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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-19-2007 Approved PCSC Minutes CITY OFaDUBLIN PARKS AND COMMUNITY-SERVICES COMMISSION MINUTES OF: MARCH X 4, 2007 The March 19, 2007 meeting of the Parks and Community Services Commission was called to order at 7:01p.m. at the Dublin Civic Center,Dublin, California,by Chairperson Flores. Pledge of Allegiance Chair Flores led the Pledge of Allegiance. Roll Call Commissioners Present: Flores,Guarienti,Jones,Muetterties,Elias and Deering Oral Communications 3.1 Brief Informational Only Reports from Senior Center and Youth Advisory Committees Senior Center Advisory Committee Diane Bonetti reported that elections were conducted at the March 1, 2007 meeting of the Advisory Committee. Al Edge was elected as the Chairperson and Beth Wood as Vice-Chairperson. The annual volunteer luncheon has been scheduled for Thursday, April 19. Social hour will be at 11:30am and lunch will be served at 12Noon. Tickets are still available and seating is limited. Cost is$10.00. The Committee discussed their holiday event .which will be scheduled after the tree has been decorated in the ballroom. There will be dessert, tea and coffee social hour between 7-10pm. Cost will be between $10-25 depending on the cost for the desserts,etc. Bonetti indicated that a subcommittee has been formed to assist with the planning of the Step Out for Seniors event. The focus will be on emergency awareness and a lot of good ideas were shared and some vendors have been lined up. This project will not only benefit the seniors but everyone in Dublin and the surrounding areas. Youth Advisory Committee Alex Deering reported that the Committee is continuing to discuss how they are going to promote their website dubtownteens.com. This year the Committee has decided to do their annual cleanup at the Dublin Cemetery, which they will attempt to promote as much as they can. 3.2 Public Comments-None Approval of Minutes . ONA MOTION BY CM. GUARIENTI,SECONDED BY CM.MUETTERTIES AND BY UNANIMOUS VOTE, THE COMMISSION VOTED TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF FEBRUARY 21, 2007 AS PRESENTED. Written Communications-None Public Hearing-None Unfinished Business-None New Business . 8.1 Dublin Sports Grounds Capital Improvement Project Parks and Community Services Director Lowart presented the staff report. The 2006-2011Capital Improvement Program includes a project for the renovation of the Dublin Sports Grounds. As part of this multi-year project, $1.7 million in improvements have been completed. • Minutes—March 19, 2007 Page 2 of 6 The Dublin Sports Grounds capital project previously included field turf renovation projects but these have been deferred pending further evaluation and no funds are currently available for these projects. Lowart introduced Parks and Facilities Development Coordinator, Rosemary Alex who reviewed the existing field conditions as well as four potential renovation options. Alex reported that Staff has outlined two distinct areas where renovation is recommended. Area #1 is approximately 274,500sf and affects two softball fields, three soccer fields and one baseball field. Area #2 is approximately 180,000sf and affects 3 to 5 soccer fields and 2 to 3 baseball fields. Under Option 1 (amended native), the soil would be amended to shift,from a clay to a sand loam. This will improve drainage to between 1.5 to 2.0 inches per hour and improve playability. Since sandy loam soil does not compact to the degree that clay . does, it will allow more oxygen in the root zone with roots growing to a depth of 10". This will improve the stand of turf grass. For Option 2 (amended native with sand drain), the soil would be amended as previously described and in addition, a sand channel drain system would.be installed which improves drainage of the field to 5.0 inches per hour. At the request of the Dublin United Soccer League, a third option was also evaluated to install an artificial turf field in the area of Soccer Field#5. Alex reviewed the potential costs with the Commission. AREA#1 AREA#2 TOTAL Amended Native $ 859,117 $654,223 $1,513,340 Amended Native w/Sand Drain $ 1,087,213 $859,509 $1,946,722 Amended Native&Artificial Turf Field $ 1,872,546 $654,223 $2,526,769 Amended Native w/Sand Drain&Artificial Turf Field $ 1,986,594 $859,509 $2,846,103 - Alex indicated that for a project of this scope, the estimated time frame is approximately 16 months for each area. An alternative to the overall renovation of Area#1 and Area #2 would be to systematically take fields out of play on an annual basis and treat them as follows: - Double pass mechanical aeration to