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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-10-2003 Approved PCSC Minutes C CITY OF DUBLIN PARKS AND COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMISSION MINUTES OF FEBRUARY51;0,2003 Chairperson Flores called the February 10, 2003 meeting of the Parks and Community Services Commission to order at 7:03p.m. at the Dublin Civic Center, Dublin, California. Pledge ofAlleeiance Chairperson Flores led the Pledge of Allegiance. Roll Call Commissioners Present: Flores, Zajac, Hildenbrand, Cain, Guarienti and Young Oral Communications 3.1 Brief Informational Only Reports from Senior Center and Youth Advisory Committees Anna Hudson reported that the new Chairperson for the Senior Center Advisory Committee is George McHugh and new Committeemember, Greer Payton. Payton stated that this is a very delightful opportunity for her to share her ideas for the new Senior Center. 3.2 Public Comments -None Approval of Minutes Chair Flores referred to Page 2, Paragraph 4, which indicated that Vice-Chairperson Zajac passed the gavel to herself. Minutes should be corrected to reflect that the gavel was passed to Chairperson Flores. ON A MOTION BY CM. GUARIENTI, SECONDED BY VICE-CHAIR ZAJAC AND BY UNANIMOUS VOTE, THE COMMISSION VOTED TO APPROVE THE MINUTES AS CORRECTED. Written Communications-None Public Hearinj'-None Unfinished Business 7.1 Schematic Design for New Dublin Senior Center McCreary gave a brief summary of the history of the project for the newly appointed Commissioners and those in the audience. The City hired the Dahlin Group in September 2002 to begin the design of the Senior Center. Dahlin Group reviewed the cities two prior Senior Center Studies to familiarize themselves with the programming needs of the seniors. They met with the Senior Center Advisory Committee to reaffirm those needs and also met with the architects for the senior housing. Based on the information and input received, Dahlin Group came up with three conceptual floor plans. The Senior Advisory Committee and the Commission unanimously approved Conceptual Design C, which was also approved by the City Council in November 2002. Since that time, Dahlin Group has prepared a schematic design and refined the floor plan for the building. The Senior Advisory Committee received information on the schematic design last Thursday, February 6 and unanimously recommended approval. McCreary introduced Karl Danielson with Dahlin Group. Danielson provided a Power Point presentation and briefly summarized the changes made to the floor plan. He then reviewed the exterior elevations and indicated that they were trying to create a building that reflected hearth, home and community. The City has established some materials for their public Page 1 of 10 i q buildings, some of which include patina colored roofs and cream/beige sandstone. These materials were taken into consideration when designing the exterior of the Senior Center. Cm. Young stated that she was very impressed with the presentation. Chair Flores concurred. She particularly liked how the design was modified to meet the needs of the seniors. Chair Flores opened the meeting for public input. There was none. Cm. Guarienti stated that when he attended the meeting of the Senior Advisory Committee, there was discussion regarding the utilization of the outdoor space. There was some controversy as to whether it would be used or not. He felt that it was important to realize that there will be senior housing on the site, and for those people, this will be their outdoor area. He supported the use of the outdoor space and was glad to see that Danielson incorporated it into the design. Chair Flores asked if the seniors who live in the senior housing complex, will they have to go through the Center to access the patio. Danielson replied, yes. ON A MOTION BY CM. CAIN, SECONDED BY CM. GUARIENTI AND BY UNANIMOUS VOTE, THE COMMISSION VOTED TO APPROVE THE SCHEMATIC DESIGN FOR THE NEW DUBLIN SENIOR CENTER. 7.2 Dublin Ranch Area G—Park Design Development Rosemary Alex, Parks and Facility Development Coordinator, reported that Royston Hanamoto Alley and Abey were hired last October 2002. Through a series of public workshops they came up with a preferred conceptual design which was subsequently approved at the January 7, 2003 City Council meeting. At that time the information that was presented did not include a plant palate, site furnishings or play equipment details. She introduced Aditya Advani to review this information for the Commission. Advani briefly summarized the changes made to the design based on comments from the Parks and Community Services Commission and City Council. The layout hasn't shifted, however the picnic and play areas were refined. He then presented a power point presentation to show the proposed tree and plant palate, site furnishing and play area details and equipment. Poplar trees or English Oaks will be used as windbreakers to protect the game tables; basketball courts and dog run areas. At the corners of the park, accent trees