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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-09-27 Parks & Recreation Summary MinutesAPPROVED Approved 1 1 2 3 MINUTES 4 PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION 5 REGULAR MEETING 6 September 27, 2022 7 In-Person & Virtual Conference 8 Palo Alto, California 9 10 Commissioners Present: Chair Greenfield; Vice Chair LaMere; Commissioners Amanda 11 Brown, Anne Cribbs, Nellis Freeman, Shani Kleinhaus, and Joy 12 Oche 13 Commissioners Absent: 14 Others Present: 15 Staff Present: Daren Anderson, Lam Do, Javod Ghods 16 CALL TO ORDER & ROLL CALL 17 PUBLIC COMMENT 18 Herb Borock spoke regarding the redwood trees in The Magic Forest at Rinconada Park 19 that are being marked for removal, stating that it seemed the area was not being taken 20 care of. He questioned the placement of a fiber hut site for the Fiber to the 21 Home/Premises Project at Juana Briones Park. 22 BUSINESS 23 1. Adoption of a Resolution Authorizing Use of Teleconferencing for Parks and 24 Recreation Commission Meeting During COVID-19 State of Emergency 25 MOTION 26 Motion by Commissioner Brown for approval. 27 Motion seconded by Commissioner Oche. 28 Motion approved 7-0. 29 AGENDA CHANGES, REQUESTS, DELETIONS 30 None. 31 APPROVED Approved 2 APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1 2. Approval of Draft Minutes from the September 1, 2022, Parks and Recreation 2 Commission Meeting 3 Commissioner Cribbs stated Page 18 or 19, line 19 of the minutes referenced a survey for 4 racquetball and should have said pickleball and tennis. 5 Chair Greenfield stated we could go with that. 6 Commissioner Brown added as a point of order that in the past commissioners had recused 7 themselves when they had missed a meeting. She consulted Robert’s Rules of Order and with a 8 certified municipal clerk and they encouraged commissioners to vote on meetings they had 9 missed but required they view the meeting and the minutes because the minutes were an 10 accurate reflection of what transpired, so she would vote on this item. 11 MOTION 12 Motion by Commissioner Kleinhaus to approve the draft minutes. 13 Motion seconded by Vice Chair LaMere. 14 Motion approved 7-0. 15 BUSINESS 16 3. Park Dedication – Measure E Site 17 Daren Anderson, Assistant Director of Community Services, stated they were here to discuss 18 and collect feedback on dedicating the 10-acre Measure E Site as parkland, which was a work 19 plan goal of the Commission. He provided maps for orientation and elements of the site. He 20 noted that importantly the area had once been parkland, and he provided a history of the use of 21 the land. He noted key sections of questions posed to the voters on the Measure E ballot. In 22 August, Public Works staff explained to the Ad Hoc Committee they had no foreseeable projects 23 or proposals for the future use of the site. In September, Utilities Advisory Comminution Chair 24 and the Staff Liaison explained to the Ad Hoc Committee they had no plans for the site and were 25 trying not to extend utility infracture that close to the bay and had no concerns with the PRC 26 pursuing and dedicating the site as parkland but would not prohibit future discussion for future 27 uses of the land and voters could vote to un-dedicate it for some other use. He provided the Ad 28 Hoc Committee’s reasons for pursuing the Measure E Site as parkland. He hoped there would be 29 an action item next month for a recommendation to Council and then bringing the item to City 30 Council between December and February. 31 Chair Greenfield commented Measure E had a very specific and narrow intended purpose of the 32 un-dedication of the parkland and any future site use would require a vote of the public. This 33 was a discussion item this evening, and action would be taken before the end of the year. 34 APPROVED Approved 3 PUBLIC COMMENT 1 Emily Renzel agreed with the Subcommittee recommendation and encouraged voting for 2 rededication. She explained the importance of dedicating or rededicating lands as parkland 3 opposed to purchasing additional parkland. 4 Commissioner Oche asked if there was an opportunity for commissioners to go on a tour and 5 what would happen to the wastewater facility there now if the park was rededicated. 6 Mr. Anderson declared a tour could be arranged, and if commissioners wanting a tour would 7 email him, he would make the arrangements. The wastewater facility would stay if the park was 8 rededicated. 9 Commissioner Brown stated the analysis in 2014 for the yard trimmings and food scraps 10 predated Senate Bill 1383 and questioned if staff reconsidered the impacts of that bill and the 11 increased amount of compost that would be entering the system and if the analysis still held true. 12 Karin North, Assistant Public Works Director, responded that the analysis had not been done. 13 They were looking at a 25-acre wastewater treatment facility but there was not a definite 14 decision-making point on what would be done with more space, but new regulations were 15 coming down the pipeline. There was nothing in the foreseeable future, but it was possibly 16 something they would look at in the future. She explained the process of biosolid processing and 17 indicated they were in the process of figuring out what to do with biosolids in the future. 