Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-12-18 Parks & Recreation Commission Summary Minutes APPROVED APPROVED 1 1 2 MINUTES 3 PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION 4 REGULAR MEETING 5 December 18, 2024 6 In-Person & Virtual Conference 7 Palo Alto, California 8 9 Commissioners Present: Chair Amanda Brown, Vice Chair Nellis Freeman, Commissioners 10 Anne Cribbs, Yudy Deng, Jeff Greenfield (late) Shani Kleinhaus, 11 Bing Wei 12 Commissioners Absent: 13 Others Present: 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 December 18, 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 October 22, 2024, Parks and Recreation 24 Commission Regular Meeting (5 min) 25 Commissioner Cribbs noted the word "lost" on page 5, line 5 was not correct. She 26 suggested to delete the sentence after "decades of study" on page 10, line 31. 27 Commissioner Greenfield joined the meeting. 28 APPROVED APPROVED 2 MOTION: Commissioner Cribbs, seconded by Commissioner Freeman, moved to 29 approve the October 22, 2024, minutes as changed. 30 MOTION PASSED: 6-0-1 (Deng abstain) 31 CITY OFFICIAL REPORTS 32 2. Department Report (20 min) 33 Sarah Robustelli, Division Manager Open Space, Parks, and Golf, discussed the recent 34 Jack O Jaunt, Veterans Day event, and holiday tree lighting. 35 Steve Castile, Assistant Director of Community Services Department, described that 36 Baylands and Foothills Rangers responded to a levy that overtopped along San 37 Francisquito Creek on Saturday, December 14, with unprecedented water levels. Despite 38 the efforts to sandbag the levy area, the water inundated the entire parkland area at the 39 Baylands. A few visitors were stranded along the area, and he thanked staff, animal 40 control officers, and police officers who worked together to safely evacuate visitors. 41 Once the tides receded, the Open Space and Public Works staff completed necessary 42 repairs by sundown, with the park reopened the following day. Last Friday, a group of 12 43 Salesforce volunteers collaborated with park staff to plant over 150 native plants at the 44 Fred Eyerly Tower Well Park. They will return in early January to finish mulching on the 45 project. There was grading and planting of native trees done at Mitchell Dog Park. 46 Decomposed granite was added back in and re-compacted for the surfacing. The fencing 47 has started. There are a few site amenities and turf work remaining, estimated to be 48 completed in January 2025. The Boulware Park Project artwork was installed today, and 49 construction will be completed in Spring 2025. The Cubberley Restroom is slated for 50 delivery tomorrow, December 19, and will be completed in a month or so when the 51 weather improves. 52 Mr. Castile also provided staff updates, noting there are upcoming recruitments for a 53 Park Maintenance Person, an Inspector Field Services position, and a Recreation 54 Coordinator, which is Javod Ghods' position. This will be Mr. Ghods' last evening with 55 the Commission. Mr. Castile thanked him for his support and service over the last seven 56 years with the City and wished him the best. 57 Javod Ghods, Coordinator of Open Space, Parks, and Golf, stated it had been a privilege 58 to work for the City of Palo. 59 Mr. Castile continued that Staff was still working on the draft term sheet for the long-60 term partnership with the First Tee Program and moving forward on golf course 61 APPROVED APPROVED 3 mitigation. Staff has also reached out to different departmental agencies to get the 62 permitting for the sluice gate. Once that is established, a contract can be developed for a 63 regular work permit to get the gates cleaned and opened. 64 Commissioner Greenfield asked if there was an update on the turf replacement at 65 Mayfield. 66 Ms. Robustelli explained the staff report was being drafted and was slated for approval 67 with City Council in February. The target date for the project is early spring. 68 Mr. Castile noted Staff had looked at pushing the project to June, but it was not felt to be 69 in the best interest to delay the project as the field is ending its useful life span and may 70 not make the dates. The current plan is to start in March. 71 Vice Chair Freeman asked if there was any update on data gathered from other cities and 72 the price calculations of synthetic versus natural fields. He was concerned about the 73 flooding in the Baylands as it was early in the rainy season. 74 Mr. Castile responded that the study had gone out for RFP and Staff would be working 75 with a consultant for assistance as it will be a very in-depth and comprehensive study. 