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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-02-25 Parks & Recreation Commission Agenda PacketPARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION Regular Meeting Tuesday, February 25, 2025 Council Chambers & Hybrid 7:00 PM Parks and Recreation Commission meetings will be held as “hybrid” meetings with the option to attend by teleconference/video conference or in person. To maximize public safety while still maintaining transparency and public access, members of the public can choose to participate from home or attend in person. Information on how the public may observe and participate in the meeting is located at the end of the agenda. Masks are strongly encouraged if attending in person. T h e   m e e t i n g   w i l l   b e   b r o a d c a s t   o n   C a b l e   T V   C h a n n e l   2 6 ,   l i v e   o n YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/cityofpaloalto,   a n d   s t r e a m e d   t o   M i d p e n   M e d i a Center https://midpenmedia.org. Commissioner names, biographies, and archived agendas and report are available at https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/Departments/Community‐Services/Other‐ Services/Commissions/Parks‐and‐Recreation‐Commission. VIRTUAL PARTICIPATION CLICK HERE TO JOIN (https://cityofpaloalto.zoom.us/j/99937899745) Meeting ID: 999 3789 9745    Phone: 1(669)900‐6833 PUBLIC COMMENTS Public comments will be accepted both in person and via Zoom for up to three minutes or an amount of time determined by the Chair. All requests to speak will be taken until 5 minutes after the staff’s presentation. Written public comments can be submitted in advance to ParkRec.commission@cityofpaloalto.org and will be provided to the Council and available for inspection on the City’s website. Please clearly indicate which agenda item you are referencing in your subject line. PowerPoints, videos, or other media to be presented during public comment are accepted only by email to ParkRec.commission@cityofpaloalto.org at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. Once received, the  Clerk will have them shared at public comment for the specified item. To uphold strong cybersecurity management practices, USB’s or other physical electronic storage devices are not accepted. Signs and symbolic materials less than 2 feet by 3 feet are permitted provided that: (1) sticks, posts, poles or similar/other type of handle objects are strictly prohibited; (2) the items do not create a facility, fire, or safety hazard; and (3) persons with such items remain seated when displaying them and must not raise the items above shoulder level, obstruct the view or passage of other attendees, or otherwise disturb the business of the meeting. CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMENT  Members of the public may speak to any item NOT on the agenda.  AGENDA CHANGES, ADDITIONS AND DELETIONS The Chair or Commission majority may modify the agenda order to improve meeting management. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1.Approval of December 18, 2024 and January 28, 2025 Parks and Recreation Commission Draft Summary Minutes CITY OFFICIAL REPORTS Members of the public may not speak to the item(s) 2.Department Report (20 minutes) BUSINESS ITEMS 3.Information Update on Byxbee Park Western Trail Temporary Closure from 3/03/2025 to 11/30/2025 for Sewer Pipe Rehabilitation (45 minutes) 4.Informational Update from Canopy (45 Minutes) 5.FY2024 Urban Forestry Annual Report and Discussion of Draft Tree and Landscape Technical Manual (60 Minutes) COMMISSIONER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS OR FUTURE MEETINGS AND AGENDAS Members of the public may not speak to the item(s) ADJOURNMENT PUBLIC COMMENT INSTRUCTIONS Members of the Public may provide public comments to teleconference meetings via email, teleconference, or by phone. 1. W r i t t e n   p u b l i c   c o m m e n t s  m a y   b e   s u b m i t t e d   b y   e m a i l   t o ParkRec.Commission@cityofpaloalto.org. 2. Spoken public comments using a computer will be accepted through the teleconference meeting. To address the Council, click on the link below to access a Zoom‐ based meeting. Please read the following instructions carefully. You may download the Zoom client or connect to the meeting in‐ browser. If using your browser, make sure you are using a current, up‐to‐date browser: Chrome 30 , Firefox 27 , Microsoft Edge 12 , Safari 7 . Certain functionality may be disabled in older browsers including Internet Explorer. You may be asked to enter an email address and name. We request that you identify yourself by name as this will be visible online and will be used to notify you that it is your turn to speak. When you wish to speak on an Agenda Item, click on “raise hand.” The Clerk will activate and unmute speakers in turn. Speakers will be notified shortly before they are called to speak. When called, please limit your remarks to the time limit allotted. A timer will be shown on the computer to help keep track of your comments. 3. Spoken public comments using a smart phone will be accepted  through the teleconference meeting. To address the Council, download the Zoom application onto your phone from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and enter the Meeting ID below. Please follow the instructions B‐E above. 4. Spoken public comments using a phone use the telephone number listed below. When you wish to speak on an agenda item hit *9 on your phone so we know that you wish to speak. You will be asked to provide your first and last name before addressing the Council. You will be advised how long you have to speak. When called please limit your remarks to the agenda item and time limit allotted. CLICK HERE TO JOIN    Meeting ID: 999 3789 9745   Phone:1‐669‐900‐6833 Americans with Disability Act (ADA) It is the policy of the City of Palo Alto to offer its public programs, services and meetings in a manner that is readily accessible to all. Persons with disabilities who require materials in an appropriate alternative format or who require auxiliary aids to access City meetings, programs, or services may contact the City’s ADA Coordinator at (650) 329‐2550 (voice) or by emailing ada@cityofpaloalto.org. Requests for assistance or accommodations must be submitted at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting, program, or service. PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSIONRegular MeetingTuesday, February 25, 2025Council Chambers & Hybrid7:00 PMParks and Recreation Commission meetings will be held as “hybrid” meetings with the option toattend by teleconference/video conference or in person. To maximize public safety while stillmaintaining transparency and public access, members of the public can choose to participatefrom home or attend in person. Information on how the public may observe and participate in themeeting is located at the end of the agenda. Masks are strongly encouraged if attending inperson. T h e   m e e t i n g   w i l l   b e   b r o a d c a s t   o n   C a b l e   T V   C h a n n e l   2 6 ,   l i v e   o nYouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/cityofpaloalto,   a n d   s t r e a m e d   t o   M i d p e n   M e d i aCenter https://midpenmedia.org. Commissioner names, biographies, and archived agendas andreport are available at https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/Departments/Community‐Services/Other‐Services/Commissions/Parks‐and‐Recreation‐Commission.VIRTUAL PARTICIPATION CLICK HERE TO JOIN (https://cityofpaloalto.zoom.us/j/99937899745)Meeting ID: 999 3789 9745    Phone: 1(669)900‐6833PUBLIC COMMENTSPublic comments will be accepted both in person and via Zoom for up to three minutes or anamount of time determined by the Chair. All requests to speak will be taken until 5 minutesafter the staff’s presentation. Written public comments can be submitted in advance toParkRec.commission@cityofpaloalto.org and will be provided to the Council and available forinspection on the City’s website. Please clearly indicate which agenda item you are referencingin your subject line.PowerPoints, videos, or other media to be presented during public comment are accepted onlyby email to ParkRec.commission@cityofpaloalto.org at least 24 hours prior to the meeting.Once received, the  Clerk will have them shared at public comment for the specified item. Touphold strong cybersecurity management practices, USB’s or other physical electronic storagedevices are not accepted. Signs and symbolic materials less than 2 feet by 3 feet are permitted provided that: (1) sticks, posts, poles or similar/other type of handle objects are strictly prohibited; (2) the items do not create a facility, fire, or safety hazard; and (3) persons with such items remain seated when displaying them and must not raise the items above shoulder level, obstruct the view or passage of other attendees, or otherwise disturb the business of the meeting. CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMENT  Members of the public may speak to any item NOT on the agenda.  AGENDA CHANGES, ADDITIONS AND DELETIONS The Chair or Commission majority may modify the agenda order to improve meeting management. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1.Approval of December 18, 2024 and January 28, 2025 Parks and Recreation Commission Draft Summary Minutes CITY OFFICIAL REPORTS Members of the public may not speak to the item(s) 2.Department Report (20 minutes) BUSINESS ITEMS 3.Information Update on Byxbee Park Western Trail Temporary Closure from 3/03/2025 to 11/30/2025 for Sewer Pipe Rehabilitation (45 minutes) 4.Informational Update from Canopy (45 Minutes) 5.FY2024 Urban Forestry Annual Report and Discussion of Draft Tree and Landscape Technical Manual (60 Minutes) COMMISSIONER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS OR FUTURE MEETINGS AND AGENDAS Members of the public may not speak to the item(s) ADJOURNMENT PUBLIC COMMENT INSTRUCTIONS Members of the Public may provide public comments to teleconference meetings via email, teleconference, or by phone. 