HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-02-05 Parks & Recreation Summary Minutes 1
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MINUTES 6
PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION 7
SPECIAL MEETING 8 ANNUAL RETREAT 9 February 5, 2016 10 Foothill Park, Interpretive Center 11 11729 Page Mill Road 12 13
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Commissioners Present: Jim Cowie, Jennifer Hetterly, Abbie Knopper, Ed Lauing, David 15
Moss, Keith Reckdahl 16
Commissioners Absent: Anne Warner Cribbs 17
Others Present: Council Liaison Eric Filseth 18
Staff Present: Daren Anderson, Catherine Bourquin, Rob de Geus, Kristen O’Kane 19
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BUSINESS: 21
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1. Review 2015 Parks and Recreation Commission Accomplishments/Priorities 23
Vice chair Knopper handed out a list of the Commissions 2015 accomplishments. The 24 Commission reviewed the following. 25
• Parks, Open Space, Recreation and Facilities Master Plan 26
• New Pedestrian bridge over 101 27
• Conceptual Plans for new Junior Museum and Zoo 28
• Council recommendation for next steps 7.7 Acres-Hydrologic Study for Buckeye 29
Creek 30
• Organics Facilities information meeting 31
• Recommendation for Park Improvement Ordinance within the PASCO site to allow 32
pilot Batting Cages at Baylands Athletic Center 33
• Approval of Memo to Council on supporting funding for the implementation of the 34 Foothills Park Fire Master Plan 35
• Approval of recommendation to Council to adopt a Park Improvement Ordinance for 36
improvements identified in the Byxbee Park Hills interim park concepts plan 37
• Avenidas capital project study session 38
• Informational report on sustaining trees during the drought within the City and Parks 39
a Public Works presentation 40
• Discussion on new online procedure for Summer Camp registration. 41
• Community Garden Ad hoc update report and recommendation 42
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• Review of the Baylands Interpretive Center Improvements and Boardwalk Feasibility 43 Study 44
• Discussion on the share use Dog Park Pilot Program 45
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2. Consider Potential Areas of Focus for 2016 47 Rob de Geus, Director of Community Services reviewed Council’s priorities for 2016. 48 Priorities are: 49
o Built environment: infrastructure, housing, parking, livability 50
o Mobility 51
o Healthy City, Healthy Community 52 o Completion of the Comprehensive Plan 2015-2030 Update 53 Director de Geus reminded the commission that the role of the commission should be 54
priorities and decisions related to policy recommendations. 55
Chair Lauing provided a list of 2016 projects and priorities. The Commissioners 56
reviewed each project and identified those that should be monitored and those that should 57
have a dedicated ad hoc group. 58 59
• Parks, Open Space, Recreation and Facilities Master Plan – Chair Lauing - an ad hoc 60
group exists for the Master Plan and should continue. 61
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• Dog Parks - Chair Lauing - an ad hoc group exists for the Master Plan and should 63
continue. Gym & Fields / Field Use Policy – Commissioner Hetterly said the master 64
plan will address gyms and fields, but need to make sure the policy is reflected in the 65
master plan. Turf is an issue. Commissioner Lauing questioned if there is data that 66 says “we need more gyms”? All based on surveys. Commissioner Lauing would like 67 more data to justify decisions for things like more synthetic fields. 68
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• Commissioner Hetterly stated that dog parks, fields, and community gardens need to 70 be considered together because they are all related to the same space. Commissioner 71 Knopper – there needs to be cohesive policy for field use. Chair Lauing suggested 72
that the ad hocs working on the priorities for gardens, dog parks, gym/field space 73
should continue working on them. Commissioner Moss commented that we should 74
make sure that all these big issues, dog owners, community gardens, gyms, etc. are 75 addressed in context so that it is a fair and equitable split of land use. Commissioner 76 Reckdahl commented that we should keep moving on things like dog parks, where we 77
have enough data to show that we are too short. Gyms are something we don’t know 78
about, and maybe can wait. 79
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• 7.7 Acres at Foothill Park – Staff Anderson stated that the RFP is out for the 81 hydrologic study. 82
