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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-05-16 PRC MINS City of Chula Vista Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes Thursday - 6:30 p.m. May 16, 2013 Public Services Building — 300 B129 276 4th Avenue Meeting called to order by Chair Guy Chambers at 6:31 pm. Staff Present: Kristi McClure, Assistant Director Recreation Richard Hopkins, Director of Public Works John Gates, Principal Recreation Manager Agnes Bernardo, Parks Manager Tony Ramos, Recreation Supervisor Ill Glen Googins, City Attorney Guests: Tony Econom, Chula Vista Resident — Montevalle Park Erin Trujillo, Chula Vista Resident — Field Rentals Salvador Rivera, San Diego Resident — Allocation of Fields Angela Cole, Chula Vista Resident — Youth Sports Council President 1. Roll Call/Motion to Excuse Members Present: Chair Chambers, Commissioner Buddingh, Commissioner Vogel, Commissioner Boehm Members Absent: Commissioner Garza, Scott and Gerace MSC Boehm/Buddingh to excuse Commissioner Garza and Gerace from tonight's meeting; Commissioner Scott's absence remains unexcused. 2. Oral Communications — Erin Trujillo, from Albion Soccer (1 2 teams) addressed the commission regarding field allocation in Chula Vista. She has been attending YSC meetings and her club submitted an YSC membership form 8-months ago. They currently utilize Salt Creek field. Albion also utilizes fields in San Diego. There are 12 existing teams in the Southbay, and they would like to be part of the field allocation so families don't have to travel to Ocean Beach. The Commission thanked Ms. Trujillo. Salvador Rivera shared that he is part of a group of 18 men that play soccer at Montevalle Park. Mr. Rivera and his friends have been clashing with groups that already have fields allocated through YSC; their concern as tax-payers is that they have no access to public facilities. Allocation process is leaving out groups that want to use the fields. He shared that two fields should be allocated and one should be available for public use. Mr. Rivera shared that he his friends should not have to obtain a permit and insurance to utilize the park. They are asking that the commission consider public access to fields and ensure that fields be made available for public use, and not only to groups in allocation process. Tony Econom shared that he and Salvador met with the City Attorney and he suggested that they address the commission about field allocation and lack of field availability for public use. Because of the current field allocations, there are no open areas for families to play or public Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting — May 16, 2013 2 use. Mr. Econom suggested that fields be rotated to alleviate wear and tear. Another suggestion was rent one field, keep one field open, and allocate the other field for equitable usage. 3. a. Approval of March 21, 2013 Meeting Minutes — MSC Vogel/Buddingh to approve meeting minutes. 4. a. Presentation — ActiveNet (Tony Ramos) — Mr. Tony Ramos, Recreation Supervisor Ill presented ActiveNet registration software. Mr. Ramos explained that a variety of registrations and reservations could be managed through ActiveNet. He shared that ActiveNet is an improved on-line registration software and explained the differences between this software and the Safari registration program. Mr. Ramos provided a demonstration on signing-up on ActiveNet and how to register for a class. Ms. McClure shared that ActiveNet is a great tool to have; staff has the ability to e-mail everyone in the database when upcoming sessions are starting. b. Update on Condition of Pools — Mr. Richard Hopkins (Public Works Director) shared that the pools in the City require lighting and plastering. These items were submitted to the City Manager to be placed on the critical needs list, and have not received confirmation that this would be budgeted to fix these items. Mr. Hopkins shared that worst case scenario is that if the pools are not safe, the pools would be closed and that would impact programming. They are working with Finance Department to find funding. Mr. Hopkins shared that over the last 10-years, maintenance has been reactionary and have been able to manage some repairs; but not at the level that are required. The biggest issue with the pools is the plastering at the bottom that could cause harm to pool users. Lighting is another issue and other apparatus on pool decks are falling into disrepair. Electrical needs upgrading as well. Mr. Hopkins shared that he is not sure if the pools qualify for CDBG Funding. Commissioner Vogel asked about grant funding from U.S.A. Swim, revenue projections, add more teams, and talked about the pool deck. Ms. McClure shared that Knorr Systems are visiting the pools to evaluate and this could assist with grant search. Mr. Hopkins shared, that the Council expressed to staff, master planning Memorial Park and Parkway facilities. Commissioner Vogel shared that parking is a must add-in to the master planning of this area. Commissioner Boehm asked if the different entities (SUHSD, Southwestern College) collaborate about future facilities. Mr. Hopkins shared that the Parks and Recreation Master Plan contemplates: aquatics, 70- acre Park (concept of aqua facility). Mr. Hopkins also shared that collaborations have taken place with other entities, but that the partnerships have not been equitable. He also shared that he occasionally meets with counterparts from other entities. Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting — May 16, 201 3 3 c. Update on Courts and Tot Lot — Ms. Bernardo (Parks Manager) distributed a copy of the Court Management Report and Playground Management Report. Ms. Bernardo explained that these reports are used as a tool that assists with plan and maintenance of courts & are updated on a yearly basis. Chair Chambers asked for a status of Orange Avenue Park. Mr. Hopkins shared that the City is currently waiting to be certified as a Labor Compliant City by the State of California. Once certified, the City can enter the contract with the contractor that was selected to do Design and Build. The City secured a grant from the State, which covers the cost of the park. Chair Chambers requested that a status report for Orange Avenue Park be presented at the July meeting. Mr. Hopkins shared that he would return with a report regarding Orange Avenue Park for the next meeting. He also shared that funds from rental with American Legion at Eucalyptus Park will be used to redo tennis courts. RFP is out and currently soliciting bids. Commissioner Buddingh asked why Salt Creek Arena Soccer was not on the report. Ms. McClure shared that the Arena is on the Critical Needs list and two different quotes were received for upgrades to the arena. Ms. Bernardo responded that the Salt Creek Arena Soccer would be on the special features park report, which is currently not available. d. Youth Sports Council Update — Mr. John Gates (Principal Recreation Manager) — Briefly reviewed the Youth Sports Council Report submitted to the Commission and discussed the below points: • Interest in establishing an YSC was to assist the City and youth sports organizations in coordination and scheduling the use of City-owned fields. • Member organizations are required to be registered 501 (c) 3 non-profits, with at least 75% of their participants residing in Chula Vista. • YSC meetings are held which fosters good communications amongst members and city staff; allocation process — assignment of fields. • The YSC does not allocate fields; City staff allocates the fields. The YSC among the membership propose which organization would use a particular field and proposes that to the City; the City then issues permits. • 2 times per years the organizations submit proposal for field usage for future 6- months. • There are 70 playing areas that the YSC utilizes; lately because of budget restrictions to the maintenance budget; fields are being closed or restricted for usage (and identified in park matrix). • The group as a whole reaches consensus on which organization is utilizing which field and which time. • Appeals process and how conflicts are resolved. Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting — May 16, 2013 4 Chair Chambers asked about the waiting time for membership from organizations. Angela Cole, YSC President shared the process for YSC membership and also said that one of the membership requirement is attending 10 of 12 meetings (consecutively). Ms. Cole shared that out of the 4 applicants on the list that are waiting to be part of the YSC, Albion Soccer is the only group that has attended YSC meetings consistently. Albion would be considered because they have been attending the meetings consistently for the past 8 months and have met this meeting requirement. The other groups did attend meetings; but have not attended recently. Chair Chambers asked when the list is no longer acceptable. Mr. Gates shared that the 1st group (SD Gorillas) applied for membership in 2007 and they're still eligible. The YSC in 2007 voted a formal membership moratorium, which was lifted in 2011 . When the YSC considers new members, these groups would be contacted, and encourage them to attend YSC meetings. Ms. Cole provided clarification on the reason for a membership moratorium on the existing organization. Ms. Bernardo explained why the Field Management Report was created and which assists the YSC. Mr. Gates referenced the last page of the report which identifies the challenges the YSC faces. Discussion held about fields that are allocated and not in use; and the fact that demand for space on City fields exceeds availability for drop-in activities and requests for use of fields on a rental basis. Also discussed was the possibility of removing some fields from the YSC inventory of fields and designating certain city fields for use by the community for drop-in activities, revenue-producing rentals or both. Ms. Cole shared that the YSC does it's best to release fields that are not being used through the allocation process for community use. Ms. Bernardo shared that when fields were set aside for community use, organized teams would monopolize the fields because they knew which fields were open. Mr. Econom shared that he and his friends should not have to pay to use the fields for a game. Chair Chambers noted that the Commission empathizes with the community and staff about the demand for fields far exceeds availability. Mr. Rivera asked if the Commission would come up with a compromise with them about field usage because under the current system, if he wanted to lease a field, he couldn't because they're all taken through the YSC allocation process; and felt that he was being discriminated because he's older population. Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting — May 16, 2013 5 Ms. McClure responded that the current allocation at Montevalle is Monday-Thursday from 4:00-7:00 the fields are allocated. After 7:00 pm, the fields are open to the public to play. Commissioner Buddingh asked if the fields were allocated Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Ms. McClure responded that it was not allocated; however, there are permits on Friday- Sunday, but staff does try to keep the fields open for community use. Chair Chambers addressed Mr. Rivera and said that the fields he is interested in using have already been allocated. Mr. Rivera responded that he was at the fields first and that he should not be forced to play on days that he's not available. He wants to play on Wednesday and/or Thursday. Chair Chambers responded that the Commission would take their comments under advisement and thanked both Mr. Econom and Mr. Rivera for attending the meeting. Mr. Rivera inquired about his request, and shared that that public access to fields is limited and feels it's wrong. It seems that public access is an afterthought and that the City is out to make revenue. Ms. McClure shared that a staff report would be brought back in July regarding Use of City Fields that will include information programming and field availability. 