Parks & Recreation Commission

LODI PARKS & REGULAR MEETING Date: November 5, 2024 RECREATION COMMISSION Time: 6:00 p.m. Carnegie Forum 305 West Pine Street, Lodi For information regarding this Agenda please contact: Terri Lovell Administrative Assistant Telephone: (209) 333-6742 Notice Regarding Public Comments Public Comment may be submitted in the following ways: • In-person – The Carnegie Forum is open to the public in accordance with CDPH and CalOSHA guidelines. • Email – PRCScomments@lodi.gov  Received no later than two hours prior to the meeting • Mail – Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services Department, P.O. Box 3006, Lodi, CA 95241 • Hand delivered to: Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services Department, 230 W. Elm Street, Lodi, CA 95240  Received no later than two hours prior to the meeting A. Call to Order / Roll Call B. Minutes B-1 Approve September 3, 2024, Minutes C. Comments by the Public (Non-Agenda Items) If you wish to address the Commission, please refer to the Notice at the beginning of this agenda. Individuals are limited to one appearance during this section of the Agenda. THE TIME ALLOWED PER NON-AGENDA ITEM FOR COMMENTS MADE BY THE PUBLIC IS LIMITED TO FIVE MINUTES. D. Action Items D-1 Discuss Donor Memorial Program and Assign Subcommittee Members E. Regular Agenda – Discussion Items E-1 Update from LUSD Joint Use Agreement Committee E-2 Update from Subcommittee Members on Status of Skatepark Project E-3 Discuss Electric Bicycle (eBike) Use at Lodi Lake Nature Area E-4 Discuss Request for Proposals (RFP) Scope of Work for a Comprehensive Program and Fee Study F. Comments by the Parks And Recreation Commissioners and Staff on Non-Agenda Items G. Announcements Revised 10/2021 10/30/2024 4:06 PM REGULAR MEETING PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION November 5 2024 PAGE TWO H. Adjournment Pursuant to Section 54956(a) of the Government Code of the State of California, this agenda was posted at least 72 hours in advance of the scheduled meeting at a public place freely accessible to the public 24 hours a day. ______________________________ Terri Lovell Administrative Assistant **Notice: Pursuant to Government Code §54954.3(a), public comments may be directed to the legislative body concerning any item contained on the agenda for this meeting before (in the cast of Closed Session items) or during consideration of the item. All staff reports or other written documentation relating to each item of business referred to on the agenda are on file in the Office of the City Clerk, located at 221 W. Pine Street, Lodi, and are available for public inspection. Agendas and staff reports are also posted on the City’s website at www.lodi.gov. If requested, the agenda shall be made available in appropriate alternative formats to persons with a disability, as required by Section 202 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 12132), and the federal rules and regulations adopted in implementation thereof. To make a request for disability-related modification or accommodation contact the City Clerk’s Office as soon as possible and at least 72 hours prior to the meeting date. Language interpreter requests must be received at least 72 hours in advance of the meeting to help ensure availability. Contact Terri Lovell at (209) 333-6742. Solicitudes de interpretación de idiomas deben ser recibidas por lo menos con 72 horas de anticipación a la reunión para ayudar a asegurar la disponibilidad. Llame a Terri Lovell (209) 333-6742.  REGULAR MEETING MINUTES LODI PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2024 6:00 PM MEETING A. Roll Call Present: Commissioner Bradford, Carouba, Erickson Absent: Commissioner VanNortwick, Long Staff Present: Christina Jaromay, Emerson Yellen, Neel Singh, Terri Lovell B. Minutes of June 4, 2024, August 12, 2024, and August 15, 2024 Meetings Motion by Commissioner Carouba to approve the minutes of the June 4, 2024, August 12, 2024, and August 15, 2024, meetings. Second by Commissioner Bradford. DISCUSSION None Ayes: Commissioner Bradford, Carouba, Erickson Noes: None Motion carried 3 – 0 C. Comments by the Public, Commission and Staff on Non-Agenda Items NONE D. Action Items Nominations and Election of New Officers for 2024/25 Chair Erickson opened the discussion of the 2024/25 Chairperson selection. Motion by Commissioner Erickson nominating Commissioner Carouba for 2024/25 Chair. Commissioner Bradford