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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPARKS & REC CMSN - 04/17/07 -,�- ,� ��.._ .! CITY OF PALM DESERT ����� PARKS 8� RECREATION COMMISSION � � MINUTES ., . APRIL 17, 2007 I. CALL TO ORDER Chair Randy Guyer convened the meeting at 8:35 a.m. II. ROLL CALL Present: Excused Absence Chair Randy Guyer Commissioner Julie Munson Vice Chair Terry Schukart (Munson on Leave of Absence) Commissioner Phil Babcock Commissioner Michael Barnard (8:40 a.m.) Commissioner Daniel Barnes Commissioner Roger Dash Commissioner Gerald Dawson Commissioner David Garcia Staff Present: Robert Spiegel, Councilmember Janis Steele, Parks & Recreation Services Manager Jay Niemczak, Parks Maintenance Supervisor Monica Loredo, Administrative Secretary III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - None IV. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS - None V. PRESENTATIONS A. DESERT SANDS UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT (DSUSD) PALM DESERT HIGH SCHOOL REMODEL Ms. Peggy Reyes, DSUSD, and Mr. Roger Clark, Ruhnau, Ruhnau, Clarke, presented the Palm Desert High School remodel. (A copy of the Power Point presentation is located in the Development Services Department) 1 PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES APRIL 17, 2007 Ms. Reyes thanked the Commission for allowing the District to present the plan for the reconstruction of Palm Desert High School, which has been in the planning stages for over five years. The District has been looking at modernizing the school and increasing the size of classrooms, which could be very costly. She stated that the School Board decided for a few dollars more, there could be a brand new school that everyone could be proud of. The District contracted with Mr. Clark to design the facility. Ms. Reyes stated that the new school would be built on the current ball fields. Once the school is completed in 2011, the old school would be leveled and new ball fields would be built. Mr. Clark presented the plans for the campus. He noted that the main entrance would change from Phyllis Jackson Way to Aztec Way with the front doors being off Cook Street. The swimming pool and the football stadium would stay in the same place, but they are looking at artificial turf for the football field due to some technical issues. He also noted that they are tripling the size of the performing arts building. Mr. Clarke commented that the campus would have a lecture facility that would have seating for 90 persons. The gymnasium would have three courts, dance room, dressing room, weight room, fitness rooms, and lobby. He noted the schedule for the construction of the new school, which is pretty much on target at this time. They hope to go out to bid by the end of the year, awarding the bid in January 2008, start construction February 2008, and a completion date of July 2011. Commissioner Dawson asked how many students would the new facility hold. Ms. Reyes replied 2000, which is the current capacity. The new facility would provide functional classrooms that are adequately siied. Commissioner Babcock asked if there would be plenty of parking. Mr. Clark responded that parking has increased from 375 spaces to 525 spaces. Commissioner Dash commented that the main entrance has moved to Cook Street. He asked if there is going to be too much traffic on Cook Street. Mr. Clark responded most of the students are already utilizing Cook Street. He added with the traffic signal that was installed on Cook Street, traffic is being routed through Aztec Way. Ms. Reyes added that the interior circulation has also been greatly improved. Commissioner Babcock asked the District about the land owned by the City. Ms. Reyes responded that the land is owned by the District and is leased to the City. She noted that during the construction the ball fields would not be available. Once the project is complete the City would lease the ball fields for continued use. 2 G:IDevServiceslMonica LoredolWord DafalParksBReclMinutes12007 Minutesl4-17-07.min.doc PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES APRIL 17, 2007 Councilman Spiegel commented that the City has worked very closely with DSUSD. He stated that there would be ball fields available at Freedom Park during the construction of the school. Commissioner Barnes asked how many students are currently enrolled in the school. Ms. Reyes replied approximately 1,900. He asked what cities the students are from. Ms. Reyes responded that they are from Palm Desert, Indian Wells, a portion of Bermuda Dunes, and a portion of Rancho Mirage that is in the Desert Sands boundary. Commissioner Barnes asked Ms. Reyes if the District anticipates how many students they would have by the