HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-12-2010 Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes
City of Saratoga
Parks and Recreation Commission
MINUTES
DATE: Tuesday, January 12, 2010
TIME: 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Saratoga City Hall
Warner Hutton House
13777 Fruitvale Avenue
Saratoga, CA 95070
Call to Order – 6:04 p.m.
Roll Call
Present: Bruno, Johnson, Soukup, Wilson
Absent: Goldberg
Youth Commission: Kia Fariba, Natasha Morgan‐Witts, Sammy Rao, Ali Wilson
Staff: Henig, Morrow, Taylor
Report on Posting of the Agenda: Pursuant to Government Code Section 54954.2, this meeting was
properly posted on January 6, 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 oral or written communications
Approval of Draft Minutes: Draft Parks and Recreation Commission (PRC) Minutes for the November 10,
2009 meeting.
‐ BRUNO: MOVED TO ACCEPT THE MINUTES FOR THE NOVEMBER 10, 2009 MEETING.
‐ JOHNSON: SECOND
‐ APPROVED: 4‐0
Staff Reports: (This section is informational only; no actions will be taken.)
‐ Taylor reported that City staff held their retreat the previous week to prepare for the Council
Retreat. Taylor noted that one of the items scheduled for discussion at the Council Retreat is
health and wellness.
‐ Morrow added that the Council Retreat will be January 29, 2010.
Old Business:
1. Arbor Day Planning with the Youth Commission
Issue: During the PRC’s meeting with Youth Commission representatives in November 2009, the
two groups indicated an interest in working together to coordinate the City’s 2010 Arbor
Day event. The Youth Commission subcommittee will be returning to further develop
event plans.
Action: PRC will discuss event plans and work with the Youth Commission Subcommittee to plan
the 2010 Arbor Day event.
‐ PRC members and representatives from the Youth Commission discussed ways in which the two
Commissions could work together to participate in the City’s annual Arbor Day event.
‐ Members from the Youth Commission suggested working together to find someone to speak at
the event about the environment. The groups also suggested pooling resources to create prizes
for environmentally related games that could be held at the event.
‐ Morrow indicated she would work with the Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Public Works Director to
determine a date, time, and location for the Arbor Day event.
‐ SOUKUP: MOVED TO EMPOWER THE ARBOR DAY SUBCOMMITTEE TO START INITIAL
COORDINATE FOR ARBOR DAY EVENT WITH THE YOUTH COMMISSION.
‐ JOHNSON: SECOND
‐ APPROVED: 4‐0
2. Tree Planting Opportunities
Issue: At the November 2009 PRC Meeting, Commissioners began identifying locations to plant
trees on public property. The Commission agreed to finalize the list of recommended
locations at the January 2010 meeting.
Action: PRC will share potential tree planting locations with staff.
‐ Johnson indicated that he created a Google map of suggested tree planting locations.
‐ Morrow informed the Commission that several parks do not have tree planting plans. She said
she would send an email to the Commission with the names of the parks without tree planting
plans.
‐ Wilson suggested that the Commissioners visit the parks without tree planting plans and identify
good locations to plant trees.
‐ Johnson indicated it would be helpful to know which medians have irrigation and which don’t.
3. Celebrate Nature Work Items
Issue: At the November 2009 PRC Meeting, the Commission selected three primary focus areas
for its work plan and titled these focus areas “Celebrate Nature”, “Green City USA”, and
“One Saratoga”. The Commission then agreed to schedule each of these focus areas for
the January 2010 meeting so that work items for each area could be developed.
Action: Identify, schedule, and assign responsibility for work items under “Celebrate Nature”.
‐ Johnson indicated that he felt the 3 overall goals were not clearly defined.
‐ Wilson suggested defining the goals.
‐ The Commission agreed that the purpose of “Celebrate Nature” would be to raise awareness
and involvement in Saratoga’s environment. Suggested activities within this goal included:
‐ Tree planting location suggestions
‐ Arbor Day
‐ Labeling tree species in parks
‐ Nesting boxes (with support of Audubon Society)
‐ Nature/Environmental lectures
‐ Creek cleanup
4. Green City USA Work Items
Issue: Same as previous item.
