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P&R 02-06-03 APPROVED PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION CITY OF CUPERTINO REGULAR MEETING THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2003 CALL TO ORDER Chairman Peng called the regular meeting of the Parks and Recreation Commission to order at 7 p.m. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE INTRODUCTION OF RE-APPOINTED COMMISSIONERS Chairman Peng extended his congratulations to reappointed commissioners Jeanne Bradford and Kris Wang ROLL CALL Commissioners present: Jeanne Bradford, Rod Brown, Frank Jelinch, Roger Peng, Kris Wang (Wang arrived at 7:04) Commissioners absent: None Staff present: Therese Ambrosi Smith, Director; Julia Lamy, Recreation Supervisor; Don McCarthy, Recreation Supervisor; Richard Gonzales, Recreation Coordinator; Made Preston, Administrative Secretary ELECTION OF OFFICERS 1. Chair for 2003 - Commissioner Jelinch nominated Commissioner and Vice-Chair Jeanne Bradford for Chairwoman for 2003, Commissioner Brown seconded the nomination. Vote: Ayes: Brown, Jelinch, Peng. Abstentions: Bradford: Noes: None. Absent: Wang. Chairwoman Bradford thanked Commissioner Peng for his leadership and hard work over the last year. Vice Chair for 2003 - Commissioner Jelinch nomin~tted Commissioner Rod Brown as Vice Chair, Commissioner Roger Peng seconded the nomination. Vote: Ayes: Bradford, Jelinch, Peng. Abstentions: Brown. Noes: None. Absent: Wang. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING 3. Minutes of December 5, 2002, were unanimously approved as written. Parks and Recreation Commission February 6, 2003 Page 2 of 7 ORAL COMMUNICATIONS · G. William Walster, 22116 Dean Court, regarding the Stevens Creek Corridor kit disclosure, stated that he believed it would help the quality of the process if the contents of the kit could be made public ahead of time so that people could see them and have input into the contents. He didn't understand why the contents of the kit were being kept a secret. He asked the commission for an answer to his question. Chairwoman Bradford stated that due to state law, the commission is prohibited from having a lot of discussion or in making decisions on issues that come up during oral communications because it is not on the agenda. Chairwoman Bradford did state that the staff needs an opportunity to put together the information, which is the process that is going on at this time. She asked Therese to talk about the timeline& expectations, etc. Therese stated that at this time, people are being asked to order their kit by February 21. She stated that the response has been large and includes individuals, school groups, and organizations. Because of this huge response, the kits are going to be tailored somewhat to make them easier to use. The department will provide informational meetings, as well as technical support to as many people as possible. Mr. Walster asked that if the process for creating the kits is closed, is that a violation of the California public disclosure law? Therese answered that it is not. City departments work on draft documents all the time, both administrative and public review drafts. The department is currently in the administrative drafi phase of putting the kits together. Chairwoman BradJbrd announced that kits would be available to the public at the March 6 meeting. Therese announced that there wouM be more than one kit distribution meeting. Tony and Grace Toy, 10130 Crescent Road, distributed a copy of a September 25, 2002, fax they sent to Therese Ambrosi Smith regarding Court #1 pass holders. They expressed their concern with unregulated prime time court use at the Sports Center. Mr. Toy stated on November 14 their paid guests were not allowed to book courts. He also reported that on November 20, the front staff informed them that Richard Gonzales had given her instructions to not show them the reservation sheet; however, it was OK to show others. They have never received an explanation concerning this issue. They read certain highlighted portions of their September 25 letter. The Toy's asked that someone contact them to resolve their issues. WRITTEN - None UNFINISHED BUSINESS 4. Sports Center - Don McCarthy introduced Richard Gonzales, Recreation Coordinator at the Sports Center. Don described the open house meeting on January 30 as the department's opportunity to educate the public and the users of the club on the design, construction, and impacts of the soon-to-be remodeled center. The event was successful with nearly 200 people attending. Richard Gonzales highlighted the marketing strategy and promotion campaign to be implemented to keep as many existing pass holders as possible. Parks and Recreation Commission February 6, 2003 Page 3 of 7 During construction, only tennis will be provided. Construction is expected to take one year. Richard highlighted new facility services and options for existing pass holders. Fees may increase 10 to 20 percent per pass holder when the building re-opens. Parking will be affected by the construction, as about half of parking spaces will be unavailable. People will be asked to park at the Quinlan Center and Memorial Park. One of the marketing strategies to help keep existing members is to give a 30 pement discount for all existing sports and fitness classes that the Sports Center offers at the Quinlan Center and all satellite facilities. During the construction period, there will be anticipated "in-the-red" financials because members will be lost. The new facility will hold triple the amount of fitness equipment; the multipurpose room will be able to accommodate triple the number of participants in cardio classes. It is anticipated that the facility will be self-supporting again once the facility is open. Impacts on tennis will be minimal and insignificant drop-offs are anticipated. Chairwoman