76 That will be going to Council on January 13 for approval. He explained the flooding 77 would have occurred no matter what because of the very high king tide in combination 78 with a storm front. 79 Commissioner Kleinhaus described that she witnessed the king tide when the rain came. 80 The wind was pushing the water toward the shore, so instead of retreating after the peak, 81 the high water remained. She noted it was impressive to see, aside from effects on 82 animals that had nowhere to hide. She wondered if other areas experienced this flooding. 83 Mr. Castile was not aware of other areas experiencing flooding. He explained it was 84 down the levy toward the bridge area past the Interpretive Center and along the Adobe 85 Creek Loop Trail right on the waterfront. 86 Commissioner Wei thanked Staff for the great work with the flooding. She stated she had 87 visited Boulware Park with Commissioner Greenfield and was impressed with the work. 88 She asked if there was a definite deadline for that to open and how to let the community 89 know. 90 Mr. Castile responded there had been delays due to weather and the park was expected to 91 open in early spring. He noted the website would be updated and was the best way to 92 learn new information on that. 93 APPROVED APPROVED 4 Commissioner Deng was glad to see the Cubberley Restroom Project happening. 94 Commissioner Greenfield asked about the timeline for the Cubberley Restroom. He 95 questioned how long the fields would be closed. 96 Mr. Castile explained the project should be completed in the next several months. The 97 timeline is in two phases, initially the well and the building and then opening up and 98 connecting the forced main sewer line, followed by a lot of asphalt work. He responded 99 that the fields were not closed due to the renovation but were usually closed down 100 seasonally for two to three months. 101 Vice Chair Freeman asked for details about the status of the First Tee Program. 102 Mr. Castile responded that the short-term agreement for First Tee is in place. The next 103 thing to do is to come up with a document that will allow Staff to work with the First Tee 104 Program to figure out the parameters of the future agreement for the long-term. There 105 will be a meeting in mid to late January to continue those discussions. He did not foresee 106 anything to prevent it from moving forward. 107 Commissioner Cribbs questioned if the new agreement will allow First Tee to raise funds 108 or if they were able to do that now. 109 Mr. Castile did not see why they could not raise funds now. 110 Chair Brown thanked Staff for the updates and noted a lot of progress, adding that Mr. 111 Ghods would be sorely missed, with the other commission members agreeing. 112 BUSINESS 113 3. Aquatics Annual Report – Tim Sheeper– Discussion – Attachment – (45 min) 114 Ms. Robustelli gave some 2024 performance highlights for Aquatics. There were over 115 35,000 lap swim visits, over 27,000 open swim visits, and close to 8000 camps and 116 community swim lessons. The 2025 goals are to increase the number of community 117 swim lessons, increase the number of lifeguard certification classes offered, and establish 118 a weekly junior lifeguard summer camp. 119 Tim Sheeper, Founder/Owner, Palo Alto Swim and Sport, discussed several items from 120 the annual report. The pool schedules are stable, with changes communicated in advance. 121 He provided information on user demographics. Masters participants, lap swimmers, 122 open swimmers, and swim lesson and summer camp participants reported high levels of 123 satisfaction with the program. The primary feedback was that they want more time on the 124 APPROVED APPROVED 5 schedule. He reviewed usage trends and noted users are generally satisfied with the 125 program fees. He stated Rinconada is recognized as one of the top municipal pools on 126 the Peninsula. The Company's ability to share management and frontline staff across 127 three facilities has increased access to premium staff while keeping user fees stable. 128 Commissioner Cribbs loved the report and felt the program was doing a wonderful job. 129 She stated she had not heard one complaint from the aquatic community this year. She 130 asked if adult lessons are provided. She questioned if the program was utilizing all the 131 pool time in Palo Alto and suggested looking for opportunities for pools with PAUSD. 132 She asked if the family restrooms are on the way. She noted locker room cleanliness was 133 the biggest concern from people. Finally she asked if anything was happening with the 134 starting blocks and requested Public Works take a look at the wobbliness. 