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P&R 02-01-2018 CITY OF CUPERTINO PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION Community Hall 10350 Torre Ave, Cupertino, CA Thursday, February 1, 2018 7:00 PM MEETING MINUTES CALL TO ORDER Chair Davis called the meeting to order at 7:02pm in the Community Hall, at 10350 Torre Ave, Cupertino, CA. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Commissioners present: Helene Davis, Meenakshi Biyani, Carol Stanek, Judy Wilson, Neesha Tambe Commissioners absent: None Staff present: Christine Hanel, Kevin Khuu, Alex Acenas APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Regular Meeting of January 4, 2018 – Commissioner Stanek motioned to approve the minutes of January 4, 2018. Commissioner Biyani seconded. Motion passed unanimously. CEREMONIAL MATTERS AND PRESENTATIONS 2. Chair/Vice-chair Selection Chair Davis asked for nominations for chair. Commissioner Stanek nominated Neesha Tambe. Commissioner Wilson seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Chair Tambe asked for nominations for vice chair. Commissioner Wilson nominated Meenakshi Biyani. Commissioner Stanek seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 3. San Francisco Shakespeare Presentation Will Crocket and Toby Leavitt, from the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, presented to the Commission an overview and feedback received about their summer programs, including Shakespeare in the Park, summer camps, and the on tour Shakespeare play. Announced for 2018, the summer performance will be A Mid-Summers Night’s Dream and SF Shakespeare is actively looking for more partnerships, especially with the Chinese and Chinese American community. Commissioner Wilson suggested reaching out to the local high school clubs for volunteers to help with production and contacting the Hsinchu Sister City. The Commission requested feedback from SF Shakespeare about the Memorial Park Amphitheatre, to add to the Parks and Recreation System Master Plan and suggested more advertising of the pre-performance green show. 4. Jollyman Park – Off Leash Hours Presentation Sameer Raheja, from the Jollyman Dog Group, presented to the Commission a proposal for a pilot program of off leash hours at Jollyman Park. Suggested a 6 month trial period, 1 hour before and 1 hour after sunset, at the South-East Corner of the park. Cited several local cities that have the program: Mountain View, Redwood City, Menlo Park, and San Carlos. Los Altos is currently surveying their community members about having the program. Explained that the Mary Ave Dog Park is insufficient and doesn’t provide what they need. Discussion followed. Catherine Coe, Cupertino Resident, opposed the idea. Cited that this was already happening at the park and provided various reasons against the idea. Owns a dog, but uses the Mary Ave Dog Park. Charlie Hanson, Cupertino Resident, supported the idea, citing the benefits of interacting with dogs for himself and his wife. Due to recent tickets given for off leash dogs, the neighbors don’t bring their dogs to the park. Asked for the trial period to bring the dogs back. Bob Colloton, Cupertino Resident, added that the Jollyman Dog Group is an example of the community coming together and being more progressive, like Mountain View and San Carlos. The off leash program would enhance the underutilized area of Jollyman park. Vineet Gupta, Cupertino Resident, pointed out the Mary Avenue Dog Park is insufficient for large dogs and driving there, on a weekday, consumes too much time with the local traffic. The designated times would alleviate concerns about off leash dogs coming into contact with children. Tony Alexander, Cupertino Resident, spoke to the Mountain View city employees about their off leash program and received positive feedback. Believed this to be a good solution for both dog owners and non-dog owners. Encouraged having this now so it impacts the Master Plan and makes us more progressive. Xiaoyu Weng, Cupertino Resident, was originally was scared of dogs. Changed her mind after she adopted a puppy for her daughter and now loves her dog. Believes the off leash hours will bring more community connection. Venkateswara Sreepathy, Cupertino Resident, had originally opposed the idea of having off leash dog hours back in 2014. Now supports the idea and has changed his mind since he became a dog owner. Explained the benefits of having his dog and having the off leash program. Debashis Rao, Cupertino Resident, reinforced the idea of self-policing for the off leash program. Also, emphasized that creates a sense of community for the neighbors. Satnya Swaroop, representing the Jollyman Dog Group, supported the idea and provided insight into why some people oppose this program, but believes educating them will change their minds. Requested the Commission consider the idea. Don Phillips, representing Cupertino Little League, mentioned they are not opposed to the idea, but asked to be included in the planning of this trial period if it moves forward and in the feedback portion. Sandra Berndt, Cupertino resident, mentioned that dogs running, while on leash, is not the same as running off leash. Added that she didn’t meet her neighbors until she got a dog. Reinforced