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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/24/2014 PRC MinutesCITY OF DIAMOfID BAR MINUTES OF THE PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSIO 1 DIAMOND BAR CITY HALL - THE WINDMILL ROOM 21810 COPLEY DRIVE, DIAMOND BAR, CA 91765 APRIL 24, 2014 Chairman Owens called the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. in the City Hall Windmill Room, 21810 Copley Drive, Diamond Bar, CA 91765. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Commissioner Herndon led the Pledge of Allegiance. Present: Commissioners Dave Grundy, Lew Herndon, and Chairman Ted Owens Commissioner Kim Hsieh arrived at 7:10 p.m. Absent: Vice Chairman Benny Liang was excused. Staff Present: Bob Rose, Community Services Director; Anthony Jordan, Parks and Maintenance Superintendent; Alison Meyers, Community Services Coordinator; Cloris Vargas, Recreation Specialist, and Debbie Gonzales, Administrative Coordinator. A. D134YOUTH — RECOGNITION OF OUTGOING/INCOMING BOARD MEMBERS: CSC/Meyers MATTERS FROM THE AUDIENCE: Dick Clippinger, 24315 Delta Drive, said that over 100 dog lovers have joined the Dog Park Facebook page. Between the hours of 5:00 and 7:00 p.m. the park is very busy and parking is very limited at Pantera Park. It is a long walk from the parking area to the dog park entrance. He asked if steps similar to the steps at the back of the Diamond Bar Center that go down to the trail could be installed from Pantera Drive down to the dog park. Sharon Aubert said that when there are activities at Pantera Park there is no parking available and dog park visitors have no choice but to go down the steep slope. C/Grundy agreed that steps should be considered. C/Hemdon asked if it was difficult to find parking when there are no activities at the park and Mr. Clippinger responded no, but now that summer is coming and the basketball courts are full and baseball practice and games are taking place it is difficult to find a parking soot close to the dog park. CSD/Rose explained that the City has a grant and was recently notified that it had received a second grant for the trail that goes up the access to the Pantera Park Trail AP R1 L 24, 2014 PAGE 2 P&R COMMISSION and he has asked CSC/Meyers to look into the possibility of extending the trail to Pantera Drive and add a set of stairs and walkway from Pantera Drive to the existing walkway by the drinking fountain. Staff expects to begin design of the park trail in the new fiscal year. CSC/Meyers said she expects to hear back any day and if she does not hear by Monday she will call them and does not see this as being a big scope change and is hopeful that the City will be told it can move forward. CSD/Rose said that the City has photos of Pantera prior to construction of the dog park that shows people accessing the trail going up to Pantera Drive through what is now the location of the dog park so a trail and stairs seems to be a reasonable scope of work change for this project. The second grant funds do not become available until September/October which would be the earliest the City could begin doing the design work. C/Hemdon asked if the stairs would have to be ADA compliant and CSD/Rose explained they would not because there is ADA access into the dog park. David Busse said he would like to see steps from Pantera Drive down to the dog park to free up Pantera Park parking for regular activities. The park is an outstanding amenity and gathering spot for Diamond Bar and he would also like to see lights installed at the dog park at a future date as well. 4. NEW BUSINESS: 4.1 Presentation of Site D Park Concept Plan — CSD/Rose CSD/Rose stated that as a condition of the development of a new residential neighborhood at the corner of Diamond Bar Boulevard and Brea Canyon Road by Lennar Homes, a new (approximate) 4 -acre City Park would be constructed when the homes are built. The plan being presented this evening by applicant Geoff Smith is the result of a public input process conducted at three meetings between September 16, 2010 and May 9, 2013. Staff requests that the Commission review the concept plan and forward its recommendation to the City Council for approval at the May 6 Council meeting. C/Hsieh asked what material would be used for the playground area and whether rubber mulch would be used. CSD/Rose referred C/Hsieh to Mr. Smith and said that he believed wood mulch was proposed because the City constructed almost all of its parks with rubberized surface when the ADA retrofit accessibility began in 1995. In the next fiscal year staff has had to budget to remove the rubberized surfacing and replace it and for Ronald Reagan Park alone the cost is about $40,000 whereas Sycamore Canyon Park