CITY OF PETALUMA, CALIFORNIA
REGULAR MEETING OF THE RECREATION, MUSIC AND PARKS COMMISSION
City Hall Council Chambers 11 English Street Petaluma, CA 94952
DRAFT MINUTES
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
1. CALL TO ORDER – 7:02 P.M. 2. ROLL CALLA. Present: M K DeLucco, M Cusimano, D Fischer, S Sass, P Souza, B Schor Absent/Excused: R Cassidy
3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
4. AGENDA CHANGES AND DELETIONS
A. D Halter added a Staff Introduction to be conducted prior to 7 A; Presentation. 5. PUBLIC COMMENT
Public Comment Opened
Public Comment made regarding Measure M
Susan Kirks, Paula Lane Action Network (PLAN), stated that her non-profit has contributed to the City in the past and that the Measure M category to protect natural resources and habitats correlates with Paula Lane as it is an open space area that was granted to PLAN. S Kirks stated she would like to walk the area with Councilmember Fischer and also encourages the Commission to continue to be innovative and creative in their discussions on Measure M funding. She also mentioned that she believes Parks are just as important of a department as recreation.
Public Comment Closed 6. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
A. Approval of Minutes of Regular Recreation, Music and Parks Commission Meeting of Wednesday, September 18, 2019 and Wednesday November 16, 2019.
Motion to approve made by M Cusimano. Seconded by B Schor. Vote: Motion carried 6-0, all in favor.
7. PRESENTATION
A. New Staff Introduction, Drew Halter, Recreation Supervisor, and Jason Beatty, Interim Public Works and Utilities Director.
J Beatty thanked the Commission and let everyone know that Dan St. John is retiring at the end of the month, thus he is the interim Public Works Director until the position is filled. He introduced the new Parks and Facilities Maintenance Manager, Cindy Chong, who has over 17 years of experience with facilities and grounds maintenance, including most recently at Sonoma State University. She was highly recommended and he is happy to have her on board.
C Chong stated she was excited to be a part of the City of Petaluma and has already learned so much. She stated that the City has a ton of momentum and she would like to keep it going.
B. 2019 Recreation Services Year End Program Report- Rachel Beer, Recreation Coordinator, Kevin Hays, Recreation Coordinator, and Sandra Kraus, Recreation Coordinator.
D Halter stated that the December Recreation, Music and Parks Commission meeting is always a highlight for him as it provides an overview of what has happened in Parks and Recreation over the past year. He then introduced Recreation Coordinator Kevin Hays.
K Hays provided a road map of what the presentation would include, starting with his areas of concentration: adult sports and field rentals.
He stated that there were 45 teams in the Spring/Summer Adult Softball season, which held three tournaments. 30 teams were in the Fall/Winter Adult Softball season, which was cut short due to power outages, rain, and poor air quality. There were over 500 players who participated in the 2019 Adult Softball year. He said that the Petaluma Adult Softball program continues to grow, which counters the nationwide trend, thus he is happy for the success of this past year.
The Adult Basketball season has seen an increase in teams and players, with 12 teams participating in a 12-game season. K Hays is hoping to continue to grow the adult basketball season by adding a women’s league, however gym space is difficult as Recreation Services rents Casa Grande High School’s gym in order to facilitate the Basketball season.
K Hays also provided information regarding field rentals, which included several organizations hosting Lacrosse, Soccer, Baseball, and Softball tournaments. Recreation Coordinator Rachel Beer presented next, representing her concentration area of Youth Programs, including Tiny Tots Preschool, Summer Camp as well as the production of the Activity Guides.
R Beer first went over the most recent Recreation Services Activity Guide, which now fully encompasses all programs offered and supported by Recreation Services. This includes youth programs, senior programs, the Petaluma Museum, Aquatics, and more.
R Beer let the Commission know that there were over 100 attendees per day in Summer Camp 2019, which included campers aged three to twelve for nine weeks. Half day and full day options were available to families. Summer camp included field trips, bounce houses, water slides, animal presentations, and more. In addition to summer camps, there were specialized camps that included Legos and Minecraft.
