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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Parks and Recreation Commission April 5, 2011CITY OF PALM DESERT PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM TO: Rachelle D. Klassen, City Clerk FROM: Bertha A. Gonzalez, Senior Office Assistant DATE: May 3, 2011 SUBJECT: Submission of Minutes for the Parks and Recreation Commission Attached for your records are the approved Minutes of Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting of April 5, 2011. Please let me know if you have any questions or need additional information. Thank you. Attachment (as noted) CITY C:OUNCILACTION APPROVED MEETING DATE 5, - J� L 36 AYES: NOES: /Vn/?C A13SENT: ABSTAIN: VERIFIED BY. -- Original on File with City Clerk's-6ffice CITY OF PALM DESERT MINUTES PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2011 — 8:30 a.m. Administrative Conference Room — Palm Desert Civic Center 73-510 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert, California 92260 I. CALL TO ORDER Chairman Guyer convened the meeting at 8:30 a.m. II. ROLL CALL Present: Absent Chairman Randy Guyer Commissioner Michael Barnard Vice Chair Jerry Dawson Commissioner Raymond Rodriguez Commissioner Dean Dowty Commissioner Deborah Hall Commissioner Kim Housken Commissioner Mary Helen Kelly Commissioner Christopher Thomas Staff Present: Mark Greenwood, P.E., Director of Public Works Bertha Gonzalez, Recording Secretary Ryan Stendell, Senior Management Analyst John M. Wohlmuth, City Manager Guests: Rob Ballew, YMCA of the Desert Craig DeWitt, Desert Recreation District Tatiana Hinkle, Desert Recreation District Felicia Horton, Desert Recreation District Manny Marrujo, Desert Recreation District Laura McGalliard, Desert Recreation District Jeff Ronci, Desert Recreation District Robert A. Spiegel, Councilman Van Tanner, Planning Commission Liaison PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION APPROVED MINUTES April S 2011 III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS NONE IV. CONSENT CALENDAR A. MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2011 A typographical error of 800-100 gallons was noted and corrected to 800-1000 gallons. Upon a motion by Chairman Guyer, second by Vice Chair Dawson, and a 7-0 vote of the Commission Board, the Consent Calendar was approved with the noted correction. V. NEW BUSINESS NONE VI. CONTINUED BUSINESS A. CAHUILLA HILLS PARK POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENTS As requested by the Commission, staff presented two aerials of the Cahuilla Hills Park detailing the boundaries of the property. The land, which is an HPR Zone, was bought by the City to protect the hillside; therefore, there is no intent to sell it. Mr. Stendell stated that a restroom could be constructed next to the parking area and the parking could be expanded up the road. He added that he does not foresee any issues with the construction of a parking lot, but the City will need to negotiate with the Coachella Valley Water District regarding the flat area that is currently being used for parking. Commissioner Hall inquired if the entire area could be converted to a recreation park, but Mr. Stendell responded that it will create a new project that will need to go through an environmental study. Vice Chair Dawson asked how long it will take to add the less strenuous trail and Mr. Stendell responded that there is a new planner at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) that could be a good source for the creation of the trails or walking path. Mr. Steve Harris has hosted two interpretative dog walks and helped with the maintenance of co - managed trails. Chairman Guyer requested that Mr. Harris be invited to the next scheduled meeting and Commissioner Thomas added that a subcommittee could be formed to make trail recommendations. 2 PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION APPROVED MINUTES April Commissioner Hall suggested the formation of volunteer groups to help with the trails and in the parks. Commissioner Dowty stated that COD offers recreational classes that could gather volunteers to help maintain the trails. Should the City of Palm Desert be unable to take volunteer labor, the process could go through the BLM. The installation of the restroom is currently budgeted in the fifth year of the CIP Plan; therefore, if the Commission wishes to include it in this year's budget, another item will need to be omitted. Due to the parks potential, the Commission concurred that the accessibility of a restroom at the parks is important enough to add it to next year's budget. Upon a motion from Commissioner Kelly, second by Commissioner Thomas and a 7-0 vote of the Commission, staff was directed to submit the construction of a restroom in Cahuilla Hills Park to City Council for approval. VII. OLD BUSINESS NONE VIII. PRESENTATIONS AND UPDATES A. AQUATICS CENTER — Introduction of New Aquatics Center Manager As stated at the previous meeting, Mr. Stendell introduced the new manager of the Aquatics Center, Mrs. Karen