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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-10-22 Parks & Recreation Commission Summary MinutesDRAFT DRAFT 1 1 2 3 MINUTES 4 PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION 5 REGULAR MEETING 6 October 22, 2024 7 In-Person & Virtual Conference 8 Palo Alto, California 9 10 Commissioners Present: Chair Amanda Brown, Vice Chair Nellis Freeman, Commissioners 11 Anne Cribbs, Jeff Greenfield, Shani Kleinhaus, Bing Wei 12 Commissioners Absent: 13 Others Present: Council Member Vicki Veenker 14 Staff Present: Steve Castile, Sarah Robustelli, Javod Ghods 15 CALL TO ORDER & ROLL CALL 16 Chair Brown called to order the meeting of the Parks and Recreation Commission for 17 October 22, 2024. Roll was taken with six commissioners present. 18 PUBLIC COMMENT 19 None. 20 AGENDA CHANGES, ADDITIONS, AND DELETIONS 21 None. 22 APPROVAL OF MINUTES 23 1. Approval of Draft Minutes from the August 27, 2024, Parks and Recreation 24 Commission Regular Meeting 25 Commissioner Cribbs requested to separate the Skate Park update from the Wellness 26 Center on page 11. 27 Commissioner Cribbs made a motion to approve the August 27, 2024, Parks and 28 Recreation Commission meeting minutes. Motion seconded by Vice Chair Freeman. 29 The motion passed 4-0-2, with Commissioners Greenfield and Wei abstaining. 30 DRAFT DRAFT 2 2. Approval of Draft Minutes from the September 24, 2024, Parks and 1 Recreation Commission Regular Meeting 2 Commissioner Cribbs noted a word missing on page 2, "Commissioner Kleinhaus 3 advised to let [missing word] grow back into their natural shape." 4 Vice Chair Freeman made a motion to approve the September 24, 2024, Parks and 5 Recreation Commission meeting minutes. Motion seconded by Commissioner 6 Greenfield. The motion passed 5-0-1, with Chair Brown abstaining. 7 CITY OFFICIAL REPORTS 8 3. Department Report 9 Sarah Robustelli, Division Manager, described upcoming events, including the Jack O 10 Jaunt and the holiday tree lighting. She discussed the City Council approval of the 5-year 11 agreement for the aquatics operator beginning January 1, 2025. It is anticipated Tim 12 Sheeper will do an annual report in December at the special meeting. 13 Steve Castile, Assistant Director of Open Space, Park, and Golf, showed photos of the 14 biannual aeration of the bowling green. He explained an RFP will go out for the 15 Arastradero Creek Permanent Restoration Project as an 8-inch gas pipe had been 16 exposed in one of the creeks during winter storms. Two completed capital improvement 17 projects were the eucalyptus removal at Esther Clark Park and Baylands Boardwalk 18 pilings repair. For the Mitchell Dog Park Project, tree pruning and trenching for drainage 19 were done. The base layers will be replaced in the decomposed granite areas to improve 20 drainage. The project is estimated to be completed January 2025. The Cameron Park 21 Improvement Project had updated signage and two-way split rails installed. Native 22 planting has been completed. This week, the remaining concrete pads will be poured, 23 along with installing site furnishings and beginning turf renovation. Completion is 24 estimated for mid November. For the Boulware Park Project, artwork footings will take 25 place in the next few weeks and construction will go through January 2025. The terms of 26 an interim agreement were finalized with the First Tee Program, and Staff is working on 27 getting that signed off for a short-term agreement. 28 Vice Chair Freeman asked for an update on restroom installations in the various parks. 29 He asked if there was progress on the study to take place on the soccer fields and if there 30 had been any input from other communities on this type of study. 31 Assistant Director Castile believed the restrooms at Cubberley would start within the 32 next month or so. The scope of work for the soccer field went out for RFP last week. 33 Staff will additionally be doing a significant portion of the footwork for the study to get 34 ahead of the game for when that RFP is awarded. He noted Redwood City and Fremont 35 DRAFT DRAFT 3 had installed some fields, and Staff would be gathering data from what other cities have 1 done to come up with the results. 