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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04.19.2022 PR Comm Minutes CITY OF SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES FROM TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2022 I. CALL TO ORDER: 7:00 p.m. A regular meeting of the Parks and Recreation Commission of the City of South San Francisco was held on Tuesday, April 19, 2022, via teleconference due to the COVID-19 pandemic and local health orders. II. ROLL CALL: Present: Commissioners Battaglia, Burgo, Camacho, DeNardi, Firpo, Lock, and Uy Absent: All were present Staff: Sharon Ranals, Assistant City Manager Greg Mediati, Director of Parks and Recreation Angela Duldulao, Acting Deputy Director of Parks and Recreation Joshua Richardson, Parks Manager Kari Jung, Administrative Assistant II Erin O’Brien, Business Manager Brian Noce, Acting Recreation Supervisor Laura Armanino, Recreation Supervisor Kimberly Morrison, Acting Recreation Supervisor Kelli Jo Cullinan, Acting Recreation Manager Kasey Jo Cullinan, Recreation Coordinator Kathleen White, Child Care Master Plan Consultant Prax Duarte, Building Maintenance Supervisor III. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Skipped. IV. AGENDA REVIEW: There were no changes to the agenda. V. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF THE MARCH 15, 2022, MEETING: Approved by motion. Motion: Commissioner Burgo / Seconded: Commissioner DeNardi. VI. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION: None present VII. Old Business: A. Child Care Master Plan Update Acting Deputy Director Duldulao introduced Kathleen White to provide an update on the status of the Childcare Master Plan and the subcommittee’s comments. Commissioner Firpo inquired if current staff, including part-time hourly staff, were allowed to give input to the to the vision as well. Kathleen White deferred to staff to answer further, but explained that there are recommendations for employee enhancement, including access to health care. Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes of the Meeting of April 19, 2022 Page 2   Supervisor Armanino shared that the master plan concepts have been shared with staff and staff are looking at developing training, internships, and incentivizing teachers to become Master Teachers so they are available to mentor others. The biggest challenge is hiring qualified staff. Commissioner DeNardi inquired if there are advocates that the City has going out to the Downtown / Old Town part of South San Francisco to provide informational and translating assistance to the community for the child care program if they don’t have access to the internet. Kathleen White provided a brief response explaining that the staff available at the general plan meeting were providing translating services, but were not well briefed on the childcare issues and that some additional training could be provided (via Zoom) for future events. Perhaps the promotores could assist with this as suggested. Director Mediati suggested bilingual materials printed and canvased to the neighborhoods would be really helpful. Commissioner Uy found the plan extremely comprehensive and very well done, and thanked Kathleen for her work. Commissioner Burgo inquired how many surveys went out families and what the time period for responses was allowed. She also suggested looking into working with AmeriCorps to help boost staffing levels. Kathleen White shared that the survey was sent to every elementary school family in the school district and in whatever language they chose as their primary language for communication from the school. The Parks and Recreation utilized its email list. The weak areas, as Commissioner DeNardi had mentioned, were families who traditionally don't answer surveys and who would have answered in person questionnaires. Having over 1,000 respondents from South San Francisco parents is a decent sample size. She further commented on the partnerships with the local high schools, community colleges, and especially San Francisco State University as critical considerations for growing staffing as the programs are expanded. Acting Deputy Director Duldulao shared that the Department’s email distribution list has 18,000 subscribers, and that while in person interactions were very limited during the survey period due to COVID, Childcare staff was able to share the survey with parents at the childcare sites. Commissioner Camacho shared that this master plan will serve as a beacon countywide to anyone interested in childcare. She shared ideas about additional partnerships with Boys and Girls Club, creating a task force that is focused on childcare and creating a pipeline for future staff/teachers to be drawn up to through the high schools and possibly Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes of the Meeting of April 19, 2022 Page 3   the middle schools. She expressed her support of creating the webpage in Spanish instead of relying on the translate buttons, and incorporating job opportunities, training opportunities as well as informational sections on the value and importance of childcare/preschool in our society