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P&R 03-05-2020 CITY OF CUPERTINO PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION Community Hall 10350 Torre Ave, Cupertino, CA Thursday, March 5, 2020 7:00 PM MINUTES CALL TO ORDER Chair Tambe called the meeting to order at 7:00p.m. in the Community Hall, at 10350 Torre Ave, Cupertino, CA. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ROLL CALL Commissioners present: Neesha Tambe, Gopal Kumarappan, Carol Stanek, Xiangchen Xu, Sashikala Begur Commissioners absent: None Staff present: Randy Schwartz, Whitney Zeller, Jason Bisely, Mellownie Salvador, Michael Zimmerman Guest speakers: Greg Marsello (LERN), Richard Berkson (Berkson Associates), Dunia Noel (LAFCO) CEREMONIAL MATTERS AND PRESENTATIONS APPROVAL OF MINUTES 2. Special Meeting of February 6, 2020. Item was postponed to April 2, 2020 meeting. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS Commissioner Matley from the Fine Arts Commission shared information on the Art in Unexpected Places program. The deadline to submit proposals for the mural at Blackberry Farm is April 17th. WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS 3. California Association of Parks and Recreation Commissioners and Board Members. Randy Schwartz shared information sent to the Commissioners and encouraged them to contact department staff if they are interested in becoming a member of CAPRCBM. Commissioners noted that the written communication regarding Rancho Rinconada Recreation and Park District would be included in consideration of Item 7. OLD BUSINESS 4. Receipt of the Marketing Report Prepared by Learning Resources Network (LERN). Greg Marsello of Learning Resources Network (LERN) provided a presentation on the findings of his evaluation of the City’s Parks and Recreation Department marketing strategies. Chair Tambe requested to add the Marketing Plan as an agenda item in a month or two and follow up on how the suggestions are being implemented and what the strategy is for creating a marketing plan in the future. 5. Blackberry Farm Entrance Road Improvement – Feasability Study Alternatives. Michael Zimmerman and Mellownie Salvador presented the feedback received from the Bicycle and Pedestrian Commission and as well as the public on the 5 road improvement options provided by Underwood and Rosenbloom. The Commissioners were asked to review the options, consider the feedback and select one option for recommendation to Council in April. Community member Dave McLeroy spoke on the item and was in support of making improvements to the road and prioritizing the best engineering over conservation of the existing trees along the entrance. Vice Chair Kumarappan suggested to eliminate any options that are not rated above moderate for safety. Commissioner Stanek motioned to recommend option B to Council. Commissioner Kumarappan seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously with 5 votes yes. Chair Tambe wanted to emphasize how important this area is for traffic and that this is a high priority item for the Commission and the community. Commissioner Stanek reemphasized the importance of making use of the City owend property at the Blackberry Farm entrance, which is now vacant. 6. Receive a Presentation on the Senior Center’s Classes and Programs. Jason Bisely shared a presentation on the classes and programs offered at the Senior Center including art, music and exercises classes, monthly events and their monthly newsletter. Community member and volunteer at the Senior Center, Heather Dean, spoke on the item and shared that she’s heard comments that Cupertino’s Senior Center is the best in the area and people enjoy spending time there. Chair Tambe inquired on the impacts of the Coronavirus to the Senior Center and advised to find more formal ways to include the Senior Center’s members in providing feedback for the strategic plan. 7. Rancho Rinconada Recreation & Park District. Richard Berkson and Dunia Noel presented the report prepared by Berkson Associates, commissioned by LAFCO to evaluate options for the operation of the Rancho Rinconada Recreation and Park District. The report is out for public comment until March 11, 2020. Council reviewed the item at their Februar 16th meeting and recommended the Parks and Recreation Commission review options 1 and 2 and exclude option 3. Community Member Jennifer Griffin spoke on the item and voiced support for option 1 to maintain the status quo. Community Member Sophia Badillo spoke on the item and voiced support for option 2 for the City take over the district. Community Member Tom Flynn seceded his time to Sophia Badillo. Community Member John Blakkan spoke on the item and voiced support for option 2 to have the City take over the district. Community Member and Rancho Rinconada Board Member, Steven Wesolowski, spoke on the item and voiced support for option 1 to maintain the status quo. Ananamous Community Member spoke on the item and voiced support for option 2 to have the City take over the district. Rancho Rinconada Park and Recreation District