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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-05-18 PRC Special Meeting Agenda Packet RECEIVED RECEIVED • ri' LHL DESERT re OFFICE CITY OF PALM DESERTDDESERT, CA OFFICE cr; i AY 13 AM II: /NARKS AND RECREATION �Ibi IigIC1i II: 24 // POSTED AGENDA Tuesda Ma 18 2010 —8:30 a.m. a �;�/,.��' v, v ,. 3i'-f�. ;.:`. Administrative Conference Room DE ��`'973 . I. CALL TO ORDER II. ROLL CALL III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS Any person wishing to discuss any item not on the agenda may address the Parks and Recreation Commission at this point by giving his/her name and address for the record. This is the time and place for any person who wishes to comment on items not on the agenda. It should be noted that at the Parks and Recreation Commission's discretion, these comments may be deferred until such time on the agenda as the item is discussed. Remarks shall be limited to a maximum of five minutes, unless additional time is authorized by the Commission. IV. CONSENT CALENDAR A. MINUTES OF THE PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING OF TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2010 Rec: Approve as presented Action: V. NEW BUSINESS — NONE VI. OLD BUSINESS A. AQUATIC CENTER PROJECT VII. CONTINUED BUSINESS A. SUMMER SCHEDULE VIII. PRESENTATIONS AND UPDATES - NONE PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION AGENDA May 18, 2010 Page 12 IX. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS X. ADJOURNMENT I hereby certify under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing agenda for the Parks and Recreation Commission was posted on the City Hall bulletin board not less than 72 hours prior to the meeting. Dated this 13th day of May 2010. rL�Y� rtha A. doodzalezAecordin ecretary 2 G IPubWorksLLandscape Services Div sanWARKS and REC COMMISSIONIAgendas12010 Parks Rec age,dasl05-78-10 Agenda DRAFT do, CITY OF PALM DESERT �'•'�': PRELIMINARY MINUTES PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION s- 4 /14 REGULAR MEETING ''9 44-E ate' 0�14 •- "��� =� ...... f TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2010 CALL TO ORDER Chairman Dash convened the meeting at 8:30 a.m. II. ROLL CALL Present: Absent Chairman Roger Dash None Vice Chair Randy Guyer Commissioner Phill Babcock Commissioner Michael Barnard Commissioner Jerry Dawson Commissioner Deborah Hall Commissioner Kim Housken Commissioner Terry Schukart Commissioner Christopher Thomas Staff Present: Mark Greenwood, P.E., Director of Public Works Bertha A. Gonzalez, Recording Secretary H. Spencer Knight, Landscape Manager Beth Longman, Administrative Secretary Ryan Stendell, Senior Management Analyst John M. Wohlmuth, City Manager Guests: Barb Adair, Desert Recreation District Craig DeWitt, Desert Recreation District David Erwin, City Attorney Jim Foote, Bureau of Land Management Stan Ford, Desert Recreation District Robert A. Spiegel, Councilman Van Tanner, Planning Commission Liaison Gina Tenorio, The Desert Sun Jan Harnick, Resident Tatiana Hinkle, Desert Recreation District 1 PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION PRELIMINARY MINUTES May 4, 2010 III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS NONE IV. CONSENT CALENDAR The Commission requested that item B, Aquatic Center Update, and item C, Vandalism, be removed from the Consent Calendar and added to Old Business under item A and item B in order to be open for discussion. A. MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2010. Approve as presented Upon a motion by Commissioner Guyer, second by Commissioner Dawson, and 9-0 vote of the Commission Board, the Consent Calendar was approved as presented and the items were removed from the consent calendar and opened for discussion under Old Business, items A and B. V. OLD BUSINESS A. AQUATIC CENTER UPDATE In a previous meeting, the Commission approved the preliminary concept of the Aquatic Center that will be constructed in the Date Grove off Magnesia Falls. Some of the Commissioners were under the impression that their approval of the project was not final and that other possibilities for that area were being considered. One of the concerns was the lack of space for recreational amenities, which are used to offset the cost of the pool. In addition, the Commission did not have a good understanding of the 60°/o cost recovery; therefore, they did not believe this recovery to be attainable. Mr. Mark Greenwood clarified that the Commission's approval of the project was not conceptual and the Aquatic Center Steering Committee, which includes some members of the Commission, has moved the design of the project forward. He also stated that a consultant firm has been hired to do a fee study that will determine a fee structure that will allow the 60%- 80% cost recovery that the City Council set. Staff informed the Committee that the design of the project is scheduled to be completed by the end of May. A Request for Proposals (RFP) for the management of the pool is scheduled to be issued at the end of July. At that time, a more conclusive fee structure and cost recovery percentage will be determined. 