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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-07-22 Parks & Recreation Commission Summary MinutesMINUTES 1 PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION 2 REGULAR MEETING 3 July 22, 2025 4 In-Person & Virtual Conference 5 Palo Alto, California 6 7 Commissioners Present In-Person: Yudy Deng, Shani Kleinhaus, Jeff Greenfield, Nellis Freeman, Anne 8 Cribbs, Amanda Brown 9 Commissioners Present Virtually: None 10 Commissioners Absent: Bing Wei 11 Others Present: Tyler Felt, Alex Von Feldt 12 Staff Present: Kristen O’Kane, Adam Howard, Sarah Robustelli 13 CALL TO ORDER & ROLL CALL 14 Meeting was called to order at 7 p.m. 15 PUBLIC COMMENT 16 Yong G. referenced last month’s presentation from members of the Pickleball Club regarding the 17 expanding of operations in Mitchell Park. Yong G. researched and found that some of the 51 18 tennis courts cited belonged to schools like JLS, which are not open to the public. There are 4 19 courts at Greene Middle School where the surface is not in good condition. Yong G. opined there 20 was a need for lighted courts for those who must play at night. There are 16 lighted courts at 21 Mitchell Park, Rinconada, and Palo Alto High. Mitchell Park has 4 lighted tennis courts. Yong G. 22 felt any expansion of pickleball in the City should not happen at Mitchell Park. 23 AGENDA CHANGES, ADDITIONS, AND DELETIONS 24 None. 25 APPROVAL OF MINUTES 26 1. Approval of Draft Minutes from the May 27,2025, Parks and Recreation Commission 27 Regular Meeting 28 Chair Freeman asked for roll call vote to approve the minutes from the May 27, 2025, meeting. 29 NO ACTION: Due to lack of motion or second 6-0-1, Commissioner Wei absent. 30 2. Approval of Draft Minutes from the June 24, 2025 Parks and Recreation Commission 31 Regular Meeting 32 Chair Freeman asked for roll call vote to approve the minutes from the June 24, 2025, meeting. 33 NO ACTION: Due to lack of motion or second 5-0-1-1, Commissioner Kleinhaus abstained, 34 Commissioner Wei absent. 35 CITY OFFICIAL REPORTS 36 3. Department Report 37 Division Manager Sarah Robustelli highlighted the final 2 upcoming summer movie nights at 38 Mitchell Park and the Municipal Service Center Open House. Multiple commissioners were 39 judges at the July 4 Summer Festival and Chili Cookoff. The next Cubberley community meeting 40 will be held on September 17. Staff will bring the next Cubberley update during the September 41 PRC meeting. 42 The City is advancing a comprehensive turf study to evaluate the environmental, operational, 43 and financial considerations related to synthetic and natural turf fields to inform decisions and 44 provide selection and field design for City athletic fields. The focus is on El Camino Park. All focus 45 groups were held last week. A draft report will be available for the public on August 11 on the 46 project website. Staff will seek community feedback until the end of August, which will be 47 covered at the next PRC meeting. The final plan is projected to go to City Council on October 20. 48 An Eagle Scout updated the plot signage at the Rinconada Garden. The Mitchell Park splash pad 49 area was resurfaced, benches around area were repainted, and a pergola was rebuilt. The 50 Baylands automatic entrance gate went live last month. The Joint Interception Sewer Project for 51 the Palo Alto Regional Water Quality Control Plant remains on track. Bigsby Park western trail 52 temporary closure started in March and will go until the end of November. The timeline includes 53 restoration of the project area. Staff will provide updates. The Stanford/Palo Alto Playing Fields 54 turf replacement project started mobilization on July 14 and included turf removal, project 55 fencing, tree protection, and wattles. The project should be completed by December. 56 Chair Freeman complimented staff on the Summer Festival and Chili Cookoff and asked if 57 feedback will be provided to the soccer community regarding the progress of the fields. Chair 58 Freeman felt the work the Boy Scouts did was impressive and asked for an update on First Tee. 59 Commissioner Cribbs asked for an update on the pool situation. Commissioner Cirbbs queried 60 who the vendor for the fields was and what turf was being used. 61 Vice Chair Greenfield wondered if there was feedback from gardeners regarding the plot signage 62 at the community gardens, citing previous concerns, and if there was a maintenance plan. Vice 63 Chair Greenfield thought the timeline for completing the fields was the second week of 64 November and asked if the change had been communicated. Vice Chair Greenfield questioned if 65 there were plans to remove the fixed and portable goals. 