year 2020. Ms. Reyes replied that the District has done some projections. The area within the District boundary in Palm Desert is pretty much built out so they do not anticipate going over 2,000. The north area of Palm Desert that is being built would be in the Palm Springs Unified School District boundary. Commissioner Barnes asked if students could decide which high school to go to. Ms. Reyes replied that the District tries to honor as many requests as they can. Mr. Clarke presented a virtual tour of the campus. Chair Guyer asked about the road going around the ball fields. Ms. Reyes replied that the road is Fred Smith. Councilman Spiegel interjected that the road is one that already exists. Commissioner Dawson clarified that the pool would be virtually unchanged. Ms. Reyes replied that was correct. Commissioner Dawson asked if the pool is utilized during the nights and weekends. Ms. Reyes responded that she did not know, and that another department handles the use of facilities. Councilman Spiegel commented that the YMCA and the Coachella Valley Recreation and Park District (CVRPD) utilize the pool during the summer. Councilman Spiegel thanked DSUSD for what they have done for the City of Palm Desert. The remodeling of the Palm Desert Schools has been remarkable. Ms. Reyes added that DSUSD is using the Palm Desert Redevelopment increment to help build the new Palm Desert High School, without the increment they would not be able to do it. The Commission thanked the District for their presentation. 3 G:IDevServiceslMon�ca LoredolWord DatalParks&ReclM�nutes12007 Mmutesl4-17-07.min.doc PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES APRIL 17, 2007 VI. NEW BUSINESS - None VII. UNFINISHED BUSINESS - None VIII. REPORTS AND UPDATES A. PARK MAINTENANCE CONTRACT Ms. Steele reported that the she included a copy of the park maintenance contract in the agenda packet as an informational item. She mentioned that in the past there were two separate contracts for park maintenance (LMA 3 and LMA 5). One contract would cover parks and the other would cover ball fields. This year, Staff worked on combining both contracts and tightening them up in hopes of receiving a good bid. The contract is out to bid with opening bids scheduled for May 9. Staff hopes to have a new contractor in place by July 1, 2007. Ms. Steele also mentioned that the new Freedom Park and University Parks had to be added to the contract. Two University parks are going to be completed this fiscal year. The neighborhood park with the community garden is estimated to be turned over to the City in November and the dog park in December 2007. She explained that Ricardo Torres is the Senior Maintenance Worker that oversees the maintenance contract. Ernie Owens is a maintenance worker that oversees all of the irrigation systems. Ernesto Teran and Jose Torres are also maintenance workers with one that inspects the ball fields and the other inspects the parks. She commented that the only problem was not having enough trucks, but trucks would soon be available so that they could do their job more efficiently. Commissioner Dawson asked if the additional parks affect the existing employees. Ms. Steele responded that it does affect the employees; they were part of the process. Commissioner .Babcock commented that the contract is one of the best that he has seen. He asked if the contract was too big that there would not be as many bidders. Ms. Steele commented that is the first time that they have put both contracts together. In the past, one contractor has bid for both contracts. She mentioned that Staff has handed out five bid packets. Mr. Croy interjected that compared to ten years ago there are four times more landscape contractors today. Commissioner Dash asked how many employees are in Parks Maintenance. Ms. Steele responded that besides Mr. Niemczak and her, there are four maintenance workers. 4 G-IDevService5lMonica LoredolWord DatalParksBReclMinutes12007 Minute514-17-07.min.doc PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES APRIL 17, 2007 Commissioner Dash asked how Staff handles an emergency. Ms. Steele replied that it depends on the emergency. Sometimes Staff could call the contractor if it is something that they are responsible for, but ultimately Mr. Niemczak and Maintenance Staff respond to an emergency immediately. Chair Guyer added that in some areas of the contract it states if the contractor is available in the event of an emergency. B. FREEDOM PARK GRAND OPENING COMMITTEE MEETING Ms. Steele stated that the Freedom Park Committee would be meeting immediately following the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting. IX. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS Chair Guyer commented that Commissioner Dawson has put together some key points regarding the aquatic center. Councilman Spiegel thanked Commissioner Dawson for putting the key points together. He stated that he believes there is a misunderstanding from the residents as to what the Commission was trying to accomplish and what the Commission was trying to create. The Commission was not trying to create a Soak City or trying to create something where people could not afford to go to. The Commission was trying to create something with water where people could go to and enjoy. He feels that the residents and some members of the City Council misunderstood the aquatic center. Commissioner Dawson commented that he is assuming that all of the Parks and Recreation Commission would be attending the next City Council meeting when the topic of the aquatic center comes up on the agenda. He thought it would be a great idea for each Commissioner to address the Council for a maximum of two minutes to emphasize points that might have been misunderstood. He stated that he has provided a list of topics that the Commission could choose from. Vice Chair Schukart stated that he supports Commissioner Dawson's idea. He would like to talk about topic point number five. Chair Guyer commented that he agreed with Councilman Spiegel. He stated that it was simple for the Commission, but the Commission might have presented the aquatic center to the City Council incorrectly or in a way they did not understand it. Commissioner Barnes mentioned that there is a misunderstanding concerning the competition between Soak City and the City of Palm 5 G.IDevServiceslMonrca LoredolWord DatalParks6ReclMinutes12007 Minutesl4-17-0I.min cbc PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES APRIL 17, 2007 Desert. He noted that the City competes everyday with the golf courses, tennis courts, etc. He feels the competition is not an issue. Chair Guyer responded that the issue with the Commission is just building a pool for lap swimming and swim lessons during the summer that does not look fiscally responsible to the Commission. For that reason, the Commission decided to add amenities to make it work. Chair Guyer added that the City will spend a lot of money to build a lap pool, but if that is the direction the City Council wants to go that is what they would vote on. Commissioner Barnes stated again that he does not feel they are competing economically with private enterprises. The City does it everyday whether it is aquatics, tennis, or golf. Commissioner Garcia asked if there is any indication that there is any room for a negotiation or wiggle room for the vote on the aquatic center. Or does the Commission continue to pursue a course of action that they feel is correct and the City Council simply would vote it down. Is the Commission going to be accused of being petulant children? Chair Guyer responded no because the Commission functions as an advisory committee. All the Commission could do is advise the Council. Ms. Steele stated that the she just completed the staff report for the City Council meeting, which was very difficult. She indicated that she would send a copy to the Commission. She continued to explain that the difficulty of the staff report was the recommendation to the City Council so it did not sound like they are going against the Council, which is not the intention. The recommendation in the staff report is to reconsider their decision or in the event they do not want to reconsider their decision, Staff recommends not building the pool or look at building a pool as part of a new community center. Ms. Steele stated that it gives the City Council some options. Chair Guyer again referred to the minutes from the City Council minutes that state the motion from the Council. He noted that the Commission just has to present the aquatic center in a different way. Councilman Spiegel commented that Ms. Steele presented to the City Council what she had build in the Missouri in a town that is 1/3 the size of Palm Desert per his request. He indicated that during the budget process he is going to request that funds are added to the budget to begin planning for a similar facility to be built in Palm Desert. If there were not enough interest from the other councilmembers, he would not want the Commission to spend the kind of time that has been spent on the aquatic center. If there were an interest, the new community center would be the Commission's next challenge. 