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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Parks and Recreation Commission 02/13/2020TO: FROM: DATE: SUBJECT: CITY OF PALM DESERT PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM Rachelle D. Klassen, City Clerk Angie Marron, Office Specialist II March 3, 2020 Submission of Minutes for the Parks and Recreation Commission Attached for your records are the approved minutes of the Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting of Thursday, February 13, 2020. Please let me know if you have any questions or need additional information. Thank you. Attachment (as noted) CITY OF PALM DESERT MINUTES PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION ADJOURNED MEETING THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020 - 8:30 a.m. Administrative-Conference Room - Palm Desert Civic Center 73-510 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert, California 92260 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Paul Murphy convened the meeting at 8:30 a.m. II. ROLL CALL Present: Absent Chair Paul Murphy Commissioner Van Tanner Vice Chair Randy Guyer Commissioner Gerald Dawson Commissioner Kim Housken Commissioner Mary Helen Kelly Commissioner Mike Hardin Ex-Officio Members: Paula Simonds, YMCA of the Desert Kevin Kalman, Desert Recreation District Also Present: Ryan Stendell, Director of Community Development Jennifer Nelson, Management Analyst Randy Chavez, Landscape Supervisor Sabby Jonathan, Council Liaison Angie Marron, Recording Secretary Guests: David Keyes, YMCA of the Desert / Aquatic Center Brenda Nutcher, Desert Recreation District Tammy Martin, Friends of the,Desert Mountains III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS NONE IV. ` CONSENT CALENDAR 1 PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES FEBRUARY 132020 A. MINUTES OF THE ADJOURNED MEETING OF THURSSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020 Rec: Approve as presented Upon a motion by Commissioner Kelly, second by Commissioner Dawson, carried by a 6-0-1 vote of the Commission, (AYES: Guyer, Dawson, Housken, Murphy, Kelly, Hardin; NOES: None; ABSENT: Tanner) the Consent Calendar was approved as presented. V. NEW BUSINESS NONE VI. CONTINUED BUSINESS A. COMMISSIONER ASSIGNMENTS FOR PARK AMBASSADOR PRGM Ryan Stendell followed up with the Commission and stated that this is a first attempt to try and take every park and consider the highlights throughout the year. Mr. Stendell stated that this is an intent to be a helpful guide to the parks that should be visited from January to December. This is by no means set in stone, but felt, that it is a great guideline to start with. For instance Civic Center Park should be highlighted when baseball and softball are going on, Hovley Soccer Park during the early fall months. Mr. Stendell welcomed any suggestions on how parks should be viewed. Chair Murphy asked if- this is an example of how things should- be done moving forward, checking the parks highlighted in designated months. Jennifer Nelson stated that her understanding was that the Commissioners wanted to report on the same three parks every other month. All the Commissioners are encouraged to go to, those parks on the designated months. Ms. Nelson also stated that she is working on putting together a check-list and will get it out as soon ,as possible. Mr. Stendell stated that this is only the first step,'next would be how we want to view the parks moving forward. Commissioner Kelly asked if they are supposed to go to each park and report on it, and engage. with people; would it- be considered an ambassador: Ms. Nelson stated that it is completely up to the Commission if they feel comfortable talking to people. Staff is looking for general observations of the parks, however, if they would like to talk to people and report on their thoughts, staff welcomes it. Ms. Nelson also suggested that this would be a great opportunity to wear the shirts that she has ordered for them when out observing the parks. The shirts have Palm Desert and 2 PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES -FEBRUARY 13r 2020 Volunteer on them, its possible people will see that you are with the City and feel more comfortable approaching you. Chair Murphy asked why the shirts say volunteer and not Commissioner. Ryan _Stendell stated, per Administrative Services, they asked that volunteer be identified on the shirts. Commissioner Housken is agreeable with visiting three parks a month, however, it feels like that would be a lot to report back. Ms. Housken suggested the possibility of dividing the parks instead of multiple reports on the same park. Chair Murphy suggested maybe