66 Ms. Robustelli worked directly with recreation staff who communicated with all user groups and 67 was transparent. The plan is to get people back on the field once the project is completed. There 68 have been no major updates on First Tee since the May PRC meeting. Ms. Robustelli agreed to 69 report back on the pool situation. A field turf with cork infill is being used and the vendor doing 70 the install is FieldTurf. The updated garden plot signage was discussed with City staff who 71 worked with garden liaisons. The signs were replaced in wood rather than PVC. The previous 72 signs had color but were faded. Ms. Robustelli will follow up on if there is a long-term 73 maintenance plan. The fields will be completed on December 1. The project was pushed out a 74 week which had been communicated with staff and relayed. Some of the goals will be replaced. 75 BUSINESS ITEMS 76 4. Informational Update from Grassroots Ecology 77 Project Manager Tyler Felt explained how the nonprofit, Grassroots Ecology, works closely with 78 Palo Alto Open Spaces to reduce the impact of climate change by increasing biodiversity to make 79 creeks and wetlands more resilient and getting people involved. Core programs include land 80 stewardship, a native plant nursery, volunteer workdays and events, youth stewards, AmeriCorps 81 host site and habitat restoration internships, and naturalist education. The organization stewards 82 the Foothills Nature Preserve, Enid-Pearson Arastradero Preserve, San Francisquito Creek, 83 Southgate neighborhood, Adobe Creek pedestrian bridge, and Bol Park. 84 The organization has stewarded the Foothills since 2013 with a focus in Las Trampas Valley, 85 Wildhorse Valley, Vista Hill, and Boronda Lake Dam. The organization installed over 900 native 86 plants last year, provided volunteer and education opportunities, conducted impact monitoring, 87 and hosted 626 volunteers across 29 different events. Mr. Felt highlighted the Lawn Replacement 88 Project which has been increasing a native plant restoration site and replacing lawn in Las 89 Trampas Valley to reduce flood risk and prevent erosion from nearby Buckeye Creek over the last 90 10 years. 91 Co-Executive Director Alex Von Feldt said the organization has stewarded the Enid-Pearson 92 Arastradero Preserve since 1996 with a focus on managing invasive plants and planting native 93 plants. There are regular community volunteer work days, youth stewards with a focus on 94 middle school students, quarterly naturalist walks, and various partnerships including POST. The 95 invasive weed medusahead changes soil type, creates monocultures, spreads easily, and is very 96 flammable. Every spring, the weed is identified, mapped, and managed by cutting it back before 97 it goes to seed. A grant allowed the organization to hire the San Jose Conservation Corps to help. 98 A grant was received from Valley Water to work on an area close to Gate A along the creek 99 covered with teasel. The native plant nursery started 1996, moved to the Foothills in 2003, and 100 was upgraded in 2016 for new phytosanitary practices. 101 Managing the San Francisquito Creek includes organizing trash cleanup days, removing high-102 priority invasive plants, planting native plants, and leading youth steward events. In the 103 Southgate neighborhood, a grant allowed the bioswales to be retrofitted, native plants were 104 planted, and the Green Street stewards program was supported. Pollinator monitoring was 105 conducted, observing 16 times more pollinators in retrofitted plots versus control plots. 106 Stewarding the Adobe Creek pedestrian bridge includes maintaining native plants, managing 107 invasive plants, picking up trash, and reporting dumping. Buckeyes and acorns were direct sown 108 last winter at Esther Clark with 15 large oak trees to be planted this winter. This was supported 109 by a private donor with irrigation support from rangers. 110 Grassroots Ecology engaged 1,640 volunteers at 105 events at Palo Alto parks and open spaces 111 last year. Palo Alto paid $209,500 while the organization brought in $160,000 through grants and 112 donations. Volunteers contributed another $150,000 of time. 113 Public Comment: None. 114 Commissioner Kleinhaus mentioned the creek cleanup objective in the Palo Alto Comprehensive 115 Plan and commented on having seen a lot of trash in Adobe Creek including next to the bridge. 116 Commissioner Kleinhaus asked if Grassroots Ecology was engaged in that and wanted more focus 117 on that area, suggesting an addition to look after Adobe Creek in the next budget. 118 Commissioner Cribbs asked how hard it is to get volunteers and funding and how the City can 119 help. 120 Commissioner Brown asked how sites for urban pollinator gardens are decided and what 121 neighborhoods can do to support those efforts. 