Loading...
P&R 06-05-03 APPROVED PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION CITY OF CUPERTINO REGULAR MEETING THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 2003 CALL TO ORDER Chairperson Bradford called the regular meeting of the Parks and Recreation Commission to order at 7 p.m. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ROLLCALL Commissioners present: Commissioners absent: Staff present: Jeanne Bradford, Rod Brown, Frank Jelinch, Roger Peng, Kris Wang None Therese Ambrosi Smith, Director; Richard Gonzales, Sports Center Recreation Coordinator; Marie Preston, Administrative Secretary 1. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING - May 1, 2003 ACTION: By a 4-0 vote, the minutes were approved as written. Bradford abstained from the vote because she was absent at that meeting. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS Tony and Grace Toy, 10130 Crescent Road, distributed a packet of correspondence to the commission: · Letter dated November 22, 2002, from Dan Clarke to Therese Smith, "Equitable Use of Tennis Facility: opposition to policy re USTA Team Tennis on Weeknight Evenings; support for current 7-day reservation policy" · June 4, 2003 email from Dan Clarke to Tony and Grace Toy with attached January 6, 2003, letter from Dan Clarke to Therese Smith · Fax dated December 30, 2002, from the Toys to Therese Smith, "Request to Add Item to January 9 agenda" · Parks and Recreation Administration meeting notice of October 28, 2002, to all Sports Center Pass Holders notifying them of a pass holder meeting on Thursday, November 7, 2002 · Email dated November 2, 2002, from Anthony R. Ciraulo regarding "Problem - Parks and Rec" · Letter to Commissioner Jeanne Bradford, June 5, 2003, from the Toys Parks and Recreation Commission June 5, 2003 Page 2 of 9 The Toys stated that they believe they are not being heard, that they have been treated unfairly, and they want the issues discussed now and not after the renovation of the building. They asked to have direct communication with the managing staff and to put their concerns on an agenda for discussion. They are willing to meet with staff, but before they do that, they wanted to know who is responsible for monitoring staff performance. They also wanted to pumhase a copy of the videotape. Therese reported that Don McCarthy did call the Toys on May 9 and emailed them with the offer to meet; he asked them to prepare an agenda for the meeting so that they could control the content of the meeting; the Toys did not respond or submit an agenda. At the Toys' request, one public meeting was held in November. Therese offered the Toys a full refund of their Sports Center membership if they were unhappy with the way the center is managed. Chairperson Bradford stated she would read the material she received from the Toys and will respond at a later time after she's had time to review it. She confirmed that she heard them say several times that they felt they haven't been heard. She also stated that the commission, by law, is unable to discuss matters that are not on the agenda. Chairperson Bradford says she understands their concerns and understands that there are different points of view. She stated that the commission decided in November that this issue was not going to be resolved until the Sports Center remodel was done; that the policies surrounding tennis is just one element of the general policies that the commission is going to address. She acknowledged that this decision does not meet the timeframe of the Toys, but believes it is fair in the context of the broader policies that the commission is going to be asked to make. Chairperson Bradford reiterated that the commission is not going to act on a policy change until the Sports Center remodel is complete. Commission Wang stated that Therese Smith is responsible for Sports Center staff and any monitoring of employees should be addressed through her. Therese asked the Toys that if they have issues they want to resolve to prepare an agenda, as suggested last month, and staff will meet with them. 3. WRITTEN - None UNFINISHED BUSINESS A. Stevens Creek Corridor - reviewing visions: Therese gave a brief PowerPoint presentation entitled "Looking for Common Ground." She listed the following goals for the meeting: · Get an update from visionaries on what common ground they have discovered in small groups or from viewing the submittals · Achieve consensus on how to move forward She listed four possible ways to develop common ground: · Continue to work in small groups with presentations to the Parks and Recreation Commission in July and August. In August, the Parks and Parks and Recreation Commission June 5, 2003 Page 3 of 9 Recreation Commission forwards three to five options to the City Council for consideration · Conduct a workshop with consultants to address technical issues in achieving consensus, and then continue with group work and presentations to the Parks and Recreation Commission in August. · Parks and Recreation Commission review the full packet of submittals and presentations from May 12 and tonight, each forwards five visions they feel provide the greatest community good, then staff presents the commission picks on July 10 for public comment · Any combination or variation of the above. She presented some of the various ideas under the following categories: · What visionaries did if they didn't have a golf course · Alternative uses for the parking lot Entrance alternatives · Proposed new uses for Stocklmeir Public Comments: Dean Emmingham, 10407 Colby Ave., spoke in favor of keeping the golf course. He believes it is a valuable