the idea of self-policing for the program. The Commission accepted the presentation and asked staff to research the implementation of the trial period and report back. Suggested looking into potential issues, including possible costs and expenses, and asked for more community input and outreach to all neighbors in the area and other key stakeholders. This subject will come back to a future agenda as an action item. 5. Afterschool Enrichment Presentation Christine Hanel, Assistant Director of Recreation, presented to the Commission a detailed background of the program and its current status. David Fung, Cupertino Resident, suggested the Recreation Department work on having the extended coverage at the schools and staff partner with the schools, to maximize the benefits for the kids and parents. Commissioner Wilson suggested offering help to Cupertino Union School District and having the district lead in what they’re looking for. Chair Tambe agreed with staying in touch with them and reaching an agreement to ensure the community is being served. POSTPONEMENTS None ORAL COMMUNICATIONS None WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS None OLD BUSINESS 6. 2017-2018 Commission Work Plan The Commission reviewed the work plan. Requested other potential dates for the study session with City Council. Suggested an earlier start time and to include weekends. Chair Tambe inquired about the joint meeting with the Bicycle Pedestrian Commission. The Commission agreed to asking for a presentation from the Bicycle Pedestrian Commission instead of a joint meeting. Staff will come back with the answer. Commissioner Wilson requested to add Age Friendly Designation presentation to a future agenda. NEW BUSINESS 7. Cricket Feasibility Study Alex Acenas, from the Public Works Department, presented the Cricket Feasibility Study to the Commission. Had contracted with Callendar Associates to study the possibility of building an international sized cricket field in Cupertino. Identified 3 potential sites: Creekside Park, Jollyman Park, and Wilson Park. Asked the Commission to accept the presentation. The Commission requested to see the other parks and schools that were surveyed. Theresa Sutton, president of the Cupertino Little League, did not support having the cricket field built in Cupertino, as it’s too big to fit anywhere. Asked the Commission to reconsider building the field, since it would displace other sports and bring more traffic into the City. Don Phillips, with Cupertino Little League, also opposed building the cricket field. Believed this to be a regional draw and the footprint is not something that the City can accommodate. Aeron, president of AYSO 35 and Cupertino FC, believed that the cricket field is too large to fit within the City. Supported having a multi-sport field built instead. Bob Joyce, from De Anza Youth Soccer League, was opposed to taking away youth facilities to build an adult size cricket field. Emphasized building this would displace many youth soccer and baseball players. Christine Hanel clarified that this was only a feasibility study, which was directed by City Council and is part of the Master Plan process. Discussion followed. Vice Chair Biyani asked for more background information to go with the report. Chair Tambe requested additional research into a full youth cricket ground instead of an international cricket ground or a cricket pitch for practice. The Commission requested staff to look into additional and to contact the cricket community for their input. STAFF AND COMMISSION REPORTS 8. Director’s Report Christine Hanel presented on the following: - Cupertino Spelling Bee: had 25 students in each age categories. - Block Leader Dinner: last Thursday night, had 90 block leaders attend. - Poet Laureate reception at the Senior Center, welcomed Kacey McCormick as the new Poet Laureate. Coming up on February 9th, will have a toddler movie night. Also a job fair on Saturday, February 17th from 2:30pm to 5:30pm, at Community Hall. In February, the Director and 2 supervisors will be attending a CEQA training and will have the CPRS Awards Dinner on February 22th. Commissioner Wilson attended the Sports Center opening and will attend the Mayor’s Meeting next week. Asked for a list of upcoming events to present. Commissioner Stanek reminded that they also need to bring any “asks” to the Mayor and suggested sharing the off leash dog hours topic. Commissioner Stanek attended the Mayor’s State of the City luncheon and the Block Leaders’ quarterly meeting. Also provided feedback on the scenic gate and requested adding a phone number to the sign to call in case it’s locked. Commissioner Davis attended the Regnart Creek Trail workshop and reported on the delegation of students from Copertino, Italy. Vice Chair Biyani attended the Regnart Creek Trail community meeting, Poet Laureate reception, and the State of the City. Chair Tambe interviewed for her position on the Commission and was reappointed and watched the State of the City address. ADJOURNMENT – Chair Tambe adjourned the meeting at 9:55 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Kevin Khuu, Administrative Assistant Recreation and Community Services Department Minutes approved at the 03.01.18 regular meeting