122 Ms. Von Feldt confirmed that cleaning trash in Adobe Creek was not in the organization’s scope 123 of work. Most trash pickup in San Francisquito is paid for by the City of Menlo Park. The funding 124 that pays for creek cleanup has dwindled. Ms. Von Feldt noted the high school summer program 125 has seen the most interest since COVID. There has been more interest from AmeriCorps, with 126 many qualified candidates being turned away. Funding has gotten much worse in the last 6 127 months. Federal funds through the EPA were frozen. All future funding options from the federal 128 government were canceled, which has made local funding sources more competitive. Funding 129 donations have gone down on the corporate side. COVID was peak time for donations. Aside 130 from funding, the City can help by spreading the word on social media. Ms. Von Feldt noted 131 multiple native plant sales and felt getting people involved and understanding why native plants 132 are important as well as talking about native plants is the best way to help. 133 Mr. Felt had not seen any change in the ability to get volunteers. The City could help by engaging 134 in communication about weed management. There have been limitations on what can be done 135 logistically within the timeframes. Other opportunities to collaborate would be beneficial. 136 Vice Chair Greenfield asked how funding AmeriCorps volunteers has impacted Grassroots 137 Ecology and wanted an update on the re-naturalization at the Foothills Nature Preserve. Vice 138 Chair Greenfield felt staff should consider a trash can at the overlook on the Adobe Creek bridge. 139 Vice Chair Greenfield wondered if there were plans for pollinator gardens in South Palo Alto. 140 Mr. Felt said Grassroots Ecology works with the Watershed Stewards Program and the California 141 Climate Action Corps. The director of the California Conservation Corps shared they will continue 142 to fund the Watershed Stewards Program regardless of the federal situation. The California 143 Climate Action Corps transitioned to a different organization called Bay Area Community 144 Resources and will be funded next year. The organization received a grant through Valley Water 145 to create a new habitat garden in the 7.7 acres at the Foothills Nature Preserve. This year, a new 146 habitat island was installed by merging restoration test plots. There were 200 plants installed 147 that are doing well. There have been new flowering plants and fruitful seeding. Invasive removal 148 efforts continued following eucalyptus removal that focused on poison hemlock, yellow 149 starthistle, and stinkwort. 150 Ms. Von Feldt noted the area at the Foothills Nature Preserve was a challenging site but there 151 has been sheet mulching, laying compost, and willow staking at the creek. A trash can at the 152 overlook might help but there are larger items like mattresses being dumped. There were 10 153 pollinator gardens installed in other locations in Palo Alto that have since been ripped up. There 154 are a few remaining in South Palo Alto, including at the Peninsula Convention Center. Ms. Von 155 Feldt was willing to donate plants if there were community groups that wanted to adopt a plot. 156 Commissioner Kleinhaus said the City planted a few native plants near the new bathrooms at 157 Ramos Park and felt that was an opportunity to expand. 158 Chair Freeman asked how volunteer retention and satisfaction is measured, how long the habitat 159 restoration sites are monitored, and what indicators used are. 160 Mr. Felt said a key metric for volunteer retention is seeing who wants to participate in other 161 programming, specifically internships and the AmeriCorps positions which are relevant for high 162 school students. Volunteers are measured by tier 1 and tier 2 depending on how many times 163 they have volunteered. The strategy for volunteer retention has been providing meaningful 164 experiences during the programming where facilitators get to know volunteers personally to 165 promote familiarity and prioritize making people feel welcome. 166 Ms. Von Feldt noted that land stewardship is a continuing process and the organization usually 167 does not leave big sites. Some indicators include plant survivability, engagement and return 168 engagement of volunteers, and the number of plants planted. Calflora is used to track the spread 169 of weeds. 170 5. Informational Update on Evaluation of the City of Palo Alto Middle School Athletics 171 Program 172 Community Services Manager Adam Howard recapped the history of the Middle School Athletics 173 Program, starting with the partnership of the City of Palo Alto and the PAUSD. The City took on 174 full responsibility around 2009/2010 and City Council asked the PRC to review the Middle School 175 Athletics Program on October 7, 2024. The request made by Council was to provide approaches 176 to align the program with universal student access and applicable state laws and explore the 177 feasibility of outsourcing program operations to local nonprofits. 178 The program is currently run by the City’s Recreation Division and operates at the 3 public 179 middle schools. There is a fixed registration fee of $335 per sport. The City offers a fee reduction 180 program of up to 50 percent off. During the previous school year, there were 1,230 registrations 181 with 62 students waitlisted. The sports offerings are seasonal. There is a full-time recreation 182 coordinator, an hourly athletic director at each site, and multiple coaches at each site. The 183 registration fees go to staffing, league fees, referees, uniforms, and equipment. Staffing 184 represents over 80 percent of the expenses. A single registration fee across all sports allows for 185 equal access. 