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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06/25/2015 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 JUNE 25, 2015 CALL TO ORDER: VC/Herndon 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 Owens led the Pledge of Allegiance. ROLL CALL: Present: Commissioners Dave Grundy, Benny Liang, Ted Owens, and Vice Chairman Lew Herndon and Chairwoman Kim Hsieh Staff Present: Bob Rose, Community Services Director; Anthony Jordan, Parks and Maintenance Superintendent; Christy Murphey, Recreation Superintendent; Cloris Vargas, Recreation Specialist; Mickey McKitrick, Recreation Specialist, and Stella Marquez, Administrative Coordinator MATTERS FROM THE AUDIENCE: None PRESENTATION OF 2015 YOUTH SOCCER SPORTSMANSHIP AWARDS — RS/McKitrick. RECESS: VC/Herndon recessed the meeting at 7:10 p.m. RECONVENE: VC/Herndon reconvened the meeting at 7:18 p.m. CALENDAR OF EVENTS: As presented by CSD/Rose 1. CONSENT CALENDAR: 1.1 Approval of Minutes for the May 28, 2015 regular Meeting - as presented. C/Grundy moved, C/Liang seconded, to approve the meeting minutes of May 28, 2015 as presented. Motion carried by the following Roll Call vote: AYES: COMMISSIONERS: Grundy, Liang, Owens, VC/Herndon NOES: COMMISSIONERS: None ABSTAIN: COMMISSIONERS: Chair/Hsieh ABSENT: COMMISSIONERS: None June 25, 2015 PAGE 2 P&R COMMISSION 1.2 Transmittal of Thank -You Letter to Diamond Bar High School Instructor, Bill Zylstra Without objection, the Transmittal was accepted. 1.3 Transmittal of Thank -You Letter to Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints volunteers. Without objection, the Thank -You Letter was accepted. 2. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS: 2.1 Recreation Program Update — RS/Murphey C/Grundy asked for an explanation of an emergency call out with respect to a budget line item for the Armed Forces Banner Program and RS/Murphey responded that if a banner was damaged and half hanging on the pole staff would ask the contractor to take it down for replacement at a later date. VC/Herndon said he noticed facilities rental income was down from last year and asked if it indicated a trend. CSD/Rose again explained that it was a natural cycle depending on when people pay for facilities. The money is tracked when received and not when the facility is actually being used. 2.1.1 Power Point Presentation on Senior Programming — RSNargas VC/Herndon asked if staff was aware of any severe hardship cases that would benefit from Meals on Wheels and RSNargas responded that after contacting the five senior groups she received one email from an individual who had requested food or service and was turned away. It was not necessarily a hardship consideration. She also received a telephone call from a gentleman who was in need of the program who had just had surgery and the request was for a very short term need. C/Owens asked where the funding for the Meals on Wheels program was coming from and RSNargas responded that it is independent. Some comes from volunteer grants and the City has donated some for Diamond Bar and she is working with the Greater La Puente Chapter to see if that was achieved. C/Owens asked if there was a service level for each one of the organizations that provide service to Diamond Bar residents and RSNargas responded "no." Chair/Hsieh asked who prepared the meals and RSNargas responded that when she researched the program she found that June 25, 2015 PAGE 3 P&R COMMISSION Greater La Puente was using Pomona Valley Hospital and Claremont uses the YWCA, a case management service. 2.2 Parks Report — PMS/Jordan 2.2.1 Power Point Presentation on Maple Hill Park — PMS/Jordan C/Grundy asked how long it had been since paint had peeled off of the spot indicated in his report and CSD/Rose responded that when he was taking pictures in the park two or three weeks earlier there was no spot where paint had peeled. C/Grundy said he was concerned about whether this was indicative of what goes on in the parks or is the City allowing what appears to be maintenance items to languish. In this case, that developed over a span of a couple of weeks. CSD/Rose said that staff is doing a pretty intensive photo survey of all of the parks and it just so happened that Maple Hill Park was photographed about the 20th of May. The photos he took were of issues which were much smaller and there is no way he would have missed the spot of peeling paint which was significant. PMS/Jordan responded to a question off -mike that the area behind the tennis courts on the slope between the park and the homes has quite a bit of poison oak and he had his contractors remove some of the dead shrubs in the area but they had to steer clear of the poison oak. There is more work to do in the back corner but the contractor was not prepared to work around the poison oak. C/Grundy asked who determines items that need to be maintained and PMS/Jordan responded that the majority of the decisions come from staff with input from contractors on items that are more acute. C/Grundy asked if there were thresholds to determine what needed maintenance as opposed to what could be delayed and PMS/Jordan said that at this time there is no standard but staff is working on standards in conjunction with the itemized list. VC/Herndon said there is a lot of graffiti on the block wall that separates the housing development from the freeway between Pathfinder and the Brea Canyon Cut-off on the west side of the freeway. He said he called the 800 number to report it but does not know where the call goes and CSD/Rose said that call goes to Graffiti Control Systems. Technically, the City is not supposed to be on the freeway right-of-way which is the responsibility of Caltrans. CSD/Rose said he would follow up. VC/Herndon said he noticed the medians are getting pretty dry and asked if the tree irrigation plan was in place. CSD/Rose responded June 25, 2015 PAGE4 P&R that staff has a meeting with Metropolitan Water District on July 7 for their site visit in order to process the grant. C/Grundy asked that a copy of the Power Point and report be sent to MPT/Lyons. C/Owens asked if the City still offered lessons at the Maple Hill Tennis Court and RS/Murphey responded that tennis classes are no longer offered at Maple Hill, only at Ronald Reagan Park. 2.3 CIP Projects — CSD/Rose 2.3.1 Steep Canyon Trail Connector & Pantera Park Trail - the design team is working on the construction documents. Staff's goal is to have these trails constructed by the end of 2015. 