R Beer mentioned that surveys were sent to parents following week five, and again at the conclusion of camp. Questions asked parents to rate the quality of camp, the cost of camp, as well as the organization of camp.
R Beer then reviewed the Tiny Tots Preschool program, which includes an average of 90 children, three classrooms with varying days, with morning and afternoon options. This year included the addition of a Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday option for parents. The program has seen a rise in the need of full day and extended care for families, which will hopefully be accommodated in Spring of 2020 with the addition of more teachers.
Tiny Tots also had several special events this year, including presentations from the City of Petaluma Fire and Police, a pajama pancake breakfast, Chinese New Year Celebration, and an ice cream social.
Recreation Coordinator Sandra Kraus presented next on her concentration area of the Senior Center.
S Kraus stated that there is an average of 100 seniors who utilize the center daily. In addition to this, she stated that there are over 175 paid memberships for the Senior Center, which includes being mailed the monthly newsletter. People do not have to be members to use the center. The newsletter includes all the classes and programs offered through the Senior Center or in partnership with other entities like the Santa Rosa Junior College. Classes and programs include: education, games, social groups, support groups, free financial consultation, free lawyer consultation, caregiver support groups, and more. These programs take place either at the Senior Center or a variety of other locations.
The Senior Center also holds many special events and luncheons; the two most recent lunches have been sponsored by a local family and the other was a local organization.
The Senior Center is focusing on intergenerational programming by partnering with the Tiny Tots program.
S Kraus mentioned that the Senior Center functions with the help of other contributors and partners, such as the Petaluma People Services Center, Petaluma Garden Club, Redwood Empire Food Bank, and more.
S Kraus shared a story of how she was able to help a homeless man find housing with the support of some of the partners of the Senior Center, as a highlight of the year.
S Kraus also presented on the Fourth of July Event held at the Petaluma Fairgrounds. She stated that R Beer joined her as well this past year. Approximately 5,000 people attended and enjoyed food and beverage vendors as well as a fireworks display. K Hays presented on the Movies in the Park even series, which held three events in 2019, with the fourth being cancelled due to smoke from nearby fires. Approximately 350 people attended the movies offered, which also included food and drink vendors, magic shows, and a bounce house.
R Beer presented on the Live on the Lawn event on October 13, 2019 at City Hall. This event stemmed from a vision from the City Manager, as a pilot event for possible future concerts and included food trucks, a bounce house, a face painter, and music from the Petaluma High School Jazz Band and Fog Holler.
K Hays also presented on the Turkey Trot 2019, which switched its venue to the Ellis Creek Water Recycling Facility this year. They had over 1,200 attendees, kids’ activities and set a record for the most food donations for the Redwood Empire Food Bank.
J Beatty, Interim Public Works and Utilities Director, wanted to mention the performance of Recreation Staff during the October Wildfires, which was also a special event, and thanked them for their efforts during that time.
K Hays then presented on the new City of Petaluma website, specifically the Parks and Recreation portion. He mentioned that one key element to this website is that staff members are web masters, enabling staff to edits to content internally. He provided a brief overview on some of the Parks and Recreation pages and asked Commissioners to spend some time looking at the site and let staff know of any changes they would like to see made or items that can be improved.
S Sass asked if the public can rent a park or facility online.
K Hays stated no, they cannot, but rental packets are available online.
M Cusimano stated that she really enjoys being able to see everything that Parks and Recreation does, including hearing about the Senior Center more in depth for the fist time. She asked if a gym was rented for the Basketball season.
K Hays answered, yes, they rent the gym at Casa Grande High School, which includes a use fee and a janitorial fee.
B Schor asked about using the gym at the Cavanagh Recreation Center.
K Hays stated that the City does not have a say in programming that occurs at Cavanagh due to Mentor Me running it.