186 The criteria for evaluation are compliance with state law, participation and expenses, program 187 accessibility, and program capacity. Extracurricular activities offered by school districts must be 188 offered free of cost while City-run programs can assess fees. 189 There were 83 registrations that utilized the fee reduction program. Staff did not have a 190 mechanism for collecting information on families that did not try to participate because the fees 191 are too big of a barrier. Demand regularly exceeds program capacity, which is limited by coaching 192 availability, team size, and facility space. The registration process has been updated to open 193 registration periods with random selection of participants. 194 One alternative model would be to contract out operations, such as at San Carlos which serves 3 195 middle schools with a fee of $355 per sport. Half Moon Bay also operates on this model with a 196 $150 fee per sport and a $45 annual club membership. Another alternative would be a School 197 District-run model, such as at Ralston, the San Mateo-Foster City School District, and Mountain 198 View. Donations are requested and the rest is covered by fundraising and nonprofit support. A 199 third alternative would be a parent-led nonprofit model, such as at Las Lomitas in Menlo Park, 200 which charges $225 per sport or $250 for late registration. However, that is smaller in scale than 201 the Palo Alto program. 202 Staff put out a Request for Information in preparation of reviewing possible changes to the MSA 203 management model. There were 2 responses: partial program management and full program 204 management. The Palo Alto Middle School Athletics Community Organization nonprofit would 205 provide the partial program management and proposed to operate cross country and track and 206 field for the 3 middle schools. The registration fees would be $200 per student with free access 207 for income-qualified families. The coaching compensation would be higher at $50 per hour and 208 there would be customized jerseys. The nonprofit pointed to their past positive experience 209 operating cross country. Rising Stars LLC proposed operating the full program or a subset of the 210 program. The fees would be $225 per student. Rising Stars pointed to past experiences in 211 afterschool programming and staff recruitment. The partial program management may lead to 212 higher registration costs while the full program management could reduce capacity. Additional 213 groups may be interested if the City continues to explore Public/Private partnership models. 214 Other possible changes include a tiered fee structure, which would look at the true cost for 215 operating each sport and adjust the cost accordingly. Some sports could cost less and others 216 more, which could lead to additional barriers to access. Another potential change would be 217 partnering with a nonprofit or fundraising group which would fundraise and look into 218 community partnerships with a focus on reducing cost and/or increasing financial assistance. 219 There is a possible focus on the Palo Alto Recreation Foundation who currently supports 220 recreation programs. Staff will look for improvements through increased coaching recruitment 221 and retention, expanded sports offerings, inclusive registration processes, and promoting the fee 222 reduction program. Staff is seeking feedback from the PRC on Public/Private partnership models, 223 fee structure adjustments, partnership with a nonprofit, and additional suggestions for 224 improvement. 225 PUBLIC COMMENT 226 1. Tom H., president of the Palo Alto Middle School Athletics Community Organization (PAMSACO), 227 was encouraged by the alignment with City goals where both seek to make middle school sports 228 more affordable, accessible, inclusive, equitable, and sustainable. Tom H. believed adopting a 229 partial program management model would be best because it preserves flexibility and 230 reversibility. The partial model keeps the door open for expanding nonprofit involvement while 231 maintaining City oversight during the transition period. Tom H. opined that gradual scaling 232 supports responsible growth and starting with a focused scope would allow the provider to build 233 experience, demonstrate success, and refine operations before taking on the full program. Tom 234 H. felt the potential for increased fees in the remaining City-run sports was overstated and 235 solvable, noting that league fees are less than $2 per registrant and staff compensation is the 236 largest overhead cost at about $205 per registrant. Staff positions are administrative and not 237 directly involved in coaching or team operations. Tom H. felt it may make sense to shift some 238 employee time to other programs, especially if the number of City-managed sports decreases. 