5. Unfinished Business - None 6. New Business — None 7. Written Communications — 8. Staff Comments - Recreation (Kristi McClure) — Ms. McClure (Assistant Director of Recreation) referred to the monthly department report. Ms. McClure also shared that the City Manager would be presenting the City's Budget to the City Council at their May 28th Council Meeting and was proposing that the Recreation and Library become separate departments. The City's budget includes the Recreation and Public Works budget that was shared with the Commission on March 21St. Ms. McClure shared that the Commission could convene a special meeting (after May 28th) to review the proposed budget by the City Manager. Mr. Hopkins (Director of Public Works) - shared that the Parks Division Budget mentioned at the March commission meeting proposed a Supervisor Park Ranger position; however, the City Manager's budget to the City Council does not include that position Chair Chambers asked about the salary range submitted by Public Works for this position, and asked if was $30-$40K? Mr. Hopkins — Responded that this position is a full-time position and would be in the range of $68K because they will oversee the ranger program, volunteer rangers, write citations, etc. Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting — May 16, 2013 6 Commissioner Boehm asked if the budget that the Commission would be reviewing is the budget that recreation and parks submitted, or the budget that the City Manager is submitting to the Council Ms. McClure responded that it would be the entire city budget that the City Manager is submitting to the Council. Chair Chambers, commented that the budget is ok, and the fact that the departments are being separated is what the commission has wanted all along. Commissioner Vogel noted that the supervising park ranger for Public Works and items on the critical needs list need to be included in the budget. City Attorney Googins shared that the process is, that under the Commission Code and City Charter, it gives the Commission the authority and responsibility to provide input into the budget. Process was formalized quite a bit more. The City Manager is required by Charter to present to the Council what is called the City Manager's proposed budget, 35-days before the end of the fiscal year. The Commission cannot act on anything on the budget tonight, and the option would be to address the City Council on May 28th when the City Manager presents his budget, and the Council will hear you as individuals. Commissioner Boehm asked if the commission member would speak as individual members of the commission or on behalf of the commission. City Attorney Googins responded that the commission member would be speaking as individuals of the Commission. The alternative would be to call a special meeting to act either on what the City Manager presented or, depending on when the Commission special meeting is, discuss input that the City Manager got from the Council as to what the Council's proposed budget is going to be. Mr. Googins also explained that that the process is that the City Manager proposes his budget, the Council provides input and at some point, the council needs to adopt and propose their budget, and that budget goes out for public review for a 10-day period. That then comes back to them for action before the end of the fiscal year. Commissioner Buddingh asked if the Council would be approving budget on May 28th. City Attorney Googins responded that the City Manager is only presenting the budget on May 28th. Chair Chambers thanked Mr. Googins for getting the commission into the vetting process. City Attorney Googins responded that it wasn't that it hadn't happened before; it's that it wasn't consistently happening and there was particular action last year that had made the facts, which were problematic. Mr. Googins also said that Ms. McClure would have made this happen anyway, and the process was formalized as part of our budget memo. Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting — May 16, 201 3 7 Ms. McClure asked the commission if they wanted to schedule a special meeting or adjourn to the regular commission of July 1 8th Chair Chambers responded that as noted, since nothing has changed from the March budget presentation, then a special meeting would not be necessary; but asked that staff notify the Commission if anything drastically changed in the budget Ms. McClure and Mr. Hopkins both responded that they would inform the Commission of budgetary changes. Chair Chambers thanked Ms. McClure and Mr. Hopkins for the budget update information and process. Ms. McClure talked about the Community Fun Run event and shared that 1,138 participants registered for the event, and over $10K was grossed. Ms. McClure also thanked staff, the Friends of Chula Vista Parks and Recreation, OTC, for helping make this event a success. Ms. McClure also shared that Chula Vista PAL grossed $800 at their pancake breakfast. Operation Splash event on May 22nd at Parkway Pool. Public Works (Rick Hopkins) — Mr. Hopkins distributed a map of Memorial Park and shared that that the park would be receiving minor improvements as a result of the Third Avenue upgrades. Ms. Bernardo discussed the various improvements that Mary Radley, Landscape Architect developed. The budget is $65K. Ms. Bernardo introduced Park Ranger Volunteer Paul Gardener, who was recently hired as an hourly part-time park ranger. 9. Commissioner Comments — Commissioner Boehm shared that field use is a delicate balance; and an agreement that's in place with the City cannot be undone. Commissioner Vogel asked about options about field usage as it pertains to tonight's requests. Commissioner Buddingh asked about revenue from Adult Athletics. Ms. McClure responded that the programs for Adult Sports pay for themselves including staff. Chair Chambers thanked staff for their report regarding Youth Sports Council. 10. Items for Next Meeting - July Agenda: Report on Orange Avenue Park from Public Works and Report on Field Use from Recreation. MSC Vogel/Boehm to adjourn meeting at 8:37 pm. to the next Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting of July 18, 201 3 Typed by:1aiaita edea„o