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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPark & Rec Cmsn - 07/20/2010 � CITY OF PALM DESERT �"���"'� M I N UTES � � PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION ` ADJOURNED REGULAR MEETING ' � TUESDAY, JULY 20, 2010 - 8:30 a.m. Administrative Conference Room - Palm Desert Civic Center 73-51 Q Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert, California 92260 1. CALL TO ORDER Chairman Dash convened the meeting at 8:30 a.m. I1. ROLL CALL Present: Absent: Chairman Roger Dash Commissioner Terry Schukart Vice Chair Randy Guyer Commissioner Phill Babcock Commissioner Michael Barnard Commissioner Jerry Dawson Commissioner Deborah Hall Commissioner Kim Housken Commissioner Christopher Thomas Staff Present: Mark Greenwood, P.E., Director of Public Works Bertha Gonzalez, Recording Secretary H. Spencer Knight, Landscape Manager Ryan Stendell, Senior Management Analyst John M. Wohlmuth, City Manager �ITYCOUNCILACTION APPROVFD� ���',���1) — Guests: RF,CEIVED�- F�T_ 4)'Ttif�.iZ - Barb Adair, Desert Recreation District Rob Ballew, YMCA of the Desert MrET[NG llATE �"�` "�'�U-----r�� - Craig DeWitt, Desert Recreation District pYES: ' r��' �-��-----`�-�°�'"� ' 'P ( � �_��--_ David Erwin, City Attorney NOES: � Stan Ford, Desert Recreation District ABSENT: �''n� Laura McGalliard, Desert Recreation Distr.Ar�STA[N: �' ��� r� Robert A. Spiegel, Councilman VERIFIED S�'. Van Tanner, Planning Commission Liaiso�9riginai on Fi1e with City C1er�Uftice Gina Tenorio, The Desert Sun 1 PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION PROVED MINUTES J �Iv 20 2n�r� III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS NONE IV. CONSENT CALENDAR A. MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF TUESDAY, JUNE 1, 2010. Approve as presented Upon a motion by Chairman Dash, second by Vice Chair Guyer, and 8—Q vote of the Commission Board, the Consent Calendar was approved as presented. V. NEW BUSINESS NONE VI. CONTINUED BUSINESS A. AQUATIC CENTER FEE STUDY Chairman Dash suggested the procedure for discussion of the Aquatic Center Fee Study to be as follows: Mr. Ryan Stendell will address the highlights of study; the item will be opened for discussion; and the item will be closed with a motion on how to proceed. Commissioner Hall suggested the Aquatic Center Steering Committee have the opportunity to make comments before opening the item for discussion. In addition, Councilman Spiegel informed the Commission that the City Council has not received a copy of the fee study nor preliminary report. Highlights of the report were as follows: • The Aquatic Center Fee Study estimates annual expenditures for the Aquatic Center to be between $1.2 and $1.3 million with revenues of a little over $600,000. It also estimates a cost recovery of 48% in the first year and 55% by the fifth year. The report did not identify a secondary service area, but it did state that it could include a large portion of the Coachella Valley. Staff believes that identifying a secondary area could be beneficial, since it could lead to an increase in recovery costs. Suggestions for potential staff reductions, seasonal operations, and increase in fees were also outlined in an effort to increase revenue. Staff believes the report is extremely conservative and given an aggressive operator, the facility could make the 60% cost recovery that was set by City Council. 2 PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION APPROVED MINUTES Ju1v 20. 2010 Questions and/or concerns were as follows: • Commissioner Housken inquired on who will be responsible for the maintenance and janitorial services of the pool. According to Mr. Stendell, the janitorial services will be managed by the operator and for the first several years the maintenance services might be contracted out separately. • Commissioner Babcock inquired on the person that prepared the report and his experience. Mr. Stendell informed the Commission that the report was prepared by Mr. Ken Ballard with Ballard King Associates, Inc. Mr. Ballard has been in the aquatic industry for many years. • Vice Chair Guyer asked that since the City will oversee the maintenance and the operator will be collecting the fees, will the operator be required to pay a maintenance fee. Following a brief discussion, Mr. Mark Greenwood clarified that although staff is still working on the details of how the fees will be managed; he assured the Commission that a percentage of the fees will be returned to the City and they will be used to offset the operator and maintenance contracts. • Commissioner Hall asked if raising the revenues would lead to higher revenues for the City. Mr. Stendell clarified that in order to motivate the operator to better perform, the contract will be on a performance base scale; ultimately, increasing the revenues for the City. • Commissioner Babcock noted his concern with the yearly membership fee of $480; he