would be planted. The type of tree could be the same at each corner or individual trees. Suggested trees are the Hawthorne, Red Maple or the non-fruiting Maple Leaf Plum. Ground cover would be a perennial with a strong splash of color, planted in the corners near the basketball courts and along the edge of the play area. Park furnishings will include recycled plastic picnic and game tables, benches, two types of drinking fountains, a bike rack, trash receptacles and light fixtures. Advani stressed that lighting fixtures make a very huge impact on a park. The recommended lighting fixture is traditional looking, however is still under review with Staff The public restrooms will be a ready-made standard looking concrete block. The arbor will be simple, lightweight and inexpensive. The fence around the play area will be simple and the fence along the dog park will be vinyl-covered chain-link. The play area was redesigned to bring the play area and central space together. Play equipment selected is manufactured by Landscape Structures and will be used for both the school age and preschool play areas. Picnic tables were added adjacent to the play area with accent trees for wind protection. This area would be good for some type of sound sculpture. Redwood trees, a crescent of turf and planted rose bushes would surround the picnic and barbecue area. Page 2 of 10 Cm. Guarienti asked Advani about his experience with the Poplar tree, particularly in regards to root problems? Advani stated that the Poplar is great for fast growing and wind protection. They try to keep them away from concrete sidewalks and use root barriers to contain the roots. The Poplars used in this project are not close to any sidewalks. He agreed that there are pros and cons to Poplar trees and that is why the English Oak may be an alternative. Cm. Guarienti inquired as to the material used for the circular path. Advani stated that the circular path was originally going to be concrete however the City Council's direction was to go with a softer material like decomposed granite. Vice-Chair Zajac asked if we find that the soil is not desirable, would soil amendment be possible. Also, don't Ash trees usually have disease problems? Advani replied that soil amendment would be possible. He has found problems with the Deciduous Ash but not as much with the Evergreen Ash. Both of these trees were used at Bishop Ranch extensively. In talking with their maintenance personnel, the Deciduous Ash is not doing very well and that is why we are recommending the Evergreen Ash. Vice-Chair Zajac stated that based on the visuals shown, would the trees allow a view of the park. Advani stated that the Ash trees would be pruned as needed, however if over pruned they would become top heavy and fall over. The trunks of the trees have been placed so as to allow a view corridor. Vice Chair Zajac asked if the Forsythia was a yellow flowering tree? Alex stated that is more of a shrub. Paul Silvas, 7583 Carlow Way asked if any consideration was given to the sun and wind when the tennis courts were laid out? Advani stated that there are no tennis courts at this park. Cm. Hildenbrand asked how quickly shade would be available with these fast growing trees? Advani stated that the Ash, Poplar and Redwood trees are all fast growing trees. He estimated that 3-5 years would be a reasonable timeframe to expect shade. Cm. Hildenbrand voiced concern regarding the location of rose bushes and people having to go through them to access the park. Advani stated that the rose bushes would be planted mainly at the entry areas, however people would not have to walk through them to access the park. Cm. Cain asked how many entrances to the dog park? Advani replied three, two at each end and one in the middle. There are also three gates to the children's play area. Chair Flores asked what colors are being looked at for the play area? Advani replied green and tan. Greer Payton asked if all the seating straight as opposed to curved? Advani stated that all the benches in the park would have a curved back. Cm. Young asked if any consideration was given to the pollen from the plants? Advani replied that this had not been taken into consideration. Cm. Young asked if money is an issue at this time. Alex stated that the project is $112,000 over the budget now. However during development of the construction documents ways to minimize costs will be investigated. If this cannot be achieved through some design configuration and a technical aspect, some of the elements may have to be scaled back alternates put into the bid documents. Page 3 of 10 Vice-Chair Zajac asked if one of the gates to the dog park could be deleted to reduce costs. Alex replied, yes. Advani agreed. Vice-Chair Zajac stated that the design presented is a very nice one and she would understand if revisions had to be made to reduce costs. Lowart stated that the direction staff is looking for is 1) is there anything that is being presented that stands out and is absolutely not necessary; 2) if comfortable with the plant palette, Staff would