135 Mr. Sheeper responded that some adult lessons are provided with plans to do more 136 beginning in the spring. He noted most of the pools in Palo Alto are being highly utilized 137 but there were plans to work this summer with Friends of Rinconada, the lap swim 138 group, to try to secure some lap swim time in the evening time. Regarding locker rooms, 139 he explained that the City has provided an additional cleaning throughout the day during 140 the highest usage in the summertime, which has helped out. 141 Ms. Robustelli stated that family restrooms are currently in the design phase, with 142 completion envisioned in Fiscal Year '26. This will also be discussed in the next agenda 143 item on CIPs. 144 Mr. Castile noted someone would take a look at starting block wobbliness. 145 Chair Brown asked if the increase in the lifeguard certification courses was due to 146 demand or need. She noted it sounded like the program now had the needed staff in order 147 to be responsive to the number and types of lessons the community is asking for. She 148 questioned if there were shifts in programming demands at Rinconada and the response 149 to that. 150 Mr. Sheeper explained the certification classes were being increased to keep the supply 151 of lifeguards solid through the year, especially during the early spring and late summer 152 when many guards who are high school and college students leave. He agreed that staff 153 was in a much better position. He noted the demands are for more community swim 154 lessons and a lot of open recreational swim and planned to increase those for the 155 shoulder seasons in addition to the summer. 156 Vice Chair Freeman asked if the Masters program wanting more time in the water was 157 because of the schedule conflicting with other programs. He questioned the decline in lap 158 APPROVED APPROVED 6 swimming. He asked if the survey was sent out to people participating in the swim 159 program and wondered if a citywide database would help the survey. 160 Mr. Sheeper responded that it was not a conflict as much as lap swimmers and Master 161 swimmers wanting more and the feasibility of having everybody in the water in a shared 162 environment. The lap swim numbers were comparing to the pandemic, when there was a 163 peak number of people coming to the pool because there were not many places they 164 could go to exercise. The survey came from a database through the program. He stated a 165 citywide survey would give a broader viewpoint of what the community wants. 166 Commissioner Greenfield asked about the purpose of the junior lifeguard summer camp, 167 whether it was related to keeping the supply of lifeguards in the pipeline. He also asked 168 how many junior lifeguards end up becoming lifeguards employed by the group. He 169 noted the start of the program was rockier and felt it was great to hear where it is at now. 170 Mr. Sheeper responded that the junior lifeguard program was for children between 9 and 171 13 years old and was a different summer camp offering that introduces them to the basics 172 of being a lifeguard. The program currently offers junior lifeguard lessons, 173 predominantly at Menlo Park, but wants to move to a weekly basis at Rinconada Pool. 174 He stated kids from the lesson program will move into the youth swim teams and into the 175 workforce, so it is a full circle. 176 Commissioner Cribbs felt anything that could stimulate younger kids to be part of a pool 177 program was great. 178 Commissioner Wei felt it was a very impressive report with tremendous results. She 179 wanted to see on the report how many youth in the city participate in the pool on a 180 regular basis, in addition to summer camps. 181 Mr. Sheeper stated the youth usage was extremely high. At the peak time from 4 to 8 PM 182 and then during the summer, it is predominantly youth using the pool. 183 Capital Improvement Project Updates – Lam Do – Discussion – Attachment – (60 184 min) 185 Lam Do, Superintendent of Open Spaces, Parks, and Golf, presented the draft Capital 186 Improvement Plan for Open Space, Parks, Golf, and Recreation. He noted there were 187 omissions in the original staff report, which are now reflected on the website. Staff was 188 seeking the Commission's input on projects, prioritization, and any missing projects that 189 should be considered, focusing on the upcoming Fiscal Year 2026 projects. He reviewed 190 the CIP project criteria and the factors used for prioritization of CIPs. He also described 191 APPROVED APPROVED 7 the process of a CIP plan. He explained there are 25 projects currently in FY25, several 192 of which will not be completed this year and will roll over. For FY26, there are 8 193 projects proposed for Open Space and 14 for Parks, Golf, and Recreation. In the 5-year 194 plan, there are a total of 37 projects identified to be worked on through FY30. 