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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-10-1997 Approved P&CSC Minutes our tt p499-7A: The February 10, 1997 meeting of the Parks and Community Services Commission was called to order at 7:01 p.m. at the Dublin Civic Center, Dublin, California,by Chairman Chapman. Pledge of Allegiance Pledge of Allegiance was led by Chairman Chapman. Roll Call • Commissioners Present: Chapman, Cobb-Adams, Wong-Gillmore, Cramer, Swalwell and Kamau Oral Communications Mayor Guy Houston addressed the Commission and stated that it was their role to act as the eyes and ears for the City Council. If the public has problems or compliments, the City Council will hear about them through either the committees or commissions. He briefly discussed the issue of the Dublin High School Band Boosters using the Senior Center for bingo and he stated that he felt the Schaefer Ranch Project was one of the Commissions biggest achievements, even though they did not fully agree with Staff's recommendations. He also said that the Commission should be proud of the time and effort they put into the Mape Park Renovation Project. He told the Commission not to be afraid to have ideas and be proactive on community projects that they feel have merit. Chairman Chapman expressed his displeasure with how the bingo issue was handled. Mayor Houston stated that the timing was very crucial on the bingo issue and that there would be times when the City Council will override a decision of the Parks and Community Services Commission. Commissioner Wong-Gillmore stated that she was concerned about one group receiving preferential treatment over another and felt that groups need to go through the proper channels or process. Commissioner Cramer stated that the Commission has made several recommendations to the Council and that if a Commissioner attends a meeting and wishes to speak on behalf of the issue, is it appropriate to announce that he is a Commissioner on the Parks & Community Services Commission. Director Lowart replied, yes, providing that you don't speak on behalf of the Commission as a whole,but rather represent only yourself. Chairman Chapman asked if it is appropriate for the Commission to come before the City Council to personally deliver their recommendation? Director Lowart stated that within the Bylaws and Rules of Procedure, states that the Chairperson or designee can represent the Commission in front of the City Council. - As a Dublin resident, Guy Houston, 7761 San Sabana Road, inquired as to the status of Mape Park, particularly now after the rains? Director Lowart replied that the Public Works Department does not feel that the conditions are dry enough for the contractor to resume work but that the site is being monitored closely. Approval of Minutes THE MINUTES OF JANUARY 13, 1997 WERE APPROVED AS SUBMITTED. MINUTES -FEBRUARY 10, 1997 PAGE TWO Written Communications-None Public Hearing-None Unfinished Business Election of Officers Chairman Chapman opened nominations for Chairperson. Commissioner Cramer nominated Commissioner Wong-Gillmore for Chairperson. Chairman Chapman closed nominations. Vote: UNANIMOUS Chairman Chapman opened nominations for Vice Chairperson. Commissioner Swalwell nominated Commissioner Cramer for Vice-Chairperson. Chairman Chapman closed nominations. Vote: UNANIMOUS Commissioner Chapman passed the gavel to newly elected Chairperson Wong-Gillmore. New Business 14th Annual St. Patrick's Day Celebration Director Lowart reported that the 14th Annual St. Patrick's Day Celebration and Parade will be held on Saturday, March 15, 1997. She briefly summarized the activities planned. Community Pancake Breakfast- The Dougherty Regional Fire Authority's.Firefighters Union has expressed an interest in conducting a Community Pancake Breakfast. Parade - The Dublin Lions Club will conduct their Annual Hometown Parade starting at 9:30 a.m. The parade route will begin down Amador Plaza Road,North on Dublin Blvd., West on Village Parkway, South on Amador Valley Blvd., ending at Regional Street between Exxon and Payless Shoes. Celebration - The 14th Annual St. Patrick's Day Celebration will be held at the Shamrock Village Shopping Center, from 10:00 a.m. -4:00 p.m. Media Coverage and Publicity-Radio Station 93.3 KYCY(Young Country)will be the radio station promoting this event. The Valley Times will be producing a color pullout section distributed to all subscribers in San Ramon, Dublin, Pleasanton, and Livermore. Non-subscribers will receive the pullout section by mail. The City will be distributing color posters for the event to