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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Library Promotion Committee 10/21/2015CITY OF PALM DESERT REGULAR MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE APPROVED MINUTES Wednesday, October 21, 2015 — 3:00 p.m. Administrative Conference Room 73-510 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert, CA 92260 1. CALL TO ORDER Chairman Kermode called the meeting to order at 3:02 p.m. II. ROLL CALL Present: Member Lois Cardona Member Joan Beasley Member Marilyn Hahn Member Ella Manor Vice Chair Bobbie Rosenberg Chairman Louise Kermode Also Present: Sabby Jonathan, Councilman Rachelle D. Klassen, City Clerk Sherry Martinez, Desert Zone Manager, Riverside County Libraries Lisa Brock, City Librarian Kaz Akers, Palm Desert Library Special Events Coordinator Eileen Strain, Palm Desert Library Volunteer Coordinator Ryan Stendell, Senior Management Analyst Grace L. Mendoza, Recording Secretary III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS None APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING OCTOBER 21, 2015 IV. CONSENT CALENDAR A. MINUTES of the Palm Desert Library Promotion Committee Meeting of February 18, 2015. Vice Chair Rosenberg noted two clerical typos, which will be corrected on the final version. Upon a motion by Member Beasley, second by Member Cardona, and 6-0 vote of the Committee (AYES: Beasley, Cardona, Hahn, Manor, Rosenberg, and Kermode; NOES: None), the Minutes of the Library Promotion Committee Meeting of February 18, 2015, were approved, as corrected. V. NEW BUSINESS A. PRESENTATION ON THE CITY OF PALM DESERT GENERAL PLAN UPDATE BY PRINCIPAL PLANNER TONY BAGATO. Senior Management Analyst Ryan Stendell stated he would be providing the presentation in place of Mr. Bagato, and his intention was to brief the Committee on some of the exciting things that the Planning Department is working on for the City. He explained that the General Plan is a very detailed plan that covers everything the City wants to do over the next 20 to 30 years. The General Plan was kicked off in 2014 after completion of the Strategic Plan, which was a very extensive public outreach process; it's a thinner document, but includes a vision of the larger picture. There were a lot of concepts that came out of the Strategic Plan in 2013, one of them being that something had to be done with Highway 111, and another was the desire for retail shopping that complimented El Paseo, but not necessarily at the same level. Therefore, the City kicked off the General Plan Update with two big areas to cover: the downtown Highway 111/San Pablo District and college area at the north end of Palm Desert. For today's presentation, he concentrated on the Highway 111/San Pablo District, which is the biggest part of the General Plan. In talking about a City center, they are looking at transforming Highway 111 into a boulevard, not changing the way it works, but making Palm Desert a stopping point. He said the focal point is Highway 111/San Pablo intersection, because San Pablo Avenue is the gateway to the Civic Center and Arts Corridor, noting there is a lot of residential on either side of the street. For the first time in a very long time, and as part of this process, planners and 2 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING OCTOBER 21, 2015 traffic engineers are turning their focus back on pedestrians. For many years cities directed their attention to moving the largest amount of cars through towns, but now Palm Desert is looking at obtaining a better balance of transportation modes that include bicycles, golf carts, etc., along with enlarging the parking supply, which tends to be the most important thing a City can do to help development. He displayed photographs of restaurants that included patio dining, large sidewalks for walking, interesting plazas to stop and sit, different array of housing types, public places, parks and recreation, areas for kiosks within the public realm, stating these things can define what a city is to a lot of people. One photograph in particular showed what looked to be a very fun party, which was taken a boulevard in Lancaster, California. He said staff visited this site and learned that during the day the street functions as a two-way street, and at night it can easily be shut down to hold weekly block parties, and it's turned out to be a wonderful space for the community. He pointed out that many of the surrounding buildings were completely remodeled, encouraging developers to buy property there, and it's turned into something very special. In updating Palm Desert's General Plan, separate bicycle facilities are becoming very important, which falls under the public realm and areas the City can control. Chairman Kermode inquired about the San Pablo Community Gardens and whether or not they would remain. Mr. Stendell replied that the Community Gardens are good community spaces, so they will be embraced and kept at the forefront. In fact, the City is retrofitting them with new beds. He went on to illustrate where the El Paseo Corridor and the San Pablo Corridors are located, pointing out that local shoppers will walk half a mile without noticing. So in terms of El Paseo, one can walk from Monterey Avenue to San Pablo, which would be an easy stroll. Therefore, improving the four corners at San Pablo is the main focus; it is where the City wants to create opportunities for patio dining, bicycle spaces, plazas and seating areas. Another aspect slated for improvement is the frontage roads, stating they are a tremendous asset if managed correctly. As they exist now, there is a lot of maneuvering going on; but by standardizing how to get in and out of the frontage roads, people will know where they are going. Therefore, the City is