239 2. Sungjoonkim is the parent of a JLS student who participated in the PAMSACO’s 2024 JLS cross 240 country team and in the City-managed track and field team. Sungjoonkim encouraged the 241 Commission to keep Council’s directive of evaluating the feasibility of transferring program 242 management to local nonprofits in mind. PAMSACO is open to expanding beyond cross country 243 and track and field in the future. The organization thinks the gradual, responsible growth will 244 produce the best results for students. Rising Stars LLC is neither local nor a nonprofit which goes 245 beyond Council’s directive. PAMSACO has demonstrated the ability to reduce registration fees 246 without public funding while increasing coach pay and maintaining a small surplus. The $225 fee 247 cited in Rising Star’s proposal is the cost per hour per instructor, not per student, which could 248 raise overall costs. 249 3. Chris C. felt the universal access goal was not covered in much detail. The PAUSD has a lot of VTP 250 students and participation rates in current MSA programs among VTP students is low. Chris C. 251 wondered if there were additional barriers to access besides cost for those students, such as 252 transportation home after class. 253 Commissioner Cribbs was concerned about universal access and whether the state law was 254 being circumvented. Commissioner Cribbs felt there was not enough information to make a 255 decision. Commissioner Cribbs preferred the MSA program to remain where it is and to engage a 256 nonprofit partnership to raise money to defer costs and provide coaching. Commissioner Cribbs 257 asked how the registrations were divided through the quarters. 258 Commissioner Deng asked the total number of middle schoolers in the PAUSD and clarified that 259 50 percent of students enrolled in an MSA program. Commissioner Deng wondered if there was 260 data for VTP students within the registrations. Commissioner Deng felt there was not enough 261 data to reach a decision and suggested more research into how to ensure universal access. 262 Commissioner Deng questioned if students who joined the District midway would have a chance 263 to join the program. 264 Mr. Howard said enrollment is around 2,300 between the 3 schools. There were 1,200 265 registrants but individuals could have registered for multiple seasons. Mr. Howard did not know 266 how many individuals signed up for the program and had no data on VTP student enrollment. 267 Anyone who joined the District midway could register for any following sport seasons. Mr. 268 Howard did not know attendance per quarter but could get that information. 269 Commissioner Brown felt staff had done the research and proved the City is compliant with state 270 laws. Universal access was not defined by Council in the directive but the criteria for evaluating it 271 was a good interpretation. The financial landscape in terms of the budget is different than when 272 the initial directive was given and holds more weight. Commissioner Brown thought the partial 273 management model would increase the costs of certain sports, which did not align with the 274 universal access Council directive, and increase the need for administrative staff time. 275 Commissioner Brown opined the partial management model was not a realistic solution. 276 Vice Chair Greenfield felt the City was enabling PAUSD circumvention of the law in spirit and the 277 current registration fees were high and a real barrier. Vice Chair Greenfield appreciated the 278 comments about barriers beyond cost. Vice Chair Greenfield asked if Rising Star was a for-profit 279 company and if there was a full program management option with a nonprofit company. Vice 280 Chair Greenfield recommended maintaining in-house control to dynamically leverage the 281 institutional knowledge for running the programs. Vice Chair Greenfield wondered about the 282 adjustment process during a registration cycle. Vice Chair Greenfield opined a hybrid approach 283 would be the most successful and a nonprofit partnership was an important component in a 284 solution. Vice Chair Greenfield acknowledged that a partial management model may be 285 inconsistent with the accessibility goal but switching over to a full management model is risky. 286 Vice Chair Greenfield encouraged a partial management model as a safer option if the potential 287 financial imbalance could be worked out and highlighted the importance of a nonprofit with 288 longevity and a vested interest. 289 Chair Freeman asked why there were only 2 responses to the RFI. Chair Freeman wanted 290 clarification on the process of determining the number of coaches and to look at ways to gather 291 data on families who do not register due to financial hardship. Chair Freeman wondered if the 292 lottery registration system was digital only and required internet access. Chair Freeman asked 293 what specific criteria the City will use to assess whether a nonprofit or a for-profit model is best 294 and if there was enough information to build on the discussion. 