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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/22/2015 PRC MinutesCITY OF DIAMOND BAR MINUTES OF THE PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION DIAMOND BAR CITY HALL - THE WINDMILL ROOM 21810 COPLEY DRIVE, DIAMOND BAR, CA 91765 JANUARY 22, 2015 CALL TO ORDER: VC/Liang called the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. in the City Hall Windmill Room, 21810 Copley Drive, Diamond Bar, CA 91765. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Commissioner Grundy led the Pledge of Allegiance. ROLL CALL: Present: Commissioners Dave Grundy, Kim Hsieh, and Vice Chairman Benny Liang Absent: Commissioner Lew Herndon and Chairman Ted Owens were excused VC/Liang welcomed Council Member Jack Tanaka and his wife Wanda to the meeting. Staff Present: Bob Rose, Community Services Director; Anthony Jordan, Parks and Maintenance Superintendent; Christy Murphey, Recreation Superintendent; Andee Tarazon, Community Services Coordinator; and Debbie Gonzales, Administrative Coordinator MATTERS FROM THE AUDIENCE: None CALENDAR OF EVENTS: As presented by CSD/Rose 1. CONSENT CALENDAR: 1.1 Approval of Minutes for the November 20, 2014 Regular Meeting. C/Grundy moved, C/Hsieh seconded, to approve the November 20, 2014 Minutes as presented. Motion carried by the following Roll Call vote: AYES: COMMISSIONERS: Grundy, Hsieh NOES: COMMISSIONERS: None ABSTAIN: COMMISSIONERS: VC/Liang ABSENT: COMMISSIONERS: Herndon, Chair/Owens 2. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS: 2.1 Recreation Program Update — RS/Murphey 2.1.1 Power Point Presentation on the 2015 Snow Fest event — CSC/Tarazon JANUARY 22, 2015 PAGE 2 P&R COMMISSION C/Grundy asked if this was the first year for waivers and CSC/Tarazon responded that this was the second year. C/Grundy asked if the waivers were being done as a general type of risk management practice or in response to an occurrence and CSC/Tarazon said the waivers are being done as part of general best practices. CSD/Rose explained that when the weather is hot the sledding area does not melt but the play area melts which causes water to flow from the edge of the snow and muddy the ground. 2.2 Parks Report — PMS/Jordan C/Hsieh said that the fence caps are not completed. She said it appeared to her that someone had hit the cap. PMS/Jordan said that staff installed five caps which require ongoing maintenance. C/Hsieh said that as one walks the reconstructed path in Pantera Park there is a portion of the concrete that is chipped off. PMS/Jordan said he would take a look and asked if it was at the edge of the new concrete to which C/Hsieh responded that if one continues walking toward the Gazebo it is a couple of sections away. C/Hsieh asked if something would be done to make the area around the drain next to the dog park more aesthetically pleasing. PMS/Jordan explained that the rocks are there to trap debris. In terms of landscaping, there is nothing proposed for the area. However, this year's budget includes planting 50 trees throughout the dog park for shade and staff can look at enhancing the drain, area at that time. C/Hsieh suggested planting a hedge to make the area less visible. C/Hsieh said that as she was walking in the park a couple of weeks ago a person stopped her regarding dog excrement that had not been picked up and has witnessed people not cleaning up after their dogs. PMS/Jordan explained that Valley Crest is required to pick up dog waste whenever they observe it and there are doggie walk bags for individuals to use. In many instances, the City's parks get a lot of Coyote droppings and sometimes people mistake those for dog droppings and irresponsible dog owners. He is sure there are a few irresponsible dog owners and he will speak with the contractors and make sure they pay particularly close attention to those areas. C/Hsieh said the contractors come only once a week and PMS/Jordan responded that the contractors "detail crew" is onsite almost every day and the mow crew is there on a weekly basis but there are individuals in the City on a daily basis working different parks at different times of the day. C/Hsieh said it is good to see that the Pantera dog park is well used and contractors should take extra effort on those facilities. C/Grundy asked if staff was considering a step down valve or pressure regulator for Washington Street and PMS/Jordan responded "pressure regulator." PMS/Jordan said he has discussed a pressure regulator with Excel Landscape. It is tight quarters behind the sidewalk and there is a backflow valve, flow meter and master valve immediately downstream of the meter and at some point the line needs to be cut to make room for a pressure regulator. As a stop -gap measure, the backflow has been JANUARY 22, 2015 PAGE 3 P&R COM