin explained that it is possible to replace just one loop if damaged. Commissioner Griffin asked about flammability, and Mr. Philbin said the net is fire resistant. He also stated no maintenance is required except the turnbuckles would have to be tightened after six months. Commissioner Rogers asked about fading, and Mr. Philbin said it may fade a little, but he didn't believe it would be a problem. Commissioner Stevens asked about the fall material used around The Rock/The Ridge included in Option B for Colegio Vista Park. Mr. Philbin said 12" of fall material is standard, but the city could add more, if desired. Manager Miller asked about graffiti problems, and Mr. Philbin said the equipment is resistant but could be tagged. Because it is textured, it would make graffiti more difficult to remove. Marcella, Mr. Philbin's assistant, said the manufacturer told her The Rock/The Ridge cleans very well by pressure washing, and the company provides touch-up paint. Manager Miller informed the Commission that one of the ideas for Sunrise Park is to eliminate the existing preschool structure and remove the tennis backboard, which has always been a good target for graffiti and seems to be getting little or no use. If the backboard was removed, this area would be used for a new playground, and some picnic tables would be added in the old play area. Mr. Philbin explained that the Cool Toppers shown in Option A for Sunrise Park are floating roof '1 covers and can be easily removed in the winter. Some discussion followed on the S Park options. Manager Miller explained that one City Council member, after visiting neighbors near Ladybug park, has requested that the playground be moved to provide better sight lines. Engineering staff has looked at the park and has suggested a new location behind the tennis courts. This area would be smaller than the current site. Manager Miller stated he had asked Mr. Philbin to provide several different proposals for this park. Mr. Philbin explained the new area is about one half the size of the current area and pointed out the reasons for the new playground options being proposed since there is traditional play equipment already located next door at LaFiesta School. The Commission discussed using Cool Toppers at this park to integrate the play areas. Commissioner Black asked about the advantage of installing The Rock/The Ridge play equipment rather than bring in some large boulders for climbing. Mr. Philbin responded that the play equipment would have insurance coverage and also has hand -holds that are designed for play. Chair Bird asked about installation time, and Mr. Philbin said it would be approximately 6-8 weeks from the time the order is placed until the equipment can be used. Manager Miller explained that only five parks were presented tonight because staff is holding off on Civic Center Mini Park since some clarification is necessary. He asked how the Commission would like to proceed. At their April meeting, the Commission discussed scheduling some public hearings to get public input on the various proposals. Commissioner Rogers said he thought the Saturday meeting that was held in Ladybug Park was very helpful and he would like to do something similar for the other parks. Manager Miller explained that group has met two or three "1 times, and some people in the neighborhood feel that area of town has been neglected. - Page 2 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes May 16, 2005 Commissioner Griffin said he thinks they should schedule the hearing in the City Council chambers. He proposed that they could schedule a meeting in the C Section since three of the parks are located in that area. Manager Miller responded that seeing the power point presentation makes more of an impact and people will get a clearer idea of what is being proposed. He suggested scheduling a special meeting for the public hearing. The Commission discussed how to publicize the hearing by including a notice in the Community Voice and posting a notice in each of the parks. Manager Miller said if the Commission preferred, he could try to keep the agenda for their regularly scheduled June meeting as short as possible and use the major portion of the meeting for the public hearing. The Commission agreed to this proposal. Commissioner Griffin made a motion to schedule a public hearing to discuss the replacement of playground equipment at the five city parks at the Commission's regular June meeting. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Butler with discussion following. Commissioner Hansen asked about scheduling the meeting earlier in the evening. After discussion Commissioner Stevens moved to amend the motion to begin the public hearing at 7 p.m. and to include times for each specific park. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Griffin and unanimously approved. Roberts Lake Dog Park Bid Award — Manager Miller informed the Commission that on May 10a' the City Council approved the low bid for the Roberts Lake Dog Park. The bid came in a little higher than was budgeted and the City Council agreed to budget $45,000 in case of any overruns. NEW BUSINESS Establishment of Dog Parks at Benicia Park and the Rohnert Park Animal Shelter — Manager Miller announced that the opportunity came up to establish two additional new dog parks. The first one will be the Rohnert Park Animal Shelter in an area that is already fenced. In addition one Council member asked about exploring the idea of using the shelter for doggie day care which Mickey Zeldes, the supervisor, is looking into. Manager Miller explained a second site came up at Benicia Park when the Cal Ripken Baseball League put extensive work into the B 1 field and put a secondary fence inside the existing fence. This made an area fenced in on three sides and the city will add gates and put up signs. Commissioner Butler asked when the parks will be up and running, and Manager Miller said they should be ready to go by the end of the summer. Commissioner Hansen asked if the Commission should make a motion to encourage development of new dog parks. Some discussion followed, and Commissioner Hansen made a motion that the Commission encourages establishing dog parks in Rohnert Park since they are a benefit to the city and its residents. If other opportunities arise, the Commission encourages the City to take advantage of these opportunities. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Black. Commissioner Butler clarified that the two new parks were already approved by the City Council. Manager Miller replied yes, and with the apologies from the Interim City Manager and the City Council since the opportunities camp up suddenly and they wanted to take advantage of them. Page 3 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes May 16, 2005 Commissioner Black pointed out the advantages of having dog parks in the city and said she was excited that the City is willing to think outside the box. The motion was unanimously approved. Presentation of Proposed Dog Park Rules and Regulations - Manager Miller handed out a list of proposed dog park regulations and "petiquette" recommendations. He reported that with Commissioner Black's assistance, they had met with a Santa Rosa group and John from the Marin Humane Society and came up with the list of proposed regulations and "petiquette." (A copy of the both lists is attached to the original copy of these minutes.) He explained the regulations will be posted and can be enforced. The "petiquette" recommendations will also be posted. A copy of the lists have been sent to Public Safety and REMIF, the city's insurance carrier, for their input. The Public Safety representative said because they are shorthanded, they may not be able to respond to violations and will not be patrolling the park to ensure that the regulations are adhered to. Manager Miller advised the dog park rules will not require any addition to the city's municipal code. Commissioner Stevens asked how do other cities enforce the regulation that dogs must be vaccinated and wear identification? Commissioner Black said most parks are self monitored, and because the rules are posted, it empowers other people using the park. She stated it doesn't seem to be the problem that people might think. She said they might have some volunteers who drop by -� occasionally to monitor the park, but even without that, the parks seem to run just fine. Commissioner Griffin made a motion to approve the regulations and "petiquette" as proposed. Chair Bird seconded the motion. Commissioner Hansen asked about unleashing dogs when entering the park. Commissioner Black said this is a safety issue because when dogs are tethered they can't do their natural posturing, and a lot of dogs are leash aggressive but not aggressive when off the leash. Commissioner Butler asked if there are any breeds of dogs that are banned. Commissioner Black said the Best Friends Canine Club does ban the bull breeds and the wolf half-breeds, but California law does not allow breeds of dogs to be banned at dog parks. She said the difference in the Rohnert Park regulation is requiring dogs to be neutered or spayed. Every class she has attended shows that unneutered dogs are more aggressive. Commissioner Hansen asked if the regulations could be reviewed in six months to make sure they are doing what they are intended to do. Commissioner Black agreed they could review the regulations although if any changes were made, the signs would have to be done again. She stated they have found that people don't always read signs, and when they were putting together the regulations, they discussed using signs with cartoons to catch people's attention. Commissioner Rogers asked if the signs would be in more than one language, and Manager Miller said that would be considered. There being no further discussion, the motion was unanimously approved. -� Page 4 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes May 16, 2005 Joint Meeting Parks and Recreation Commission and Planning Commission — Manager Miller advised that the City Council would like to schedule a joint meeting with the Parks and Recreation Commission and Planning Commission and suggested a tentative date of July 12t'. Commissioner Butler advised he would be unable to come, and Commission Stevens stated he wasn't sure but thought he might be out of town. The Commission agreed that the second City Council meeting in July could be a second option. Swimming Pool Status — 2005-06 Budget — Manager Miller said there has been a lot of discussion about the city having five pools that are not being used to capacity. The City Council would like the Commission to make some hard recommendations about what they would like to do with the pools, whether closing some or establishing some spray parks. Commissioner Griffin asked if the pool was removed from Ladybug Park would it improve the sight -lines? Manager Miller replied this was discussed at the L Section meeting when they discussed eliminating the pool and putting in a combination spray park, picnic area and play area. He stated that spray parks do not necessarily require fencing. Two City Council members at the meeting thought this would be a good option to explore. Ladybug could be a pilot park where the city could try to do something different. Commissioner Butler said the group did want to keep the Ladybug Recreation Building. Commissioner Black asked if there is a report showing which pools are getting the most .