D Halter stated that when Mentor Me entered into agreement with the City of Petaluma, there was existing programming that was included in any ongoing schedule, but that Mentor Me has their own athletic department that schedules use.
S Sass mentioned that many of the programs that occur at Cavanagh were grandfathered in, such as CYO, which takes up a lot of time.
B Schor stated that she was on the Commission when the contract with Mentor Me was negotiated and there was a point made so that other programming could occur.
S Sass clarified that much of the programming that takes place are City programs and take up a majority of time at the gym.
D Halter mentioned that the Basketball court at Cavanagh is a rubberized surface, is not a full-length court, and given the programming that is already occurring there, has limited availability for expanding programs.
M Cusimano stated that the Summer Camp, as well as Social Media outreach from Recreation is awesome, but wondered if the registration for Summer Camp has been late in comparison to other offerings and asked if it will be changed. She also asked the other ways in which Seniors are being communicated with and the cost for a membership.
R Beer stated that she is planning Summer Camp already and registration will be taking place a month earlier, in March, next year. She also stated that information regarding Summer Camp will be posted on Social Media and more often during the beginning of next year.
S Kraus thanked the Petaluma Garden Club for their work on the Senior Center as well as the entities that were able to help the homeless man she spoke of earlier. She also stated that memberships were only $20 a year, if it was purchased in January, and that most of the classes offered at the Senior Center are free or range from three to five dollars for instructor led classes. She stated that word of mouth, social media posts, and emails are used in communicating with seniors.
P Souza mentioned that the Senior Center also takes field trips.
S Kraus stated yes, they have done a few field trips and that some of the other groups or classes will take trips, as well.
S Sass stated she appreciated the updates and believes the City is lucky to have the staff on board and hopes the website will be helpful for all.
8. NEW BUSINESS A. None. 9. OLD BUSINESS
A. Parks and Recreation Community Survey and Outreach Update- Ingrid Alverde, Director of Economic Development and Open Government.
I Alverde asked the Commissioners if they had all received a copy of the survey via email. She stated that the reason it was sent was that staff had realized the survey did not make it to everyone they intended, so it was opened. During this re-opening, approximately 200 additional surveys were submitted online, with nominal changes in the overall results. In addition to the online surveys, hand written surveys were tabulated, but separately.
I Alverde went over the tabulation of the sixty handwritten surveys, as well as the similarities and differences between the handwritten and online surveys.
D Fischer asked I Alverde to send the last presentation as well as the latest results to the Commissioners.
I Alverde stated she would add it to the Measure M website, as well.
S Sass asked for clarification on the results, that some questions or areas were combined?
I Alverde confirmed that some results were combined and that she would send the results out to Commissioners.
S Sass stated she thought it would be a good idea to present all of the information, especially combined information, to everyone who contributed to the survey. B. Measure M Discussion- Discuss and Review Methodology for Prioritizing Measure M
Funding, Drew Halter, Recreation Supervisor.
D Halter provided a background of the historical fiscal and organizational sustainability of Parks and Recreation since the 2008 financial crisis. Peak funding in 2007 then saw a 46% drop by 2012, with reorganization of Parks and Recreation occurring in 2009. In 2019, there is still a 36% decline in funding compared to 2007. D Halter reviewed the departments general fund allocations and provided a breakdown of the funds. He then provided an overview of Measure M and how its funding works, with regard to the seven parameters of use. Challenges for Parks and Recreation over the years include a lack of indoor space, deteriorating infrastructure, and aging equipment, to name a few.
With the inclusion of Measure M, the City has provided a public process for the funds, which included: tours for Commissioners, an ad hoc review committee, a Community Workshop, online surveys, and more.
D Halter went over the priority categories that came as a result of the surveys and stated that the Commission should expect the categories to shift each year. If the Commission approves the list, staff will then work on a needs assessment and review assessments each year.
D Halter asked the Commission to read each category recommended by staff and give input on order.
D Fischer asked if the Ad Hoc Committee had submitted a report to the Commission.