can receive wood chips on top of the existing material at a much lower cost with respect to ongoing maintenance and operation. Geoff Smith, Lennar Homes, stated that Lennar Homes is very excited to bring this park to Willow Heights and the community at large. Lennar has spent a considerable amount of time developing the concept and are proud of the outcome. APRIL 24, 2014 PAGE 3 P&R COMMISSION Edward Doll, Summers/Murphy & Partners,. Inc., landscape architect for Willow Heights, presented the proposed design concept for the park via a Power Point presentation. Using the map, Mr. Doll pointed out the location of the 11 or 12 off-street parking spaces plus handicapped parking spaces for the park for C/Hsieh. Mr. Doll explained that the designated parking is intended to bring vehicles off of the main boulevard into the parking area where there is a pedestrian access across the channel. C/Hsieh expressed concerns about the lack of parking for a park this size as it relates to Pantera Park and Mr. Doll responded that he believed that this park would be a big draw in terms of pedestrian walking, jogging and hiking. This park does not provide program events that are provided in other parks such as Pantera Park. Residents will come in from the residential side to use the park and residents will bicycle from the main boulevard. C/Hemdon said that he believed this was considered to be a neighborhood pocket park rather than a destination park and he is very interested in getting more definition on how the neighbors will be able to access the park from Castle Rock, for example. Mr. Doll responded that there would be access for the Castle Rock neighborhood as well as from the adjacent neighborhood and the new development by the lower tot lot via the pedestrian trail. C/Hemdon asked if trail lighting was proposed and Mr. Doll said that low-level passive lighting (bollard lighting) was proposed for security reasons. C/Herndon said he felt that lighting Would be a nice addition to what Mr. Doll was presenting. Mary McCormick -Busse, 21455 Ambushers Street, said she and her husband have lived in Diamond Bar for 35 years and have hoped for a park in this area and have been actively involved with Site D since 1989. She attended all of the public meetings and ultimately, there are several design elements which are included and for which she is very grateful including the tot lots. Based on the small group discussions there were a couple of requests she did not find included in the design concept, including the request that it would not be a pocket park but a regional park and a destination park. There is a tot lot proposed on Brea Canyon Road and Diamond Bar Boulevard which is at one of the busiest intersections in the City with very little parking. Based on several community meetings the Ambusher neighborhood anticipates this park for the area and many people will be interested in visiting the park, some of whom will walk and some of whom will not and she believed that the limited amount of parking would not be sufficient to accommodate visitors. While the water features are beautiful, the residents would appreciate more grassy area in the park. She said she was very pleased to learn there would be lighting, especially in the second tot lot area. The residents hoped that the foot trail would have been extended to circumference the Site D area instead of stopping at the cul-de-sac. APRIL 24, 2014 PAGE 4 P&R i;®1VIlMISSI®N Frank Abt, 3414 Castle Rock Road, resides next to the proposed park area and wanted to know what would be next to his home. David Busse, 21455 Ambushers Street, reiterated that he and his wife have been involved in a compromise on this entire park project and there are three or four things that the Commissioners need to determine. Please do not rubber stamp this project. The first view people will have entering Diamond Bar is a tree -lined storm sewer. Lennar Homes did not want to spend the money to cover the channel and paid the City $700,000 so they would not have to cover the channel. Never in any discussion was there an agreement or understanding there would be a paved service road instead of a trail. Darci Gunter, 3422 Castle Rock Road, asked if there would be a fence cutting off the cul-de-sac and if there is fencing what will be done about people parking on her very narrow street. She would like to be assured there will not be park overflow parking on her street. What time will the park be open to the public? She has attended several public meetings and believes the public has nothing to say because if is a done deal. Harlan Curtis, 3528 Castle Rock Road at Gold Run complained about the storm drain. Kurt Jorgensen, 3471 Castle Rock Road asked that the applicant seriously consider