like the approval of the Commission. In regards to the budget, Staff will be doing several cost estimates to make sure that the costs being used today are still the costs that will be in effect when the project is put out to bid. ON A MOTION BY VICE-CHAIR ZAJAC, SECONDED BY CM. HILDENBRAND AND BY UNANIMOUS VOTE, THE COMMISSION VOTED TO APPROVE THE DUBLIN RANCH—AREA G PARK DESIGN DEVELOPMENT PLAN AS PRESENTED. New Business 8.1 Purchase of a Charter Van for the Senior Center McCreary reported that that one Council's high priority goals for FY2002-03 is to pursue the purchase of a Senior Center Van pending the successful expansion of the Senior Center Trips and Tours Program. At the direction of the City Council, Staff expanded the program to include two trips per month. To date, eighteen (18) trips have been offered of which only two were cancelled due to low enrollment. Between May and November 2002 there was a total registration of 200, serving 134 of which 80 were Dublin residents. An average of 13 people attended each trip with a waiting list of 2 people per trip. The rental van currently used is not designed to meet the needs of seniors. Boarding and maneuvering to the back seats is difficult for participants and the van is also not wheelchair accessible or have any storage space. Staff would recommend purchasing a "Cal-Trans Type II Van", which can accommodate 15 passengers, two wheelchairs and feature a wheelchair lift and access door. The primary purpose of purchasing the van is to use it for the Trips and Tours Program. When not being used for trips, the van could be used for other Senior Center programs. To start Staff would recommend• using the van for the Trail Trekkers Program and to bring seniors to and from the weekly luncheons. McCreary stated that the City currently has $50,000 set aside for the purchase of a charter van. However the budget was established for this project over two years ago, since then the cost of the vehicle and the sales tax has increased. Staff estimates a funding shortfall of approximately $11,425. The City would therefore need to allocate additional funds from reserves or find other funding sources such as grants or donations to make up the difference. Staff estimates that during FY2002-03 the current Trips and Tours Program will result in a net cost of$12,752 to the City. Staff met with the Senior Center Advisory Committee and they unanimously recommended approval for purchase of a van for the Senior Center. Chair Flores inquired as to the type of fuel the charter van would use? McCreary replied, regular not diesel. Cm. Hildenbrand asked if it is necessary to hire a professional driver or could a Recreation Specialist obtain the drivers license required? McCreary stated that this was Staff's original plan,but it was difficult to find someone to fit both those needs. A Recreation Specialist was hired who coordinates the trips but Page 4'of 10 does not go on the trips. If a driver is not available, Anna Hudson is licensed and trained to drive the van. Staff hopes to build a crew of at least 2-3 drivers. Chair Flores stated that the new Senior Center would draw more participants and asked where a 35-ft van should be pursued? McCreary stated that with the Trip and Tours Program, if a trip is popular two trips could be offered. Cm. Guarienti stated that you would need a second van for transportation, because if the van were being used for a trip, the van would not be available to offer general transportation to and from the Senior Center. Vice-Chair Zajac asked what is the anticipated longevity of the van? McCreary replied, seven years. Cm. Cain stated that the internal service charge is actually just a reserve for building up to purchase a new van. McCreary replied, yes. Chair Flores stated that the newspaper addressed the City's surplus. She asked if it is safe to assume that making up the deficit for the van should be a problem. Lowart stated that the City anticipates making it through this fiscal year. However at this point it is uncertain to say if there is going to be any surplus or- deficit. It will depend on what the State does. Cm. Guarienti stated that the existing van does create hardship for some people. The type of van recommended is going to make the trips even more popular with a larger group of people. Chair Flores stated that ballroom at the new Senior Center has been discussed as a place for income generating purposes. Could this income be used to facilitate the purchase of another van? McCreary stated that at this point it is hard to tell what type of income would be generated. Plus, the new Senior Center will generate increased operational costs. Hudson stated that she was a driver for some of the trips for the seniors, and wants the Commission to keep in mind the word "dignity". Depending on the disabilities and sizes of the seniors, it is sometimes very difficult for them to get into and out of the van. She would not recommend a larger van as it is not size but rather comfort that is important. Cm. Guarienti stated that instead of having to hire additional staff for the new Senior Center, would it be possible to use more volunteers instead? McCreary replied, yes. Dan Rodriquez, Ione Way, stated that with a better van participation would increase. Increased participation would therefore generate the need for more trips. He encouraged the Commission to approve the purchase of a new van. ON A MOTION BY CM. CAIN SECONDED BY VICE CHAIR ZAJAC AND BY UNANIMOUS VOTE, THE COMMISSION VOTED TO APPROVE THE PURCHASE OF A CHARTER VAN FOR THE SENIOR CENTER. 