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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-09-23 Parks & Recreation Commission Summary MinutesMINUTES 1 PARKS & RECREATION Commission 2 Regular Meeting 3 September 23, 2025 4 In-Person & Virtual Conference 5 Palo Alto, California 6 7 COMMISSIONERS PRESENT IN-PERSON: 8 Chair Nellis Freeman, Vice Chair Jeff Greenfield, Anne Warner Cribbs, Shani Kleinhaus, Bing Wei, Yudy 9 Deng, Council member Julie Lythcott-Haims 10 COMMISSIONERS PRESENT VIRTUALLY: 11 Julie Lythcott-Haimes 12 COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: 13 Amanda Brown 14 OTHERS PRESENT: 15 Anthony Stevenson (Lloyd Consulting group) 16 STAFF PRESENT: 17 Sarah Robustelli (Division Manager: Open space, Parks, and Golf) 18 Ben Heinstein (Assistant Director Community Services Department) 19 Mr. Howard (Manager Community Services) 20 Kristen O’Kane (Director of Community services Department) Joined for item 5 21 Amanda Deml (Assistant Director Community Services Department) joined for item 6 22 CALL TO ORDER & ROLL CALL 23 Chair Freeman called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM. Roll was called. 24 25 PUBLIC COMMENT 26 1. Eswar S. shared a concern about the funds being collected from people who opt not to volunteer 27 to do weeding at Eleanor Pardee Park are being handed over to the PRC and asked that the PRC 28 seek input from everyone involved before making decisions. 29 2. Arne S. requested adding the proposed changes to the garden rules in accounting to a future 30 agenda item. 31 3. Kathy F. suggested using portable pickle ball nets to expand pickle ball play without burdening 32 city parks. 33 4. Penny P. asked PRC to delay putting the proposed changes into effect until it has been put on the 34 agenda for input from the gardeners and public. 35 5. Doug P. urged the PRC to give the broken sluice gate full attention. 36 6. Ron G. gave an update on the activities of the Palo Alto Pickleball Club along with feedback 37 provided by some members. 38 7. David S. indicated the school district confirmed tennis court availability would go unchanged. 39 Work will continue with the representatives from the tennis community to look to evaluate 40 options. The club has added 35 parking spots to the inventory of available spots during peak 41 weekend and evening hours through an agreement with AbilityPath. 42 8. Anya Z. talked about the value of the pickleball courts and announced the Moon Festival event 43 on Friday, October 3 from 8 AM to 10 AM. 44 9. Kristina K. announced the annual Rotary Club Pickleball Tournament on October 4 and 5. 45 Concerns were raised by Magical Bridge Playground about court expansion and solutions are 46 being examined. 47 10. Jocelyn T. discussed how the Pickleball Club builds community through programs that bring 48 people together and create belonging. 49 11. Hurjane addressed local tennis access and the growing inequality between tennis and pickleball 50 usage and asked the PRC not to convert any more courts. 51 52 AGENDA CHANGES, ADDITIONS, AND DELETIONS 53 None. 54 APPROVAL OF MINUTES 55 1. August 26, 2025 56 MOTION: Commissioner Cribbs moved approval of the minutes seconded by Commissioner Wei. 57 VOTE: Motion carried 6 – 1 (Brown Absent) 58 CITY OFFICIAL REPORTS 59 Councilmember Lythcott-Haimes expressed Council's appreciation of the efforts of the PRC. Council 60 and PRC's work on the future of Cubberley was discussed. 61 DEPARTMENT REPORT 62 Ms. Robustelli provided a slide presentation outlining upcoming special events, recap of Pancakes in 63 the Park, recap of summer special interest camps, board and commission recruitment, Cubberley 64 updates, PAUSD athletic fields and courts updates, sluice gate and flood basin management, turf 65 study, memorial benches: summer intern GIS project, Mitchell Park directory signage installed, 66 Ventura/PACCC bike safety park, Ventura/PACCC resurfacing and backboards completed, Baylands 67 Golf Links repaving, Stanford Palo Alto Community Playing Fields (Mayfield) turf replacement 68 underway, Baylands Interpretive Signage Program, Palo Alto Horizontal Levee Pilot Project update, 69 Vice Chair Greenfield wanted explanation of a post camp. Ms. Robustelli replied a post camp is an 70 aftercare program after the camp is completed. 