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HomeMy WebLinkAboutParks & Rec Cmsn - 12/16/08 ,•-�► � CITY OF PALM DESERT �—�—� PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION � � MINUTES DECEMBER 16, 2008 I. CALL TO ORDER Chairman Dawson convened the meeting at 8:30 a.m. II. ROLL CALL Present: Absent: Chairman Gerald Dawson Commissioner Julie Munson Vice Chair Michael Barnard Commissioner Phill Babcock Commissioner Roger Dash Commissioner Randy Guyer Commissioner Deborah Hall Commissioner Kim Housken Commissioner Terry Schukart Staff Present: Bob Spiegel, Mayor Homer Croy, ACM for Development Services Janis Steele, Parks & Recreation Services Manager Jay Niemczak, Parks Facilities Manager Ryan Stendell, Senior Management Analyst Monica Loredo, Administrative Secretary � Guests: Van Tanner, City of Palm Desert Planning Commission �, ,; Stan Ford, Desert Recreation District `"' =� � � � � Craig DeWitt, Desert Recreation District �; � � Barb Adair, Desert Recreation District � ` p ` � Tatiana Hinkle, Desert Recreation District z � - v Laura McGalliard, Desert Recreation District p ' : Rob Ballew, Family YMCA of the Desert F � Gina Tenorio, The Desert Sun j � w v� Q 3 U w � � �� �" = G n � ? � C ,., L r, c Gz; � T � O C > > _, F� r.. .. � � �,,, f Z Q � _ �' � � �s. `� Gi f �'F/.' � �CA F" V � � C � w �: 'L 1 U � � � � � <C4 > O PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES DECEMBER 16, 2008 III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - None IV. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS Mayor Spiegel presented the Commissioners with a gift for their time and dedication to the Parks and Recreation Commission. The Commission thanked Mayor Spiegel and the City Council. Mr. Ford, Desert Recreation District, communicated that they received an award of excellence from California Park and Recreation Society for their catalog. The Commission congratulated the District, and Commissioner Hall added that it is a beautiful catalog. V. PRESENTATIONS A. DESERT RECREATION DISTRICT Ms. Steele introduced Ms. Tatiana Hinkle who provided a presentation on the District's new branding initiative. Ms. Hinkle presented their new branding effort. A copy of the Power Point presentation was provided to the Commission. She explained that a survey was completed and a new name was developed. Their new identity will be marketed, and they hope to build stronger partnerships with the community and organizations. Other items mentioned were thinking and acting "greener," fundraising to assist their community residents, professional discovery series training, an e-newsletter, and ideas for one stop recreation information. Commissioner Babcock asked Ms. Hinkle what the District can do for the City that the City cannot do. She responded that the District hopes to partner with the City and add to what the City already has and not duplicate services. She also stressed better communication, and partnering more strategically for a better outcome at the end. Commissioner Guyer inquired about the professional discovery series training. It was mentioned including all recreation organizations. He asked what the other recreation organizations are. Ms. Hinkle replied other organizations that provide recreation services such as cities, Boys and Girls Clubs, or anybody that provides recreation services in the valley. 2 G:IDevServiceslMonica LoredolWord DatalParks&ReclMinutes12008 Minutes112-1608.min.docx PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES DECEMBER 16, 2008 Mr. Ford added that part of their master plan they had focus groups such as AYSO and Little League. He explained that since the District is a little larger organization they can provide training valley-wide. Commissioner Guyer asked if valley-wide training is being done at this time. Mr. Ford answered no, and that some cities might be doing their own. Commissioner Hall commented that the mascot for the Children's Museum is Sunny, which looks similar to one of the mascot's presented by the District. She suggested that the District look into what they have before moving forward. Ms. Hinkle responded that there has not been a decision on the mascot, and that they would take a look at it. Commissioner Housken stated that she likes the idea of the one stop recreation information since it was an item that the Commission has mentioned before. She communicated that she does not really know how successful or what is working with programming for residents in the City of Palm Desert, and that is something that she would like to know. For example, she would like to know how many people attend an aerobics class or how many people are attending the boot camp in the park. Commissioner Housken stated that for her, seeing numbers is something that she would like to have. She asked Ms. Hinkle if that is something the District can do. Ms. Hinkle responded that it could be included in the e- newsletter. She stated that the District welcomes requests for information. She noted that the District wants to build a stronger partnership, and to please call them if they need information for a meeting. Commissioner Housken indicated that ultimately she would like to know the results. Did the program work? Was the program successful? Ms. Hinkle commented that there are trends in recreation. There might be programs that worked five years ago, and now no longer do. Commissioner Housken stated that information compared from a previous year would also be helpful. Ms. Hinkle noted that if the Commission has something that they want to see in the e-newsletter, to let the District know. Vice Chair Barnard asked how the District is going to measure the effectiveness of programs. Ms. Hinkle responded that the District has a computer system that tracks all of the members and sign ups. The program provides a very comprehensive report. 