Dublin businesses and Chamber of Commerce members. Craft Faire - Currently 30 artisans are registered to display their wares in the craft faire section of the celebration. Staff anticipates that 55-60 artisans will participate this year. Children's Activities - Air jumps will be provided by a new company this year and some new inflatable will include a balloon typhoon and a castle. Fire engine rides will take children and their parents around the entire celebration. Pony rides, cartoon portrait drawings, and painting with marbles will also be offered. The City will sponsor a carnival game section with five non-profit groups operating the games. Entertainment- Three stages of entertainment will run from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. The main stage will include live bands such as Black Thorn, an Irish band, and the Smoking J's, who play songs from the 50's to the 90's. The entertainment on the Children's Stage will include the Lindsay Museum's Birds of Prey. Other activities will include a puppet show,Huckles the Clown and some story telling. MINUTES -FEBRUARY 10, 1997 PAGE THREE Food Booths-.Up to 10 non-profit groups will prepare and sell a variety of hot and cold foods. Community Groups and Public Agencies - Groups participating this year include Dublin Police Services, Dougherty Regional Fire Authority, Alameda County Home Composting Program, the Lindsay Museum, the Lion's Mobile Vision Clinic and the Highway Patrol. Commercial Business Involvement- Businesses can reserve space to promote their services or products. Permit fees have been waived for businesses who wish to hold sidewalk sales the day of the event, or post promotional signage prior to the event. Sponsors for the St. Patrick's Day Celebration - Staff is actively pursing potential sponsors for the event. Local corporations and real estate developers have been sent a sponsorship packet. Sponsorship funds would be used to off-set booth rental costs and to enhance the activities at the celebration. Commissioner Kamau asked could the leadership class at the high school participate in the celebration and was told they could. Teen Task Force Report Director Lowart briefly summarized the history behind the formation of the Teen Task Force as well as the activities that were conducted by the Task Force during the past 18 months. She indicated that it has been suggested that a Youth Commission be established in place of the Teen Task Force. The rationale behind a Commission as opposed to a Task Force is that it would be a more permanent body with established goals and objectives. It has been suggested that the membership of the Commission be expanded to include community leaders and representatives from the Dublin Unified School District and Dublin Police Services. Commissioner Chapman stated that he agrees with Staff's report regarding the lack of teen involvement. He suggested appointing at least two people from Wells, the Freshmen, Sophomore, Junior and Senior classes at Dublin High, and two from the City Council and Parks and Services Commission. He felt that unless the kids are appointed,the Teen Task Force is never going to get off the ground or gain velocity. Chairperson Wong-Gillmore stated that leadership groups are the driving force at the schools and asked if leadership groups were represented at the first meeting?.Commissioner Kamau reported that she was not at the first meeting but stated that the leadership group meets three times a week and suggested that City Staff should attend one of the meetings to talk about the Teen Task Force. Commissioner Cramer stated that he would be interested in the information received from other cities. He is not sure that a Commission is a good idea, but thinks a Youth Committee would be in order. Commissioner Chapman suggested that Staff check the March Conference information on Youth Commissions. The Commission was in consensus of Staff obtaining additional information from other cities and coming back to the Commission with a model for their consideration. Fall 1996 Quarterly Report Director Lowart briefly summarized for the Commission the activities and programs conducted during the Fall 1996 Quarter encompassing the months of September, October,November and December. MINUTES -FEBRUARY 10, 1997 PAGE FOUR Heritage Center - On Saturday, October 12, 1996, the Dublin Heritage Center conducted its first Fall Heritage Days. The event included tours of the museum, self guided tours of the cemetery, craft and food booths, children's crafts and carnival games, and day long entertainment. The event was followed by a barbecue and dance sponsored