� attendance. Manager Miller said a report has been done every year, but he hasn't done it yet for 2094. He explained the reasons to consider the changes aren't because the pool isn't being attended but because the Council would like to explore doing something new. He recommended sending this to the Aquatics Committee and they can also look at a spray park in conjunction with the renovations of the play area. He stated there are also spray parks that have play structures built into them. Chair Bird asked about the timetable for this project, and Manager Miller said he got the feeling that the Council would like a recommendation for the upcoming fiscal year. The first step might be to get some cost figures on the installation of a spray park. The Commission discussed whether to include discussion for this project at the June public hearing. Manager Miller explained there are a lot of options, and this is more complicated than installing playground equipment. They would need to have information to educate people on what is included in a spray park. He agreed to include some information on spray parks for the June meeting. STAFF REPORTS Department Highlights for April — Manager Miller gave a recap of the Recreation Celebration which was held on May 7 at the Community Center complex. An estimated 600-700 people attended, and he reported that the department would like to schedule the event again to take place around the fountain instead of inside each building. He reviewed some of the events that were held and thanked the community groups that participated. He reported that Candace Birchfield, the pottery studio director, worked very hard on making the Clay Games a successful event. He mentioned the Mayor attended and participated in the Clay Games. Page 5 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes May 16, 2005 .., COMMISSION COMMITTEE REPORTS Park Master Plan (PROS) Committee - Commissioner Stevens asked about the funding allocation for the PROS Committee. Manager Miller stated the committee may need an allocation in case a consultant needs to be hired. If approved, it would be included in the 2005-06 budget. Commissioner Black asked about the committee members who have been absent from the meetings. Chair Bird responded that this was discussed at their meeting and will be discussed again at the next meeting. Manager Miller said this is on the agenda for discussion at the next PROS meeting. He advised they have received one resignation. Dog Park Committee - Commissioner Black reported she has some new membership forms for the Best Friends Canine Club which she will submit to the Recreation Department. She said they had over 30 dogs at the park this morning including some former members visiting from Nebraska and Illinois. MATTERS FROMIFOR COMMISSIONERS L Section Resident Meeting - Commissioner Butler reported a comment had been made at the L Section meeting that many people from that section are taking their children and grandchildren to other parks, and he would like to see city parks made more of a magnet to get residents back to the park. Commissioner Rogers said some people attending the meeting said that the type of equipment at -� Ladybug Park is not suitable, and it is important to keep demographics in mind when selecting new equipment. Manager Miller said people at the meeting liked standard play equipment. Fishing Derby - Commissioner Griffin asked about the fishing derby, and Manager Miller replied it is scheduled for this weekend and suggested going to their web site for specific information. Adopt A -Park - Commissioner Black asked the status of the Adopt -a -Park Program, and Manager Miller said the project is on hold, but he thinks he has the problem with wording on the volunteer forms resolved. City Creeks- Commissioner Black mentioned that when walking her dog.on the city's creek areas, she has noticed a lot of trash and observed a pile of waste bags at the end of one of the paths. She asked about getting trash receptacles placed at the end of the paths. Manager Miller said he would have to consult with Public Works. Commissioner Griffin asked about the possibility of putting a standard rolling receptacle on the paths that could be picked up by the trash company. Manager Miller said he would have to ask. Commission Black suggested adding Adopt -a -Path to the Adopt -a -Park Program. Commissioner Stevens said this could be a problem because of the homeless problem and asked who does the creek maintenance. Manager Miller advised the creeks are owned by the Sonoma County Water Agency, but he believes the Public Works Department oversees the path clean-up. Country Club Drive Bridge - Chair Bird asked about the graffiti all over the Country Club Drive bridge, and Manager Miller said he will pass this on to the Public Works Department. Page 6 Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes May 16, 2005 ADJOURNMENT - There being no further business before the Commission, the meeting was adjourned at 9:58 p.m. Chair Bird Secretary r Guy er Recreation Services Manager Page 7