USSION throttled back by 45-50 percent to restrict water flow. While this does not reduce the static pressure it slows the velocity and reduces the amount of water hammer in the line until it can be determined at what point the line can be cut for installation of the regulator. C/Grundy asked what happened to the request for improved lighting around the walkway in Peterson Park. PMS/Jordan responded that staff looked at the light fixtures on the poles to be certain they were operating; however, staff found that the lenses had Plexiglas protective covers that were old and nearly impossible to see through so staff cleaned those that could be cleaned and removed those that could not be cleaned which dramatically enhanced the light output. C/Grundy said he believed the individual was asking if more lights could be added and asked if anything came of that. CSD/Rose responded not at this time. He does not believe additional walkway lighting is part of the Parks Master Plan update. CSD/Rose said that staff would add it to Commissioner's Requests. C/Grundy asked if it was difficult to find out what the cost would be to add more lights and CSD/Rose said that most likely the biggest issue would be the wiring and staff will get some cost estimates. 2.2.1 Power Point Presentation on the Lorbeer Middle School sports field — PMS/Jordan C/Grundy asked whether the sports teams or school use was doing most of the damage and PMS/Jordan responded that in the past a PE activity was to kick field goals and there was a lot of that type of activity going on which would cause the most repetitive damage near the goal post. If it was damage caused by the sports group there would probably be more damage throughout the entire field; both contribute. C/Grundy asked if the City could ask the school and sports groups to engage in more variety during PE classes to cut down on the wear on the east end. PMS/Jordan said he could speak with the Field Attendants. With respect to the school, he said he would contact the Principal's office and attempt to speak with the appropriate party. C/Grundy asked if this year's 4th of July Blast would be at Lorbeer and CSD/Rose said staff was planning to look at the possibility of holding the event at Diamond Bar High School first. C/Grundy felt that having the 4th of July Blast at a different location would allow the Lorbeer field additional time for renovation. PMS/Jordan said that had staff been allowed a longer renovation period last year it would have allowed the turf to establish itself much better. However, even though it would allow the turf to become more established and recover in a shorter period of time, no turf will stand up to that type of repetitive damage no matter how long the renovation period. C/Grundy said he believed it came down to the limited availability of lighted fields. If the City had more lighted fields the scheduling could be spread over more venues and place JANUARY 22, 2015 PAGE 4 P&R COMMISSION less burden on a few fields. Perhaps the City could consider placing lights in other facilities or space the use of currently available lighted facilities. CSD/Rose explained that his staff is working on a report to the City Manager with all of the options for field use. In addition, the report will include the possibility of charging for use of the fields because not charging for their use results in greater demand. Diamond Bar is one of few cities in the area that offers free use of lighted fields. C/Grundy asked if it would be feasible to offer a tiered pricing structure by charging those with 50 percent or fewer Diamond Bar resident participants more. CSD/Rose said staff would include such an option in its report. 2.3 CIP Projects — CSD/Rose 2.3.1 Pantera Park Trail and Steep Canyon Trail— CSD/Rose reported that staff received four proposals for the design of the trails which are currently under review for a recommendation to the City Council mid-February/early March. 2.3.2 Diamond Canyon Park Design — CSD/Rose stated that staff received the second plan check submittal from Lennar Homes. Jeff Smith, Lennar Homes believes that based on how quickly construction can take place the park should be completed September/October 2015. 2.3.3 Design of Heritage Park Improvements — CSD/Rose explained that the consultant team continues to obtain public input with onsite interception interviews with people who use the park. In addition, the team has met with user groups including the City's Tiny Tot and Day camp as well as, senior groups. 