18 Vice Chair LaMere was in support of moving forward with this as parkland. 19 Commissioner Freeman fully supported this effort. 20 Commissioner Cribbs supported the effort to do the dedication. She inquired if there was a cost 21 to the City and if staff would be necessary. She stated it could be a place for a grant. 22 Mr. Anderson replied there would be no cost in the process of dedicating it. Regarding further 23 improvements, one way of looking at was by making it dedicated parkland, funds dedicated 24 strictly for parkland were allowed to be used. He furnished possible examples how it may open 25 opportunities for future development, but it needed to be checked with the attorney. There could 26 be a grant. 27 Commissioner Kleinhaus commented it was time the 10 acres were dedicated and addressed 28 future possibilities if it was. 29 Chair Greenfield expressed rededication seemed like the obvious thing to do. Doing due 30 diligence as part of the Ad Hoc, they looked for reasons to suggest otherwise but came up with 31 none. He recommended rededication. He looked forward to the item coming back to the 32 Commission later in the year as an action to make a formal recommendation to City Council. 33 4. Racquet Court Policy 34 APPROVED Approved 4 Chair Greenfield clarified this was a discussion item and an action would not be taken to 1 recommend a formal change this evening. 2 Adam Howard, Manager, Community Services, discussed the multiuse courts and the priority 3 times at the Mitchell Park Complex, gave an overview of the types of courts and how they were 4 currently used, went over some data they had collected, talked about policy suggestions, and 5 requested information and communication from the public. He provided a background and 6 current use of the courts. He commented on feedback they had received since the opening of the 7 courts and provided information on spot checks they had done. He discussed the pros and cons 8 of options staff had suggested in reference to joint-use versus single-use courts. He spoke of 9 additional suggestions of adding lights and discussed options, cost, and planning being difficult. 10 He voiced the difficulties of building additional courts, which staff had not found a good 11 solution to. Dual striping was challenging and could cause additional conflict. 12 Commissioner Oche asked for clarification of the cost for new lights on Cubberley tennis court. 13 Mr. Howard clarified it was $500K to $1M. 14 PUBLIC COMMENT 15 John Jacobs opened that tennis and pickleball could coexist. He suggested the City convert the 16 two back tennis courts at Mitchell to seven permitted pickleball courts. 17 Bill Ringe commented on the times of day pickleball, and tennis were played. He supported 18 whatever the Commission should decide to do. He believed if one tennis court would not be 19 converted to pickleball, they would provide pickleball courts in every park in Palo Alto, which 20 he would help with. 21 Monica Williams requested approval of Option 2 allowing pickleball play seven days a week 22 and leave the configuration of temporary courts it was. 23 Christian Sue spoke of the popularity of pickleball and struggling to find places to play with the 24 courts at Mitchell Park being crowded. 25 Nolan Sue, a pickleball, tennis, and golf player, remarked how busy the pickleball courts were. 26 Paige, Zac, Max, and Isabella Cook represented the Palo Alto Pickleball Club. It was 27 disappointing that they could not finish their games because tennis players had priority at the 28 Mitchell courts. They retreat to Cubberley when removed from the courts due to tennis and 29 suggested the status at Cubberley be worked out to ensure lighted courts would be available. 30 They asked that Mitchell give pickleball priority from 3:00 until dark. 31 Jennifer Schmidt commented she and her husband go to other cities to play pickleball because 32 capacity at Mitchell park was a limiting factor. She thought a great start would be to turn the 33 temporary courts into pickleball court priority 7 days a week from 8:00 to 10:00 to expand 34 access or increase the amount of pickleball courts in Palo Alto. 35 APPROVED Approved 5 Tom Foladare gave a background of pickleball at Mitchell Park and commented on the physical 1 and social components and popularity of pickleball. 2 Peter Herveshoff referenced safety and using tennis nets on the temporary courts. He believed 3 pickleball needed specific designations and the same sort of fences as the other pickleball courts. 