P Souza stated that the Commission decided that they would deal with everything as whole, without an ad hoc committee.
D Fischer asked for a financial update for the 2019/2020 fiscal year. D Halter asked for J Beatty to provide this information.
J Beatty mentioned that in the fiscal year 2019/2020, the Lucchesi Turf Field and Lighting project is in the planning phase with staff assigned. Proposals have been received and need to be reviewed regarding infill materials.
The multi-use and park pathways restoration has been working with the Bike and Pedestrian Committee for planning and design. In addition to grant funds, Measure M funds will be used to help address safety issues. In addition, a Master Plan will be worked on for Lynch Creek Trail.
B Schor asked about funding allocation for pathways.
J Beatty stated staff is focusing on Lynch Creek and Prince Park safety issues, as well as tennis and pickle ball court resurfacing. He stated outreach will be conducted for these, but they are currently in the planning phase.
S Sass asked about clarification regarding funds.
J Beatty stated funds have been set aside for staff time and consultants. Courts may need full repair or restoration.
B Schor asked if the funds were just partial. J Beatty stated yes, the funds are partial.
P Souza asked about the tennis and pickle ball courts and their correlation to the funds.
J Beatty stated that the funds allocated were for design not for building.
D Halter mentioned that there was 56 thousand dollars allocated towards playgrounds, which is intended to be augmented by the 34 thousand dollars from the housing grant. He stated at this point staff has asked for three designs for Bond Park but will ask for designs for the top three parks stated in a previous meeting- Bond, Anna’s Meadows and Grant. Currently there is no meeting scheduled yet with community or organized groups to review any designs.
M Cusimano asked if there is an ad hoc committee for design of parks.
D Halter stated there is a CIP ad hoc committee, but RMPC not one specific to playgrounds.
P Souza asked how changing the design of a park worked.
S Sass mentioned that the Commission has been asked in the past regarding park design.
D Halter stated yes, but that pickle ball or tennis courts would not fall under playground redesign.
P Souza stated that parks need older children and adult friendly designs, and asked when does that happen?
D Halter stated that the City is trying to repair and make useable space from current unusable space, not make unusable areas a priority.
M Cusimano mentioned that the Commission did look at other playgrounds and parks and what they provided when they chose the design for Miwok Park. P Souza stated that it sounds like items are being replaced not redesigned at this point.
D Halter stated there is always opportunity for different amenities at different spaces.
B Schor stated that some parks have the opportunity to be reimagined, as they are not functioning as is, and could function better with different amenities.
S Sass agreed with B Schor’s comment and gave Anna’s Meadows as an example of possible intergenerational opportunities.
B Schor stated that she did not want to replace equipment that was not being used.
D Fischer stated that it is a different world today and the Master Plan needs to be updated in regards to how the Community can best utilize parks and open space. The Commission needs to rethink how spaces are being used.
S Sass commented that parks do get used in ways that are not always obvious but agrees that reimagining parks is great.
D Fischer stated she was confused on how the recommendations related to the three priorities put forth by the Commission. She feels that the results from the survey dictated otherwise.
D Halter stated that safety was the unanimously number one result from all surveys. He stated the first two priorities were clear and the third came from a combination of data. He stated that parks maintenance has done a great job in reimagining how maintenance looks over the last several years with fifty percent less staff. D Fischer stated that there is not a lot of revenue coming into the City, it may be beneficial to have more wild spaces especially for maintenance of parks.
J Beatty stated that there has been an increase in spaces to maintain while there has been a decrease in workers to maintain parks. He stated he understands Councilmember Fischer’s concerns, but that it is an effort to reimagine parks and that staff are trying to find a balance with all the issues. He hopes that the Measure M funds will help with some of the issues that Commission members have seen at parks.