2.3.2 Diamond Canyon Park — today staff was in contact with Lennar Homes in an attempt to get some help from Supervisor Don Knabe due to an issue with some of the LA County Flood Control employees who are processing the permits for the park. There are two parts to the permit — one is for the pedestrian bridge that goes over the channel and the other is that Lennar Homes has to widen the intersection at Brea Canyon Road and Diamond Bar Boulevard to make room for two dedicated right -turn lanes from northbound Brea Canyon Road onto Diamond Bar Boulevard which requires taking a small amount of the flood control air space by covering more of the channel. Staff had been working with an LA County employee and believed all of the paperwork had been submitted. The employee went on medical leave and the person who took over said they did not have any of the paperwork that the City had submitted so the City had to resubmit all paperwork which meant that the earliest it could go to the Board of Supervisors for consideration would be August. Lennar is unable to begin construction until the permits are secured. Originally, the item was scheduled to go to the Board of Supervisors for consideration on June 16. 2.3.3 Design of Heritage Park and Community Center Improvements — the consultant team has completed collection of the public input. Staff is reviewing the data that was collected and were originally considering many different changes to the park; however, public input indicates that people are generally happy with the current configuration of the park. Since the park is dated it will need to be refreshed and staff is looking at options for moving forward. 2.3.4 Design of Longview Park South and Stardust — staff is looking at the plans for this project which is fully budgeted in the 2015-16 FY budget. There are issues at both parks which staff will want to June 25, 2015 PAGES P&R address as best as possible. 2.3.4 Installation of Swings at Longview Park. North and redo of rubberized surfacing for the Tot Lot - Survey work has been completed and staff is ready to give the go ahead to the contractor to begin construction. During review of the CIP projects for the new fiscal year staff is taking a second look to make sure that the budget for this item will be used completely at this time. 2.3.5 Dog Park Improvements — 50 trees have been planted and the irrigation is in. Chair/Hsieh said when she visited the park about 10:00 p.m. there were dogs in the park and wondered if there was a way to put in some sensory lights to accommodate folks who wish to use the park at a later hour. CSD/Rose said it would take a significant amount of lights and the park closes at sundown so if people are using the park at that hour they are not supposed to be there. There is no plan to light the dog park at this time. 2.4 Pending Commission Requests — CSD/Rose 2.4.1 Request for staff to pursue a grant to construct a trail connection from Silver Tip Park to Pantera Park — neither grant was awarded to Diamond Bar and staff will look into what kind of improvements the California Conservation Corp can help with such as a trailhead and wood steps in certain areas of the trail. The City believes the reason this was not funded is because the state is looking for trails that have more connections to amenities so the next round of applications will center on completing the Ridge Route Trail and the Canyon Loop Trail. 2.4.2 Commission request to review Heritage Park "special needs" input before the conceptual plans are finalized. Still under consideration. 2.4.3 Request for production of a video to be placed on YouTube that would advertise and introduce the City's parks to the community — Public Information has invested in GoPro cameras with the intent to shoot some of the trails and parks during the next fiscal year for addition to the City's You Tube site to help promote programs, parks and trails. 2.4.4 Request for trail descriptions to be placed at the base of each trail Funding for this item is included in the 2015-16 FY budget. The cost is projected to be $16,000 and an RFP will go out after July 1. June 25, 2015 PAGE 6 P&R COMMISSION 2.4.5 Request for cost information on Diamond Bar Center bricks and tiles No further information available at this time. 2.4.6 Request for additional walkway lights at Peterson Park CSD/Rose said that he and CM/DeStefano believe it is important to put together a Master Plan for Peterson Park. There .have been a number of requests for improvements at Peterson Park and everything needs to be consolidated into one written document and the walkway lights would be a part of the Master Plan. In addition, in the Parks Master Plan there is a recommendation to take down the restroom building and concession stand and relocate it along with other possible site changes. CSD/Rose put together a funding request he and CM/DeStefano will be reviewing as a first step toward a Master Plan and major changes at Peterson Park. 2.4.7 Recommendation to redo drainage at Stardust Mini -Park Scheduled to be completed this fiscal year - it is included in the design and in the 2015-16 FY budget. 2.4.8 Inquiry regarding installation of additional amenities at Longview Park South/North and at steep canyon trail in the future (i.e. rock climbing equipment/outdoor exercise equipment) These items that will be considered for installation in future projects 2.4.9 Inquiry regarding installation of ball field lights at Sycamore Canyon Park with installation of new cell tower The T -Mobile cell site project has not yet gone to the Planning Commission. The City Council upheld the Planning Commission's denial of the Maple Hill project. 