HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-27-1998 Parks and Recreation Quarterly Update to CouncilCity Council Meeting
• Quarterly Update
October 27, 1998
The K-12 Trip Reduction Project: ALTRANS has continued their outreach program,
attending school assemblies and designing education and incentive plans to
encourage use of alternative transportation. The biggest improvement in this year's
project is the new shuttle service being offered. The ALTRANS shuttle service began
on September 8, 1998 to and from Redwood Middle School. At the present time the
program is transporting twenty-one children to Redwood Middle School. The
shuttle program currently utilizes two vans; one belonging to ALTRANS and the
other van on loan from the City.
The shuttle service has received favorable comments from parents because of the
personal service of home to school pick-up. The number of families that will be able
to utilize the service will be increasing after the first of the year since two
additional vans have been ordered. This will give ALTRANS three vans to operate
within the City of Saratoga.
The City recently received funding from the Office of Traffic Safety in order to fund
a Saratoga Youth Bicycle Safety Education Program. The Bicycle Advisory
Committee (BAC) and staff have been working with ALTRANS to fold this Safety
Education Program into the K-12 Trip Reduction Program. Since the K-12 Program
is already established in the schools, both the staff and the BAC felt this to be an
• appropriate vehicle in which to incorporate this Bicycle Safety Program. As
children are being encouraged to use alternative modes of transportation, it is
important to also educate them to the safety issues related to these other options.
In addition, the Saratoga K- I Z Trip Reduction Program has been named the
Peninsula Conservation Center Foundation's Business Environmental Award
winner for 1998 and will be recognized at a special reception on October 30,
1998.
2. Park Development Projects (Project Fund 9704)
Playfield Development Project: After the Council approved the request to modify
The Beals Group's, formerly Beals Landscape Architecture, original scope of
services as Project Manager for the Playfield Development Project at the September
22, 1998 meeting, they went straight to work on the schematic plans.
The Beals Group presented their first draft of the schematic plans to the Saratoga,
Cupertino and Campbell School District representatives at a meeting on October
13th. Task Force members were also invited to attend to discuss and review the
schematic plans. Subsequent meetings were arranged so that the schematic plans
could be altered and refined before they were shared with the public.
Three Public Information meetings have been scheduled for the neighborhoods
surrounding the proposed project sites; Blue Hills Elementary/Azule site, Marshall
• Lane School site and the Foothill School site. These Public Information Meetings
have been scheduled with the intent of hearing the ideas and concerns of the
surrounding community and attempt to respond to and/or incorporate these ideas
• during the schematic stage of development.
Three Public Input Meetings have been scheduled. The dates and times of the
meetings are listed below and all meetings will take place at the particular school
sites.
• Foothill Elementary: Thursday, October 22, 1998 (6:30-8:00 p.m.)
• Marshall Lane School: Tuesday, October 27, 1998 (6:30-8:00 p.m.)
• Blue Hills Elementary/Azule Park: Thursday, November 1 Z, 1998 (6:30-
8:00 p.m.)
Neighbors living within a 500 ft. radius of the three sites received a notice of the
meetings in the mail and there has been notification of the meetings printed in the
Saratoga News. After the Public Information Meetings, we will address the public
concerns and ideas into the final plans that will go before each of the three School
Boards, the Task Force, the Parks and Recreation Commission and finally to the City
Council.
2. Wildwood Park Restrooms: Staff has narrowed down the search for turn-key
operations to two vendors that staff feels most closely meets the needs of the City.
Staff is making arrangements for the Commission to meet with these vendors so a
recommendation can then be made to Council regarding the restrooms at
Wildwood Park.
• 3. Kevin Moran/Gardiner Park Play Equipment Replacement: Staff is in the process of
having drawings drafted for each site. The Commission will have an opportunity to
interview the vendors who have submitted responses to the City's Request for
Proposal. After the preliminary designs have been sketched, a neighborhood
meeting will be scheduled to allow residents to share ideas and any concerns related
to the new play equipment which will then be incorporated into the final design of
the site. This project will receive first priority after the Playfield Task Force has
disbanded and the final project has been approved.
4. Community Center Renovation: At the last joint meeting with the Commission,
Council requested information regarding costs associated with a feasibility study for
improvements to the Community Center before any decisions were to be made
about the future of the facility. Pamela Anderson Brule, of Anderson Brule
Architects, was asked to perform a preliminary assessment of needs for the
Community Center. This assessment will provide information needed to draft a
Request for Proposals for a Feasibility Study and Master Plan for the renovation,
addition to or rebuilding of the Community Center. A questionnaire was distributed
to all instructors and contractors who utilize the Community Center to receive their
input related to the facility. When the assessment is complete, this information will
be presented to the Council who can then determine what they feel should be done
to the existing facility.
5. Trail Improvements: Over the past six months, the Commission has received a
large amount of correspondence regarding trail conditions and trail concerns as
they relate to new developments. As a response to this, the Commission has
designated a Trail Sub-committee, (Commissioners Swan & Iannou) ,who have
• dedicated themselves to researching trail concerns. The sub-committee follows up
on concerns raised by the public in addition to being pro-active in their attempts to
secure existing trails and insist that new developments upgrade trails to the level
outlined in the Parks and Trail Master plan. To date, the Trails Sub-committee has
met several times with Planning staff and will continue to do so in order to clarify
some concerns that exists with trails and the new development process.
In addition, the Parks and Recreation Commission is finalizing their Trails Grant
Program. In the past, volunteers have approached the City and volunteered their
time to clean up and improve certain sections of existing trails. The City would then
supply the volunteer group with the necessary materials for their particular project.
The Commission believes that by formalizing this process, it will encourage more
residents to volunteer their time to make improvements to the trails they most use.
Also, by establishing a formalized process, the Commission will be better able to
document when and where the trails have been improved and those sites that still
need attention.
6. Heritage Orchard Improvements: There have been no new developments with this
project. The Commission will continue to explore other opportunities that can be
arranged for the Heritage Orchard and how it is cared for .
•
•
SARATOGA RESIDENT
SCHOOL ASSIGNMENTS
as of October 1998
Campbell Union School District
Capri 2
Forest Hill 29
• Marshall Lane 149
Rollins Hills 91
total: 271
Campbell Union High School District
Blackford 4
Leigh 3
Prospect 100
Westmont 83
total: 190
Cupertino Union School District
• Blue Hills 437
Collins 1
Eisenhower 1
Hyde 14
Faris 12
Christa McAuliffe 43
John Muir 15
Miller Jr. High 118
Nimitz 1
Portal 14
Re~nart 0
total: 668
Fremont Union High School District
Cupertino 3
Fremont 1
Homestead 1
Lynbrook 279
Monts Vista 119
Alternative Pro grams 8
total: 411
Moreland Union School District
Baker 21
Castro'MS 33
Moreland continued
Country Lane 154
Discovery 5
Easterbrook 4
Latimer 1
Payne 5
Rogers MS 41
total: 264
Saratoga Union School District
Argonaut 578
• Foothill 549
Redwood 817
Saratoga 327
total: 2,271
Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint High School District
Los Gatos H.S. 15
Saratoga 998*
total: 1,105
St. Andrew's Parish Day School
110 of 320 families attending reside in
Saratoga. Approximately 140 students
Sacred Heart Catholic School
126 of 210 families attending reside in
Saratoga.
*excludes all inter-district transfers & students from
Monte Sereno, Los Gatos and unicorporated areas