REGULAR MEETING Wednesday, May 21, 2003 Petaluma Community Center 320 North McDowell Blvd. Petaluma, CA 94954

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1 CITY OF PETALUMA RECREATION, MUSIC AND PARKS COMMISSION MINUTES REGULAR MEETING Wednesday, May 1, 00 Petaluma Community Center :00 p.m. 0 North McDowell Blvd. Petaluma, CA Commissioners Present: Staff Present: Chair* PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE APPROVAL OF MINUTES: April 1, 00 Hagen, Kinsella, McCoy*, Moynihan, Ramirez, Tarr Jim Carr, Director of Parks and Recreation Ed Anchordoguy, Parks and Landscape Manager Sara Stewart, Admin. Secretary, Parks and Recreation Marja Tarr moved that the minutes be approved as submitted, seconded by Elaine Ramirez, unanimously approved. PUBLIC COMMENT - NONE PETITIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS NONE OLD BUSINESS 1) Park Master Plan Update - Carr Carr Indicated that he has sorted the public input for the Park Master Plan and placed the requested action into seven categories: Maintenance Issues, Facility Expansion, Facility Development, Recreation Program Development and Expansion, Partnerships, Educational Outreach, and Funding Strategies. Carr introduced Alison Marks from the Petaluma Arts Council. Ms. Marks outlined the Arts Council Vision Statement and Goals and indicated that she is hoping to develop an Arts and Culture Plan. Ms. Marks mentioned that she is working with Pamela Tuft in the general plan trying to include more ideas and visions into the long-range planning process. She asked the Commission about the possibility of working with them so that a long-range plan for the cultural arts can be included into the Parks Master Plan. Following a lengthy discussion the following suggestions were made: Incorporating Arts and Culture Plan Vision/Goals into the Parks Master Plan. Potential areas for Cultural Arts Commission: 1

2 Project review to incorporate arts and culture Obtaining money from private or public sources and spending it on capital projects Being a support group for other programs Changing the name of the Recreation, Music, and Parks Commission to: Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Arts Commission. Bryant Moynihan There is a need to address programs offered by the department, especially music, language and arts, since they are being cut from the schools. He suggested adding these programs into the Parks Master Plan. Carr He will be working with Alison Marks and developing a draft plan to be presented to the Commission next month. Elaine Ramirez Volunteered to be a liaison to the Petaluma Cultural Arts Council and said that she will be contacting Ms. Marks about the dates of the meetings. Carr The next step would be for him to start developing some narrative along side the list of issues and start formulating the Parks Master Plan document. This will probably take place in the next two months. ) BMX Track Site Consideration Commission Discussion Carr At the Commission meeting of April 1, 00, the Commission discussed suggestions regarding a location to develop a BMX track. The two parcels recently purchased along Industrial Drive were considered. Carr had a meeting with the City General Plan staff who are currently preparing to make necessary improvements to the site. In the near future, engineers will be charting the area and making recommendations to terracing about 0 percent of the site as specified by the River Plan. Pamela Tuft has asked that the Commission wait until they get to the design phase to identify what is exactly available and appropriate at the site. NEW BUSINESS 1) Rocky Dog Park Status and Concerns Carr/Anchordoguy Carr In response to the number of complaints staff has received from citizens about the condition of Rocky Dog Park and the issue of foxtails, Ed Anchordoguy and Carr met with the citizens at the park in February to hear their concerns. Information about the life cycle of foxtails and other vegetation as well as the potential constraints of the site was discussed. As a result of that meeting, staff has installed a portable restroom, additional road base on entry areas, and low-lying areas. Carr described the site and presented concerns about soil compaction and the diminishing vegetative cover caused by the heavy use by dogs. He referred to a flyer that was posted in the park s bulletin board and at the bottom of the flyer, there was a handwritten comment advising individuals whose dogs have required treatment caused by foxtails, to make claims against the City. Carr believes that action needs to be taken. One suggestion is to close the park during the winter months and re-opening it in the spring in order to re-establish the vegetative cover on the site. Staff has received some complaints about this suggested course of action. Carr outlined the hours and alternative