6 G:IDevServiceslMoNw LoredolWord DatalParksBReclMinute512007 Minutesl4-17-07.min.doc PARKS 8 RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES APRIL 17, 2007 Commissioner Barnard commented that the Commission has to be careful on how it is presented to the City Council. He feels that there are good points that were presented by Commissioner Dawson, but maybe there should be one speaker that would represent the Commission. Councilman Spiegel interjected that the vote was 2-3. There are two people that the Commission does not need to talk to. Chair Guyer stated that he would call and make an appointment. Commissioner Garcia mentioned a facility in Marina Del Rey called Mother's Beach. The facility is in a part of the marina where there is no waves or boat traffic. The area is a place where parents could bring their toddler's to the water's edge and slowly bring them into the water. He stated that this was the most popular feature in the marina. He feels that in a community pool, that it is a necessary function. Commissioner Barnes asked how many of the City Council members have visited the facility in Vista, California, which is suppose to be one of the best municipal facilities in the State of California. Councilman Spiegel responded that to his knowledge none. He added that he believes none of them, including him, have visited Soak City. Commissioner Barnes commented that anyone that is interested in an aquatic center should visit the facility in Vista to get an idea of what is involved. One of the big issues is going to be how much it going to cost the City to subsidize this type of facility. He recommended a day trip to Vista. Commissioner Garcia commented that he wanted to follow up on Commissioner's Barnard suggestion, and maybe one person could meet with the Council so that is does not seem like the Commission is ganging up on them. He asked if it was fair to ask for one person to meet with the City Council. Chair Guyer agreed with Councilman Spiegel's suggestion to meet with the three members of the Council to discuss all the points mentioned on the list. He stated that he would meet with the Council, and asked for any Commissioners that are available to make the City Council meeting to please attend. Commissioner Dash agreed that there should be a pre-meeting. Chair Guyer asked if he should be concerned if he meets with the three councilmembers then run it by some Commissioners. Mr. Croy responded 7 G:IDevServicaslMonica LoretlolWord DatalPa�ksBReclM�nutes12007 Mmutesl4-17-07.mm.doc PARKS 8� RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES APRIL 17, 2007 that he could only meet with two councilmembers otherwise it is a quorum, and it would have to be announced as a public meeting. Mr. Tanner, Planning Commissioner, suggested that Chair Guyer and Commissioner Dawson meet with the councilmembers since Commissioner Dawson was passionate enough about the pool to put a list of topics together. Those topics should be discussed during the meeting. Mr. Croy clarified that the meeting with the Council is to educate them. The Council is not going to answer or give an opinion during the meeting. Chair Guyer asked the Commission if there is anything that they would like to add to the list to let him know. Commissioner Babcock asked if there is money in the budget to take the Council to Vista. Ms. Steele responded she would be happy to organize it if the Council is willing to go. Chair Guyer asked if Staff could look into getting information on possibly visiting Vista or check if they have a virtual tour. Ms. Steele responded that would be easy. She mentioned that she could contact Ken from Arc Pac, designer of the pool, to set them up with the people from Vista. She added that she also has a contact at Soak City. Commissioner Dawson commented that he was not sure if he could meet with Chair Guyer and the Council. Commissioner Barnard mentioned that he would be available if Commissioner Dawson could not make it. He also suggested having material showing a map, the fees, and how big Soak City is available before the meeting with the three councilmembers. Councilman Spiegel suggested nominating Johnny Bench for the Senior Games since he lives in the desert. Chair Guyer responded that the Commission has tried in the past to honor him at the Senior Games, but charges a fee. Commissioner Barnes communicated that he is still very much opposed to the current concept of the aquatic center at the College of the Desert. Chair Guyer displayed and announced an award that the Boy Scouts has given the Commission for letting them use the park. s G:IDevServiceslMonica LoredolWord DatalParksBReclMinutes12007 Minutesl4-17-O7.min.cbc PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES APRIL 17, 2007 X. ADJOURNMENT Upon motion by Vice Chair Schukart, seconded by Commissioner Barnard, and unanimous vote of the Commission, Chair Guyer adjourned the meeting at 9:35 a.m. - - � Monica Loredo, Recording Secretary 9 G:IDevServiceslMonica LoredolWord DalalParksBReclMinufes12007 Mmufesl4-17-07.min cbc