asset. Janet Van Zoeren, Milky Way, reported that she attended the two open meetings (May 21 and 28) and summarized the commonalities of seven individual proposals: · Foot path going the entire length of the corridor · McCellan Ranch should be kept as is · Repair the riparian environment as much as possible (because of the narrowness of the corridor, there may need to be some exceptions because of other aspects of people's plans) · Reduce the impact of Blackberry Farm and the number of people that can be there at any given time during the peak season · Blackberry Farm should be open year-round to allow free passage · Reduce the amount of parking at Blackberry Farm · Get rid of the fences that separate the different sections of the park · The fence along the golf course is unattractive--should be minimized or get rid of it · Opening some of the fences in Scenic Circle · Do not close the entrance off of Byrne (all but one agreed to this) In response to Chairperson's question if she had an opinion on how she would like to see this project moved forward, Ms. Van Zoeren responded by saying she liked the small group idea, but no one came; this process doesn't work. Parks and Recreation Commission June 5, 2003 Page 4 of 9 Chairperson Bradford took a show of hands of the audience who agreed with the number of items listed in Ms. Van Zoeren's presentation. The majority of the audience agreed with all items except opening fences in Scenic Circle. Robert Levy, 10802 Wilkinson Ave., spoke in favor of keeping things as is and rectifying traffic on Byrne and San Fernando. Christine Jeffers, Cupertino Historical Society, 10185 N. Stelling Rd., spoke in favor of supporting a Cupertino Center for Living History in the Corridor. Deborah Jamison, Rumford Drive, would like to see a criterion for restoring the creek. Likes the idea of expanding the community gardens, but not at McClellan Ranch; perhaps a different location in the city could be considered, such as Creekside Park. She stated that the alignment of the creek on the master maps is wrong. She likes the idea of keeping the golf course because of the low number of vehicles that come and go. Ms. Jamison said she would like to see the commission and stafftake on the role of reviewing the master plan ideas instead of small groups of people refining their vision. When asked if she would consider working with her group on a compromise to include parking, she indicated opposition to any plan that included a road or more than parking at the ends of the property. Craig Breon, executive director, Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society, 22221 McClellan Rd., would like to see more small-group meetings to enable them to "hammer out" their differences. Mark Adams, 11611 Upland Way, gave a brief PowerPoint presentation reporting on the commonalities of a small group of people who met on their visions. The group identified the following common goals (same group as Janet Van Zoeren): · End-to-end trail · Leave McClellan Ranch as is · Repair the riparian environment (reasonably) · Reduce impact at Blackberry Farm, especially the parking, change the fee structure · Look for other locations for needed community facilities · No need for more sports fields · Retain the golf course · Against the road from Stevens Creek Blvd. to Blackberry · Limit the capacity of Blackberry Farm · Increase parking at Stevens Creek Still have people come in at Byrne Avenue · Blue Pheasant was fine · Add additional garden spots Parks and Recreation Commission June 5, 2003 Page 5 of 9 Mr. Adams stated that he would like the commission to narrow the choices and then, if small groups coalesce around those choices, move forward that way. Joyce Eden attended the May 21 meeting and thanked the city for providing the space. She likes the openness of this corridor process. She liked the maps in the kits. She liked the fact that there was no facilitator at the meeting. She was disappointed that the May 28 meeting was not as open as the first, but was dominated by those whose agenda was the living history center. She would like to see a 150-foot setback from the creek. She favors an unpaved foot trail from Stevens Creek Blvd. to McCellan. Regarding the process for moving forward, she would like to retain the openness of small-group meetings. Rusty Britt, 20850 Pepper Tree Lane, would like the following in the Stevens Creek Corridor: · Make attractive to as many people as possible · Keep the golf course · Create two trails along the creek~ne a pedestrian and one on the west side for multi-use, with one or both going to Linda Vista Park. · Establish an easement south of Stocklmeir so that a trail could continue on that west side · Allow dogs on a leash · Create picnic areas along the creek · Create picnic areas at Stocklmeir site · Create an enclosed dog area for picnic in the old orchard · Create picnic areas at McClellan Ranch · Preserve and renovate historical buildings at McClellan Ranch · Enlarge or building environmental classrooms · Turn the Simms house into a Cupertino historical center · Keep some picnic areas at Blackberry Farm · Keep the pool and recreational fields and areas at Blackberry Farm · Create a youth recreational center instead of a retreat center · She would like to see the commission narrow the choices and have experts provide advice on what can and cannot be done Khashayer Alaee "Cash", 7422 Stanford Place, spoke in favor of an aquatic center in the corridor. Marylin McCarthy, 10159 Cass Place, attended the May 21 and 28 meetings and was disappointment that not many people attended those meetings and would like to see that a couple more meetings be set up. Commission Comments Commissioner Jelinch would like to see the small groups continue for at least one or two months. Parks and Recreation Commission June 5, 2003 Page 6 of 9 Commissioner Wang would like to see the small groups also continue to refine ideas. She would like the ideas out of this meeting shared with others who did not attend. Commissioner Peng stated he attended the May 28 meeting. He had these concems: those who did attend were from special interest groups, so no real consensus was formed; a small group of people may not really represent the commonality of the whole city. He made the following suggestions: agreed that the small groups should continue to refine ideas for July; staff may send a letter to visionaries; in August, the commission can evaluate the results. Commissioner Brown agreed with Peng. He is not seeing any consensus on the hard choices that need to be made. He thinks the small group meetings should continue, but would limit it to one month. He then believes the commission should start having their discussions, and move forward. Bradford sees a blending of options: people who want to work in small groups should continue to do that; as a commission, there is an obligation to move toward closure and addressing the specific objectives and goals of the City Council. She asked Therese if they would be getting the economic overlay in September. Therese answered that the Council was told that they would be getting this information for a few alternatives. Bradford stated that the commission has July, August, and the September meetings to review ideas before the corridor project went on the Council's agenda later in the month of September. To move forward, she recommended: encourage the small groups to continue to work on their ideas, participate in the meetings, and provide public input including by email; on the next agenda, have public comment and discussion on specific issues such as the entrance and the Blue Pheasant. She believes these can be done in parallel to the ideas that are coming in about usage. Therese reported that in setting the process up, people were not asked if we could share their telephone and/or email addressed. The logistics of people actually getting together has been hampered because of this. Regarding the alignment of the creek on the master maps, Therese explained that the aerial of the creek showed significant tree coverage of the creek, which made it difficult to provide an accurate layout. She will be meeting with the water district to start generating improved technical information. She stated that if someone wants to get in touch with someone regarding their vision, she would make it happen. Bradford asked if the city's website supported chat rooms, in which Therese answered no. Therese reported that consultant support is needed and she is working on that, and the department can encourage small groups to form if they contact us. Parks and Recreation Commission June 5, 2003 Page 7 of 9 Bradford would like to hear and discuss public input on some of the specific issues and have a position on those issues. Then the commission can start narrowing down. Wang stated that they need time to work on the issues as well--that two meetings are definitely not enough. Brown indicated that people have given them their comments on the issues through their plans. He would modify the next steps as they take a look at some of these ideas and make decisions. He also asked the visionaries to look at answering the question "if you had to make compromises, how would you do that." Perhaps the small groups could give a range of visions. He would like the commission at the next meeting to talk about some of their principles that they have, and how would they make choices within the City Council guidelines--be ready to talk about the decision process. Bradford would like to use the next two commission meetings to start narrowing the process, continue to get public input, and then use the August meeting to present five different proposals. Between the August and September meetings, staff could do the economic analysis for the September meeting. From that analysis, it might be possible to narrow the recommendations down to three or four ideas. Therese also stated that the commission might find they like half of one proposal and half of another. With that in mind, she could provide the map portion of the kits to the commission so that they could go through the exercise, and get their visions to her office before the next meeting. She could make some of those combinations to help move the process forward. Bradford stated that having the commission work out the issues on the maps supports Brown's suggestion. Peng suggested to the audience and the interested public to look at the total scope of the ideas to obtain broader reviews. To clarify a goal of the commission, Wang stated she believed that the five commissioners would put their visions down on paper and have staff combine the ideas. Bradford summarized the Council goals and the commission's next steps: · Commission will continue to engage the public · Enjoy the property year around--this is something the commission can talk about next month · Minimize the affect of park operations on surrounding residences--that is appropriate for the commission to discuss as they start narrowing down the options and looking at the actual amenities and content of the area · Preserve and restore the natural environment--this will be reviewed as narrowing of the issues plays out Parks and Recreation Commission June 5, 2003 Page 8 of 9 · Provide a trail compatible with the natural setting that will accommodate a variety of users--the commission has already voiced an opinion about the trail for this area, but it is part of the content, and the commission may take another look at the specifics · Interpret the historical area and encourage educational uses--these will all come up as the commission talks about the specifics that they area narrowing · Consider the Blue Pheasant operation--this item should be on next month's agenda; there is a lot of public opinion · Analyze relocating the entrance Stevens Creek Blvd.