71 Vice Chair Greenfield wanted a description of the community garden situation. Ms. Robustelli 72 responded there is need to speak internally. It has recently been revealed there are two private bank 73 accounts where gardeners are paying into the fund if unable to volunteer for their work hours. City 74 guidelines require the funds have City oversight. 75 Vice Chair Greenfield asked for an update on the construction at the advanced water site at the 76 Baylands at the end of Embarcadero. Mr. Heinstein explained there is construction activity related to 77 the $65 million plus project building an advanced purification system to increase the quality of 78 recycled water. The project specifications state new trees will be planted to replace the ones that 79 were lost. Mr. Heinstein would get back to the Commission with a timeline. There is information on 80 the project website on the City page about the timeline. 81 Commissioner Kleinhaus had questions about the GIS project and benches. Ms. Robustelli explained 82 part of the project is mapping and to get a count. There are no plans to add benches. The blue dots 83 on the map are existing benches. Work is being done on framing of a policy and coming back to PRC 84 for review of guidelines for the benches. Commissioner Kleinhaus opined that in some areas the 85 density of benches was too much for the benefit of the location and visitors. 86 Commissioner Kleinhaus inquired what a low impact trail is. Ms. Robustelli agreed to ask the Public 87 Works team and get back to Commissioner Kleinhaus offline. 88 Commissioner Wei requested information about the 30 percent increase in special interest camps. 89 Ms. Robustelli agreed to check with the recreation manager and bring that information back. 90 Commissioner Wei queried about the completion date on the Baylands signage. Ms. Robustelli 91 believed it would be completed by October. Commissioner Wei asked if it is too late to look into 92 making the signs trilingual. Ms. Robustelli indicated the signs have already been fabricated. There is 93 no more interpretive signage scheduled but that would be kept into consideration moving forward. 94 Commissioner Wei wanted information about the blue turf for the Stanford Palo Alto community 95 playing field. Ms. Robustelli answered it is synthetic turf being installed with natural cork infill. 96 Commissioner Cribbs asked how many scholarships were given to the camps this year. Ms. Robustelli 97 agreed to follow up with that information. 98 Chair Freeman inquired when First Tee will be wrapped up. Ms. Robustelli explained the short-term 99 agreement expires at the end of February. Two conversations with the PRC will be needed and then 100 it will be taken to City Council. Chair Freeman wanted to know how having Palo Alto Unified School 101 Districts take over the maintenance would impact the CSD department. Mr. Heinstein said there is 102 exploration to add additional maintenance areas to offset the duties that were being performed at 103 the schools. The school district is working with the user groups impacted. PAUSD has said there will 104 be no visible impacts to the members of the public that use the facilities. 105 Commissioner Kleinhaus requested an update about the mitigations in the golf course and Wetlands 106 and discussions with the Water Board over the mitigation requirements. Ms. Robustelli replied work 107 is moving forward with H. T. Harvey starting the work to increase the native cover in the Wetland 108 areas. There are conversations with H. T. Harvey and the Water Board regarding monitoring based on 109 the conditions of approval by the Army Corps of Engineers. Commissioner Kleinhaus indicated there 110 are a lot of invasive plants in the Baylands that could be removed. 111 Commissioner Wei inquired if there are GIS plans for next summer. Ms. Robustelli responded there is 112 an annual program each department and team evaluates with their budget, workload, and 113 bandwidth if there is a suitable project. Commissioner Wei hoped to see more interns helping out. 114 115 BUSINESS ITEMS 116 3. Approval of Field and Court Use Policy: Updated Tennis Court Policy 117 Mr. Howard provided a slide presentation including the recommendation, policy background, 118 background, tennis courts in Palo Alto, USTA match play, USTA teams and residency, policy 119 recommendation – USTA match play, policy recommendation – youth groups, and next steps. 120 Vice Chair Greenfield asked for clarification of match versus date. Mr. Howard explained a team 121 needs to have five dates to be a USTA team for the home courts. They are allowed to pick seven 122 dates and scale back when the season starts. 