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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCivic Center Recreation Facilities San Pablo Frontage • CITY OF PALM DESERT DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT MEMORANDUM TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL FROM: JEFF WINKLEPLECK,ASSOCIATE PLANNER DATE: APRIL 24, 1997 SUBJECT: CONCEPTUAL SITE PLAN FOR CIVIC CENTER RECREATION FACILITIES (ROLLER HOCKEY RINK, SKATE PARK, AND RELOCATION OF DOG PARK) I. RECOMMENDATION: That the City Council approve the conceptual site plan and direct staff to proceed with the design/estimate phase for each of the projects. II. BACKGROUND: On March 12, 1997, both the Parks and Recreation Commission and Civic Center Steering Committee reviewed and recommended approval of the conceptual site plan for the proposed civic center recreation facilities at the San Pablo Avenue frontage. The plan includes relocation of the dog park to the vacant area north of the drive entry near the YMCA, construction of a skate park at the current dog park location, and construction of a roller hockey rink south of the skate park. The popularity of roller hockey,in-line skating and skateboarding has grown over the past few years among the citizens of Palm Desert(primarily youth)and continues to grow. There are currently no established skateboard or roller hockey areas. Skateboarders and in-line skaters are opportunists and often make use of the Civic Center Amphitheater,park benches,planters along El Paseo and curbs just about everywhere to show off their skills. The recharging station area has often been used by roller hockey players as a make shift rink. The skate park would assist in keeping skateboarders away from retail centers and other public space by providing a quality facility specifically designed for the sport. The roller hockey rink would provide a permanent location for both youth and adult team play and practice. It would also provide an area for the inline skaters to practice turns, stops, and other basic moves without competition for sidewalk space from walkers, joggers, baby carriages, dogs and other activities that are typically found on the Civic Center sidewalks. • • MEMORANDUM CIVIC CENTER RECREATION FACILITIES APRIL 24, 1997 III. DISCUSSION: A. DOG PARK RELOCATION: Relocating the dog park to the vacant are north of the drive entry will allow the skate park and roller hockey rink to be located adjacent to each other. This will make supervision of both facilities easier and will help minimize overall lighting costs. the previouslyapproved expansion area to accommodate will include dogparkP The new pP smaller dogs and training.It will also include improvements such as low level lighting and double entry gates as requested by current users. This layout was projected onto the vacant area and there is some additional space available that can be incorporated in the dog park without much additional expense. The total area of the new park will be approximately 33,600 square feet. The new facility will be open prior to the shutdown of the existing park. B. SKATE PARK: The skate park will be designed to minimize visual impact with the majority of the facility being below grade. There are two options as to the type of facility that is typically operated by cities. The first option is secured and supervised like the City of Temecula's skate park. The second option is open and unsupervised similar to the facilities in Yucca Valley and Huntington Beach. If the facility is to be secured and supervised, a wrought iron fence 8-10 feet in height will be installed at the project's perimeter. Staff recommends a secured and supervised facility. The project will be constructed of concrete for maintenance and durability. Lighting is proposed to allow for evening use. The design will accommodate throughadvanced in-line skaters and skateboarders.Approximately 35,650 square beginning Pp gaining feet of area is available for the skate park. C. ROLLER HOCKEY RINK: The roller hockey rink will consist of a 185 foot by 85 foot regulation rink with coated chain link fence screening(similar to a tennis court)to a maximum height of 12 feet. The facility will include spectator seating,player benches and penalty boxes. Lighting is also proposed for this facility. 2 MEMORANDUM CIVIC CENTER RECREATION FACILITIES APRIL 24, 1997 The rink will be set back approximately 60 feet from San Pablo Avenue which will allow for substantial landscaping to help buffer the project. There is also some question whether the rink should be secured and supervised. Staff recommends that the rink be open and available for use when the park is open much like the basketball courts and tennis courts. D. COST ESTIMATES Based on a similar project constructed by the City of Temecula,the following are estimated construction costs for the skate park and ROLLER HOCKEY rink: Skate park facility $175,000 ROLLER HOCKEY rink $100,000 Lighting $ 50,000 These estimates do not include design and construction document costs.These costs typically range from 10 to 15 percent of the total construction budget. The estimated cost for removal of the existing dog park amenities and construction of the new facility including irrigation, over-seeding, fencing, etc. is $50,000. Landscaping is not included in this estimate. E. LIABILITY AND INSURANCE: Liability is often the first concern of city officials when skate parks and roller hockey rinks are mentioned as possible projects.. Staff also has concerns and has pursued information relative to injuries,claims and safety. The facilities at Temecula,Huntington