2 Commissioner Greenfield applauded the pictures in the update. He asked what work the 3 Staff will be doing before the consultant study begins. He questioned if the work done at 4 Esther Clark Park was fire mitigation and what plan governed that. 5 Assistant Director Castile noted Staff would reach out to other jurisdictions as well as do 6 calculations for pricing on the synthetic versus natural fields, looking at the whole 7 process. He confirmed the work at Esther Clark was fire mitigation, working closely 8 with the Fire Department and Urban Forestry, and those trees were removed as invasive 9 and high risk for problems in the event of a fire. 10 Ms. Robustelli added Staff has been working with the Recreation Staff to get feedback 11 on the field usage over the past five years to integrate as well. 12 Commissioner Wei wondered how residents, particularly seniors at Avenidas, are 13 informed about upcoming events like the tree lighting and jack-o'-lantern contest. With 14 the piling repair project, she asked if the writings about the history of the Baylands on 15 top of the railings were also refurbished as they were very faint. 16 Ms. Robustelli stated events are on social media, the website, and some other channels of 17 communication like the City Manager report through City Council meetings, in addition 18 to the Uplift newsletter. She would look into whether Staff reaches out directly to 19 Avenidas. 20 Assistant Director Castile explained the repair at Baylands was done on the parts that 21 came in contact with the water and mud as there was some insect damage to the footings 22 below the deck. He noted Staff could take a look at the writing on the interpretive panels. 23 Commissioner Cribbs stated she attended a community neighborhood picnic in Ramos 24 Park on Sunday and that the restrooms are open and look really nice. She mentioned the 25 Youth for Mental Health meetings and panels held at Mitchell Park and was impressed 26 by the event and the speeches. 27 Commissioner Kleinhaus was happy the project in Arastradero included CEQA. She 28 assumed long-term monitoring would be part of the mitigations and asked when this 29 would come to the Commission. She noted some of the eucalyptus trees at Esther Clark 30 were very large and hosted large raptors and owls. She questioned if any were left. 31 Assistant Director Castile believed the Arastradero project would go out for RFP but 32 would follow up. He responded two very large eucalyptus were left in the middle of the 33 preserve with the intent for habitat protection. In addition, there is a big stand of 34 DRAFT DRAFT 4 eucalyptus across the street from the entrance of Esther Clark and a lot of pine and oak 1 trees in the surrounding area. Most likely native trees like oaks will be replanted there. 2 Chair Brown highlighted the collaboration with Public Art on Boulware Park. She 3 commended Staff on capturing all the feedback regarding the turf RFP. 4 Council Member Veenker asked if the other jurisdictions being looked at included Santa 5 Clara County. 6 Assistant Director Castile confirmed that this included Santa Clara County as they have 7 done a lot of footwork on the issue already. 8 BUSINESS 9 4. Santa Clara Valley Bird Alliance – Julianne Wang – Discussion – (30 min) 10 Julianne Wang of Santa Clara Valley Bird Alliance discussed the organization's 11 programs in Palo Alto, including school field trips and the Young Birders Club. She 12 described Palo Alto's importance to birds as a biodiversity hotspot and a migration 13 stopover, with diverse habitats and special status species. She showed a map displaying a 14 variety of bird habitats across the city and then the country. Coastal California is among 15 the regions of highest bird diversity in the country and also an area where biodiversity is 16 most at risk. A recent scientific assessment found that global wildlife populations have 17 plunged by an average of 73 percent in 50 years. The UN Biodiversity Summit, COP 16, 18 taking place this week, highlights the importance of addressing not only climate change 19 but also other processes driving the extinction of species. She presented slides showing 20 the annual migratory bird patterns, explaining that the Pacific Flyway is important for 21 323 species migrating every year. Along the route, birds rely on stopover sites like 22 wetlands and coastal habitats to rest and refuel, and she noted the San Francisco Bay 23 Area is of national importance. She presented slides showing how different migrating 24 birds rely on the various habitats in Palo Alto and how different birds use those habitats 25 in different seasons. During the breeding seasons, birds nest in a variety of places, 26 including grasslands, wetlands, and even buildings, in addition to trees. Palo Alto is 27 home to two special status bird species, the California Ridgway's rail and the Western 28 burrowing owl. She discussed the primary threats to birds: loss of habitat, collision with 29 manmade structures, light at night, outdoor cats, and climate change. 30 Chair Brown opened the discussion to public comment. There were no public speakers, 31 and the discussion turned to the Commission for questions and comments. 