123 Chair Freeman queried if there is a cutoff period for reservation requests. Mr. Howard answered 124 there would not be a cutoff period. USTA typically releases when the dates or seasons are open and 125 a large request will be received. Those requests would all be done by priority based on residency but 126 could come in after the fact. Any reservation requested after January 1 will be the cutoff. 127 Public Comment 128 1. Ravi K. pointed out that having a two-hour slot and 50 percent rule means only a few locations 129 are going to be feasible for USTA teams. This will put a lot of pressure on Cubberley and 130 Rinconada. 131 2. Herb B. advised that boards and commissions were originally formed to be advisory to the City 132 Council rather than Staff. There was discussion of the percentage of Palo Alto residents using the 133 fields going down. 134 3. Ieda G., tennis coach for Castilleja School (Zoom), asked the PRC to consider how reducing the 135 tennis program will affect the school competition program and review the policies. 136 Chair Freeman expressed support for the recommendation as a member of the ad hoc. 137 Commissioner Wei inquired about the system of collaboration with the school district. Mr. Howard 138 replied PAUSD will handle their own bookings of their courts. Anyone that has done the school 139 courts will be notified that the school district is taking over. Community services will provide contact 140 information if needed. 141 Commissioner Cribbs asked if there are courts USTA will book under the new system. Mr. Howard 142 answered the public can still book directly at Paly and Gunn. The priorities are the same. There are 143 seasons for booking but people can book any time once the season opens. 144 Vice Chair Greenfield had concerns about the need to clarify booking matches, defining the USTA in 145 the policy, residency requirements, and the youth programs. Mr. Howard stated this would allow 146 Castilleja to continue to be involved and that could be clarified. Vice Chair Greenfield said 147 clarification was needed regarding booking holidays and the field permits. There was suggestion to 148 highlight the insurance liability requirements. Clarification is needed on section 15 that Palo Alto 149 based youth groups is Palo Alto based youth group tennis court permits. Chair Freeman asked if 150 pickleball is referenced. Ms. Robustelli stated pickleball is referenced on section 12 under court 151 usage. Mr. Howard agreed to clarify that part. 152 Commissioner Kleinhaus questioned if the USTA matches should have the time extended. Mr. 153 Howard was open to it but had not heard that from the community before. Commissioner Kleinhaus 154 suggested the bylaws should say up to three hours. Mr. Howard indicated Staff is comfortable with 155 saying three hours. 156 Commissioner Deng queried if there has been consideration for shortening play time blocks to help 157 reduce long waiting times. Mr. Howard responded that has not been considered. The feedback has 158 been that people would like more court time. Staff has looked at ways to better tracking the time. 159 Commissioner Deng asked how the new policy will be enforced and how its success will be 160 measured. Mr. Howard explained that the Commission will play a role in decided what that looks 161 like. The goal is to find a middle ground for everyone to be able to participate. Commissioner Deng 162 wanted clarification as to why Castilleja only has three days of court usage. Mr. Howard stated 163 Castilleja currently has four days but would like to be on all the courts on all the days but there is not 164 space for that. One group cannot be allowed to monopolize the courts and they are confined to the 165 available space for all groups. 166 Chair Freeman observed that when the policy goes in effect, more courts will be available for 167 residents to play. Mr. Howard confirmed that to be correct saying it will mean more courts available 168 for drop-in or more residents using the courts for USTA teams. 169 Vice Chair Greenfield wanted clarification of what defines a USTA team and penalty phases. Mr. 170 Howard it is the individuals. At first the captain receives the penalty but if they are on a team they 171 are exposed to that issue or removal of permit time. Chair Freeman advised having a section that 172 defines the different labels used within the report. 