seconded. DISCUSSION None Ayes: Commissioner Bradford, Carouba, Erickson Noes: None Motion carried 3 - 0 Motion by Chair Carouba nominating Commissioner Bradford for 2024/2025 Vice Chair. Commissioner Erickson seconded. DISCUSSION None Ayes: Commissioner Bradford, Carouba, Erickson Noes: None  Motion carried 3 - 0 E. Regular Agenda – Discussion Items Update from Skate Park Subcomittee Director Jaromay referred this topic to Deputy Director Yellen. The Deputy Director shared she emailed drafts of the Request for Proposals (RFP). She’s putting the RFP together and will have it out next week. Chair Carouba asked if the scope of work is specific to Lawrence Park. Deputy Director Yellen stated it is. Deputy Chair Bradford asked if Parks and Recreation is still looking at phasing. Deputy Director Yellen stated they are. Deputy Chair Bradford shared he spoke with all Council members except Councilmember Nakanishi and Council agreed to reach out to the legislature to ask for additional monies for this project. Update from PRCS Director Director Jaromay began by asking Deputy Director Yellen to introduce the newest PRCS team member. Deputy Director Yellen introduced Ashneel (Neel) Singh, Recreation Manager. Mr. Singh will be replacing Jennifer Winn. Mr. Singh will be the staff contact for Arts and Senior Commissions. Kurt Anderson, Program Coordinator, spoke on the new adaptive soccer program. Mr. Anderson shared this program is a 6-week program that meets at Villa Fiore Park on Wednesdays for 1 ½ hours. There’s current 12 enrolled in the 5-8 age group with 8 enrolled in the 9-12 age group. Deputy Director Yellen updated the Commission on the Jr. Giants program. There were 583 registered, 50 teams, 323 wouldn’t have played without Jr. Giants, 315 gloves given, 40 special needs children played. F. Comments and/or Questions on Staff Briefing (Refer to packet reports for additional information) Director Jaromay updated the Commission on the following: • Various park renovations • Monies for DeBenedetti Cricket lighting moved to Salas Park by Council • Homeless public input meetings • Building permits have been received for Lodi Lake North Restroom • Music in the Park on October 4 in Wishek • Comedy show at HSS on October 18 Commissioner Erickson asked about the north seating at the Grape Bowl. Chair Carouba shared the history of why the north seating isn’t being used.  Commissioner Erickson asked about the memorial bench and table replacement. She had heard we’re not doing it any longer. Director Jaromay shared the program is currently on hold and is being re-evaluated. Vice Chair Bradford asked if any of our Adopt-a-Park facilities focus on bench replacement. Ms. Yellen stated they typically just clean up the park. Vice Chair Bradford asked if there’s a list of projects service clubs can look at for a project. There was discussion about putting together a list for each park for this purpose. G. Announcements NONE H. Adjournment Meeting adjourned at 7:08 p.m.  LODI PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING OF NOVEMBER 5, 2024 ACTION ITEM D-1 DISCUSS DONOR MEMORIAL PROGRAM AND ASSIGN SUBCOMMITTEE MEMBERS Notes:  PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION COMMUNICATION TO: Lodi Parks and Recreation Commission DATE OF MEETING: November 5, 2024 FROM: The Director's Office SUBJ: Discuss Donor Memorial Program and Assign Subcommittee Members TYPE ACTION NEEDED: Discussion PREPARED BY: Christina Jaromay, Director RECOMMENDED ACTION: Discuss donor memorial opportunities and if desired, assign a subcommittee to assist in the department’s donor memorial program. BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The Parks and Recreation (PRCS) Memorial Tree and Park Bench Policy was established in 2003. Since its inception, PRCS has been able to accommodate the following donations: DONATOR NUMBER OF BENCH & NUMBER OF TREE & PLAQUE DONATIONS PLAQUE DONATIONS Various Family/Friend Donations 15 Centennial Year Donations 25 Tree Lodi Donations 25 The majority of these donation projects are located at Lodi Lake Park. As space is limited or non-existent at Lodi Lake, PRCS needs to develop alternative opportunities for donors to commemorate their loved ones. For example, PRCS could accept donations to fund capital/maintenance projects or recreation programs while commemorating the donor’s loved one on a donor memorial board. The donor memorial board could be placed in a centralized location at Lodi Lake, another park, or