relocating the parking lot because Brea Canyon Road and Diamond Bar Boulevard is a traffic mess and did not understand how people could get in and out of the proposed parking lot. Patricia Goulet, 20917 Ambushers Street, said she was extremely surprised to see the service access road running the entire stretch. She is also concerned about how far behind the residential properties (easement area) the trail would be located and at what elevation, where the trees will be located and whether the access road would look down into the houses. Joyes Tweed, 21155 Running Branch said she looks forward to having a park to walk with her grandchildren and did not see playground equipment on the drawing. CSD/Rose pointed out the location of the playground equipment and responded to Mrs. Tweed that the equipment is for two age groups: 2-5 and 5-12. Mrs. Tweed said she felt there would be a trash problem in the walk over area. Karita Tan, 21472 Cold Spring Lane asked if there was a possibility that a tennis court could be considered for the park if the space is sufficient. CSD/Rose said there is no plan for a tennis court because there is no regional draw for this neighborhood park. Tennis courts, basketball courts, etc. are normally included in much larger community parks. Mr. Doll responded to a speaker that the plan suggests that the Castle Rock cul-de-sac be separated from the park by a tubular steel fence (view APRIL 24, 2014 PAGE 5 P&R COMMISSION fence) with buffer landscape separating the cul-de-sac from the parking lot which would also act as a security element. The City will maintain this public neighborhood park and the City will determine what the hours will be. C/Grundy asked if there would be an entry from the Castle Rock cul-de- sac into the lower area of the park and Mr. Doll responded yes, on the lower right portion of the circle at the point of the dark green trees through a gate that would be locked at night with a pedestrian trail to the pedestrian bridge that crosses the channel. CSD/Rose stated that traditional neighborhood park hours are 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset which is set by ordinance and enforced by the Sheriff's Department. Mr. Doll stated that the parking lot is off-street parking. The primary intent of this neighborhood park is to attract pedestrian traffic. Mr. Smith stated that the evolution of the parking lot was to attempt to get cars off of Castle Rock. Whether there is a parking lot or not is at the City's discretion. CSD/Rose stated that staff requested Lennar to place a parking lot at this location. It is a neighborhood park and it is a very small parking lot. The City operates other neighborhood parks such as Washington Park, Starshine Park and five small pocket parks within LLD No. 39 none of which has a parking lot. However, these are primarily residential areas where one can park on the street and if there is no parking on Castle Rock and because residents expressed a concern about parking on Presado Drive, it is his feeling that if people are not afforded some parking they will most likely park in the businesses parking lots to visit the park so he asked Lennar Homes to include a parking lot, at the City's discretion. Therefore, based on information received this evening it would be up to the Commission whether or not to recommend that a parking lot be included in the concept plan. Mr. Doll showed pictures of the three elevations and design concepts for each of the areas. In order to maximize the space the park will be graded to have no more than a two percent slope to the lawn area beyond the tot lot which is between the parking lot and the open lawn area which is separated from Brea Canyon Road with a two -rail fence representing a Diamond Bar theme and incorporation of the downtown design program with monuments and rail fencing. The slope on the left is the existing slope down to the residences below. The roadway is a trail for a portion of the area and there is a trail up and around off of the roadway with removable bollards at the cul-de-sac, which is strictly intended for emergency vehicles. Removable bollards are also located at the trail that goes west toward the channel. Mr. Smith stated that what is being referred to as a roadway is intended to be a trail and is widened in certain areas to accommodate emergency services only and not be used for maintenance. This area will not be used by the public and will not look like a road but will act, look and feel like a trail. Mr. Doll said the trail will be decomposed granite with a four percent cement solution which was APRIL 24, 2014 P&R COMMISSION approved by flood control for vehicle access. Visually, this will provide a more appropriate base for a trail and still accommodate