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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-20-2004 Approved PCSC Minutes CITY OF DUBLIN PARKS AND COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMISSION MINUTES OF: ;SEPTEMBER 20,2004 Chairperson Flores called the meeting of the September 20, 2004 Parks and Community Services Commission to order at 7:00 p.m. at the Dublin Civic Center,Dublin, California. Pledge of Allegiance Chairperson Flores led the Pledge of Allegiance. Roll Call Commissioners Present: Flores, Jones, Guarienti,Hildenbrand, Cain and Smith Commissioners Absent: None Oral Communications 3.1 Presentation from Youth Advisory Committee Recreation Coordinator Henry Siu introduced Erik Smith, Vice Chairperson Youth Advisory Committee 2003/2004. Smith presented a slide show to the Commission on the accomplishments of the 2003/2004 Youth Advisory Committee. Smith explained that during the past year,the Advisory Committee assisted with the coordination of numerous teen events. Some of the more popular events included the Dub Town Jam,Youth Music Showcase,Karaoke Night and Capture the Cauldron Night. Community service was a high priority for the Committee during their term. The members volunteered to coordinate the parking lots and shuttles at the Day on the Glen Festival. In addition,they operated the City's Information Booth at the St. Patrick's Day Festival and assisted the Alameda County Firefighters with the St.Patrick's Day Community Pancake Breakfast. Cm. Guarienti asked how many activities the Youth Advisory Committee sponsors each year. Siu explained that the Committee usually tries to plan 13-15 events throughout the year. 3.2 Brief Information Only Reports from Senior Center and Youth Advisory Committees . Elsie Jennings, 7636 Brighton Avenue, Dublin, introduced herself as the newest member of the Senior Center Advisory Committee. Jennings reported that she is a 35 year resident and homeowner of Dublin. Jennings thanked Cm. Cain for attendance at the Senior Center Advisory Committee meetings. Jennings reported that at the last Senior Center Advisory Committee meeting the 2004 Spring Activities were reviewed as well as the 2003/2004 season trips. In addition to van trips,the Senior Center has also started offering extended out of state and even international trips for seniors. A trip is leaving for Paris on Thursday, September 23r1,which is very exciting. Jennings advised that the new Senior Center is moving along nicely. In mid-October, the Senior Center Advisory Committee will be selecting furniture and chairs for the new Senior Center. Approval of Minutes ON A MOTION BY CM GUARIENTI, SECONDED BY CM JONES AND, BY UNANIMOUS VOTE, THE COMMISSION VOTED TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF AUGUST 16,2004 AS PRESENTED. Written Communications-None Public Hearing-None Unfinished Business-None Minutes—September 20,2004 Page 2 of 5 New Business 8.1 Proposed Off Leash Dog Park at Dougherty Hills Open Space Parks and Facilities Development Manager Herma Lichtenstein greeted the Commission and advised that tonight staff would be presenting a site plan for a proposed off leash dog park at the Dougherty Hills Open Space. Staff is recommending that the Commission receive presentation from staff, receive public testimony and determine if Dougherty Hills Open Space should be modified to include an off leash dog park. Lichtenstein advised that one of the Fiscal-Year 2004-2005 high priority City Council goals is to explore the opportunity to use Dougherty Hills Open Space on Amador Valley Boulevard at Stagecoach Road for a Dog Park. Staff has evaluated the site and determined that it will accommodate a two-acre dog park with areas for both large and small dogs. Staff has notified residents within four hundred feet of the project site and received one comment via phone in favor of the park, if adequate parking were provided. The base of Dougherty Hills Open Space has been identified as a possible site. The site is approximately two acres in size, which would allow enough space for a large and small dog area as well as 18 off street parking spaces. In order to convert this area for use as a dog park, additional fencing would be installed as well as double-gated entries on the west end of the area. Drinking water, garbage cans,benches, signs stating rules at each entrance and "dog waste clean-up tools"would also be necessary. In addition staff is suggesting a Dog Agility Course. Lichtenstein directed the Commission's attention to the two separate options available for consideration. The first option includes a basic layout with no agility course. The second option includes an agility course, more landscaping, shade trees and benches. The cost for the first options is$299,470 and the cost for the second options is$478,380. Cm. Guarienti asked if trail access into the Dougherty Hills Open Space has been included in the