when many families consider it a privilege to have a family member caring for the children. Kathleen White expressed her gratitude for the comments and questions provided. She said with the special needs issues that the requirements for care are personalized to each child and can’t be packaged into a generalized offering, and she hasn’t seen that anywhere. Nobody can really say that they specialize in proving care for special needs so much as everyone does their best to make the necessary accommodations as they arise. Commissioner Lock shared thoughts about education reimbursement for staff. Commissioner Camacho shared that when she took the survey, during COVID, her responses are very different than pre- or post-COVID, and this is very much a snapshot. Kathleen White shared that there is an explanation in the comments about the timing of the survey during the COVID quarantine period. She also suggested that the rebound would be slower than most might anticipate when considering availability of immunizations for children and some families are very reluctant to immunize. The childcare picture is evolving towards more of a new kind of normal. Commissioner Lock inquired further about subsidies and whether resident restrictions are influencing our data. Kathleen White shared that the only subsidy or enrollment restriction we have is with the Parks and Recreation programs. VIII. New Business A. Consideration of Movie Night in the Park Film Options Deputy Director Duldulao shared the report prepared by Supervisor Stenhouse. Projected dates for the Movie Night in the Park series are Friday, July 15, and Friday, August 19, 2022. The July movie will be hosted on the Orange Memorial Park Soccer Field with access to the Joseph A. Fernekes Building. Like last year, staff will plan on hosting the August movie at Martin Elementary School ballfield, although permits have yet to be completed. The Department is also considering expanding the scope of activities for the July Movie Night this year in recognition of Parks and Recreation Month. Last year, the Department celebrated a “Field Day” in which lawn games for children were made available, free hot dogs were distributed, and free class demonstrations were performed in addition to a variety of other recreation-related activities that were on display. This year, staff will combine Field Day and Movie Night to make the event a day-long celebration. Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes of the Meeting of April 19, 2022 Page 4   To enhance the participant experience during Field Day/Movie Night in July, the Department will embrace the City’s Healthy Places for a Healthy City initiative as a theme for the day. Field Day is projected to feature various activities aimed at promoting healthy lifestyles for visitors (i.e., free exercise classes, large motor activities for children, health education from vendors, etc.). To stay consistent with this theme, staff is proposing to feature a movie that follows the same theme of staying active. Space Jam: A New Legacy is being proposed for this reason. For the August movie, staff is recommending the movie Encanto (2021). The Parks and Recreation Department will be supporting and advocating for the City’s Cultures United initiative throughout the year and will consider implementing diversity and inclusion measures in the production of its programs, classes, and events. Although Hispanic Heritage Month spans from September 15 through October 15, the Department would like to acknowledge this diverse group for our August movie night. Many residents who reside in the Martin Elementary School neighborhood are of Hispanic/Latinx backgrounds and staff would like to show a movie that will hopefully represent many of their cultures. The Commissioners offered their support and thanked the staff for their efforts. B. California Parks and Recreation Society District 4 Award Nominations Manager O’Brien shared that the California Parks and Recreation Society (CPRS) District 4 will honor innovation in programming and outstanding individuals for their professional and volunteer contributions to the fields of parks, recreation and human services. The South San Francisco Parks and Recreation Department is proud to share the award winners who will be honored at the May 5, 2022, awards dinner in Los Altos. Distinguished Professional: Kelli Jo Cullinan Volunteer and Sponsor Citation Award: Kiwanis Club of South San Francisco Key to the Community: Senior Connections Newsletter The Distinguished Professional Award is District 4’s highest honor in recognition of lifetime achievement. This award is presented to a professional who has demonstrated leadership and initiative and has made significant contributions to CPRS and the fields of parks, recreation, and human services. The City of South San Francisco is honored to recognize Kelli Jo Cullinan for over 30 years of excellent service to community members of all ages and abilities and her remarkable leadership and guidance of her staff and co-workers. For the past several years, South San Francisco Kiwanis Club has been an instrumental partner in the success of this fun holiday