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HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 14077 City of Palo Alto (ID # 14077) City Council Staff Report Meeting Date: 3/7/2022 Report Type: Action Items City of Palo Alto Page 1 Title: Parks and Recreation Commission (PRC) recommends that Council Direct Staff and the PRC to Assess and Conduct Public Outreach on a new Community Gymnasium Project in Palo Alto From: City Manager Lead Department: Community Services Recommended Motion The Parks and Recreation Commission recommends that City Council direct staff and the Parks and Recreation Commission (PRC) to assess and conduct public outreach on a new gym project, including location, site considerations, gym features and requirements, construction and operations costs, funding timeline, demand assessment, and prioritization of projects. Background The City of Palo Alto does not own a gymnasium (gym). There are two small gyms and a recreational court pavilion at Cubberley Community Center, which is owned by Palo Alto Unified School District. The City leases these gym spaces from the School District and makes them available to community groups for recreation purposes. There are no locker rooms, weight rooms, or meeting space available in these gyms. The demand for gym space is high; these gyms are almost always reserved in the afternoon and evenings every day of the week. The 2017 Parks, Trails, Natural Open Space and Recreation Master Plan (Parks Master Plan), discusses the importance of gym space and notes that planning, designing, and constructing a new public gym as a major project that needs further study and strategic funding. The Parks Master Plan also notes that the limited number of gyms available to the public and the lack of a City-owned gym complicate the expansion of most sports programs. During the community outreach process for the Parks Master Plan, gym facilities were identified as highly desired by the community. The Parks Master Plan states the following regarding gyms: • As of means of responding to growth and to maintain, expand, and provide future programming, at least one multi-purpose gymnasium is recognized as a community need. City of Palo Alto Page 2 • Increasing sports facilities, sharing of facilities, and adjusting facility scheduling should be investigated. • Sports programs, particularly middle school athletics and adult sports, are operating over capacity, with full teams and waitlists for most offerings. These programs are not easily expanded, as they rely on limited gym and field space. • The highest participation in City programs is in sports (adult and youth), aquatics (youth and teen) and day camps. Continued demand for these program areas is anticipated, and program offerings should respond to this demand. The current policy of “everyone plays” is widely supported for middle school athletics. Since limited gym and field space makes it difficult to expand these programs, the City and PAUSD should consider additional facilities or improved scheduling to maximize student involvement. • Intramural sports provide the opportunity for children to learn a new sport, develop social skills, practice teamwork and build friendships. They also promote an active and healthy lifestyle. Palo Alto will explore creating an intramural sports program for middle and high school students. Implementation of intramurals will require coordination with PAUSD and would require additional field and gym space. Discussion An Ad Hoc Committee of the Parks and Recreation Commission (PRC) prepared a memo to the full Commission describing the need for a recreational gym in Palo Alto (Park Memo). On November 17, 2021, the PRC discussed adding a new Palo Alto gym and voted unanimously to pass the following motion: The Parks and Recreation Commission supports investigating a plan, design, and construction of a new public gymnasium, consistent with the Parks Master Plan. The Commission requests City Council to direct staff and the Commission to assess and conduct public outreach on a new gym project, including location, site considerations, gym features and requirements, construction and operations costs, funding timeline, demand assessment, and prioritization of projects. Feasibility is based upon privately funded construction and operation. A status update will be provided to City Council during calendar year 2022. The PRC explored several potential locations for a new gym and noted that the two most promising sites are the Baylands Athletic Center, which includes 10.5 acres that became available after the golf course was reconfigured, and the Ventura neighborhood, which has long been identified as deficient in recreational amenities and is currently the focus of its own master plan process. The potential location of a new gym was discussed extensively by the PRC and additional information of all sites discussed can be found in the PRC’s memo referenced above; this list is not exhaustive nor limiting to the exploration process staff would begin if directed. In December 2021, a donor, Mr. John Arrillaga, contacted City staff about an interest in City of Palo Alto Page 3 providing major funding and constructing a new gym. Through his philanthropy, Mr. Arrillaga established a project development model, previously implemented with the County of San Mateo, that would enable an expedited gym design and construction process. In January 2022, staff received the devastating news that the donor had passed away, making this model no longer possible. Mr. Arrillaga’s philanthropy in Palo Alto, Stanford and the Bay Area left an extraordinary legacy, and the City is grateful for his offer to make what would have been among his last major gifts toward youth and families. If Council is interested in exploring the PRC’s recommendation to assess a new gym project, staff would return to Council at a future date with results of any assessments and studies conducted such as location limitations and constraints, construction and operations costs, and the likelihood of securing donors or partnerships. Timeline If the recommended action is approved, staff and the PRC would begin working on Council’s direction immediately. Resource Impact The initial resource impact would consist primarily of staff time. Additional research will be required to determine the costs of community outreach, planning, design, construction, and ongoing operations and maintenance of a new gym. There are several other projects under way or planned in the next few years that will compete for limited staff resources if Council directs staff to prioritize work on a new gym project. Those projects that may be impacted due to the scarcity of time and resources include: • Partnership with the First Tee of Silicon Valley to improve the Baylands Golf Links youth practice area • Community outreach on a new skatepark • Foothill Nature Preserve Infrastructure Improvements • Animal Shelter Improvements • New dog park • New park restroom • Byxbee Park Improvement • Boulware Park Improvement • Cameron Park Improvement • Ramos Park Improvement • New history museum/Roth Building In addition, funding for the City’s financial support of both construction and non- construction costs as noted above would need to be identified as part of the near term of the five-year capital improvement plan. This would require prioritizing this project as City of Palo Alto Page 4 an immediate funding need versus other planned projects as noted above in addition to the prioritization of staff time. Policy Implications Plan, design and construct a new gymnasium is identified in the Parks Master Plan as a major project that needs further study and strategic funding. Stakeholder Engagement On November 17, 2021, the Parks and Recreation Commission (PRC) discussed adding a new Palo Alto gym. Environmental Review This action is statutorily exempt from CEQA per CEQA regulation 15262 as it is only a feasibility or planning study for possible future action.