dividing it into two groups. Ms. Nelson stated that the parks can definitely be divided up. Vice Chair Guyer stated that in the past there wasn't much to report on, the important part is the interactions. Mr. Guyer's goal is to find out about the people that do not go to the parks. Chair Murphy took time to thank Vice Chair Guyer for all of the help and information he has given him, and is very much appreciated. B. AQUATIC CENTER ENHANCEMENT SUBCOMMITTEE UPDATE Ryan Stendell stated that a memo was distributed as a follow up to the two member sub-committee that has been put together on looking at the operations of the Aquatic Center Facility. Jennifer Nelson and the sub- committee members did a great job summarizing items. They put together a staff recommendation utilizing the suggestions, which look at approximately 3to 4 years. All are great ideas, shade is one of the critical missions for the facility. The Chlorking is a backhouse, innovative technology where we can use our facility to make our own chlorine. Approximately $60,000 is spent on chlorine annually, so the payback is pretty reasonable. If there are any specific questions about contemplated ideas, there is a full team to answer them. Jennifer Nelson thanks Paula Simonds, David Keyes, Chair Murphy and Vice Chair Guyer for being at the meetings, giving guidance and hopes to put it all together. Kevin Kalman suggested a new product for the rock wall and zip line feature that's been out for about two years now. The concept is similar to American Ninja Warrior. David Keyes presented a PowerPoint that displayed a Widbit, an idea to implement at the.aquatic center. You can add to it each year, which can be a fun obstacle course for kids. A nice amenity and enhancement that is easy to take down and put up. Sabby Jonathan asked which pool does staff envision using it in. The 50-meter pool, first three lanes, and it would be ran Friday, Saturday, Sunday it would also be part of the entry fee. It can also be added as an extra special event rental for pool rentals and parties. Roughly about $150 to rent, including staffing and life guards 3 PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES FEBRUARY 13. 2020 David Keyes stated that other things staff was looking at ,but were not necessarily placed on the list because of price points ,were zip lines: As seen on the PowerPoint display ,there are two dueling zip lines ' If purchased they would not be side by side .One would be on the deep end of the 50 -meter pool ,and the other in the recreation pool because the minimum depth is 4ft. Another item they were looking at is the rock wall, which curves over the pool and the swimmers can drop into the pool, the weight limit for both of the items is 2501bs .So were looking at attracting middle and high school kids to utilize these amenities .The rock wall would be located at the deep end of the 50-meter pool, so the two diving boards would still be operating along with the two new attractions ,and staffing would not be any different since there is someone already in that area. Chair Murphy asked if the insurance aspect of this is realistic for the proposed attractions. Ms. Nelson stated that it is possible to get the- approval for the insurance. Sabby Jonathan asked why staff is waiting for the 21/22 fiscal year. Ryan Stendell stated it is reality based budgeting ,it can be tentatively moved up if needed .Sabby Jonathan stated that the combination enhancement of the shade structure ,zip line ,the inflatables ,and adding amenities all together add up to $35,000. Ryan Stendell stated that he certainly would not stand in the way ,he suggested that the sub -committee that talked about the enhancements take the lead. Vice Chair Guyer stated that they talked about trying to get as much in the budget as possible, and for the Commission to move forward as quickly as possible . Chair Murphy stated that he would like to move forward with the enhancements this year .He feels that there is competition coming. in that the aquatic center didn't have before ,which may affect attendance. The facility needs something fun and new that nobody else has to keep attendance up. Vice Chair Guyer also brought up that routine maintenance has been put off, which can cause conflict on how much money will be spent on the aquatic center .Ryan Stendell stated there will not be conflict, Council has never declined any requests for aquatic center funding. Mr. Guyer suggested that he would like to have more discussions with the Commission on some of the items on the list. Commissioner Housken would like to talk about the shade structure options. Ms. Housken explained that she envisions the metal roof shade structures, because the facility goes through so many of the fabric ones. Ryan Stendell stated that if we wanted to do something different we can .There are prefabricated structures ,at this point we can fit a descent amount of permanent shade in every year as a recurring project. In over two fiscal years ,we added two rectangles in the middle of the pool, we can now move to the east side where most of the recreation swimming happens, which would be our first recommendation, and continue as funding is available. 