Creasy. Mrs. Creasy informed the Committee of her lengthy experience with aquatic centers and noted her extensive research of the Palm Desert Aquatic Center and excitement to be part of the project. She added that she is currently working on bringing together the partnership of the City and YMCA and there seems to be many clubs interested in using the pool. Chairman Guyer informed the Commissioners that he opted to meet Mrs. Creasy at this meeting rather than in May when she will be busy with the opening of the center. Councilman Spiegel suggested that the Commissioners visit the Aquatics Center construction site during the next scheduled meeting and inquired if the YMCA has met with COD staff in order to determine their needs. Commissioner Dowty stated that COD met with City staff on Monday, April 4, 2011, resulting in a positive outcome. Chairman Guyer asked Mrs. Creasy if during her review of the aquatic center project, she found anything that was missed during the planning process. She responded that you can't state that something was missed; all they can do is work with what they have. She added that typically 50 meter pools don't tend to be the best revenue source, but they will do their best with the amenities they have, especially the 3 PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION APPROVED MINUTES April 5. 2011 concession stands. Staff stated that the date for the pre -opening of the Aquatic Center has not been determined and although a Memorial Day Grand Opening is still the objective, it has not been confirmed. B. INSPECTION REPORTS Mr. Stendell reported on the following reports: — The replacement of the University Park signage is on hold until the recommendations from the JPIA establish if they need to be revised. — Mr. Jay Niemczak is working with the supplier on the warranty of the basketball nets before replacing them. — Staff is addressing the issues with the turf areas at the dog parks. — The standing water issue at Magnesia Falls Park is also being addressed. Mr. Stendell clarified that contrary to the Desert Sun article regarding the usage of pesticides, staff does not apply pesticides in the dog parks. He added that the resident did not contact City staff with the concern before making her comments to the Desert Sun. Commissioner Hall stated that since the contamination of the dog toys seem to be the concern; they need to be thrown away during the maintenance of the park in order to persuade visitors not to leave the dog toys behind. Commissioner Thomas asked how the recycling program at Freedom Park is going and if there any plans to expand it to other parks. Mr. Stendell stated that the recycling blue bins were installed by Frankie Riddle and Lisa Ream of the Special Programs Department. The program was created especially for Freedom Park, so he is not aware of any plans to expand it. C. FAMILY YMCA OF THE DESERT Mrs. Creasy informed the Commission that Healthy Kids Day and the Easter Egg Hunt is still scheduled for Saturday, April 23, 2011, behind the YMCA building. D. DESERT RECREATION DISTRICT Mr. Jeff Ronci included the Community Center evaluations in the monthly report and stated that the Tennis and Pickleball comparison is no longer available, but the attendance logs will still be presented. He added that the dance classes are full and the Tiny Tots program is now operating on a waiting list. 4 PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION APPROVED MINUTES April The monthly facilities and programming reports were presented as follows: Program / Activity Enrollment # of Class Hours Participation Hours Zumba — 2 Days 1 200 10 Salsaaerobics 5 400 50 Ballroom Dancing 11 472.50 115.50 Belly Dancing 10 150 60 Painting & Advance 1 240 12 Yo a 1 Day 4 312.50 50 Yoga 2 Day 5 312.50 62.50 Beginning Ballet 3 45 9 After -School Club 25 3450 1725 Princess Party 30 60 189 Karate Taekwondo 16 720 144 Tiny Tots 33 1173 1125 Dance Play Pretend 5 36 15 Membership/ Facilities Use Rentals Daily Visits 3164 Skate Park 368 Bike 409 Tennis 3188 Pickleball 10 Facility 9 Soccer Field 76 Ballfield 183 Mr. Ronci continued by presenting the new Recreation Supervisor, Ms. Felicia Horton, who presented a PowerPoint regarding this year's International Sports Festival (aka: Senior Games). Mrs. Horton stated that the event was a great success with the help of the City's $26,000 sponsorship. Highlights of the presentation were as follows: — The City's funds were used to advertise the event through radio, flyers, brochures and print media, distribution of promotional tee shirts, and the venues, dinner and emergency response. — There were a total of 1,176 participants (335 local and 841 non - locals) from the ages of 35-91. This was an increase of 272 from last year. — Participants received a bag that included sponsored items (i.e. nutritional bars, gift card, energy drink, coupons, etc.). — Awards included a gold, silver and bronze medal Ms. Horton stated that for the 2012 International Sports Festival staff is working on: refining the events; adding events for handicapped