by DHPA and E. Clampus Vitus. Re-carpeting of the Old Murray Schoolhouse office and meeting room, re-finishing of the Old St. Raymond's Church and carpeting of the altar area of the Church were completed. The garage/shed building located to the rear of the Schoolhouse was painted as part of an Eagle Scout Project. During the Fall Quarter, tours of the museum and cemetery were given to three Valley Christian third grade classes. After School Playground Program - After School Recreation is a supervised activity program for children in first through fifth grades, conducted at Frederiksen, Murray and Nielsen Elementary Schools. Session I was conducted from September 9, 1996 through January 24, 1997, Monday through Friday from 1:45 p.m.. to 5:30 p.m. Registration for the program totaled 142 participants during session one and an average 96 of the 142 children(68%) attended the program each day. Winter Wonderland Camp - Winter Wonderland Camp was conducted at Murray Elementary School during the School District's winter break for four days from 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Activities were planned with a Winter theme and included games, crafts, skits, cooking and a special event. Twenty-five children were registered, filling the session and increasing the camp's attendance by 12 over last year. Preschool - The Shannon Center preschool had 56 participants in Session I conducted from September 9, 1996 through November 27, 1996. Both the Red Rocket and Blue Explorer programs were full with 20 participants each, however the Green Giant program had only 15 participants with five openings. Teens - The Teen Recreation Activity Center (T.R.A.C.) is a drop-in program for 6th through 8th graders, held in P-6 at Wells Middle School. Session I began September 16, 1996 and concluded January 31, 1997. There were 15 full session registrations, eight 30 day and 46 daily were passes sold. The average daily attendance was 11 per day. The lunchtime program at Wells Middle School was held once a week with an emphasis on event and activity promotion. Average attendance for activities during the lunch was 57 teens. Adult Sports - Softball leagues were conducted from September 23 through November 14. A total of 15 teams participated in three leagues, Co-ed, Men's C and Men's D leagues. Enrollment was up approximately 27% over last year. The 3 on 3 Basketball League consisted of a Men's 6ft and Under League which began play on September 25 and concluded on December 18. A total of 6 teams participated. Overall enrollment was down approximately 35% from last year, due to the cancellation of the Men's Open League because of low enrollment. The 5 on 5 Basketball League began play on September 22 and concluded on December 8. Due to low registration, the Men's C and D leagues were combined to form a C/D league. Youth Sports - Teeball leagues were conducted for 4-5 year old children and for children in the 1st-3rd grades. The season began September 28 and concluded on November 16. A total of 74 youngsters participated in the leagues. The Tiny Bat Busters league consisted of forty-four 4 and 5 year old boys and girls on 4 teams. Thirty- MINUTES -FEBRUARY 10, 1997 PAGE FIVE one third grade boys and girls were enrolled in Super Bat Busters forming 2 teams. Practices were held during the week and games were played on Saturdays at the Murray Elementary School. Special Events Tree Lighting Ceremony - The 13th Annual City Tree Lighting Ceremony was held at the Dublin Civic Center on Monday, December 2, 1996. This event featured the lighting of the City's tree, entertainment, a community sing-along and a visit from Santa. Refreshments were provided by the Tri-Valley Lioness and Red Lobster of Dublin. Breakfast With Santa - Breakfast with Santa was held at the Shannon Community Center on Saturday, December 14, 1996. The pancake and sausage breakfast was prepared and served by the Dublin High School Band Boosters, with two seatings which accommodated 274 registrants. Photos were available with Santa in the West Room and children received a candy canes donated by Payless Drug Store. The Band Boosters provided Santa and his elves. Letters From Santa - For the third year, "Letters from Santa" were available by application. Parents provided specific information about the recipient and a computer generated personalized letter was printed on special Santa stationary and mailed to the child. Santa mailed 33 letters this year, a small increase over last year. Senior Center- The Dublin Senior Center volunteers were honored at the annual Volunteer Recognition Dinner on Friday, September 27. Over