Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-09-24 Parks & Recreation Commission Summary MinutesAPPROVED DRAFT 1 1 2 3 MINUTES 4 PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION 5 REGULAR MEETING 6 September 24, 2024 7 In-Person & Virtual Conference 8 Palo Alto, California 9 10 Commissioners Present: Vice Chair Nellis Freeman, Commissioners Anne Cribbs, Jeff 11 Greenfield, Shani Kleinhaus, Bing Wei 12 Commissioners Absent: Chair Amanda Brown 13 Others Present: Council Member Vicki Veenker 14 Staff Present: Steve Castile, Sarah Robustelli, Lisa Myers, Javod Ghods 15 CALL TO ORDER & ROLL CALL 16 Called the meeting to order and asked for a roll call. 17 PUBLIC COMMENT 18 None. 19 AGENDA CHANGES, ADDITIONS, AND DELETIONS 20 None. 21 CITY OFFICIAL REPORTS 22 1. Department Report 23 Sarah Robustelli, Division Manager, provided a slide presentation with a recap of special 24 event Moonlight Run/Walk, upcoming special events and fall special interest classes. 25 Steve Castile, Assistant Director of Open Space, Park, and Golf joined the presentation 26 with slides about the Bowling Green biannual turf aeration, capital improvement 27 projects, golf updates and a reminder of the Boards and Commissions Recognition 28 Event. 29 Commissioner Cribbs expressed appreciation for the staff’s work on the park restrooms 30 APPROVED DRAFT 2 and First Tee. 1 Commissioner Kleinhaus advised to let the coyote brush grow into their natural shape. 2 Commissioner Wei asked if the revenue was higher than the previous year. 3 Ms. Robustelli replied she did not have those numbers immediately available and would 4 follow up with them. 5 Commissioner Greenfield was pleased with the progress being made. He wondered how 6 it has been possible to hold more recreational course classes than in the past. He asked if 7 the Mitchell Dog Park was closed until January for renovation. He wondered what the 8 timeline projection was for when the toyons would be growing to a size where they 9 would screen the restrooms properly. 10 Ms. Robustelli indicated the progress was due to solicitation of feedback regarding 11 understanding the wait lists. She offered to agendize discussion with the Recreation 12 Team if necessary. 13 Assistant Director Castile confirmed the Mitchell Dog Park is currently closed. There 14 would be the one large dog park and then addition of a smaller dog park in the project, as 15 well. They would open at the same time. He explained the toyons grow at a medium rate 16 so there would be a bit of time but there is ample opportunity to plant other shrub species 17 that would grow faster. 18 Vice Chair Freeman wanted information about the wait list mentioned. He suggested 19 looking at what offerings are being made in some of the private clubs and how the City 20 could partner with them in order to fulfill as many interests as they could. He asked for 21 explanation about the expansion of golf operations. He asked about a timeline for First 22 Tee. 23 Ms. Robustelli recalled there were wait lists last year which was part of the reasoning for 24 adding more classes. They observed what demands there were and how they could 25 accommodate and move forward with them. 26 Assistant Director Castile replied the golf course operation and the restaurant facilities 27 agreements had to be re-established keeping the current concessionaire on both of the 28 different contracts. He indicated there was no First Tee timeline yet but they were 29 making significant strides to come to mutual goals. 30 BUSINESS 31 2. Palo Alto Youth Council Update – Chris Sanchez – Discussion – (45 min) 32 APPROVED DRAFT 3 Chris Sanchez, Recreation Coordinator, introduced the Palo Alto Youth Council. 1 Members of the Palo Alto Youth Council, shared a slide presentation about who the 2 Youth Council is, an introduction of the members and officers, 2023-2024 3 accomplishments, themes, mental health census, mental health survey summary, 4 overview of the response of the mental health survey, overview of the origin, statistics, 5 next step, Final Study Cram Slam (annual event), Civic Impact Summit, Youth Issues 6 Census, 2024-2025 goals, themes, Mental Health Resource Guide, monthly newsletter, 7 City Official Meet and Greet, voter pre-registration, movie night, appreciations and 8 questions. 9 Commissioner Wei advised they should have a dialog regarding their questions and how 10 they can offer help to the Youth Council and they can give more insight of their goals. 