195 Ms. Robustelli added that the issue of the Rinconada Pool starting blocks is on the 5-year 196 plan, planned currently for FY27. 197 Chair Brown asked which park restrooms will be installed in FY26. 198 Mr. Castile responded that this year four restrooms have been accomplished, Robles, 199 Rinconada, Boulware, and Cubberley. The next one on the list is Mitchell, at a location 200 adjacent to the Magical Bridge. That will be in design for Spring/Summer 2025 and 201 construction in Spring/Summer 2026. The following restroom is yet to be determined, 202 but design would be Fall 2026 and construction in Spring/Summer 2027. There will be a 203 survey for Eleanor Pardee in mid January as the next potential restroom. 204 Vice Chair Freeman asked if there are any catch-up projects in the five-year plan. 205 Mr. Castile stated the majority on the list were either continuing or catch-up. 206 Mr. Ghods noted there is a footnote with a full link to the entire budget with the project 207 pages for each proposal. 208 Commissioner Cribbs asked if there were specific courts for the athletic court 209 resurfacing. 210 Mr. Castile responded the basketball courts at Greer will be done in the spring of this 211 year. The following one is to be determined. 212 Commissioner Kleinhaus asked what is included in the multi-year project for Foothills 213 Nature Preserve 7.7 acres. She felt it was not clear what some of the projects were. 214 Ms. Robustelli noted these items were adopted last year and are on the current five-year 215 plan. None of the scope has changed. This conversation was trying to focus on any 216 changes to the coming fiscal year, but more information about scope could be included in 217 the report. 218 PUBLIC COMMENT 219 1. Nancy K. stated there was a coalition of Pardee Park Restroom supporters and 220 Council agreed in June that Pardee Park should be prioritized for the 2026 CIP. She 221 APPROVED APPROVED 8 requested a schedule of dates and updates on the process. She submitted a petition of 222 over 70 Pardee Park users who support the restroom. She also asked Parks and Rec to 223 look at the next parks because of the long process. 224 2. Sharon E. was disappointed that Eleanor Pardee Park Restroom was not listed by 225 name in the proposed FY26 projects. She felt there was a continuing and vital need 226 for a restroom at this park. She thanked Mr. Ghods for his service. 227 3. Penny P. stated Eleanor Pardee Park is very heavily used and really needs the 228 restroom. She gave several examples of this need for the restroom. She hoped to 229 expedite the restroom for the park. She noted Mr. Ghods would be missed. 230 Chair Brown asked for clarification on how the restrooms are prioritized and more 231 information on the extent of Pardee being included in this list. 232 Mr. Castile explained some of the criteria are the park size, the amount of users in the 233 park, work capacity for staffing level for design and construction, and also funding. The 234 Parks Master Plan was developed in 2017 and took all those criteria into account for the 235 parks that were put into the Master Plan by name. Other factors are input to commissions 236 from the public. A new project being put in, like the recent one in Boulware, is another 237 opportunity to capitalize on putting restrooms in one not mentioned by name. Pardee was 238 originally identified in the Master Plan, but others come into focus depending on need, 239 such as Mitchell for the playground and increased activity with the pickleball courts. One 240 of the first steps is to do community outreach once potential locations are identified. 241 Ms. Robustelli described that a majority of all restrooms are funded out of the CIP 242 project, which does not include the parks by name. 243 Commissioner Greenfield wanted to set expectations on when the restroom would be 244 installed as there is a long lead. He was hopeful to get a restroom put in at Pardee and 245 was glad public outreach was moving forward. He was frustrated that the information 246 provided in the presentation was very limited as there are a lot of considerations, such as 247 dollar amounts, that are not included and the full five-year plan was not articulated. He 248 did not feel the Commission was provided sufficient information to provide input on the 249 CIP. He wanted to review this again next month with new information. 250 Mr. Castile responded that restroom fabrication alone can have more than a nine-month 251 lead time. He explained the schedule depended on the workload capacity. Ideally a 252 bathroom would be funded every two years but in reality, it can be up to three years. 