2 PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION PRELIMINARY MINUTES May 4, 2010 The Commission considered the project because they believed that adequate staff was involved, but due to the recent staff changes, adequate staffing has become a concern. A clarification of the Commission's role with this project, their involvement with the play structure's height concerns and ability to review the draft fees was requested. Due to the aforementioned, the Commission requested to add to next meeting's agenda a discussion of the Aquatic Center process. Chairman Dash mentioned that at the joint Planning-Council meeting, a slide of the Aquatic Center design was presented and requested for it to be shown to the Commission. Informational item; no motion required. B. VANDALISM As discussed at a previous meeting, the Commission requested an update on the potential installation of cameras in City parks. Mr. Greenwood stated that staff is still in the process of reviewing that possibility. Sergeant Buompeisero, who came in representation of Lieutenant Shouse, pulled some statistics from Sheriff's data warehouse. The report, which ran from February 1, 2010, through May 1, 2010, was as follows: • Freedom Park - received 46 calls; 1 for vandalism • Civic Center Park — received 62 calls; none for vandalism • Hovley Soccer Park — received 74 calls; 1 for vandalism and 2 for arson Sergeant Buompeisero reminded the Commission that these statistics are not 100% accurate and that any known vandalism should be reported to the Sheriff's Department. Mr. Greenwood informed the Commission that vandalism in the parks has recently settled down; nonetheless, the Citizens on Patrol have added the parks to their rounds and code compliance officers inspect the parks on Saturdays. Commissioner Housken commented on a purse snatching incident at the Soccer Park, asking if this was a new wave of crime or an isolated incident. She also mentioned that the manner in which the police handled the situation was disappointing. Sergeant Buompeisero had not had any reports of this kind; therefore, he believed it to be an isolated incident. He also asked that any time the Commissioners witnessed the police mishandling an incident, to please immediately report it to the Sheriff's Department so it can be addressed. 3 PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION PRELIMINARY MINUTES May 4, 2010 Commissioner Babcock inquired on the status of Sheriff's Department personnel due of the lack of patrol vehicles circulating the City parks. According to the Sergeant Buompeisero, there has been no loss of personnel; on the contrary, the deputies are conducting extra patrol, especially around the parks. Informational item; no motion required. VI. NEW BUSINESS A. PARKS AND RECREATION RE-ORGANIZATION Mr. John Wohlmuth, City Manager, gave an update on the City's budget. This year, the City expected to have $46 million in expenditures and $42 million in revenues; this is down from a high of $56 million in 2007. Over the last two years, the City cut in expenditures $10 million, and this year an additional $4 million needed to be cut. Part of the $4 million was made up with money that was transferred from the general fund to the revenue account, ultimately ending with a $2.4 million deficit. The City then transferred $500,000 from other accounts, made $500,000 in expense cuts from each department and $1.3 million in staff cuts. Included in the staff cuts were eliminating positions from Human Resources, Finance, Public Works Inspections and Planning, and Parks and Recreation. Mr. Wohlmuth stated that the City of Palm Desert is mainly a contract City and that one of the areas looked at in terms of efficiency was the Department of Parks and Recreation. This area was under a system that had a manager managing another manager, who was managing a supervisor, who was supervising four inspectors that were inspecting three contracts. The City considered this system to be very inefficient. Following the staff cuts, the Landscape Services Division took over the inspections of the parks contracts. Mr. Ryan Stendell is overseeing the administration portion including the Parks and Recreation Commission, and Mr. Spencer Knight is overseeing the technical aspect, including facilities. Mr. Jay Niemczak, Parks Facilities Manager, is now mainly in charge of facilities and Mr. Ernie Owens, Parks Inspector, deals with irrigation issues. The contracts have also been restructured in order for the landscape inspectors to be able to better manage the workload. Councilman Robert Spiegel stated that the City is a city manager form of government, which means that the City Manager reports to the City Council while everyone else reports to the City Manager. In addition, he stated that the City is not having the issues other cities are having with their reserves because it has been careful to invest in the reserve fund. The City of Palm Desert has enough reserves to operate with little or no revenues for one year in case of a major catastrophe. 