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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-05-08 PRC Minutes1-1 Parks and Recreation Commission MINUTES Council Hearing Room, 990 Palm Street San Luis Obispo, CA Wednesday, November 5, 2008, 7:00 p.m. CALL TO ORDER: Chair Jill Lemieux called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. ROLL CALL: Commissioners: Gary Havas, David Hensinger, Rick May, Kylie Hatch and Ron Regier, Craig Kincaid ABSENT: STAFF: Director Betsy Kiser, Todd Bunte, Neil Havlik, Marti Reynolds CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES: MOTION: (Hatch/Havas) Approve the October 1, 2008 minutes as submitted. Approved: 7 yes: 0 no: 0 absent 1. Public Comment Scott Cleere, San Luis Obispo, in favor of tennis court lighting. Presented a short video conveying how the tennis court lighting would appear at night by showing court lighting at Avila Bay Athletic Club where he is employed. The video portrayed the lighting angle being straight down, with little spillover. Feels if leave tennis court lighting at status quo then not serving the community, that lighting Sinsheimer courts would provide a greater opportunity for City residents. Asked Commissioners to think about what is best for the majority who will be best served, neighbors or tennis players. Peter Meertens, San Luis Obispo, opposed to tennis court lighting. Feels most of his neighbors, would be opposed to the lighting and referenced over 30 negative responses he feels were sent to Recreation Manager Fitzgerald. Feels the video to be a good example of what he does not want to hear at night. The courts were not there when initially moved in. Feels any step should be a positive for the community and that this is not. Thinks community deserves the courts but need a positive alternative to the lighting and night traffic while preserving quality of neighborhood. Feels neighborhood has fought issue 15 years. Asked Commissioners to consider recommending in goals to put lighting resources farther away at Laguna (or high school). Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes November 5, 2008 Page 2 of 7 1-2 2. Volunteer of the Month The November Volunteer of the Month honoree is Bhag Karir. Mr. Karir has been a volunteer at the Laguna Lake Golf Course for the past five years where his duties include golf club making, repair and regripping. Mr. Karir is a graduate from two club making schools and is considered a master club builder. A native of India, Mr. Karir has been a U.S. Citizen for 30 years and, along with his wife and four daughters, has been a resident and small business owner in San Luis Obispo for the past 25 years. It is Bhag’s commitment to detail and excellence that makes him such a valuable asset to the City and Laguna Lake Golf Course. Parks and Recreation is grateful for his contributions to the community of the City of San Luis Obispo. Mr. Karir spoke of his belief of giving back to God and the community. 3. Report on the Status of the Open Space Program - Havlik Commissioners were given a PowerPoint presentation by Natural Resources Manager Neil Havlik on the history and status of the Open Space Program which was established in 1995. He highlighted easements, open space and waterways acquired to date including the Brughelli easement, Bowden Ranch, Calle Joaquin acreage, South Hills, the Bob Jones trail, 315 acres from the Land Conservancy, 71 acres from the King family, and the Johnson Ranch. He explained the program and how it was modeled after East Bay Regional Park District; feels San Luis Obispo has a marvelous system that is a result of both citizen and Council support. Has been working vigorously to connect Irish Hills to Johnson Ranch, and provided details on the Bowden Ranch property and his hopes for the Tank Farm area. Dr. Havlik described certain projects in detail such as negotiations with the Brughelli’s and with the aid of Jim Braebeck to keep that land area conserved as an agricultural easement in perpetuity as well as the King easement in the South Hills area and the Filliponi resource area. Explained work on the Stagecoach Road dam which was a barrier to fish movement, and the Department of Fish and Wildlife grant to remove up to 2/3 of the dam and install weirs, freeing up a mile of stream above the dam that is now accessible for spawning. Other projects included the Froom Creek Jeep Road (home of the rare Brewers Spine flower), the Kuden/Olson property, and the Coon Creek Steelhead Passage Project, which included installing a bridge and step pools for fish movement while coordinating with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission due of proximity to the Diablo Canyon power plant. In all, 12 large open space areas, several small areas, nine conservation easements and numerous ongoing restoration programs have been incorporated into the City’s open space program. Expectations and projects for the future include the Eastside transfer of development credits and annexation, Orcutt Area annexation, Westside conservation and development, stormwater management, continued Bob Jones Bikepath construction, Stenner Springs, and Tank Farm remediation. Will seek the Parks and Recreation Commission’s (PRC) continued support in pursuing additional open space funding. Director Kiser asked Dr. Havlik if there was a need to be more specific with the PRC’s goal of continuing to acquire open space by including wording about funding to complete the Froom Ranch purchase. He felt that would be beneficial. Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes November 5, 2008 Page 3 of 7 1-3 Commissioners entered into further discussion on other annexations with Dr. Havlik. Havlik thanked the Commissioners for their continued support of the program and commended the Ranger Services division for their efforts. Chair Lemieux commended Havlik on his persistence in finding alternative funding sources. 4. Goals for 2009-11 Financial Plan – Kiser Director Kiser reviewed the goal setting instructions in preparation for the 2009-2011 Financial Plan. Chair Lemieux opened to public comment. Helene Finger, San Luis Obispo, thanked the Commissioners for their hard work. Encourages support of the Bob Jones Trail. Feels there is a large part of the community that would like to see linkage with the trail. Ms. Finger is on the County liaison committee and is the Bob Jones Trail spokesperson. Updated that the Octagon Barn to Los Osos Valley Road (LOVR) link, less than ¼ mile, is what the PRC should request be finished. Stated she was informed by Principal Transportation Planner Peggy Mandeville that the project is not currently a City goal. Is also looking at the proposed “at grade” crossing for the trail at LOVR. She believes there will eventually be problems as crossing will be well used and encourages an under-crossing instead. At the end of the County portion, the trail will parallel the golf course and have a pedestrian light. Believes the County hopes to finish the project by summer. Thomas Fowler, San Luis Obispo, is strongly against the tennis court lights, saying that the courts are not in the right place for the lights, concerned about the lights being on until 10 p.m. particularly in the winter months. He can hear people talking from the courts three blocks away. Also feels lighting the walkways to get to courts at night will create unwanted activity in a currently safe area. Expressed hope that the subject doesn’t come up again. End of public comment. The draft list of goals was reviewed for finalization. Goals will be forwarded to the Director of Finance and IT on November 10 to combine with other Advisory Body goals and reissued to the PRC December 1 for one final look. Director Kiser discussed the goals that were ranked at the last meeting and recommended items 3, 4 and 7 be combined as they are all needs assessments. Also noted that, as there is a Capital Improvement plan for a tennis court at Islay Park that will move forward in two years, the Commission could bifurcate the tennis court project and the lighting or hold off on the CIP and do a needs study to determine best location for courts and lighting. Also suggested eliminating what was item 5, implementing recommendations of the Athletic Fields Needs Assessment, as Council has already directed staff to move forward with implementation of at least the low hanging fruit. Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes November 5, 2008 Page 4 of 7 1-4 Director Kiser reminded the Commissioners that Council may not identify any of the PRC’s goals as major City goals, but they could approve them as CIP’s nevertheless because they have been identified by the PRC. Also noted that last year the Bob Jones Bike Trail was a Major City Goal and would most likely be continued with CIP’s until completion. Commissioner Kincaid noted that by not listing as a goal diminishes the perception of a project’s importance. Commissioners Kincaid and May clarified that what had been goal item 8, the continuance of allocating $20K to the Youth Sports Association through the Joint Use Committee’s (JUC) Facility Improvement Grant Program, will continue to be a goal of the JUC. Remove as it doesn’t fit into the PRC context but note that it is still an item that the PRC supports. There was agreement from the other Commissioners and the Chair asked that it be deleted. Therefore goals would read as follows: 1. Allocate funding to complete the skate park, which includes the development of plans and specifications and construction of the park. 2. Continue to support the acquisition of open space to include funding to complete the purchase of the Froom Ranch transaction. 3. In order to update the Parks and Recreation Element/Master Plan, complete a Community Needs Assessment as a basis for development with special emphasis on the need for a Senior/Community center and tennis courts and associated lighting. 4. Continue work to complete the Bob Jones Trail, in particular with emphasis on the City/County link between Los Osos Valley Road and the Octagon Barn. Director Kiser engaged in more discussion with the Commissioners regarding the Master Plan and clarifying steps involved, using a needs assessment as a road map to update the element, adding weight to future focus. Commissioners Regier, Havas and Kincaid discussed hope that the Needs Assessment goal would help Council in some way to recognize there has already been so much accomplished with regard to the current Parks and Recreation Element, and at this point there is nothing to measure against with regard to what comes next. As such, we end up responding in a piecemeal fashion to the changing needs and personalities of the community rather than with a well-thought out plan for meeting the park and recreation needs of the whole community. Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes November 5, 2008 Page 5 of 7 1-5 Director Kiser explained the Parkland Development Fund. $960K that was designated for synthetic turf has been freed up now for other uses. $680K came from the Four Creeks project, infill projects and unspent funds totaling approximately $850K which she clarified to Commissioners are funds in an actual account that must be spent specifically for parkland development that meets the needs of the new community as they are in lieu fees. Suggested using for skate park as it is a regional serving facility. Would like to ask Council for a 3:1 match from the community. May only use $600K and donations and grants, but would like to let Council know that Parkland development money is available. Feels that with a new Council it is important to hear from the PRC. MOTION: (Havas/Kincaid) Move to accept the goals as rewritten. Approved: 7 yes: 0 no: 0 absent 0 5. Staff Report – Bunte Golf Course Supervisor Todd Bunte gave a slideshow with photos highlighting events of the last year at the Laguna Lake Golf Course. Included were photos of the opening ceremony for Hole # 3 in which construction had started exactly one year ago November 5; the new bridge is in place on Hole #6 after the previous one was condemned seven years ago and the course reconfigured; replacement of the barrier netting originally installed in 1977 and damaged in recent storms has been completed. Also discussed AT&T’s interest in the cell tower and that there is only room for three vendors. AT&T will donate $10K toward roof replacement and improvements to the barbeque lean-to. A business owner has expressed interest in having a concession operation at the golf course but no bids were received in response to the RFP. Speculation is that it was due to compliance conditions for health code standards and the poor economy. Revenues are up 11.3%, cart revenues have tripled and rounds are up 4.8% from the beginning of the fiscal year. Golf Course Supervisor Bunte stated he looks forward to covering direct costs and continues to feel the Laguna Lake Golf Course is the best bargain for local golf. 6. Director’s Report– Kiser Director Kiser briefed the Commission on the following projects: • Skate Park – Second design meeting is scheduled for this Saturday, November 8; presentation to PRC on December 3. • Mitchell Park Senior Center – We’ve had issues with the contractor and don’t expect the renovations to be completed until the end of November. Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes November 5, 2008 Page 6 of 7 1-6 • Golf – Hole #3 dedication went well on October 10; the bridge is in place and will be fully installed as soon as the concrete has hardened completely; we received no proposals in response to the RFP for a concessionaire at the Golf Course; Golf Course Barrier Netting is complete; working with Clearwire, AT&T and Metro PCS on additional cell sites at the course. • Jack House Fence Dedication was held on Monday, October 6. Foundation work has begun; sprinkler system to follow the foundation work. • Howl-o-ween Hoopla was a great success. • The Director attended the CPRS Administrators Workshop in Monterey from Oct 26-29. Excellent sessions on the implications of social networking for parks and recreation, sustainable park development, developing business plans for P&R; Strategic communication solutions; cost recovery and pricing; succession planning • Completed agreement with SLO Throwers for their donation of disc golf facilities. • Roller Hockey rink renovation back on track; review of Ice Court this Thursday, 3:30 at Santa Rosa Park. • Public Art – Buena Vista artist selected by jury; to ARC on December 15 and to Council the first meeting in February; developed a RFQ for the fountain art. • Eight staff attended the CPRS District VIII workshop in Santa Maria on October 24. Good turnout. 7. Committee Reports Commissioners provided the following reports: Tree Committee – Kincaid Joint Use Committee – May Mayors Youth Task Force – Regier Jack House Committee – Hatch Open Space – Havas Golf – Hensinger Commissioner Kincaid gave a brief report for the Tree Committee sharing that they are planning the 2009 Arbor Day for April 25. Commissioner Regier had no report (the next meeting of the MYTF will be November 13). Commissioner Havas had no more to report on Open Space than what was shared earlier by Neil Havlik in his presentation. Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes November 5, 2008 Page 7 of 7 1-7 Commissioner May reported on the Joint Use Committee, stating goals were addressed at the last meeting, as well as discussion on the tennis court lighting issue; choosing to look into further as an ongoing project. Commissioner Hatch reported on the last meeting of the Jack House Committee during which they discussed goals, removing the elevator shaft, and restoring the buggy shed while incorporating fire sprinklers. Next week’s meeting will be just prior to the Docent Appreciation Dinner (on November 12). Commissioner Hensinger had nothing further to report on the Golf Course after Todd Bunte’s presentation. 8. Communications Commissioner Regier shared that the Cal Poly Artificial Turf Project is in process and has a contact available to give a tour of the installation for those interested. Suggested a mid-day meeting on November 14 and, as almost all Commissioners can attend, this will be announced and posted as a Special Meeting of the PRC. Commissioner May announced his resignation from the Commission in December due to time challenges. He emphasized his admiration for all of the Commissioners and their devotion, particularly commending Chair Lemieux for her skill in running the meetings. Chair Lemieux stated she felt the Commission was better for having had him and shared her admiration for Commissioner May and the wisdom shared from his life experiences. 9. Adjourned The meeting adjourned at 9:57 p.m. to the December 3, 2008, meeting of the Parks & Recreation Commission at the Council Chambers. Approved by the Parks and Recreation Commission on December 3, 2008. /S/ _________________________ Martha M.S. Reynolds Supervising Administrative Assistant