11 She asked what three high schools were surveyed and how they received 6th grade data. 12 She asked if they would consider educating middle schoolers in the future. She asked 13 how they planned to publicize the Resource Guide. She asked if bringing Stanford 14 Professors Focus on Mindfulness would be a helpful resource. She wondered about the 15 total quantity of voter pre-registration and if there was a goal for 2024. She suggested 16 adding a voter registration booth at the Youth Mental Health Summit in October. 17 Natya replied the high schools surveyed were Paly, Gunn and Castilleja. The 6th grade 18 data resulted from the question on the survey about when the students started to 19 recognizing that mental health was an issue. She discussed how they are redesigning the 20 Mental Health Resource Guide to answer some of the question and concerns they saw 21 from the census. They hoped to have a Mental Health Community Fair in the second 22 semester. They do target their events to teenagers but everyone is welcome and they 23 would make sure to reach out to the younger generations. She indicated the Research 24 Guide would be printed as a pamphlet to distribute to schools, Mitchell Park Library and 25 other places. It would also be posted on social media and their website. She talked about 26 the Civic Impact Summit the previous year where they had professors from Stanford 27 come and speak to students of all ages about a certain area in civic engagement and that 28 was something they would be open to with a more mental health centered theme. She 29 stated they had not collected data as of yet on the number of folks who have pre-30 registered or registered to vote. That would be something they could work on going 31 forward. 32 Anika added that with the new role of outreach specialists, they would be trying to reach 33 out to many local organizations and resources from different areas and become a hub 34 where people can find resources from many different areas and publicize that to both 35 high school and middle school. 36 APPROVED DRAFT 4 Commissioner Cribbs was interested in knowing the one thing the Youth Council was 1 most concerned about. She questioned if there are enough things for youth and teens to 2 do in Palo Alto. She asked what the Commission could do for the Youth Council. 3 Natya said one common theme she had observed was getting students engaged. She 4 highlighted that in addition to the Youth Council there was also the Teen Advisory 5 Board who host many incredible events and initiatives centered more around bringing 6 teens together. She indicated they love collaborating with the liaisons and having 7 commissioners attend their meetings and discussing their events and initiatives. They 8 also enjoy serving as a sound board for the Commission’s ideas for events or initiatives 9 requiring a teen outlook or perspective. They serve as youth ambassadors to the City. 10 They do ask for participations from City organizations. 11 Vin thought Palo Alto had awesome resources but there is always room for 12 improvement. 13 Commissioner Greenfield thought the answer to the Youth Council’s question about the 14 outreach of the Parks and Rec Commission to the youth and community was that it was 15 the Parks and Rec Liaison. He asked if there were any specific Parks and Rec 16 Commission issues that have caught the attention of the Youth Council. He advised that 17 coming to Commission meetings to speak on an issue was the most direct way to provide 18 feedback. He opined having a liaison with forward specific calendar items to their 19 agenda prior to attending meetings and distribute it to the Youth Council. He mentioned 20 a community survey open until October 7 to provide feedback to the City and 21 encouraged sending it out to the Youth Council and post it in the high schools. 22 Anika replied that she studies in the parks a lot and is amazed to see the new trees and 23 bathrooms and all they do to make those spaces more welcoming. She indicated they 24 would love to help publicize and market the community survey to teenagers. 25 Commissioner Kleinhaus wondered if the member of the Youth Council go to the 26 Baylands, Foothills and Arastradero. She suggested starting an Eyes on Our Parks 27 program and offered her help with that. She mentioned that there was a lack of 28 information about the parks and having people there with cameras could help get a better 29 idea and they could bring that to the Commission and tell them what they saw. She also 30 suggested reaching out to non-profits. She talked about the Climate Coalition who 31 worked with environmental groups. She suggested they could help the ad hocs with 32 research and she would be happy to work with them. 33 Vin answered that he goes on monthly walks in the Baylands and felt other Youth 34 Council members and peers enjoyed all of the parks and facilities. 