173 Commissioner Kleinhaus queried who enforces it. Mr. Howard replied the level of enforcement will 174 be similar to fields. Staff will check the rosters. Often teams or community members will report not 175 seeing Palo Alto residents. With this policy and with fields there will be some level of community 176 response. 177 MOTION: Chair Freeman moved to approve the policy with the following recommended edits seconded 178 by Commissioner Cribbs: 179 1. Increasing the time to up to three hours. 180 2. Defining matches. 181 3. Defining USTA. 182 4. Labeling who captains. 183 5. Residency requirements. 184 6. Call out youth and adult. 185 7. Consistency within the policy. 186 8. Defining what qualifies as youth. 187 9. City observed holidays. 188 10. Insurance requirements. 189 11. A roster line four can be removed within the policy. 190 191 VOTE: Motion carried 4-1-1-1 (Commissioner Deng abstained, Vice Chair Greenfield no, Commissioner 192 Brown absent). 193 Commissioner Cribbs stressed the importance of extending the time limit to up to three hours. 194 Vice Chair Greenfield did not support the motion because the changes should be reviewed by the 195 Commission again and wanted clarification on the policy changes where the Commission is voting on 196 a recommendation to the city manager. 197 Commissioner Deng supported an updated policy but hoped the details could be finalized. 198 199 4. Review and Provide Feedback on Draft Turf Study 200 Mr. Stevenson provided an introduction and background of the various team members that put the 201 study together. 202 Ms. Robustelli stated this item was deferred from the previous month's PRC agenda. The Draft Turf 203 study has not been edited since it was first published. A slide presentation was provided including a 204 background, Turf Study objectives, andTurf Study schedule. 205 Mr. Stevenson provided a slide presentation including the purpose of the Turf Study. Key findings of 206 the study included playability and carrying capacity, cost efficiency, environmental and health 207 impacts, microplastics and PFAS, maintenance and operations, community input, El Camino Park 208 Case Study, and general recommendations of the study. 209 Commissioner Kleinhaus queried if any of the plastic turf in parks last 20 years. Ms. Robustelli 210 responded turf replacements are typically 8 to 10 years. Mr. Stevenson added the warranty for turf 211 usually expires between 8 to 10 years depending on the product and system purchased. The life of 212 the turf is generally between 8 to 12 years. There are circumstances when the turf is 15 to 16 years 213 old but that is rare. As far as the life cycle cost, a 20-year program is usually done which covers two 214 replacements of synthetic turf as well as a few renovations to the natural grass field. Commissioner 215 Kleinhaus asked how many replacements were modeled for El Camino Park. Mr. Stevenson replied in 216 20 years they would have 2 replacements. 217 Commissioner Wei had inquiries about PFAS products. Mr. Stevenson wanted to look at the code to 218 make sure it is applicable to the synthetic turf industry and bring that information back. 219 Commissioner Wei wanted to bring into consideration that California is proposing law AB 1423 220 banning artificial turf. Ms. Robustelli agreed to reach out and coordinate on that. 221 Chair Freeman had questions about GMAX testing for synthetic fields. Ms. Robustelli stated GMAX 222 testing is already being done regularly. Sometimes a third party conducts the test. Staff also has a 223 GMAX tester and conduct tests when necessary. It is tested annually. Thresholds are in place for 224 triggering remediation or field closure. If the GMAX testing is passable or repairs are needed is 225 showcased with the testing. Mr. Stevenson added the ASTM and NFL dictates maximum GMAX. The 226 synthetic turf companies within the 8 or 10-year warranty warranty the GMAX, as well. If it exceeds 227 that, the remediation will generally occur. The older fields get close to GMAX thresholds and in some 228 instances exceed it. Newer field systems are designed to have a better GMAX because a lot of them 229 have pads. The pad manufacturers will warranty the pad. If the pad is on the turf, the turf system for 230 GMAX will be warrantied for over 20 years. It is less of a concern with the newer turf systems on the 231 market today. Chair Freeman asked if the frequency of testing ramps up as the fields get older. Ms. 232 Robustelli stated the park managers stay on top of that. If there are additional concerns, fields can 233 be tested more regularly and Staff has the equipment in-house so can test more often. There are 234 ways to augment with an agronomist and strategize on how to maintain specific fields. 