3 G:IDevServiceslMonica LoredolWord DatalParks&ReclMinutes12008 Minutes112-1608_min.docx PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES DECEMBER 16, 2008 Vice Chair Barnard inquired if the District is going to create some benchmarks where they are today and where they are in six months or a year. Ms. Hinkle replies that the District has historical data for a few years back. It is a matter of compiling the information. Mr. Ford stated that North Star (consultant that performed branding survey), as part of their contract, will come in two years from now and do another survey. Vice Chair Barnard asked for the name of the company. Mr. Ford replied North Star Destination Strategies. Vice Chair Barnard inquired how much was the Districts budget. He commented that it cannot be cheap to hire a branding company, and have to do signage, logos, letterhead, etc. Mr. Ford responded that the contract with North Star was $80,000, and the District has not yet budgeted for the marketing. The District is going to discuss it during their budget process, and figure out how they are going to be able to afford it because they will not be able to do it all at once. The board is going to have to make a decision of when they would like to move forward. Commissioner Schukart commented that in the past the Commission has discussed raw data district wide. He recollected that the Commission has been interested in how the District pulls out participant information as to what city they live in, and it seems that it has been difficult to massage out the numbers from the District's computer base. Mr. Ford responded that approximately two years ago, the District purchased software called Rec Track. The software can capture the people that come into the building because they must scan their card. With activities like the concerts that might have 3,000 people; they do not know where the people are coming from. There might be some things that the District would not be able to capture. Mayor Spiegel noted that the presentation was good and thanked Ms. Hinkle. VI. NEW BUSINESS A. COMMUNITY/AQUATIC CENTER STUDY SESSION Discussion and recommendation based on the City Council's direction from the December 11, 2008, Study Session. Chairman Dawson stated that the City Council and the Commission met last week to listen and view the presentation by gkkworks. The 4 G:IDevServiceslMonica LoredolWord DatalParksBReclMinutes12008 Minutes112-1608.min.docx PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES DECEMBER 16, 2008 Commission must discuss what they learned, and make a decision on what, if anything, the Commission wants to send to the City Council. Mayor Spiegel commented that he did not get any feeling from anybody so he cannot really say plus or minus or anything else. He did take Commissioner Schukart's idea to the Council, and told them what they are going to do. They are going to phase in the project. His recommendation would be to make a decision regarding where to put the center. They know how many square feet is going to be needed. The Commission will need to take back to the Council where the site for the center will be located, and then go from there. Chairman Dawson asked the Commission if they had any objections to that approach. Commissioner Guyer stated Mayor Spiegel said, ". . . where you want to put it," and asked if "where" is in the Civic Center Park. Mayor Spiegel clarified that he was talking about anywhere in the City of Palm Desert, but not to put it in the City of Indian Wells. Ms. Steele noted that she has the presentation and drawings available if the Commission would like to review them. Chairman Dawson asked the Commission if they had any questions about the presentation. Commissioner Schukart stated that gkkworks was directed to look at two sites. He asked the Commission if they received anything from the City Council that they want gkkworks to look at one or two other options besides the two that were studied. He asked Mayor Spiegel if other sites are on the table. He replied that it could be on the table. Mayor Spiegel stated that the City Council could always reject the sites the Commission chooses too, which would mean going back to the drawing board. Vice Chair Barnard commented that it is hard to recommend anything because they have not really looked at another site. They have only really looked at the two options at the Civic Center. Commissioner Guyer stated that maybe what they need to think about is if either of the two sites that are being considered would be adequate. Chairman Dawson inquired in what time period. 