4 Matt Goldman expressed that it was difficult to play pickleball in the evening with a full-time 5 job. He considered pickleball hours being early in the day a misconception, and scarcity late at 6 night needed to be avoided. 7 Joy Zhang could play pickleball mostly only in the evening, and it was hard to find an evening 8 game, and when tennis players would take over the courts, it was worse. She requested 9 pickleball be a priority for the muti-use courts. 10 Kris Kuppe noted pickleball was available only at Mitchell Park, and tennis courts were 11 everywhere. There seemed to always be availability at Palo Alto High School for tennis at night. 12 She asked that pickleball be given to these courts full time. 13 Jocelyn Tseng does programming for the pickleball community, and it is difficult to build that 14 community at night without having the priority of the courts in the afternoons and nights. They 15 were unable to do afterschool programming because they do not have assurance of access to 16 courts. A few tennis players were displacing many pickleball players at night. 17 Amy Lauterbach, who does the Getting Started programs, mentioned she furnished the guiding 18 principles from the Parks and Rec Master Plan, which was in alignment with what pickleball 19 was about and asked the Commission to take a strategic look at the best way to deploy the 20 blended use courts. She invited everyone to play pickleball. 21 Mosh Suzuki invited the community to play pickleball. 22 Helen Wong asked everyone to come and play pickleball. 23 Khalid Kazi called on all to experience the magic of pickleball. 24 Herve Patrick Desveaux could play pickleball only in the evening. He would even recommended 25 Option 1 giving 5:00 to 6:00 to pickleball and making sure tennis players have lights. 26 Indy Ting invited the community to play pickleball. 27 Bianca Guerrero requested the multi-use courts be converted to pickleball courts as it was hard 28 for some players to make out the lines. 29 Beverly Marshall invited everyone on the Commission to play pickleball. 30 Joseph Afong felt the recommendations of splitting the evenings between tennis and pickleball 31 was not justifiable. He discussed a survey he had conducted last year which showed pickleball 32 should have court priority seven nights a week. He opined staff surveys lacked scientific 33 APPROVED Approved 6 methodology, data points, and analysis of data. He recommended a consultant be hired to do a 1 proper and credible survey or, at a minimum, having a qualified expert go over his study and 2 incorporate the finding in the decision-making. 3 Jerold Pearson, for reasons already mentioned by previous speakers, encouraged the City to 4 convert the multi-use courts at Mitchell Park to dedicated pickleball courts. 5 Lavender believed the City should provide more pickleball court hours during the evening as the 6 pickleball community was experiencing much growth. Her son formed a pickleball teenager 7 group, which was keeping them active and spending less time on social media. She requested 8 more dedicated pickleball hours during the evenings. 9 Grace Xiao supported pickleball as a priority seven days a week. Due to pickleball, her teenage 10 son was on the internet less. 11 Yong Guo loved tennis and pickleball and did not want to invade into other people’s benefit and 12 requested more dedicated pickleball courts, and he did not care that it would cost up to $1M. 13 Commissioner Cribbs had been working on the Ad Hoc this year. She would support making the 14 two multi-use courts single courts for pickleball. She encouraged looking for a solution for 15 temporary or permanent lighting at Cubberley for the six courts, getting a definite price, 16 proceeding to create a plan, and raising the money. 17 Commissioner Freeman stated we had to be nimble in our decision-making as there were those 18 passionate about tennis and those passionate about pickleball, and both needed to be addressed 19 as quickly as possible. Being part of the Ad Hoc, he supported the effort and would work with 20 the City and the public to reach a solution. They would make it work for everyone. 21 Commissioner Brown was sympathetic to the working hours that people expressed this evening. 22 She did not think good policy was always simple policy but, in this case, simplicity was of the 23 utmost importance for the use of the court as fast as the sport was growing and to not be 24 intimidating to new people. It was important to continue to look at this policy, and she thought it 25 would be an iterative process and wanted it to be a group project approach between the two 26 sports. In looking at the options prepared by staff, she would approach a three-tiered approach 27 moving forward with the ultimate goal of converting the courts to dedicated pickleball to solve 28 some of the safety considerations as well as making the courts more inclusive for those in terms 29 of visibility of the lines. The step before that would be pickleball priority with a substantial 30 amount of the week or maybe seven days a week, which there would be additional costs of the 31 conversion. As an initial step, we could explore and modify in the policy giving priority 32 potentially four days a week and then immediately looking to our fundraising partners to create 33 a joint goal of lighting Cubberley and raising the funds to do the court conversions, and once 34 those two goals were met, then moving forward with any additional policy measures. 