235 236 PUBLIC COMMENT: 237 1. Rodrigo B., executive director for Palo Alto Soccer Club and Silicon Valley Soccer Academy, 238 advised the community should work together to expand access to high quality fields and parks in 239 Palo Alto and requested the PRC not consider turning the El Camino field back to grass as it will 240 take away valuable outdoor playing time especially during the winter months. 241 2. Pete C., regional commissioner for the local chapter of Palo Alto AYSO Youth Soccer Program, 242 supported the findings of the Turf Study to increase the usage of turf fields and providing safe 243 and comfortable resources for the kids. 244 3. Sue C. (Zoom) indicated the Lloyd Consultant Study this report was based on omitted organically 245 managed grass fields, do a more objective study that includes critical information about 246 organically managed natural grass fields and does not exaggerate the advantages of artificial turf, 247 and urged the PRC to follow the example of a number of East Coast cities that have posted 248 warning signs about the toxicity of artificial turf. 249 4. Claire E., environmental engineer, (Zoom) discussed concerns about the study, water use, and 250 health and environmental impacts. 251 5. Cynthia F. (Zoom) urged the members to review the comment packet that was just added to the 252 agenda under Item Four. A request was made to include an appendix with point-by-point 253 responses to the public feedback on the next version of the report and that the City circulate the 254 revised draft for another round of public comment if substantial revisions are made. 255 Commissioner Cribbs wanted discussion about the process and timeline. Ms. Robustelli responded 256 the report is in draft form. Staff will come back to the next Commission meeting for a vote. That vote 257 will be a finalized document that will have an appendix to address public comments. 258 Vice Chair Greenfield asked for comments about organic fields. Mr. Stevenson replied the City has 259 natural grass fields that exceed the thresholds that are in the study. There has to be a way to 260 quantify it. Obtaining 2000 hours out of even a high-performance field maintaining reasonable safety 261 and performance thresholds is difficult. Vice Chair Greenfield observed the fields mentioned as 262 examples have a significantly different climate making it harder to envision those kind of numbers. 263 Mr. Stevenson added there is a lot of variability in natural grass fields so trying to compare them can 264 be difficult. 265 Vice Chair Greenfield inquired if Staff was familiar with synthetic turf fields that were more 266 environmentally friendly that were mentioned at the last meeting. Mr. Stevenson replied that 267 product is called Pivot Turf. It is a high-density turf that does not require infill or might require sand 268 ballast. It is a new product. Time will tell how this product makes its way into the marketplace and 269 how it performs. If it is something the City has interest in evaluating, the consultants would be happy 270 to do so. Ms. Robustelli added when the City was considering Mayfield renovation of the turf 271 replacement, Pivot Turf was evaluated. The pile height was higher, felt different, and would impact 272 playability. The cost is significantly higher. It has an increased fiber content and microplastics. 273 Vice Chair Greenfield wanted to know if there was further thought on converting El Camino to 274 natural grass and how many would be needed. Mr. Stevenson stated in the study there is a general 275 statement that generally synthetic turf can take the place of three to four natural grass fields. As far 276 as El Camino, 2700 hours were put in. That considered half field use as a full field hour. Discounting 277 that to half field brings it down to slightly under 2000 hours. That equates to the three to four ratio. 278 As far as whether a half or full field is rented, it is less of a concern because there is still a team on 279 the field. It would be preferred to see the full field be used because there will be better distribution 280 over the surface whether it is synthetic turf or natural grass. If it was a half team rental then it could 281 be considered. 