253 APPROVED APPROVED 9 Chair Brown added that she and Commissioner Kleinhaus had met with Staff as the ad 254 hoc and had a discussion about the amount of detail presented. She explained this 255 presentation was meant to narrow the conversation on the buckets and priorities rather 256 than specifics that will likely change by project completion. 257 Ms. Robustelli clarified that rather than adding and adjusting priority, the focus of the 258 project list was on whether these are the right areas for next fiscal year. 259 There was further discussion about the information included in the CIP project list, 260 regarding prioritization and status of ongoing projects. 261 Commissioner Kleinhaus asked if Buckeye Creek Restoration was in one of the boxes. 262 Commissioner Greenfield noted there were multiple levels of Buckeye Creek and this 263 was an example of something permanently in the three- to five-year time frame. The 264 restoration is not in the CIP, but he hoped the deteriorating creek grade control structures 265 were in the budget for '26. He asked if the new trail that would connect the Boronda 266 Lake area with the parking area above it was included. 267 Mr. Castile explained the Buckeye Creek trail and parking changes are included in the 268 Foothills Nature Preserve Improvements, in FY26, but the restoration project is years 269 down the line. He noted there were discussions of adding pedestrian walkways along the 270 roadways. The original thought about putting a trail directly down one of the hillsides 271 was not going to happen. 272 Ms. Robustelli added that replacing the grade control structures along Buckeye Creek 273 was part of the scope of the Foothills Nature Preserve Improvements, included in FY26 274 CIP Proposals. 275 Commissioner Kleinhaus questioned if there was a place all this information about the 276 projects and progress could be found. She asked if there was a budget for partners with 277 nonprofits for things like controlling more sensitive habitats. She wanted to know if any 278 of the priorities were expected to change after the recent flooding event. She suggested 279 Staff keep that work transparent to the public. 280 Ms. Robustelli stated a majority of the information was already in the currently adopted 281 five-year plan. Staff could provide an update on where each project is at if needed. The 282 restoration services by volunteers are Operational Budget-funded rather than CIP. 283 Mr. Castile responded there are continual agreements with Grassroots Ecology and other 284 groups to help manage open spaces. The priorities can be set with park rangers. He noted 285 APPROVED APPROVED 10 it was already planned in FY26 to address the levy conditions where the flooding 286 occurred. 287 Commissioner Wei asked about the possibility of having a shuttle to bring youth and 288 seniors to Foothills Park and how that would work. 289 Ms. Robustelli would reach out to Commissioner Wei to discuss this. 290 Commissioner Cribbs wanted to confirm that the restroom at Mitchell Park near the 291 Magical Bridge and the pickleball area was on the docket for design meetings. She asked 292 when that will be installed, noting it was critical because of the attendance at the Magical 293 Bridge. She questioned what can be done to make the Pardee Park a higher priority. She 294 noted the skate park does not appear on the list and asked if that would be added 295 somewhere on the list. 296 Mr. Castile answered that the Mitchell Park Restroom would begin in the 297 Spring/Summer 2025. Outreach will begin, and there will be community meetings with 298 Public Works. For Pardee Park, a community survey will be going out and the 299 community meeting will depend on the response on that. 300 Ms. Robustelli explained that it was Council directed that once lead funding is available, 301 the skate park will be added to the five-year plan. 302 Commissioner Deng hoped there would be positive results from the community as a 303 restroom is needed at Pardee Park. 304 There was more discussion about realistic timelines for projects and what can be 305 expected given resources available. 306 Commissioner Greenfield asked if the El Camino Park Field Replacement could be done 307 this summer as the fiscal year starts in July. 308 Mr. Castile explained the requested study needs to be completed first, and then it will go 309 to Council to provide recommendations on how to move forward. The intention is to 310 have this completed before the budget. 