1. W r i t t e n   p u b l i c   c o m m e n t s  m a y   b e   s u b m i t t e d   b y   e m a i l   t o ParkRec.Commission@cityofpaloalto.org. 2. Spoken public comments using a computer will be accepted through the teleconference meeting. To address the Council, click on the link below to access a Zoom‐ based meeting. Please read the following instructions carefully. You may download the Zoom client or connect to the meeting in‐ browser. If using your browser, make sure you are using a current, up‐to‐date browser: Chrome 30 , Firefox 27 , Microsoft Edge 12 , Safari 7 . Certain functionality may be disabled in older browsers including Internet Explorer. You may be asked to enter an email address and name. We request that you identify yourself by name as this will be visible online and will be used to notify you that it is your turn to speak. When you wish to speak on an Agenda Item, click on “raise hand.” The Clerk will activate and unmute speakers in turn. Speakers will be notified shortly before they are called to speak. When called, please limit your remarks to the time limit allotted. A timer will be shown on the computer to help keep track of your comments. 3. Spoken public comments using a smart phone will be accepted  through the teleconference meeting. To address the Council, download the Zoom application onto your phone from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and enter the Meeting ID below. Please follow the instructions B‐E above. 4. Spoken public comments using a phone use the telephone number listed below. When you wish to speak on an agenda item hit *9 on your phone so we know that you wish to speak. You will be asked to provide your first and last name before addressing the Council. You will be advised how long you have to speak. When called please limit your remarks to the agenda item and time limit allotted. CLICK HERE TO JOIN    Meeting ID: 999 3789 9745   Phone:1‐669‐900‐6833 Americans with Disability Act (ADA) It is the policy of the City of Palo Alto to offer its public programs, services and meetings in a manner that is readily accessible to all. Persons with disabilities who require materials in an appropriate alternative format or who require auxiliary aids to access City meetings, programs, or services may contact the City’s ADA Coordinator at (650) 329‐2550 (voice) or by emailing ada@cityofpaloalto.org. Requests for assistance or accommodations must be submitted at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting, program, or service. PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSIONRegular MeetingTuesday, February 25, 2025Council Chambers & Hybrid7:00 PMParks and Recreation Commission meetings will be held as “hybrid” meetings with the option toattend by teleconference/video conference or in person. To maximize public safety while stillmaintaining transparency and public access, members of the public can choose to participatefrom home or attend in person. Information on how the public may observe and participate in themeeting is located at the end of the agenda. Masks are strongly encouraged if attending inperson. T h e   m e e t i n g   w i l l   b e   b r o a d c a s t   o n   C a b l e   T V   C h a n n e l   2 6 ,   l i v e   o nYouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/cityofpaloalto,   a n d   s t r e a m e d   t o   M i d p e n   M e d i aCenter https://midpenmedia.org. Commissioner names, biographies, and archived agendas andreport are available at https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/Departments/Community‐Services/Other‐Services/Commissions/Parks‐and‐Recreation‐Commission.VIRTUAL PARTICIPATION CLICK HERE TO JOIN (https://cityofpaloalto.zoom.us/j/99937899745)Meeting ID: 999 3789 9745    Phone: 1(669)900‐6833PUBLIC COMMENTSPublic comments will be accepted both in person and via Zoom for up to three minutes or anamount of time determined by the Chair. All requests to speak will be taken until 5 minutesafter the staff’s presentation. Written public comments can be submitted in advance toParkRec.commission@cityofpaloalto.org and will be provided to the Council and available forinspection on the City’s website. Please clearly indicate which agenda item you are referencingin your subject line.PowerPoints, videos, or other media to be presented during public comment are accepted onlyby email to ParkRec.commission@cityofpaloalto.org at least 24 hours prior to the meeting.Once received, the  Clerk will have them shared at public comment for the specified item. Touphold strong cybersecurity management practices, USB’s or other physical electronic storagedevices are not accepted.Signs and symbolic materials less than 2 feet by 3 feet are permitted provided that: (1) sticks,posts, poles or similar/other type of handle objects are strictly prohibited; (2) the items do notcreate a facility, fire, or safety hazard; and (3) persons with such items remain seated whendisplaying them and must not raise the items above shoulder level, obstruct the view orpassage of other attendees, or otherwise disturb the business of the meeting.CALL TO ORDERPUBLIC COMMENT Members of the public may speak to any item NOT on the agenda. AGENDA CHANGES, ADDITIONS AND DELETIONSThe Chair or Commission majority may modify the agenda order to improve meeting management.APPROVAL OF MINUTES1.Approval of December 18, 2024 and January 28, 2025 Parks and Recreation CommissionDraft Summary MinutesCITY OFFICIAL REPORTSMembers of the public may not speak to the item(s)2.Department Report (20 minutes)BUSINESS ITEMS3.Information Update on Byxbee Park Western Trail Temporary Closure from 3/03/2025 to11/30/2025 for Sewer Pipe Rehabilitation (45 minutes)4.Informational Update from Canopy (45 Minutes)5.FY2024 Urban Forestry Annual Report and Discussion of Draft Tree and LandscapeTechnical Manual (60 Minutes)COMMISSIONER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS OR FUTURE MEETINGS ANDAGENDAS Members of the public may not speak to the item(s) ADJOURNMENT PUBLIC COMMENT INSTRUCTIONS Members of the Public may provide public comments to teleconference meetings via email, teleconference, or by phone. 1. W r i t t e n   p u b l i c   c o m m e n t s  m a y   b e   s u b m i t t e d   b y   e m a i l   t o ParkRec.Commission@cityofpaloalto.org. 2. Spoken public comments using a computer will be accepted through the teleconference meeting. To address the Council, click on the link below to access a Zoom‐ based meeting. Please read the following instructions carefully. You may download the Zoom client or connect to the meeting in‐ browser. If using your browser, make sure you are using a current, up‐to‐date browser: Chrome 30 , Firefox 27 , Microsoft Edge 12 , Safari 7 . Certain functionality may be disabled in older browsers including Internet Explorer. You may be asked to enter an email address and name. We request that you identify yourself by name as this will be visible online and will be used to notify you that it is your turn to speak. When you wish to speak on an Agenda Item, click on “raise hand.” The Clerk will activate and unmute speakers in turn. Speakers will be notified shortly before they are called to speak. When called, please limit your remarks to the time limit allotted. A timer will be shown on the computer to help keep track of your comments. 3. Spoken public comments using a smart phone will be accepted  through the teleconference meeting. To address the Council, download the Zoom application onto your phone from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and enter the Meeting ID below. Please follow the instructions B‐E above. 4. Spoken public comments using a phone use the telephone number listed below. When you wish to speak on an agenda item hit *9 on your phone so we know that you wish to speak. You will be asked to provide your first and last name before addressing the Council. You will be advised how long you have to speak. When called please limit your remarks to the agenda item and time limit allotted. CLICK HERE TO JOIN    Meeting ID: 999 3789 9745   Phone:1‐669‐900‐6833 Americans with Disability Act (ADA) It is the policy of the City of Palo Alto to offer its public programs, services and meetings in a manner that is readily accessible to all. Persons with disabilities who require materials in an appropriate alternative format or who require auxiliary aids to access City meetings, programs, or services may contact the City’s ADA Coordinator at (650) 329‐2550 (voice) or by emailing ada@cityofpaloalto.org. Requests for assistance or accommodations must be submitted at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting, program, or service. Parks and Recreation Commission Staff Report From: Community Services Department Lead Department: City Clerk Meeting Date: February 25, 2025 Report #: 2502-4138 TITLE Approval of December 18, 2024 and January 28, 2025 Parks and Recreation Commission Draft Summary Minutes ATTACHMENTS Attachment A – December 18, 2024 Draft Summary Minutes Attachment B – January 28, 2025 Draft Summary Minutes Item 1 Staff Report Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 1 Packet Pg. 4 of 51  DRAFT DRAFT 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 Item 1 Attachment A - December 18, 2024 Draft Summary Minutes Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 2 Packet Pg. 5 of 51  DRAFT DRAFT 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 Item 1 Attachment A - December 18, 2024 Draft Summary Minutes Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 3 Packet Pg. 6 of 51  DRAFT DRAFT 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 Item 1 Attachment A - December 18, 2024 Draft Summary Minutes Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 4 Packet Pg. 7 of 51  DRAFT DRAFT 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 Item 1 Attachment A - December 18, 2024 Draft Summary Minutes Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 5 Packet Pg. 8 of 51  DRAFT DRAFT 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 PASD. She 132 asked if the family restrooms are on the way. She noted locker room cleanliness was the 133 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 Item 1 Attachment A - December 18, 2024 Draft Summary Minutes Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 6 Packet Pg. 9 of 51  DRAFT DRAFT 