B Schor stated it would be more helpful to see each of the recommended points displayed by the percentage of people who voted for it from the surveys. She stated that the Commission should be concentrating on the areas that cover the most people who will benefit. She also mentioned that the City is lucky to have access to Sonoma County Regional Parks Board and since they are working on the same issues, it may be beneficial to obtain advice from them regarding paths and construction, especially since there is not a lot of money.
J Beatty stated he agreed with the approach and went over an example of tennis courts. He also stated that staff is looking into items more strategically to have the best result.
P Souza stated staff should look into partnerships and gave the example of the Petaluma Tennis Association helping with a new windscreen and benches at Leghorns Park. She also mentioned that several pickle ball players have expressed interest in contributing to courts.
D Halter mentioned that the City of Petaluma relies heavily on partnerships and that caution must be exercised when using partnerships because the same partners are contacted over and over again. He also mentioned that partnerships should be utilized for more amenity type items, not full reconstruction of courts and re-surfacing.
B Schor wanted to reiterate to the Commission that the funds listed in the staff report are just a fraction of what the actual cost will be to complete the items on the list. She also stated that she thought it would take at least 4 years of Measure M funds just to complete the items on the current list.
J Beatty stated that was likely the case but does not have all the information on costs. A consultant is needed to identify costs.
B Schor stated she believes that the Commission needs to look at the list more in depth and asked that they all keep these projects in mind when looking at others so that overspending does not occur.
D Fischer stated that there were other items that they did not discuss, including the parks maintenance worker and capital expenditures and services/supplies. D Halter stated he agreed that the funds listed on the staff report are just a fraction of what the actual cost will be. He also wanted the Commission to know that some of the funds will be leveraged with other funds: including the housing fund for park replacement, the Lucchesi field turf fund, and Proposition 68 for pathways. S Sass asked about what the costs for tennis courts will be over the years and which
J Beatty stated that some of the funds would be from Capital Improvement Project Funds, but that the Measure M funds would repay the loan that would be taken out to complete the tennis courts project.
S Sass stated she did not feel comfortable dedicating eight percent of Measure M annual funds to tennis courts. She also mentioned that the Commission needs to look more at preliminary information prior to spending any funds.
J Beatty stated that staff is trying to get all of the information needed on how to proceed.
S Sass agreed with B Schor that it will cost money to get the information and if the Commission is not ready to spend the funds, then it needs to be discussed now. M Cusimano asked if the Commission can assume that the position of the workers will take at least 100K of the Measure M funds each year?
D Halter confirmed that the amount in the staff report was for one full time and two seasonal employees.
J Beatty confirmed what D Halter stated about the employees.
M Cusimano stated that the Commission needed to think about the Measure M funds minus the allocated funds for staffing.
B Schor agreed with M Cusimano.
P Souza stated that there has not been any maintenance on tennis courts for over 20 years and feels that tennis has taken a back seat when it comes to funding. She believes it has been let go for so long that it will take a large investment to get them back to being useable space, but that there are only four courts that are currently usable and that there are no pickle ball courts.
S Sass stated that she can name several parks and play structures that have not been touched in at least 20, maybe 30 years, as well.
B Schor stated she wants this item to become an agenda item on an upcoming meeting as they have now been given the information, since there is no sub-committee; this will ensure that the proper discussion occurs.
S Sass agreed that it is important to have the percentages as well as the ranking of the items.
D Halter asked J Beatty to clarify the capital expenditures and services/supplies on the staff report.
J Beatty went over the capital expenditures and services/supplies budgets, which were covered in previous meetings, as well. He stated to look at the February 2019 meeting, attachment B, there was a list of items identified.
D Halter asked if any funds had been spent.
J Beatty stated that some equipment will be purchased, but overall, very little has been spent.
D Fischer stated that tabs need to be kept on funds throughout the year so that it can be reported back to the community.
B Schor stated that she feels that some funds should come from the Parks fund. P Souza asked for clarification on where funds are coming from for the projects. D Halter provided clarification.
S Sass asked for comments or questions from the Commission as well as staff. D Halter thanked the Commission for their comments and hoped that everyone can work together in the future.