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• Land bank – 10.5 acres adjacent to Baylands Athletic Center. Commissioner Lauing 84 noted that it is important to build the proper facility there. Need to consider traffic 85
congestion. Staff Anderson stated that Master Plan should identify use of this area. 86
Commissioner Lauing recommended a new name – Baylands Athletic and Recreation 87
Complex. 88
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• Arastradero Preserve – Staff Anderson updated the Commission that Director de 90 Geus is open to park benches and opening of the overflow parking lot. The parking 91 lot would need regrading, base rock, drainage. Needs to be mowed to use it now. 92
Should also look at ingress/egress. Commissioner Lauing asked if it could be used 93
during the summer. Staff Anderson will look into it. Commissioner Lauing – 94
Confirmed with staff Anderson that it does not need to go back to council. Create an 95 ad hoc. 96 97
• Website – Commissioner Hetterly – limited by staff capacity and city standards. 98
Missing agendas and missing some key links to studies. Hoping to wrap up in the 99 next few months. Commissioner Knopper stated that it would be helpful to be able to 100 cross-reference material on the website. 101
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• CIP Input – Commission to continue providing input. 103
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• Cubberley – Commission will continue to monitor progress. 105
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• Infrastructure Blue Ribbon Committee (IBRC) follow-up re: TOC/Bond Rollout – 107
Remove from Parks and Recreation Commission’s priority list for 2016. 108 109
• Project Safety Net – There have been no “asks” from the Commission. Commissioner 110
was asked to QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) Training. Commissioner Cowie asked 111
what is being done for parents? CSD could offer classes and programs for parents. 112 Kristen O’Kane, Assistant Director of Community Services stated that Project Safety 113
Net has hired a new Executive Director, Mary Gloner. Ms. Gloner will be attending 114
the February 23rd Parks and Recreation Commission meeting to provide and update 115
on Project Safety Net. 116
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• Sterling Canal Opportunities - Remove from Parks and Recreation Commission’s 118
priority list for 2016. This should continue to be considered for space. Staff 119
Anderson will be the lead and will continue to monitor and keep Commission 120
informed. 121 122
• Lucy Evans Interpretive Center – Commissioner will continue to monitor. 123
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• Byxbee Park Hills Design - Remove from Parks and Recreation Commission’s 125 priority list for 2016. Create a new ad hoc for the Baylands Comprehensive 126
Conservation Plan. 127
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• Baylands Satellite Parking - The shuttle idea was abandoned; but there may be 129 interest in adding parking on Embarcadero Road and reducing a lane. This would be 130
from 101 to the Baylands, with parking on both sides. Remove from Parks and 131
Recreation Commission’s priority list for 2016. 132
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• 101 / Adobe Creek Bridge – Commission will continue to monitor. Commissioner 134 Knopper noted that the concern is the connection to the Baylands and potential 135
impacts to wildlife. 136
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• Lefkowitz Tunnel - Commission will continue to monitor. 138
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• Golf course – Chair Lauing suggested the commission advocate for a new club house 140 and parking lot. The commission discussed how this would be done (prioritize a CIP, 141
or private public partnership). Commission will continue to monitor. 142
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• Matadero Creek Trail – Commissioner Reckdahl would like to keep working on 144 Matadero Creek Underpass. Create an ad hoc. 145
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• Junior Museum and Zoo Reconstruction – Staff O’Kane reported that JMZ will be 147
coming to a future Commission meeting for an update. Chair Lauing stated this does 148 not need an ad hoc. 149
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The Commission discussed possible new initiatives for 2016: 153
• Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) / Parks and Recreation Commission (PRC) 154
Dialogue – Chair Lauing will reach out to Council member Dubois to discuss shared use 155
facilities. 156
