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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1992-04-08 PRC Regular Meeting Agenda Packet woo woo AGENDA PALM DESERT PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 1992 9:00 A.M. - COMMUNITY SERVICES CONFERENCE ROOM 73-510 FRED WARING DRIVE *************************************************************************** I . CALL TO ORDER II . APPROVAL OF MINUTES: February 26. 1992 III . DISCUSSION ITEMS: A. CIVIC CENTER i . Dog Park ii . Croquet/Shuffleboard/Horse Shoes/Boccie Ball iii . Park Facility Usage iv. Baseball Fields IV. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS: 1 . Any person wishing to discuss any item not otherwise on the agenda may address the commission at this point by stepping to the lectern and giv_inq his/her name and address for the record. Remarks shall be limited to a maximum of five minutes unless additional time is authorized by the commission. 2. This is the time and place for any person who wishes to comment on non-hearing agenda items. It should be noted that at commission 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. V. ADJOURNMENT DECLARATION OF POSTING 1 . Donna Bitter. of the City of Palm Desert. do hereby declare that the foregoing agenda for the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting on Wednesday. April 8, 1992, was posted on the bulletin board by the outside entry to the Council Chamber. 73-510 Fred Waring Drive. Palm Desert, Friday. Anr i i 3, 1992. Oat _ April 3. 1992 e50k/ DONNA BITTER Senior Office Assistant City of Palm Desert rrrr441110 tfdriP' oete INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM RECEIVED CITY OF PALM DESERT M A R 1 1992 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT D"tPARTMr_N? CITY nr PAIM D`cSFRT TO: Carlos Ortega, ACM/Redevelopment Director FROM: Richard J. Folkers, ACM/Director of Public Works SUBJECT: DOG PARK DATE: March 12, 1992 When Tom Theobald came aboard, he indicated the City of Larkspur had a dog park. so I asked him to provide me with some background information so we could discuss this idea. We have been receiving several complaints from park users concerning the amount of dog feces deposited by larger dogs throughout the park. Also, our employees, who are required to clean this up, are not particularly happy about it even though it is part of their job. Attached is a copy of a memo from Tom Theobald regarding this matter, which could be something we could consider for inclusion in certain areas of the park. It is suggested that this matter be reviewed by the Civic Center Construction Committee, and if it is the consensus of the committee that this item is to be pursued, and I hope it does, then perhaps this can be brought up at an Executive Management Team meeting later. We have put up signs stating "Owners please cleanup after your pets" at the Haystack Linear Park because of the residents' dogs deposits on the turf. RICHARD J. FOLKERS, P.E. RJF/rh Attachment cc: Ray Diaz Gregg Holtz Rudy Acosta G. Alan Smith Tom Theobald Eric Johnson Frank Gonzalez R 'tor Nee To : Richard J . Folkers , ACM/Director of Public Works , From: Thomas Theobald, Maintenance Services Manager C �-- Re : Dog Park Date : March 8 , 1992 The new Civic Center park is designed to be a playground for people and has become a great success . One of the popular uses of the park has been to allow people to exercise their dogs in a safe, pleasant environment . We don ' t enforce leash laws and the owners run their dogs in the large grassy areas available . The unfortunate side of this is that the owners , as a rule , do not clean up after their pets . There are no "pooper scooper" laws that I am aware of in Palm Desert and if you ask the owners to clean up their deposits , the conversation usually turns confrontational . This problem has been escalating with increased usage . It is unhealthy, attracts other pests , and distracts from the aesthetic appearance of the park . I experienced this same problem up in Marin County a few years ago . Our main park was about 25 acres of mostly turf area and was very popular with dog owners . It got so bad after a while that the person mowing the lawn started wearing a rain coat . A war started between the dog people and other people using the park, especially the softball and soccer leagues . The Parks and Recreation Director finally got fed up with the complaints and asked me to come up with a location and design for an area devoted strictly for dog usage . I used the following criteria for my selection : 1 . The area should be at least a half acre in size to allow the animals enough room the exercise . 2 . The location should be a fringe area so as not to interfere with other activities . 3 . The location should be close to a parking area so the dogs won ' t do their business between the car and the park . 4. Scoopers and designated receptacles would be provided inside the park . 5 . The park would have a 6 foot chain link fence with a gated entrance and an additional large gate for maintenance equipment . tit 6 . A 500 square foot concrete pad would be built at the entrance . There would also be a hose bib with a short hose to wash off the animals and provide drinking water. 7 . Benches for the owners . 8 . A non—functional fire hydrant would be at placed in the center of the park on a small concrete pad . Sprinklers were set to wash the hydrant at least once a day. 9 . Shade trees for the hot weather . 10 . The park would be sloped to a concrete v—ditch, which would drain into an underground system. This would help remove contaminants . The park turned out to be a great success . The pros far outnumbered the cons in mitigating the problem. I feel this may be an excellent way for Palm Desert to solve our situation . The only other solution I can think of is to pass a "scooper law" and provide enforcement . I asked G . Alan Smith and Rudy Acosta for ideas on a possible site for the park . They both suggested either the present site of the Day Care Center at the end of San Pablo Ave . or the abandoned baseball field north of the construction trailers . These sites are out of the way of any recreation facility and offer excellent nearby parking . Costs for the park in Marin were about $18 . 000 . Half was funded by local dog lovers and the other half from the Humane Society . Most of the money went for fencing and the sprinkler system. I hope you will take this into consideration . If you need anymore information on how this evolved in Larkspur, please let me know. I could also ask them to send some photos if you think it would help . 'tour Nome g ©o�v oR Alin DesericR --..ia E3N� 73-510 FRED WARING DRIVE, PALM DESERT,CALIFORNIA 92260-2578 TELEPHONE(619)346-0611 FAX(619)340-0574 NOTICE OF ADJOURNED MEETING OF THE CITY OF PALM DESERT PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Regular City of Palm Desert Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting scheduled for 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 25. 1992. was adjourned to 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 8. 1992 due to a lack of quorum. ill leakf )1 RAMON A. DI DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNING March 20. 1992