3 sites where people can run their dogs off leash, and mentioned that dogs are allowed on leash at any public park. Basically, staff wanted to bring this item to the Commission s attention, and allow the public an opportunity to respond. Staff s intent is to try to develop a proposal that meets the needs of dog owners, and come back to the Commission with a recommendation. Seven citizens presented concerns and suggestions regarding potential solutions, i.e. alternative sites, reseeding half of the park at a time, finding a way to gravel or pave the site. Ken McCoy The Commission has been working on a Park Master Plan and one of the short-term goals that they are planning to address is finding sites for additional dog parks. Carr Staff has been considering alternative sites, such as the detention pond areas on the north end of town and the site at the south end of the airport. The problem with the airport site is that people would have to drive through a subdivision and that could create traffic problems. Due to the current situation, staff needs to develop a workable plan to protect Rocky Dog Park until an alternative site is found. Bryant Moynihan Suggested having an alternative dog park for a leash free area such as: The area at the south end of town - The City is planning to acquire a piece of property for the wastewater treatment facility. One of the benefits of having treated wastewater is that there is a source of irrigation for the site. The land on Industrial Avenue Privately owned land Two citizens spoke in favor of Bryant Moynihan s suggestion. Elaine Ramirez Spoke in favor of having an alternative site for a dog park and expressed concerns about the comments written on the flyer posted at Rocky Dog Park. Carr The Commission and staff is developing a Park Master Plan and the City is going through an entire General Plan process, which will set the tone for the next 0 years. Part of the process is considering all the available land in the City. It would be helpful if people know property owners that will be willing to allow the City to install a -foot fence and a gravel parking lot. The City is confined with the urban growth boundaries and due to the current state of the budget, the options the City has as far as buying property, are out of the question. Three people in the audience expressed willingness to pay dog park user fees, donate money, pay higher license fees, and do fundraisers. Carr Regarding the Industrial Avenue site, General Plan staff is currently preparing to make the necessary physical improvements to the site as specified by the Petaluma River Plan. As the plan is developed, staff will be able to ascertain what is appropriate regarding uses for the site. At that point, staff and the Commission can make a recommendation as to whether the site should be used for a BMX track or a dog park. This will probably happen in about four months. Carr indicated that he and Ed Anchordoguy will be working on a plan of action to address the Environmental Health concerns regarding Rocky Dog Park, and will be presenting it to the

4 Commission. Staff will correspond with Pat Rogero and Kathy O Brien, so that they can be part of the process. Ken McCoy Asked staff to include this item on the next month s agenda. ) Designation of Annual Accordion Day - Carr Carr - Tom Cordoni from the Petaluma Accordion Club of the Redwoods, approached the City Council requesting that they designate the fourth Saturday in June as Accordion Day. The City Council asked that this Commission consider Mr. Cordoni s request and make a recommendation. John Kinsella moved that the Commission recommend to the City Council to designate the fourth Saturday in June to celebrate as Accordion Day. The motion was seconded by Bryant Moynihan and unanimously approved. COMMISSIONERS REPORTS 1) Bryant Moynihan - a) Thompson Park Staff has done a good job of weed control. Commented on the poor conditions of the school fields caused by the consistent use of little leagues and soccer. Suggested that school field maintenance be implemented in the Parks Master Plan. Carr - Two weeks ago, staff met with the Little Leagues and had a discussion about Little League boundaries. ) Elaine Ramirez No report a) Off-Leash Dog Permit Suggested that staff consider implementing an additional charge for an off-leash dog permit in addition to the regular dog license. ) Bruce Hagen - a) Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC) The BAC s regular meeting has been scheduled on May at pm at the Petaluma Community Center. Flyers have been distributed to about seven dozen households located along the project. Mr. Hagen outlined the project and encouraged Commissioners to attend the meeting. b) Wickersham The Park looks attractive. Asked when the paths are going to be fixed. Carr As soon as the Proposition 0 funds are approved. ) John Kinsella - a) Community Garden (Cavanagh Center) The project is moving along - On May 1, gardeners will be planting about 00 plants and apple trees. The irrigation is working well. Half of the plots are already producing vegetables and flowers. About two weeks ago, there was a composting class at the garden, and on May 1 at a.m. there will be a class on organic pest management. b) Oak Hill Park - Looks good, but is due for another mowing. He was disturbed to observe some skateboarders causing damage while riding on the slides and other playground equipment. Carr Suggested calling the police next time he sees abuse of park equipment. ) Marja Tarr - a) Casa del Oro The play area and turf look good. Noticed a hole in the fence and graffiti inside the equipment box by Sartori Drive.