35 Commissioner Oche stated a tiered approach would be wise. Two courts should be converted to 36 pickleball, but it would also be necessary to hear from the tennis players. Her stand was more 37 focused on lighting the six courts and how we could work with funding partners for that. 38 APPROVED Approved 7 Commissioner Kleinhaus asked if there were pickleball courts in nearby communities and if 1 there was a way to use the parking lots that were not used at night, like at Cubberley. She would 2 like to hear from the tennis players before a decision was made. She agreed the need was great 3 and that the community would benefit. It would be important to keep some level of flexibility 4 into the future. She was concerned regarding the noise and the proposed project of Mitchell Park 5 Place for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities being next to the pickleball field. 6 A sunset of three or four years may have been needed on a conversion and then looking again 7 given there would be another community there. 8 Mr. Howard affirmed there were pickleball courts in nearby communities and they were 9 growing everywhere. The parking lots were owned by the school district, so approval from them 10 would be needed, but it would not be the best playing surface and would raise concerns. 11 Vice Chair LaMere thought there was a need for pickleball courts. There was an equity issue in 12 terms of what was available for pickleball versus the tennis courts available. He questioned what 13 it would take to site a pickleball court, what might be some impediments of putting a court at a 14 park, and obstacles that might be faced. He wanted to hear from the tennis community because 15 something would be taken from them. Many discussions had come back to Cubberley, not just 16 pickleball and tennis, so it underscored trying to think about Cubberley and the future of it and 17 needed some conversations with the school district. Cubberley was being looked at as a solution, 18 and the future of Cubberley was not known. He was in support of an iterative process of the 19 courts becoming pickleball courts, but the tennis community needed to be kept in mind and the 20 ability to find places to have lit courts as the demand for these courts grew. 21 Mr. Howard addressed the sound of pickleball and the surrounding neighborhood being 22 important and that being near housing or neighborhoods would not be good. He referenced a 23 court that had to be shut down in Berkeley because of neighborhood noise. Parking would be 24 needed, so a small neighborhood park could not house the parking. He noted why Mitchell Park 25 was an ideal situation. Staff had looked at other parks and locations and did not find a sufficient 26 one. 27 Chair Greenfield encouraged other members of the community to speak before the Commission, 28 City Council, and commissions in the City. It made sense to dedicate all the courts by the 29 Magical Bridge Playground to full time pickleball, which would be more of a discussion. When 30 and how to get there will be complicated. Anything done at Cubberley would be temporary 31 given the redevelopment that would be happening in the area. He was interested in staff 32 exploring the use of solar lighting, not necessarily renting but if installation of solar lighting 33 could be put in place that would be reusable at a later date when things were redeveloped. He 34 asked staff if along the transition, would there be consideration for dedicating Court 6 now to 35 full-time pickleball and leaving Court 7 as multi-use. Considering pickleball a priority until it 36 was dark was a good idea. An item that resonated was not being able to offer youth 37 programming for pickleball because there were no guarantees courts would be available. This 38 was a discussion item this evening, and the Commission would return later this year with an 39 action recommending a specific change to City Council to the Racquet Court Policy and was 40 something the Commission would discuss further. It would be good to hear from the community 41 the next time there was opportunity to hear from the public. 42 APPROVED Approved 8 Mr. Howard agreed with getting the input from the tennis community but noted that was 1 difficult. He had sent notification to the Palo Alto Tennis Club and his email list, which included 2 anyone who had emailed him about tennis. He put laminated notifications of this meeting on the 3 Mitchell Park courts. There were five additional tennis emails he received, which the 4 Commission was not included on, and he sent those to the Commission. 