tradition. This year, Kiwanis volunteers filled key roles such as jolly Santa Claus and the event photographers, provided supplies and printed pictures for every family in attendance, and organized a STEM component. Since the start of the pandemic, the Senior Services team quickly pivoted to find ways to keep the active aging community of South San Francisco engaged and connected. The Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes of the Meeting of April 19, 2022 Page 5   quarterly newsletter, previously a subscription-based newsletter, was offered free of cost to all seniors in the community. The newsletter, "Senior Connections," proved to be a vital resource to the seniors, going beyond interesting articles to provide crucial resources, recipes, and even entertaining riddles and brain challenges. Acting Manager Cullinan expressed her support and gratitude to the Senior Services staff for their efforts on the newsletter. She further expressed her thanks to everyone for the nominations. The Commissioners each expressed their gratitude to Acting Manager Cullinan for her many years of service and offered congratulations for her award and upcoming retirement. C. FY2022/23 Operating Budget Update Director Mediati shared that staff recently submitted several new operating budget requests for FY 2022/23, which have been reviewed by the Finance Department and City Manager’s Office and will be presented to the City Council Budget Subcommittee on April 26, 2022, and before the City Council for adoption thereafter. Director Mediati reported that the Parks and Recreation Department’s General Fund budget requests total $516,975 in new funding for supplies and services and $1,207,577 in payroll and benefits. A summary of the Department’s requests was described: Payroll Budget Requests  Building Maintenance Supervisor ($175,700). This position has been identified as critical to oversee custodial maintenance activities, however, with the new Police Station, Library/Parks and Recreation Center, among other initiatives, this was especially prioritized this year.  Building Maintenance Stationary Engineer ($193,234). The Building Maintenance Stationary Engineer was authorized by the City Council in September 2021. At that time, the position was accepted, but funding was not yet allocated.  Upgrade Administrative Assistant II to Management Analyst I ($32,970). This request is to upgrade one of the two vacant Administrative Assistant II positions to a Management Analyst I.  Restoration of Deputy Director ($273,917). This will reinstate the Department’s Deputy Director position, which was unfunded when Greg Mediati was appointed as Director.  Parks Maintenance Worker Positions for Oyster Point ($365,392). This budget request will fully fund three park maintenance positions that were authorized, but not budgeted in September 2021. The positions include: one Lead Park Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes of the Meeting of April 19, 2022 Page 6   Maintenance Worker, one Senior Park Maintenance Worker, and one entry-level Park Maintenance Worker.  Restoration of Hourly Park Maintenance Workers ($64,039). This request will reinstate .88 full-time equivalents (FTE) of an hourly Park Maintenance Worker position. This position was erroneously deleted from the Department’s budget last fiscal year.  Upgrade of a Part-Time Seniors Site Coordinator to Full-Time Community Services Coordinator ($66,676). The primary functions of this position are to implement a robust offering of seniors programing and coordinate special events.  Hourly Summer Learning Support Staff ($14,067). This request will fund three staff assigned to an afterschool program for the School District’s Summer Learning Program.  Upgrade of Cultural Arts Specialist ($21,581). This request upgrades the existing 0.5 FTE Cultural Arts Specialist position to 0.75 FTE. Supplies and Services Requests  New Police Station HVAC Preventative Maintenance ($70,000 – one-time). This is for funding to maintain the HVAC systems at the new Police Station.  Building Management System Services ($30,000 – one-time). This request funds annual service and support needed to monitor the City’s Building Management System (BMS).  New Police Station Alarm Monitoring ($800 – one-time). This request funds third-party fire/life safety alarm monitoring, which is required by law.  New Police Station Fire Sprinkler Maintenance ($4,300 – one-time). This request funds quarterly and annual fire sprinkler maintenance, which is required by law.  New Police Station Cleaning Supplies ($5,000). This funds consumable cleaning products associated with the enhanced size of the new Police Station.  New Police Station Pest Control ($1,200). This funds ongoing insect and rodent control for the new Police Station.  Common Greens Operating Fund Budget Correction ($67,200). This restores general maintenance funding for the Common Greens, which was erroneously deleted in the previous fiscal year. Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes of the Meeting of April 19, 2022 Page 7    Additional Common Greens Operating Funds ($90,000). Per the direction of the City Council Budget Subcommittee, this allocation will address deferred maintenance and enhancement projects in the Common Greens.  