2.4.10 Installation of a sidewalk at the Diamond Bar Center from the Summitridge Drive entrance to the top of the hill CSD/Rose said that this project will be considered next year. 2.4.11 Request for Certificates of Recognition to outside groups and organizations Staff wants to make sure the entire Commission is involved in this process. June 25, 2015 PAGE 7 P&R COMMISSION 2.4.12 Request for additional signage from Golden Springs to Grand Avenue directing traffic to the birthday celebration at Pantera Park next year This request will be taken into consideration for next year's event. 2.4.13 Request for staff to work with PUSD regarding the possibility of selling naming rights for the Lorbeer field to fund the installation of artificial turf. No information to report at this time. 3. OLD BUSINESS: None 4. NEW BUSINESS: None 5. ANNOUNCEMENTS: C/Grundy suggested to his colleagues that park walkthrough's by Commissioners be reinstated. Chair/Hsieh said she thought the Commission agreed to do the park walkthrough's once a year. VC/Herndon asked if PMS/Jordan scheduled his park visits and PMS/Jordan responded that he has a list of parks he has visited for which he provided Power Point presentations to the Commission. He looks at his library and follows a logical order of visits. The Maple Hill presentation was accelerated due to concerns expressed by MPT/Lyons. PMS/Jordan said the Commission is welcome to accompany him on his regular walks but would be happy to work with them for whatever the Commissioners prefer. C/Grundy said he planned to visit different parks on his own but felt it was a great idea to accompany PMS/Jordan on his scheduled visits. C/Grundy said he may not make the 4th of July Celebration and hoped that everyone would enjoy the fireworks show. He asked if anything had been done at Diamond Bar High School to help widen the lanes to the field to help the traffic flow. CSD/Rose said he had not been on the campus and was not sure if anything had been done. CSD/Rose confirmed to C/Grundy that the swimming pool construction has been completed. C/Grundy thanked staff for their work and reports. C/Owens thanked PMS/Jordan and his crew for all of the work they do to maintain the parks and facilities. He encouraged staff to continue working with Claremont and La Puente and looking into the contract to see what service level they provide to us. CSD/Rose said he understands that the funding is through the County of LA through the Area Agency on Aging and they send out an RFP every five or six years for organizations to provide service and the funding is based on the level of service they provide. What he does not understand is that June 25, 2015 PAGE 8 P&R COMMISSION if Claremont, La Puente/Industry are service providers to Diamond Bar but are not providing service to Diamond Bar how is it that they are identified as service providers for Diamond Bar. Chair/Hsieh thanked VC/Herndon for helping her by acting as Chair tonight due to her inability to speak without coughing. She thanked staff for helping her attend the senior events and for keeping her up to date on the Tiny Tot events. She asked staff to provide her with an advance list of events if possible so that she can make sure to include them in her schedule. She loves meeting people and doing public relations. She thanked staff for all that they do to make the City as beautiful as it is. C/Liang thanked staff for the great reports. He offered to provide the Commissioners with additional information about the Meals on Wheels program that he believed he could obtain from the Department of Community and Senior Services for the County of Los Angeles. He recalled that during previous discussions about this matter that there was not a huge need in Diamond Bar and while the circumstances may have changed, that was the impression at the time. VC/Herndon thanked staff for the great job. He was notified that the Diamond Bar Soccer League Legacy FC under 17 soccer team won President's Cup Title for California and went to Snohomish, Washington to play in President's Cup Region IV and won that. Now they are raising money to go to Kansas City on July 8 through 12 to play in the US Youth Soccer Presidents National Cup and represent Diamond Bar at that National event. He recommended that the Commission send a letter of commendation to them for what they have accomplished. He asked if staff had worked out anything for swimming at the Diamond Bar High School and CSD/Rose responded that the City of Walnut is running a swim program only at Diamond Bar High School because Walnut High School is closed for renovations this summer. Staff is invited to view the program and if it is a successful operation the City can consider providing such a program or contract with someone to do it in a similar manner. He asked Walnut if they would be interested in coming back next year if the program was successful for a joint effort toward running the program. The Walnut pool will be renovated to somewhat mirror that of the Diamond Bar High School pool. It will be much deeper and will provide very little room for recreation swimming and for young swimmers to learn. C/Owens asked how big the pool is at Diamond Bar High School and CSD/Rose responded it is a 25 meter pool and seven feet deep and at the shallow end it is four feet. VC/Herndon said that the Diamond Bar Community Foundation Fields for Kids Program will host a 4th of July booth with net proceeds going into the Fields for Kids fund which will ultimately be given to the City for a field project. June 25, 2015 PAGE 9 P&R COMMISSION ADJOURNMENT: With no one objecting and no further business before the Parks and Recreation Commission, Chair/Hsieh adjourned the meeting at 8:39 p.m. The foregoing minutes are hereby approved this 233 day of JULY , 2015. Respe ull ubmitted, i ,i SECRETARY Attest: