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P&R 07-07-05 APPROVED PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION CITY OF CUPERTINO REGULAR MEETING THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2005 1. CALL TO ORDER Chainnan Jelinch called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 3. ROLL CALL Commissioners present: Commissioners absent: Staff present: Others present: Frank Jelinch, Roger Peng, Rod Brown Jeanne Bradford, Cary Chien Therese Ambrosi Smith, Director; Marie Miller, Administrative Assistant John Hirokawa, Sheriff's Office 4. MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING A. Regular meeting of May 5, 2005 ACTION: A motion was made, seconded and unanimously moved to approve the meeting minutes of May 5, 2005. 5. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS - None 6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS A. Stevens Creek Corridor Park - patrol and operations relative to parking and neighborhood impacts: Via a PowerPoint presentation, Director Smith reviewed the Commission's May 5, 2005, recommendations to provide pedestrian access to Stevens Creek Corridor Park at San Fernando and Scenic Circle after the trail and other park improvements are installed. At the May 5 meeting, the Commission asked staff to prepare a plan to address security concerns before forwarding their recommendations to the City Council. Director Smith reported that a complete operation plan for the park would be written over the next two years as the project is fully developed, and that the meeting was to address current resident concerns for after-hour access. She also stated that for at least the first two years of operation, all barbeque use on weekends would be by reservation only; this is to tightly control parking overflow. Other measures to be taken will be that customers in Blackberry Farm's database will be notified of the change in weekend operation, a reservation will entitle a user to a limited amount of parking; marketing will emphasize the Parks and Recreation Commissions Meeting of July 7, 2005 Page 2 of 4 redevelopment of Blackberry Farm as an environmental center; carpooling will be encouraged; shuttled will be provided and a fee will be charged. Also stated was that the Scenic entry point is intended for bicycle and pedestrian access and will not be advertised. Commission Comments Commissioner Brown asked if there would be a discussion on the safety data provided in the Commission's packet. Director Smith stated there was no plan to discuss the data unless the Commission had questions. She had provided the data because Commissioner Chien had heard from the residents that there was a lot of crime in the area and he wanted to see statistics. She asked the Sheriff's Office to provide a summary of crime reports for the Scenic neighborhood. Commissioner Brown said that he believes the data supports the Commission's position. He asked for some clarity on the breakdown of providing 84 hours per week in security for the park. Director Smith answered that there are a couple of ways to provide coverage. One alternative would be, if the union concurs, for the City to use contract rangers with a group such as California Land Management that would give us flexibility. The other way would be that the City would look having two positions and staggering work shifts to cover seven days a week, with some duties (opening gates) being perfonned by management staff. Commissioner Peng stated that he has no concerns over the security or public safety of the parkland, but asked Sheriff John Hirokawa about the accuracy of the data he provided. Sheriff Hirokawa gave a brief report on what is involved in a call that becomes a reportable crime and stated that the data represents a 90-95 percent accuracy rate. Public Comment Max Bokelman, Scenic Circle, acknowledged that the presented security plan provides for closing ofthe Scenic gate at night once the trail is open. He believes the crime statistics do not give an accurate picture of the problems in the area. He believes that when the access from/to Blackberry Fann is closed off, crime decreases. Ari Strod, Scenic Circle, disputed the accuracy of the reportable crime data and asked the Sheriff to explain. In response, Sheriff's Hirokawa explained how the crime statistics were collected. He also stated that not all of the reportable crime in the Scenic area was park related. Mr. Strod stated that the neighborhood's complaint about parking was not appropriately addressed in the director's report. Don Bautista, Scenic Court, stated that he does not agree with the crime data. In his 27 years as a resident, he has seen a lot of park-related crime. Much of the crime was when the gate was open. He stated that he and the neighbors do not want a Scenic access because it will invite intruders into the area. He also stated there was a concern over increased parking in the area Parks and Recreation Commissions Meeting of July 7, 2005 Page 3 of 4 Director Smith reviewed the Commission's recommendations: Staffing is seven days a week with a ranger position that affords both light maintenance work and enforcement capability; 84 hours a week on average Back-up from the Sheriff's Office Gates at both pedestrian accesses; open at 7 a.m., closed by 8 p.m. or dusk, whichever is earlier Close operations in 2007; reopen in 2008 by reservation only on weekends with controlled parking Shuttled parking during those times when we expect overflow parking problems For the first two years of operation, reservation only All customers will be notified of the change in park operation Parking spaces will be controlled Marketing of the facility will be an environmental center Strictly a non-motorized access at Scenic Should summer weekends be a problem, the gate can be closed during that time Chainnan Jelinch asked if opening the gate did not work out and crime statistics proved otherwise during a certain period of time, could they review it again. Director Smith said this stipulation could be added in. She asked the Commission if they would like to pick a trial period length. Commissioner Brown also stated that this would include the stipulation that the gate be closed at night and include the security patrol as presented, and at the end of a one-year period, data would be presented to the Commission and then forwarded to the City Council as appropriate. ACTION: A motion was made, seconded and unanimously moved to have the gate access open (as stated above) on a one-year probation period and that the Commission will receive a report at the end ofthat time. 7. NEW BUSINESS A. Meeting schedule for August: Director Smith reported that she would be at a strategic planning session with other city management on August 4. Since there is no pressing business for August, she asked for their consideration to cancel the August meeting and reconvene in September. ACTION: With a full consensus of the Commission, the August meeting was cancelled. 8. MISCELLANEOUS - NO ACTION REQUIRED A. Written Communications: None. B. Staff Reports: Director Smith reported on the success of the 2005 4th of July fireworks event; Don McCarthy did an outstanding job. It was estimated that 8,000 people attended. In the morning event, 500 pieces of the City's Golden Jubilee birthday cake was served. C. Community Contacts: Parks and Recreation Commissions Meeting of July 7, 2005 Page 4 of 4 a. Chainnan Jelinch reported on the city-sponsored Free Shakespeare in the Park event for Much Ado About Nothing, at Memorial Park, July 16-31, Saturdays and Sundays, starting at 7 p.m. b. Commissioner Peng extended an invitation to staff and commissioners to the Moon Festival at Memorial Park on September 17. 9. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 7:55 p.m. Respectfully submitted, M;:r~M'11 'Ad '~A . arle 1 er, mmlstrative sSlstant Minutes approved at the September 1, 2005, meeting.