32 Vice Chair Freeman felt this information would be helpful to the Commission in 33 considering the impacts of different projects on birds. He asked for elaboration on the 34 DRAFT DRAFT 5 impact of light pollution on migratory birds and how the updated lighting ordinance aims 1 to address the issue. He questioned what type of light was most damaging. 2 Ms. Wang explained that a lot of migratory birds rely on stars to navigate and are 3 especially sensitive to blue and purple light. The City has a lot of that type of light, 4 which will attract birds and cause them to lost. 5 Commissioner Wei noted some cities switch off neon lights at 10 PM to save energy and 6 in consideration of night animals and questioned if Palo Alto should consider this. She 7 asked how many of the 150 members were youths and if Palo Alto High School was 8 engaged, suggesting this be presented to them at some point. She asked about data on 9 bird watching and mental health. 10 Ms. Wang stated Palo Alto was updating their lighting ordinance and bird-friendly 11 design ordinance and hoped this would include processes to protect those birds. She did 12 not have the specific number of youths involved but would follow up. She noted some 13 students from Palo Alto High School participate in the club even after graduation. 14 Commissioner Cribbs asked where people who are interested in pursing a class or 15 opportunity should go. 16 Ms. Wang responded that Santa Clara Valley Bird Alliance provides a lot of free public 17 field trips and information can be found on the website. There is also a YouTube channel 18 with a lot of educational information. 19 Vice Chair Freeman asked how the different types of birds are tracked to determine the 20 population size. 21 Ms. Wang gave two useful tools for tracking bird species, eBird.org and BirdCast. 22 Commissioner Greenfield felt it was sobering to hear the wildlife population has dropped 23 73 percent over 50 years. He asked what steps people can take to work to address this. 24 He felt 150 members was a small number and questioned what membership entails. 25 Ms. Wang explained it was important to remember where the sensitive wildlife areas are 26 and avoid disturbance. When going out hiking and biking, people should keep to the 27 track and not go into the areas designated sensitive. She urged the City and 28 commissioners to consider these factors when developing parks and recreational 29 infrastructure. Membership to the Bird Alliance requires a membership fee, but there are 30 also many activities, including field trips and educational events, for all residents to 31 participate. 32 DRAFT DRAFT 6 Commissioner Kleinhaus added that membership is not required to participate in any of 1 the programs. She noted that the Bird Alliance is part of the Audubon Network, but 2 Audubon members are not automatically members of the Bird Alliance. 3 Chair Brown was also interested in incorporating these priorities in the Commission's 4 future decision-making and encouraged keeping in contact to update the Commission 5 with anything of note. 6 Ms. Wang suggested the commissioners to be mindful of any projects that will encroach 7 on parklands or open spaces. Even construction near a habitat can have a negative impact 8 on bird species. She also noted that birds use habitats differently in different seasons and 9 are especially sensitive in breeding season. 10 Commissioner Kleinhaus explained some steps people can take: keep cats indoors, plant 11 native plants and trees, do not use pesticides in gardens, keep lights off at night, protect 12 windows that are prone to bird collisions. She noted there is more information on the 13 Bird Alliance website as well as through American Bird Conservancy, National 14 Audubon, and other groups. 15 5. Community Garden Program Update – Javod Ghods – Discussion – (45 min) 16 Javod Ghods, Coordinator of Open Space, Parks, and Golf, reviewed the mission 17 statement for the Garden Program, describing the gardens as spaces that promote 18 environmental stewardship, community building, education and sustainability, health and 19 wellbeing, and biodiversity and pollinator support. He provided some background on the 20 program, with a total of over 400 plots in 5 locations. He thanked the volunteer garden 21 liaisons that assist the coordinator for their time and work. Challenges in the garden 22 include accommodating diverse gardening techniques and managing customer demands 23 for available plots. He reviewed the five different locations within the City: Rinconada, 24 Eleanor Pardee, Edith Johnson, Ventura, and Arastradero. Participation is open to Palo 25 Alto