Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting

MINUTES PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION Joint Study Session with the Neighborhood Improvement Program (NIP) Committee Thursday, October 15, 2015 7:00 PM COUNCIL CHAMBER, FEW MEMORIAL HALL OF RECORDS MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA Commissioners Present: McCarthy, McEwen, Menendez-Herbst, Spangler Commissioners Absent: Baldwin, Carnazzo NIP Members Present: Rick Heuer, Alta Mesa Representative Richard Ruccello, Casanova-Oak Knoll Representative Michael Brassfield, Casanova-Oak Knoll Alternate Jayme Fields, Del Monte Beach Representative Tom Rowley, Fishermen’s Flats Representative Pat Venza, Monterey Vista Representative Hans Jannasch, Monterey Vista Alternate Carole Hayter, New Monterey Representative Luz Adams, Oak Grove Alternate April Harrison, Old Town Representative Mary Conway, Skyline Forest Representative Katrina Hintze, Villa Del Monte Representative NIP Members Absent: Aguajito Oaks Deer Flats Del Monte Grove – Laguna Grande Skyline Forest Staff Members Present: Community Services Director Kim Bui-Burton, Principal Planner Elizabeth Caraker, Park Operations Manager Louie Marcuzzo, Recreation and Community Services Manager Cindy Vierra, Neighborhood Improvement Program Coordinator Jeff Krebs, Recording Secretary Sara Myers. CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL CONSENT ITEMS ***End of Consent Agenda*** PUBLIC COMMENTS PUBLIC APPEARANCE 1. Receive Report on Parks and Recreation Master Plan and Provide Input Action: Report received. Community Services Director Bui-Burton introduced the presentation by consultants and emphasized that both the Parks and Recreation Commission and the Neighborhood Improvement Program Committee have interacted with the Parks and Recreation Master Plan (PRMP) over the years. Neighborhood Improvement Program Coordinator Krebs introduced himself and commented that the PRMP is beneficial because it provides policy guidance for NIP project implementation. Principal Planner Caraker introduced the consultants, Mindy Craig and Gail Donaldson from Blue Point Planning. Mindy Craig presented a PowerPoint presentation with their initial thoughts on the PRMP. She explained that this is a 10 month process and they are now doing assessments and outreach. They have launched a community-wide survey to help understand needs and identify priorities. Ms. Craig stated staff is holding an open house on Wednesday, October 28th at the Youth Center and is providing outreach kits for NIP committee members to take back into their neighborhoods to hold separate meetings. Gail Donaldson stated that they are currently taking an inventory of parks and open spaces to update their information. Ms. Donaldson presented the planning and neighborhood areas that are identified. Ms. Craig commented that they are looking at how these areas are serving the community. Ms. Craig reported on changes to Monterey demographics since the last PRMP. Ms. Craig identified emerging issues and opportunities along the Recreation Trail, Cannery Row, Dennis the Menace Park, the Monterey Sports Center, Youth Center, Hilltop, Waterfront, and Ryan Ranch. Ms. Craig presented ideas and trends for improvement in the neighborhoods of New Monterey, the Presidio, Downtown/Old Town, Central/El Estero, Monterey Heights, La Mesa Naval Housing, and Del Monte Grove/Casanova. Ms. Craig finished the presentation with a reminder of the open house, online survey, outreach kit and FAQ fliers. Commissioner McEwen asked Parks and Recreation commissioners and NIP committee members for their input and questions. NIP Representative Katrina Hintze of Villa Del Monte reminded the consultants that the neighborhoods in Monterey are well-established and each has their own personality and needs. NIP Representative Rick Heuer of Alta Mesa agreed that the planning areas on the PRMP are not neighborhoods. Some of the planning areas consist of multiple neighborhoods with very different needs. Ms. Craig responded that the planning areas help them break it down, but they do not set any standards. Representative Heuer stated that the neighborhoods have very little in common and it does not make sense to group them together. He also advised to use joint agreements and look into ways to expand joint use. Ms. Craig responded that they plan on talking to MPUSD. NIP Representative Richard Ruccello of Casanova-Oak Knoll requested that the Parks and Recreation Commission work on bringing forward new and unique ideas for projects to present to the NIP Committee rather than maintenance projects. NIP Representative