the Parks Administration Building. Attached are examples of donor boards. PRCS’ donor memorial program has been on hold since 2022. There is interest from commissioners to assist the department in developing a new donor memorial program. Commission shall discuss and if desired, assign a subcommittee to assist the department with its donor memorial program. FUNDING CONSIDERATION OR IMPACT: None  LODI PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING OF NOVEMBER 5, 2024 REGULAR AGENDA ITEM E-1 UPDATE FROM LUSD JOINT USE AGREEMENT COMMITTEE Notes:  PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION COMMUNICATION TO: Lodi Parks and Recreation Commission DATE OF MEETING: October 1, 2024 FROM: The Director's Office SUBJ: Update from LUSD Joint Use Agreement Committee TYPE ACTION NEEDED: Discussion PREPARED BY: Christina Jaromay, Director RECOMMENDED ACTION: Update from Commissioners on LUSD Joint Use Agreement Committee. BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Commissioners will give an update on the September 17, 2024, LUSD Joint Use Agreement Committee meeting. FUNDING CONSIDERATION OR IMPACT: None  LODI PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING OF NOVEMBER 5, 2024 REGULAR AGENDA ITEM E-2 UPDATE FROM SUBCOMMITTEE MEMBERS ON STATUS OF SKATEPARK PROJECT Notes:  PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION COMMUNICATION TO: Lodi Parks and Recreation Commission DATE OF MEETING: November 5, 2024 FROM: The Director's Office SUBJ: Update from Subcommittee Members on Status of Skatepark Project TYPE ACTION NEEDED: Discussion PREPARED BY: Christina Jaromay, Director RECOMMENDED ACTION: Receive an update from subcommittee members on the status of the skatepark project. BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Subcommittee members shall provide an update on the status of the new skatepark project i.e. Request for Proposal, preproposal meeting and deadlines for interested skatepark designers/consultants to submit their proposals to the department. FUNDING CONSIDERATION OR IMPACT: None  LODI PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING OF NOVEMBER 5, 2024 REGULAR AGENDA ITEM E-3 DISCUSS ELECTRIC BICYCLE (eBike) USE AT LODI LAKE NATURE AREA Notes:  PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION COMMUNICATION TO: Lodi Parks and Recreation Commission DATE OF MEETING: November 5, 2024 FROM: The Director's Office SUBJ: Discuss Electric Bicycle (eBike) Use at Lodi Lake Nature Area TYPE ACTION NEEDED: Discussion PREPARED BY: Christina Jaromay, Director RECOMMENDED ACTION: Discuss eBike use at Lodi Lake Nature Area BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The Nature Area at Lodi Lake is a special place - providing visitors an outdoor space to walk, run, bike ride, bird watch, and enjoy nature in the middle of an urban setting. The Nature Area is located on the northeast corner of Lodi Lake Park. It has over three miles of trails in a riparian forest which includes various species of trees, birds, deer and other wildlife. The trails are considered multi-use trails and allow for bike riding. The use of eBikes is not specifically mentioned in city policy, department policy, municipal code or by City Council resolution however use of eBikes does exist in the Nature Area. According to an article “E-Bike Facts & Statistics for 2024”, eBikes are becoming more and more common and the market continues to grow. Staff have noticed an uptick of eBike users on the trails. Commission shall discuss the use of eBikes in the Nature Area and if desired, request staff research use of eBikes at similar natural areas and trails and provide a recommendation to Commission on eBike policies in the Nature Area at a future Commission meeting. FUNDING CONSIDERATION OR IMPACT: None  LODI PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING OF NOVEMBER 5, 2024 REGULAR AGENDA ITEM E-4 DISCUSS REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) SCOPE OF WORK FOR A COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM AND FEE STUDY Notes:  PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION COMMUNICATION TO: Lodi Parks and Recreation Commission DATE OF MEETING: November 5, 2024 FROM: The Director's Office SUBJ: Discuss Request for Proposals (RFP) Scope of Work for a Comprehensive Program and Fee Study TYPE ACTION NEEDED: Discussion PREPARED BY: Christina Jaromay, Director RECOMMENDED ACTION: Discuss RFP Scope of Work for a Comprehensive Program and Fee Study BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services (PRCS) Department received funding for FY 2024/2025 for a comprehensive program and fee study. The commission shall review the draft scope of work and discuss. 