5 �:IDevServiceslMonica LoredolWord DatalParks&ReclMinutes12008 Minutes112-16-08.min.docx PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES DECEMBER 16, 2008 Commissioner Guyer asked Chairman Dawson if that was a question or statement. He replied it was a question. Commissioner Guyer stated that if either one of the sites would be adequate for what they are trying to accomplish as the City grows. Commissioner Housken clarified that at this point in time, is it adequate? She stated that the fear is that there is not enough room to expand, but there is certainly a lot of land to the north where maybe a second site could be used. She understands that the only big negative with the location at the Civic Center is no real room to grow. Commissioner Guyer noted that as it gets busier and busier there will be no room to grow. Mayor Spiegel mentioned considering the college. They have 200 acres out there, and there always could be a possibility of an additional facility years from now on the campus. Commissioner Guyer stated that he personally thinks that the aquatic component is essential for the Civic Center Park, for the City, and for the College of the Desert (COD). That makes sense to him. The activity center as it started to materialize; he kept pushing it to the back of his mind. He always felt the aquatic center is what they needed; it fit and it worked with COD. Now they are trying to throw something else on top of it. He added that it now makes the aquatic component smaller. He stated that the more he thought about it; then when he saw the $28 and $31 million, his thought process was once they spend $31 million to have an activity center and an aquatic component, where are they going to justify another $30 million for another activity center somewhere else. When he got to that point, he went back to the idea of having a municipal aquatic center that was first rate that could be shared with COD and fit at COD, then look elsewhere for a large activity center that could take care of the whole City as it grew. He noted that the City is now at 40,000 or 50,000 people, and probably will be 70,000 or 75,000 by the time it is built. He does not see 75,000 people fitting in the activity center that was presented the other day. He stated that he hates going down this road again because he has done it before. He feels the best fit for the Civic Center Park is a good municipal aquatic center, and find another location for a really good municipal activity center that might have an aquatic component to it because of the activities that want to be offered. Chairman Dawson commented that he has heard that sentiment from several Commissioners. He asked what other thoughts are out there. 6 G:IDevServiceslMonica LoredolWo�d Data�Parks6ReclMinutes12008 Minutes112-16-08.min.docx PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES DECEMBER 16, 2008 Commissioner Hall mentioned that when she heard $30 million and possibly $32 million, and noted that she was unable to attend the meeting, she was under the impression that the Commission was looking for something the would cost approximately $20 million. She stated that to go $30 or $32 million, she cannot justify that amount in her mind. She thinks it is a good idea to start with an aquatic center at the Civic Center, then moving forward from there. She commented that if she remembers correctly, an aquatic center would cost approximately $8 million. Ms. Steele communicated that $8 million would not get you an aquatic center like what they are talking about. An aquatic center that they are talking about is going to cost $14 to $15 million minimum. She clarified that gkkworks gave the worst case scenario. They wanted to provide the City Council with a true picture of what it could really cost the City. She mentioned that $2.1 million was for moving the skate park. Staff does not believe that it would ever cost that amount. She stated that in the current economy, the center may be built at $4 or $5 million less. If you wait five to six years, it will cost $30 million. She noted that some costs involved are in the LEED certification, green sustainability, and solar panels that the City would want to do to keep the building in a Silver LEED Certification. Mayor Spiegel commented the cost of building the center down the road is not a big problem because Redevelopment dollars would be used to build it. He noted that Redevelopment dollars come in every year for the City, and it is not General Fund dollars. He stated that running the facility is General Fund dollars. Mayor Spiegel stated that what the Commission needs to consider is how much it is going to cost to run it, can the City break even, how is it going to be done in conjunction with COD, is COD going to participate in the cost of running the facility, and a lot of other things like that. But as far as $30 million that is a lot of money, fortunately the City has the money to build it over the years. Vice Chair Barnard indicated that he spoke to the construction manager after the Study Session, and he also said that the figure was a pretty generous figure. He explained that the construction manager had an escalation figure built in, which he does not see happening. He stated that he is also concerned with squeezing something into a small piece of property, and not build what they want. He thinks the building has everything that the Commission asked for the last couple of years. The aquatic portion is smaller than what they had planned a couple of years ago. The pool is the same size, but they do not have the separate little kid's pool and the big lazy river that the City Council didn't really want. He noted that the Commission came back with is identical to what Ms. Steele and he saw when they toured the community centers in the Midwest for 7 G:IDevServiceslMonica Lo�edolWord DatalParks&ReclMinutes12008 Minutes112-160B.min.docx PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES DECEMBER 16, 2008 towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people. His concern with having the facility at the Civic Center is the parking. The parking study was done, but he still had some reservations when the consultant mentioned that the peak time was 3:00 p.m. during a weekday. The consultant did not come back to do a study in the evening. Chairman Dawson noted that the revised page for parking in the presentation shows the 50-meter pool eliminating about 53 parking spaces. Commissioner Housken asked for clarification from Ms. Steele. She thought initially there was going to be an indoor and outdoor pool. But then she saw in the diagrams a competition pool and a leisure pool. The leisure pool looks like it is inside the building. She noted that she understands it was a massing plan, and it may not necessarily be there. She asked if the plans show the pool inside. Ms. Steele explained that in the drawings it is there to show you two things. It can be inside or outside. She believes that the Council has requested that it be outside, but if you keep it close to the building you can somewhat shelter it with a trellis so during the winter you can keep the pool warmer or block some of the sun in the summer. She noted that an outdoor pool was considered in the cost. Ms. Steele also clarified that the pool in the original picture is 25 yards by 35 meters. The 35 meters was to accommodate water polo and a diving well. The 25 yards is where people would swim their meets, which is competition length. She noted that 50 meters is used for long course competition, which the Olympics are run at. Commissioner Housken mentioned that she heard Councilman Ferguson comment during his Barcelona presentation that the facility in Barcelona had everything that the Council wanted; an outdoor element and an indoor element. Mayor Spiegel interjected that Councilman Ferguson did not speak for the City Council. He noted that Councilman Ferguson's objective is to have an Olympic size pool with diving boards. He believes that majority of the City Council do not want diving boards and an Olympic size pool. Mr. Ballew, Family YMCA of the Desert, noted that he did hear Councilman Ferguson say that he is in a position now to accept his colleague's decision on what that pool should be, and he thought that was pretty significant. s G:IDevServiceslMonica LoredolWord DatalParks&ReclMinutes12008 Minutes112-1G08.min.docx PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES DECEMBER 16, 2008 Vice Chair Barnard stated that one of his other concerns is building an aquatic center by itself. He is not an expert, but from what he has heard from Staff is that an aquatic center is a lot more successful when there is another component with it. Mayor Spiegel commented that they all went on tours and saw what other places look like. Vice Chair Barnard added that what they also saw were other cities that built aquatic centers, and later realized that they needed to come back and build an indoor recreational component. Mayor Spiegel noted that Coronado was a sample of that. Vice Chair Barnard noted that the City now has COD's participation. He is not sure if they can commit to anything, but they are having discussions with the City. Commissioner Schukart informed the Commission that the COD President is waiting to see what it is that the City is really going to show up with, and that would give evidence to him whether or not or to what extent COD would partner with the City. Mayor Spiegel interjected that it also depends on how much time COD wants. There are a lot of things to consider. Ms. Steele stated that after meeting with COD, as far as the pool standpoint, nothing has changed. COD would still share the pool in the morning, and it would still be available for the public. The only question would be the gym and how much they would want to participate. She noted that COD understands that in a shared facility, whoever is managing it is the person in charge of the schedule. Commissioner Schukart commented that was one of the discussions. Down the road, COD is going to have bond money for a new gymnasium at some point. One of the questions or ideas that was floating, you look at the footprint from gkkworks, if there is what would be termed on most complexes an auxiliary gymnasium in addition to what they have drawn. That would be paid for by COD and maintained by COD. He stated that is something he has not brought up because they have enough problems dealing with what is on the table let alone adding another mask to it; particularly when it comes to Commissioner Guyer's comments. 9 G:IDevServiceslMonica LoredolWord DatalParks&ReclMinutes12008 Minutes112-1!'r08_min.docx PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES DECEMBER 16, 2008 Commissioner Schukart communicated that the COD is going to grow. The YMCA, the Desert Recreation District, use of the park, the Street Fair, and the Golf Center is also going to grow. He stated that it is going to be interesting managing the entry and exit to the Civic Center area. He mentioned that if you look at a helicopter view of the area; there is a lot of action. He added that there is going to be a new fire and police academy at the end of Magnesia Falls and San Pablo. He stated that today it would work, but five or ten years from now it may not. So that is something that needs to be considered. Commissioner Guyer stated that another question that he had, as a councilmember, if a resident came to you and said why is the City building an activity center next to two buildings that are activity centers, how would you answer that? Mayor Spiegel responded that he did not know. Commissioner Guyer stated that he would not know either. Mayor Spiegel commented that he always thought that the two buildings would become one and that's where they would go, but that is just him. He agreed with what Commissioner Guyer said. If you talk to the YMCA and the Desert Recreation District, they would tell you that we can do our own business even with this facility. Commissioner Guyer inquired if with the growth of the YMCA and the Desert Recreation District requires expanding the buildings at some point. Mayor Spiegel answered that according to the agreement with the YMCA they should be three times bigger than it is now. Mayor Spiegel communicated that it gets very complicated. The most complicated thing is where you are going to put the facility. Once the Commission makes a recommendation to the City Council, the Council is going to decide if it is okay or not. He noted that the Commission does not have to make a decision today. Commissioner Guyer commented that the other dilemma is that the Commission knows that the residents want an aquatic and community center. Commissioner Schukart stated that even if the Commission deliberated and decided, in fact, that this over time is going to be too small of an area for such a facility, and the Commission decided to fly to the north and drop the facility in the north sphere; the cost of construction will not be more than what it is at the Civic Center. gkkworks is configuring construction around limiting factors. To the north, it would not be a problem. 10 G:IDevServiceslMonica LoredolWord DatalParks6ReclMinutes1200B MinutesV2-1G08.min.docx PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES DECEMBER 16, 2008 Mr. Croy commented that one of things that the Commission must keep in mind is that the City is at a point on deciding what to do. He noted that they have not talked finance, partnerships, and they have not talked about sharing costs with partners. That is the next phase they need to move to. He hopes that the Commission does not make a rash decision on one meeting. He noted that they are working on this in phases. He suggested moving on and considering talking to partnerships, operational costs, shared costs with COD, and possibly other districts who might want to participate. They do not know that yet because they have not broached out to that level yet of this discussion of this project. He noted that they are still in the conceptual stages. He stated that he wants the Commission to remember that as they further discuss the facility. Commissioner Guyer mentioned that not considering the cost; his thought process kept bringing him back to creating a good municipal aquatic center at the Civic Center Park site that can be used by COD, then figure out how to get the activity component into the City. He stated that he is not even considering the costs, which is the point that he is trying to make. He feels that they are sacrificing a little bit of the aquatic component to build both at the same time. He questions if the Commission should do that because they should have a good aquatic center in the City. He feels the aquatic center would be over utilized once it is built. Chairman Dawson asked Commissioner Dash if he had any thoughts. Commissioner Dash stated that he does have thoughts. He communicated that he agreed with Commissioner Guyer's comments in terms of the total space and the crowding as not being the most appropriate place for the community center. He indicated, as he has mentioned before, if it were going be helpful to COD then he could change his thinking because he supports the college. He is concerned with the crowding at the Civic Center Park. He stated that it is a beautiful park now, and that there is going to be growth. He stated that the Commission should really think about the freedom that an architect would have in having space, to come in and build something for the City as oppose to tagging it onto something else. In addition, try to avoid the tearing down of a building or adding onto a building. He stated that it is a conglomerate of bringing all these activities centralized into the Civic Center area. He stated that it is conceivable that everybody could have something going at the same time, and it is going to end up being a very disturbing thing. But if he could be convinced that it would be a tremendous asset to COD, which he does not see, it seems that COD would not even want the City nearby. 11 G:IDevServiceslMonica LoredolWord DatalPa�ks&ReclMinutes12008 Minutes112-1608.min.docx PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES DECEMBER 16, 2008 Commissioner Guyer asked Commissioner Dash if he is referring to the entire project and not the aquatic component. Commissioner Dash replied yes. Mayor Spiegel asked Ms. Steele if she sees a facility working where you separate the aquatic component from the fitness center to a different location. Ms. Steele responded that after the tours to other facilities and talking to the people there, they will tell you that without an aquatic component to a community center they are not as successful. She then stated that an aquatic center can sustain itself with the right features. She stated that you are then back to where the Commission started three and half years ago. Commissioner Guyer commented that he agreed, and hated bringing it up. He asked himself where they are going to have a good municipal aquatic