311 Commissioner Kleinhaus asked if any items could be de-prioritized, possibly things the 312 community has lost interest in since first being added to the list. She asked about having 313 enhancing/restoring the ITT project in the Bay on the list. She was interested in doing 314 something for the endangered burrowing owls, possibly related to the ITT project area. 315 She also recommended reducing over-lighting in several parks. 316 APPROVED APPROVED 11 Mr. Castile felt Staff could take a look at possibilities for de-prioritization. He 317 appreciated input on the owls, noting the best way to protect their habitat was a 318 completely enclosed area fenced off from the public and animals. Finding and dedicating 319 a location would have to be looked at. 320 Chair Brown did not want to respond to community interest as the only criteria for 321 prioritization because the list is presented based on age of park and age of infrastructure. 322 She felt the department should remain proactive about safety changes even if no one is 323 complaining. 324 Commissioner Greenfield added there is a rotating cycle for update of all parks and 325 delaying some parks could effectively delay all parks. He wanted to be aware of big-326 picture implications of small changes. 327 Mr. Castile felt one of the most impressive things about the parks in Palo Alto was the 328 upkeep and maintenance, which has been fulfilled over the years through the CIP 329 program. He stated the City has always made the effort to improve the park conditions 330 for users. 331 Commissioner Cribbs asked for an explanation of park and development impact fees and 332 how that money gets allocated. 333 Mr. Do explained the City has two types of development fees in regard to parks: Park 334 Dedication Fund and Parks Impact Fee. These are collected based on the value of the 335 development but are restricted in use. In general, the funds are used to acquire additional 336 parkland or in the creation of a new use for a park. 337 Chair Brown requested that an informational item on what was submitted come back to 338 the Commission. She felt it would be helpful to focus on FY26 and include project pages 339 from the 5-year CIP for review. 340 4. Update Work Plan and Confirm Middle School Athletics Ad Hoc – Chair Brown – 341 Action Attachment – (30 min) 342 Chair Brown explained there Council direction to add a new Work Plan item to evaluate 343 the Middle School Athletics Programs, to recommend approaches to align the current 344 program with universal access for students and state law, and to evaluate outsourcing 345 middle school athletics to nonprofits. Two to three commissioners are needed to form an 346 ad hoc to work on the beneficial impacts, timeline, resources needed, and higher- and 347 lower-priority items. This would potentially continue over to the next year. 348 APPROVED APPROVED 12 Commissioner terms have been extended to November, opening the possibility for 349 exiting commissioners to serve on the ad hoc through the Work Plan year. 350 Commissioner Deng was interested in joining the ad hoc. 351 There was discussion about the timeline of the ad hocs and Work Plan. 352 Commissioner Greenfield stated that the commission reorganization not aligning with 353 the appointment date was very problematic. 354 Chair Brown and Commissioner Cribbs volunteered to join the ad hoc as well. 355 MOTION: Commissioner Greenfield, seconded by Commissioner Freeman, moved to 356 appoint Chair Brown and Commissioners Cribbs and Deng to the Middle School 357 Athletics Ad Hoc 358 MOTION PASSED: 7-0 359 PUBLIC COMMENT 360 1. Tom H., coach for cross country and track and field at JLS Middle School and 361 founder of the nonprofit organization Palo Alto Middle School Athletics Community 362 Organization, spoke about how middle school sports are managed in Palo Alto. He 363 stated his nonprofit was able to improve equity by reducing registration fees and 364 improve the student experience by investing almost all registration fees on the team. 365 He hoped the ad hoc would speak to his organization to learn about the experience 366 and discuss partnering with the City in the future. 367 5. Ad Hoc Committees and Liaison Updates – Chair Brown – Discussion – (15 min) 368 Commissioner Cribbs reported the skate park now has a website 369 (www.paloaltoskatepark.org), which includes the preliminary design plans and an 370 opportunity for the public to contribute money or in other ways. There was a fundraiser 371 on December 15 at the University Club with 95 guests. Sam Kaplinsky, the leader of the 372 skate park, is applying to local foundations to increase fundraising. Council Member 373 Tanaka attended and spoke in support of the skate park. She noted Mr. Kaplinsky 374 appreciated the support of this Commission and the City Staff. 