282 Commissioner Wei queried if it is possible to update reports to include natural grass field for both 283 health reasons and environmental reasons and made the suggestion to incorporate best practices 284 from various fields. Ms. Robustelli replied Staff keeps up and does education as part of standard 285 operations. Best practices is already outlined in parts of the report. Mr. Stevenson added it is a 286 broader response comparing the City specifically to other facilities and fields. Generally, baseball 287 fields will get more hours of use than a rectangle field. Synthetic turf baseball fields usually last 288 longer so a grass baseball field gets more hours than synthetic. Doing a one to one exchange would 289 be difficult to accommodate. Commissioner Wei asked about the hybrid option. Ms. Robustelli 290 indicated there is a section in the report covering that. 291 Commissioner Cribbs wondered where space would be found for four more fields if El Camino 292 turned into a grass field. Ms. Robustelli said no locations have been identified and it would have to 293 be looked into further. Chair Freeman observed that going with a grass field would reduce play time 294 resulting in having to provide more fields. Commissioner Wei suggested using a hybrid model as a 295 possibility. 296 Commissioner Deng observed the main takeaway is not the surface itself but the commitment to 297 maintaining it to the best practice standards. Commissioner Wei echoed those comments. 298 Commissioner Deng wanted to ensure having the study on third party verification for PFAS reduced 299 or free claims, for the natural organic infills to reduce microplastic, and any heat risk mitigation on 300 synthetic fields. Ms. Robustelli agreed. 301 Commissioner Kleinhaus discussed the importance of moving away from using plastic, using another 302 surface that did not have blades and fall apart, water quality, and recycling. The Commissioner asked 303 if there was a general poll to the population in Palo Alto. Ms. Robustelli answered polling was 304 considered but the focus groups and stakeholders voiced opinions ahead of the project and it was 305 important to engage them at a high level. All the public meetings and community outreach has been 306 broadcasted to the larger Palo Alto community through the Uplift local newsletters and online social 307 media. 308 Chair Freeman observed that natural grass fields lead to uneven surfaces and higher injury risk. 309 Synthetic turf provides consistent footing and performs well in wet conditions. The first priority 310 should be on safety. The Commissioner asked if Staff has modeled how the capital replacement costs 311 will be build into the City's long-term budget and if that will be included in the CIP or offset through 312 other fees. Ms. Robustelli replied there is a five-year CIP plan that incorporates the age. El Camino is 313 in need of replacement. The longer it takes goes back to the timeline and why Staff is trying to get 314 this in front of PRC and City Council. A decision point is needed because field closure can be likely if 315 it is not replaced or a decision point made. That is considered within the capital five-year plan and 316 then re-evaluate. Staff typically reviews capital with the PRC in December. 317 Vice Chair Greenfield wanted to clarify the benchmark field size is 110 x 80 yards. Mr. Stevenson 318 confirmed that to be correct. Vice Chair Greenfield suggested providing shoes brushes on the fields. 319 Drainage filtering, water runoff, and filtering out the particles is an important aspect. Improved 320 natural grass maintenance is favorable but the Commissioner questioned the cost limitations. There 321 were questions regarding water usage on the current synthetic fields. Ms. Robustelli replied there is 322 no irrigation on El Camino, Cubberley, or Mayfield. There will be no water usage on the new 323 synthetic cork infill at Mayfield. Vice Chair Greenfield was interested in grass field closure data due 324 to rain, the reality of recycling a synthetic turf field, the need to refurbish El Camino Park as soon as 325 possible, and mitigating the loss of blades and infill. 