Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-18-2008 Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes City of Saratoga Joint Meeting Parks and Recreation Commission Pedestrian, Equestrian, and Bicycle Trails Committee ACTION MINUTES DATE: Tuesday, November 18, 2008 TIME: 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. LOCATION: North Campus Administration Building 19848 Prospect Road Saratoga, CA 95070 Commissioner Lerry Wilson participated by phone from the following location: SPG,LLC 400 7th St. N.W. Second Floor Washington, DC 20004 Call to Order – 6:30 p.m. Roll Call: Present: Chair Thomas Soukup, Vice Chair Vita Bruno, Commissioners Katherine Forte, Denise Goldberg, Lerry Wilson (participation by conference call) Absent: none Pedestrian, Equestrian, and Bicycle Trails Advisory Committee (PEBTAC): Jim Stallman, Ann Waltonsmith, William Brooks Staff: Recreation & Facilities Director Michael Taylor, Public Works Director John Cherbone, Administrative Analyst II Crystal Morrow Report on Posting of the Agenda: Pursuant to Government Code Section 54954.2, this meeting was properly posted on November 14, 2008. Accept Agenda Items: No additional items may be added pursuant to Government Code Section 54954.2. - GOLDBERG: MOVED TO APPROVE - BRUNO: SECOND - APPROVED: 5-0 Oral & Written Communication: Any member of the public may address the Commission about any matter not on the agenda for this meeting for up three minutes. Commissioners may not comment on the matter, but may choose to place the topic on a future agenda. - No oral or written communication Approval of Draft Minutes: Draft Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes for September 9, 2008. - Waltonsmith, PEBTAC member, indicated that on page 2 of the minutes Glen Brae was spelled incorrectly - BRUNO: MOVED TO ACCEPT MINUTES WITH CORRECTION TO SPELLING OF GLEN BRAE - FORTE: SECOND - APPROVED: 5-0 Reports: (This section is informational only; no actions will be taken.) 1. Michael Taylor, Director of Recreation & Facilities - Taylor announced that the Recreation Department is in the middle of the fall programs and is in the final stages of preparing winter/spring activity guide and planning winter camps. - Taylor added that there will be more fitness activities offered by the Recreation Department, such as zoomba and Pilates. - Forte asked Taylor if enrollment in Recreation programs has decreased with the downturn in the economy. - Taylor said that enrollment is stable, but there has been a reduction in the youth dance program. Taylor was uncertain if that was a result of economic changes. - Wilson asked if participation by demographics, such as age group, is consistent with other years. - Taylor responded that the Department analyzed enrollment and compared participants by age. Taylor found that participation has remained relatively consistent. The majority of Recreation program participants are 9 years old and younger. There is also good representation among adults between 35 to 45 years of age who are mostly involved in yoga, aerobics, and other fitness classes. Taylor plans to create new programs geared towards children between 12 to 14 years of age. 2. John Cherbone, Director of Public Works - Cherbone announced that work at Kevin Moran Park is moving forward on schedule, thanks in part to the good weather. - Cherbone reported that the Public Works Department is going to be making improvements at El Quito Park to the frontage of park, picnic area in the back of the park near the community garden, and to the softball field. o Frontage improvements include repainting the fence and installation of new landscaping o Picnic area improvements will entail removal and replacement of existing picnic benches, removal of pavement, and installation of decomposed granite (DG) where asphalt in picnic area is now located. o The grass behind softball backstop will be taken out and replaced with DG, because grass grows poorly in this area due to high traffic and lack of sunlight. - Cherbone added that work on Joe’s Trail at Saratoga DeAnza can begin once the City receives all necessary approvals. - Forte asked about the latest information on the play equipment at Ravenwood Park. - Cherbone indicated that the project is currently unfunded. Work can proceed when money is available in the park development fund. If the project is over budget at that time, the budget will either be supplemented or the Parks and Recreation Commission will be asked to consider other design options. - Cherbone announced that the City recently discovered that 30 acres of open space, between Highway 9 and Tollgate, had been previously dedicated to the City. - Cherbone also announced that Monte Sereno has given Saratoga $40,000 from the Monte Sereno Park Bond. The money will be used to fund construction of a bocce ball court at Kevin Moran Park and a petanque court at Azule Park. 3. Crystal Morrow, Staff Liaison - Morrow announced that the Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony will take place on November 28, 2008 at 5:30 p.m. in Blaney Plaza and the Council Reorganization Meeting will be held on December 2, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. at the Civic Auditorium with a reception to follow. Old Business: - No old business New Business: 4. Report on