Beach, Garden Grove, Yucca Valley and Encinitas reported the following information: City Reported Injuries Claims Temecula 2 0 Huntington Beach 3 0 Encinitas(YMCA) 22 (roller hockey, 6 mo. period/2961 participants) 1/withdrawn Garden Grove 1 (roller hockey only, 2 facilities, opened 1989) 0 Yucca Valley 1 0 3 MEMORANDUM CIVIC CENTER RECREATION FACILITIES APRIL 24, 1997 As can be seen from the above information, the number of injuries and claims are much lower than one might originally think. In fact,the City of Huntington Beach indicated that they have more accidents on the softball diamond than in the skate parks and the City of Garden Grove stated that they receive the most injury reports and claims from tennis players using public courts. In 1988, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) ranked sports and recreation equipment on a means severity index which ranges from 10 to 2516(10 being the least severe) and measures safety. Skateboarding was given a score of 34, compared to 70 for bicycles and 335 for swimming pools. Since then,technological developments in safety equipment and skateboard design have helped to further reduce the number and severity of skateboard injuries. On March 28, 1997,Ken Weller and I met with Mr. Johnathon Shull, a representative from California Joint Powers Insurance Authority (CJPIA) to discuss the facilities. Mr. Shull indicated that CJPIA will insure the facilities and recommended the following: 1. A parental release form must be completed by parents on behalf of minors and all participants must sign a hold harmless/agreement not to sue with the release being developed and approved by the city attorney. 2. A log should be maintained that verifies participants have completed the necessary documentation. 3. Before minors can participate in the program,they should complete a training course and demonstrate minimum acceptable skill levels. 4. All participants must wear protective clothing and equipment including safety helmets, elbow pads,wrist guards and knee pads at all times. 5. Recreation staff needs to be present at all times and closely monitoring the park's activities. Staff should wear some form of distinctive clothing to identify them as monitors. Law enforcement should be on-site as often as possible. 6. Program staff need to ensure that all non-participants are not allowed to congregate in the skating areas to minimize the potential for contact or collisions. Staff and law enforcement should work to discourage congregation of non-participant youths at off-site locations adjacent to the program lot. 4 MEMORANDUM CIVIC CENTER RECREti 1 ION FACILITIES APRIL 24, 1997 7. Program participants' bicycles, skateboards, etc. should be stored in an area away from public access routes to minimize potential trip and fall claims. The representative stated that these types of activities do involve risks for the City, and CJPIA does not recommend that cities participate in these activities. However, if we choose to participate, the City should transfer the risk and liability to the greatest extent possible. F. OPERATIONS: The YMCA has indicated that they would like to run the roller hockey leagues and supervise the skate park. Staff will work with the YMCA to produce a memorandum of understanding which will specifically address maintenance, insurance and fees. Mr Jerry Hundt indicated that during scheduled roller hockey league play and practice, the YMCA's insurance would cover the facility. He is also investigating insurance coverage for the skate park. rhb V) * yy m n w yy.�rt by boci•‹1 i io o �c (;2• m rrn `' tri to Cif to t+f 0 ►r) 0-30 . FHH CACAH tz < Q° m o H-4 H'-3 J 7. ggrr f1° Ch Z C) O d co F-, d •• d dR rt▪ n O O 'b n Prepared by: rt a „y = z t• ~' 8A' V, N• t--. 0 '�H ✓n .w (p z H o N r c- z 0' o N- :d .. Reviewed and Approved by: o `D < rt� y • y �aa t CD (D rt 0 M H 0" r• M" f.. w ov (D � 7J Attachments: Plans and Exhibits x 0 `- , JW/db rt n �'• rt 0 z� cm b rt 0 7C" r-d O CD p7 H HC ~H.' G'0 CD rt rt) wm m r;y rt rh..0 ,_ x 5 O N r tom"'' b n w V Ill I I-, q 0-C' w m * a rh O 0 a rt rn H. n rt rt (D CD CD rt (D a APR-17-97 THU 15:25 ICHILL MGMT. GROUP FAX NO. 6195689 P,02 • RECEIVED April 17, 1997 '97 APR 17 PfT 4 38 Palm Desert City Council CITY CLERK'S OE City of Palm Desert 73-510 Fred Waring Palm Desert, CA 92260 Dear Mayor and City Council members: It has bccn brought to my attention that the City is considering constructing an in-line skating area and roller hockey rink in Palm Desert's city park. I think this is a great idea and I am in complete support of the project. These are very popular activities. Unfortunately, there are very few places that people can skate without being a danger to themselves or others. As you know I manage a number of commercial properties on El Paseo and we have a constant problem with skaters disrupting this retail environment. I believe that if an area is set aside in our park for skaters these people would congregate there instead of in areas such as on EL Paseo. I strongly recommend approval of this project. Very truly yours, David Fletcher A:ILTTCrONS.DOC t' ( 1 30 00' ... )') , 0441 ,„ ,-,.to-V,' '1-- N 14,- W t,-- , v.,,,, A' 4;• fi-- • . , -,, , to, Al. _.....7 ,, I -—111111111111111111111111111111,.— -- —011111111111111111111111111111 . , , t . . • . 1 1 1 T , 1 , i j. — , 1 i— ._ , 1 . . p , -- _ _ 1 1 - I I_ 1 i I c= =, - - i) -- L__ (-------, L. ; i LF111 , 1 . 1 , , . 1 , ,,, , i , i , . 11 „ , 1 , 1 ; ; LII , : , . . L, L.)1 - - 1 ,_-_,-ea -,•,,,:: iii, ......., -,.. , :: ' N i .... •=:,..,•-r------;*. 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