emergency vehicles. CSD/Rose further explained that the flood control channel has a service entrance off of Diamond Bar Boulevard and the service access travels along the channel. Mr. Doll stated that as intended, this is a neighborhood park with trails. CSD/Rose said that if the channel emits an offensive odor the City will ask LA Flood Control District to mitigate the situation. With respect to covering the channel, after considering all of the issues involved, the City Council decided that it will not be covered and the Commission, while not having any discretion on that subject has the opportunity to make recommendations to the Council on the conceptual plan. Mr. Doll said that currently there is natural area surrounding the flood channel which is not maintained. This plan proposes that beyond the edges of the concrete landscape improvements will be included to enhance the edge of the channel with trees, shrubs and other flora to mitigate the issues surrounding the channel. The landscape will be consistent throughout the park and new residential area. Chair/Owens asked staff to address why the tot lot location was selected and Mr. Doll explained that it is located in a triangular area so that there is enough space for equipment to accommodate the age groups that will use that equipment. There will be a berm between Brea Canyon Road that encapsulates the tot lot site, and landscape and hardscape will provide a safety barrier to the zone. CSD/Rose said that with a request to have a trail encircle the entire project, the Trails Master Plan includes a trailhead site for Crooked Creek trail which is intended to ultimately attach to the Schabarum trail which is south of this development. While there is a long term goal to have trails in this area it is not incorporated into the neighborhood around this project. C/Herndon asked the speed limit along Brea Canyon Road. He asked if residents of Castle Rock would prefer riot to have a gate at the cul-de-sac to access the park. CSD/Rose stated the speed limit is 45 to 50 MPH. An audience member stated there is a desire for some access from Castle Rock. C/Hsieh said that as a resident of Diamond Bar living close to Pantera Park she would not wish to prevent people from parking in the area in order to visit the park. She asked if the tot lot and parking areas were switched would it help the Castle Rock cul-de-sac residents to feel it was not a matter of parking there except to accommodate the children's play area. A speaker said that there is a new traffic plan being considered for Castle Rock because of this development and if a parking lot was installed just APRIL 24, 2014 PAGE 7 P&R COMMISSION before the confluence of Brea Canyon Road and Diamond Bar Boulevard it could cause additional traffic issues. The public was informed that because the traffic study had been done prior to the building of HMart that mitigation included the widening of Diamond Bar Boulevard that has not been done at this time and if the parking lot and tot lot are switched it could present a choking point at the intersection. Chair/Owens asked if the City's Traffic Engineer had looked at this issue and CSD/Rose responded that he had and it is the reason the parking lot is placed at the proposed location. CSD/Rose said he believed Brea Canyon Road would have an additional right turn lane as a result of this project and that Diamond Bar Boulevard would be widened at the intersection with changes in the traffic signal. Mr. Smith said that CSD/Rose was correct that the project would include a traffic signal modification moving the poles back and adding new poles. The geometry shown on the plan includes all of the necessary street widening. C/Herndon said he was concerned about the tot lot being next to the boulevard and said he would feel more comfortable if the kids were playing on the other side of the channel instead of next to the boulevard. Mr. Smith explained that the footprint of the rain garden is pre -determined and in order to get a decent sized tot lot in that area it would be problematic. Mr. Doll elaborated on the obligation of the rain garden and catch basins and said at this point he had about 30 feet of buffer between the sidewalk and the tot lot and there will be grading to make sure that the tot lot cannot be seen or accessed from the street. CSD/Rose explained that LA County has a storm management policy that requires storm water to flow through this type of a system and get filtered before it enters the storm drain to keep the ocean cleaner. The engineers have a queue of how big the system needs to be to accomplish that process for the entire property. C/Hernclon asked the distance from the tot lot to the street and CSD/Rose responded about 30 feet. There was