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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 2004/08/19City of Chula Vista Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes August 19, 2004 Call to Order: Chair Salcido called meeting to order at 6:35 p.m. Staff Present: Buck Martin, Dave Byers, Shauna Stokes, Brian Cox, Ed Hall, Tom Class Public Present: Francisco Manzano, Peter and Susan Watry Roll Call: The secretary called the roll. Members Present: Salcido (Chair), Perondi, Weidner, Strahl, Ramos Members Absent: Rios 2a. Minutes It was moved /seconded (Perondi /Weidner) to approve the minutes of the July 15 meeting. The motion carried 5 -0 -0. 2b. Request for Golf Course under direction of City Manager's Office. Chair Salcido had a letter he had drafted and would like to send to the Council from the Commission. Before getting into discussion on this item, Member Perondi asked if the members of the public in attendance were there for a particular item, so that it could be heard before this discussion. None were in attendance for a specific item. Chair Salcido read aloud his proposed draft to the City Council. Commissioner Perondi requested that the item be trailed until each Commissioner received a copy of the letter and had a chance to review it before discussion. It was moved /seconded (Perondi / Strahl) to trail this action item for discussion after Items 3a, b, c and d. The motion carried unanimously. 3a. Playground Sand at Heritage Park. Commissioner Weidner expressed her concerns as both an attorney and a resident who uses this park, and felt it presented a potential hazard. Tom Class explained that the finer and larger grained sands have been rototilled, and the resulting mixture should present less of a slipping hazard. Staff is monitoring this, and is attempting to keep the playground areas clear of sand. 3b. Response to Questions Raised at the July 15 Meeting. Public Works Operations Director Byers stated he had nothing to add to his memo. Parks & Rec. Comm. Minutes 8/19/04, Page 1 3c. Council Information Item re P &R Commission Meeting of July 15, 2004. Mr. Byers explained that this information item was sent to the Council with their packets for the August 17 meeting, and he felt the Commission should have it for review. City Manager Rowlands plans to attend the September 16 Commission meeting and address any Commission concerns at that time. 3d. Council Information Item re Chula Vista Municipal Golf Course. This item was prepared by Mr. Byers as an update of the American Golf Corporation's activities at the Golf Course for improved maintenance. Commissioner Perondi questioned the amount of time staff devotes to the Golf Course. Mr. Class stated he has been spending about half his time working with American Golf and monitoring the maintenance at the Course. Chair Salcido questioned whether the Mens' and Womens' Golf Clubs are asked for input on the Course maintenance. Mr. Class responded that he, himself, is a member of the Mens' Golf Club and when he plays at the Course, he constantly asks for input from other players. Commissioner Strahl felt that the point was not how much time staff spends at the Course, but rather the problem is that, in the past, when reports were written and forwarded to the City Manager's Office, they were not acted upon. He felt that now those reports were being perused by more people and getting more attention. The important thing is that the outcome of whether or not these reports are acted upon depends on how much importance City officials place on these issues. 2b. Commissioner Salcido's request for Golf Course under the direction of the City Manager's Office. The Commission reviewed the draft item prepared by Commissioner Salcido. Commissioner Weidner offered a suggestion to change the wording in paragraph 3 to: "Because the City Manager's Office seems to control most of the activities with regards to the Golf Course contract, the Parks and Recreation Commission proposes that the Golf Course oversight be removed from the Parks and Recreation Commission and assigned to the City Manager's Office." There also should be some language inserted that if the Council feels the Parks and Recreation Commission is to continue its oversight of the Golf Course, they should be given more authority. It was MSUC 5 -0 -0 (Strahl /Perondi) to forward this memo to Council with the recommended amendments. 4. Unfinished Business. None New Business. None 6. Written Communications. None Parks & Rec. Comm. Minutes 8/19/04, Page 2 7. Commission Comments. Chair Salcido thanked the Commission for electing him Chair in his absence. Commissioner Perondi thanked Mr. Martin and City staff for the excellent tour of the City parks on July 24. Mr. Martin indicated that his secretary, Margarita Cellano, was instrumental in the success of the tour. Commissioner Weidner commented that she had had an inquiry from a citizen in her area regarding Heritage Park and the presence of numerous high school students in the park after school. The resident indicated that there was a lack of support from Public Safety to her concerns. Mr. Martin indicated he would request the Police Department and staff at the Recreation Center to look into this issue and, if there was actually a problem, that Public Safety would provide support to the Recreation Department. Commissioner Perondi indicated he could work with the high school principals to see if the District could help avert any potential problems, although they have no jurisdiction over students after school hours. Commissioner Ramos had no comments. Commissioner Strahl commended staff on the park tour and what a great job they were doing, particularly on Veterans Park. He went on to say that the Golf Course has been a large concern of his and that that there has been a tremendous improvement there recently. The Manager there has marshaled support from American Golf, and the staff is more customer friendly. However, he feels that there is no oversight except from the City Manager's Office and that the City needs to have a "point person" to meet with American Golf, seniors, and the Mens' and Womens' Clubs. The City is locked into the contract with American Golf but he would like to see more response to concerns about the Course and get a clearer understanding of who is responsible for what in the long run. Commissioner Perondi asked about the status of the Greens Fee increase and Mr. Byers responded that it would only be supported if American Golf increased its maintenance level. Commissioner Strahl said the City Manager was promised some things from American Golf verbally when their contract was last renewed, but they did not comply. He then announced that he was submitting his resignation from the Commission effective at the end of tonight's meeting. Chair Salcido expressed the thanks of the Commission for Mr. Strahl's service and contributions over the past two years, and said he was sorry to see him resign, and that he hoped he would attend the September meeting. Parks & Ree. Comm. Minutes 8/19104, Page 3 Commissioner Perondi expressed his appreciation of Mr. Strahl's candor and honesty during his tenure on the Commission. 8. Staff Comments Mr. Martin discussed the brick program and how well it is going. He announced the groundbreaking of Veteran's Park for September 9 at 11:00 a.m. and invited the Commission to attend. Chair Salcido asked what is the projected completion date for the park. Mr. Martin responded that the building should be finished in July 2005, but that the park would open sometime later depending on the length of time needed for establishment of the turf. Mr. Byers announced that the Second Annual Beautify Chula Vista Day will be held November 6, with the Youth Center as the staging site. They are hoping to have high school students volunteer for this project. Commissioner Perondi indicated that if staff gave him the information on the program he would have it distributed at the various high schools in the district. Mr. Byers talked about the projected completion of 11 new parks between 2003/04 and 2005/06, consisting of over 90 acres. Last year 12.5 acres of parks were opened, and it is projected that another 17 acres will be completed this fiscal year. Commissioner Ramos asked where Veteran's Park is located, and Mr. Martin responded that it is on East Palomar between Davies and Medical Center Drive. 9. Public Comments Mr. Francisco Manzano (3828 Granada Avenue, San Diego 92104) introduced himself and explained that he was present on behalf of the San Diego - Tijuana Border Initiative, which has been contracted by the County to design a youth alcohol, tobacco and drug intervention program. 10. Other. None Adjournment at 7:15 p.m. to the meeting of September 16, 2004 at 6:30 p.m. MaryAnn Barbieri Recording Secretary Parks & Rec. Comm. Minutes 8/19/04, Page 4