4 PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES FEBRUARY 13, 2020 Commissioner Housken asked to see the bigger.splash pad. David Keyes explained that there can be different themes for the splash pad. Ryan Stendell stated that the thought process of what was built there was initially for your infant to toddler use. When you step up to more exciting features, it attracts a wider audience. Most of the summer time users are looking for these types of attractions. Commissioner Kelly stated that the quality of the water is one thing that should be considered, the shade structure and the rest of the list is pretty well prioritized. Vice Chair Guyer stated that the shade structure installation is close to the top of the list. The aquatic center has a problem with shade structures because all they have is umbrellas and they get moved around and he feels it's something that should have been addressed years ago. Mr. Guyer personally feels that it should be addressed in total, and not different sections at a time. Sabby Jonathan asked how the sub-committee envisions utilizing the funds. Is the sub-committee talking about only repairs. Mr. Guyer explained that in the summer time everyone is scrambling looking for umbrellas or shade. Shade structures should be installed. Mr. Jonathan explained that he is just trying to understand that if the City is going to spend money, instead of doing a band aid approach, then maybe we need to look at a true capital expenditure. Ryan Stendell stated that investments in high levels of-shade can be accomplished. Chair Murphy agrees with Sabby Jonathan. The sub-committee should not take the band aid approach. If we don't keep improving what we have, attendance can continue to decline. Sabby Jonathan stated that they are only increasing the first year proposal by $75,000 if they do the shade structure and the zip line into the current year, a $260,000 recommendation. Mr. Jonathan feels that that recommendation would be considered, if not approved. Mr. Jonathan asked, if this would come out of any restricted funds, and Ryan Stendell stated it would not, the reality of the aquatic center fund is when it's in red, it's backfilled by a general fund account. Mr. Stendell is trying to look at reality, and what finance is going to be thinking about, which is, that this is not the only facility that we are trying to improve at the City of Palm Desert. Sabby Jonathan asked the Commission, in terms of priority, if some items are pushed back to next year, is that problematic because priorities for some of the other items can be moved. They chlorine and splash pad are big ticket items, and can be pushed back, and recommend everything else like the recreational amenities for this year. Kevin Kalman asked what the total cost savings is on the chlorine, is it the entire $16,000. Ryan Stendell stated that $16,000 in the first year is an 5 PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES -FEBRUARY 13, 2020 accumulative number that keeps increasing as the facility makes more, its $16,000 plus different numbers that equal the $500,000. The vendor prepared this payback report. It-will pay its self-back within five years, and free up operational expenses. Ryan Stendell reminded the group that this is the kind of tension he warned them about. Sending these types of recommendations forward, puts City Council in a- difficult position. It starts to affect general fund expenditures, and while we have to look at 3 to 5 year budgets, he will take whatever recommendation this Commission gives him. There runs a risk of polarizing and hearing the possibility of "no" on everything. Mr. Stendell stated that his job is to give the group good recommendations, which includes trying to find realistic ways to fund projects. He is doing what was suggested and carrying it forward. Sabby Jonathan made a suggestion to Chair Murphy, he stated that at the end of the day, it is up to the committee to do what feels right. One way to proceed that would be helpful to Council is to present them with a priority list. Upon a motion by Vice Chair Guyer, second by Commissioner Dawson, carried by a 6-0-1 vote of the Commission, (AYES: Guyer, Dawson, Housken, Murphy, Kelly, Hardin; NOES: None; ABSENT: Tanner) the Commission motions to',consider everything on the list, except the concession enhancement, and the sub-committee will come up with the final expanded list for presentation to City Council. VII. OLD BUSINESS NONE VIII. PRESENTATIONS AND UPDATES A.PICKLEBALL UPDATE - Presentation by Staff Randy Chavez addressed the Commission and stated that he put together a PowerPoint presentation with snapshots of the pickleball courts. Mr. Chavez circled back to the shade structures, one of the snapshots were the cantilevers that were drastically delayed, causing the project to fall behind schedule. The good news is they have arrived and put in place. Chair Murphy asked what the cost is for the structures, Mr. Chavez confirmed $30,000 because the footings are much bigger and deeper (5ft x 36in) and that is according to Building &&Safety standards. Mr. Chavez also stated that since the structures are in place, they are getting ready to pour the living room concrete pad. A lot of progress has been made within the last few days to get this project to look like it is 6 PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES FEBRUARY 13, 2020 somewhat close to completion. Half of the courts are striped and resurfaced. The pickleball community previously requested the kitchen area be painted a different color, staff took the request-into consideration and now the courts have three different colors, instead of the traditional two colors. The former skate park has been removed and a new steel picnic shelter has been installed. Another big item that was addressed are lights. There are two new poles on the south side and two more added on the north side with heads on order, which will be LED lights. The California corners were straightened, along with the fence. Items that still need to be completed is the resurfacing on second set of courts. Install the remaining perimeter fence. Change all lighting to LED lights. Install mister systems on the cantilever and shade structure itself. Staff anticipates this project to be done. with the entire construction this month, and the landscape by the. end of March. Commissioner Hardin asked about the total cost for this project. Mr. Chavez stated $330,000, another $25,000 for landscape with a separate contractor. Close to $380,000 in total cost. Commissioner Housken asked if there is a grand reopening event planned. A press release and outreach program to the community can be done. B. SPECIAL EVENTS PARTICIPATION UPDATE & FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES - SPRING CONCERT SERIES Jennifer Nelson- stated that the weekend event was a success, Chair Murphy and Vice Chair Guyer were present. It was a great day, with much traffic. Very inspiring and educational, along with a tremendous turnout. Ms. Nelson discussed with Chair Murphy future events and the possibility of volunteering. One topic was the next upcoming event, The Spring Concert Series in May on Thursday evenings, held at Civic Center. The majority of those folks don't necessarily use the parks, it might be an opportunity to engage with them. Would the Commission consider moving forward with attending special events? Commissioner Housken thinks that it's great and is happy to do the concert series. Vice Chair Guyer spoke to a lot of visitors that weren't aware that the aquatic center is available to the public. Chair Murphy received a lot of compliments about the City of Palm Desert. Tammy Martin suggested having a booth at the wildflower event that draws about three to four thousand people. Kevin Kalman stated that new maps will be up on March 28th for the new DRD website. PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES FEBRUARY 13, 2020 Commissioner Housken suggested QR codes that can be scanned and linked to.our trail maps. C. FAMILY YMCA OF THE DESERT Continued to March D. 'DESERT RECREATION DISTRICT Continued to March E. FRIENDS OF THE DESERT MOUNTAINS Tammy Martin stated that her crew cleared the rock pile that was covering a dog sign at one of the local trails. Ms. Martin also gave an update on the Indio Hills trail that (will be opening on March 20th. The Wildflower Festival is coming up on March 7th and is looking forward to seeing everyone there. IX. COMMISSIONER ,COUNCIL -LIAISON, AND STAFF COMMENTS Brenda Nutcher commented that a hotel concierge contacted the DRD and asked if Adam Sandler and a friend could come in and play basketball. Staff agreed as long as they sign the waiver and pay the drop-in fee. Needless to say, all was agreed to and they played with a group of locals. X. ADJOURNMENT With unanimous consent of the Commission, the meeting wa adjourned at 9:50 a.m. 8