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• Water Conservation – Commissioner Hetterly asked if there is a role for advocating for 158 additional recycled water in parks. Is staff invested in this? Request to agendize this for 159
a future Commission meeting. 160
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• Facilities Rental – Commissioner Reckdahl clarified this is related to upgrades and 162 vacancies. Director de Geus asked what the policy question is. Has there been a policy 163
question from Council? Director de Geus stated that the purpose is not to generate 164
revenue and many of the uses are provided at no cost. Commissioner Reckdahl is 165
interested in vacancy rate of facilities. Director de Geus provided estimates of revenues 166 from the three community centers. 167
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• Improved activation with Friends groups – Commissioner Hetterly stated that the Master 169
Plan is a good opportunity to involve the Friends group. Commissioners Reckdahl and 170 Moss added increase in park canopy to the list of possible new initiatives. 171
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3. Review Commission Ad hoc Committees and Liaison assignments 173
The Commission agreed to create new ad hoc committees and assigned Commissioners to the 174
ad hocs. 175
• Matadero Creek Underpass project – Commissioners Reckdahl and Moss 176
• Baylands Comprehensive Conservation Plan (BCCP) - Commissioners Moss and 177 Hetterly 178
• Baylands Athletic and Recreation Complex -- Commissioners Reckdahl and Cowie 179
• PAUSD/PRC dialog – Commissioner Lauing 180
• Parks tree canopy - Commissioners Reckdahl and Moss 181
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The Commissioner agreed to continue the following ad hoc committees and assignments 183
• Parks Master Plan – Commissioners Hetterly, Lauing, and Reckdahl 184
• Dog parks – Commissioners Hetterly and Knopper 185
• Community Gardens – Commissioner Knopper 186
• Capital Improvement Projects – Commissioners Reckdahl and Lauing 187 188
4. Other discussion if time allows: 189
• Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space, and Recreation Master Plan – Commissioners 190
were asked to state their three priority issues for the Master Plan. 191 192
• Commission Knopper: Dog parks, sustainability, ordinance for developers, water 193
strategy, and new experiences, and purchase new land, health and welfare 194
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• Commissioner Cowie: Restrooms in Parks, BCCP, and more gyms 196
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• Commissioner Hetterly; Comprehensive Conservation Plans, even distribution, dogs 198
parks, Cubberley replacement 199 200
• Commissioner Lauing: more parkland, more dog parks, selective park restroom 201
additions 202
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• Commissioner Reckdahl: dog parks, park restrooms, evaluate additional gyms or 204 swim pools 205
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• Commissioner Moss: Partnerships, special events and new uses, habitat improvement 207 208
• Chair Lauing suggested there be a best practices section in the Master Plan to address 209
standards for every park facility. Chair Lauing and Commissioner Hetterly discussed 210
that the policies need to be finalized before project/program prioritization can occur. 211 212
• Dog Parks - Daren Anderson, Division Manager, Open Space, Parks, and Golf, 213
provided an update on recent efforts of the ad hoc group. It was recognized that the 214
Parks Master Plan will address dog parks, but the Commission should also provide 215 input. Staff Anderson asked for Commission discussion on the following: 216
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1. Is the shared-use concept right for Palo Alto? If it is, should it be shared with 218 athletic fields or only non-athletic field areas? 219
2. Is the unfenced shared-use concept (City of Mountain View model) right for 220
Palo Alto? 221
3. Should we conduct a comprehensive dog park analysis initiated by staff and the 222
ad hoc; and then brought to the Commission (referenced above)? 223 224
The Commission agreed that the scope of the ad hoc should be expanded. Staff will 225
continue to assess El Camino Park as a potential location for a new dog park and 226
Mitchell Park to expand the existing dog park. 227
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V. COMMENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS 230 231
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233 VI. ADJOURNMENT 234 235
Meeting adjourned at 1:15pm. 236
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