believes it is too high for tow- and medium-income residents in the valley. Councilman Spiegel mentioned that when the pool at COD was open, it was extremely busy in the summer, especially with children; therefore, he believes the Aquatic Center will be used by all families regardless of their income. • Commissioner Housken believes that the pool in Hemet, which the study suggests to be the most comparable to the City's, is not the most comparable, since it does not have a competitive pool. Mr. Stendell stated that Mr. Jay Niemczak, Parks Supervisor, visited the site and found it to be the most comparable. Nonetheless, Commissioner Housken stated that the pool in Fontana, which she found to be the most similar to the City's, is operated by the City of Fontana, opened all year and has a budget of $560,000. She inquired on why the disparity between their pool and the City's. Furthermore, she finds the proposed salary for the manager and assistant manager to be very high. Mr. Stendell reminded the Committee that the report is very conservative; therefore, the dollar amounts that were suggested were higher than usual. 3 PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION APPROVED MINUTES July 20� 2010 Commissioner Hall informed the Commission that City Council approved the Steering Committee's recommendation to reserve additional property for a future expansion of the pool. The pool will run at capacity for the plumbing, but the utilities that can be brought out will be expanded and stubbed. Mr. John Wohlmuth, City Manager, added that the cost to size the pumps for future expansion will be very high; therefore, the area is reserved only on paper, but no grading will be done. Mr. Wohlmuth also mentioned that the area will have grass and gates that will open into the area in order to accommodate large events. Commissioner Housken stated that after further studying the plan, she noticed a change in elevation on the southeast corner of the larger pool. Staff informed the Commission that the change in elevation is to accommodate for the potential, future installation of a diving tower. Commissioner Housken asked if there was a concern with a 16 foot slide, what concerns are there with the diving tower that could be 30 feet high. Mr. Wohlmuth stated that although the potential installation of a diving tower has been discussed, it has not been approved by the City Council. However, the decision was made to do the platform for it now, since it will be easier and less expensive than to do modifications in the future. Vice Chair Guyer stated that he was disappointed that City Council did not receive the study report before their meeting in order for Council to have a better understanding of what the maintenance cost will be for the center. Councilman Spiegel answered that City Council does understand the cost recovery and expenses that are involved with the project. Nonetheless, Vice Chair Guyer mentioned that he believes the center can do better than the study reports and that recreational amenities are essential for higher revenues. He also reinstated his belief that the project is inadequate and will loose money every year. Both, Commissioner Thomas and Commissioner Housken, found the fees proposed in the study report to be very low. Mr. Wohlmuth reminded the Commission that the fees have not been approved by the City Council and plans to maximize the use of the competitive pool, programming and classes are in place. He also added that once the center opens, staff will be able to determine whether the pool is large enough and/or what other amenities are needed. Upon a motion by Commissioner Dawson, second by Vice Chair Guyer and an 8-0 vote of the Commission, the Commission was in general concurrence with the study, but suggested special consideration for higher fees and usage rate, for fees to be analyzed with the operator before they are determined, and to optimize the programming and expand the service area and amenities. 4 PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION APPROVED MINUTES Julv 20. 2010 B. PICKLEBALL USE AT CIVIC CENTER PARK At a previous meeting, the Commission opted to convert a number of tennis courts at Civic Center Park, Freedom Park and Cahuilla Hills into temporary pickleball courts on a trial basis. The Desert Recreation District (DRD) informed the Commission that they had kept pickle ball usage data for all the courts, but has inadvertently misplaced the data previous to March 1, 2010, for Civic Center Park. However, the morning usage data for the pickleball courts at Freedom Park and Cahuilla Park is available. The DRD did note that due to the high winds, users find it difficult to play pickleball at Freedom Park. According to Commissioner Thomas, the Civic Center's first pickleball drop-in clinic of January 5, 2010, was a complete success with more than 20 participants. Unfortunately, the two pickleball courts only accommodated eight players at a time. Therefore, he