5 Chair Greenfield mentioned there were members of the tennis community here but had chosen 6 not to speak and hoped to hear directly from them in the future. 7 Commissioner Oche asked the best way to notify residents of steps taken. 8 Mr. Howard responded similar steps should be taken, such as notifications on the courts and 9 notifying anyone who had emailed him. This meeting was important in making sure there was 10 public notification. He was making it as public as he could because he wanted the public’s input. 11 He was open to any additional information or communication chains. 12 Commissioner Freeman supported what Mr. Howard said. Part of the Ad Hoc was to ensure 13 everyone had been notified, so all had a chance to participate in the forum. He did not know how 14 much more effort could be done in reaching out. 15 Chair Greenfield looked forward to further discussion and action on this topic in the near future. 16 5. Public Art for the Boulware Park Improvement Project 17 Elise DeMarzo, Senior Program Manager, Community Services, discussed Public Art for 18 Boulware Park. She provided slides introducing the Public Art for Boulware Park and addressed 19 public art funding and the process for CIP projects. She solicited feedback about the site and any 20 stakeholders we may want to reach out to in the course of design development or issues to be 21 aware of at that site. She referenced municipal public art projects. Calls to artists would be 22 initiated to identify who might be appropriate for the project. She identified those in the 23 selection panel and explained the processes of the panel. She furnished the plan for Boulware 24 Park and provided examples of the kind of things being done in parks. The feedback of the 25 Commission would be helpful in giving artists direction regarding themes of artwork and the 26 neighborhood. 27 Vice Chair LaMere asked what the rules or responsibilities toward a painted piece of art were as 28 it aged. 29 Ms. DeMarzo answered that the best practices in the field had moved away from being 30 permanent. The contract would have an estimated lifespan corresponding to when resurfacing 31 may be needed and then a decision would be made as to how to proceed. Murals were 32 considered long-term temporary but not necessarily come into the collection. 33 Chair Greenfield inquired as to how long a mural would be expected to last on a court that 34 would get a lot of wear. 35 Ms. DeMarzo indicated it would last longer than things in the streetscape or crosswalks. As they 36 APPROVED Approved 9 get into design, they would need to work with landscape architect Peter Jensen and the 1 contractor to determine the lifespan of the court surface and the best paint material to use. 2 Commissioner Freeman asked if a location of the art was selected first and then it was 3 determined what art would be needed and if they reached out to the residents of the community 4 for their thoughts. 5 Ms. DeMarzo said they had identified a few areas where art might be incorporated. An artist 6 would need to meet with stakeholders and do in depth research in order to make a meaningful 7 proposal, and they would make a proposal for the type and location of the art based on 8 stakeholder feedback and research. 9 Chair Greenfield questioned if Ms. DeMarzo was asking for a member of the Parks & Rec 10 Commission to be a member of the selection panel. 11 Ms. DeMarzo wanted to know if anyone was interested and stated they would reach out. The 12 selection panel should be a diverse group. She explained the challenge of selecting an artist. 13 Commissioner Kleinhaus liked the idea of having art in drop off areas area and less so in areas 14 of the native plant or tree garden. She worried about lighting and wanted limits on transparent 15 surfaces, etc., that could harm birds. It was important to have guidelines of the type of art. She 16 asked at what time the park closes. 17 Ms. DeMarzo declared lighting was always taken into consideration. They were looking to 18 integrate the art into what was already designed within the project and not a standalone object. 19 Daren Anderson, Assistant Director of Community Services, stated all urban parks closed at 20 10:30 p.m., which is in the muni code. Some of the open-space preserves closed at sunset. 21 Commissioner Oche was interested in the selection panel and knowing how much work would 22 go into it. She questioned if some of the artists would use recycled material and at what stage 23 residents could provide feedback. 24 Ms. DeMarzo replied they could have conversations with the artists regarding material. Some of 25 the play equipment was made with upcycled material. Recycled material was kept in mind, but 26 they did not require it be upcycled or recycled material. Concerning feedback from residents, 27 outreach would be done after the selection of the artists. The artists would engage in a design 28 development contract and outreach would be done with the stakeholders. 