residents age 18 or older. The City's role in the program includes providing a 26 community space; collaborating with liaisons; issuing garden licenses and collecting and 27 processing billing information; providing a point of contact for residents; providing 28 gardeners with wood chips, compost, and onsite vegetative recycling services; 29 maintaining, repairing, and purchasing supplies for the in-ground water system. He 30 explained Community Garden billing and discounts. He also discussed outreach and 31 events, including food sharing events and garden workdays. He provided a list of related 32 resources. He congratulated the master gardeners and volunteers of the Palo Alto 33 Demonstration Garden for 23 years of dedicated service and impacts on the community. 34 He presented photos of the gardens and suggested ways the Commission can support the 35 program. 36 Chair Brown invited public comment. 37 DRAFT DRAFT 7 Sharon E. thanked Mr. Ghods for putting the presentation together and for being the 1 coordinator. She was grateful for his support as well as the support of the City Council 2 and Staff. She added that Eleanor Pardee Park really needs a restroom. 3 Penny P. stated she loved the gardens and thanked the City for all the support. She 4 described 8 workdays and 500 hours this year with gardeners working on the common 5 areas as well as several HandsOn Bay Area workdays. She also stated she would like to 6 see a restroom at the park. 7 Nancy K., an Eleanor Park community gardener and volunteer at the Demonstration 8 Garden, appreciated the Staff, City, and Commission support for the Community 9 Gardens, which bring joy and community to the gardeners. She asked the Commission to 10 help the restroom initiative along. 11 Chair Brown thanked the volunteers and Staff who work on this. She noted there will be 12 future CIP projects related to the restrooms. She opened up to the Commission for 13 questions or comments. 14 Commissioner Cribbs asked if any of the community gardens have restrooms. She noted 15 there did not seem to be a garden in South Palo Alto toward Cubberley. She added that 16 many elementary schools have gardens and questioned if there was interaction between 17 the City and school programs. 18 Mr. Ghods responded that Rinconada is located next to the library, which has restrooms 19 available during open hours. The rest of the gardens are not next to public restrooms. He 20 agreed there was no garden in the Cubberley area and hoped that might happen in the 21 future, adding that Staff is always keeping an eye out additional location. He explained 22 some elementary schools visit the gardens for field trips. 23 Commissioner Greenfield was glad to see the program in good hands with Mr. Ghods. 24 He stated guidelines had been put in place a few years ago regarding the use of PVC 25 structures and wanted to check in on that. He stated annual service requirements had 26 been a difficulty for some of the gardens and it was great to hear about the volunteer 27 workdays with the outside group. He asked if the five-year agreement with Arastradero 28 was a renewal and asked for elaboration. He questioned if the compost pickup at Pardee 29 was year round or seasonal. 30 Mr. Ghods responded that the approved guidelines have been working great and helping 31 provide Staff with a backbone to lean on and conduct policies. He explained HandsOn 32 Bay Area had been partnering with Community Gardens about two years now. The 33 agreement with Arastradero was a renewal of the previous five-year agreement with the 34 same terms. He explained the Zero Waste Division coordinates with Green Waste of 35 Palo Alto for operations of the compost giveaway station. It is available year round, only 36 DRAFT DRAFT 8 to Palo Alto residents, and he added it was the only location residents should go to 1 collect compost. 2 There was discussion about mulch and sand bags, which are available at Mitchell Park 3 and at Rinconada Park seasonally. Valley Water also supplies sand bag stations near 4 Baylands and the airport. 5 Commissioner Wei noted her neighbor had applied for a plot and it took two years. She 6 asked if that waitlist was still the case. She echoed the suggestion of adding more 7 gardens in the south part of the city, especially the Cubberley area, which is close to 8 Mitchell Park where the Youth Council is. She was glad the seniors were enjoying the 9 gardens but felt there was an opportunity for cross-generational learning. She suggested 10 opening membership to ages 16+ with a chaperone. 