Design Services for Construction Standards ($50,000 – one-time). The City’s Planning and Engineering Divisions have requested that the Parks Division create a standardized packet of construction cut sheets and specifications to reference for developers when building new projects.  Restoration of Funds for CPRS Maintenance Management School ($13,125). These trainings provide staff development in maintenance specific activities that benefit the Department, the City, and the employee which results in a better overall work product, professional development, and staff retention.  Activity Guide Design and Printing Cost Escalation ($4,400). The Department's printing vendor for the activity guide recently increased their fees by 15% due to inflation and increased cost of living.  Restoration of Public Art Allocation ($10,000 – one-time). Prior to COVID, the Parks and Recreation Department had a dedicated fund for the purchase of public art.  Restoration of Special Event Funding ($10,000). This will fully restore the Department’s budget for the Halloween Extravaganza and Movie Night Series.  REAL Program Funding Correction ($950). This budget request is intended to correct a budget reduction that was misapplied to the REAL Program.  Restoration of the Cultural Activities Grant Program ($10,000). In FY 2018-19, Council approved $10,000 for the Cultural Activities Grant Program, a new program established to support community organizations and artists who wish to offer free or low-cost events and activities that will expose the community of South San Francisco to cultural and recreational activities and programming. The program was well-received by the community, and staff is requesting ongoing funding to support the program.  Enhanced Concert in the Park ($150,000). This request will secure necessary appropriations needed for the enhanced Concert in the Park event. Fee Increases In an on-going effort to recover costs for service, address rising inflation and cost of living, and to offset the many operating budget requests proposed by the Department and increases in salaries as a result of labor group negotiations, staff is recommending a 5% overall increase on all City fees. Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes of the Meeting of April 19, 2022 Page 8   The Department will continue to work with participants to provide scholarships to those in need of financial assistance and continues to offer payment plans to mitigate any financial barriers. Commissioner Camacho made a motion for a 5% Parks and Recreation fee increase. Commissioner Firpo seconded the motion. Commissioners Battaglia, Burgo, Camacho, DeNardi, Firpo, and Uy – voted in favor of the fee increases. Chair Lock voted nay. The motion carried. IX. Friends of Parks and Recreation: Acting Manager Cullinan shared that the Friends are meeting regularly with the next meeting on May 10. She further noted that the group agreed to make a purchase on the donation wall of the new Library and Parks and Recreation Center. X. Beautification Committee: Director Mediati reported that there is nothing new to report. XI. Items from Commission: Vice Chair Firpo suggested that staff explore ways to push the scholarship program in light of the fee increases. Secretary DeNardi offered her agreement with pushing the scholarship program and shared that the new Avalon pathways are wonderful. Commissioner Battaglia expressed that the Commission will miss Acting Manager Cullinan. It took 4 days to read the Childcare Master Plan and noted that it was well done. Commissioner Camacho shared that the egg hop event was wonderful and asked staff to look into the Pacifica pool swim aid program. Commissioner Burgo shared that she’s just getting up to speed with the commission and is looking forward to doing more. Commissioner Uy thanked staff for fixing lights at Orange Park and shared the 3/26 picnic table installation at Sellick Park went well, and requested staff to explain further about the breezeway, feeling that people are confused about the purpose. Chair Lock thanked staff for the tour at the Civic Campus. He requested additional recycled water signs be installed at OMP. He further requested signs posted in front of the pool pointing dog owners to the dog park, reminding them to keep your dog leashed and to pick up after your dog. XII. Items from Staff: A. Calendar of Events Director Mediati provided a brief update of the Calendar of Events. Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes of the Meeting of April 19, 2022 Page 9   B. Administrative Updates Acting Deputy Director Duldulao announced that Kasey Cullinan is the Acting Supervisor for Senior Services. Director Mediati announced that Prax Duarte was recently promoted as the new Building Maintenance Supervisor. Manager Richardson shared that the pathways at Avalon Park were recently replaced, the breezeway next to Starbucks should be done within the next month. XIII. Adjournment: 10:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted by Kari Jung, Administrative Assistant II