provide better oxygen and nutrient access to the root zone of the turf. - Mechanical slit-seeding of the field surface. - Sand/loam leveling of the surface. - Irrigation adjustments as required. - Increased aeration frequency from 2 to 3 times per year. The estimated cost would range from$15,000 to$30,000 depending on the size of the area fenced off. Lowart reiterated that there are not funds budgeted for the potential field renovation projects in the 2006-2011 Capital Improvement Program. Potential funding sources could include City General Fund, Park Dedication In- Lieu Fees and grants. For Fiscal year 2007-2008, an update to the 2006-2011 Capital Improvement Program(CIP) will be prepared. As part of the update, Staff will be evaluating projects for inclusion in the CIP Update along with available funding. Commission Input Cm. Guarienti requested a little history on the renovation of soccer field 3 done three years ago. Alex stated that it seems to be working. What benefited this project was the inclusion of a higher level of maintenance. After four years of use,it has held up very well. Cm. Guarienti asked what the cost of maintenance for that field in relation to the other fields. Lowart stated that the only increase in cost was fencing it off for a four month period, about$12,000. • • Minutes—March 19,2007 Page 3 of 6 Cm.Elias asked if when the rain light goes on is the new soccer field off limits. Lowart replied,yes. Cm. Elias stated that in essence, nothing has been accomplished in terms of being able to allow additional use of the soccer field if the rain causes the light to go on because the other parts of the park are off limits. Lowart stated that the rain lighting system is not a technical logically advanced. It does not measure the water in the turf. After a certain amount of rain,the lights automatically come on to indicate that the fields are not playable. Cm. Elias asked if there are maintenance cost savings with artificial turf. Lowart stated that a full analysis has not yet been done. She has talked to a colleague in Danville where they have had artificial turf fields for a while now and it is estimated that they have saved money in water,but they have not seen a significant decrease in the maintenance associated with artificial turf. Cm. Guarienti questioned the need to close off fields for maintenance when the new field at Emerald Glen has done OK without closing it off. Lowart stated that the first season after Field #3 at the Dublin Sports Grounds was opened, it was not closed off. Since,the field is considered their"premier field"by Dublin United Soccer League, it gets a tremendous amount of use which has led the City to close it off for maintenance. Emerald Glen only went through one season and the use and wear on the turf will be evaluated. Cm. Jones stated that he does not think that the Soccer League is using the fields at Emerald Glen that much. He would like to see the maintenance cost for the artificial fields because if it is not going to save use much money, he can't see spending an extra$1 million dollars on a field when we can do the whole park with almost the cost of the artificial turf. If we can rotate the fields, the leagues should be able to play year round, especially when Fallon comes online with the addition of Emerald Glen Park. He stated that he is disappointed that no one from the leagues is here tonight. It has been an ongoing problem with Dublin Little League and Dublin United Soccer League since 1988 when he was on the Parks Commission before. They want this and that done to the fields, but when it comes time to show,no one is here. Cm.Deering stated that she has played soccer in Dublin for almost six years. She agrees with Commissioner Jones that it would be better to add sand to the fields and save money, than to put in an artificial turf field with high maintenance costs. Cm. Elias stated that something major needs to be done. He would highly suggest to the Council that they not do this on the cheap like some of the parks in the city. Ted Fairfield is an example of a horribly designed park with terrible drainage. Emerald Glen Park is another example where the two baseball fields have terrible drainage in the winter because of the clay soil. Over time it's going to be worth more than a million dollars if we don't take a very pragmatic approach to making sure that the Dublin Sports Grounds is put together in a way that is safe and useful,but also one that the City can be proud of. He indicated that he could not make a decision on the concept of having an artificial turf field until he knows more about the maintenance that would be required. • Chair Flores stated that she