8.2 Parks and Community Services Goals and Objectives Lowart reported that the City Council has scheduled the Annual Goals and Objectives Study Session for Monday, March 31, 2003 at 6:00p.m. This Study Session provides the City Council with an opportunity to reach consensus on the primary direction and allocation of City resources for the upcoming year. Page 5of10 The Parks and Community Services Commission has been asked to provide input on the preliminary Goals and Objectives for Parks and Community Services and has been provided two reports, a Status Report of the Adopted 2002-003 Goals and Objectives and a revised Preliminary List of the Goals and Objectives for 2003-04. When the 2002-03 year started there were 18 objectives assigned to the Parks and Community Services Department. Of those objectives, 15 were given a high priority and 3 were given a medium priority. One additional objective was initiated by the City Council. Of the nineteen objectives, 9 are or will be completed by the end of the year, 4 are underway and will be carried over to the next fiscal year. Three (3) have had no progress and will also be carried over to the next fiscal year. The remaining three(3) will be carried over,however Staff is recommending that they be deleted. Lowart briefly summarized the Adopted 2002-03 Goals and Objectives Status Report and the Preliminary 2003-04 Goals and Objectives for the Commission. She pointed out that the revised Preliminary Goals and Objectives includes four new.objectives. Both the Senior Center Advisory Committee and Youth Advisory Committee were given the opportunity to provide input on objectives for 2003-2004. The Senior Center Advisory Committee concurred with the objectives and ratings recommended by Staff and had no additional objectives to add. The Youth Advisory Committee recommended the addition of the following objective: Develop a teen sports league to accommodate a sport that is not sponsored by the.School District such as Lacrosse or Street Hockey. Lowart suggested that before discussing the individual priorities for each objective that the Commissioners present any new objectives and they can be considered with the other objectives. Discussion: Objective#1: The Commission concurred with the "high"priority. Objective #2: Cm. Flores stated that we have discussed the BMX Track issue over and over and it was her understanding that until the State changed the law, this was off the table. Lowart stated that it depends on how we perceive BMX. There are two types of facilities that are popular. One is a free style BMX facility similar to our skateboard park, which is not possible for us to proceed with because of the liability issue. The second type is a BMX facility that is more of a track, which is covered under the law. There is currently a new BMX track in San Ramon, which is heavily used and seems to meet the needs of local BMX bikers. The Council has made it very clear that they are not looking for us to design a free style BMX type of facility. However the City could look into some kind of track facility. Objective#2: Cm. Guarienti asked when listing these objectives, did you already have a priority in mind? Lowart stated that the priority shown in the list is the priority of Staff. Cm. Guarienti stated that Objective 2 was 12 last year. What was Staff's rational in changing its priority to a 2. Lowart stated that a year ago the developer was still working on environmental issues however, it appears that these issues are close to being resolved. Lowart stated that there are so many unmet sports and recreation needs in our community. It makes sense to get this site planned so we can gauge how other projects will be completed such as Emerald Glen Park and the Dublin Sports Grounds. Cm. Young asked if we are changing the ranking of the objectives. Lowart stated that the Commission is being asked to rank each objective tonight and suggested ranking the objectives on an individual basis. Page 6 of 10 Objective #3: Cm. Cain asked how does Staff plan to communicate the registration software to the community. McCreary stated that in March Staff will be launching the E-connect site DublinRecGuide.com and will be doing a thorough marketing campaign in the Activity Guide, colored post cards to the public and provide exposure at the St. Patrick's event. Next year Staff will do similar exposure letting the public know that e-connect registration will be available at the Swim Center. Current participants will be informed through the current registration software. Everything should be on-line