4 PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION PRELIMINARY MINUTES May 4, 2010 Questions and comments included: • What percentage of the budget is spent on the maintenance of the parks? Approximately 4% or $2 million. • What surplus does the City have? Approximately $60 million in general fund reserves. • What other type of reserves does the City have? Retiree health fund and a park capital reserve. • Is there a law that requires a certain amount of reserves in the general fund? No. • What does a contract City mean? The City contracts out for fire and police for example, while other cities are full service cities; they have their own police, fire and parks. • How are the landscape inspectors handling parks inspections with no previous experience? Mr. Knight reminded the Commission that Parks used to be under the Landscape Services Division, and that most of the landscape inspectors were involved in the development of the parks. In addition, the Landscape Division had more playground inspectors than the Parks Department did, so they do have experience in dealing with park issues. • Park inspectors would sometimes attend this meeting to introduce themselves and present a status report. Commissioner Housken found this to be useful and asked if the landscape inspectors could do the same? Mr. Greenwood reminded the Commission that due to staff reductions, the inspectors' workload has increased significantly; therefore, they do not have the time to come in for the meetings. But any questions and/or concerns the Commissioners might have can be addressed by Mr. Knight. • Who does the Commission send their status reports and/or other information to? Mr. Stendell will be the point of contact. Mr. Stendell also requested the Commission's patience and input through this process. • What will happen with the items that needed to be accomplished by the Commission (e.i. Bike Trail and North Sphere Activity Center)? Mr. Greenwood informed the Committee that the original staff is still in charge of the Bike Trail and the North Sphere Activity Center can continue to be reviewed by the Commission. • Commissioner Babcock asked the Commissioners to spend more time on their assigned parks. He stated that instead of once a month, the parks need to be inspected every two weeks. 5 PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION PRELIMINARY MINUTES May 4, 2010 Some of the Commissioners expressed concern on the status of the Commission after the Parks Department's staff cuts, stating that other cities have deleted their parks department and the conditions of their parks have diminished. The Commission was also concerned with how the situation was handled and stated that City staff could have had better communication with the Commission about the changes that were being implemented. Mr. Greenwood asked the Commission not to take this re-organization as a way for the City to deviate from its commitment to the Parks and Recreation. He assured the Commission that the condition of the City parks will not diminish; on the contrary, they will improve. Information item; no motion required B. SUMMER SCHEDULE The Commission added a second meeting in May and decided to discuss the summer schedule at that time. C. CITY / BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT PROPOSED MUNICIPAL CODE AMENDMENTS In October of 2008, the City approved a Coachella Valley Multiple Species Conservation Plan and a main element was a very specific trails management plan for the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains. Currently, the municipal code is not in line with the management prescription trails plan; making it difficult to manage and enforce rules, since they change as they cross multiple jurisdictions. Mr. Jim Foote of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) handed out an outline that highlighted all of the areas where the City's ordinances are in conflict with state, federal, and multiple species habitat conservation program guidelines. Mr. Foote recommended a series of code amendments to the parks ordinances that will bring consistency to all the ordinances. Questions and/or concerns included: - Commissioner Babcock expressed his concern with the inconsistency of the dog-on-leash ordinance and the disappearing of signage. Mr. Greenwood stated that concurrently with the revision of the code, the Public Works is working on a vandal-proof sign that will prevent the signs from disappearing. - Councilman Spiegel inquired on who will enforce the code. Mr. Foote answered that the BLM officers are in charge of enforcing the codes. 6 PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION PRELIMINARY MINUTES May 4, 2010 - What is the penalty for violating the code? Statements ran from $50 to $800. - Councilman Spiegel asked if the BLM and CA Fish and Game agree on everything. Mr. Foote responded yes Upon a motion from Commissioner Dawson, second by Commissioner Guyer and a 9-0 vote of the Commission, staff was directed to submit the amendments to the ordinance to City Council with the Commission's recommendation to approve. VII. PRESENTATIONS AND UPDATES A. PRESENTATION BY DESERT RECREATION DISTRICT REGARDING THE INTERNATIONAL SPORTS FESTIVAL Mr. Stan Ford of the Desert Recreation District distributed an Economic Impact Study of the 2010 International Sports Festival, which was held from Thursday, February 4, through Sunday, February 7, 2010. Councilman Spiegel inquired on who will be honored in next year's event. The Commission will discuss this item in the meeting of June. The preference for someone in baseball was noted. B. PRESENTATION BY DESERT RECREATION DISTRICT REGARDING SOAP BOX DERBY The City's first Soap Box Derby was held on Saturday, February 21, 2010, at Gateway Drive between Dinah Shore Drive and 35th Avenue. The event included 21 racing families (9 locals and 12 out-of-towners). Commissioner Housken inquired whether changing the event from two days to one day had an impact on the number of participants. Ms. Tatiana Hinkle informed the