center that people can use to not just swim laps but to go and play and have birthday parties. He feels they are missing something if they do not do that. Commissioner Babcock voiced his concern with the size of the facility and growth of the City. Mayor Spiegel commented that he now has a meeting every Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. He excused himself from the meeting. Commissioner Guyer stated that Ms. Steele commented to him of other cities that have been in the same predicament, and they found as they grew, they added another center that sufficed the population. He noted that is something they might be looking at. He stated that they would basically be building a community center for the Civic Center neighborhood. Later, when there are another 7,000 homes built in the north sphere; another activity center can be built in the north. Vice Chair Barnard communicated that he does not feel that what is built at the Civic Center would be too small. Based on what they saw, some of the buildings were the same size and had 4,000 members. That is ten percent (10%) of Palm Desert's population. Commissioner Guyer agreed with Vice Chair Barnard. His question is why build an activity center next to two activity centers in the park that are basically going to be competing, and then not have an aquatic center that could accommodate a meet with 1,000 people. 12 G:IDevServiceslMonica Lo�edolWord DatalParks6ReclMinutes12008 Minutes112-1fr08.min.docx PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES DECEMBER 16, 2008 Ms. Steele commented in regards to the other facilities in the park. She stated that they would work together so as not to compete. She noted that the YMCA does some things really, really well. They do a lot of children's programs out of that building. Do they need to run those programs out of the other building? She did not think so. The City would talk to them because they (YMCA and District) would be using the facility, and they would make sure that they are not competing against each other. Commissioner Guyer noted that he did not mean competing with programs but for space. He stated that he could see the letter being written to the editor saying, ". . . why are they spending money to build a building right next to two buildings?" Mr. Ballew commented that a needs assessment was done for both the buildings, and nothing has changed. You just add another 10,000 people since the assessment was done. He stated the City should just do something. Commissioner Guyer asked Mr. Ballew if he considers their building being over utilized at this point. Mr. Ballew responded that programmatically they still have some available hours, but for administration it is busting at the seams. For that reason, they would prefer to stay there. They work all of their operations from the YMCA on San Pablo. Mr. DeWitt commented that studies show that most of the people that come into community centers, eighty percent (80%) that are utilizing them come from within three miles. So no matter how big you build it and no matter what you put there, you will have 80% of those persons coming from a three-mile circle. Commissioner Dash noted another consideration. The Commission is talking about two major entities; the City and COD. He communicated that as he is listening to the conversation, there is going to be a greater involvement between the two entities. You are talking about money coming in from one to another, which is not going to work in the years to come. There are going to be scheduling problems and management problems. He noted that those involved get along now, but you do not know who is going to be president or Board of Directors years from now. He felt that the burden was going to be on the City. The City was going to provide everything, and the City was going to be assisting COD. He now is hearing a combined effort whether it is money or power. Commissioner Dash asked Commissioner Schukart if COD has a bigger role now than originally. 13 GIDevServiceslMonica LoredolWord DatalParks&ReclMinutes12008 Minutes112-16-08.miadocx PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES DECEMBER 16, 2008 Commissioner Schukart replied not really. He stated that initial conversations have always been that they are next to each other and they are on adjacent properties. He explained that whenever one of the two does something, there is a benefit in talking to the other partner and letting them know what they are thinking and asking the other what they think. Do you want to be involved, is it going to be helpful to you or not? He explained that is the conversation right now. There is no commitment one way or the other. But he thinks what the Board of Directors are saying is if there is something that can benefit COD students, they will take a look at that and see what assistance they may be able to provide if is going to impact a fair amount of students. Ideas have only been thrown around. As far as a shared project, it has never been a consideration. Commissioner Guyer clarified shared usage and not shared development. Mr. Croy reminded the Commission that the City owes the YMCA 10,000 square feet, which has been delineated behind their building. He stated that the City has to build the expansion or something for them to use to help them out with their overuse. Chairman Dawson asked if that is a long standing contractual agreement. Mr. Croy replied yes. Mr. Croy noted that the Desert Recreation District was built at a time