Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting

MINUTES PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION Study Session Wednesday, June 22, 2016 7:00 PM COUNCIL CHAMBER, FEW MEMORIAL HALL OF RECORDS MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA Commissioners Present: Baldwin, Carnazzo, McCarthy, McEwen, Menendez-Herbst, Panetta, Spangler Commissioners Absent: None Staff Members Present: Community Services Director Kim Bui-Burton, Recreation and Community Services Manager Cindy Vierra, Park Operations Manager Louie Marcuzzo, Principal Planner Elizabeth Caraker, Recording Secretary Teresa Nash CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMENTS Katrina Hintze, Monterey resident, said she would like to change the designation of Ferrante Park to be a neighborhood park similar to Oak Newton and Archer Parks; Ferrante Park is not for neighborhood use, it’s for baseball, and she considers that as private use. She suggested sending out invitations in Spanish and English to the Montecito Park neighborhood residents letting them know that they may use the ball field at Ferrante Park; she wants to see the neighborhood kids use the park. PUBLIC APPEARANCE 1. Receive Report and Update on the Parks and Recreation Master Plan (Not a Project Under CEQA per Article 20, Section 15378 and Under General Rule Article 5, Section 15061) Action: Report and comments received. Community Services Director Bui-Burton said our goal tonight is to review the Draft Parks and Recreation Master Plan (PRMP) and receive comments from the Commissioners and public; staff will incorporate those comments into the PRMP and bring it back next month for the Commissioner’s final review and recommendation of approval to the City Council. Mindy Craig, BluePoint Planning, Inc. said this plan provides a framework and guidance to make really good decisions with input from the community. She said the City has a very well established parks system in place; it just needs to be enhanced. She reviewed the vision and goals; the context of the history, trends, and demographics; the needs assessment; guidelines and projects; implementation; and appendices. She noted this process started last September with public meetings, two surveys, two community open houses, information provided at the Farmers Market, stakeholder interviews, focus group meetings, videos were done to promote the surveys, as well as joint meetings with the NIP Committee, Planning Commission and City Council.  Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes Wednesday, June 22, 2016 Ms. Craig reviewed some community-wide areas including the Recreation Trail, and the El Estero Park complex, which includes Dennis the Menace Park, the Skate Park, a large picnic area, Sollecito Ball Park, and the Monterey Youth Center. She said that Monterey Bay Park is underutilized and that the creation of a wedding venue and lighted basketball court were suggested. The Lower Presidio Historic Park is a really important part of the PRMP, the LPHP Master Plan was used as guidance and it is an appendix to the PRMP. Hilltop Park Center is an underutilized large facility and could possibly become a dance and/or cultural center. Ms. Craig said the City is really deficient in sports fields; there is a need to create a multi-use field. There is a possible opportunity to work with the School District on a competitive size swimming pool. The Monterey Youth Center is underutilized and the teen room could become a community meeting room and then a teen center could be created closer to the High School. The Waterfront Master Plan includes green spaces where areas could be created for casual use or events. Ms. Craig stated that in the Implementation phase, prioritization will be a challenge; criteria will be created over time and the City will need to do feasibility studies and find funding. She said that Operations and Maintenance funding is very critical, you have to have the money for maintenance and operation before any of these projects are done. Commissioner Spangler thanked Mindy for a wonderful presentation; she said the PRMP is large but was enjoyable to look through. She said she would love to see us activate Monterey Bay Park but feels that is not a good location for a lighted basketball court; lighting is a big concern. Commissioner McEwen said the lighted basketball court that is being installed by Shoreline Park fits the need for this area. Commissioner Panetta inquired if the proposed lighted basketball court at Monterey Bay Park would be located where the volleyball courts are. Mindy Craig stated yes, the plan would be to remove the volleyball court furthest from the Wharf and activate that end of the park and the Recreation Trail. Commissioner McEwen inquired if we are literally talking about moving the beach house building. Ms. Craig said the idea is to rebuild and include public bathrooms on one side; a new location would make for a better design of the area. Commissioner McCarthy asked what the vision is for the dry boat storage. Ms. Craig stated that is part of the Waterfront Master Plan and the hope is to improve access and develop that entire area. Commissioner Panetta said she likes the idea of allowing retail space off the Recreation Trail, and inquired if there are regulations that prevent that now. Ms. Craig stated that in the past there were concerns about congestion and accessibility. Principal Planner Caraker stated the Waterfront Master Plan and the Cannery Row Plan reference on how those commercial businesses adjacent to the Recreation Trail can operate. Commissioner Carnazzo said he is a huge supporter for a sports complex and inquired what the plans are for that. Ms. Craig stated the City is landlocked; there are two potential sites for a sports complex, Ryan Ranch, which has no water available and the Tarpy Flats site, which is owned by MPUSD. Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes Wednesday, June 22, 2016 2  Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes Wednesday, June 22, 2016 Commissioner Spangler asked how we transition from working with a descriptive master plan to looking at projects for compliance with the new PRMP. Ms. Craig suggested being proactive, not reactive, and to create a work plan. She said for example, Dennis the Menace Park has a lot of needed deferred maintenance; you will need to identify what is important to the City; make sure the community parks are enhanced over time. Commissioner McCarthy stated that NIP projects are capital projects and that process does not include maintenance and operations; we would have to go to Council for that funding. Community Services Director Bui-Burton said we are fortunate to have the well maintained parks that we have, it speaks to the ethics of staff, even when staffing is reduced we work hard because we know what it means to the public; we have to look at each project as an investment. Commissioner Menendez-Herbst said she is so excited for a new teen center and inquired if a site has been identified; it is a huge need for our community. Ms. Craig said the teens have a lot of different ideas; we have to find the right location somewhere near the Library and Monterey High School. Tom Reeves, former City Engineer, said you have talked a lot about maintenance and operations, but you haven’t talked about repair; nothing lasts forever. You need to keep that in mind and look at the life of each project and incorporate that in your financial planning. He said he is on the Big Sur Land Trust Board and they have talked about partnering with the City for youth programs at Marks Ranch, which is very close to the City’s Camp Quien Sabe resident summer camp program; it could be a win-win for both organizations. We have a lot of common interest in people’s health and well being. Inga Waite, Monterey Public Library Director, said the Library would also like to have a partnership with the Recreation Division on creating a new teen center. She said teen programming is a big part of what we do and we have a professional teen librarian; anything Recreation does will impact what we do, we want to give the teens the best we can. Katrina Hintze, Monterey resident, said the Library does it well; they do an amazing job with the teens and kids. She said that Montecito Park is substandard; it does not meet the standards of Monterey. She would like that park to be a high priority and create an artistic entrance. Sharon Dwight, resident, said the PRMP speaks to the economics, we do not generate funds because of our parks; I do not see it as an economic engine. She said Monterey has changing demographics, we have an aging population, and the cost of housing is difficult for younger families. She noted there is no mention of the six neighborhood plans in the PRMP and suggested those policies are folded into this plan. She stated that the City is reconsidering whether or not to allow the parklets on Alvarado Street; it is not working as planned. She said there is mention of adding Wi-Fi access in the parks, what we need is an updated sound system for them to plug into; we are behind the times. She said she will provide further comments to staff. Community Services Director Bui-Burton stated that we will have other opportunities for the public to comment on the PRMP; we are certainly open to all comments. She said that BluePoint Planning has helped us prepare this new PRMP and that most of the input came from the public; we want to make sure the plan captures that information and reflect the community’s needs. This will be a living flexible document for priorities for the next 20 years; it’s a snapshot in time, what we have now, what we want and need; this plan will give us what we need to move forward. Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes Wednesday, June 22, 2016 3  Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes Wednesday, June 22, 2016 Commissioner Baldwin inquired if we have any plans for a guided tour to the Lower Presidio Historic Park (LPHP), Hilltop Park Center (HPC) and other sites. Director Bui-Burton noted that we are having our annual tour of parks and facilities on August 18 and we will start at HPC, the LPHP, Montecito Park, and the basketball court at Shoreline Park. Commissioner Baldwin suggested spending more time at each location. NEXT MEETING Thursday, July 21, 2016 ADJOURNMENT Chair McEwen adjourned the meeting at 8:23 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Approved, Kim Bui-Burton Ellen McEwen, Chair Community Services Director Parks and Recreation Commission Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes Wednesday, June 22, 2016 4