2.3.4 Design of Longview Park South & Star Dust Park — CSD/Rose stated that Architerra continues its work on the construction documents and staff plans to recommend funding for the construction of both parks during the Fiscal Year 2015-16 Budget process. C/Hsieh asked why there is no senior lounge at the Diamond Bar Center like the City of Walnut. CSD/Rose explained that the City of Walnut has an actual dedicated Senior Center and as such, it was programmed primarily for senior use and includes a lounge area, game room and other types of facilities. The Diamond Bar Center is not considered a senior center and a lounge facility normally includes things like overstuffed couches and chairs, which are stationery and available for daily use. When such spaces are so dedicated they cannot be used for other types of events. The Diamond Bar Center is programmed so that all rooms are portable and things are moved in and out to get the most use of the space available. With only one such quality facility the space is intended to be JANUARY 22, 2015 PAGE 5 P&R COMMISSION used in the most efficient way possible and not to accommodate special interests. The Parks Master Plan recommends a dedicated senior center on the vacant parcel next to the Diamond Bar Center which was initially intended for a library and would be the type of dedicated facility described by C/Hsieh. C/Hsieh suggested staff check with Walnut to see how such a facility can be planned and funded. The City of Walnut financed all of their recreation facilities (gymnasium, community center, senior) with Redevelopment money which can be used for development but not for ongoing operations. The State of California recently banned Redevelopment Agencies which means that cities no longer have that funding mechanism available. Usually, the next best method for obtaining financing is for a developer to come into the City to do a large project and as part of the conditions of approval, build a public facility. Diamond Canyon Park is such an example. While it is a relatively small residential development the City is getting a 2-4 acre developed park as part of the development process. Six million dollars to build a building is a significant amount to the City of Diamond Bar when one considers the entire annual budget is $20 million. C/Hsieh asked how much it would cost the City to include photos on the military banners and if feasible, the City could transition from what it now does to a different design feature. CSD/Rose said that such a recommendation would need to go to the City Council for their consideration. 2.4 List of Pending Commission Requests — CSD/Rose reported on the following items: 1) Pursuit of a grant to construct a trail connection from Silver Tip Park to Pantera Park — staff received a call from the State of California today regarding the Habitat Conservation Grant that was submitted the beginning of October 2014 to set a meeting on February 12 or 13 for the state to visit the site to review the City's project and while the grant application is still under consideration it will be some time before the City receives an announcement about whether the grant funding will be provided. 2) Heritage Park Special Needs —Discussed during the CIP report 3) Stairs at the Dog Park— Part of the Pantera Park Trail System. Staff is in the process of hiring a design consultant for its design. Grant funding will pay for the construction which must be completed by December 31. 2015. 4) City You Tube Videos — Include recreation programs, facilities, trails, etc. that have been added and updated and will continue to be updated. 5) Trails Descriptions —This has been added to the multi-year CIP list JANUARY 22, 2015 PAGE 6 P&R COMMISSION and Council will consider the priority of those items to determine which fiscal year the item will move to.. 6) Request for Diamond Bar Center Bricks and Tiles to be used as a Fundraiser (C/Herndon) — under review. 3. OLD BUSINESS: None 4. NEW BUSINESS: None 5. ANNOUNCEMENTS: C/Hsieh thanked staff for the outstanding Snow Fest event and wonderful Disney characters. C/Grundy said that even though he was not at the Snow Fest he appreciated the report. He is pleased that these types of events continue each year. He was unable to attend this year but when he has attended in years past he has enjoyed the event and it looks like this year was no exception and the weather was perfect. He appreciates the written reports and particularly appreciates the presentations which are very, very helpful and provide good insight. It was a productive 2014 and he looks forward to a productive 2015. VC/Liang thanked staff for their reports, wished everyone a happy 2015. He thanked staff for their hard work in 2014 and said he looked forward to working with everyone this year. ADJOURNMENT: With no one objecting and no further business before the Parks and Recreation Commission, upon motion by C/Grundy, seconded by C/Hsieh, VC/Liang adjourned the meeting at 7:54 p.m. The foregoing minutes are hereby approved this 26gay of February , 2015. Respe u ubmitted, B OSE, SECRETARY Attest: c /f BENNY LI G, VICE-CHAIIjd