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 Item 1 Attachment A - December 18, 2024 Draft Summary Minutes Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 7 Packet Pg. 10 of 51  DRAFT DRAFT 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 Item 1 Attachment A - December 18, 2024 Draft Summary Minutes Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 8 Packet Pg. 11 of 51  DRAFT DRAFT 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 Item 1 Attachment A - December 18, 2024 Draft Summary Minutes Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 9 Packet Pg. 12 of 51  DRAFT DRAFT 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 Item 1 Attachment A - December 18, 2024 Draft Summary Minutes Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 10 Packet Pg. 13 of 51  DRAFT DRAFT 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 Item 1 Attachment A - December 18, 2024 Draft Summary Minutes Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 11 Packet Pg. 14 of 51  DRAFT DRAFT 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 Item 1 Attachment A - December 18, 2024 Draft Summary Minutes Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 12 Packet Pg. 15 of 51  DRAFT DRAFT 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 Item 1 Attachment A - December 18, 2024 Draft Summary Minutes Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 13 Packet Pg. 16 of 51  DRAFT DRAFT 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 Item 1 Attachment A - December 18, 2024 Draft Summary Minutes Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 14 Packet Pg. 17 of 51  DRAFT DRAFT 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 Item 1 Attachment A - December 18, 2024 Draft Summary Minutes Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 15 Packet Pg. 18 of 51  MINUTES 1 PARKS & RECREATION Commission 2 Regular meeting 3 January 28, 2025 4 In-Person & Virtual Conference 5 Palo Alto, California 6 7 Commissioners Present: Brown, Freeman, Cribbs, Deng, Greenfield, Kleinhaus, Wei (participating 8 remotely) 9 Commissioners Absent: None. 10 Others Present: None. 11 Staff Present: Steve Castile, Sarah Robustelli, Christine Prior 12 13 CALL TO ORDER & ROLL CALL 14 Chair Brown called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM. Roll was taken with all present. 15 PUBLIC COMMENT 16 1. Orit voiced concerns that having restrooms at Eleanor Pardee Park would create safety issues. 17 She thought the survey was sent to a lot of people that would not be affected. 18 2. Doria S. (zoom) emphasized the importance of replanting the eucalyptus trees with more 19 naturally resilient native trees. 20 3. GMA (zoom), president of the Palo Alto Pickleball Club, spoke about how the growth of 21 pickleball has put a strain on the capacity of the courts at Mitchell Park. He stated the club 22 looked forward to helping this Commission and the City to achieve the Council's priority 23 objective of health, wellness and belonging including addressing the court capacity issues in a 24 manner that has minimal budgetary impact and maximum benefit for the community. 25 4. Dashiell L (zoom), coordinator for the Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter, echoed Doria S.’s 26 comments that the eucalyptus trees should be replaced with native plants and trees that would 27 not pose the same fire risk. He wondered if there was a plan to do so and if that plan would be 28 made public. 29 30 AGENDA CHANGES, ADDITIONS, AND DELETIONS 31 Chair Brown reported she received one comment about moving the election of chair and vice 32 chair. In order to accommodate staff presentations, it was toward the end of the agenda and it 33 could be moved further in the meeting after the ad hoc committees and liaison updates if there 34 was an interest from fellow commissioners. 35 36 Commissioner Greenfield was in favor of keeping with the original practice but would go along 37 with whatever the Commission deemed most appropriate. 38 Item 1 Attachment B - January 28, 2025 Draft Summary Minutes Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 16 Packet Pg. 19 of 51  39 CITY OFFICIAL REPORTS 40 1. Department Report (20 min) 41 42 Sarah Robustelli, Division Manager, Open Space, Parks & Golf, and Steve Castile, Assistant 43 Director, Community Services Department, provided a slide presentation for the Department 44 Report including upcoming special events, Foothills Nature Preserve Library Pass expansion, 45 Eleanor Pardee Park restroom survey, Fred Eyerly Tower Well Park – second volunteer day, golf 46 course pump maintenance and capital improvement projects progress. He further noted 47 construction on Boulware Park was approximately 85 percent complete with an anticipated 48 completion in March. He indicated they continued to work with the regulatory agencies on the 49 Golf Course mitigation and drafting the term sheet for the long-term partnership with First Tee. 50 51 Vice Chair Freeman inquired if they were getting close to an end date on First Tee. He wanted to 52 know about the response to the Pardee Park survey. He asked if they were working on a grand 53 opening for Boulware Park. 54 55 Assistant Director Castile replied it would most likely continue into fall. Additional items that 56 would come into play would be the Second Deck Study for the driving range and the 57 reconfiguration of that area. He indicated they had established a short-term contract agreement 58 with them for use. He remarked they had pretty good responses on the Pardee Park survey so 59 far. It was being tracked through scans they got through the QR codes and were anticipating 60 more to come. He commented there had been communication with Public Works and he 61 anticipated something was in the works regarding Boulware Park. 62 63 Commissioner Wei wanted information on how they planned to advertise the inclusivity events 64 and what sort of crowd was expected. 65 66 Division Manager Robustelli answered the recreation division would be working with all of the 67 normal channels of outreach, Uplift on the community calendar website, flyers, social media and 68 in the community centers. She offered to send those items directly to the commissioners. 69 70 Commissioner Deng heard some runners had their jackets stolen at the Cubberley Track and 71 Field. She hoped the police could keep the Parks team updated on the investigation and 72 wondered if there were any preventative measures they could be explored. 73 74 Commissioner Greenfield suggested deferring to the dog park liaison to see if the community 75 would be interested in supporting a ribbon cutting for the Mitchell Dog Park expansion. He 76 wanted to know if there was a plan to replant trees at Esther Clark Park. He was surprised to just 77 be hearing about the expanded Foothills Nature Preserve Library Pass and inquired if it was a 78 City Council change or a staff decision. 79 80 Item 1 Attachment B - January 28, 2025 Draft Summary Minutes Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 17 Packet Pg. 20 of 51  Assistant Director Castile indicated they were working with the Urban Forestry Department to 81 source out local native trees that were semi guaranteed to survive in that location. He explained 82 the expanded Foothills Nature Preserve Library Pass was intended to streamline the process, 83 provide continuity across the different library areas and stay with the existing practices within 84 the pass. 85 86 Division Manager Robustelli commented the expanded Foothills Nature Preserve Library Pass 87 would still align with Council’s desires. It made operational efficiencies for the library as well as 88 ranger staff. She reported that there were 75 passes available for checkout at the five libraries. It 89 was based off a two-week period that the library did analysis because City Council directed that 90 10 library passes were able to be used per day. They were split up by higher demand. It was 91 modeled after the state park pass. Their use would be much easier to track. She offered to talk 92 more about the reasoning offline. 93 94 Commissioner Wei requested to join that meeting, also. She also wanted to talk about getting a 95 shuttle reinstated for seniors and teens going to Foothill Park and the rationale behind the 96 number of passes versus how they broadcast that. 97 98 Commissioner Kleinhaus inquired if this was in addition to the day passes or a replacement. She 99 wanted to understand more about how two-week passes would work. She wanted to know 100 when the plan would be available for the new plantings, phases of new planting, species list and 101 map replacing the eucalyptus removal. She stated a public person had been writing to her about 102 it. She asked to have updates for the next few months. She wanted to know where the budget 103 came from for the replacement. She asked if there would be a way that the next time they have 104 a project involving removing a lot of trees that the replacement cost could be included in the 105 budget. She advised that when a project would have impact, the compensation should be folded 106 into the project budget. She queried why they had to have such a high scale, expensive, lengthy 107 process to put a dog park that could just be a fence. 108 109 Division Manager Robustelli replied it would be a replacement of the day passes. There would be 110 no more paper after February 1. They had done training with the library and Open Space staff. 111 112 Commissioner Greenfield suggested covering the expanded Foothills Nature Preserve Library 113 Pass discussion at the next Foothills Nature Preserve stakeholder meeting. 114 115 Assistant Director Castile answered the plan for the eucalyptus replacement was to be 116 determined. They were in the beginning stages of determining how they would go about the 117 process with the Urban Forestry Department. He estimated it would be toward the end of 118 summer or fall. A few trees had already been planted. He agreed to follow up with the public 119 person about the trees. The budget would be taken out of the normal operating budget. He 120 agreed to look into including replacement cost of trees in the budget. He explained how the base 121 rock and decomposed granite was for the safety of the dogs. The grass areas were pre-existing. 