betieves four pickleball courts are needed in order to accommodate at least 16 players. Commissioner Thomas also stated that the Civic Center courts daily usage supports the construction of four permanent pickleball caurts. He presented a diagram that illustrated the easiest and most cost efficient way to convert a tennis court into four pickleball courts. He noted that the current angle of the corners of the temporary courts make serving difficult for the players; for that reason, the diagram suggests squaring the corners and moving the inside fence. This will open the whole area and make serving easier. The outside fence will not need to be moved and the net will remain in place as a ball catcher. Commissioner Thomas informed the Commission that, unfortunately, the actual cost for the pickleball set up has been misplaced. Due to the lack of data from the DRD, staff requested to return the item for discussion to the November meeting when more usage data can be presented. Commissioner Thomas suggested that City staff obtain estimates for the conversion of tennis court number six at the Civic Center Park to four permanent pickleball courts and present it to the Commission in the September meeting. Due to the bidding, approval and construction process, should staff apt to wait until November, he believes the courts won't be available until 2011. According to Commissioner Thomas, strong usage of the pickle ball courts begin in the month of October. He believes the Civic Center Park is the best option for the conversion because their courts are centrally located; they are already designated for pickleball, so there is no competition with the tennis players; and groups of players already use it on a daily basis. In addition, Commissioner Thomas indicated that since the Freedom Park and Cahuilla Park pickleball courts are not used very frequently, they can be converted back to tennis courts. 5 PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION APPROVED MINUTES July 20� 2010 Commissioner Housken recailed the Commission previously discussing the possibility of having dedicated pickleball courts for an estimated cost of $25,000. She suggested contemplating the idea again, but because of the noise that pickleball generates, especially near the tennis courts, she asked for them to be constructed at a different park. Commissioner Dawson inquired about the Cahuilla Park's pickleball usage and was informed that they are not used as often because of the tennis usage. The Commission agreed that because of Cahuilla Park's isolated location, it will the best place to construct four permanent pickleball courts. Upon a motion by Chairman Dash and the Commission concurrence, staff was directed to prepare a cost estimate for the conversion of one Cahuilla Hills' tennis court to four permanent pickleball courts and present it to the City Council for consideration. VII. PRESENTATIONS AND UPDATES A. SKATE PARK UPGRADES Mr. Ryan Stendell informed the Commission that Mr. Chad Rivera, who at the previous meeting had requested the Commission's consideration to add an advance section to the Civic Center Skate Park, was unable to attend the meeting due to a skateboarding competition. At their meeting of June 4, 2010, Mr. Rivera indicated that many of the parks in California have been designed and built by California Skate Parks, a landscape architecture firm. Therefore, Mr. Stendell contacted California Skate Parks and they have indicated that the 15,000 square feet area that is adjacent to the existing skate park would be more than enough area to provide a more advanced section to the existing facility. California Skate Parks also indicated that an expansion size as small as 5,OOOsqft is viable. The advanced features, such as the ones Mr. Rivera is requesting, would be at an approximate cost of $50 per square foot, ranging from $250,000 to $750,000. Vice Chair Guyer inquired on how will adding an advanced section to the skate park affect management and the current risk factor`? Mr. Stendell answered that it may require an additional park ambassador to oversee the skate park, but risk will increase at a minimal cost since it will still be protected under the State Law. He also noted that although the small skate park is frequently used and advance skating has become a popular trend; he is still unaware on how popular it is in the valley. Vice Chair Guyer noted his concems with the height issues and the size of the extension (15,OOOsqft). Mr. Stendell stated that the highest feature will be a ramp at approximate 12' to 15' high, but will not have the exact information until a plan is developed. 6 PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION APPROVED MINUTES Julv 20. 