375 Commissioner Wei, Youth Liaison, stated she attended the library 10-year celebration. 376 The collaborator from San Jose State brought a robot that can be used to engage in 377 digital learning, and she saw a lot of kids who were very excited about that. She hoped 378 APPROVED APPROVED 13 that project would continue. Final exams were this month, so there were a couple events 379 for final exam cram at the Youth Center as well. 380 Commissioner Greenfield reported regarding Urban Forestry that the draft Tree and 381 Landscape Technical Manual was released at the beginning of this month and will be 382 available for public review through February 3. It is accessible from the Urban Forestry 383 home page through the city website. He was also looking forward to an annual 384 community forum for Urban Forestry as part of the charter for the Parks Commission. 385 Valley Water held a tide gate community meeting on November 20, which was well 386 attended by the Parks Commission and was a helpful update to the community . 387 Mr. Castile added there was a presentation on the seismic retrofitting. A lot of 388 community members and commissioners with interest in the project were there. There 389 was a lot of positive feedback. He noted Commissioner Kleinhaus gave a good speech on 390 owl habitats upon request. 391 Commissioner Kleinhaus asked about leaks during the storm. 392 Mr. Castile responded that typically debris will get caught under some of the gates. The 393 ranger staff go out daily and inspect for that and then contact Valley Water staff to come 394 out and alleviate those issues. 395 Commissioner Greenfield noted the Access Policy Ad Hoc was close to wrapping up the 396 review work and should be ready to present in January or February. The BCCP Ad Hoc 397 has continued to meet regularly with Staff and was not quite ready to present to the 398 Commission. The Park Dedication Ad Hoc has also met and would be ready to present a 399 status update to the Commission in January or February. 400 Vice Chair Freeman explained the Playing Fields and Racquet Courts Ad Hoc met with 401 Staff, addressing issues that were brought up by members of the public. Specifically 402 addressed was the fact that USTA tennis teams are renting many courts in Palo Alto and 403 often have very few, if any, Palo Alto residents, leaving Palo Alto residents with more 404 difficulty finding available courts. There are currently no resident requirements for 405 USTA rentals, and Staff and the ad hoc will investigate policy changes to ensure non-406 resident USTA members do not monopolize the courts. He added that it appears other 407 cities have implemented procedures regarding residence requirements in renting space. 408 Commissioner Cribbs noted the discussion will include how to check the residency for 409 both the captains and the teams to ensure that Palo Alto residents are able to have access 410 to the courts but are not penalized for not having enough people on their team. There 411 APPROVED APPROVED 14 continues to be a need for more space for tennis, extended hours, lights at night, and 412 more space for pickleball. 413 Chair Brown reported on the Master Plan Review, which is also the CIP Ad Hoc. She 414 noted they had an opportunity to talk with Staff about the high-priority items identified 415 in last year's Master Plan Review Ad Hoc and how to utilize those items into planning 416 initiatives in the department. 417 Commissioner Cribbs stated the Cubberley Project is moving on. Council approved the 418 use of funds to retain Concordia as a consultant, and they will be here on January 21 and 419 22 to talk to the community and staff. The Friends group now has an LOI and is free to 420 begin talking about raising money to support the recreation Wellness Center, which may 421 be the first project in the Cubberley plan. 422 COMMISSIONER/BOARD MEMBER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, 423 ANNOUNCEMENTS OR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS 424 Chair Brown explained items tentatively scheduled for January were the Bicycle and 425 Pedestrian Transportation Plan, more discussion on the CIP, and potentially the Access 426 Policy. February will include Urban Forestry and Canopy, OES discussion on 427 communication install at Foothills Nature Preserve, and Park Dedication update. 428 Vice Chair Freeman noted the possibility the courts policy might be in place in February. 429 Ms. Robustelli added that the action item to vote for new Chair and Vice Chair would 430 take place in January 431 ADJOURNMENT 432 The meeting was adjourned. 433