122 123 Item 1 Attachment B - January 28, 2025 Draft Summary Minutes Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 18 Packet Pg. 21 of 51  Division Manager Robustelli added some were caged. They partnered with Grassroots Ecology to 124 assist with that. 125 126 Commissioner Greenfield queried if CSD or Urban Forestry was driving the replanting. 127 128 Assistant Director Castile replied it started with the supervising park ranger for Foothills who 129 oversees the area and would branch out from there and make a plan collaboratively. 130 131 Chair Brown added regarding the dog park that grass was a big request from the dog park 132 stakeholders. The idea of having the dog parks in different locations was to try to customize it to 133 the main stakeholders. 134 135 Commissioner Deng thought having a good dog park added a potential for Palo Alto to host 136 some good dog-related events in the future. 137 138 Commissioner Cribbs hoped Canopy would get involved in the eucalyptus situation and 139 replanting of the native trees. She wanted to hear more about the cost for the remediations for 140 the golf course. She was in favor of doing a ribbon cutting for the new dog park at Mitchell. 141 142 Chair Brown questioned what the next steps would be if the restroom at Pardee Park were to 143 proceed. 144 145 Assistant Director Castile replied if the survey outcome deemed they move forward they would 146 work with the Public Works Department to host a series of community meetings to do further 147 outreach to determine if they would move forward. It would go into potential location of the 148 restroom. They would take the feedback on things of amenities and hear all the pros and cons of 149 everything in the process. 150 151 Commissioner Greenfield commented that Canopy typically does not get involved with Open 152 Space plantings. Grassroots Ecology would be involved with that along with staff. 153 154 BUSINESS ITEMS 155 2. Office of Emergency Services Radio Equipment at Fire Station 8 in Foothills Nature Preserve – 156 Andres Orozco – Discussion (45 minutes) 157 158 Andres Orozco, Emergency Services Coordinator, provided a slide presentation about the 159 Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network (AREDN) equipment configuration for Fire Station 8 160 including an agenda, explanation of the AREDN, location of Fire Station 8, existing equipment at 161 FS8 tower, proposed AREDN equipment items, AREDN equipment configuration, diagram of 162 AREDN equipment configuration and radio frequency. 163 164 Commissioner Kleinhaus wanted to see what the tower would look like at the park. She agreed it 165 was important to have redundancy and community emergency systems in an area such as 166 Item 1 Attachment B - January 28, 2025 Draft Summary Minutes Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 19 Packet Pg. 22 of 51  Foothills. She strongly asked that they look at the guidelines for bird friendly towers published by 167 the Department of Fish and Wildlife and either avoid guywires or use something to make them 168 visible to birds and what types of lighting to use. Since the staff report suggested there would be 169 CEQA, she thought it would be good to have the design go back to the Commission, ad hoc or 170 the liaisons to see what it looks like. She wanted an explanation for repositioning the equipment. 171 172 Coordinator Orozco explained if a need to move the equipment ever arose, the Dr. Lannucci 173 would be able to do so immediately. He would maintain the system. The configuration proposed 174 was mainly because it was ideal for the communication platform. He agreed to come back with a 175 visual of the tower and bird safety mitigation information. 176 177 Commissioner Greenfield agreed that adding redundancy and general emergency service 178 support was important. He asked how many systems were deployed and if there were any 179 security concerns. 180 181 Coordinator Orozco answered this would be the only mobile system. Everything else in Palo Alto 182 would be the nodes. He noted AREDN was used all over the Bay Area so it would be a leveraged 183 system. He stated there were no security concerns. 184 185 Vice Chair Freeman queried what systems had been put in place to prevent having unauthorized 186 persons communicating on the system. He wanted to know if an environmental impact 187 assessment had been conducted. He inquired if there were any plans to expand with similar 188 emergency communications infrastructure to other key locations within Palo Alto. 189 190 Coordinator Orozco explained the system was on FCC communication. Training and certification 191 were required in order to get on that net. Authorization to access the net could be confirmed 192 using a call sign. He indicated they would be looking into all of the particulars environmental 193 impacts. He remarked Mitchell Park Library and City Hall had an AREDN and Channing House 194 would have one. There were a few that were considered the backbone that were the main 195 connectivity sites and they would propagate to other surrounding locations. If FCC licensed, 196 people could have a node in their homes. 197 198 Commissioner Wei wondered about a timeline. She suggested looking into how easily it could be 199 accessed from different locations in the City. She wondered if there would be any education 200 done for people qualified to use this and would be part of the emergency response team. 201 202 Coordinator Orozco replied the timeline would be based on approval. It could be sooner than 203 seven months given approval. He indicated people all over Palo Alto would be able to get on this 204 net as long as they obtain a license for ham radio operator. It would be leveraged with the 205 community emergency response teams which are all people that live in the area and want to 206 contribute in the event of a disaster. 207 208 Chief Ken Dueker, Office of Emergency Services Chief, clarified the location of Fire Station 8 has 209 to do more with propagation and coverage. Having a mobile platform was unique. The pro is that 210 Item 1 Attachment B - January 28, 2025 Draft Summary Minutes Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 20 Packet Pg. 23 of 51  it could be relocated but the reason it was being put at Fire Station 8 was more about relay link 211 coverage to other sites in the Bay area. He indicated that the tower was so short it did not have 212 any kind of lighting or FAA obstruction requirements so was not an attractive nuisance to birds. 213 The power output would be lower than any of the other existing equipment. He clarified it was a 214 backup system. He said they have 800 members in their emergency services volunteer program. 215 Having data communication when there was no cell phone was their mission. 216 217 Chair Brown wanted more information as to why this was the optimal location. 218 219 Chief Dueker explained the location had to do with propagation and coverage. There were other 220 places they could look but that would require negotiation with Mid-Peninsula Regional Open 221 Space or another similar location. This would be the easiest route but they could switch to Plan B 222 if the Commission requested it. 223 224 Commissioner Deng queried if there was budget to cover this project. 225 226 Chief Dueker clarified Dr. Lannucci donated it. He would maintain it at his cost and other costs 227 were quite low. 228 229 Commissioner Kleinhaus asked what type of CEQA document they expected to have. She again 230 requested to see further depictions of what it will look like. She opined that guywires were a 231 problem and advised if they were necessary put something on them that birds could see. 232 233 Chief Dueker replied this would go under the practical exemption from CEQA. He did not think 234 the administrative burden of a CEQA process was justified. He offered to provide renderings or 235 photos. 236 237 Assistant Director Castile agreed to work in collaboration to set it up and takes pictures. 238 239 Chair Brown inquired what the other approval processes would be. 240 241 Assistant Director Castile remarked they would take the feedback from the Commission and find 242 out any additional research that would need to be done. They would then return for an action 243 item to report information observed back to the Commission. 244 245 Commissioner Greenfield questioned if there was a park improvement ordinance required for 246 any of these changes. He advised that if it was something City Council would need to approve, 247 they could take an action to recommend approval. If it was a staff decision, it should just be a 248 discussion item. He wanted to know if there would be an air conditioning system or cooling in 249 the ambulance to keep the servers temperate. 250 251 Assistant Director Castile agreed to check on that but did not think there would be. 252 253 Chief Dueker indicated a cooling system would not be required. 254 Item 1 Attachment B - January 28, 2025 Draft Summary Minutes Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 21 Packet Pg. 24 of 51  255 3. Fiscal Year 2026-2030 Capital Improvement Program Plan Updates – Lam Do – Discussion (60 256 minutes) 257 258 Lam Do, Superintendent of Open Space, Parks & Recreation, indicated the purpose of the 259 presentation and discussion was to supplement the staff report and was not intended to replace 260 it. He provided a slide presentation about the Draft Capital Improvement Plan including a 261 preliminary list of CIPs under consideration, CIP timeline, a list of 25 adopted CIPs for FY 2025 – 262 current budget, a list of 23 departmental FU 2026 CIPs – preliminary proposal, a list with 263 explanations and costs of the 9 open space FY 2026 CIPs – preliminary proposals, a list with 264 explanations and costs of 14 Parks/Golf/Recreation FY 2026 CIPs – preliminary proposal, a list of 265 36 FY 2026 – 2030 CIPs – preliminary proposal and CIP needs identified but not currently in CIP 266 plan. 267 268 Item 3 Public Comment 269 1. Sharon E., volunteer at Eleanor Pardee Park, indicated an urgent need for a restroom at that 270 location. She asked the Commission to recommend it be added to the 2025 – 2026 Capital 271 Budget and installed as soon as possible. 