in mid-May. Cm. Guarienti stated that it seems that the Swim Center was not included in the original concept, is that correct. McCreary stated that we are not only going to do Internet registration, but will also be accepting VISA for the first time. There are over 600 swim classes per summer which are not on are current registration system. It will therefore take Staff a lot of time to do input. The Internet package will interact with the Class Registration Software. Cm. Cain asked if the majority of registration is currently being done by people filling out the registration form in the Activity Guide. McCreary stated that Swim Center registration is walk-in only. Objective#4: Cm. Guarienti stated that when the Commission begins to rank the objective, he would probably move this objective down a little further on the list. Cm. Cain asked if the specialists hired to conduct the programs would be compensated,with a fee charged for the camp. Lowart replied, yes. The cost of the program would be to help recover the additional costs. Cm. Guarienti asked what would the typical program cost. Lowart stated that the Fun in the Sun Program costs $110 for the summer for four hours per day, five days a week for 8 weeks. This objective is to add another element to the program to keep it interesting. Objective #5: Lowart stated that in the past this item was under the Planning Department. They have done several studies to look at the potential of preserving the area in the West for open space as opposed to development. The Council has only approved a concept to look at preserving open space in the West. The East Bay Regional Park has already started acquiring property at the ridge top of the Western hills and one of the ideas is to try to make connections with the City of Dublin to get to the ridge top. Cm. Flores asked how much control do we really have over how this will proceed. Lowart stated that there are two major properties that have been identified that we would like the East Bay Regional Park District to acquire to make one large open space area. Both property owners have resigned themselves that they will not be able to develop their land for housing. They have indicated that they are interested in working with someone to purchase their property. There is currently a memorandum of understanding between EBRPD and the City of Dublin to work cooperatively to make this happen. Cm. Guarienti stated that there has been a move for a number of years since the proposed development in the West to acquire some of the property to have open space. With Dublin being in partnership, it would allow extra funding. Cm. Flores asked if the funding was available? Lowart replied that there is limited funding set aside by the City but she is not aware of what EBRPD may have. Cm. Flores stated we then still need to look for grants. Is this something that is going to remain as a High priority as the years go by with hopes of Page 7 of 10 1 developing it? Lowart stated that part of the first phase of the project that we are working with EBRPD under the Memorandum of Understanding, we are looking at what the development potential is, exactly what do we want and how will be access it. We are also looking at what is it going to cost, what kind of funding resources are available or grants. Cm. Flores asked if that money could take away from building other parks. Lowart stated that all of the parks in Eastern Dublin are being developed from developer impact fees, which can only be used to develop parks in Eastern Dublin. Objective #6: Lowart stated that Staff believes that expansion of the Day on the Glen Festival with little impact to Staff. Objective #7: Lowart stated that Dublin Little League brought this objective to the Commission. Cm. Guarienti asked if they are being purchased separately. Lowart stated that the one for the Sports Grounds was in the renovation project. The one for Emerald Glen Park will be included in Phase It Objective #8: Lowart stated that Staff moved this objective from a High to a Medium. It has been on the list for 3-4 years. Objective #9: Lowart stated that this a new objective added by Staff. Cm. Flores stated that the marquee is not kept current in a timely manner and looks old. • Objective #10: Cm. Flores stated that we discussed this item last year and decided to delete the community garden. After discussion the Commission felt that the area is too small for both a dog park and community garden. Community input seems to reflect a need for a dog park. Lowart suggested that the objective be deleted and then add a new objective later. Objective #11: Lowart stated that this has been on the list for 2 years and introduced by a member of the Council. The new library will have an extensive computer lab. Cm. Cain felt that this objective should deleted as the new library will serve the needs of the community. The Commission concurred. Objective #12: Staff recommends deletion as the School District has indicated that they are not interested. The Commission concurred. Objective #13: Staff recommends deletion as