Pedestrian, Equestrian, and Bicycle Trails Advisory Committee Issue: In May 2008, the Parks and Recreation Commission (PRC) agreed to conduct a joint meeting with the Pedestrian, Equestrian, and Bicycle Trails Advisory Committee (PEBTAC) to provide the PEBTAC and PRC with the opportunity to share information and explore partnership opportunities. Action: No action necessary. - Goldberg provided the PRC with updates on recent PEBTAC activity, including the bicycle circulation element. o Goldberg noted that the PEBTAC is not in favor of delisting any bicycle trails and explained the Traffic Safety Commission had recommended removing Pierce Road from the listing for safety reasons. - Stallman added that bike routes, lanes, or paths that are listed on VTA map of bike routes are eligible to receive money from VTA. - Cherbone mentioned that this item will be discussed again by the City Council in the future. - Waltonsmith shared that while in San Francisco she noticed some roads had bike symbols painted in the middle of car lanes. The symbols were used to indicate that both bicyclists and motorists use the full lane, as the shoulder is too narrow for bicyclists. - Bruno suggested that it might be helpful to educate drivers about the rules of the road related to bicyclists. - Wilson agreed with Bruno and added that education for bicyclists would also be helpful. - Goldberg reported that the PEBTAC has been working with the City to get symbols painted on the road to help guide hikers using the Parker Ranch trails. - Cherbone added that at all intersections with protected left turns bicycle stencils have been added to the left turn lane to show bicyclists where to position their bikes to trip the signal light. - Goldberg indicated an interest in marking trails and bike routes that are kid friendly, such as the pathways that travel through Kevin Moran Park and Azule Park. - Soukup suggested that these routes should include signage asking faster bicyclists to slow down for children using the routes. - Forte asked if maps of equestrian trails are available on the City website or at City Hall. - Brooks indicated that the City has a large map of the all the City trails, but there are no maps specifically for equestrian trails. - Soukup asked what trail maps are available to the public. - Waltonsmith said that there are only 2 pedestrian trail maps that have been published. - Soukup suggested that the PEBTAC work with City staff to publish more maps of the City’s trails. - Goldberg said the PEBTAC would look into the matter. 5. Discussion on Potential Organization of a Fun Run in the City of Saratoga Issue: During the May 2008 PRC meeting, the Commission agreed to discuss opportunities for organizing a fun run during the November 2008 joint meeting with the PEBTAC. Action: Discuss the possibility of coordinating a fun run in Saratoga and decide if the Commission should seek Council approval to organize a fun run. - After the staff report was given, Wilson said before moving forward with an event, the PRC and PEBTAC need to establish the purpose of such an event. Ideally, the event should promote the City’s parks. - Bruno agreed the event should be used to showcase trails or parks. - Goldberg added that the event would not have to be a standard run and suggested alternative options, such as a scavenger hunt. - Waltonsmith said a scavenger hunt with clues in a park or several parks would be a good way to highlight parks. - Wilson also proposed the objective of the event to be family fitness and instead of promoting just one day of exercise, the PRC and PEBTAC could promote existing recreation opportunities and unstructured use of the parks. - Waltonsmith suggested starting with a smaller event, like an open house or picnic in the parks that would showcase parks and trails, encourage use of the parks and trails, and would not have a cost. - Wilson also suggested starting small and creating a larger event from smaller park related events if there is sufficient interest. - Goldberg added that she was more interested in an event for residents rather than a regional event, like a 5k or 10k run. - Wilson noted that the Commission is scheduled to discuss opportunities to encourage park use during the January 2009 meeting and suggested that this discussion be included under that agenda topic. - Forte indicated an interest in involving the Youth Commission in the discussion. - Morrow recommended the formation of a sub-committee comprised of PRC, PEBTAC, and Youth Commission members to explore the topic and to report back to the PRC during the January 2009 meeting under the agenda item on encouraging park use. - Wilson, Bruno, Waltonsmith, and Brooks volunteered to serve on the sub-committee and agreed to report back to the PRC in January 2009. - Morrow added that she would contact sub-committee members to schedule a meeting and would seek sub-committee members from the Youth Commission. Agenda Items for Next Meeting—Tuesday, January 13, 2009 - Encouraging park use - North Campus naming process - Discuss scheduling a joint meeting with the Youth Commission Adjournment - BRUNO: MOVED TO ADJOURN - GOLDBERG: SECOND - APPROVED: 5-0 - Meeting adjourned at 8:15 p.m. Minutes submitted by: Crystal Morrow, Administrative Analyst II City of Saratoga, City Manager’s Office