35 APPROVED DRAFT 5 Natya remarked they had collaborated with Climate Coalition in the past and hoped to 1 continue to partner with them. 2 Council Member Veenker wanted to be sure the allcove™ facility was included in the 3 Resource Guide. She mentioned a Town Hall sponsored by Sibling Cities USA and cosponsored 4 by the City on Voter Access and Turnout that would be held the following Sunday. She advised 5 to send her an email if they needed information on that event and invited them to set up and 6 participate. She wanted to make sure everyone was aware that the City has a Youth Climate 7 Advisory Board set up in conjunction with PASCC. 8 Natya confirmed the allcove™ facilty was included in the Resource Guide and they had field 9 trips there in the past. 10 Maddie added they hoped to embed the Resource Guide into the PAYC website. They wanted to 11 reach out to a mental health expert for opinions and advice on how to best support individuals 12 dealing with a mental health challenge and would look to allcove™ experts. 13 Vice Chair Freeman expressed appreciation for the efforts of the Youth Council and 14 invited them to reach out to the Commission and City Council if they have something to 15 say. 16 3. Baylands Nature Preserve Update – Lisa Myers – Discussion – (60 min) 17 APPROVED DRAFT 6 Lisa Myers, Supervising Park Ranger, gave a slide presentation about the Baylands 1 Nature Preserve update including Baylands Nature Preserve 2024 visitation, 2 maintenance, entrance gate automation – CIP project, E-bike signage, bicycle parking 3 areas, 4th of July, Save the Bay Partnership 2023-2024, Moonlight Run – September 20, 4 2023 calls for service and enforcement, fire fuel reduction work, Lucy Evans Baylands 5 Nature Center Boardwalk repairs, winter: October 2023 – March 2024, education and 6 outreach, National Night Out, Mid-Town Ice Cream Social, MSC Open House and 7 Baylands Birds – fall migration. 8 Junyan W. spoke about the impact of the airport expansion on the Baylands and 9 neighboring communities and asked the Commission to do all they can to protect it. 10 Diane M. discussed the value of the Palo Alto Baylands Preserve. 11 Commissioner Kleinhaus requested information about the mosquito fish. She queried if 12 any trees were planted to replace the 27 trees removed. She wanted to know about 13 mowing in May for fire protection as it is a busy nesting season. She opined that it was 14 not a good idea to use concrete in the construction of bike racks or benches in the 15 Baylands. 16 Ranger Myers explained there is a grate for the outfall for the duck pond with holes that 17 are too small for the mosquito fish to get through. Vector control has been putting the 18 mosquito fish out there for decades. She indicated they had to remove a few trees that 19 had toppled over. The majority of those were very mature eucalyptus trees. They have 20 planted about a dozen trees in the past year behind the duck pond to fill in where the 21 trees have been dying off. She listed the kind of trees they have planted stating they do 22 not plant any non-native trees. She remarked they are required by the Fire Marshal’s 23 office to mow in May for weed abatement. They walk the area first and leave as much 24 habitat as possible. 25 Assistant Director Castile agreed to look at future construction projects that happen in 26 the Baylands regarding the use of concrete. He indicated that it was common practice to 27 use concrete when installing bike racks. 28 Commissioner Greenfield encouraged outreach to PABAC regarding the bike racks. He 29 discussed the E-device signs and queried if a change of behavior had been perceived 30 since their installation. He was curious about the metrics being used for visitors to the 31 Baylands. He wanted to understand what percentage of the 600k annual visitors were 32 simply commuting on the periphery of the preserve. He was curious about the status of 33 the tide gate update. He advised they should try and convene a meeting with the ad hoc 34 to move forward on the Baylands Comprehensive Conservation Plan. 35 APPROVED DRAFT 7 Ranger Myers replied they have received a lot of support for not having the E-devices be 1 permitted. She commented they have vehicle and pedestrian counters in a variety of 2 locations throughout the Baylands. The bike commuters are taking the East Bayshore 3 Path and the Adobe Creek Trail. She agreed to look into the percentage of the 600k 4 annual visitors that were simply commuters on the periphery. 