of its need, and there was no need for further expansion. There is a difference between the two agreements. Chairman Dawson commented that in the absence of a motion, the Commission could bring it up at the next meeting. Commissioner Schukart asked what happens next. Ms. Steele responded that she thinks what the City Council is looking for from the Commission is a recommendation on a site. Commissioner Schukart stated that he was a little disappointed with the Study Session. He thought the Study Session would find conversation between the City Council and the Commission. He noted that a few years ago the Commission had their discussion, and the City Council had their own discussion; they make a ruling and the Commission says "what?" He feels the same thing coming. Commissioner Schukart stated that he is just as guilty as the next person because he did not stand and say, hello! He thought that is what study sessions are for. 14 G:IDevServiceslMonica LoredolWord DatalParks&ReclMinutes12008 Minutes112-1608.min.docx PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES DECEMBER 16, 2008 Mr. Tanner commented that there was not enough time. He noted that they scheduled the Study Session right before a 3:00 p.m. City Council meeting. So you are limited to an hour and the presentation was 40 minutes. Commissioner Guyer stated that he is not interested in what the City Council wants to do. He is interested in what the citizens would like to have, and making that recommendation; then let them decide. Commissioner Schukart voiced that his point is having them listen to what the Commission is discussing today. That is going to expand their thinking. Commissioner Housken mentioned that she did not feel like she received any type of direction from the Study Session. There was dead silence. Ms. Steele interjected that there was no direction from this Study Session. She keeps going back to their strategic planning goals because that's where they received direction. Commissioner Guyer inquired if the Commission needs to make a motion today or wait. Chairman Dawson responded that if he wants to make a motion, and someone seconds it; they can have discussion on it. Commissioner Guyer stated that he is not making a motion. Mr. Tanner commented that one of the things they need to look at from the City's standpoint is do we have an immediate need or do we have a 10- year future need? He communicated that the way the economy is trending now; you are not going to have the north sphere open for an opportunity for a community center anytime within the next five to seven years. He asked the Commission if they want an immediate fix. If so, it needs to be done now. He reminded the Commission of the type of time frame they are on. The Commission has been talking about this for the last seven to eight years. He asked what has been done, nothing. So maybe that is another consideration, selecting a site. There is the north sphere site and there is the Civic Center site. If the Commission agrees on the Civic Center site, the Commission could move forward. Mr. Croy summarized that there was a Study Session with the City Council and the Commission. The whole point of the Study Session was to study the project and not to make a decision. He stated that the City Council is waiting for the Commission's recommendation for the next step. 15 G:IDevServiceslMonica LoredolWoro'DatalParks&ReclMinutes12008 Minutes112-16-08_min.docx PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES DECEMBER 16, 2008 Commissioner Housken asked if the Commission waits, what is going to be different between now and the first meeting in January. Chairman Dawson stated nothing would be different. Commissioner Housken moved to recommend the New Building: Scheme B on San Pablo for a pool and recreation center that was presented by gkkworks. Vice Chair Barnard seconded the motion, and carried by a 5-3 vote with Commissioners Dash, Hall, and Babcock voting NO. Commissioner Guyer addressed Ms. Steele and mentioned that if the City Council asks for clarification, if Staff could press upon them the fact that the Commission is torn in all kinds of different directions. Maybe the Commission should receive more input from the City Council so that they do not have to be torn any many different directions. Vice Chair Barnard inquired if the City Council receives a copy of the minutes. Commissioner Housken suggested the people that are most involved with the pool may want to write a letter to the City Council with their recommendation and explaining their concerns. Ms. Steele indicated that if Staff takes the recommendation forward, she can provide a copy of the minutes. Commissioner Babcock asked if there could be a meeting to discuss the aquatic and recreation center at a different time. Chairman Dawson responded that there will be several meetings. VII. UNFINISHED BUSINESS - None VIII. REPORTS AND UPDATES A. IRONWOOD PARK PLAYGROUND Mr. Niemczak reported that the City Council approved the replacement of the playground at Ironwood Park. New installation would begin after January 4. The project should take about three weeks to complete. He displayed pictures of the playground, and noted there will be a shade structure. He also noted that a sandbox requested by neighbors would be included that is not in the picture. 