discussion about an additional fence between the tot lot and Brea Canyon Road. C/Herndon said he felt a five foot fence would be appropriate and CSD/Rose agreed. Mr. Doll said that- there could be a five-foot high tubular fence, a black or dark green fence with landscape, foliage and trees. He thanked C/Hemdon for the recommendation. Frank AN reiterated he did not know what was being built adjacent to his house. Mr. Doll again stated that the intent was to place the tubular fence around the Cul-de-sac and the wall next to his house would not go away. Additional trees will be planted on the opposite side of the wall to provide a buffer. APRIL 24, 2014 PAGE 8 P&R COITIMISSIOP, C/Herndon said he wanted more discussion about the name of the park. C/Hsieh asked what sets this park apart and should be named something that reflects the atmosphere of the City. C/Grundy asked CSD/Rose to recap the proposed changes. CSD/Rose recapped the proposed recornmended changes and additions to the concept plan: Fencing at the Castle Rock cul-de-sac would be solid with no gate and the current opening from Castle Rock to Brea Canyon would remain; tubular fencing would be added along the walkway at least the length of the tot lot and past the picnic shelter to create a barrier to prevent children frorn moving toward Brea Canyon Road; and the road surface would match the trail surface (decomposed granite). C/Herndon moved to recommend approval of the park concept plan to the City Council with recommended changes including the suggestion that the park be named "Diamond Canyon Park." C/Hsieh seconded the motion. Without objection, the motion was so ordered with VC/Liang being absent. CSD/Rose stated that this item will go to the City Council on Tuesday, May 6. The meeting starts at 6:30 and takes place in the SCAQMD Auditorium. CALENDAR OF EVENTS: As presented by CSD/Rose. 1. CONSENT CALENDAR: 1.1 Approval of Minutes for March 27, 2014 Regular Meeting. C/Grundy moved, C/Herndon seconded, to approve the Minutes as amended by C/Herndon and Chair/Owens. Motion carried by the following Roll Call vote: AYES: COMMISSIONERS: Grundy, Herndon, Hseih, Chair/Owens NOES: COMMISSIONERS: None ABSENT: COMMISSIONERS: VC/Liang 2. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS: 2.1 Recreation Program Update — CSC/Meyers Chair/Owens asked how many Volunteen applications the City received and CSC/Meyers responded that 96 applications were received; however, three or four were not accepted because they were not residents or were riot the right age. 2.1.1 PowerPoint Presentation on Senior Dances -- RS/Vargas APRIL 24, 2014 PAGE 9 P&R COMMISSION C/Herndon asked about the numbers and whether the program was self-supporting and RSNargas said due to some cancellations and rescheduling she rounded the numbers. The program is self- supporting to a point; however, she sometimes goes over budget on catering. 2.2 Parks Report — PMS/Jordan C/Hsieh asked if there was a lot of vandalism in the City parks and PMS/Jordan said it is somewhat cyclical and compared to other communities, Diamond Bar experiences very low average vandalism rates. C/Hsieh said it is very difficult to see one's reflection in the mirrors at Pantera Park. PMS/Jordan responded that the mirrors are stainless steel and sometimes become scratched. Staff needs to -determine the threshold for replacement the City can accept because they are very expensive and very durable as opposed to a glass mirror. PMS/Jordan said he would look into the matter. 2.2.1 Power Point presentation on Pantera Trail and Silvertip Trailhead — PMS/Jordan. C/Hsieh asked if the City experienced a lot of poison oak and PMS/Jordan responded affirmatively. C/Hsieh asked if there was signage and PMS/Jordan showed that signage is placed in front of the poison oak areas. C/Hsieh asked about fencing and PMS/Jordan responded that unless there is a very precarious area that needs to be cordoned off for safety, generally there is no fencing. The trails are wide enough for two people to walk side by side. C/Fisieh asked if there are mileage markers on the trails and PMS/Jordan said all trail maps have mileage indicators, not the trails. C/Hsieh asked if at the beginning of the trail there is a picture of what the trail looks like and CSD/Rose said that some trails have maps that show paths such as Sycamore. The pictures are on the maps. CSD/Rose responded to C/Herndon that when the trail is completed there will be a grand opening. Chair/Owens asked where the California Conservation Corp is based and PMS/Jordan responded that they are currently based out of the Lanterman facility in Pomona. 