5 Assistant Director Castile remarked they were almost there with the sluice gate. They are 6 working with the regulatory agencies. They are looking at bringing in a contractor to go 7 down into the water and clean the barnacles off the sluice gate to try to free it up and 8 then work with Public Works to try to disengage the gate and get it operational again. 9 The goal is to be done prior to winter. 10 Commissioner Cribbs was interested in the reaction of E-bikers. She asked if the City 11 reaches out to other agencies around with regard to kid programs. 12 Ranger Myers remarked the E-bikers are understanding and they have a lot of support for 13 not having the E-bikes on the gravel trails. She described four different groups doing a 14 lot of kid programming in the Baylands. 15 Commissioner Wei wondered if there was consideration of installing a speed sign for E-16 bikes. She suggested installing benches that have a look and feel of nature and working 17 with institutions for donations. She wanted to know if there was comparative data after 18 COVID on the Moonlight Run attendance. 19 Ranger Myers explained all of the E-bike signs were designed to work with the currently 20 existing trail courtesy signs which displayed a 15 MPH speed limit. She believed the 21 increase in Moonlight Run attendance was due to people from neighboring cities 22 attending. She discussed a Memorial Bench Program they have in place. 23 Assistant Director Castile stated they could take Commissioner Wei’s suggestions into 24 consideration. He added they want to determine if it will be functional or more of an art 25 piece. He cautioned that doing one-offs on park benches, whenever there is vandalism or 26 damage it is challenging to find replacements. 27 Vice Chair Freeman wanted to know if any progress was being made toward improving 28 resources for trail maintenance. He asked if they have seen an increase in volunteers to 29 help with some of the programs and maintenance projects. He questioned what factors 30 were believed to have contributed to the increase in visitors and how they manage the 31 seasonal fluctuations. He asked if the flow of E-bikes has increased in the last year and if 32 they were still getting complaints. 33 Ranger Myers discussed the improvements that have been made in the last 26 years but 34 that more could be made. She would like to have the time to do more interpretation in the 35 APPROVED DRAFT 8 Baylands. More staff would be beneficial. She remarked they have a good volunteer core 1 at the Baylands. Because of their small staff, it can be difficult to coordinate with 2 volunteers. She has seen a decrease in volunteerism since the pandemic has been over. 3 The welcome volunteers any time but have to set them to specific tasks to make sure 4 everybody is safe. She thought the visitor increase was due to the nicer weather. They 5 have to redirect people to the kite area since the Baylands is FAA controlled airspace. 6 They have a lot of school groups and volunteer groups that are doing spring planting. 7 She stated they are getting fewer complaints about E-bikes since the signs have gone up. 8 Commissioner Cribbs wondered if the department continues to seek grants for 9 possibilities in the Baylands. 10 Ms. Robustelli answered they were not seeking grants specifically with Baylands 11 currently but the Grassroots Ecology contract solicits grants in Foothills and Arastradero. 12 They have received Valley Water grants that augment their scope of work. 13 Ranger Myers added Save the Bay as well as the environmental volunteers go after 14 grants, as well. 15 Assistant Director Castile commented they were always looking for opportunities to 16 leverage for grant funding. 17 Commissioner Kleinhaus remarked about the lack of education available to the public 18 about migration. She wondered how they could inform the public about some of the 19 wonders of the Baylands. 20 Ranger Myers discussed a series of Wayside Interpretive Panels all over the Baylands 21 with plans to install more in the coming months. The naturalist positions had been 22 moved to other parts of the Community Service Department. 