Parks and Recreation Commission

City of Sunnyvale Meeting Minutes Parks and Recreation Commission Wednesday, July 9, 2014 7:00 PM Council Chambers, City Hall, 456 W. Olive Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94086 CALL TO ORDER Chair Alexander called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. in the Council Chambers. SALUTE TO THE FLAG Chair Alexander led the salute to the flag. ROLL CALL Present: 4 - Chair Henry Alexander III Vice Chair Craig Pasqua Commissioner Ralph Kenton Commissioner Robert Pochowski Council Liaison Larsson (present) PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS None CONSENT CALENDAR 1.A. 14-0651 Draft Minutes of the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting of June 11, 2014. Commissioner Kenton moved and Vice Chair Pasqua seconded the motion to approve the draft minutes of June 11, 2014. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 3 - Chair Alexander III Vice Chair Pasqua Commissioner Kenton No: 0 Abstain: 1 - Commissioner Pochowski City of Sunnyvale Page 1 Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes July 9, 2014 PUBLIC COMMENTS None PUBLIC HEARINGS/GENERAL BUSINESS 2 14-0462 Recreational Hunting and Safe Access to Open Space (Study Issue) Deputy Chief Pitts provided the staff report about recreational hunting near Moffett Channel. He answered Commissioner questions regarding current enforcement including current municipal codes, the number of violations recorded over the last year, the permitted uses and caliber of allowable firearms dictated by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) code. He also answered questions about proposed signage, such as the number of signs currently posted, costs for new signs, if research was conducted to identify what other cities have done in similar situations and it's impact, and if additional signs in the adjacent cities are also worthwhile. Vice Chair Pasqua moved and Commissioner Pochowski seconded to approve Alternative No. 1: Acknowledge staff's operational approach to this issue by increasing and improving signage in the area, in combination with combined enforcement efforts with CDFW and the City of San Jose during hunting season. Staff will update the Council on the outcome of these efforts through an information only report or the City Manager's Bi-Weekly Report. Commissioners provided their rationale for their vote. They indicated that signs appear to be the only legal alternative and are a proactive approach to inform recreational users of the legal hunting areas and related regulations. In addition, they also stated that installing signs is a low cost solution. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 4 - Chair Alexander III Vice Chair Pasqua Commissioner Kenton Commissioner Pochowski No: 0 3 14-0652 Election of Chair and Vice Chair. Nominations were opened for Chair to the Parks and Recreation Commission. Commissioner Pochowski nominated Chair Alexander who accepted the City of Sunnyvale Page 2 Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes July 9, 2014 nomination. Chair Alexander nominated Vice Chair Pasqua who accepted the nomination. Chair Alexander called for further nominations. No further nominations were presented. Vote on Chair Alexander for Chair: Yes: 2 - Chair Alexander III Commissioner Powchoski Vote on Vice Chair Pasqua for Chair: Yes: 1 - Vice Chair Pasqua Abstain: 1 - Commissioner Kenton Nominations were opened for Vice Chair to the Parks and Recreation Commission. Commissioner Kenton nominated Vice Chair Pasqua who accepted the nomination. Chair Alexander called for further nominations. No further nominations were presented. Vote on nomination for Vice Chair: Yes: 3 - Chair Alexander III Commissioner Kenton Commissioner Pochowski No: 0 Abstain: 1 - Vice Chair Pasqua NON-AGENDA ITEMS & COMMENTS -Commissioner Comments Commissioner Kenton requested some insight about the drought specifically related to two items. First, if it would be appropriate to regulate businesses which maintain large beautiful green lawns and second, if watering lawns in parks will be reduced. Superintendent of Parks, Scott Morton, responded that City Council approved a 15% reduction on June 24th, which is also applicable to businesses. Parks Division will meet the required reductions using various measures including draining ponds at some neighborhood parks, turf reduction efforts and reduced watering. Park lawns will be maintained for safety, visibility and community use. Vice Chair Pasqua shared recent statistics from Santa Clara Valley Water District that the City of Sunnyvale had decreased usage by 18%. City of Sunnyvale Page 3 Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes July 9, 2014 Chair Alexander acknowledged Former Commissioner Harms who recently passed away, and his contributions to the Parks and Recreation Commission. Superintendent Morton provided details on how to make a donation to Parks as a memorial. Commissioner Kenton announced a three day tennis tournament for the Adult District Championships taking place August 8-10 at the Sunnyvale Tennis Center. Competitors will come from all over California. The tournament is co-sponsored by Lifetime Tennis, NorCal Tennis Club and Sunnyvale Tennis Club. -Staff Comments Superintendent Wax shared three items: Murphy Park Building remodel is nearly complete. It hosts a room dedicated to preschool, as well as a conference room and multipurpose room. There is increased storage, a new kitchen and it now has HVAC. Murphy Park building will be used for a variety of programs and rentals. Vacancies for Boards and Commissions are posted online, including the vacancy for the Parks and Recreation Commission. Applications are due by August 8; appointments are tentatively scheduled for September 16. July's Sunnyvale Quarterly Report highlights Community Services programs. Superintendent Morton shared five items: Parks is recruiting for Parks Worker I. Applications are available online at jobs.inSunnyvale.com. The job will be posted for two weeks, and the first 100 qualified applications will be accepted. Seven Seas Park will open on Saturday, July 12, with a ceremony held at 10:00 a.m. Both the Community Services and Parks Divisions will have booths and children's activities between 9 a.m. and noon. A Housing Related Parks Grant was awarded for $973,000. The grant identified improvements to Fair Oaks Park restrooms, parking lot, pathways and landscaping. This funding is in addition to the FY 2015/16 redesign plans. Las Palmas Park playground is almost complete. The dog park remodel is scheduled for later this year. Construction to expand Orchard Gardens Park will go to bid soon. City of Sunnyvale Page 4 Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes July 9, 2014 INFORMATION ONLY REPORTS/ITEMS None ADJOURNMENT Chair Alexander adjourned the meeting at 7:46 p.m. City of Sunnyvale Page 5