1. Financial Analysis: • Review and analyze current financial statements, budgets, and funding sources. • Evaluate historical financial performance and trends. • Assess the cost-effectiveness of current programs and services. • Assess cost-benefits and effectiveness of current partnership models and impacts to department’s financial sustainability. 2. Revenue Generation: • Identify potential new revenue sources, including grants, partnerships, sponsorships and user fees. • Recommend strategies to enhance existing revenue streams. 3. Expenditure Optimization: • Analyze current expenditure patterns and identify areas for cost savings. • Recommend operational efficiencies and best practices. 4. Benchmarking and Comparisons: • Compare the department’s financial performance with similar municipalities. • Identify best practices from comparable parks and recreation departments. 5. Meetings and Community Engagement: • Meet with department and city staff as necessary through completion of the study. • Attend various stakeholder groups i.e. Lodi Parks and Recreation Commission. • Facilitate community meetings to gather input from the community, staff and other stakeholders. • Incorporate feedback into the study’s recommendations. 6. Park, Facility and Program(s) Assessment: • Solicit feedback from user groups i.e. by way of surveys or public input meetings or other method, to determine demand of current and future programs.  • Solicit feedback from community on parks and facilities. • Develop needs assessment for future facility and program development. 7. Strategic Planning: • Develop short-term and long-term financial sustainability plans. • Provide actionable recommendations and implementation strategies. 8. Program and User Fee Analysis: • Assess department’s current fee setting methodology. • Determine and set appropriate cost recovery amounts based on tier. • Assess current fees and compare them to industry standards and other similar local parks and recreation departments. • Assess Hutchins Street Square cost of services and current rates charged for rentals by non-profits, for-profits, individuals, service clubs, partners and other city departments. • Provide a worksheet for department to set fees for current and future programs. 9. Financial Sustainability Policy: • Design a financial sustainability policy that positions the city to address short and long- term financial interests with annual review of the policy. • Recommend revisions to current policies to become more relevant to the community and in-line with industry standards. 10. Reporting: • Produce iterations of study to include draft, final draft and final published version. • Present findings and recommendations to City Council at special meeting and regular meetings as necessary. FUNDING CONSIDERATION OR IMPACT: City Council adopted FY 2024/2025 Budget covers consultant costs for the Program and Fee Study which has potential to identify potential revenue and help with long-term sustainability.  Monthly Staff Briefing September 1 - 30, 2024 TO: Parks and Recreation Commission FROM: PRCS Staff DATE: November 5, 2024 Next Report: October 1 - 31, 2024 Upcoming Events – MARK YOUR CALENDAR NOV 24 Cat & Nat’s Reckless Abandonment – HSS – Charlene Power Lange Theatre DEC 8 Holiday Boutique – HSS – Kirst Hall – 10:00am-2:00pm  Operational Reports Aquatics Hutchins Street Square Pool - A total of 1,293 patrons came to the pool in the month of September. Of these, 562 attended Fitness Classes, 104 Open Swim, 4 SNAP, and 210 attended Lap Swim. 34 punch pass cards were purchased. A total of 413 patrons checked in via a health program. Swim Lessons - Swim lessons had a total of 67 participants in the reporting period. Rentals - No rentals took place in the reporting period. Hutchins Street Square Events HSS Rentals and Events - On September 25, Hutchins Street Square hosted Music in the Park, featuring the band The Buck Fifties. The event attracted more than 300 attendees. Recreation Programming Tot Sports – Tot Basketball is continuing with just under 100 participants. All the kids seem to be having a great time! Youth Sports – Adaptive Soccer, with its 18 participants, ended recently. We will be sending out a survey requesting parents’ feedback on the success of the program. We are already getting calls about potential upcoming seasons. We hope to add a spring session next year. Basketball will begin in November for K/1st graders at the Pavilion. We are trying a different format this year where the seasons will be 2 months instead of 4 months. A constant complaint was that the seasons are too long. Adult Sports – Adult Volleyball and Fall Softball are underway. Volleyball has 6 teams (max) and Softball is down to 18 teams for Fall – down 6 from last season. Fall seems to be the slower season for Softball. Late Night Adult Drop-in Basketball is planned for the pavilion November – February. Sports Field Rentals – In the month of September there were 13 user groups renting our sports facilities. Upcoming Programming – Youth Basketball/Late Night Adult Drop-in Basketball – November through February. Monthly Staff Briefing – September 1 - 30, 2024 Page 2 of 6 Hutchins Street Square Classes - A total of 85 students participated in Specialty Classes during the reporting period • Dance - 79 total participants • Adult Fitness - 6 participants • Culinary classes - 0 participants • Arts and Education - 0 participants Youth Programming ASP Fee Based - Fee Based ASP at Hutchins Street Square is running smoothly. We will be adding more participants after the fall break. We will be up to 15 kids! We are housed in the Holz room, we provide transportations, and we start at noon time for TK kids. Parents seem to be spreading the word. We are getting lots of calls and interest. We will only pick up kids from schools in town. We do not want the kids to be waiting a long time at their schools. So far it is working out very well. LUSD Bridge (After School Program) – Bridge attendance has been rising at each site. LUSD Bridge Director, Jose Maciel, has requested to add one more PRCS staff person at each site. Each Bridge site will have PRCS staff of 1-Rec Specialist and 4-Rec Leaders. We are excited to be able to add more staff. Fall Safari Camp - Camp was a big hit. We had 26 participants doing arts and crafts, walking to the movies, the WOW museum, and they even went bowling. Camp staff did an excellent job keeping them safe, happy, and very busy. Lodi Youth Commission (LYC) - We now have a Youth Commission Board of eight Commissioners. We are still in need of one more Commissioner. We have six new Adult Advisors coming on board. Once we fill the Youth Commissioner Chair position we will have a full house. At our October 14 meeting we will discuss the Pigskin Fall Ball that takes place on November 16. After the initial Pigskin bid kick off sale on October 21, bids will be sold daily until they are sold out. We have 500 bids for sale. Each bid is for two high school students. Bids will be able to be purchased at the Hutchins Street Box office as well as the Park and Rec Office. Internal Operations Adopt-A-Park Program – The Parks Department currently has five Adopt-A-Park partners supporting the following parks: Henry Glaves, DeBenedetti, Emerson, Lodi Lake and Roget. Their tasks include, but are not limited to, litter removal, planting and fertilizing plants, spreading mulch and pulling weeds. Vandalism – During the reporting period there were five instances of vandalism. The repairs cost the division $152.99 in labor and materials. Our crews spent 2 hours removing graffiti, repairing chain link fencing, replacing burned garbage bins and repairing wooden fences. Monthly Staff Briefing – September 1 - 30, 2024 Page 3 of 6 Lodi Parks People – Park staff is currently enrolling interested citizens in the Lodi Parks People clean-up program which has seven active volunteers. Staff is scheduling an orientation for the next set of potential volunteers. The website has been updated with volunteer forms, and several citizens have reached out regarding the program. Their continued help is greatly appreciated. ActiveNet/Reservations – There were 27 picnic shelter rentals in September 2023 versus 19 picnic shelter rentals in September 2024. Hutchins Street Square - Hired two new Building Services staff. The month of September we had a total of 1,394 hours in reservations. We have completed 65 work orders for the month of September with an average cost of $23 per repair. Key Capital Projects and Park Maintenance Hutchins Street Square - We started adding cameras to the facility, 19 out of 20 are completed. The project should be finalized in early October. Work in Wishek Amphitheater