Tom Rowley of Fisherman Flats advised that the consultants request an updated list of every neighborhood park from the NIP coordinator because some upgrades have already been funded, just not implemented. NIP Representative Jayme Fields of Del Monte Beach stated that parks updates don’t always have to be big ideas; small creative ideas can make a big impact. NIP Representative April Harrison of Old Town stated that Old Town and Downtown don’t have much in common, but pointed out that there are neighborhood parks that are Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes Thursday, October 15, 2015 2 used by several neighborhoods. She also asked for clarification of how the consultants are going about their outreach. Ms. Craig responded that the city has already started announcing the survey and have been receiving responses. Their hope is that the NIP Committee members can be their advocates within the neighborhoods and that’s why they are providing toolkits. NIP Representative Hans Jannasch asked if the consultants could attend the neighborhood meetings, but Ms. Craig stated they do not have the budget to do so. NIP Representative Mary Conway of Skyline Ridge emphasized the importance of promoting activities on the water and waterfront. NIP Representative Ruccello requested that the link to the survey be sent out to the entire NIP Committee so that they can send it out to their neighborhood associations. Ms. Craig confirmed she will work with the NIP Coordinator to get that done. Commissioner McEwen opened public comments. Mike Brassfield of Casanova-Oak Knoll questioned whether the City had gone through all of the current master plans to incorporate. He also emphasized the importance of going through past master plans because older master plans can be overlooked and a lot of thought was put into them. Mike Genbee of Pacific Grove stated that he uses the Recreation Trail several times a week for walking and cycling and knows that safety on the trail can be an issue. He suggested looking into changing the trail designs to separate users. He also suggested performing sociological studies to see why people are on the trail and how they are using it. Mr. Genbee advised that he is a member of Save Our Shores and recommends that the consultants contact Save Our Shores to obtain beach cleanup data. Commissioner McEwen closed public comments. Commissioner Spangler addressed NIP Representative Ruccello’s comments and asked for his input on how to build a bridge between the PRC and NIP. NIP Representative Ruccello responded that he would like PRC to come up with their own new ideas to bring to NIP and NIP will find a way to fund them. He reminded the PRC that they are all still residents and can submit projects to NIP as residents versus just submitting maintenance projects as PRC. Representative Rowley added that some NIP members have been with the committee since the beginning of NIP. They offer a unique look at all of the neighborhoods. NIP Representative Hintze added that Dennis the Menace used to be an art park with innovative pieces, but they’ve been removed and the impact of the park has been diminished. NIP Alternate Jannasch suggested that the PRC members come to neighborhood meetings and see what their individual needs are. NIP Representative Rowley suggested that a map of the neighborhoods be presented at the workshop and NIP Alternate Jannasch reminded that there are 14 separate neighborhoods. If they need to be grouped, he suggested only grouping two together if they are similar. NIP Representative Heuer added that the needs to the individual neighborhoods are cyclical. As children grow up, the park needs change, but new families will move into the neighborhood and there will be children again. NIP Representative Conway suggested rephrasing how the consultants address Veterans Park because the forests are a great natural resource. They are not signed Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes Thursday, October 15, 2015 3 well and it is difficult for residents and tourists to know the resource is available. She also reminded the consultants that Monterey contains unique birds and plants that could bring people to the area. NIP Alternate Carol Hayter stated that a decent dog park should be high on the list of priorities. ADJOURNMENT Seeing not other comments, Commissioner McEwen adjourned the meeting at 8:28 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Approved, Kim Bui-Burton Ellen McEwen, Vice Chair Community Services Director Parks and Recreation Commission Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes Thursday, October 15, 2015 4