--this item should be discussed next month because this will drive the decisions about the alternatives · Economic analysis--this item should be on the agenda for the September meeting · Consider what other recreation amenities are needed in the community--this will come from the ideas that are reflected in the proposals as they start to narrow things down Bradford would like the agenda for July to be: · Talk about and receive public input about year-round use · Receive public input and make a recommendation about the Blue Pheasant operation · Analysis relocating Blackberry Farm's entrance to Stevens Creek Blvd. Therese stated that she would like to also hear some discussion about the capacity of Blackberry Farm if the city remains in the catered-for-profit picnic business at all. She has seen many visions where people were willing to use the large parking space for other things. Bradford agreed to add this item to the next meeting agenda. She stated that the commission needs to take a position on these items and that will then lead into the choices that will need to be made and the alternatives. Jelinch agreed that the capacity issue is important because it is a major policy shift; it would mean shift from what was once a private facility that served the region into another Cupertino-listed park. This item may take more than one meeting. Therese clarified the current status of the Blue Pheasant; that the owner of the Blue Pheasant business had been told by City Council that if they want to continue to operate a nightclub, they need to come in for a zone change and use permit. Staff met with the manager about three weeks ago, and staff has not heard yet what their decision will be. Because of this, she suggested discussing Blue Pheasant in August so that the planning and zoning issues will be clearer. Peng commented that though the commission may discuss specific points of the parkland, this should in no way discourage the public from bringing up others ideas or that other ideas will receive less attention--they are all tied together. NEW BUSiNESS A. Consider changing date of regular meeting from July 3 to July 10, 2003. Parks and Recreation Commission June 5, 2003 Page 9 of 9 ACTION: By unanimous vote, the July 3 meeting was moved to July 10, 2003, 7 p.m. MISCELLANEOUS - NO ACTION REQUIRED A. Staff Oral Reports: Budget update--Therese reported that the biggest impacts to the department were: 1. $80,000 was taken out of the Quinlan Center's budgeted for lobby furniture. This purchase will be delayed by a year to save money. The detonation of 4th of July fireworks from Cupertino High School was ultimately cut for this fiscal year and next fiscal year. Though the budget will not be finally approved until June 16, the department did give the pyrotech company notice, released 28 Sheriff deputies, and notified the Fire Department. There is still some question about next year. The funds are being used to keep the library open on Sundays, noon to 4 p.m. Therese summarized the 4th of July activities, which will be the traditional morning program that includes pancake breakfast, children's parade, and community sing-along. There may be an addition of a Yankee Doodle and a "pony" for the children's delight. B. Community Contacts: - None ADJOURNMENT Chairperson Bradford adjourned the meeting at 8:45 p.m. Respectfully submitted Marie Preston, Administrative Secretary Televised Council meetings may be viewed live on Cable Channel 26, and may also be viewed live or on demand at www. cupertino, org <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. Minutes approved at the ,2003, regular meeting. Parks and Recreation Commission June 5, 2003 Page 9 of 9 ACTION: By unanimous vote, the July 3 meeting was moved to July 10, 2003, 7 p.m. MISCELLANEOUS - NO ACTION REQUIRED A. Staff Oral Reports: Budget update--Therese reported that the biggest impacts to the department were: 1. $80,000 was taken out of the Quinlan Center's budgeted for lobby furniture. This purchase will be delayed by a year to save money. The detonation of 4th of July fireworks from Cupertino High School was ultimately cut for this fiscal year and next fiscal year. Though the budget will not be finally approved until June 16, the department did give the pyrotech company notice, released 28 Sheriffdeputies, and notified the Fire Department. There is still some question about next year. The funds are being used to keep the library open on Sundays, noon to 4 p.m. Therese summarized the 4th of July activities, which will be the traditional morning program that includes pancake breakfast, children's parade, and community sing-along. There may be an addition of a Yankee Doodle and a "pony" for the children's delight. B. Community Contacts: - None ADJOURNMENT Chairperson Bradford adjourned the meeting at 8:45 p.m. Respectfully submitted Makie Preston, Administrative Secretary Televised Council meetings may be viewed live on Cable Channel 26, and may also be viewed live or on demand at www. cupertino, org <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. Minutes approved at the duly 10, 2003, regular adjourned meeting.