2010 The Commission suggested staff gather additional information on the sport, its growth in Southern California, especially the Coachella Valley, and present it to the Commission at a later meeting. In addition, Commissioner Dawson requested for staff to inquire to what extent children have shifted to long board. Mr. Mark Greenwood mentioned that the X-Games will air from July 29, 2010, through August 2, 2010, on ESPN, should the Commission be interested to see what the sport involves. B. SKATE PARK BIKE HOURS Currently, the Civic Center Skate Park is open for limited hours to the BMX bicycle riders due to staff's initial concern with additional damage that could occur as the result of the bikes. Mr. Stendell received a number of calls from BMX bicycle riders requesting additional hours in the park, especially during the evening hours. After speaking with the park inspectors and realizing that there has been no increase in damage to the park, staff has extended the Wednesday hours from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Staff will continue to monitor the use of bikes and add additional time as needed to achieve an equitable use of the park by all users. C. UPDATED COMMISSIONER INSPECTION FORM As discussed at the previous meeting, Mr. Stendell presented the Commission with a simplified Parks and Recreation Commission Inspection Form. Staff noted that the time of the inspection will no longer be required. Also noted was that the park inspections submitted by Commissioners Dawson, Hall and Housken were received by Mr. Stendell. D. DOG PARK BENCH IMPROVEMENTS Mr. Stendell informed the Commission that improvements to the University Dog Park have been completed: the maintenance crew poured concrete aprons under the park benches that where originally set on turf; lighting improvements have been done to the pavilions; and water has been made available. E. PARKS AND RECREATION ALTERNATE COMMISSIONER Mr. Stendell informed the Commission that the process of becoming an alternate commissioner is to complete an application and submit it to the City Clerk. The Commission can make recommendations to appoint an alternate commissioner and the City Council will make the final approval. The alternate participates in the meeting's discussion, but its vote cannot be included in the motions. � PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION APPROVED MINUTES Julv 20. 2010 F. FAMILY YMCA OF THE DESERT NONE G. DESERT RECREATION DISTRICT Mr. Stan Ford informed the Commission that the Desert Recreation District is considering moving Jeff Ronci's office to City Hall in order to better assist City staff. He also noted that the potential usage of the High School Gym is still in process and distributed an informational sheet that highlighted the history of the partnership between the Desert Recreation District and the City of Palm Desert. Mr. Jeff Ronci presented facilities and programming reports as follows: • Summer Camp 2010 started June 14, 2010; ages 5-14; three sessions: Imaginations in Motion (41 participants), The Wonderful World of Make Believe (36 participants), and The Great Outdoors, which starts on July 26, 2010. The camp was held Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The fees were $90 per week or $240 for the three week session, plus a $25 drop off fee. • Beginning Ballet 10 Participants • Dance 11 Participants • Beginning Guitar 23 Participants • Guitar Jam 03 Participants • Karate 15 Participants • P.E. for Home School 11 Participants • Ping Pong 30 Participants • Salsa Aerobics 12 Participants • Tiny Tots 33 Participants • Swinging Salsa 02 Participants • Yoga Closed for the Summer . Membership 234 ReI1GWaIS (resident/non-resident) • Desert Willow 133 Renewals • Skate Park 077 Renewals • Gym 4822 Visits • Racquet ball 0776 Visits • Weight room 2185 Visits • Youth Basketball 300 Participants w/ a waiting list • Facility 04 Rentals • Field 15 Rentals • Pavilion 03 Rentals • Baseball Closing Ceremonies 700 Participants • Concerts 200 Participants per concert • Golf 335 Rounds s PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION APPROVED MINUTES Julv 20. 2010 Councilman Spiegel inquired on any programs for low- and medium- income families. Mr. Ronci responded that sponsorships are available, but none for Palm Desert. Sixteen participated through a scholarship fund and the District will offer discounts on a case-by-case basis for multi- children families. On a separate note, Mr. Ronci mentioned that P.E. for Home School is offered all year, but he is not certain if it qualifies as credit for the School District's P.E. requirements. VIII. C4MMISSIONER COMMENTS - Commissioner Hall requested that staff notify the Commission when meetings or changes that affect the parks will be held or made (i.e. Park Users Meeting). - The Commission asked to be notified at a later date if the meeting of August will be cancelled. - Commissioner Thomas mentioned that another city in California is building a $23 million pool. IX. ADJOURNMENT With no further business or discussion, and with the Commissioners' unanimous concurrence, the meeting was adjourned at 10:34 a.m. � , � ��; �f� r rtha A. onzalez,�2ecordi Secretary 9