suggesting increasing the sidewalk width substantially, creating a one-way street on each side of the frontage 3 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING OCTOBER 21, 2015 road, keeping the diagonal parking, and providing dense layers of trees. He said these changes will create an inviting pedestrian experience for the Highway 111 area. By giving back some space to the retailers and businesses, patio dining will be encouraged with outside benches and chairs that aren't available currently. Responding to comment, he agreed there are pros and cons to some of these changes; however, the City has 20 years of proof that the frontage road is not being used for retail. Currently it is heavy on office use and light industrial in some cases. Therefore, if the community is saying they want a more inviting pedestrian experience, which is the direction staff has been tasked with, some of the changes he's talked about will need to be incorporated. Councilman Jonathan asked for information about the protected bike lanes. Mr. Stendell went on to show slides that illustrated Highway 111, pointing out that Palm Desert was blessed to have a wide highway; a normal lane is 10 or 11 feet wide. He said staff is very excited at the possibility of having bike lanes on both sides of Highway 111, along with layers of trees making it an inviting area. The goal is to try to get people to come to Palm Desert instead of trying to rush vehicles through town. Councilman Jonathan concurred, adding that Highway 111 has been a major artery for getting people from east to west, but now people can use Fred Waring, Frank Sinatra, Gerald Ford, and Country Club Drive instead. Therefore, the idea is to make Highway 111 a street that enables people to come to Palm Desert, especially the City core, rather than having vehicles just pass through. People may think that the City is messing up the traffic there, but that's the intention. The City plans to transform Highway 111 to include everything that has been shown and mentioned, as part of the General Plan vision. Mr. Stendell added that most people traveling from either side of the Valley will use Fred Waring Drive because it's a faster way to get through, and it needs to be used to the City's advantage. The plan is not to take capacity away from Highway 111, but enhance its appearance. Staff is also considering gateway signage directing traffic to key areas like they have in Palm Springs. Responding to question about any changes to El Paseo parking, he said there were 12 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING OCTOBER 21, 2015 no plans to change it at this point. He shared that he's been with the City for 14 years, and a couple of times people have brought up ideas of how to change El Paseo, but staff gets resistance from retailers, because they claim that parking is needed on the street. There have also been ideas to take the street down to one lane each direction, etc., but nothing has ever materialized. Member Rosenberg asked that the City be sensitive to signage visibility, because when a tree branch is blocking the name of the street, it wasn't good for business. Chairman Kermode inquired about the roadways behind the stores on Highway 111, stating they were in terrible condition. She asked if they were private streets. Mr. Stendell said they were not private streets, and the City currently has a project in process to improve that entire area called "Alessandro West," (formerly known as "Alessandro Alley"). He said the City is redoing the streets and adding parking; therefore, it was a short-term problem. He went on to display photos of Highway 111 as it exists today and a photo simulation of Highway 111 with buildings as high as 56 feet on both sides of the highway, including anchor arches that make a statement. The City's consultant understands that residents are sensitive to height, but if Palm Desert wants any sense of place, higher buildings need to be considered for framing that place; one-story buildings do not make that possible. He displayed slides that had three-story buildings on both sides of Highway 111 to show how height can be afforded in some areas, specifically in the main intersections where emphasis is desirable, like at Monterey/Highway 111, San Pablo/Highway 111, and Portola/Highway 111. Next he showed slides of San Pablo Avenue as it exists today, which got staff talking about a concept called a "Road Diet," meaning there is too much asphalt concentration, and San Pablo is where the City wants to take a little of it back and give it to the pedestrian, bicyclist, or shopper. This was another instance where the City can significantly increase the size of the sidewalks for pedestrians, encourage outside dining opportunities, a dedicated bicycle lane, parking on both sides, and a large median that can be used for people to sit and read or hold events similar to what was done on Lancaster Boulevard. He said this large event space can be designed specifically to where the streets can be shut down easily and used as a community space. 