5 b) Lucchesi Park Tennis Courts The backboards of the tennis courts and the bathrooms have been recently painted and look very attractive. Bryant Moynihan Members of the Kiwanis Club including he and Jim Carr planted trees around the Lucchesi tennis courts and painted the backboards. Ed Anchordoguy did a good job organizing and coordinating all the work. Park maintenance workers, Ramon Diaz and Manuel Ayala helped out with the project. c) Senior Center The facility and the garden look very attractive. d) Bond Park The drinking fountain near the Bond Park sign does not work, and the soccer field has some holes that need repair. e) McNear Park The drinking fountain by the group picnic area is not working. The grandstand gate closest to the bathroom has some damage and needs repair. f) Museum Has a new outdoor deck with planter boxes filled with flowers and the benches are in process of being constructed. DIRECTORS REPORTS Jim Carr, Director of Parks and Recreation a) Magnolia Park Developer Dan Aguilar has come up with a unique way of developing a name for the Magnolia Park site. He is holding a park-naming contest through the elementary, middle schools and high schools. The winning school will receive a $1,000 prize and all the participating schools will receive $00. Entries will be addressed to Jim Carr and are due by May 0. He will be presenting them to the Commission so they can evaluate them and make a recommendation for City Council s approval. b) Gatti Park On May 1, Carr held a pre-proposal meeting for architects at the Gatti Park site. Ten architectural firms were in attendance. Proposals are due May 0. General Plan Administrator Pamela Tuft, Ed Anchordoguy, and Carr will be screening all the proposals received, selecting about firms to be interviewed, and conduct the interviews on June. The firm selected will be recommended to the City Council, and if approved, start the design of Gatti Park. Carr inquired if any Commissioners were interested in participating in the process. Otherwise, Carr will request the assistance from another public agency. The first public meeting has been scheduled for July 1 at the Santa Rosa Junior College (Petaluma Center). At the meeting, staff will be soliciting input from the community regarding what they would like to see at Gatti Park. c) Art in the Park Due to the heavy rains and the wet ground at Lucchesi Park, Susanne Wibroe-Fost from Lookout West was unable to place the sculpture at the selected park location. She realized that the cranes needed to place the art would have destroyed the turf and path, and has postponed the art installation until June 1. Suzanne is trying to develop a non-profit organization dealing with public art. d) Shollenberger Project The Calif. Conservation Corp is preparing an estimate to install the last bridge. The CCC will also be doing some repair work on the boardwalk portion of the trail. The park is getting heavy use.

6 e) Soccer Tournaments For Commissioners information, the 00 Mexican cup tournament has scheduled to dates at the Lucchesi turf field. There is one adult team each from Petaluma and Santa Rosa, and a number of teams from out of the area. Carr had received a letter from the Mexican Consulate requesting free use of the field. Since this is a non-resident adult tournament, Carr denied the request. The response from the Consulate s response was not a happy one. The City Manger concurred with Carr s decision. ADJOURNMENT Bruce Hagen moved, seconded Marja Tarr to adjourn the meeting at : p.m.