272 2. Nancy K. requested the Parks Commission to prioritize the Pardee Park restroom funding for 273 fiscal year 2026. She wanted to know what the next steps would be. She wanted the City to 274 identify the park for 2028 to make sure they get the funding and installation for the 2028 275 restroom identified. 276 277 Commissioner Cribbs wanted clarification on the meaning of dollar amounts. 278 279 Superintendent Do explained there would always be a five-year window of funding. As the 280 funding dropped off, there would be additional funding added. 281 282 Commissioner Wei questioned if there was enough impact data to show the dangers of artificial 283 turf. She felt it necessary to advocate for a safer environment regarding turf. She suggested 284 leveraging data from Santa Clara if they had impact data. She asked about a timeline. 285 286 Assistant Director Castile commented they had been in communications and collaboration with 287 the county who had been conducting a study about the health concerns related to artificial turf. 288 They would be bringing a report back to Council members at a later date to look at that data. 289 290 Commissioner Greenfield asked for further comment on the status of City Council’s study and 291 Santa Clara County’s report. 292 293 Assistant Director Castile indicated Santa Clara County did a very extensive report looking into 294 the different types of synthetic grass. They would be incorporating those items and using some 295 of the data they had gathered over the last year. They would also look at other cities. They would 296 look at information they had in-house on how the fields were currently used. 297 Item 1 Attachment B - January 28, 2025 Draft Summary Minutes Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 22 Packet Pg. 25 of 51  298 Commissioner Wei wondered if there was anything they could do to leverage data. She had 299 observed that England reverted back to grass lawn instead of synthetic. She would be happy to 300 make connections to bring data globally. 301 302 Commissioner Kleinhaus noted number six on the open space for tiered nature preserve 303 improvements did not include Wild Horse Valley and Los Trancos Creek restoration. She opined 304 that would be something they would want to do at the same time. She asked how they prioritize 305 something like that when there was no budget for it. She suggested looking to the Water District 306 for money for it or hiring a consultant to manage the project. 307 308 Assistant Director Castile explained they would have to try to find grant funding or other sources 309 for that. He agreed it was an important item and they would look into it. It would also require 310 staff resources. 311 312 Chair Brown wanted an overview on the approach for things like dog parks and restrooms that 313 are not necessarily specific to a location versus a specific park identified for improvements and 314 how that works in the CIP. 315 316 Superintendent Do explained there was a process that started with something that was 317 exploratory internally. Initial outreach to the community would be done. They would also go 318 through a formal outreach process, such as a survey. Based on those results, they would go back 319 depending on timing. Once a project was deemed appropriate, they would look at the design, 320 engineering, cost and budgeting. From there, it would become a project that would be managed 321 under one of the categories. It then gets project managed and installed. That would allow a 322 regular cadence or schedule without having the specifics identified and being responsive to the 323 needs. It would also allow the time to go through the process to reappropriate the funding so 324 multiple years’ funding could be used for a project. 325 326 Vice Chair Freeman wanted to know what criteria was used to prioritize the capital improvement 327 projects and how the community input factored into them. He noted that there was a lot of 328 community interest in a restroom at Pardee Park and asked why that would not be pushed up 329 the queue. 330 331 Superintendent Do answered in general, a CIP had thresholds it had to meet in order to become 332 a CIP proposal as opposed to being an operating budget repair need. After that threshold, 333 various factors would be looked at in consideration of it becoming a CIP including health and 334 safety needs, regulatory needs and Council priority based on environmental or housing related. 335 Another factor is staff bandwidth. Commission has input. 336 337 Division Manager Robustelli reiterated that should there be interest in adding a restroom at 338 Pardee Park, the City's capital improvement process would require further community 339 engagement and staff would recommend this project specifically for fiscal year 26 budget 340 process with the possibility of design and installation the following year. 341 Item 1 Attachment B - January 28, 2025 Draft Summary Minutes Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 23 Packet Pg. 26 of 51  342 Assistant Director Castile stated it would go community engagement. Once they got the go 343 ahead to move forward, they would work with the Public Works Department on their design 344 engineering. The restroom would have to be designed depending on the needs. Next would be 345 the procurement phase and ordering phase. A time slot would be determined on breaking 346 ground. Then a bid to see who could install the restroom would be obtained and then the 347 process of managing the project. He pointed out that the process is lengthy. 348 349 Commissioner Greenfield requested clarification of the status of the Mitchell Park restroom. 350 351 Assistant Director Castile indicated they had been in discussions with Public Works Engineering 352 and that would be the next one up. Once they get through the staffing limitations, they would 353 engage within the design phase and get it going. 354 355 Commissioner Cribbs opined there had to be a way to figure out how to make the process faster. 356 357 Assistant Director Castile explained they work on a limited staffing model. Losing key members 358 created a domino effect. 359 360 Vice Chair Freeman thought the community needed to know the process in order to understand 361 why it was taking such a long time. He suggested providing a projected timeline. 362 363 Chair Brown advised doing a well-done survey making sure it would not be the only point of 364 contact with the immediate stakeholders involved and that everybody would be allowed the 365 opportunity to be heard. She strongly supported making sure flexibility for things like dog parks 366 and restrooms would be maintained going forward. 367 368 Commissioner Greenfield wanted clarification if they were potentially moving forward with both 369 Mitchell and Pardee Park restrooms on a similar timeline. He asked if the timeline was out of 370 sync for bathrooms and dog parks. He suggested extending the budget amount a little more in 371 the future to include the dollar amount that would apply to the year coming up under review 372 and include any aggregate five-year funding number separately with clarification. He thought it 373 was misleading to show dollar amounts that were already spent. He encouraged them to project 374 further expenditures on the BCCP. He encouraged changing the CIP name regarding Bixby Park to 375 planned improvements rather than completion. He hoped for a potential alternative to 376 demolishing the stone structure at the restroom in Orchard Glen picnic area and suggested 377 updating the wording in the CIP. He asked if the turf restoration work at Mitchell Park was more 378 significant than the typical closure and reseeding that happens annually. He advised adding an 379 additional year projection in that CIP item. 380 381 Assistant Director Castile explained they would do Mitchell first and if Pardee was chosen as the 382 second one they would do it directly afterward in FY26. He indicated the stone structure at the 383 restroom in Orchard Glen picnic area would go through a community review process. 384 385 Item 1 Attachment B - January 28, 2025 Draft Summary Minutes Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 24 Packet Pg. 27 of 51  Superintendent Do indicated in the past bathrooms and dog park projects were every other year 386 and funding was on alternating years between the two projects. The City had undergone some 387 budget constraints the past couple of years and there was a year when they were asked to 388 suspend funding which threw off the syncing of alternating years between the two projects. He 389 explained the funding cycle versus installation and construction cycle did not need to mirror 390 each other. If they were not able to install in the planned timeline, the funds were 391 reappropriated so they stay in place. He stated they would have to take a look at the Mitchell 392 Park field site and when they take a look for the turf restoration, that would be further down the 393 line. Currently they were looking at the splash zone and playgrounds in this phase. If they did a 394 major overhaul with the turf at this point, it would have to include all of the looping of the 395 irrigation. 396 397 Commissioner Kleinhaus added that she would not want to see the buildings at Orchard Glen 398 picnic area replaced with a prefab and encouraged considering preserving them. She queried 399 they checked any specifications about the material used regarding the Mitchell Park 400 improvements and if they were looking at other synthetic materials. 401 402 Assistant Director Castile did not have an answer but agreed to look into that in the future. 403 404 Commissioner Wei requested to have a further offline meeting with Assistant Director Castile 405 about the impacts of synthetic turfs. 406 407 Commissioner Cribbs wanted to know what was dependent upon the partnership with First Tee 408 and the golf course and how the mitigation funding was going to be used, if it would be enough 409 and if they would be done with the golf course mitigation. 