Bradford commended the Sports Center staff on the successful open house. Don McCarthy stated that staff would look at each customer's individual needs to channel them into the best opportunity for them. 4th of July Fireworks - Don McCarthy reported that De Anza College is no longer an option for the fireworks display due to the build-up of the campus. Another change to the event is that the 2003 event will not be able to provide viewing areas, live music, community sing-along, food booths, etc. Staff has been working with Public Works, Fire, Sheriff, and Fremont Union High School District to discover a suitable substitute for De Anza and discuss logistics. Several school sites and private sites were investigated. The one site with the most feasibility is Cupertino High School; this location, though, does not provide a spectator viewing area as before. With a large aerial of the Cupertino High School site, Don showed the launch site, near the baseball field. Therese announced they will be going out to the neighborhood, but wanted to give the commission the presentation first in case they get phone calls about the 4th of July. Both Fire and Sheriff's Office are working out the public safety operations plan. When they have refined that, a neighborhood meeting will be held with public safety to explain to the neighborhood how this event will be made safe. The school district is on board to allow us to use the site for that day. An operation plan is expected in a month to month and a half. Don went over the public safety issues of using the school site. He stated that the site has been measured three times. The Fire Department and Pyrospectacular have agreed that four-inch shells can be used, which means that the shells will go up between 100 and 125 feet per inch. The fallout zone is 500 feet in the air. Other shell sizes will be one-inch, two-inch, and three-inch. Parks and Recreation Commission February 6, 2003 Page 4 of 7 The next step is to get information from all the critical agencies that will be involved and meet with the neighborhood. The streets off Finch, at approximately 5 p.m., will be closed, as well as there will be security all around the perimeter. The school district is requiring to have six officers in the area in case someone hops the fence. Don is requisitioning 35 officers to work the day of the fireworks. This number can be adjusted following review of the operations plan. Therese stated that at one point Monta Vista was being considered, but when the Fire Department reviewed the site, it was eliminated from consideration due to not having enough of a fallout zone. These also reported that the upside of this is that there are a number of parks, parking lots, and churches around the east side of town that will make the fireworks visible. Before staff moves forward, an operations plan will need to be reviewed and neighborhood meetings will be planned. Don stated that the new fireworks location would change the event from regional to residential. Commissioner Jelinch was concerned about the impacts of traffic on the neighborhood and if contingency plans were being formed. Therese responded that the Sheriff' s Office is working on these plans currently. The Sheriff's Office will be notifying Santa Clara and San Jose to make them aware that we are planning a detonation at Cupertino High School. Commissioner Peng asked if the winds that time of year are predictable. Don reported that there are clear indications of the prevailing winds for that time of year, but also stated that there are no guarantees. Staff will be relying on the Fire Department to make that call. Public safety is the primary focus when preparing for this event. Therese stated that there are preventative measures that are always taken at these events, even at De Anza College, such as hosing down of perimeter areas to keep them wet; for instance, at Cupertino High School, the tennis courts will be kept wet. Commissioner Peng suggested using the Block Captain program to get the word out to neighbors. Don reported they would be working with Laura Domondon-Lee, Community Relations Coordinator, to get the word out. Commissioner Jelinch asked if Vallco had been considered. Don stated that several different locations, including Vallco, were reviewed. Vallco was thought to be a good viewing site, but very large Ash trees obstruct the view. Therese reported that the school district personnel have been wonderful to work with and they have been supportive in the city's efforts to have a 2003 4th of July fireworks show. Parks and Recreation Commission February 6, 2003 Page 5 of 7 Therese asked the commission if they would like to host a joint neighborhood meeting, she would put this item on the agenda for further discussion. Chairwoman Bradford stated that this item does need to be put on the agenda so the community can come and discuss the topic. Senior Center Year End Report for 2002 - Julia Lamy presented statistics of the membership and the accomplishments of the newly remodeled Senior Center. Highlights of that presentation were that 2002 was the first full year of operation since they moved into the new building. Membership has grown from 1,300 o 2,977 in two years. There are 1,650 Cupertino residents who are members of the center, which is well over the goal of having a 50 percent resident base. The center receives funding from the County of Santa Clara. To receive this funding, the center needs to be open to all seniors in the County. There were over 54,000 participants in the social, services, trip activities over the last year. One of the center's goals was to try to reach out to the Asian senior citizens; the Asian membership has grown from just over 100 in 2000 to over 600 in 2002. Another highlight was that over 200 senior volunteers put in 16,300 hours of service to support the many program at the