23 Assistant Director Castile stated they could look into bringing the naturalist positions 24 back in the future. 25 Commissioner Greenfield asked for an elaboration as to where the naturalist positions 26 got moved to. He asked if a staff naturalist position would compete with funds that are 27 currently allocated to the environmental partners. He advised it would be good to 28 understand more history of the use of the naturalists for the open space areas and if the 29 Commission should be advocating for an increase in this. He wondered if there was any 30 way to leverage the Public Art dollars to put together more interesting benches. He 31 highlighted that one of the rangers was building some natural benches out of the trees 32 that come down and wondered if it would be practical to add those to other preserves. 33 APPROVED DRAFT 9 Assistant Director Castile replied they would have to take a look into that to validify the 1 data on the positions. He offered to take a look at the benches made from trees. 2 Ranger Myers remarked they have one person who is a Junior Museum and Zoo 3 instructor who does the bulk of the field trip classes at the Baylands and Foothills. There 4 is another JMZ instructor who does a few programs but that has been hit or miss for that 5 staff position. Another JMZ instructor works a few hours on the weekends in the 6 Baylands Nature Center. She did not believe they would compete with their partners 7 because the programs are all different. She could not answer if it would compete with the 8 money allocated to them. 9 Commissioner Wei commented about the healing properties of nature on mental health 10 and thought if they had the budget, naturalists could bring that into classrooms. She 11 suggested learning from the sibling city’s practices. 12 Ranger Myers indicated the naturalists do outreach and school programs. 13 Assistant Director Castile agreed to look into the practice of the sibling city. 14 Commissioner Cribbs asked if it would be possible to do a history so they could 15 agendize bringing a discussion about naturalists for the next meeting. 16 Assistant Director Castile agreed to bring more history in order to have a discussion 17 about the naturalists. 18 Commissioner Kleinhaus recalled asking about having a youth ranger program last year 19 and advised looking into that. She wondered if anyone was looking into the possibility of 20 using the tide gate bridge as a potential art project. 21 Assistant Director Castile did not believe they were looking at art for the tide gates. It 22 could be initiated for future projects. 23 Council Member Veenker indicated that there will be a delegation from Bloomington, 24 Indiana on October 11-13 so there would be an opportunity to ask them about naturalists. 25 4. Ad Hoc Committees and Liaison Updates – Vice Chair Freeman – Discussion – 26 (15 min) 27 APPROVED DRAFT 10 Commissioner Cribbs provided an update on the Recreation Wellness Center. They are 1 expecting an announcement of good news on Cubberley soon. That will play into the 2 Council’s workplan approval. She mentioned money being raised by the skating 3 community for the skate park. 4 Commissioner Wei described a Teen Mental Health Summit happening October 5. 5 Commissioner Greenfield announced the annual Bike Palo Alto event at Fairmeadow 6 School on October 6. He highlighted the Traffic Garden project moving forward and 7 they are accepting funding through the Parks Foundation. 8 9 COMMISSIONER/BOARD MEMBER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, 10 ANNOUNCEMENTS, OR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS 11 Assistant Director Castile announced they are looking at focusing on providing an update 12 on the community gardens and where they are with pickleball in the City of Palo Alto. 13 Commissioner Cribbs talked about Commissioner Greenfield and his family receiving an 14 honorary award for volunteers longtime supporters from Canopy. 15 Commissioner Greenfield brought up ideas for potential agenda items such as Save the 16 Bay, environmental volunteers, Grassroots Ecology, community gardens, Zero Waste, 17 sustainability, Green Stormwater Infrastructure, Sea Level Rise and Pollinator Gardens. 18 Commissioner Kleinhaus thought it would be interesting to know more about programs 19 other groups are doing such as the Peninsula Conservation Center, Sierra Club, the 20 Native Plant Society. 21 Commissioner Cribbs suggested adding some of the groups that serve youth sports in 22 Palo Alto. 23 ADJOURNMENT 24 25 Meeting adjourned at 9:24 P.M. 26