design. Lichtenstein stated that the trail access into the Dougherty Hills is near the entrance to the dog park and would include a walkway from the street area and,there would also be access from the parking lot to the trail path. Chair Flores asked if people would be able to gain entrance to the dog park from Amador Valley. Lichtenstein advised that there would be only one entrance to the park. This design was chosen mainly for safety reasons; to control the way dogs/owners exit and enter the park. Cm. Jones asked how much the dog agility course equipment cost. Lichtenstein advised the cost for the dog agility equipment was approximately$20,000. Chair Flores opened the meeting for public comment. Tom Hayhurst, 2649 Calle Alegre, Pleasanton, advised that he is the President of the Dublin Rotary Club and is here on their behalf to let the City know that they are interested in assisting in the dog park project and would like to include this project in their celebration of the Dublin Rotary's 20th year and Rotary Club International's bicentennial year. Mr.Hayhurst advised that the Dublin Rotary would like to have their Rotary symbol displayed at the park in recognition for their support of this project. Cm. Cain asked if the Rotary support included financial support. Mr. Hayhurst advised that their offer of support could include some financial assistance. Of course, they could not fund the whole project but they would love to support this project as much as possible. Jennifer Woolf, 7405 Quartz Circle, Dublin, advised that she lives right next to the proposed dog park on Quartz Circle. Woolf advised that she is also a Veterinarian working in our community. Woolf wanted to know if the small dogs would have access to the agility course located in the large dog area. Lichtenstein advised that at this time, there would be no mixed use between the small and large dogs as the area is not large enough and, from a safety standpoint, this would not work out very well. Woolf suggested setting up different days and times when Minutes—September 20,2004 Page 3 of5 small and large dogs could each use the course. Lichtenstein advised that this is something that the City could take into consideration but would have to be looked into further before an answer could be given. Woolf advised that she is concerned with the extra traffic the dog park may create on Quartz Circle. Woolf advised that there are approximately 30 children that live along Quartz Circle and the kids play in the streets all the time. Lichtenstein advised that the City would have to take a further look into this issue however; the grading along Amador Valley Boulevard makes it difficult to provide access to the park from that side. Lichtenstein suggested possibly installing a "no left turn" sign so people can't use Quartz Circle as a cut through to get to Stagecoach. Lichtenstein stated she would look into this issue further as well. Cm. Hildenbrand asked if the dog agility course could be moved more towards the center to allow small dog's access to the agility course through a separate entrance. Lichtenstein stated that the proposals before them are rough sketches which can be modified to their specifications. Kyla Otaegi, 3330 Oak Bluff Lane, Dublin, stated that she is a Dublin resident and a large dog owner. She is excited about the possibility of another dog park in Dublin. She was very disappointed when she found out that . her dog could not play at the new Bray Commons dog park because her dog is over 20 pounds. Otaegi currently has to go to Livermore to take her dog to the park and would love to have a dog park in her neighborhood. Otaegi agreed with the City to put in bark instead of grass, which she feels, is always wet or muddy. She likes the agility course and feels it would be a good draw to get people to our park but doesn't feel it is an absolutely necessary feature that the park must have. Cm. Guarienti stated that the small dog area of 2,000 feet is much smaller than the average "small dog park". The standard ranges from 7,000 in Concord, to 11,000 square feet in Alameda. Lichtenstein stated that since the small dogs already have a park in Bray Commons, it made sense, to give the large dogs more space at this park. Lichtenstein is willing to look at this area again. Cm. Guarienti asked if we could create some space by expanding into the hills. Cm. Guarienti would like to see 2- 3 times more space given to the small dogs to be more in line with current park standards while still keeping at least one acre for the large dogs. Parks &Community Services Director Dian Lowart asked if the hilly area would be landscaped. Cm. Guarienti felt it could be left as is. Woolf advised that from a Veterinarian standpoint, all areas of the dog park must be landscaped because,if not,the dogs will get foxtails everywhere possible which can be very dangerous to the dogs and a very costly medical expense for their