2.3 CIP Projects — CSD/Rose 2.3.1 Construction of Grandview Trail and Grandview Trail Link — CSD/Rose reported that the pre -construction meeting was held and APRIL 24, 2014 PAGE 10 P&R COMMISSI®N the starting date is early May. There are several components of the trail that require a long lead time for ordering. A notice to proceed will be issued when the submittals are approved and the timeline is determined for those items to be delivered. 2.3.2 Update on Status of Site D Public Park — CSD/Rose (discussed under New Business 4.1. 2.3.3 Design of Heritage Park Improvements — Zachary Lu, senior, Diamond Bar High School, asked for an update on the school's proposal for assisting with funding of different types of equipment to support special needs and disabled children in memory of Darren Payne, a Diamond Bar High School Senior who recently passed from Cancer if they could be included with the improvements proposed. CSD/Rose stated that the request for proposal includes a stipulation that the City wants equipment that is fully accessible for all disabilities. The RFP has not yet been released and is currently under review by the City's Public Works Department and the City Manager. When released the process begins for engaging an architect (two -three months) after which the architect will commence his background work and public meetings which will likely take place in the fall of 2014. During the process the community is invited and there are opportunities to develop subcommittees for the eventuality of redesigning the entire park and refurbishing the community center. In regards to funding, there is always a need for funding and Mr. Lu may wish to expand his efforts to additional elements that would be dedicated to the memory of the departed student including a plaque. Mr. Lu said he believed it was very valuable that students of Diamond Bar High School have impacts on parks and recreation and he would like to see the value translated into more than simple improvements as well as the mentality behind the effort and importance of leaving an important impact on the community. CSD/Rose said this is a major departure from the way parks are normally updated and Mr. Lu's input has been valuable and educational to the City. Mr. Lu submitted a Special Needs Park Ideas list which was prepared by Sherry Robinson, Diamond Bar High School teacher. Mrs. Robinson thanked the Commissioners for their consideration. 2.3.4 Larkstone Park Update — CSD/Rose reported that it is rumored that Lewis Homes may be selling its development and appear to be in negotiations at this time. This item will not remain on the agenda until staff is advised that something concrete is taking place. APRIL 24, 2014 PAGE 11 P&R COMMISSION a. Design for Stardust and Longview Parks b. Construction of the Longview South Park Project c. Steep Canyon Trail Connector to the Canyon Loop d. Installation of a swing set at Longview Park North, pad repair e. Design and construction of slope creep repairs at the Diamond Bar Center f. Trail improvements at Pantera Park and Silver Tip Park Trailhead, stairs and path from Pantera Drive to the dog park C/Hsieh asked about her recommendation for a video to introduce the City's parks to the community. CSD/Rose said he spoke with PIM/Roa who has a long list of items she is working on with her new videographer and proposes to display current footage of the trails. C/Herndon said he has seen video of the trails on the government channel. 2.4 List of Pending Commission Requests — CSD/Rose said he spoke with DCM/McLean about work he is doing with the school districts regarding school facilities and reported that WVUSD already works directly with the Youth Sports Organizations to reserve facilities. CSD/Rose said he discovered that since Chaparral completed construction of the new gym and reconfigured the football and soccer field, they are no longer making the outdoor facilities available to AYSO. 3. OLD BUSINESS: None 5. ANNOUNCEMENTS: C/Grundy said he would not be available for the June meeting. C/Hemdon thanked staff for the work product and said he was pleased to hear the tone of aggression in the audience seemed to be mitigated during tonight's meeting. Chair/Owens thanked staff for their hard work on the City Birthday Party. He attempted to attend the Easter Egg Hunt but could not find a place to park and noticed when it was too late that there was designated parking for the Commissioners. ADJOURNMENT: C/Herndon moved, C/Grundy seconded, to adjourn the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting. With no one objecting and no further business before the Parks and Recreation Commission, Chair/Owens adjourned the meeting at 10:16 p.m. APRIL 24, 2014 PAGE 12 P&R COMMISSION The foregoing minutes are hereby approved this 27tbday of May '2014. RespeotfUly, u mitted, BVb-KdS, SECRETARY Attest: TED OWENS, CHAIRMAN