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Home My WebLink About05-11-2010 Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes City of Saratoga Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes DATE: Tuesday, May 11, 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 – 6:32 p.m. Roll Call Present: Bruno, Goldberg, Johnson, Soukup, Wilson Staff: Morrow, Taylor Report on Posting of the Agenda: Pursuant to Government Code Section 54954.2, this meeting was properly posted on May 5, 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 comments from the public Approval of Draft Minutes: Draft Parks and Recreation Commission (PRC) Minutes for the February 23, 2010 meeting. ‐ Johnson requested that motion on item 3, Soccer Net Storage, be clarified to reflect that the PRC recommended that the proposed storage method be added to user agreements rather than negotiated with users. ‐ SOUKUP MOVED TO CHANGE WORDING OF MOTION FROM “SUGGEST THE SOCCER NET STORAGE OPTION TO USER GROUPS TO SEE IF THEY WOULD BE OPEN TO INCLUDING IT IN THEIR USER AGREEMENTS” TO “PRESENT THE STORAGE METHOD TO USER GROUPS”. ‐ JOHNSON SECONDED ‐ APPROVED 5‐0 ‐ WILSON MOVED TO ACCEPT MINUTES AS AMENDED ‐ SOUKUP SECONDED ‐ APPROVED 5‐0 Old Business: 1. Election of Chair & Vice Chair Issue: The terms of the current Chair and Vice Chair expire May 2010. Per the City of Saratoga Municipal Code, the Commission is required to select a new Chair and Vice Chair. Action: PRC will select a new Chair and Vice Chair, who will assume their positions immediately. ‐ Wilson thanked Goldberg for her excellent job as PRC Chair ‐ BRUNO MOVED TO NOMINATE JOHNSON AS CHAIR ‐ GOLDBERG SECONDED ‐ APPROVED 4‐1, WITH COMMISSIONER JOHNSON ABSTAINING ‐ SOUKUP MOVED TO NOMINATE GOLDBERG AS VICE CHAIR ‐ BRUNO SECONDED ‐ APPROVED 5‐0 2. Nesting Box Project Issue: At the January 2010 meeting, the PRC received a presentation from a member of the local chapter of the Audubon Society on bird nesting boxes. The Commission agreed to work with the Audubon Society to place nesting boxes in Saratoga parks. Action: Discuss status of the project and develop a plan for moving forward with placement of boxes in the future. ‐ Goldberg noted that the item was added to the agenda so that the Commission could begin developing a plan for the next nesting season. ‐ The Commission discussed what needed to be done to place nesting boxes in Saratoga, including identifying locations for the boxes, getting the locations approved by Public Works Director John Cherbone, and recruiting volunteers. ‐ The Commission agreed to visit the areas they would like to place nesting boxes, including the San Marcos Open Space and Parker Ranch area, with Michael Azevedo from the Santa Clara County Chapter of the Audubon Society. After meeting with Azevedo, the group could seek approval from Cherbone, determine when the nesting boxes need to be placed, and begin recruiting volunteers. ‐ Johnson volunteered to check with Azevedo to see when he is available to meet and then settle the date with the PRC. ‐ The Commission requested the item be placed on the June meeting agenda. 3. Tree Planting Issue: At the November 2009 meeting, the PRC invited Vice Mayor Jill Hunter to speak about the 2015 by 2015 program. At the time, the Commission indicated it was interested in supporting the effort of the Heritage Tree Society to plant 2015 trees by the year 2015. Action: Discuss opportunities and make a decision on how to support the Heritage Tree Society’s 2015 by 2015 program. ‐ Goldberg indicated that she added this item to the agenda, since there has been so much interest in the topic. ‐ The Commission agreed to mark tree planting locations on a map at the September meeting and invite the public to attend to suggest tree planting locations on public property. New Business: 4. MOVE‐IT Saratoga Update & Outreach Issue: At the City Council’s joint meeting with the PRC in March 2010, the Council authorized the PRC to move forward with plans to challenge the public to walk/run a marathon or bike a century in Saratoga between May and September 2010. Action: PRC will discuss status of MOVE‐IT Saratoga and plans for outreach. ‐ Goldberg noted that the Commission needs to publicize the program. ‐ Wilson asked if the City has information about the distances of the pathways in parks. ‐ Goldberg indicated some of the park maps do have this information. ‐ Wilson said it would be helpful to include that information on park maps. ‐ Goldberg agreed and said that the PRC can go out and measure routes, if it is of interest. ‐ Soukup suggested that the City include pathway distances on park map signs. ‐ Goldberg noted that the Pedestrian, Equestrian, and Bicycle Trails Advisory Committee is holding two trail hikes: o Parker Ranch on June 5th at 9:00 a.m. o Heritage Triangle on June 21st at 7:00 p.m. Commissioner & Staff Reports (This includes committee updates and park reports. This section is informational only; no actions will be taken.) ‐ Morrow shared that the Public Works Department is working with the field use groups to determine which soccer nets belong to which user groups. Additionally, the City Council will be discussing the proposed fiscal year 2010/11 budget on May 19, 2010. ‐ Wilson said he is working with Saratoga High School Media Arts Program and one student is very interested in shooting video of the parks. Wilson requested information about City volunteer requirements. Wilson asked that the Commission discuss the option at the September meeting. ‐ Goldberg informed the Commission that the Traffic Safety Commission is meeting to discuss and collect input on the Circulation Element of the City’s General Plan. ‐ Johnson noted that there are some furniture issues at Bellgrove Park, the El Quito pathway is complete, soccer nets are still a problem at El Quito, and Wildwood still has some graffiti issues. ‐ Johnson also indicated that the chain fence at Wildwood near the 4th street entrance might be a safety hazard. ‐ Wilson suggested that new sand be added to the volleyball court at Wildwood. ‐ Wilson said that the Heritage Orchard looks great, Congress Springs appears to have more baseball activity and equipment than usual, and asked if the baseball equipment at Congress Springs is permanent. ‐ Bruno said that Foothill has a lot of big brown patches in the grass area. She also shared that the Saratoga Monte Sereno Community Foundation is holding a meeting on May 25 at Plumed Horse, cost is $60 per person. The Board will be discussing plans for the future, including new funding for community projects. ‐ Soukup said that the Beauchamps tennis court needs to be resurfaced. Benches at Ravenwood are in poor condition. Gardiner Park looks good. Agenda Items for Next Meeting ‐ Wilson requested that the June 22, 2010 be rescheduled for June 14, 2010. ‐ WILSON MOVED TO RESCHEDULE JUNE 22, 2010 MEETING TO JUNE 14, 2010. ‐ SOUKUP SECONDED ‐ APPROVED 5‐0 ‐ Future agenda items added at the meeting: o Community Emergency Response Team presentation by Emergency Services Coordinator Jim Yoke – Not Scheduled o Memorial Plaques Placed by the City – September Meeting o Music in the Park Discussion – June o MOVE IT Saratoga Awards – June o Tree Planting Suggestions – June o Bird Nesting Boxes – June Adjournment – 7:51 p.m. Minutes submitted by: Crystal Morrow, Administrative Analyst II City of Saratoga – City Manager’s Office