29 Commissioner Kleinhaus questioned if the people who use the park would have input regarding 30 the design selected. 31 Ms. DeMarzo remarked they are part of the outreach process, which would inform what the 32 artists would do, and they would have opportunity to voice support or lack of when it went to 33 the Public Art Commission for approval. 34 Commissioner Cribbs wondered if it ever happened that a community had a violent reaction a 35 APPROVED Approved 10 piece of placed art. She asked if it would be agreed upon beforehand and if the agreements with 1 the artists were different or tailored to what was being produced or if there was a form of best 2 practices followed. 3 Ms. DeMarzo voiced they followed best practices in the field. They had had very good luck and 4 received quite a bit of fan mail regarding installations at the zoo, etc. Artists’ agreements would 5 be somewhat different because of different legal implications, such as copyrights. 6 Commissioner Freeman inquired how often art would be placed in different parts of the City, if 7 there was a schedule, and how a decision would be made that a particular park would get their 8 fair share. 9 Ms. DeMarzo expressed that generally artwork not associated with a construction project would 10 be temporary in nature. She provided examples of artwork that had been placed in the last two 11 years. Because the use of parks and open space was highly coveted, it made sense to engage 12 everyone in a conversation about the appropriateness of the art. The forecast for upcoming 13 capital improvement projects would be discussed with colleagues regarding pooling resources, 14 etc., and they wanted to ensure allocation in different locations and not always the same spots. 15 Vice Chair LaMere noted temporary art added to the atmosphere. 16 Chair Greenfield referenced a history of inappropriate gatherings in the back corners of the park, 17 which staff could provide more information and details on, and wanted to ensure we not put up 18 something that would encourage that. He spoke of a potential theme for the area where 19 Matadero creek runs through. There may have been opportunity to tie in some of the artwork 20 from the murals, crosswalks, etc. He inquired if there were Commissioners interested in 21 participating on the selection panel. He asked if Mr. Anderson and Ms. DeMarzo would be in 22 contact with Commissioner Oche regarding her interest in participating. It would be great to 23 have representation from the Commission and further the relationship. City Council had 24 expressed an interest in further collaboration between commissions. 25 Mr. Anderson voiced he would connect Commissioner Oche with Ms. DeMarzo. 26 CITY OFFICIAL REPORTS 27 6. Department Report 28 Daren Anderson, Assistant Director of Community Services, gave a recruitment update. He 29 spoke of a wildland fire training hosted by the Palo Alto Fire Department last week. He 30 provided information on tarantula migration season. They had not found additional fish deaths 31 as a result of red algae bloom, and there had been no reports of dead of sick birds from avian 32 influenza in the Baylands, though there were 11 as it was peaking in the area. Due to the avian 33 flu, the JMZ announced the birds had been removed from the public viewing area and bird 34 interaction programs cancelled until further notice. To replace bird activities, the zoo was 35 offering interactive zookeeper talks, which he would keep the City informed of updates and 36 changes. The Environmental Volunteers would be hosting a Baylands Bioblitz on October 1. 37 APPROVED Approved 11 The Jack-O-Jaunt Halloween Program would be on October 28 at Lytton Plaza. The City 1 website could be accessed for events. He provided information on a new pollinator garden at 2 Mitchell Park Library. He gave an update on the infill at Mayfield Soccer Complex; they were 3 keeping the leagues updated, and Adam Howard, Manager, Community Services, was working 4 on the website and an email to the stakeholders to keep the leagues and the wider group updated. 5 The 2022 Board, Commission, and Community Working Group Recognition Event would be 6 October 29 at Gamble Gardens. He asked those who had not received an invite to let him know 7 and one would be provided. 8 Commissioner Freeman inquired if a contractor had dropped out on the infill at Mayfield Soccer 9 Complex. 10 Mr. Anderson commented the contractor was never fully in, but he recommended it, and stated 11 he could do it, but it had not materialized. This was specifically for doing the test patch but did 12 not mean he would not bid on the doing the project. 