center. These 16,300 hours of volunteer work provides the center with the equivalent of 7.5 permanent staff positions. Julia listed over 20 new programs/services provided for 2002. There were over 9,000 hours of programmed activities in the first full year. That means that they are able to be open to more seniors, especially those who may be working part-time, or have other commitments during the day. She listed 14 new program goals for 2003. Some of these goals are: prepare and compile a Program Interest Survey, expansion of De Anza College Older Adults courses to summer session and evenings, more translated seminars and health lectures, special nutrition classes tailored to specific ethnic groups, and develop a transportation plan for the case management program clients. She reported that one goal had been accomplished already and that was getting their monthly newsletter up on the city's website. Commissioner Wang asked if there were classes to teach seniors how to access the web. Julia stated that the center has a technology room and Internet classes are offered every quarter. The center also has a cyber comer where a computer is in the lobby where seniors can log on to the Interact at any time. Commissioner Peng expressed an interest in the translating machine used at the center that is similar to what the United Nations uses. Julia explained that currently they are set up to use one language, and they can translate for 30 people in one language. To do a dual language, another receiver would need to be purchased, which is a minimal investment. Parks and Recreation Commission February 6, 2003 Page 6 of 7 Commissioner Jelinch stated that he thought the center's translation program would be a good candidate to compete at the state conference. Commissioner Jelinch asked if the center was used by outside groups for meetings, weddings, etc. Julia reported that the Senior Center is open Friday night, Saturdays, and Sundays for rentals. In the first year's operation, the center generated over $25,000 in rentals. The only problem for the center is the first Saturday of every month when De Anza holds its flea market because the overflow parking takes place in the center's parking lot, and the center does not feel comfortable renting out to people on that first Saturday when they can't guarantee they are going to have parking. Commissioner Brown stated that the center has demonstrated great success. He asked if the center was nearing capacity limitations. Julia did state that they were way beyond capacity in the parking lot. If someone hasn't parked their vehicle by 9:30 a.m., they probably won't find another free space until 2 or 2:30 p.m. That issue does impact the center on the number of classes they can hold during that time. Staff is going to look at what other options they can do for parking. If the center had all the parking available to them, they could fill up all the rooms. If they filled every room with activities, they could have over 400 people in the building and have 120 parking spaces. Staff is going to start to address this issue. Chairwoman Bradford inquired about incentives to increase volunteers at the Center. Julia reported that through the self-assessment, this should be revealed; this self- assessment should show what areas they haven't thought about or tapped into. Chairwoman Bradford suggested that a group of members from the center register for a Stevens Creek Corridor kit. Julia stated that their advisory board and the senior center members are interested in participating in the program. Julia said that she would also be hosting workshops for the seniors. The first one is scheduled for March 19. NEW BUSINESS - None MISCELLANEOUS - NO ACTION REQUIRED 7. Staff Oral Reports: Stevens Creek Corridor: Therese reported that there has been a tremendous response from the community. Many of the requestors have been getting a personal contact to confirm their request. The farthest request has come from Ottawa, Canada. She stated that the challenge is to affectively communicate the Council's goals, instructions how to use the kit, and make available to participants the professional support we promised so that their submittal can be as strong as we can help them make it. There are six sixth- grade classes participating and a meeting has been scheduled for next week with those teachers to discuss logistics. There will be a joint meeting with the City Council and the commission on Monday, May 12, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. to review submittals. This review process could take the better part of the summer. The Teen Commission is participating in the program and some as individuals have done this as well. Parks and Recreation Commission February 6, 2003 Page 7 of 7 Community Contacts: Commission Interviews: The city manager, Dave Knapp, has been asked to interview the commission to find out how they think things are going, what their goals are, etc. He has a list of standard questions he is going to be asking of all commission. He would like to meet with this commission on March 6. Therese asked the commission if they could meet on March 6 at 6 p.m., prior to their regular scheduled meeting. The commission agreed with this meeting arrangement. Mayor's Tea: Each commission has been assigned on a rotation basis to meet with Mayor Michael Chang at his monthly tea. Ifa commissioner finds that he cannot attend, contact Marie Preston. ADJOURNMENT Chairwoman Bradford adjourned the meeting at 8:22 p.m. to March 6, 2003, 6 p.m., City Hall conference room C. Respectfully submitted Televised Council meetings may be viewed live on Cable Channel 26, and may also be viewed live or on demand at www. cupertino, or~ <http.'//www. cupertino, org>. Videotapes of the televised meetings are available at the Cupertino Library, or may be purchased from the Cupertino City Channel, 777-2364.