410 411 Superintendent Do explained the potential long-term partnership with First Tee would impact 412 the adjacent youth practice area which would share the same netting on one side of the driving 413 range. Their proposal included funding sources in order to prepare the youth practice area. The 414 timing of their project, proposal and the long-term partnership agreement would impact when 415 the timing would be for the City ’s replacement of the driving range overall. Regarding the 416 mitigation monitoring, the obligation was for five years. They did not yet know if this amount 417 was enough. They were in discussions with the regulatory board to determine what they would 418 like to see out of the mitigation monitoring. If it was not enough, they planned on funding 419 through a request in future fiscal years. 420 421 Commissioner Freeman questioned if the removal and replacement of the golf course synthetic 422 turf would affect all synthetic fields. 423 424 Assistant Director Castile explained their direction and guidance was to look at City playing fields 425 and that was to be determined. 426 427 Item 1 Attachment B - January 28, 2025 Draft Summary Minutes Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 25 Packet Pg. 28 of 51  Commissioner Greenfield wanted to know if it would be appropriate to add the Wellness Center 428 and the Foothills Nature Preserve Interpretive Trail upgrade to the list of CIPs to consider in the 429 future. 430 431 Assistant Director Castile indicated the Wellness Center was in its own direction at that point. He 432 offered to engage on the Foothills Nature Preserve Interpretive Trail upgrade at the next 433 meeting. 434 435 4. Election of Chair and Vice Chair – Chair Brown – Action (20 minutes) 436 437 Chair Brown read the duties and responsibilities of the chair. She opened the floor for 438 nominations for the position of chair. 439 440 Vice Chair Freeman nominated Chair Brown to continue as the chair for the coming year. 441 442 Chair Brown did not accept nomination for the chair. She nominated Vice Chair Freeman for the 443 chair. 444 445 Vice Chair Freeman accepted the nomination. 446 447 Commissioner Wei echoed the nomination to recommend Vice Chair Freeman for the position of 448 chair. 449 450 MOTION: Chair Brown to nominate Vice Chair Freeman for Chair for 2025. 451 MOTION PASSED: 7-0 452 453 Chair Freeman read the duties and responsibilities of the vice chair. He opened the floor for 454 nominations for the role of vice chair. He nominated Commissioner Wei for the position of vice 455 chair. 456 457 Commissioner Wei accepted the nomination. 458 459 Commissioner Kleinhaus nominated Commissioner Greenfield for vice chair. She mentioned his 460 long-term experience. 461 462 Commissioner Greenfield accepted the nomination. 463 464 Commissioner Cribbs felt the Commission would be better served nominating someone who was 465 not termed out as Commissioner Greenfield would be leaving in November. 466 467 Commissioner Brown nominated herself to offer another alternative for continuity. 468 469 Item 1 Attachment B - January 28, 2025 Draft Summary Minutes Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 26 Packet Pg. 29 of 51  Commissioner Greenfield thought he could still be helpful as vice chair given there was only a 470 two-month period between the end of his term and when the new officers would be appointed 471 at the next organization meeting. 472 473 Chair Freeman pointed out there would be six months before his and Commissioners Greenfield 474 and Cribbs term ended and there would be opportunity to look at things again in the October 475 timeframe. 476 477 MOTION: Chair Freeman nominated Commissioner Wei for Vice Chair for 2025. 478 MOTION: Commissioner Kleinhaus nominated Commissioner Greenfield for Vice Chair for 2025. 479 MOTION: Commissioner Brown nominated herself for Vice Chair for 2025. 480 481 The results are: 482 Commissioner Wei: Deng, Wei 483 Commissioner Greenfield: Freeman, Greenfield, Kleinhaus 484 Commissioner Brown: Cribbs, Brown 485 Commissioner Greenfield was selected for Vice Chair. 486 487 5. Ad Hoc Committees and Liaison Updates – Chair Brown – Discussion (15 minutes) 488 489 Commissioner Cribbs announced that the middle school athletics ad hoc would be meeting the 490 following morning. 491 492 Commissioner Wei talked about the involvement of the Youth Leadership Council in the MLK 493 event. She remarked how the Chinese New Year event was over capacity. She was thinking of 494 going through the process of suggesting moving the venue to California Avenue or Ramona. She 495 described attending the Lunar New Year celebration in Millbrae. She mentioned working with 496 City staff on world cultural events. 497 498 Commissioner Greenfield reported the Draft Tree and Landscape Technical Manual was open for 499 public review and comment through early March. They expected the Urban Forestry Annual 500 Review at Round Table at Parks and Rec Commission agenda the next month as well as Canopy 501 presenting. The Commission would have an opportunity to weigh in on the Tree and Landscape 502 Technical Manual, as well. It was part of the tree ordinance update that happened a year and a 503 half ago. It was an extension of the existing Tree Technical Manual enhanced to cover landscape. 504 He also stated the Nature Preserve Access Policy ad hoc was ready to present when a spot 505 opened up on the agenda potentially in March. He recalled leaving off the previous month with a 506 general plan to move forward with the recommendation to the Commission on a couple of top 507 priorities regarding park dedication. The questions about how to proceed had been cleared up. 508 That could potentially be targeted toward March. 509 510 Vice Chair Freeman agreed to make note of the Nature Preserve Access Policy ad hoc 511 presentation. 512 Item 1 Attachment B - January 28, 2025 Draft Summary Minutes Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 27 Packet Pg. 30 of 51  513 Commissioner Cribbs asked how the Urban Forestry document for public review was available. 514 515 Commissioner Greenfield replied it was available on the City website under Urban Forestry. 516 Community stakeholders, arborists and contractors were included in the outreach regarding the 517 document. 518 519 Commissioner Deng agreed with Commissioner Wei that the community center was too small 520 for the Chinese New Year event and had limited traffic. A lot of the food venders complained of 521 about having a surplus. She suggested moving it out to a street to leverage the local restaurants. 522 523 Vice Chair Freeman reported that information was still being gathered about the USTA usage of 524 the Palo Alto tennis courts and looking at the population which seemed to be a majority of 525 people on the USTA teams in Palo Alto and not necessarily Palo Alto residents. They hoped to 526 provide more information from an ad hoc perspective at the next meeting. 527 528 Commissioner Cribbs remarked that Concordia had been in town meeting with various 529 community groups. They would be back. She thought everyone seemed to be excited about the 530 possibilities at Cubberley. The timeline was aggressive and there would be a lot of things for the 531 public to do. A lot of public input was needed. They had an opportunity to have citizens act as 532 community fellows and thought they may decide that was a role somebody from the PRC should 533 have. 534 535 COMMISSIONER/BOARD MEMBER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS OR FUTURE AGENDA 536 ITEMS 537 Assistant Director Castile reported the future agenda items for February’s schedule would be the 538 Sewer Rehabilitation project update for the Baylands Nature Preserve, the BPTP update and 539 Urban Forestry Annual update along with the Canopy update. 540 ADJOURNMENT 541 Meeting was adjourned at 10:01pm. 542 Item 1 Attachment B - January 28, 2025 Draft Summary Minutes Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 28 Packet Pg. 31 of 51  Parks and Recreation Commission Staff Report From: Community Services Lead Department: Public Works Meeting Date: February 25, 2025 Report #: 2502-4115 TITLE Information Update on Byxbee Park Western Trail Temporary Closure from 3/03/2025 to 11/30/2025 for Sewer Pipe Rehabilitation BACKGROUND The Regional Water Quality Control Plant (RWQCP, Plant) owns and maintains a 72-inch diameter trunk sewer known as the Joint Intercepting Sewer, which conveys raw sewage from Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, and a portion of Palo Alto. There are other sewers leading to the RWQCP that are maintained by the Utilities Department, Stanford University, and the East Palo Alto Sanitary District. The Joint Intercepting Sewer was constructed in 1972 and consists of multiple sections of 60- inch and 72-inch diameter reinforced concrete pipes with gasketed bell and spigot joints. The original pipe is unlined with no external coating. The pipes are approximately 9,000 feet long. The pipeline’s alignment starts at a metering station located at 1151 San Antonio Road on the border of Palo Alto and Mountain View. The alignment runs northwest and below grade through the Baylands Nature Preserve and along the western edge of the City’s closed landfill. The pipeline ends at an influent junction box inside the plant. Attachment A is a site map showing the pipe alignment. The need for rehabilitation or replacement of the Joint Intercepting Sewer was first identified in the Long Range Facilities Plan (LFRP), which was accepted by the Council in July 20121. The need for rehabilitation was confirmed in 2020 via a condition assessment, which included closed circuit television (CCTV) inspection, sonar inspection, and visual inspections of the entire pipe length. Based on the findings, the downstream sections (approximately 2,364 feet) closest to the Plant exhibited the greatest deterioration. The lower section of the pipeline has exposed 1 City Council, July 2, 2012; Consent Item #1; SR #2914, https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/v/1/agendas-minutes-reports/reports/city-manager-reports- cmrs/year-archive/2012/id-2914.pdf Item 3 Staff Report Item 3: Staff Report Pg. 1 Packet Pg. 32 of 51  and corroded structural rebar, spalling and cracked concrete, and noticeable offset and