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P&R 12-03-09AMENDED MINUTES PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION CITY OF CIJPERTINO Regular Meeting December 3, 2009 at 7:00 p.m- Community Hall Council Chamber 10350 Torre Avenue, Cupertino 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. CALL TO ORDER Chairperson Lee called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. in the Community Hall Council Chamber, 10350 Torre Avenue, Cupertino, CA. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ROLL CALL Commissioners present David Lase, Darcy Paul, Jeanne Bradford, David Greenstein, and Debbie Stephens Stauffer Staff present: Mark Linder, Donna Henriques, Colleen Ferris MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETL~TGS A. Regular meeting of October ] , 2009 Action: Commissioner Greenstein made a motion to approve the minutes. Commissioner Paul seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS Deborah Jamison reported that she attended the Santa Clara County (SCC) Creeks Coalition's Annual Conference at the (~uinlan Community Center. She thanked the City for co-sponsoring the event grid supplying the meeting place. She suggested that the Commissioners watch the video on the SCC Creeks Coalition website as it contained good information regarding urban stream restoration- She handed out agendas from the Conference and a publication, titled "Creekside News", to the Commission. PRESENTATION A. Parks and Recreation Program update by Colleen Ferris, Recreation Coordinator at the Sports Center. Colleen Ferris gave a presentation regarding the many offerings at the Sports Center. The Sports Center is running a special for current members to renew their 2010 membership for $299. This special will run from December 8, 2009 through January 8, 2010. On January 9, 2010, from 9 - 1 1 a.m., the Sports Center will be having an Open House and will offer new memberships for $3 1 O. There are also monthly memberships available for $15. 7. OLD BUSINESS A. Verbal update of the Sports Center pool conversion to a multi-use sport court Director Mark Linder said that the new tennis court lighting project is completed. He intends to pursue converting the swimming pool area to a multi-purpose sports court at mid-year and/or annual budget time. He is recommending not including restrooms in this project. The estimated cost is $325,000. B. Verbal update on construction of Villa Serra Park The park plans have been submitted to Public Works for review. The construction area for the park veil] be cleared in March 2010 and construction is set to begin in April 2010_ C. Verbal update on geese and ducks in Memorial Park Director Linder has asked Public Works to install signs that say "Do Not Feed the Ducks and Geese". Also, Barbara Banfield, the City's Naturalist, is preparing none-page flyer that states why it is unhealthy to feed the ducks and geese, and that is also unhealthy for humans. The flyer will be passed out to Quinlan Center and the Senior Center and will also be converted into signs that can be- posted on the poles around the pond. Director Linder also asked Public Works to prepare a budget proposal for the cost of using a nontoxic spray that is applied directly to the turf and is a proven goose deterrent. This spray is harmless to people and pets. Four to six applications are needed t~efore the geese learn that the area is not desirable- He provided a handout that details the nontoxic spray and the results- Commissioner Bradford said that she had recently gone to Memorial Park, due to resident complaints about the geese, and she feels that something more needs to be done to alleviate the geese and ducks problem. She would like a group, either volunteers or Code Enforcement, to patrol the area and to ask people not to feed the ducks. She said she feels that we need human intervention to make sure that people are reading the signs and following the posted rules. Chairperson Lee recognized resident Deborah Jamison, who asked to speak on this issue. She said that she thinks it will be very difficult to educate people on why not to feed the ducks and geese. She said there should be something else in place of the ponds so that the ducks and geese will stop coming to the park- She described a rain garden as a depression in the ground that's normally filled with rocks where water can percolate down the rocks and the water is recirculated so there is no standing water. Commissioner Paul said that there should also possibly be a sign in Mandarin stating not to feed the geese and ducks. Commissioner Greenstein said that he thinks the pond and the feeding of ducks should be treated as two separate issues and that the ducks/geese problem needs to be solved as ~.oon as possible. He also feels that something more than putting up new signs needs to be done. Commissioner Stauffer said that the ducks and geese are a huge problem, and it is affecting the health of the children and adults who visit the park. She feels that the feces are creating a public health risk. She said we need to raise the level of consciousness on this problem and make it an urgent issue. Commissioner Lee said he is not opposed to having the signs posted in multi-languages and that there i s definitely a sense of urgency to this issue- He said he feels we should try to get a group to volunteer to monitor the situation. at Memorial Park as an interim step- 8. NEW BUSINESS A. Discuss public input and civic engagement Director Linder led the discussion and said that while he was attending the National League of Cities conference last month, he attended a workshop about using social networking technology to enhance local democracy. One of the featured items is "keypad" technology where group participants record their opinions, which area then displayed on a screen. He said that this type of feedback assures anonymity and could be useful at open meetings. He also said that the Cupertino Teen Center is on Facebook and he has had conversations with some of the younger staff members and they feel there is much more that our department can do to both communicate and market the Teen Center. Director Linder and Commissioner Stauffer said they have discussed this issue and fee] that it would be €;ood to bring together Commissioners 3 Stauffer and Bradford, and any interested staff, to fully explore these possibilities and begin to implement ideas that would help communicate to our community and market our programs. The group would return to the Commission in February with recommendations. After discussion of this issue, all Commissioners agreed with Director Cinder's suggestion to bring together the interested staff and Commissioners Stauffer and Bradford to begin exploring this and to identify the questions that need to be looked at by the City Attorney. 9_ MISCELLANEOUS - NO ACTION REQUIRED A. Staff oral reports -Director Linder said that Friday, December 4 at 6.00 p.m. is the Community Tree Lighting ceremony at the Quinlan Community Center. The following day, December 5, is breakfast with Santa which also at the Quinlari Center. He also said that Tuesday, December 1, was the groundbreaking ceremony for Sterling Barnhart Park project and that the construction is scheduled to be completed in May 2010. Director Linder said he was chosen as the National League of Cities' Chair of the Democratic Governance Panel for 2010. B. Commissioner contacts -Commissioner Greenstein said that the Helping Hands group from Monta Vista has been busy removing trash and non- native plants and has also been planting at the Stevens Creek Corridor. He said that more volunteer student groups have asked to participate in cleaning and maintaining some of our other parks. The website for more information is ~~°ww.helpin~Thandscupertino.or~~ Commissioner Paul said that he attended the last few Stocklmeir Task Force meetings and that they had recently visited Hidden Villa in Los Altos Hills. In January, the Task Force will be coming forward with their recommendations with respect _o the findings of the group and various ideas for the Stocklmeir propeny. Commissioner Stauffer commended Commissioner Paul on his integrity and leadership with regards to his recent campaign for City Council. All Commissioners and Staff agreed with Commissioner Stauffer. Commissioner Greenstein said that this is the end of his first term but he has reapplied for appointment to the Commission. 4 10. ADJOURNMENT -Chairperson Lee adjourned the meeting at 8:25 p.m. Respectfully submitted, ~ ~~ Donna Henriques, Administrative Assistant Mi~zutes approved at the January 7. ?_OIO regular meeting