Committee that it did have an impact, but the change had to be done because of the cost of the street closure and the feedback that was received. Commissioner Housken expressed her concerns with last year's approval schedule. She became concerned when the item was added to the City Council's Agenda as an urgency item. This action could have let the City Manager believe the Commission did not take the necessary steps to have the event in place. Commissioner Housken wanted the record to reflect that the Commission voted on this item in the January 5th meeting, although the proposal reflected a December date. Ms. Hinkle stated that first contact for this year's event was done in August of 2009, but in order to avoid delays, she would like to present a full proposal for next year's event in the July or August meeting. She also mentioned that they are looking into changing the location to C Street because of its S Shape. Commissioner Guyer inquired if the event PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION PRELIMINARY MINUTES May 4, 2010 could accommodate 100 people. Ms. Hinkle responded that it will then become a 4-day event. C. FAMILY YMCA OF THE DESERT None D. DESERT RECREATION DISTRICT Mr. Ford informed the Commission that Palm Desert High School is constructing a new high school that included a new gym. The old gym was going to be demolished, but they are negotiating to have it available for use by the Parks and Recreation District. They proposed to use the gym after 3:00 p.m. during the school year weekdays and all day on weekends, spring break, and summer. VIII. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS — Due to changes to the Parks and Recreation personnel and the number of calls received from the Commissioners, Chairman Dash and Commissioner Housken requested a meeting with the City's Mayor, Cindy Finerty. Chairman Dash thought it would be best get direct clarification from the Mayor on the situation and address the gossip that had been circulating. Chairman Dash opened the meeting, held on April 22, 2010, by being critical of the manner on which the personnel actions were implemented and how news of those actions was disseminated. He expressed his feeling of embarrassment reading the news in the Desert Sun and not receiving an official notification or advice on how these changes will affect the organization, management and operation of Parks and Recreation. The only communication he had received via email was a copy of a Public Notice of Meeting Cancellation for the April 6 meeting. Chairman Dash questioned who had cancelled the meeting and should he have been informed, advised, or consulted. The Mayor informed the Commissioners that the dismissal of the Manager of Parks and Recreation was an action initiated and executed by the City Manager and that most of the duties had been assigned to Mr. Stendell. The Mayor also stated that she expects the Chair of this Commission to assume a strong involvement in Parks and Recreation activities. She expects a strong recommendation regarding the management of the new Aquatic Center, including their involvement with the Aquatic Center Subcommittee and the development of the Commission's Agenda. She stated that there are no plans to relocate Parks and Recreation Department from the domain of Public Works and asked the Commission to discuss items pertinent to contractual issues between the City of Palm Desert and the Desert Recreation District. Finally, the Mayor assured the 8 PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION PRELIMINARY MINUTES May 4, 2010 Commission that the City Council values their recommendations and hopes that they will continue. In conclusion, Chairman Dash requested the distribution of the status information sheet, which included an update on Commission's past motions and recommendations, to be resumed. - Commissioner Thomas reminded the Commission of the Mandatory Ethics Training and that anyone that attended the training needed to submit their Certificate of Compliance to the City Clerk. He attended the meeting in Cathedral City and found it to be very informative. Commissioner Dawson reminded everyone that a two-hour training course can be taken online. - Commissioner Thomas stated that the USA Pickleball Association (USAPA) had issued a press release proclaiming the week of June 1-7 as International Pickleball Week. He will like the Commission's support in taking this item to the May 27, City Council Meeting to make proclamation that will concur with the City's support of activities that promote health and exercise. He proposed to do a free clinic for anyone over the age of 10 for Pickleball on Saturday, June 5th from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. The Desert Recreational District would only have to provide an informational flyer to the residents; everything else will be provided by him. - Commissioner Housken asked for opportunity to discuss the March Parks and Recreation Conference in the next scheduled meeting. - Commissioner Hall requested information on what are the duties of the Parks Ambassador, how they are employed and how the City uses them. She requested for this item to be added to the agenda of the next scheduled meeting. IX. ADJOURNMENT With no further business or discussion, and with the Commissioners' unanimous concurrence, the meeting was adjourned at 10:14 a.m. Bertha A. Gonzalez, Recording Secretary 9