Action: Identify, schedule, and assign responsibility for work items under “Green City USA”.
‐ The Commission agreed to consolidate the “Green City USA” goal category with “Celebrate
Nature” and replace “Green City USA” with “Healthy City”.
‐ The group then decided the purpose of the “Healthy City” goal would be to encourage a
healthy lifestyle in Saratoga through parks and recreation. Suggested activities within this
goal included:
‐ “Walk a Marathon” (participants would record their walks until they reach the
length of a marathon)
‐ Promote exercise
‐ Support recreational programs
‐ The Commission requested a report back from the Council Retreat discussion on health and
wellness should the Council have any direction to the Commission on this goal area.
5. One Saratoga Work Items
Issue: Same as previous item.
Action: Identify, schedule, and assign responsibility for work items under “One Saratoga”.
‐ The Commission discussed the purpose of “One Saratoga” and decided that it would be to
get Saratogans active in the parks and recreation system. Suggested activities within this
goal area included:
‐ Arbor Day
‐ Music in the park events, featuring the music groups from local schools
‐ Participation in the annual tree lighting ceremony
‐ Participation in the Mustard Faire
New Business:
6. Audubon Society Presentation
Issue: A representative from the Audubon Society will be providing a presentation on the
Audubon Society and nesting boxes. This item is scheduled to be heard at 7:00 p.m.
Action: Informational only, no action necessary.
‐ Michael Azevedo from the Santa Clara County Chapter of the Audubon Society provided a
presentation on nesting boxes, including:
o The birds native to Santa Clara County
o How they help native bird species
o How the Audubon Society uses nesting boxes to track native bird species
o How nesting box design influence which bird species use them
o How nesting boxes are used and monitored
o The different methods for placing nesting boxes
‐ The Commission agreed to identify locations for 3‐4 nesting boxes in the San Marcos open space
area. The Public Works Director would approve all locations would be approved before
placement of a nesting box. The Commission asked Azevedo if the Audubon Society had
volunteers available to monitor the boxes.
‐ Azevedo indicated that the Audubon Society did not have volunteers to monitor the new boxes,
but said he would help the Commission recruit volunteers.
‐ BRUNO: MOVED TO AUTHORIZE THE AUDUBON SOCIETY SUBCOMMITTEE, SOUKUP AND
JOHNSON, TO CONTINUE WORKING WITH THE AUDUBON SOCIETY TO PLACE NESTING BOXES IN
THE SAN MARCOS OPEN SPACE AREA.
‐ SOUKUP: SECOND
‐ APPROVED: 4‐0
Commissioner Announcements and Reports (including Park Reports)
‐ Wilson shared updates from Goldberg on Arbor Day, Kevin Moran Park, and West Valley
College’s interest in constructing a new trail.
‐ Bruno noted that the women’s bathroom at Kevin Moran Park does not lock.
‐ Johnson said he submitted photos for his park report to Morrow. He added that Wildwood and
El Quito have some graffiti issues and it appears that the water feature at Wildwood is broken.
‐ Soukup shared that he has noticed that the water fountain at Ravenwood periodically gets
stuck. Similar problems occur at Azule.
‐ Wilson indicated that the Heritage Orchard is in good condition and Congress Springs Park is
doing well, but may benefit from additional trees.
Agenda Items for Next Meeting
‐ Continue coordination for Arbor Day
‐ Review health and wellness goals from the Council Retreat
‐ Any capital improvement plan or budget items if necessary
‐ Update on the play equipment at Ravenswood, Petanque Court at Azule, progress on the
Tollgate property, and Joe’s Trail
‐ Soccer net storage issues
‐ Trails committee update
Adjournment – 8:48 p.m.
Minutes submitted by:
Crystal Morrow, Administrative Analyst II
City of Saratoga – City Manager’s Office