13 Commissioner Cribbs requested an update on the gym and asked regarding the Foothills 14 stakeholders’ group if there had been any discussion about the Docent Program with the junior 15 colleges or Stanford and if Mr. Anderson would entertain talking to educational institutions 16 close by that could help build such a program. 17 Mr. Anderson did not have any new information since the last conversation. He was working 18 with Community Services Director Kristen O’Kane for the Wellness Center Ad Hoc, who had 19 met with the Ad Hoc. Staff was going to do some analysis of Cubberley as to the location of a 20 recreation and wellness center. Cubberley was a potential sight, but it was fraught with many 21 unknowns, so he recommended staff put that together because they may have had more insight. 22 It was very uncertain as far as timelines, etc. He had more work to do and hoped to have more 23 information at the next meeting. If he should get something salient, he would send an email to 24 the group. Regarding the Foothills, he noted the schedule of the Environmental Volunteers 25 running the Trail Ambassador Program. He had asked them if they saw it growing, and their 26 initial response was yes, and that was still a potential, but he did not see it happening in the near 27 term. He did not think there was a lot happening yet. He would entertain talking to educational 28 institutions. It has not happened yet and may be a little while. Even if an institution should take 29 the lead, it would still require staff time to get it up and running. 30 Chair Greenfield supported the idea. It would be a medium-range conversation in terms of 31 getting something off the ground. He suggested initiating conversations with some institutions. 32 Commissioner Cribbs added there was a good model in Monterey with a local college, so having 33 a conversation would be good. 34 Mr. Anderson noted there was interest. Staff agreed and stakeholders seemed to support the 35 concept. 36 Chair Greenfield requested an update on the Foothills entrance fee. 37 APPROVED Approved 12 Mr. Anderson had shared with the Ad Hoc a blurb they were planning on publicizing to start the 1 weekday entry fees. There were delays with purchasing. October 11 had been targeted, but a few 2 more things needed verified, so it would most likely be implemented October 17. They worked 3 with the Chief Communication Officer and their office regarding publicizing it, especially 4 options for free entry. There would probably be a period of time that rangers would give 5 warning notices as opposed to citations because it would be something new. It was likely there 6 would be entrance fees charged on weekdays at Foothills Nature Preserve before the 7 Commission’s next meeting, and an email would be sent to the Commission and Council and 8 would be in the Uplift newsletter and City Manager Ed Shikada’s announcements to City 9 Council, etc. 10 Chair Greenfield remarked that Juanita Salisbury did a presentation to the Commission 11 regarding pollinator gardens a couple years ago, so it was in the record. He recommended 12 watching the video of the meeting. 13 Commissioner Cribbs asked if there was an update about the Junior Museum fees. There had 14 been press reports of raising the fee and inquired if the Commission would hear something 15 before the decision was made. 16 Mr. Anderson would share any information he had at the next Department report. If there was 17 something before then, he would share it via email. He would email John Akin and ask if there 18 was anything of interest. 19 Commissioner Oche wanted to understand free fees in regard to the library. 20 Mr. Anderson listed a number of free options. 21 Chair Greenfield noted the Foothills Nature Preserve website highlighted the entrance fees and 22 the free options, and it was worth all commissioners reviewing. 23 Commissioner Kleinhaus asked if there was an update on the golf course and the mitigations. 24 She would like to do the tour Mr. Anderson had offered. 25 Mr. Anderson voiced they got a consultant who did a preliminary vegetation survey that was 26 submitted to Lam Do, and Mr. Anderson would submit it to Brian Wyans with the Water Board. 27 He would share that with anyone interested. He explained why it would be an ongoing process. 28 He asked anyone interested in a tour to email Javod Ghods, Staff Administration, and a time 29 would be set up. 30 Chair Greenfield requested that Mr. Ghods email the Commission and ask for interest. 31 Javod Ghods confirmed he would do that. 32 BUSINESS 33 7. Ad Hoc Committees and Liaison Updates 34 APPROVED Approved 13 Commissioner Freeman stated the pickleball progress had already been presented. They had 1 been actively participating with the soccer community. The pickleball and soccer communities 2 wanted to help get things back on track, and the Commission needed to keep them involved in 3 the process. They had a meeting regarding eBikes and were close to coming up with a policy, 4 which was a moving target and similar to pickleball in growth. They needed to put out the 5 template and keep moving active engagement forward. 