has been completed in preparation for our October concert. Currently working on getting water damaged fixed in boys and girls dressing rooms upstairs. Zupo Field Grandstands – Staff is currently working on close-out paperwork for the State $750K reimbursement. Playground Site(s) Improvements (5) – Our contractor, PBM Construction of Rocklin started work on August 5 and is scheduled to complete the 5 sites at the end of October. At this time English Oaks, Hale Tot Lot, Legion and Katzakian playgrounds are completed at this reporting time. Peterson “East” Playground is scheduled to be completed by the end of the month. These improvements are funded by 2020-2021 “One-Time” Funds approved by City Council. Lodi Lake Southside and Hughes Beach Improvements – The building permit has been issued for the Hughes Beach Picnic Shelter and the shelter materials are scheduled to arrive the first week of October. The restroom drawings for the Southside and Hughes Beach are being reviewed by staff and the Building Department. We probably won’t see the new structures until November/December. Electrical panels will not be installed until the structures are set in place. These improvements are funded by 2020-2021 “One-Time” Funds approved by City Council. Parks and Public Works Construction Projects: • DeBenedetti Park – Our consultant, CALA Landscape Architecture, is currently working on revisions to the plan set per the Building Department comments and also adding the EV charging stall requirements. These revisions will address the correction comments from the Building Division. Monthly Staff Briefing – September 1 - 30, 2024 Page 4 of 6  • Salas Sports Lighting Retro-Fit Project – Parks and Public Works Engineering Division will start working on the construction documents October through November with the hopes of going to Council to approve plans, specifications and authorize bidding at their first meeting in December. Tentative project start would be June, 2025. • Lodi Lake North Restroom Restoration – The Building Department has approved the plan set of drawings and staff is working with WMB Architects to assemble the project specifications for bidding. The approved drawing package has been submitted to our Risk Manager to forward onto the insurance company for their review. Staff is working towards getting this project to Council in December. Park Staff Projects: • Ball fields – BOBS Fall Ball and outside rentals (July – October) • Soccer – BOBS (July – October / Peterson and DeBenedetti Parks) • Mowing operations still continue Monday through Thursday schedule • Irrigation systems are currently running at 80% - 3 days a week • West Coast Arborist is scheduled for work at Legion, Lawrence and Lodi Lake • Grape Bowl – Soccer rentals are ongoing / Pop Warner Football (July – November) • Staff and the Skate Park Committee has completed the RFP to secure design and construction documents for bidding. This process is funded by 2021-2022 “One-Time” Funds approved by City Council. • Staff has started construction drawings for the Hale Park court resurfacing and fencing improvements • Staff have been installing Park Rule and Measure L signage • Staff installed new barbecues at Parson’s Point, Rotary Area and the Kiwanis Shelter • Staff will be installing a new barbecue at the Peterson Park shelter, along with changing out the basketball rims • Staff is scheduling work in the Nature Area for the State-funded improvements that must be completed by March of 2025. Marketing, Social Media, Publicity PRCS Facebook Page: • Page Reach – 29.6k (Reach - unique number of accounts that saw our posts) • New Followers – 90 • Page Visits – 1,700 Of the items posted, the top 3 engaged posts were: • Adult Volleyball Enrollment • Buttercream Basics Class • Music in the Park Monthly Staff Briefing – September 1 - 30, 2024 Page 5 of 6 PRCS Instagram Page: • Page Reach – 3.3k • New Followers – 66 • Instagram Profile Visits – 347 Of the items posted, the top 3 engaged post were: • Taco Truck Cook-off • Concert Under the Columns • Music in the Park - Extended PRCS in the News: More than food: Taco Truck Cook-Off a taste of Lodi culture | News | lodinews.com Fusion Music Festival returns to Lodi Lake next week to raise funds for local causes | News | lodinews.com Untrashing nature’s treasures at Coastal Cleanup: Volunteers invited to help clean up at Lodi Lake this Saturday | News | lodinews.com Monthly Staff Briefing – September 1 - 30, 2024 Page 6 of 6