athletes; adding low cost events and three additional event days, expand the marketing plan, have all the events in Palm Desert, and 5 PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION APPROVED MINUTES April 5, 2011 hold a pancake breakfast, ice cream social and appreciation dinner. She added that the event will be moved to Presidents Day Weekend and they will be recruiting volunteers from local non-profit organizations. Ms. Horton was asked to consult with Commissioner Dowty to establish if COD volunteers could help with the event and contact Ms. Donna Gomez from the Visitors Center to assist with marketing and the hotel packages. When asked why an athlete did not speak at this year's event, but Ms. Horton stated that staff was under the impression that Mr. Johnny Bench would be available to speak. They were informed that he would be unable to attend at the last minute; therefore, it was too late to recruit another speaker. The Commission concurred that the speaker did not have to be a baseball athlete nor a resident of Palm Desert. The only requirement was for him/her to be a resident of the Coachella Valley. Commissioner Dowty noted that he knew many football players that could be interested in participating in this year's event. Mr. Ronci concluded by presenting Ms. Tatiana Hinkle of the DRD, who then introduced the new Soap Box Derby Director, Manny Marrujo. Mr. Marrujo recapped this year's Soap Box Derby Race and thanked the City for co -sponsoring the event. He informed the Commission that the City's funding is used to pay for the franchise and road closure fees. He mentioned a number of stories that illustrated the importance of the event to the Coachella Valley families and stated that the number of participants has significantly increased from last year's event (21 participants in 2009-10 to 93 participants in 2010-11). He concluded by distributing honorary medals to the Commission members as a token of gratitude. Ms. Hinkle stated that the DRD is asking for the Commission's sponsorship of this year's event in the amount of $3,000 for two one - day rally races. Due to the budget constraints, should the Commission not be able to sponsor the two races, the DRD is asking for sponsorship of one -day rally race in March in the amount of $1,500. Responding to Commissioner Housken's inquiry, Ms. Hinkle stated that the total number of racers (93) included the adults, which race only for fun. She added that because Palm Desert allows adults to participate in this manner, the CA Families started to expand the races by offering adult races. The DRD will be holding a clinic in order to attract more Palm Desert families to the derby and an online survey is being conducted through the Palm Desert website in order to determine the best dates and times to hold the race. R. PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION APPROVED MINUTES April 5 2011 Responding to the Commission's inquiry, Ms. Hinkle stated that they currently have approximately 20 derby cars available to families that cannot afford to pay the $800 for a derby car. The cars are sponsored by private and public venues. The Commission suggested that a way to attract Palm Desert families was to have venues at the baseball and soccer games, but Ms. Hinkle stated that it can be difficult to recruit volunteers, but they will consider it. The Commission agreed that in order to be able to make a recommendation, the item will need to be formally added to the agenda. Upon a motion from Vice -Chair Dawson, second by Commissioner Kelly and 7-0 vote of the Commission, the Soap Box Derby was added to the agenda as an item of discussion. Commissioner Housken asked if the street closure fees are the same for a one -day or two-day race and staff responded that the DRD bills for actual cost; therefore, the City's cost will remain the same. Upon a motion from Commissioner Kelly, second by Chairman Guyer, and 6-1 vote of the Commission with Commissioner Housken opposing, the Commission recommended the City's Council approval to co-sponsor both races in the amount not to exceed $3,000. Vill. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS Commissioner Housken informed the Commission that the 2012 Arbor Day Celebration will be held on Saturday, April 16, 2011, at the UCR Campus from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. This year, Arbor Day will be a volunteer tree planting celebration, which will feature the Art and Essay Contest participants (Trees: Roots for Life). Commissioner Thomas stated that the Pickleball Free Clinic will also be held on April 16, 2011 from 9 a.m. to 12.p.m. He then noted an article that was featured in the PD Style Magazine, which featured the pickleball courts. He added that he believes that eventually the remaining tennis court at Cahuilla Hills Park will need to be converted to four pickleball courts because of the sport's growing popularity. IX. ADJOURNMENT With no further business or discussion, and with the Commissioners' unanimous concurrence, the meeting was adjourned at 10:00 a.m.