Staff would recommend that all future sports park planning that artificial turf be investigated. The Commission concurred. Objective #14: Staff recommends deletion because there is uncertainty about what the future of Dublin High School or High Schools are going to be. Cm. Cain stated that he doesn't understand why the City is even involved in the track or fields in the School District. Lowart stated that the City and the School District are party to an agreement for reciprocal use and development. Page 8 of 10 1 The Commission concurred to delete the objective and re-evaluate at another time. Objective #15: Lowart stated that the Youth Advisory Committee proposed this item. Cm. Guarienti suggested that the objective be reworded to conduct a survey to move it up in priority. The Commission concurred to revise the objective to read "Conduct a survey of Dublin teens to determine interest in a teen sports league to accommodate a sport that is not sponsored by the School District such as Lacrosse or Street Hockey". Objective #16: The is a new objective to replace #10 and focus on development of a dog park but no community garden at Dougherty Hills Park. Objective #17: Cm. Guarienti stated that he would like to see a location and distance map of existing trails in Dublin including trails/walkways in parks. The Commission concurred. After discussion the Commission ranked the objectives as follows: 1. High Complete Design and Construction Documents for Senior Center. 2. High Develop a master plan and phasing plan for the Sports Park on Gleason Drive and Fallon Road including evaluation of BMX Track. 3. High Expand use of the City's program registration and point of sale software packages to the Swim Center. 4. High Incorporate specialized enrichment activities into summer camp programs. 5. High Work actively to develop a regional park in the west hills open to the public. 6. High Expand Day on the Glen Festival to include a sanctioned City tennis tournament. 7. High Purchase & install scoreboards at Field"A" of Emerald Glen Park. 8. Medium Update Facility Use Agreement with Dublin Unified School District. 9. High Replace existing marquee at Shannon Community Center with an electronic marquee 10. Delete— Explore opportunity to use Dougherty Hills Open Space on Amador Valley Blvd at see#16 Stagecoach for Dog Park and Community Garden. below 11. Delete Open Media Centers/Computer Labs and Libraries in the evening at Dublin Unified School District facilities through City's Parks & Community Services Department. 12. Delete Increase day care by developing surplus land at schools for childcare facilities. 13. Delete Conduct cost/benefit analysis of installing artificial turf at future City sports fields. 14. Delete Investigate an all weather track&artificial football/soccer field at Dublin High. 15. High Conduct a survey of Dublin teens to determine interest in a teen sports league to accommodate a sport that is not sponsored by the School District such as Lacrosse or Street Hockey. 16. High Explore opportunity to use Dougherty Hills Open Space on Amador Valley Blvd at (should Stagecoach for a Dog Park. be #6 in priority) 17. High Develop a location and distance map of existing trails in Dublin, including trails/walkways in parks. • Page 9 of 10 a � ' Other Business Brief INFORMATIONAL ONLY Reports from Parks & Community Services Commissioners and/or Staff Vice-Chair Zajac announced that this is her last meeting on the Commission, as she is relocating out of Dublin. Cm. Hildenbrand stated that the Commission receives all agendas except for the Planning Commission and asked why that was. Lowart indicated that she would look into the matter. Cm. Cain reported that he has not received a copy of the Commission's members with addresses and phone numbers. Lowart stated that one would be provided next week. Chair Flores stated that she plans to attend the Conference in San Jose both Thursday and Friday, and understands that this change would not affect the cost. Lowart replied, yes. Staff Report—Lowart: 4The Mayor has accepted Vice Chair Zajac's resignation and at the next meeting will be recommending the appointment of Steve Jones to the Commission. She introduced Mr. Jones who was in the audience. Staff Report—McCreary: 4.In January the newer Commissioners has asked for Staff to arrange a tour of the parks and facilities. Staff is recommending either March 6 or 7 for the tour between 1-4pm. The tour will include all City facilities and a drive-by of the parks. Perhaps in the spring a more thorough tour of the parks can be done. Cm. Guarienti and Flores stated that they could do Thursday, March 6 however prefer Friday, March 7. Cm. Cain stated he would have to check with his employer. Cm. Hildenbrand stated that Thursday, March 6 would be best for her. She would have to get a babysitter for Friday, but can probably manage. Cm. Young stated that she had school. Adjournment Being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at Respectfully submitted, Char J. Young / Administrative Tec i ian APPROVED: i Chaim Page l0 of 10