5 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING OCTOBER 21, 2015 Chairman Kermode asked if the public had a say in all this, specifically about the three-story buildings with a tower. Mr. Stendell explained that the committee for the Strategic Plan, which kicked the City off toward this direction, included more than 100 residents and businesses. Then once the City started the General Plan Update, the City hosted three community workshops specifically on the topic of Highway 111. He said meetings were advertised in The Desert Sun and posted publicly. Also, the meetings were held in the evening hours to not conflict with work. Initially there were about 50-60 attendees, and at the third meeting there were 30-40 attendees. He said there was a lot of interest and excitement for the potential on Highway 111 and agreement for making changes to specific areas, keeping in mind the mountain vistas and the importance of blending in with the natural terrain. Therefore, staff felt it had a significant amount of input. Ms. Klassen added that Mr. Stendell's presentation is part of the outreach, stating staff was asked to have this presentation given at all the various committee/commission meetings to gather comments from the different areas of the City. Mr. Stendell said he meets monthly with the technical working group, which is comprised of a couple of Councilmembers, Planning Commissioners, and City staff. He said the group is updated on how these presentations are received. Therefore, if anyone had a desire to say something, he would be glad to take comments and sensitivities back to the working group. Ms. Klassen pointed out that all this information was preliminary, and there will be public hearings at the City Council meetings, adding that the City was still formulating the Plan. Mr. Stendell went on to cover other topics, such as the parking supply around President's Plaza, City hot spots, and the increase of trees for shade. Responding to question about the timeline for implementation, he said the City was still in the draft planning phase. The General Plan should be ready for the public hearing process in January 2016 and could be certified in April. Once the document is complete, there is an implementation manual that sets up the priorities. He said everyone's idea of what is most important was N. APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING OCTOBER 21, 2015 centered on San Pablo Avenue and Highway 111. However, getting to construction was several years off. Councilman Jonathan explained there are aspects that were out of the City's control, because it wouldn't be the City constructing all the buildings, stores, or condos. Ultimately, a private developer will be doing the building, but the City can incentivize the developer to build the City's vision. For example, on the north side of Highway 111, which sits much lower than the rest, the City can build higher than has been allowed in the past, and it can easily go three stories, or even four, and get a higher density. Or the City can spend some money for parking so that the developer didn't have to, stating the City had to get creative because it no longer had Redevelopment Funds like it did for the Aquatic Center, Flood Control, Sheriff's Substations, etc. As mentioned by Mr. Stendell, there are spaces the City controls like streets, roads, sidewalks, and certain other areas, but the rest of the development would be up to the developers to invest. The City can only provide ways to make it cost effective, giving developers enough of a return, or incentive, to move forward with the City's vision. Mr. Stendell stated it was thanks to City Council for giving staff the tools to accomplish the vision, one being a very innovative approach of obtaining a developer -based economist to review development strategies. The economist has reviewed them, made some suggestions, and has told staff exactly what a developer will be looking at for return on investment, giving the City a thumbs -up on what he has reviewed. Additionally, staff is checking its numbers to ensure the vision pencils out. Councilman Jonathan commented that people frequently tell him Palm Desert is the best City in the Valley. He said it was attributable to the talented staff working behind the scenes. As an example, the City created a vision and staff brought in an economist at the early stages to ensure the vision is economically feasible, which was genius because so many cities have failed to do this. He added that many cities have had a vision but couldn't attract developers or investors, because it didn't pencil out, so the whole exercise was wasted. He said Palm Desert city staff was ahead of the curve by calling in an economist to ensure the vision was economically sound for developers. It was that kind of work and thought that creates such great results. He said the vast majority of the City's 50,000 7 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING OCTOBER 21, 2015 residents don't know what goes on behind the scene to create such a great City Member Beasley asked about other monies besides City funds that can be used for the proposed changes. Mr. Stendell explained that the challenges to a developer can be parking lots and drainage, because it eats into the amount of real estate they can build on, which equates to how much they can charge for rent, etc. Therefore, staff is looking at strategies to help alleviate the cost of infrastructure improvements, which is part of the incentive process. He said staff will also continue to research federal funds and grants. Councilman Jonathan shared that the CV Link was close to San Pablo Avenue and not out by the highway like many people think. He said $75 million of the $100 million that is required has already been accumulated, because CVAG is creatively going after grants that are available. He said there are grants specifically for creating pedestrian ways, bicycle lanes, and Neighborhood Electric Vehicle pathways, because they reduce air pollution, create healthy people and help them avoid health issues. He said the City will not leave any stone unturned. Mr. Stendell concluded his presentation and thanked the Committee for their input. VI. CONTINUED BUSINESS None VII. OLD BUSINESS None VIII. REPORTS AND REMARKS A. Council Liaison (Councilman Sabby Jonathan) Councilman Jonathan thanked Lisa Brock for the tour of the Library, stating he was so impressed with everything that's happening there. He said they are so creative and responsive to the APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING OCTOBER 21, 2015 community, and he's very proud now that he understood more fully what is being accomplished. B. Librarian (Lisa Brock) Ms. Brock said that this month they picked up the children's programming after a break for the summer. They will have pumpkin carving next week with the teens, which is something that's been done for quite a few years. She said they provide the pumpkins and carving utensils; it was a good way for kids that might not be able to carve them at home to get it done for free at the Library. They will also have a Halloween Party next Wednesday, a bubble show revolving around a science -theme program. Also scheduled is a Harry Potter Party for teens. Going into November, they are starting a book club for teens that will meet once a month, noting that if they attend the entire program, they will be able to enter a drawing for a grand prize. She said they are also starting the Teen Pod Cast, where teens will make recordings about what is going on at the Library or make book reviews. This is a program where they will offer volunteer hours for those who need them. The program will give experience in a new technology and promote the Library by sharing its programs. The Children's Programming will continue with Baby Story Time and Preschool Story Time once a week. For the evening program, they are doing a movie the first Wednesday of the month; second Wednesday is the ABC's of Cooking; and third Wednesday of the month is Lego Mania, which has been very popular. The final Wednesday of every month they do a show bringing in a performer; it's the program where most families and kids are involved. She said there was a big jump in circulation last month because the La Quinta Library was closed for the whole month of September, and she's hoping they were able to pick up some of their customers. Responding to question about the teen's book club, she said they will be reading a different book. She added that Kaz Akers talked to the adult book club about the idea of making some changes, but there was a strong reaction against it. However, there is the possibility of adding another book club, because the knitting club is not as popular as it used to be and was held twice a month. Therefore, going forward it may only meet once, and at that time, new offerings can be explored. 9 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING OCTOBER 21, 2015 Member Manor stated she's been part of a book club for a long time, and they all read the same book, which was quite wonderful because everyone has a different take. She couldn't understand the benefit of everyone reading different books and then having a chat. Member Beasley pointed out that the same book may not be available for 10 or 15 people. Member Kermode added that people can draw from other libraries to get the book. C. Special Events Coordinator (Kaz Akers) Ms. Akers said she just started her ninth month at the Library, and it's been such a pleasure to be working with Lisa, Eileen, and staff. In response to the book club, she said it was wildly popular, and the reason it was popular was because there isn't one like it in the entire Valley. Secondly, they have enthusiastic conversations about the books, stating Eileen Strain could confirm what she was saying. She said the group introduces each other to books that one may never have thought to read. For her, it's been the best book club she's ever been involved with, and if another book club wants to start, she welcomed it. However, she couldn't start it herself, because by the first of next year she will have a total of eight programs. She said all the programs are exciting, but she has to juggle them around because of the high use of the community room by the teens and outside groups. She has reduced the knitting club to once a month instead of twice a month, and in place of that, they are doing a pilot project for three months called "Color Your World," coloring for grown-ups. This past Wednesday there were 27 people attending, and they colored mosaics, mandalas, animals, etc., noting that it has a calming effect. When she was visiting a family member who was being treated for cancer at the City of Hope, she saw patients doing this type of coloring. She also heard her predecessor Robin Stewart started a coloring program at the La Quinta Museum. Ms. Brock was gracious enough to have her run with it, and people love it. Research shows it's a stress reliever and also akin to meditation, which she has been teaching for 21 years; it also stimulates the amygdala in the brain. She went on to report that the "T for Titles" Book Club is a very loyal group that keeps growing every week. However, TED Talks is not yet the most 10 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING OCTOBER 21, 2015 popular program, mainly because people can get it on-line; although at yesterday's showing, the three who attended talked for 45 minutes. She called attention to the green brochure, which is the Library's most popular series every year from November to March where they run two programs, Chefs Table and Sunday Sounds. The Chef's Table is 14 weeks long on Thursday's at 2:00 p.m. at the Palm Desert Community Center. She has brought in restaurateurs, chefs, and culinary experts to give demonstrations, Q & A, and tasting at every event. As a former restaurateur, this has been very exciting for her, and she has a great roster this year. Sunday Sounds is held on Sundays and the program is 12 weeks long. She said they have local professional performers; the program gives locals a platform to showcase their talent. The roster includes amazing people from a jazz vocalist to hot swing, and the Palm Springs Gay Men's Choir is coming back. On Memorial Day weekend they did a movie screening of Unbroken