is concerned about investing a million dollars into the Dublin Sports Grounds when we have the fields at Fallon opening.in the next few years. She also does not know how much league play would be moving to Fallon. She would rather see the Option 2 improvements that worked on Soccer Field#3 done on area #1 and#2. She supported saving the million dollars and look at doing Fallon correctly. Cm. Jones asked what the timeline for Fallon was. Lowart replied, 3 years. Cm. Guarienti stated that he is not against the artificial turf,but he would not support putting an artificial turf field near the freeway. He would select Option 2 (native w/sand drain). Minutes—March 19,2007 Page 4 of 6 ON A MOTION BY CM. GUARIENTI, SECONDED BY CM. MUETTERTIES, THE COMMISSION SELECTED OPTION 2,AMENDED NATIVE W/SAND DRAIN. AYE—4 OPPOSE — 2 (ELIAS AND JONES)) Cm. Elias stated that he is not opposed to the decision his colleagues have made,but does not feel we have enough information to make a recommendation at this point. This is a great beginning and he appreciates the work staff has put into it,but maintenance costs for artificial turf have not been provided. 8.2 Dougherty Hills Dog Park Grand Opening • Parks and Community Services Director Diane Lowart presented the staff report. Construction of the Dougherty Hills Dog Park was completed in late January 2007 and the park is currently in a 90-day maintenance period. Provided that the turf and plantings are established at the conclusion of the maintenance period, Staff anticipates that the Dog Park will open to the public in early May. As has been done with other new parks in the City, a park dedication and grand opening will be held. The City Council has selected Saturday, July 28, 2007 for the event. Staff recommends that the event begin with a short dedication ceremony and ribbon cutting in the parking lot of the park. Because of the limited space at the Dougherty Hills Dog Park and the lack of restrooms and electricity, Staff recommends a fairly simple event. Lowart reviewed potential activities with the Commission including: ✓ Dog Costume Contest ✓ Demonstration of the Dog Agility Course/Dog Agility Course Contests ✓ Distribution of a commemorative item(perhaps a dog bowl, chew toy or dog bone) ✓ Roaming entertainment such as a clown making balloon animals ✓ Visit by Dublin Police Services new K-9 Unit ✓ Booths featuring local pet stores and humane society ✓ Light refreshments Commission Input Cm. Elias felt that staff's suggested activities are great but asked where everything will go and how the people attending will be accommodated. Lowart stated that publicity for this event will be targeted to the nearby neighbors and those who have been active in the project. Cm. Jones stated that people with dogs will be out in force. Cm. Guarienti stated that it should be fun. The park will already have been open and available to the public prior to the grand opening, so he does not think there will be a huge crowd. Cm. Elias asked if there is any concern of degradation of the park from the time it opens to the public and the scheduled grand opening. Lowart stated that she thinks the park will be popular but due to the limited parking there, it will not be a regional draw. It is anticipated that with the big dog area it may have to be closed during certain times of year to protect the turf,especially during the rainy season. Other Business Brief INFORMATIONAL ONLY Reports from Parks& Community Services Commissioners and/or Staff' Cm. Elias reported that he had attended the St. Patrick's Day event and although he was initially skeptical on how the event would be laid out, he thought it turned out fantastic. He heard comments from those attending were that Minutes—March 19,2007 Page 5 of 6 it was the best one yet. For the parade goers, having to go all the way to the finish and double back to Target was not the greatest thing but from the prospective of watching the parade, it was great. He commended staff on all their hard work putting this event together. Cm. Jones stated that the festival this year was great. The crowd seemed bigger than last year. The Lions had over 85 entries for the parade and about 10 had to be turned away. He reported that he will not be in attendance at the meeting in April, as he will be in Indiana. Commissioner Muetterties will be attending the meeting of April 29 for the Art Selection Committee. Cm. Deering stated that she attended the St. Patrick's Festival and thought that it was great. In talking to other people her age,they complained about the parking,but she thinks they were just lazy. Cm. Muetterties stated that she really enjoyed the festival. She reported that she