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Home My WebLink About09-14-2010 Parks & Recreation Commission Minutes City of Saratoga Parks and Recreation Commission MINUTES DATE: Tuesday, September 14, 2010 TIME: 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. LOCATION: Saratoga City Hall Warner Hutton House 13777 Fruitvale Avenue Saratoga, CA 95070 Call to Order ‐ 6:33 p.m. Roll Call Present: Bruno, Johnson, Wilson Absent: Goldberg, Soukup Staff: Taylor, Morrow Guests: Alex Chan, Abner Inzunza, Arya Parhar Report on Posting of the Agenda: Pursuant to Government Code Section 54954.2, this meeting was properly posted on September 9, 2010. Accept Agenda Items: No additional items may be added pursuant to Government Code Section 54954.2. 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 communications from the public Approval of Draft Minutes: Draft Parks and Recreation Commission (PRC) Minutes for the following meetings: ‐ June 14, 2010 ‐ June 23, 2010 ‐ July 28, 2010 ‐ BRUNO: MOVED TO APPROVE MINUTES FOR THE JUNE 14, 2010, JUNE 23, 2010, AND JULY 28, 2010 MEETINGS ‐ WILSON: SECOND ‐ APPROVED: 3‐0‐2 Old Business: 1. Advertorials of Saratoga Parks Issue: Commissioner Wilson has been working with Saratoga High School Media Arts Program students to produce advertorials of Saratoga Parks. The short videos are intended to inform residents about City parks and their amenities. Action: Watch the advertorials produced by Saratoga High School Media Arts Program students. ‐ Wilson introduced the item, sharing that the Commission had authorized Wilson to begin working with students from Saratoga High School’s Media Arts Program to produce videos highlighting Saratoga parks. Wilson worked with Alex Chan, Abner Inzunza, and Arya Parhar over the summer to create the videos. Alex Chan, Abner Inzunza, and Arya Parhar were able to produce 6 videos showcasing activities in Saratoga parks. The students spent a combined total of 300 hours creating the video series. o Beauchamps Park: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IE‐dOzEgVO4 o Congress Springs Park: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5TVF0h‐xf4 o Hakone Gardens: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLKXuJJlv6c o Kevin Moran Park: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAHWFyx65js o Ravenwood Park: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWNg2YalSLo o Wildwood Park: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXEcOdahEPk ‐ Arya Parhar shared that the three spent all summer creating the videos that show people having a good time in the parks. She added that before producing the videos she didn’t realize how many parks there are in Saratoga. ‐ Abner Inzunza commented that the project was fun and he enjoyed making the videos. ‐ Alex Chan added that the group wanted to highlight the different elements of the 6 parks that were included in the video series. ‐ The Commission watched the video of Hakone Gardens. ‐ Morrow said she would send the 6 videos to the City Council. ‐ The Commission thanked Wilson for his leadership on the project. 2. Nesting Box Project Issue: At the July 28, 2010 meeting, the Parks and Recreation Commission met with a representative of the Audubon Society to identify nesting box locations in the Saratoga Heights Open Space and San Marcos Open Space. The group agreed to place a total of 11 boxes (including 1 owl box) in the Saratoga Heights Open Space and 5 boxes in the San Marcos Open Space. Action: Develop a plan for moving forward, including volunteer recruitment and placement of the nesting boxes at approved locations. ‐ Johnson introduced the item and shared a list of items that the Commission needs to do to move forward on the project, the list include: o Outreach Press release to be sent to the Saratoga News • The press release should outline the project purpose and note that the Commission is seeking volunteers to monitor nesting boxes. o Johnson said he would check to see if the Santa Clara Valley chapter of the Audubon Society will track volunteers. Saratogan article o Placement of the nesting boxes o Volunteer training o Establish volunteer schedule and assignments o Seek John Cherbone’s permission to place an owl box in Saratoga Heights Open Space ‐ Johnson added that he would continue working on these items. 