Manager, Kevin Davis spoke on the item and voiced support for option 1 to maintain the status quo. Chair Tambe suggested adding a question to the survey to see if residents know the district exists and a question on resident use and accessability of the district. Commissioner Stanek suggested adding a question to the survey to determine if the individual’s household is located in the district or not, as well as a question on how often the individual has used the district in the past year and what they used it for. Commissioners expressed concern over aquiring unbiased data from the survey and how the survey information will be analized. Chair Tambe suggested that the raw data be analized by City Staff. Commissioner Stanek advised to hold an event for the public at Rancho Rinconada so that residents are informed. Vice Chair Kumarappan expressed concern issuing the survey without being able to verify the data and suggested to add LAFCO as well as City Council to the wording of number 7 on the survey. Randy Schwartz reviewed dates of engagement for this item: March 11th - LAFCO comment period ends (LAFCO website) March 7th – 23rd – Survey will be online (City website) April 2nd – Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting A subcommittee of Vice Chair Gopal and Commissioner Begur was created to work on the item. Item 9 was discussed at this portion of the meeting 9. Dog Off-Leash Area Update. Randy Schwartz provided an update on the DOLA. There have been no incidences to report. Community member Sameer Raheja spoke on the item, shared data on the DOLA and requested that the Commission have a plan for the dog park post- trial. Community member Manjaya Hegde commented on the item and requested a permanent dog park post-trial. Community member Kiran Kavoori spoke on the item and requested a water fountain for the dogs in the park and shared that signs for the park are being misinterpreted thinking they apply to the entire park and not just the DOLA. Community Member Ankita Goyal spoke on the item and shared the benefits of the DOLA trial. Community member Debashis Rad spoke on the item and requested a permanent dog park in the future. Interim Director Randy Schwartz reviewed options for the Commission post trial and acknowledged that the Commission had included in their work program to continue reviewing the DOLA trial and if successful, implement more programs in the community. Commissioner Stanek shared updates on DOLAs in neighboring communities Sunnyvale and Los Altos. The Commissioners recommended talking to Public Works regarding the location of the signage. Chair Tambe recommended that the next Chair add this item to the June agenda and recommended talking with the group who uses the park for Volleyball to ensure that they haven’t had any issues with the DOLA as well as others who had expressed concern at the start of the DOLA trial. 8. Satellite Community Garden Project. Randy Schwartz provided an update on the Sattelite Community Garden Project and reviewed the 4 parks that were recommended by the Commissioners. Chair Tambe recommended adding parklets and local businesses with easements to the list of potential areas to review for the satellite gardens. The Commissioners agreed to continue to research for the next month and bring the itme back in April. Staff also agreed to resend information to Commissioners on where the waitlisted residents are located as well as recommendations from the master gardeners and their suggestions on locations. Community member Alden Gu from Boy Scout troup 400 informed the Commission that the Boyscouts would be happy to help when building the community garden. 10. Parks and Recreation Master Plan Update and Appointments to Assist With the Development of the Specific Plan. Randy Schwartz provided an update on the Parks and Recreation Master Plan. Chair Tambe appointed herself and Commissioner Stanek as a subcommittee to assist with the development of the Specific Plan. Ceremonial Matters and Presentations Item 1 was discussed at this portion of the meeting. 1. Chair/Vice Chair Selection. Commissioner Stanek motioned to elect Commissioner Kumarappan as the new Chair. Commissioner Xu seconded. Motion passed unanimously with 5 votes yes. Commissioner Tambe motioned to elect Commissioner Stanek as the new Vice Chair. Commissioner Stanek seconded. Motion passed unanimously with 5 votes yes. NEW BUSINESS STAFF AND COMMISSION REPORTS 11. Receive Monthly Update Reports from: - Director - Interim Director Christine Hanel provided the Director’s Report. - Annual events will be included at the next meeting - List of upcoming events - Commissioners - Commissioner Xu requested the opportunity for staff to provide a tour of parks and key facilities. - Commissioner Tambe provided updates from the Mayor’s meeting. ADJOURNMENT – Chair Kumarappan adjourned the meeting at 11:41p.m. to the April 2, 2020 meeting at 7 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Whitney Zeller, Administrative Assistant Parks & Recreation Department Minutes approved at the May 14,2020 regular meeting