attended the CPRS Conference and one of the sessions she attended discussed the problem the City of Carlsbad had in the 1990's on sportsmanship in their leagues. They did something similar to what Tim Sbranti is doing regarding integrity in action. She picked up a brochure which highlights the different things they did in their community. She commented that the people in attendance at the conference this year were not very friendly or interactive. Cm. Guarienti stated that he attended the City Volunteer Dinner on February 23 and thought it was very well done. He and Cm. Muetterties completed the Leadership Academy and attended the Council meeting where they were given a nice recognition. At that meeting he also made a comment to the Council regarding the relocation of the Iron Horse Trail. He attended the CPRS Conference in Sacramento and concurred with Cm. Muetterties that there was a disengagement of those in attendance. It was easier to visit with people in the exposition hall after the sessions. He attended the sessions on Getting Acquainted with the New Seniors and The Aging Boom and Planning for the Next Generation. It was interesting to learn that the senior population in the state of California is going to double in the next 20-25 years so we really need to start thinking about senior programming and the senior center down the rode. He will brief the Senior Advisory Committee with a little more detail of some of things he thought they might want to look at. He attended the Best of the Best and was surprised that the City of Dublin did not get the Award of Excellence for the Heritage Center. He was honored to give a presentation to the Dublin San Ramon Women's Club at their luncheon. The title of the presentation was "To Take the Path to Wellness". He integrated what we are doing with the Path Wanderers and Trail Trekkers and had given handouts of the Activity Guide with a map and East Bay Regional Park information. Cm. Guarienti stated that the people he spoke to at the St. Patrick's Festival thought that the new location was fantastic. The venue offered a place to sit on the grass and to enjoy the entertainment without having to sit out in the street. He was in the parade and even though there were a few glitches, all in all it was great. He also participated in the Fun Run and thought the course was great. There were some last minute changes to the staging area and because of that there were no portable toilets at the starting line. People were using the bathrooms at Athens Burgers,but after a while they closed their doors. To get water,you had to walk through the festival. Also the first posting of the results were not the final results. • Chair Flores stated that she enjoyed the fun run, which she viewed from her balcony. She was at the parade and attended the festival both days. Vendors loved the new location however they felt that having only one entry/exit point was difficult. Personally she had a difficult time getting from the end of the parade back to Target to get her car and come back. The shuttle took over half an hour to get to Target and another hour to get down Amador Valley to Dougherty. She commented that on Sunday, the U2 Tribute Band was amazing. Many people stated that the entertainment this year was awesome. She also attended the Volunteer Dinner and the Green and White Gala. Cm. Elias reported that one of things that he heard and also experienced, was that the setup for the Pancake Breakfast was not setup well. There was a single line and it was very slow. A lot of people just left. Minutes—March 19,2007 Page 6 of 6 Chair Flores stated that the Fire Fighters were also not pleased with the setup. We will have to re-evaluate their setup next year. Staff Reports Lowart reported on the following: • Tomorrow night the City Council will be awarding the bid for the Shannon Community Center. Seven bids were received. The low bidder was a little higher than the budget, so a budget change is needed. • The Swim Center is scheduled to open before the next scheduled meeting. • The Eggstravaganza is scheduled for Saturday, April 7 at Emerald Glen Park. This year Photos with Peter Rabbit will also be offered at the Heritage Center on Saturday, March 31, one week prior to the Eggstravaganza. ❖ The new spring brochure came out a week ago and a Summer Camp brochure has been distributed. ❖ Tomorrow there is a bid opening for the Area F Neighborhood Square. • The City Council has approved the Area G design as recommended by the Commission. Adjournment Being no further business,the meeting was adjourned at 8:20p.m. Respectfully submitted, ka,c, w�. Char J.Young Administrative T ician APPROV D: dr/ 0.40 Chairperson