with 56 people attending. Since it went well, she will be starting a monthly program called Silver Screenings where they will screen a recently released film starting in January. Lastly, she has a program called "Write On" on the fifth Tuesday of the month, so there are only four of them this coming year. It's a writing program she will be facilitating herself as a published writer. This program will be opened up to writers, self published, and writers who want support, knowledge, or to network. She shared she has amazing support from staff, the volunteers, heads of teams, and it was going well thus far. D. Volunteer Coordinator (Eileen Strain) Ms. Strain reported on the Public Library Statistics for the period of March to September: - Total volunteer hours 1,834 - Total volunteers 230 - Books for Home Bound 163 (22 books for July) - July, August, and September for teen volunteers hours alone was 619 She noted the numbers started going down in August because school started, so the volunteer hours were only 221 and in September the hours were 103. She said a big thanks should be given to Alice Co, Natalie Bernhardt, and Sean Corbin for doing 11 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING OCTOBER 21, 2015 such a marvelous job. She said that with all the work being done, it was going to be a successful 2016.. Lastly, she announced that the Director of the Segovia Assisted Living facility called her to start a home -bound book club for about 15 to 20 residents living there. The referral came from a 94-year old resident there to whom she provided a book in September. E. Friends of the Palm Desert Library (Joan Beasley) Member Beasley handed out the Friends of the Palm Desert Library Financial Status Report. She said the beginning balance in January was $31,900, and under the Income category, she broke down the internet sales and cash donations. She said a donation box was recently installed in the book sale area, along with posters. She added that staff does a great job of promoting and handling the purchases, and the volunteers do a wonderful job of keeping the new book room organized. She also noted the expenditures were broken down by categories. One of the main purposes of Friends is to support the Children's Program in the summer, and the other is to help the seniors by paying for the large print book collections, which came in every month. Membership remains about the same. There is a new lighted display case right around the corner from the book room, in honor of Mr. Erin, a volunteer who passed away two or three years ago. She said the City generously supported getting that display case, and they have received some donations to put a plaque up in Mr. Erin's memory. Responding to question about the $1,700 expenditure for "I Read," she said it was a County program. Ms. Brock explained the check was made out to a new company that provides the theme and materials for the Summer Reading Program, stating this was the second year they were using them. Further responding, she confirmed the expenditure was just for the Palm Desert Library. Ms. Martinez added that this company is out of Illinois, and all the library branches throughout Riverside County use them. She said the summer craft books are provided by I Read, but for years it was American Libraries Association (ALA). Member Rosenberg thanked Friends for the collection of videos, stating she and her husband rented most of them. HK APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING OCTOBER 21, 2015 Member Beasley replied it was a good program because all the money feeds back in from the rentals. F. Staff 1) Ms. Klassen thanked everyone for their attendance, and reminded everyone there would be a group photo taken at the end of the meeting. 2) Ms. Martinez announced La Quinta Library just reopened after their $1.2 million renovation; they were closed for the month of September. The renovation was in anticipation of their 40th anniversary, which will be celebrated in November. She said there will be six new pieces of public art to be added along with landscaping, etc. She has also been attending meetings in Coachella, because they will be getting a new 15,000 square foot library in the downtown section. For next summer, the theme will revolve around STEM and STEAM. The STEM is for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, and the STEAM component includes Art. A month ago they had a very successful Staff Training Day where a number of various workshops were provided; staff from the Palm Desert Library presented. She said it was a day for all Riverside County employees to get together and cheer. Also, the County received a grant for $37,000 for a new 3D printer program for six libraries; one per supervisorial district will be installed. They anticipate bringing 1,000 people in per site to make 3D objects and get familiar with the new technology, and then it will move to the next library. She said all libraries in the zone will be exposed to this new printer, and Cathedral City will be the first to experience it. Chairman Kermode asked if the Book Mobile was still available. Ms. Martinez said it was, stating La Quinta renewed their contract for five years and requested an additional book mobile stop in north La Quinta. She added that Donna McCune from the Indio Library has given her notice of retirement after 40 years; she is one of the longest members of staff and will be moving to Montana. 13 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PALM DESERT LIBRARY PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEETING OCTOBER 21, 2015 G. Group photo of the Library Promotion Committee All members gathered to take a group picture. IX. ADJOURNMENT Chairman Kermode adjourned the meeting at 4:25 p.m. Gra7-e L. Mendoza, Recordi g Secretary 14