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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/25/2007 PRC MinutesCITY OF DIAMOND BAR MINUTES OF THE PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION S.C.A.Q.M.D.ITHE GOVERNMENT CENTER AUDITORIUM 21865 Copley Drive ' Diamond Bar, CA 91765 JANUARY 25, 2007 CALL TO ORDER: Chairman Grundy called the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. in the SCAQMD/Government Center Building Auditorium, 21865 Copley Drive, Diamond Bar, CA 91765. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Commissioner Herndon led the Pledge of Allegiance. ROLL CALL: Present: Commissioners Lew Herndon, Benny Liang, Ruth Low, Vice Chairman Ted Owens and Chairman Dave Grundy. Staff Present: Bob Rose, Director of Community Services; Anthony Jordan, Parks and Maintenance Superintendent; Claude Bradley, Parks and Maintenance Supervisor; Ryan Wright, Recreation Supervisor II and Marisa Somenzi, Senior Administrative Assistant. MATTERS FROM THE AUDIENCE: None Offered. CALENDAR OF EVENTS: As Listed in the Agenda and reported by CSD/Rose. 1. CONSENT CALENDAR 1.1 Approval of Minutes for the November 16, 2006 Regular Meeting. C/Low moved, VC/Owens seconded to approve the Consent Calendar as presented. Motion carried by the following Roll Call vote: AYES: COMMISSIONERS: Herndon, Liang, Low, VC/Owens, Chair/Grundy NOES: COMMISSIONERS: None ABSENT: COMMISSIONERS: None 2. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS ' 2.1 Recreation Program Report — RSII/Wright VC/Owens recommended that the Commission send a congratulatory letter to RS/Meyers for her work toward helping the City procure the Diamond Bar 4 -Youth recognition award. JANUARY 25, 2007 PAGE 2 P&R COMMISSION In response to C/Herndon, CSD/Rose gave a brief dissertation on how recreation_ programs are chosen, how they are funded and how the City justifies subsidies and reimbursements. C/Herndon said he would appreciate all financial reports being presented in the same format and said he preferred the format of the Winter Snow Fest summary. C/Herndon pointed out that the totals were at the far right on the Winter Snow Fest report and were easier for him to read. C/Low asked how the City was able to get sponsorship for certain activities and not for others. CSD/Rose responded that sponsorships are sometimes part of the justification when the new program was first created and was approved by the City Council. If sponsors are required, solicitation letters are sent on an annual basis. 2.2 Parks Report — PMS/Jordan. VC/Owens suggested that since the City is investing in the maintenance of the Lorbeer Middle School lower field that updates be included in the Parks Report. PMS/Jordan responded affirmatively and reported that the origin of the five -acre Sycamore Canyon Park fire was suspicious and still being investigated by LA County. PMS/Jordan responded to C/Liang that staff has not been able to address the mattei of the damaged grass at Maple Hill Park. Drivers have damaged grassy areas of several parks and the contractor is working his way toward Maple Hill. CSD/Rose responded to C/Low that matters such as Item 5 and 6, park benches, are formally brought to the Commission during the February meeting to discuss what items should be included in next year's fiscal year City Council budget discussions. The Council generally formulates the July 1 fiscal year budget during May and June. C/Herndon asked if the City was experiencing an upswing in graffiti and PMS/Jordan responded that there was a slight upswing. C/Herndon felt the City should take proactive efforts to catch the responsible parties. CSD/Rose responded to Chair/Grundy that he did not specifically recall the cost of surveillance equipment but that the Sheriff's Department was asked to procure grant monies for this type of equipment as funds became available. 2.3 Community Foundation - CSD/Rose reported that the Gala was very well attended and that Supervisor KnabE was honored during the celebration. Chair/Grundy asked if any Commissioner was interested in joining the Foundation JANUARY 25, 2007 PAGE 3 P&R COMMISSION Foundation and there was no response. CSD/Rose said in the future, staff would report on the Foundation's activities. 2.4 Trails Master Plan CSD/Rose reported that subcommittee member C/Low and C/Herndon met with staff last night to discuss a possible review of the Trails Master Plan that was adopted in 2001. C/Low felt the goal was to better publicize the trails and suggested the City consider incorporating health and fitness aspects. Chair/Grundy suggested that the committee discuss the possibility of an annual event that focused on the trails because it could be useful in promoting their existence. 2.5 C.I.P. Program Report — CSD/Rose a. Sycamore Canyon Park ADA Retrofit — Phase III — scheduled for completion June 2007 prior to commencement of "Concerts in the Park" series. CSD/Rose updated the Commission on the progress of the project. b. Slope Repair at Diamond Bar Center — CSD/Rose reported that the project was completed. 3. OLD BUSINESS: 3.1 Batting Cages at Peterson and Pantera Parks RSII/Wright reported that staff has worked closely with landscape architect Jeff Scott, David Evans & Associates to provide cost estimates and specifications that were shared during two public meetings, one at Pantera Park and one at Diamond Point Elementary School. During actual batting practice staff monitored the ambient noise during which there was overflow noise from the AYSO game and from the basketball and tennis courts. With the generator running the noise was slightly higher. Ambient noise levels were 50. Passing vehicles generated an ambient noise level of 70. Based on the data collected staff offered the following recommendations: 1) that the Pantera Park location be on Field #2 (northerly field along the third base side adjacent to the tot lot) and 2) that the Peterson park location be on field #1 (westerly field along the first base side near Sylvan Glen). Staff