326 Commissioner Wei inquired if irrigation would be needed El Camino park is replaced from synthetic 327 turf to a hybrid model. Ms. Robustelli explained the hybrid system has drawback of natural grass in 328 addition to synthetic turf so has benefits and drawbacks. The hybrid specific system is not a 329 recommendation through this report. The recommendation of the report is to have a variety of 330 existing fields. All of the natural grass fields have irrigation. El Camino Park is a recommendation to 331 be replaced with a synthetic with natural infill because it is a high used field. Commissioner Wei 332 suggested looking at private partnership funding. 333 Ms. Robustelli indicated the item will be brought back the following month. 334 10:52PM Commissioner Deng leaves 335 NO ACTION 336 337 Started Break 10:59 PM 338 Back from break at 11:05 PM 339 340 5. Informational Update on the Cubberley Community Center Project including, Summary of 341 Community Meeting #3, and Provide Feedback on Conceptual Design and Workplan Update 342 Ms. Deml provided a slide presentation including completed project milestones, upcoming project 343 milestones, all three completed phases of the Cubberley master plan, phase 1 demo, phase 1 344 Wellness and Performing Arts, first floor programming, second floor programming, third floor 345 programming, phase 2 demolition, phase 2 Visual Arts and Technology, phase 3 Community Services, 346 phasing plan complete, phase 3 first floor programming, phase 3 second floor programming, site 347 plan – phase 3 – outdoor uses, circulation diagram, parking diagram, flexible timeline and design, 348 site parameters, community meeting #3, activity 1 – phase 1 concept design: Recreation Wellness 349 and Performing Arts, activity 2 – phase 2 and 3 concept design: Visual Arts & Technology and 350 Community Services, community meeting #3, next steps – master plan, and PRC feedback requested. 351 352 PUBLIC COMMENTS 353 No public comments 354 Commissioner Kleinhaus had questions about the upcoming polls and outdoor space. Ms. Deml 355 confirmed the polls would be statistically significant polls. Outdoor space include the gardens, 356 playgrounds, and amenities. It is separated by pathways, circulation, and parking. It can include the 357 green space and the cultural plaza. Areas on the roof that are used for recreational would be 358 considered outdoor space. 359 Commissioner Wei inquired what the cultural plaza entails. Ms. Deml responded because it is 360 centered where the other performing arts buildings are is a way performances or events can come 361 outside. Commissioner Wei asked if an outdoor gym could be included. Ms. Deml replied a 362 basketball court was being considered on one of the rooftop surfaces. Commissioner Wei asked how 363 many tennis courts there will be and if there will be pickleball courts. Ms. Deml answered the idea at 364 the moment is just to replace the tennis courts that exist there. Changing the use in the future is a 365 discussion that would need to be brought back. There are six tennis courts. They will be replaced and 366 elevated. The indoor courts could have pickable lines inside the new Recreation and Wellness Center. 367 Commissioner Wei queried what happens next. Ms. Deml responded the CEQA analysis is being 368 done currently and takes six months. Council adoption is hoped to be in March. Polling is happening 369 simultaneously and is to be released early November. Commissioner Wei suggested the Chamber 370 might have the ability to gather people to look into public/private partnership to sponsor. Ms. 371 O'Kane stated that has not been explored. Some public/private partnerships are being explored with 372 organizations that are not large corporations. If that direction is chosen in the future, City Council 373 will need to weigh in. Staff is looking for more partnerships with nonprofit organizations who might 374 provide a direct service. Commissioner Wei offered help bridging the gap with companies. 375 Commissioner Cribbs wanted to ensure the tennis courts can be lit to extend the use. 376 Chair Freeman queried if the activities going on at the Wellness Center and tennis court will be 377 relocated. Ms. Deml responded there would be a plan in place and Staff will work with all the 378 tenants on that. There will be more space available as PAUSD will be vacating a lot of the current 379 indoor space. Chair Freeman suggested highlighting that in some portion of the report. 380 Commissioner Cribbs asked about the three brown buildings. Ms. Deml explained the three brown 381 buildings are the ones being kept and renovated. 