separation at some pipe joints and manholes. This Joint Intercepting Sewer Rehabilitation Phase 1 Project will rehabilitate the deteriorated 2,364-feet section of pipeline and manholes from Manhole No. 4 to the Plant’s influent junction box (a.k.a., JB-0). The upstream sections (approximately 6,600 feet to the metering station) show less severe deterioration and will be reassessed in the next five to ten years to establish the timing and need for the Phase 2 rehabilitation work. Attachment A is a figure showing the project phases. A design contract was awarded to Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. by Council on May 16, 2022 and the design was completed in August 20232. A construction contract was awarded to SAK Construction, LLC. by Council on December 11, 20233. Staff presented the project to the Parks and Recreation Commission on February 28, 2023 and the feedback received was incorporated into the construction specifications4. The construction of this project has been determined to be exempt from CEQA under CEQA Guidelines Section 15301, subsection (b) as it involves the repair and maintenance of an existing publicly-owned utility used to provide sewerage treatment services with no expansion on the existing facility. A Notice of Exemption was submitted to and recorded by the State Clearing House and Santa Clara County Clerk-Recorder’s Office on August 7, 2023 (File No. ENV24700). ANALYSIS Pipe rehabilitation will use the cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) method, in which a resin-impregnated liner is inserted, expanded, cured, and adhered onto the existing pipe’s interior surfaces. The cured liner will become a new pipe inside the existing host pipe, providing structural strengthening as well as smoother and corrosion resistant surfaces that will not reduce the trunk sewer’s service capacity. Its service life is expected to be extended by 25 to 50 years. This method will result in minimal site disturbance and require the least amount of construction staging area compared to other repair methods such as open trench pipe replacement. Additionally, the interior of existing manholes and influent junction box structures will be repaired and coated. An above-grade temporary bypass pumping system consisting of pumps and piping is necessary 2 City Council, May 16, 2022; Consent Item #7; SR #14164,https://recordsportal.paloalto.gov/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=81836&dbid=0&repo=PaloAlto 3 City Council, December 11, 2023; Consent Item #2; SR #2308-1879, https://recordsportal.paloalto.gov/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=82522&dbid=0&repo=PaloAlto 4 Parks and Recreation Commission, February 28, 2023; City Official Reports Item #3, https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/v/1/agendas-minutes-reports/agendas-minutes/parks-and- recreation-commission/agendas-minutes/2023-agendas-and-minutes/3-mar/prc-approved-minutes-02.28.23.pdf Item 3 Staff Report Item 3: Staff Report Pg. 2 Packet Pg. 33 of 51  to bypass the sewage and to allow the contractor to access, clean, inspect, and rehabilitate the interior of the sewer pipe and manholes. An existing manhole named MH3 located north of Byxbee Park will be used as an entry point to clean and line the pipe; its adjacent graveled area will serve as a staging area for equipment trailers. MH5 and MH6 located on the southwestern end of Byxbee Park will house the suction pipes of the bypass pumps. As the bypass pumping system was designed to handle only dry weather flows, construction activities must occur during dry weather months between mid-April and mid-October. The work was planned to take place inside the RWQCP (30 percent of the work) and outside the RWQCP (70 percent of the work) along the alignment of the sewer interceptor on small undeveloped areas outside the plant’s fence line and gravel access road west of Byxbee Park. Item 3 Staff Report Item 3: Staff Report Pg. 3 Packet Pg. 34 of 51  this period, work will take place during daytime and nighttime to expeditiously remove grits accumulated in the sewer pipe; clean and repair the interior surfaces of the pipe; and insert and cure the liners inside the pipe. 5. The temporary bypass pumps will be enclosed to comply with noise ordinances while pumps and piping will be sealed to contain odors. 6. Illumination, as needed to meet OSHA safety requirements at the bypass pumps and CIPP liner staging areas, will be equipped with on/off switches.. 7. Traffic will be limited to material and fuel deliveries. When construction vehicles travel outside of fenced work area, traffic control flaggers will walk ahead and behind each truck to ensure public safety. FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT Funding for project construction is available in the FY 2024/ 2025 Wastewater Treatment Capital Budget (WQ-24000). Mountain View, Palo Alto, Los Altos, and Los Altos Hills will fund the project in accordance with the percentages shown in Table 1 below. Table 1: Cost Share Item Unit Mountain View Palo Alto Los Altos Los Altos Hills Total Trunk Line Cost Share %62.50%18.24%15.00%4.26%100% Some of the project expense included in the total project cost of $8.9 million is for the work on the RWQCP site described in Bid Item 6 (approximately $1,896,995), and is the responsibility of all six partner agencies, because the RWQCP continues to use the 72-inch Joint Intercepting Sewer to receive and convey the RWQCP plant-wide return flows to the headworks (e.g., from building sewers, clarifier scum overflow, grit washing process drain, etc.). Each partner is contributing to the return flows. As such, the East Palo Alto Sanitary District and Stanford University will also share in project expenses for the in-plant bypass pumping systems, along with Mountain View, Palo Alto, Los Altos, and Los Altos Hills. The specific bid item for in plant sewer bypassing will be split between all partners based on their share of the ongoing pay-as- you-go capital budget. Palo Alto’s share of the onsite bypassing work cost to be shared by all partners is estimated to be about 35% (i.e., about $663,379 of the estimated $1,896,995 expense). Due to the need to extend the construction management service contract and professional service contract to fall 2025, staff will seek City Council’s approval on adding funds to allow the consultants to continue to provide inspection and engineering services and carry this project to completion. Actual cost share will be calculated after project completion based on the actual cost incurred and wastewater flows, and strength contributed by each partner for 2024 and 2025. Table 2 shows the estimated total project construction expenses. Item 3 Staff Report Item 3: Staff Report Pg. 4 Packet Pg. 35 of 51  Table 2: Not-to-Exceed Construction Expense by Partner Agencies Partner Agency Cost Sharing Mountain View $5,159,619 Palo Alto $1,947,106 Los Altos $1,262,089 Los Altos Hills $338,516 East Palo Alto Sanitary District $104,904 Stanford University $122,736 Total Not-to-Exceed Construction Expense including 10% contingency $8,934,970 ATTACHMENTS Attachment A: Site Map Item 3 Staff Report Item 3: Staff Report Pg. 5 Packet Pg. 36 of 51  Le g e n d ±Condition Assessment Figu r e E x p o r t e d : 7 / 2 9 / 2 0 2 0 B y : k b r a d l e y U s i n g : \ \ w o o d a r d c u r r a n . n e t \ s h a r e d \ P r o j e c t s \ R M C \ S J \ 0 3 8 - 0 1 4 P a l o A l t o R W Q C P P r o g r a m M a n a g e m e n t \ B . P r o g r a m M a n a g e m e n t \ 7 . O t h e r P r o j e c t s \ 7 2 I n c h C o n d A s s e m t \ C A \ M a p s \ P a l o A l t o _ 7 2 I n c h . m x d Project #: 0038014.01Map Created: July 2020 0 0.1 0.20.05 Miles Third Party GIS Disclaim er: This m ap is for reference and graphical purposes only and should not be relied upon by third parties for any legal decisions. Any reliance upon the m ap or data contained herein shall be at the users’ sole risk . Data Sources: !Manholes and Structures Future Phase 1 REGIONAL WATER QUALITY CONTROL PLANT REGIONAL WATER QUALITY CONTROL PLANT FLOWFLOW FIGURE 7: RECOMMENDED PROJECT PRIORITIZATION 21 Palo Alto Trunk Sewer Trunk Sewer Interceptor Attachment A: SITE MAP This Projec t BYXBEE PARK Item 3 Attachment A - Site Map Item 3: Staff Report Pg. 6 Packet Pg. 37 of 51  Canopy in Palo Alto Mid-Year Report for Parks and Recreation Commission Board February 25, 2025 Evany Wang, Community Forestry Coordinator JP Renaud, Executive Director Item 4 Canopy in Palo Alto Presentation Item 4: Staff Report Pg. 1 Packet Pg. 38 of 51  Canopy’s History ●Canopy started in 1996 as a grassroots organization in Palo Alto as Canopy: Trees of Palo Alto ●Grown to partner with 5 communities and expanded programs to include education and workforce development ●Work where trees are needed the most ●Palo Alto: South of Oregon Expressway Item 4 Canopy in Palo Alto Presentation Item 4: Staff Report Pg. 2 Packet Pg. 39 of 51  1. Tree Planting: ●Arbor day/Mayor’s tree planting (Date TBD) ●3 Community tree planting events November 16, 2024 February 22, 2025 April 12, 2025 - Planned ●Plant 120 trees in South Palo Alto 48/120 completed Scope of Services for this FY 1a. Planting at Schools: ●Partnering with Neighborhood Abroad to plant trees in local schools and celebrate international partnerships. ●Partnering with local school groups to provide volunteer and hands-on education opportunities to plant and care for trees. Item 4 Canopy in Palo Alto Presentation Item 4: Staff Report Pg. 3 Packet Pg. 40 of 51  2. Education ●2 Interactive tree walks July 13, 2024 September 28, 2024 ●Community Forestry School - free 9 week online introduction to urban forestry with 3 hands-on field work sessions Sep 2024 - Nov 2024 Scope of Services for this FY Item 4 Canopy in Palo Alto Presentation Item 4: Staff Report Pg. 4 Packet Pg. 41 of 51  3. Tree Care ●4 Volunteer Tree Care Workshops September 7, 2024 March 22, 2025 - planned May 17, 2025 - planned June 7, 2025 - planned ●Develop and implement digital Tree Health Survey ●Tree Hotline: online form for public to have their tree questions answered ●Right Tree Right Place: assist Palo Alto residents in having tree risks assessed in relation to power lines Scope of Services