295 Mr. Howard confirmed Rising Star was for-profit and did not know if there were nonprofit full 296 program management options. Mr. Howard explained that the process included getting 297 registrations, trying to find more coaches, looking at team sizes, making educated guesses, and 298 constantly measuring that with an eye on not having kids on a waitlist. Mr. Howard thought the 299 lack of incentive for the organizations, the large size of the program potentially being 300 overwhelming, a lack of a clear path forward, or the vagueness could have contributed to only 2 301 RFI responses. Mr. Howard explained that qualified coaches were always being recruited and 302 staff did not wait for the registration numbers to come in to start looking. Mr. Howard was 303 willing to look into how to gather data from families who did not participate but noted the 304 challenges. There are paper registrations as well as digital. The Commission and ad hoc would 305 help determine if a nonprofit or for-profit was best and if there was clear direction, there would 306 be a lot of information gathered from individual groups to ensure qualification and longevity. Mr. 307 Howard felt that the most helpful information would be what would make staff more 308 comfortable moving in a particular direction. 309 Commissioner Kleinhaus suggested staff bring a table comparing the criteria, including finances, 310 for the different options. Commissioner Kleinhaus wanted to know what staff was most 311 comfortable with. 312 Commissioner Brown summarized the concern of whether the partial management model was 313 financially feasible, what would the required additional funds be, how many partners would be 314 needed, and how that affects the variety of programming and ability to pivot in terms of access. 315 Commissioner Brown suggested the ad hoc look into if there were full program management 316 companies that could handle a large program and adapt if necessary. 317 Commissioner Cribbs felt it was important to compare numbers from other school districts with 318 successful programs and to look at how other school districts fund free teams. Commissioner 319 Cribbs wondered if the PAUSD had been asked if they want the program returned to them. 320 Commissioner Cribbs did not want the fees to go higher than they currently are, with the goal of 321 bringing all costs down with supplemental funding from a nonprofit. 322 Commissioner Deng suggested staff come back with a more detailed financial analysis. 323 Vice Chair Greenfield suggested a fundraising nonprofit partnership as an overlay to any option. 324 Vice Chair Greenfield wanted a range of anticipated cost changes in order to comment on the 325 tiered fee structure. Vice Chair Greenfield wondered how a partial or full program management 326 model would affect the athletic directors at each school and was worried the local touch could 327 get lost. 328 Chair Freeman mentioned that 80 percent of the registration fee goes to administrative and 329 wondered if there would be a reduction in coaches if the fee went down. Chair Freeman asked 330 when the PAUSD last had the program. 331 The PAUSD has not been recently asked if they want the program. Mr. Howard said if fees were 332 reduced, the program would have to be subsidized more. There would have to be a connection 333 with the athletic director in a partial management model since there would be shared space, but 334 a third party would assume the role of athletic director in a full management model. Prior to 335 1997, the School District ran the program. 336 The Commission took a 5-minute break 337 6. Informational Update on Parkland Dedication Efforts 338 Community Services Director Kristen O’Kane referenced the Palo Alto Municipal Code Section 339 22.08 which defines dedicated parkland. The NRPA has moved away from previous guidance 340 regarding acres of parkland per 1,000 residents. During the last 2 fiscal years, the PRC workplans 341 included a goal to pursue and evaluate top priority potential sites and identify new sites to 342 recommend for parkland dedication. An ad hoc was created to assist staff. 343 There are policies to expand parkland inventory using NRPA standard as guidance. Previously, 344 the standard was 4 acres of parkland per 1,000 residents with a maximum service area of half a 345 mile and 2 acres of neighborhood parks per 1,000 residents. A slide showed a map of the current 346 parkland inventory. There are 34 city parks totaling 175 acres and 4 open space preserves 347 totaling 4,030 acres. The NRPA said undeveloped areas should be considered when looking at 348 parkland inventory in a city. 349 Boulware Park was expanded by .64 acres in April 2025, and new amenities were added. The 350 newly dedicated Fred Eyerly Tower Well Park is .2 acres and has a pathway, native plants, and 351 interpretive signage. 