owners. Cm. Hildenbrand stated that she would like to see the park be for large dogs only. Cm. Hildenbrand stated that it doesn't seem fair that the small dogs will have two parks and the large dogs have only one. Cm. Hildenbrand feels that if we take even more space away from the large dogs we are going to create a problem where the community is starts complaining about there not being enough space for the large dogs to play in our area. Cm. Hildenbrand likes the agility course but feels that if it takes up too much space,we should just landscape the area appropriately, leave out the agility course and have more room for the large dogs. Cm. Cain expressed concern with the cost of option two which included the agility course. He felt the cost was much too high. Cm. Jones stated he would like to have some community input on this project. Chair Flores stated that she would like to leave the small dog and large dog area as is because the small dogs also have the park at Bray Commons. Minutes—September 20,2004 • Page 4 of'5 Cm. Hildenbrand asked if this project would go through the same process as other parks built in Dublin. Lichtenstein advised that this project would go through all of the same community review and Commission and Council review before implementation. Cm. Hildenbrand stated that although the cost for the project may seem high to some, she feels we should spend the extra money and do good job in landscaping and shading to make the area look nice for the neighbors who will have to put up with the increased traffic in their area. Lowart reminded the Commission that funds for this project are not included in this year's budget. If the Commission approves the project tonight, it will go before City Council and if approved by the Council, added to the Capital Improvement Program in Fiscal Year 2005-2006. Cm. Jones asked Lowart if we could get feedback from the community on this project so that when we have approval to move forward, we have an idea of what the community wants in a dog park. Lowart advised that this could be done by holding a public meeting and inviting interested participants to provide feedback to the City on the dog park. The City could also administer surveys through our website and at the City Public Service Counters. ON A MOTION FROM . CM. CAIN AND SECONDED BY CM. JONES, THE COMMISSION UNIANIMOUSLY AGREED TO LOOK AT THE DOUGHERTY HILLS OPEN SPACE LOCATION ON AMADOR VALLEY BOULEVARD AND STAGECOACH ROAD AS A LOCATION FOR A DOG PARK. Other Business Brief INFORMATIONAL ONLY Reports from Parks& Community Services Commissioners and/or Staff Cm. Smith advised that the Youth Advisory Committee is finished with organizing volunteer participation at the City's Day on the Glen festival. The Committee will be selecting officers for the 2004/2005 season, at their next meeting on October 7,2004. Cm. Hildenbrand stated that Bray Commons looks wonderful and feels it is a nice addition to our community. Cm. Hildenbrand thanked staff for doing a great job. Cm. Guarienti advised that on September 8th he attended a Fallon Sports Park Task Force meeting and the project is going very well and will offer quite a bit of open space to enjoy. Cm. Guarienti advised that on September 11th, he hosted a memorial walk at Martin Canyon with the Trail Trekkers. Thirty-nine participants showed up to participate in this event, which is outstanding. The memorial walk ended with a moment of silence for the 9-11 victims. Cm. Guarienti advised that he was invited to an Open Space and Trail meeting on September 22nd, which he will attend. Chair Flores asked if the wading in the water/art project has ended. Lowart advised it has significantly subsided. - Parks & Community Services Manager Paul McCreary advised that each Commission member has a map of the Day on the Glen festival lay out and vendor parking pass in front of them for their use this weekend at the Day on the Glen festival. Publicity included mailing post cards to all Dublin residents,radio advertising, CTV advertising and newspaper advertising. Detailed event scheduling information can be obtained from the website at www.dayontheglen.com and on the event hotline at 925 833-6629. Lowart advised that the City is moving forward with the installation of the modular buildings at Emerald Glen. The Senior Center is coming along nicely. Lowart will be going to City Council on September 21, with a consultant services agreement for the Sports Management Group to get started on the feasibility study for the Recreation and Aquatic Center at Emerald Glen and the Community Center at Shannon Park. Public and Commission participation in this process will be included as part of the planning for these projects. Minutes—September 20,2004 • Page 5 on Adjournment Being no further business,the meeting was adjourned at 8:15 p.m. Respectfully submitted, C----0AA114ej‘. cK( Christie Marks Senior Office Assistant APPROVED: [404/ ChairperOn •