382 Vice Chair Greenfield wanted explanation of the café and marketplace. Ms. Deml stated the café is 383 meant to be a place to hang out or to wait. The marketplace is meant to compliment the Charleston 384 Shopping Center. Vice Chair Greenfield suggested including creative painting on utilitarian 385 infrastructure to leverage some of the arts budget and asked if there has been thought on an 386 outdoor sand volleyball court. Ms. Deml said that could be considered. 387 Vice Chair Greenfield asked if there is potential for a demonstration garden. Ms. Deml responded 388 that would be a priority. Vice Chair Greenfield asked about city office space being used at Cubberley. 389 Ms. Deml said in the new plans that will be located in the new Recreation Wellness Center or the 390 Community Flex Building and potentially both. Information will be brought back about the amount 391 of space being provided. Vice Chair Greenfield commented it would have been helpful to label the 392 Cubberley playing fields and stadium in the high-level diagrams. 393 Vice Chair Greenfield wondered if there is a way to reduce the paved area on the promenade to gain 394 additional green space and consider relocating or reducing the path below the amphitheater. There 395 was suggestion to look at having protected bikeways on one side of the road. A bike path is needed 396 by the tennis courts and playing fields. There is opportunity to have specific bike and pedestrian 397 paths within the underground parking area. The Commissioner asked if noise and vibration has been 398 considered in terms of where different activities are located. Ms. Deml stated Staff looked at 399 adjacencies and what made sense to group together. The vibration part could be examined more. 400 Vice Chair Greenfield inquired if elevators will be included in any of the buildings. Ms. Deml 401 answered all the multi-level buildings will include elevators. 402 Vice Chair Greenfield questioned if the gyms will include any kind of open side design. Ms. Deml that 403 had been considered. That would be something the architect would draft and it would be a 404 possibility. 405 Vice Chair Greenfield asked if parking will be able to accommodate trees properly. Ms. Deml 406 answered the above ground partial parking is created to house the root barriers. The infrastructure 407 of the parking garage will be built to hold the weight of the soil and trees. The selected trees will be 408 conducive to that environment. 409 Commissioner Kleinhaus talked about the roof of the Meta building that created an ecosystem. It 410 had to be planned like a five-story building. 411 Vice Chair Greenfield suggested developing the information about shared flex space available to the 412 public. Ms. Deml explained that is in the works. 413 Vice Chair Greenfield inquired if there is a rough timeline for how long it would take to complete 414 phase 1 after funding is approved. Ms. Deml stated that is also in the works and will be shared as 415 soon as it is available. 416 Commissioner Kleinhaus advised that the rooftop garden will not be successful unless it is designed 417 holistically. The Commissioner supported Commissioner Greenfield's comments about the cluttered 418 bikeway and pathways. There was suggestion to look at potential competition issues for facilities and 419 the cost of use. Commissioner Kleinhaus asked if most people support the phasing plan. Ms. Deml 420 answered there was not a lot of negative feedback about the phasing. Staff will have the full report 421 soon. The questions were more about where people will go during the phasing. 422 Commissioner Wei wondered if it would be helpful to seek input from the Architectural Board 423 regarding soundproofing and plants. Ms. Deml indicated the ARB has been involved in the process. 424 Commissioner Kleinhaus urged Staff to minimize glass and pay attention to lighting. 425 426 NO ACTION 427 6. AD ON'S AD HOC UPDATES 428 Commissioners passed on this. 429 430 COMMISSIONER/BOARD MEMBER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS OR FUTURE AGENDA 431 ITEMS 432 Ms. Robustelli reported agenda previews for October: the Turf Study coming back for an action, the 433 Nature Preserve Access Policy calendared for an action, Foothills Nature Improvement Project which 434 was City Council directed coming for an update and feedback, a first go production, and ad hoc with 435 the BCCP update. 436 437 ADJOURNMENT 438 Meeting was adjourned at 12:08 PM. 439