seventy-nine volunteers were honored. Average daily attendance for September was 65 with a total of 398.50 volunteer hours. In October the Senior Center got a new Director, Patsy Rankin. Average daily attendance for October was 68 with a total of 412.75 volunteer hours. The highlight of November was the Harvest Day luncheon on Thursday, November 26. Sixty-six seniors participate and were entertained by forty 7th and 8th graders from the Wells Middle School choir. Average daily attendance for November was 74 with a total of 425.50 volunteer hours. In December three special events were hosted. On December 12 fifty children from Murray Elementary School sang holiday songs while the seniors enjoyed their lunch, served by eight students from Wells Middle School. Rick Robinson, Jr., a volunteer at the Center, introduced Santa Claus and performed an original play in which he played three parts. Seniors also enjoyed holiday caroling by employees of Systems Solutions Group. On December 23 approximately forty children and adults from Jennifer Berman's Piano Studies and Music Connections played a variety of holiday pieces. Average daily attendance for December was 55 with total of 399 volunteer hours. Leisure Enrichment Classes - A total of 443 participants registered for classes during the Fall quarter. Popular children's classes included "Fun for Ones", "Terrific Two's" and the children's dance and tumbling classes. Popular classes for adults included the Beginning Computer class which was full with 20 participants, the Introduction to the Internet class,the Beginning Social Ballroom Dance class and the Swing Dance class. Other Business Brief INFORMATIONAL ONLY Reports from Parks& Community Services Commissioners and/or Staff Commissioner Cobb-Adams reported that she attended the last Heritage Advisory Committee meeting. They are currently doing an inventory. Fall Heritage Days has been scheduled for the last week in September. Tom McCormick, D.H.P.A. reported that their installation dinner is scheduled for June 13. MINUTES -FEBRUARY 10, 1997 PAGE SIX Commissioner Cramer reported that Friday was a non-school day at Wells and a number of Youth Basketball teams showed up to play, but the facility was not opened. Many of the children had been dropped off. Director Lowart stated that it is her understanding that the school has the cities schedule of use and that the custodians are supposed to open the facility. Commissioner Chapman stated that not only should all coaches have a first aid kit, but it should be a pre- requisite that they have a cellular phone for such situations. Commissioner Cobb-Adams stated custodians are not scheduled to work on school holidays, but they do work on non-school days. Commissioner Swalwell asked if there is a calendar for the meetings of the Youth Sports Liaison Committee and Senior Center Advisory Committee? Director replied that the meeting dates for the Youth Sports Liaison meets three times a year, and the Senior Advisory Committee meets on the 3rd Thursday of the month at 10:00 a.m. She indicated that she will see that he receives notification for these meetings. Commissioner Chapman stated that he heard that the Band Boosters canceled their bingo nights at the Senior Center. Director Lowart reported that the City has not yet received official notification of the cancellation. Commissioner Chapman reported that he would be interested in attending the liaison meeting with the School District next Tuesday, if the Commission would like for him to go on their behalf. The Commission concurred. Director Lowart stated that she would send him a copy of the agenda. Chairperson Wong-Gillmore reported that she attended the Senior Advisory Committee meeting last month. The seniors expressed their appreciation of the Commissions time discussing the bingo issue. They felt that the rent proposed was not enough, and were very upset that the bingo people were permitted to smoke on school grounds. On a good note,the seniors who attended the bingo were given a discount. Chairperson Wong-Gillmore thanked Commissioner Chapman for his past chairmanship. She asked the Commissioners to give some thought about projects they would like to see, for the next meeting to do some brainstorming. Director Lowart reported that the Joint Commissioners Dinner hosted by Alamo is scheduled for March 20. The Commissioners will be receiving invitations my mail and should RSVP accordingly. Adjournment Being no further business,the meeting was adjourned at 9:01 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Char J. Young / Administrative Secretary I APPROVED: Chairper