for this FY Item 4 Canopy in Palo Alto Presentation Item 4: Staff Report Pg. 5 Packet Pg. 42 of 51  4. Great Oak Count: digitize Palo Alto’s inventory of CA native oaks into TreePlotter ●On track to be completed in Spring 2025 ●Engage 250 volunteers and provide training for surveyor and survey leaders 5. Young Tree Care Survey: survey and report on health of young public trees in Palo Alto ●On track to be completed in Spring 2025 ●Mail the “Save Our Water and Our Trees” postcards to Palo Alto residents in the summer months. On track to be sent in Summer 2025 Scope of Services for this FY MV community planting event March 9, 2023 Item 4 Canopy in Palo Alto Presentation Item 4: Staff Report Pg. 6 Packet Pg. 43 of 51  Tree Walks and Volunteer Tree Care Workshops Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo Tree Walk on September 28th, 2024 with Stanford professor Kevin Boyce Edible Urban Forest Tree Walk on July 13th, 2024 with leads Jennifer Tso, Peter Ruddock, Kris Jensen, and Lisa Herndon Item 4 Canopy in Palo Alto Presentation Item 4: Staff Report Pg. 7 Packet Pg. 44 of 51  FY24 Mayor’s Tree Planting and Arbor Week Celebrations Mayor’s tree planting in honor of Mayor Greer Stone on March 9, 2024. Community members planting trees in honor of Arbor Day on April 27, 2024 Item 4 Canopy in Palo Alto Presentation Item 4: Staff Report Pg. 8 Packet Pg. 45 of 51  Palo Alto Planting Events Community members planting trees at the Community planting event on November 16, 2024 Community members planting trees at the Palo Alto Family YMCA on September 25, 2024 Item 4 Canopy in Palo Alto Presentation Item 4: Staff Report Pg. 9 Packet Pg. 46 of 51  In Conclusion Thanks to the City of Palo Alto for your continued collaboration, especially Peter Gollinger, Uriel Hernandez, and our community of volunteers! Questions? Item 4 Canopy in Palo Alto Presentation Item 4: Staff Report Pg. 10 Packet Pg. 47 of 51  Parks and Recreation Commission Staff Report From: Community Services Lead Department: Public Works Meeting Date: February 25, 2025 Report #: 2502-4181 TITLE FY2024 Urban Forestry Annual Report and Discussion of Draft Tree and Landscape Technical Manual RECOMMENDATION Receive an informational update on the City’s Urban Forestry Program Annual Report and provide feedback on the Draft Tree and Landscape Technical Manual. BACKGROUND The City of Palo Alto and the Urban Forestry section continued to provide services to our residents throughout FY24. The end of calendar year 2023 saw several retirements in our Urban Forestry staff that led to two promotions and some new recruitments that are still in progress. A new challenge for Urban Forestry emerged in FY24. The Invasive Shothole Borer (ISHB) was discovered in San Jose and more recently near Redwood City. This destructive tree pest will require special attention in the years to come if we wish to continue preserving and expanding our urban tree canopy. ANALYSIS Urban Forestry Section Staffing: During FY24, the Urban Forestry Section had two vacancies due to retirement in the Contract Inspector positions. Both positions were filled through promotion to existing Inspector positions and by the end of calendar year 2024, recruitment was underway to fill the two vacant Tree Trimmer/Line Clearer positions. Staff development remains an essential component of increasing capacity to deliver programs and services in the future. Staff members maintained professional certifications by attending both in person and online continuing education seminars and several staff members studied for advanced professional qualifications or certifications in arboriculture. Item 5 Staff Report Item 5: Staff Report Pg. 1 Packet Pg. 48 of 51  Tree Protection Ordinance: In January 2024 City Council approved a modification of Palo Alto’s 2022 Tree Protection Ordinance. This was reviewed at the Parks and Recreation Commission's October 2023 meeting. The update included text corrections and clarifications to the 2022 tree protection ordinance and modifications based on the first 12 months of implementation of the 2022 changes. The updates took effect on May 3, 2024, and included updates to the Title 8 items on the City’s Administrative Penalty list. This project involved collaboration between city staff from multiple departments, community members, and industry professionals. Customer Service and Work Completed: During FY24, Urban Forestry staff managed a high volume of service requests and inspections, demonstrating a continued commitment to maintaining the City’s urban forest. -Responded to an average of 150 calls per month, resulting in more than 70 service requests per month. -Conducted over 900 inspections of city trees. -Completed 488 tree protection fencing inspections to ensure compliance with regulations. -Reviewed and supplied comments for 138 planning applications. -Evaluated 545 construction permits and 154 public works permits were routed for review of Urban Forestry condition compliance and required tree protection. -Assessed 52 permits for landscape water use requirements -Issued 151 tree permits for protected tree removals or for work on protected or regulated trees. -Urban Forestry staff and contracted tree crews pruned 4,931 public trees. While slightly below the target of 5,218 per year, this remains aligned with the City’s seven-year pruning cycle. Item 5 Staff Report Item 5: Staff Report Pg. 2 Packet Pg. 49 of 51  clearance for the work to be completed. Replenishment: Tree Planting by staff installed 139 new public trees into individual vacant planter sites within the right-of-way or parks. Native species (mostly oaks) represent 29% of the total. Our non- profit partner Canopy planted an additional 159 trees in South Palo Alto. Collaboration: Urban Forestry staff continued to work within multi-departmental working groups to ensure urban forestry objectives were represented in ongoing projects and policy development. Most notably the ongoing work on the Sustainability and Climate Action Plan. New relationships are beginning as the Urban Forestry Staff participates in the creation of the regional Santa Clara Valley Urban Forestry Alliance (SCVUFA) and the Santa Clara County ISHB Working Group. Both groups are anchored by the Santa Clara Valley Office of Sustainability and include representatives from virtually every municipality in the county. Urban Forest Master Plan: The Urban Forest Master Plan1 continues to be implemented by staff. Technology improvements were initiated, through the in-process deployment of the new ESRI-based enterprise GIS system. Once developed and implemented, ESRI-based tools will allow more accurate, timely, and streamlined, collection and updating of tree inventory data. Work on some planned programs was deferred; however, some programs were completed, such as updates to the Tree Protection Ordinance and the Sustainability Climate Action Plan2. Staff continues to improve street tree species composition and distribution with an emphasis on native and climate adapted species. Upcoming programs set to begin in FY26 include an update to the city’s tree inventory data and planning for a review and update to the Urban Forest Master Plan in FY27. Additionally, the Tree and Landscape Technical Manual (referred to as the TLTM) is a companion document to the City’s Tree Protection Ordinance3 and part of the Master Plan. The new TLTM supersedes the Tree Technical Manual (referred to as the TTM) was prepared by Dave Docktor, former City of Palo Alto Planning Arborist and first published in 2001. That 1 Palo Alto Urban Forest Master Plan, February 25, 2019; https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/v/1/public-works/tree-section/ufmp/urban-forest-mp-after- adoption-reduced-2-25-19-complete.pdf 2 2022 Sustainability and Climate Action Plan, https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/v/1/sustainability/reports/2022-scap-report_final.pdf 3 City of Palo Alto Municipal Code Title 8: Tree and Vegetation ; https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/paloalto/latest/paloalto_ca/0-0-0-65799 Item 5 Staff Report Item 5: Staff Report Pg. 3 Packet Pg. 50 of 51  document guided tree preservation, protection, and care for more than two decades and set a standard that other public agencies in the U.S. emulated. This current edition updates the 2001 publication and expands it to include landscape requirements and standards as well as guidance for meeting the State of California’s Model Water Efficiency Landscape Ordinance (MWELO). The TLTM is intended to serve as a resource for City staff, residents, property owners, arborists, tree care companies, landscape companies, and design professionals working in Palo Alto. The Manual will help users identify appropriate and relevant City tree and landscape regulations and provide the best management standards and resources by which tree and landscape design, planting, protection, and care can be evaluated for sufficiency and quality. Work on the TLTM document began in 2016 with work from city staff and a contract consultant (Barlett/Hort Science). The draft that emerged from that effort was put on hold as it became apparent that the tree protection ordinance would need to be updated and could potentially include major changes. Once the tree protection ordinance was updated in 2022, work began again on the TLTM4 and continued through all of 2024, leading to the current draft version released in December 2024 for feedback from the public. The comment period for the TLTM ends on March 3, 2025. Staff plans to review all comments received during the coming months and make any needed edits or changes to the TLTM. A final version will be sent to the City Manager for review and approval before June 30, 2025. NEXT STEPS AND TIMELINE June 2025 – Publication of the First Edition of the Tree and Landscape Technical Manual October 2025 or November 2025 – FY25 Urban Forestry Annual Report to Parks and Recreation Commission 4 Draft Tree and Landscape Technical Manual; https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/v/4/public- works/tree-section/ufmp/tree-technical-manual/cpa-tltm-public-comment-draft-reduced-12-02-2024.pdf Item 5 Staff Report Item 5: Staff Report Pg. 4 Packet Pg. 51 of 51