352 Staff and the ad hoc reviewed potential sites for parkland dedication. The Measure E site in 353 Baylands is up to 10 acres and is not dedicated, however it is pending the feasibility of a site for a 354 potential biosolids processing facility. The Rinconada Community Gardens is a 2.5-acre site, 2 355 acres of which would be dedicated since the Utilities Department has identified it as a potential 356 site to expand the groundwater well footprint. The San Antonio Avenue at Ponce Drive site is less 357 than 1 acre and is potentially needed for transportation projects. The northern portion of the 358 LATP site is 4 acres but pending decision on the location of a future regional water purification 359 facility. 360 There is an opportunity to dedicate 2.25 acres of the former Fry’s site at 340 Portage Avenue, 361 which would require a CIP to design and construct. There is a 275.3-acre area along the San 362 Antonio Road corridor with planning efforts underway to consider housing, mobility, and 363 community service and facilities such as parkland. A Community Advisory Group and Technical 364 Advisory Group have been created. Chair Freeman was asked to sit on the Community Advisory 365 Group to represent the PRC. Ms. O’Kane believed it would be completed in 2028. 366 PUBLIC COMMENT 367 Herb B. felt off-site alternatives should be considered for the biosolids processing facility and 368 that any decision regarding the site must follow proper procedural requirements. Herb B. was 369 concerned that Council had decided to purchase an off-site location for the biosolids processing 370 facility and wanted that site evaluated against alternatives. Herb B. opined the principal purpose 371 of Measure E was to remove something from parkland. 372 Chair Freeman commended staff for the recent parkland additions of Boulware Park and Fred 373 Eyerly. Chair Freeman felt Measure E was complex but community desire to see the land 374 returned to open space was strong. Rinconada was a good near-term option for incremental 375 parkland dedication. The ad hoc recommended pursuing a partial 2-acre dedication while 376 protecting future utility needs. Chair Freeman asked what was needed to move forward with 377 dedicating Rinconada Gardens and if there was a timeline. Chair Freeman supported the 2.25-378 acre parkland transfer at the former Fry’s site and asked when that would be completed. The 379 first meeting for the San Antonio Road corridor is scheduled on August 19. Chair Freeman 380 wanted to be proactive in securing parkland in that area. 381 Ms. O’Kane explained the first step for dedicating Rinconada Gardens would be to confirm the 382 area to dedicate and ensure the Utilities Department is comfortable. Then a formal legal land 383 survey would be conducted and an ordinance put together to bring to the Commission and 384 Council. If the Commission supported it, the land survey could be completed within the fiscal 385 year. There was no timeline for the former Fry’s site. Staff would need to coordinate with Public 386 Works. 387 Vice Chair Greenfield agreed to move forward with the Rinconada Garden dedication, noting 388 that utility use will be a long-term issue. Vice Chair Greenfield asked if the type of housing 389 developed in a certain area is considered when developing parkland standards, saying more 390 residents in a condensed area makes the parkland need more acute. Vice Chair Greenfield 391 commented that over a third of the parks are below the 2-acre goal and asked what the City 392 considers a district park. Vice Chair Greenfield looked forward to the Public Works assessment of 393 the Measure E site in the fall. Vice Chair Greenfield wondered if the former Fry’s site parcel will 394 be available for dedication after the survey in the fall and what the process looks like. Vice Chair 395 Greenfield hoped for local stakeholder involvement in the planning process for the San Antonio 396 Road corridor. Vice Chair Greenfield questioned if there was a timeline for Valley Water to make 397 a decision on the LATP site. Vice Chair Greenfield asked for an update on the Greer Park 398 easement and potential rededication. 399 Chair Freeman asked at what point the process of meeting with residents would start to gain 400 feedback for the design of the former Fry’s site. 401 Ms. O’Kane was unsure if the type of housing affected parkland standards. The City does not 402 identify parks as district or neighborhood. The transfer of land from the former Fry’s site to the 403 City is expected to happen in the fall of 2025. Ms. O’Kane needed to ask the Planning 404 Department about the process of dedicating the land but noted there is development of the 405 large parcel that could affect the timing. Ms. O’Kane did not know a timeline for the Valley Water 406 decision. The Greer Park sewer line project resulted in no vacated easements, so there is no area 407 pending park dedication. Ms. O’Kane explained that staff would not reach out for resident 408 feedback on the former Fry’s site until there is a CIP established and the design process is 409 moving forward and cited the Boulware Park expansion as an example. 