S Sass asked what the next step will be.
D Halter stated that staff is seeking recommendation from the Commission for support for the list made in the staff report regarding the use of Measure M Funds. S Sass stated that she felt the Commission covered as much as it was going to at this meeting.
10. COMMISSIONER COMMENT
A. B Schor stated that the Public Art Committee met on December 12, 2019 and discussed updates on outstanding projects. Her parks were green, but soggy, and she is looking forward to hearing about the IPM update that City staff are working on.
She mentioned there was some graffiti on the red teepee piece of public art, which was repainted, but should not have been as public art is in its own special category. She asked that this not be done in the future.
D Halter apologized and took the blame for this action; he stated it will not happen in the future.
B. P Souza stated that her parks were green as well but that there were still plenty of people out and about for this time of year. There is no update from the Bike and Pedestrian Committee. She noticed some graffiti and called it in, but sadly, it was back the next day.
She let the Commission know that the Petaluma Garden Club worked with the City and had removed Juniper bushes from the Senior Center parking lot and round-about, and that they will be working on replanting those areas, but a water source needs to be located or added.
She also mentioned that the Youth Commission recently presented at the City Council Meeting about vaping and asked the City to look at the issue. She was glad to see them so engaged and looking at pertinent issues.
C. S Sass stated she is looking forward to the IPM update as well, and that the Commission will have to look into why the previous one was not implemented as thought.
She stated her parks did not have a lot of standing water after the rains and also thanked D Halter for taking care of sprinklers that were watering at Denman Reach while it was raining, especially so late in the afternoon on a Friday.
D. Councilmember Fischer stated that City Council is moving forward with submitting the Age Friendly proposal. She also mentioned that this meeting may be her last as new assignments for Commission members occurs in January.
E. M Cusimano let the Commission know that her parks looked great and she had been seeing less graffiti than in the past months. The Museum was decked out for the holidays and they had a great party; the Parlor tour was a success and they are gearing up for the new year’s concert and party; and quilt exhibit that will happen in January.
F. MK DeLucco stated that she had just received her list of parks to visit and will be the liaison for the Youth Commission. She said she is excited to be a part of the Commission, as well.
11. STAFF COMMENT
A. D Halter thanked K Hays for his “assist” regarding the sprinklers at Denman Reach. He also thanked the Recreation staff for all of their hard work over the last year as well as tonight.
He welcomed C Chong and stated he is looking forward to working with her in the future.
He mentioned that much of recreation in general has moved indoors and that it has been a busy time at the Community Center with classes, performances and holiday celebrations.
He stated the Museum has been very busy as well with their tours and parties. He thanked Councilmember Fischer for her time on the Commission and wished her luck if she does not return.
B. J Beatty provided an update that the CIP portion of Public Works is fully staffed as of a few month ago and the person most recently hired has great parks experience.
He stated that the baseball field at Petaluma Community Sports Fields is at 90% design and staff are working on permitting with a target of Spring to award the bid. He mentioned that staff is working with Petaluma Wetlands Alliance to build an auditorium/stadium at Shollenberger.
He met with Parks Maintenance staff since the departure of Jeff Gittings and believes they are a hardworking group who have dealt with many issues in parks. He mentioned that the IPM is a priority and he is working with staff, the City Manager, and members of the community regarding it, including looking at the original draft, looking at what other communities have done, and pulling in a consultant to help.
He expressed his excitement to have C Chong on board with the City.
S Sass asked if Lynch Creek was a focal point to avoid it becoming like the Joe Rodota trail in Santa Rosa.
J Beatty stated that he is hopeful that working with the Police Department and their presence along Lynch Creek will improve safety. He agreed that safety and lighting are a priority and staff on the engineering side are doing everything that they can to ensure both.
12. COMMUNICATIONS A. None.
13. ADJOURN – 9:02 P.M.
Next Meeting of the Recreation, Music and Parks Commission scheduled for Wednesday, January 15, 2020.