11 Mr. Ghods explained waitlist times can vary by garden due to the total number of plots 12 available. The average wait time is between one to three years. When the waitlist reaches 13 25 names, it is closed and then reopened as plots become available. It is a very high-14 demand, high-interest program with slow turnover every year. He discussed that 15 individual plots are licensed to individuals 18 years of age or older, often a parent whose 16 kids are then the ones doing the work. 17 Vice Chair Freeman asked how the Community Gardens are protected against animals 18 coming in and eating the plants. Regarding the waitlist, he questioned if there were plans 19 to expand the existing sites or develop new sites in the city because of the popularity of 20 the program. He asked about the current challenges faced by the program. 21 Mr. Ghods stated gardeners were asked to take preventative practices with habitat 22 modification, keeping the plot clean, and preventing overgrowth. He noted Staff is 23 always looking to add more garden plots and that in addition to having to wait for 24 participants to lose interest or move away in order for plots to become available, there 25 are also procedures regarding violations that can result in removal from the program, 26 then opening those spaces to others on the waitlist. He added that plots can sometimes be 27 divided from one large plot into three smaller ones depending on gardeners' needs. He 28 described the current challenges as diverse garden techniques and high demand. 29 Commissioner Kleinhaus asked if people plant things that are unfamiliar or new to the 30 area and can become invasive. 31 Mr. Ghods noted he sometimes sees plants he does not recognize but that community 32 guidelines restrict planting to vegetables, flowers, berries, and herbs. 33 Chair Brown stated she has been the liaison for the Community Gardens the entire time 34 she has been on the Commission and the common thing she hears is the desire for more 35 DRAFT DRAFT 9 space. She noted if there is a specific space in an area that is underserved, the 1 Commission will make sure there is a specific ad hoc dedicated to exploring a 2 Community Garden. She wanted to ensure Community Garden stakeholders were kept 3 aware of any capital projects that may concern them. 4 Commissioner Greenfield added there has never been enough gardens and the 5 Commission would be happy to jump on any opportunity for a new garden in the future. 6 Commissioner Cribbs asked if fellow commissioners knew the history of the Midtown 7 Community Garden behind Baskin Robbins. 8 Commissioner Greenfield noted that was private property, not an official Palo Alto 9 Community Garden, similar to the church gardens at Middlefield and East Meadow. 10 Commissioner Kleinhaus recalled an item in the Comprehensive Plan about purchasing 11 homes in certain areas to provide more Parkland. She wondered if there was a way to do 12 this in South Palo Alto. 13 6. Ad Hoc Committees and Liaison Updates – Chair Brown – Discussion – (15 min) 14 Chair Brown announced the Commission's work plan was adopted by the City Council 15 with two additional directions: to evaluate the middle school athletic programs, 16 recommend approaches to align the current program with universal access for students 17 and state law, and evaluate outsourcing middle school athletics to nonprofits; and to 18 request Staff agendize a study session on park dedication status and updates. Adding an 19 ad hoc related to middle school athletic programs will be agendized at a future meeting. 20 The park dedication status and updates will be for the existing Park Dedication Ad Hoc 21 to work on, first bringing something to the Commission to review and then working with 22 Staff to make sure that is agendized for full Council discussion. 23 Commissioner Greenfield noted that was not different than anything the ad hoc is 24 already working on but was glad that City Council was interested in this. 25 Commissioner Cribbs updated that the Skate Park Collective is planning a November 2 26 fundraiser at Burgess Park and planning a December fundraiser more directed at adults 27 and parents. She hoped there would be a meeting on that soon. Regarding the Recreation 28 and Wellness Center, the Friends met with the City Manager's office and with Kristen 29 O'Kane about an LOI with the City, which is moving forward. She was happy to see the 30 Cubberley agreement moving forward and hoped everybody understood there was a lot 31 of work to do on that. 32 Commissioner Wei, Youth liaison, stated the first Youth Mental Health Summit was a 33 true success, with the majority of the committee being youths themselves. They hope to 34 DRAFT DRAFT 10 make it an annual event and expand the reach to more attendees. They have a major 1 event coming up December 5 to interview Mayor Stone and a startup CEO. She hoped to 2 make more youth connections with siblings cities in the future. 