410 Commissioner Kleinhaus recalled a previous PRC recommendation to rededicate the Measure E 411 site and wanted to know if the City had purchased a location for an off-site biosolids treatment 412 facility. Commissioner Kleinhaus wondered if the San Antonio at Ponce site could be treated as a 413 park and provided amenities without dedication. There are efforts in California legislature to 414 exempt any large development within half a mile of a park from paying park fees or dedicating 415 land. There was opposition, so it became a 2-year bill which will likely come back next year with 416 negotiations. Commissioner Kleinhaus felt the entire wetlands should be parkland, not just LATP, 417 and heard Valley Water was no longer pursuing the site. Commissioner Kleinhaus wondered if 418 the new 300-unit Creekside Inn development on El Camino came with parkland or fees. 419 Commissioner Brown supported moving forward with Rinconada Gardens. Commissioner Brown 420 suggested the current ad hoc put together a list of guiding principles to compare potential sites 421 against. 422 Ms. O’Kane will follow up with Public Works about a potential off-site location for the treatment 423 facility. Ms. O’Kane was concerned about safety with the high levels of traffic at San Antonio at 424 Ponce. Ms. O’Kane was unsure if the new development came with parkland and fees and will 425 follow up on that. Ms. O’Kane referenced the park search areas highlighted in the Parks Master 426 Plan which identified areas by need and population density. A slide showed a map with the park 427 search areas. Ms. O’Kane noted the land may not be City-owned but could be a vacant lot, like 428 with the Boulware addition. Ms. O’Kane felt that dedicating land already operating as parkland 429 did not achieve the objective of getting people access to parkland. 430 Commissioner Kleinhaus mentioned the Creekside Inn development was in Search Area E and 431 encouraged staff to talk to Planning about the development since the developers must either 432 pay fees or dedicate parkland. Commissioner Kleinhaus did not want Palo Alto to include 433 amenities equivalent to parks, such as porches or exercise rooms, like some other places are 434 doing. 435 Commissioner Cribbs was glad to hear staff considered land not owned by the City for parks. 436 Commissioner Cribbs wondered if it was appropriate to have presentation from the Friends of 437 the Parks to talk about a general fund and asked if there was a specific dedicated fund to buy 438 land for parks. Commissioner Cribbs suggested a different ad hoc address that issue. 439 Commissioner Deng asked if the City had achieved the goal of 4 acres of parkland per 1,000 440 residents and wanted to focus on high-density areas so residents can have easier access to parks. 441 Ms. O’Kane said planning will consult with staff for projects where land for a park is not available 442 to determine if fees are appropriate and will follow up with planning on the Creekside Inn site. 443 Not including open space, there are 2.6 acres of parkland per 1,000 residents; if open space is 444 included, it changes to 63 acres per 1,000 residents. Ms. O’Kane reiterated the NRPA moved 445 away from that standard. A new metric is that a typical Park and Recreation Agency offers 1 park 446 for every 2,400 residents. Assuming there are 66,000 residents in Palo Alto, that would be 27 447 parks, which means the City has achieved and exceeded that goal. 448 Vice Chair Greenfield thought that any work done regarding the San Antonio at Ponce site would 449 need a crosswalk to address safety concerns. 450 Commissioner Kleinhaus left at 10:04 p.m. 451 COMMISSIONER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS OR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS 452 Chair Freeman is on the San Antonio Community Advisory Board but may not be able to attend 453 the August 19 meeting and asked Vice Chair Greenfield to attend instead. Chair Freeman 454 thought the Board met once a month. 455 Community Services Director Kristen O’Kane thought the Board would meet 6 to 8 times 456 throughout plan development. 457 Regarding the ad hoc committee liaison updates, the MSA report and nature preserve had been 458 covered. There had been discussion about the turf study and community garden. There were no 459 updates on the Cubberley project. 460 Commissioner Cribbs said there will be an upcoming report on tennis and pickleball. 461 Ms. O’Kane will reach out to the Cubberley ad hoc for a meeting and asked if Commissioner 462 Kleinhaus was confirmed to be on the ad hoc. 463 Chair Freeman had not received confirmation from Commissioner Kleinhaus regarding the 464 Cubberley ad hoc. 465 The 3 agenda items for the August meeting are the Nature Access Policy ad hoc, an 466 informational update on court and pickleball, and the turf study. The September meeting 467 currently has a Cubberley update, an Open Space update, and the Foothills Improvement Project 468 update. 469 ADJOURNMENT 470 The meeting was adjourned at 10:09 p.m. 471