recommends that the Parks and Recreation Commission recommend City Council approval of batting cage installations at the aforementioned locations in Pantera and Peterson parks. Sergio Saporito, 7840 Serenity Falls Drive, Corona, 1St Vice President, D.B. Girls Softball said his primary concern was for safety and felt that batting cages would ' provide protection for park visitors and vehicles and would allow for better instruction and possibly cut back on practice time. VC/Owens said he concurred with construction of batting cages but was concerned about the aesthetics and would prefer the Peterson location be between the two ball JANUARY 25, 2007 PAGE 4 P&R COMMISSION between the two ball fields. He was also concerned about lighting. Jeff Scott responded to CSD/Rose that the electrical conduit could be installed during initial construction to accommodate future lighting if warranted. Chair/Grundy asked what the clearance would be if the cages were located between the ball fields in Peterson Park and Mr. Scott responded that there would be five feet on either side. Inge Faro said she believed Chino Hills had only one batting cage and wanted to know why D.B. was recommending two batting cages. Instead of spending money to have batting cages in two locations use the money to subsidize programs for youth. C/Herndon responded to Ms. Faro that he believed Chino Hills had a lot more fields available for youth baseball practice thus making it unnecessary to have more batting cages. CSD/Rose responded to Ms. Faro that the City is required by state law to go out to bid with plans and specifications in an open bid process for construction and the City is required to accept the low bid. C/Herndon and C/Low asked for clarification of costs at Peterson Park and Mr. Scott responded that a) was approximately $70,000 and b) was about $56,000. C/Herndor asked why staff recommended site b) and CSD/Rose responded that from his point o� view the circulation pattern of the park was more conducive to site b). Tennis court screening and landscaping is proposed to address the aesthetic issues. C/Herndon moved, C/Liang seconded to accept staff's recommendation to recommend City Council approval for construction of a batting cage in Peterson Park (Option A), provide a use policy and evaluate safety and lighting issues. CSD/Rose confirmed to Chair/Grundy that there would be a slightly higher cost if construction of one site were deferred to a later date. Motion carried by the following Roll Call vote: AYES: COMMISSIONERS: Herndon, Liang, Low, Chair/Grundy NOES: COMMISSIONERS: VC/Owens ABSENT: COMMISSIONERS: None C/Herndon moved, VC/Owens seconded, to accept staffs recommendation to— recommend City Council approval for construction of a batting cage in Pantera Park (Option B), provide a use policy and evaluate safety and lighting issues. Chair/Grundy offered that it might be advisable to gain insight by building the first JANUARY 25, 2007 PAGE 5 P&R COMMISSION first batting cage before deciding whether to build a second batting cage at Pantera Park. C/Low concurred that it would benefit the City and Commission to see what happens with the first site and said she was not comfortable with the site recommended in Pantera Park and instead preferred site d). In addition, there is already a commercial batting cage facility in the City. C/Herndon stated that most batting cage facilities located indoors within an industrial area are typically accompanied by personal instruction and not always available for public use. Mr. Saporito explained that the purpose of private batting cages is to make money. Little League and Girls Softball organizations are non-profit and want to provide the youth with a better opportunity to hone their skills. Robert Ochs said he and his daughter went to RBI last night and were not able to get in to practice. His daughter participates in pitching lessons for which they pay. The cost is $15 for 15 minutes and $20 for 30 minutes. Scholarship opportunities are abundant for girls and he felt that batting cages would greatly assist players in their pursuit of scholarships. Mr. Ochs responded to C/Herndon that there are five batting cages and one pitching cage at RBI. Motion by the following Roll Call vote: AYES: COMMISSIONERS: Herndon, VC/Owens NOES: COMMISSIONERS: Liang, Low, Chair/Grundy ABSENT: COMMISSIONERS: None Chair/Grundy moved, C/Low seconded to defer recommendation to City Council for consideration of construction of a batting cage at Pantera Park until October or November 2007. AYES: COMMISSIONERS: Liang, Low, C/Herndon, Chair/Grundy NOES: COMMISSIONERS: VC/Owens ABSENT: COMMISSIONERS: None Chair/Grundy thanked everyone who participated in discussion of this matter. 4. NEW BUSINESS: None 5. ANNOUNCEMENTS: C/Low said she signed up for three recreation program classes this year- Yoga and two ballroom dance classes. She highly recommended participation and felt that staff does a great job with the program. She asked staff to convey good wishes to RS/Meyers for a speedy recovery. C/Herndon thanked staff for their time and energy on the batting cage issue and said he looked forward to construction of the first cage and hoped the City would quickly see the value of adding a second cage. JANUARY 25, 2007 PAGE 6 P&R COMMISSION VC/Owens attended the Snow Fest and craft fair at the Diamond Bar Community Center, both of which were well done. He thanked staff for attending to the maintenance of the City's facilities and for keeping the Commission updated. Chair/Grundy echoed C/Low's comments regarding RS/Meyers. Allison is a very hard working and dedicated person and would no doubt rather be focusing on other matters, which he hoped would soon be the case. He wanted to have a card for everyone to sign at the next meeting. ADJOURNMENT: On motion by C/Herndon, seconded by VC/Low and with no further business before the Parks & Recreation Commission, Chair/Grundy adjourned the meeting at 8:44 p.m. Respe, fully Su mitted, Bo se, Secretary est4vy. Dave- man