3 Commissioner Kleinhaus noted the Baylands Comprehensive Conservation Plan Ad Hoc 4 has been discussing the Existing Conditions Report, which has a lot of inconsistencies 5 between different versions. She hoped to have something for Staff soon. 6 Commissioner Greenfield described the recent very successful Bike Palo Alto event at 7 Fairmeadow School. He noted he helped run a booth alongside Council Member Burt. 8 Nara Cammack was at the event with her Traffic Garden, and Friends of Palo Alto Parks 9 have an open page soliciting donations for the project. He spoke with council members 10 about park dedication, with the ballot initiative to add more dedicated park space with 11 the potential of losing a small portion for the traffic circulation at the bus depot. 12 Vice Chair Freeman noted he and Commissioner Cribbs met with Adam Howard to 13 discuss Palo Alto residents' challenges in finding available tennis courts. Staff is 14 reviewing policies from surrounding communities to help develop a uniform plan that 15 supports residents. 16 Commissioner Cribbs felt it would be great for all commissioners to look at the Friends 17 of the Parks website because there are lots of different buckets where people can 18 contribute. 19 Chair Brown noted the Master Plan Review Ad Hoc would meet with Staff in their CIP 20 capacity to review projects to bring back to the Commission at a future meeting. For dog 21 parks, there have been inquiries about public/private partnership opportunities, 22 specifically in Bol Park and Barron Park geographic area, and the group is working on a 23 proposal to pass on to the City at some point. 24 Council Member Veenker thanked the Chair and Vice Chair for their presentation to the 25 City Council. She noted that the amendments to the work plan were friendly 26 amendments and the park dedication note was for the Council to know what was in the 27 pipeline and how they could be helpful. She spoke about Canopy plans for joint tree 28 plantings with sibling cities. She was thrilled Cubberley was taking the next steps 29 forward but agreed it would take a lot of work to make it happen, noting the basics of the 30 plan would need to be figured out in 18 months after decades of working on this. 31 COMMISSIONER/BOARD MEMBER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, 32 ANNOUNCEMENTS, OR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS 33 Chair Brown discussed that the proposal for future meetings was to move the December 34 meeting to a special meeting on December 18 and cancel the November meeting. For 35 DRAFT DRAFT 11 December, the items to discuss would be the Aquatics annual report, the CIP list, and the 1 assignment of the ad hoc for middle school athletics. She opened this to discussion with 2 the Commission. 3 Commissioner Greenfield had concerns about canceling the November meeting, with an 4 eye toward having all the ad hocs reporting back at least before the March meeting. 5 Chair Brown stated several ad hocs may not have anything formal to report in that 6 timeline but was happy to find time in November if any have something to report at that 7 point. 8 Commissioner Cribbs pointed out that not having a meeting in November meant waiting 9 until December to talk about the Middle School Athletics Ad Hoc, which seemed to have 10 more of an immediate need. 11 Chair Brown explained that she stressed to the Council that a lot of the ad hoc 12 committees are multiyear in effort and will likely carry over into the next fiscal year. 13 Commissioner Wei suggested moving the December meeting even earlier. 14 Staff explained the Council Chambers was only available December 18, and the 15 Community Meeting Room was available December 11 or 12. There was discussion on 16 this, and December 18 was agreed on. 17 Commissioner Greenfield believed the annual Urban Forestry update could potentially 18 be ready for November. 19 Chair Brown noted the other ad hocs that have not reported out this fiscal year that could 20 report out by March are Baylands Comprehensive Conservation Plan, Nature Preserve 21 Access Policy, Recreation and Wellness Center. Park Dedication was addressed with the 22 updated guidance from Council and will need to come forward. Master Plan will come 23 forward in the form of the CIP in December. She asked if any of those ad hocs 24 anticipated coming forward in November. 25 No ad hoc committees commented on this. 26 It was concluded November 20 would be held in the event there is an update from Urban 27 Forestry, and otherwise the next meeting would be December 18. 28 ADJOURNMENT 29 30 Meeting adjourned at 9:23 PM. 31