16 G:IDevServiceslMonica LoredolWord DatalParks&ReclMinutes12008 Minutes112-1GOS.min.docx PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES DECEMBER 16, 2008 Commissioner Guyer inquired if the shade structure covers all three playground pieces. Mr. Niemczak answered that it covers the entire playground area. Commissioner Babcock asked what the lifespan on the wood chips is. Mr. Niemczak replied there is no lifespan. He explained that the wood chips are topped off every one or two years. They do not need to be removed. B. DESERT RECREATION DISTRICT NEW FITNESS PROGRAMS Ms. Steele reported that she provided the Commission with information on new fitness programs being offered by the Desert Recreation District. The programs will begin in January 2009. She briefly listed some of the programs. C. NEWS ARTICLES Chairman Dawson commented that if the Commission finds news articles that City Staff has not seen, please give to them to Staff so that everyone could see them. Ms. Steele thanked everyone from the Commission that was able to attend the University Park opening. The dog park has been a huge success, and has received a lot of use over the weekend. She noted that there was a lot of TV coverage, and there was a professional photographer that took pictures. She would share the pictures with the Commission when she receives them. Chairman Dawson thanked Ms. Steele and Staff for all the work done for the grand opening. Commissioner Guyer commented that as part of Chairman Dawson's speech, he noted that University Park was the 17th park in the City of Palm Desert of 45,000 people. He stated that is pretty amazing for Palm Desert. Commissioner Guyer noted that there are articles regarding the Bump and Grind, and asked Staff if they are still receiving calls about it. Ms. Steele replied that she has not, and believes that people are now just writing to the paper. She mentioned that maybe they are calling Rancho Mirage. IX. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS Chairman Dawson remarked to the Commission to return park inspection sheets. The next report will be provided at the next meeting in January. 17 G:IDevServiceslMonica Lo�edolWord DatalParks&ReclMinutes12008 Minutes112-16-08.min.docx PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES DECEMBER 16, 2008 Commissioner Guyer commented that he attended the last City Council meeting, and learned that funding was lost for the bike path. Ms. Steele interjected that only some of it was lost. Commissioner Guyer stated that the Council voted on some other funding in place of it. He asked Staff to explain. Mr. Stendell explained that CVAG pulled a little of the funding from the bike lane along the railroad. He stated that Mr. Greenwood, Director of Public Works, was able to redirect funds that were from CMAQ grant funds to the bike path project. Commissioner Guyer indicated that he believes that Councilman Ferguson had an issue with the redirection of funds. Mr. Stendell responded that he believes Councilman Ferguson thought there was a better use of the funds, such as transportation (cars). Mr. Greenwood explained to Council that the grant funds were not allocated to a specific project and those funds would be lost if not used. There were no traffic projects that needed the funds so the funds were allocated to the bike path. Commissioner Guyer reaffirmed that the bike lane project is still moving forward. Mr. Stendell replied that they are in the middle of a feasibility study. Commissioner Guyer requested a timetable of the bike lane project. Ms. Steele responded that they will bring a timetable to the next meeting. Commissioner Babcock noted that he is part of the Riverside County/CVAG group that has met before. They have not met since the guy in charge has been out, and is hoping that at the first of the year they meet again. Commissioner Housken commented that for Arbor Day they are planning a garden tour on Palm Sunday with the Horticultural Society. The City's Arbor Day celebration at Civic Center Park is scheduled for Saturday, April 11, 2009. The celebration will be open to residents of all ages. The committee hopes to have a movie that same week in the park on Thursday. On Earth Day, they plan on planting a tree at Ronald Reagan Elementary School, which will only be for the kids at school. The Living Desert will have a celebration on April 25. She mentioned that the committee is thinking of a name that encapsulates the whole month. 18 G:IDevServiceslMonica LoredolWord DatalParks&ReclMinutes12008 Minutes112-16-08.min.docx PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES DECEMBER 16, 2008 Ms. Steele announced that on January 13, 2009, between 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. there is going to be a drop-in open house at the Parks Inspectors office. Chairman Dawson commented that Haystack is used by kids off and on, but it is not officially a park. He asked if the City can make it an official park and utilize it for passive recreation. He wondered about installing workout stations. Commissioner Guyer asked the District if the stations they have get used a lot. Ms. Adair replied yes. Ms. Steele stated that she would need to check into it since Haystack is a Landscape and Lighting District area. She noted that she would bring back additional information. Ms. Steele mentioned, although most may already know, Mr. Ortega announced his resignation. X. ADJOURNMENT Upon motion by Commissioner Schukart, seconded by Commissioner Hall, the meeting was adjourned at 10:03 a.m. � ��.o_�- Monica Loredo, Recording Secretary 19 G:IDevServiceslMonira LoredolWord DatalParks&ReclMinutes12008 Minutes112-16-08.min_docx