6 Chair Greenfield indicated the last eBike Ad Hoc meeting was with members of the 7 Transportation Department and good feedback was received. They were planning to present to 8 the Full Commission as a discussion next month and were on target to recommend an action by 9 the end of the year. 10 Commissioner Brown remarked they had met with stakeholders from the Dog Park Group, and 11 staff was evaluating opportunities for a pocket part and was requiring research by staff. They 12 were trying to be responsive to the community’s needs. 13 Commissioner Cribbs stated regarding the funding opportunities, she was waiting for one more 14 approval for an ad that would go in the Enjoy! catalog. She was hopeful of being in a quarterly 15 ad. They provided copy for the website and were waiting to hear next week what can and cannot 16 be done. 17 Commissioner Cribbs spoke of her experience at the Youth Council, Youth Advisory 18 Committee retreat at Mitchell Park two Saturdays ago. 19 Chair Greenfield stated the Park Dedication Ad Hoc had been working and had been discussed 20 earlier. 21 COMMISSIONER/BOARD MEMBER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS OR FUTURE 22 AGENDA ITEMS 23 Chair Greenfield voiced that next month they would have the eBike Policy discussion and an action regarding 24 park dedication for the Measure E Site. He inquired if they were onboard for Youth Council next month. 25 Daren Anderson, Assistant Director of Community Services Department, confirmed they were onboard for 26 Youth Council next month. 27 Chair Greenfield stated that would probably be a full agenda. Urban Forestry would need to get in in November 28 for the annual updates. He questioned if the advanced water purification system would be coming back this year 29 and asked about BCCP. The CIP review would be in November. He asked when Mr. Anderson would be ready 30 to meet with the CIP Ad Hoc. 31 Mr. Anderson stated it was hard to say if the advanced water purification system would be available. When 32 Public Works was asked, they were undetermined. He guessed they wanted to be back before the end of the 33 year. He had shared with them they needed to let the Commission know soon so they could be scheduled, or 34 they would not have an opportunity, but he had not heard back yet. He would like to get BCCP in before the end 35 of the year. He would check with Superintendent of Community Services Lam Do regarding meeting with the 36 APPROVED Approved 14 CIP Ad Hoc and get back to the Commission. He explained they typically wait for OMB staff to say they were 1 embarking Citywide on a project and to provide parameters and guidelines, and in the last five years, getting that 2 word had been late in the process and impacted communications with this Commission. He was going to 3 recommend that independently CSD begin the prep work, and that could probably be started and ready to go 4 early November and connect with the Ad Hoc and at the November meeting discuss with the full Commission 5 where it is, noting this would still be early in the process and iterative changes would be made. 6 Chair Greenfield declared November was when the Commission would need an opportunity to speak on this, 7 otherwise it would be too late. He inquired if the Commission could do anything to encourage priority to move 8 forward. 9 Mr. Anderson would share with OMB that the Commission wanted to be involved and it was difficult not 10 having advanced warning, and he would relay the Commission’s frustration of not being more directly involved 11 in the past when it was part of the Commission’s specified role. 12 Chair Greenfield replied the best way to proceed would be to review the past CIP as a starting 13 point and then along with any input you already have as well as best projections for the future of 14 CIP and then input on other recommendations that could be made. He asked if the Family Rec 15 Center was targeted for the November agenda. Racquet Court Policy would likely be in 16 November. 17 Commissioner Cribbs was hopeful the Family Rec Center was targeted for the November 18 agenda. 19 Chair Greenfield expressed focus needed to be getting three agenda items for each meeting as 20 there were a number of items to get in in the next three months. He requested verbal input from 21 the Commission to help determine when the Commission would meet in November and 22 December. 23 The commissioners discussed their individual personal November and December schedules. 24 The Commission decided to meet November 22 and December 13 with Chair Greenfield 25 potentially joining remotely on November 22. 26 Chair Greenfield requested if anyone had schedule updates to let staff know. 27 Mr. Anderson remarked if there were no objections that schedule could be sent out now. 28 There were no objections. 29 ADJOURNMENT 30 Meeting adjourned at 10:03 P.M. 31