3. Wildwood Cinema Movie Night Recap Issue: During the June 2010 PRC meeting, the Commission agreed to move forward with plans to hold a movie night in Wildwood Park. At the July 7, 2010 City Council Meeting, the City Council allocated money to the event and authorized the Commission to seek funding and organizational support from outside organizations. The Council indicated that the Commission should establish a framework for the event so that it can be coordinated by a different organization in the future. Action: Review the event and document what worked well, areas for improvement, and critical event details that can be conveyed to future Wildwood Cinema Movie Night coordinators or used to help organize other events. ‐ Johnson said that this item was placed on the agenda so that the group can capture the planning process for the event, which would serve as a resource for future event organizers. Johnson added that he thought the event was successful. ‐ Wilson reviewed some of the planning involved in coordinating the event. He noted that there were approximately 120‐200 people in attendance. Wilson suggested that more marketing be done in the future. Wilson volunteered to put together a packet for future movie night organizers based on notes and documents produced during the planning process. ‐ Morrow shared with the group Goldberg’s opinion of the event. Goldberg felt that the event would benefit from more marketing, more time to plan, and asked that the raffle be done before the movie or during intermission. 4. Liaison Relationship Protocols Issue: The PRC discussed developing a liaison relationship with the Saratoga‐Monte Sereno Community Foundation at the June 14, 2010 meeting and scheduled further discussion on the protocols of establishing a liaison relationship at the September meeting. Action: Discuss protocols and document process for establishing liaison relationships. ‐ Johnson said that as a follow up to the discussion at the June 14 PRC meeting, he wanted the Commission to document the process for establishing formal and informal liaison relationships along with the pros and cons of each option. ‐ Johnson asked Morrow to add that there may be some time lag that results from informal relationships in the “cons” for informal relationships. ‐ Bruno commented that if something comes up that requires a quick decision and is of importance to the Commission, it is probably best to bring the matter to the Commission for decision at a regular or special meeting. ‐ Wilson added that Wildwood Cinema Movie Night showcased how the PRC can work with other organizations, especially on projects that require funding that the PRC can’t provide or fundraise for. 5. Tree Planting Recommendations Issue: During the June 14, 2010 meeting, the PRC finalized its tree planting recommendations. At that time, the Commission also decided to include the tree planting recommendations as a recurring item on the agenda. Action: Determine how often the PRC will review tree planting recommendations. ‐ Morrow shared Goldberg’s notes on the item. Goldberg indicated that she was planning to ask the Pedestrian, Equestrian, and Bicycle Trails Committee to review the map one more time and then take the map to the Council ad hoc committee on trees. ‐ Johnson asked staff to provide feedback on how to report tree planting recommendations and requested reports from Public Works on the status of tree planting recommendations at each meeting. ‐ Morrow said she would follow up with Public Works staff. New Business: 6. Heritage Orchard Banner Policy Issue: The City has recently received requests to place banners in the Heritage Orchard next to the Saratoga Library sign at the corner of Saratoga Avenue and Fruitvale Avenue. Consequently, staff has been directed to draft a banner policy for the Heritage Orchard. Action: Informational only, no action is necessary. ‐ Morrow shared that the Heritage Preservation Commission has developed a policy to regulate placement of banners in the Heritage Orchard. 7. Cupertino Dog Park Hours Issue: At the June 14, 2010 meeting, the PRC scheduled an informational report on the City of Cupertino’s trial dog park hours for the September meeting. Action: Informational only, no action is necessary. ‐ Wilson noted that he had asked staff to provide information on Cupertino’s efforts to add a dog park to the City. Wilson commented that Cupertino has done a tremendous amount of work. Commissioner & Staff Reports (This includes committee updates and park reports. This section is informational only; no actions will be taken.) ‐ Morrow reported that Move‐It Saratoga participants will be recognized by the Council at the September 15, 2010 Council meeting. ‐ Bruno said that Foothill Park looks good. ‐ Wilson shared that Congress Springs is very active with soccer. ‐ Johnson said that a lot of improvements have been made to Wildwood Park and he thanked Public Works staff for taking care of previously reported problems so quickly. He added that he sent his full park report to Morrow. Agenda Items for Next Meeting ‐ November 9, 2010 o Distribution of park videos created by Saratoga High School Media Arts Program students o Bird Nesting Box Project Update o Grant opportunities for increasing access or restoring the natural habitat of the creek in Wildwood Park o Civic and community event calendar Adjournment – 8:18 p.m. Minutes submitted by: Crystal Morrow, Administrative Analyst II City of Saratoga – City Manager’s Office