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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11.15.2022 PR Comm Minutes CITY OF SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES FROM TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 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, November 15, 2022, via teleconference due to the COVID-19 pandemic and local health orders. II. ROLL CALL: Present: Commissioners Battaglia, Camacho, DeNardi, Uy, Vice Chair Firpo and Chair Lock Staff: Greg Mediati, Director of Parks and Recreation Angela Duldulao, Acting Deputy Director of Parks and Recreation Joshua Richardson, Parks Manager Kari Jung, Management Analyst I Laura Armanino, Recreation Supervisor Erin O’Brien, Business Manager Philip Vitale, Deputy Director of Capital Projects Kasey Jo Cullinan, Recreation Supervisor Jeanette Yoshida, Administrative Assistant II Sharon Ranals, Assistant City Manager Brian Noce, Aquatics Supervisor Michael Mulkerrins, Acting Recreation Manager III. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Skipped. IV. AGENDA REVIEW: There were no changes to the agenda. V. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF THE OCTOBER 18, 2022, MEETING: Approved by motion. Motion: Commissioner Firpo / Seconded: Commissioner Camacho VI. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION: None were present. VII. Old Business A. Centennial Way Trail and Orange Memorial Park Master Plans Deputy Director Vitale introduces members off the consultant team from Callander Associates who are in attendance to provide updates on the Centennial Way Trail and Orange Memorial Park Master Plans. They will be presenting a few adjustments made to the projects with the intent of taking the Master Plans to City Council for formal adoption in 2023. Centennial Way Trail Brian Fletcher from Callander Associates shares a presentation and explains areas where items in the design process may have changed since the last time the plan was shared with the Commission. The design team wanted to make sure that the master plan accounted for all the new development along the trail. Also new is the availability, for Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes of the Meeting of November 15, 2022 Page 2 the most part, of the entire width of the trail corridor. A new agreement was approved between BART and the City that made lands that weren’t previously available now accessible for trail improvements. The team had a robust community and stakeholder process to obtain feedback and held individual stakeholder and committee meetings throughout the process to get more specific input. Brain Fletcher from Callander Associates said that he and his team first identified all the current planned improvement projects and then identified three distinct areas with more potential than others. The areas are from Huntington to Spruce, from Spruce to Orange and then parallel to Mission Road toward the South San Francisco BART Station. He goes on to mention that there will be some basic additions for example improved lighting, more benches and resting areas along the corridor of the trail. They received input from the skating community with a unique idea of having smaller skate spaces / plazas along the trail corridor, instead of one large skate park. Preferred Plan within the Master Plan: • Huntington Avenue to Spruce Avenue: The team wants to ensure that the trail has good connectivity to future developments. They are proposing a bike pump track, the first of several skate spaces, a traditional park with age separated play, open turf, picnicking and gaming areas as well as a pollinator garden and outdoor classroom. The City received grant funding to make this segment a reality. They are moving forward for additional community outreach to refine this design then moving into the construction documents to implement this section. • Spruce Avenue to Orange Avenue: This segment is not showing much on the plan as of right now. The land is owned by San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) and discussions are currently on-going with the SFPUC about what can and can’t be done in that area. As details are finalized in discussions the Master Plan will be amended with elements that can be implemented. • Orange Avenue to Chestnut Avenue: Enhancements to the existing trail by widening the trail by two feet of asphalt and two shoulders of decomposed granite on either side to accommodate scooter and bikes. • Chestnut Avenue along Antoinette Lane and continuing along Colma Creek: Opportunity for pause points, small planting areas, picnic areas for people to rest while on the trail. Some of the enhancements here are part of the new Civic Campus. There have been talks about a future pedestrian bridge from Kaiser over the creek onto the trail. There are other opportunities for pause points, fitness stations and picnic areas. Looking for opportunities to connect to Mission Road for people to filter through new and existing developments and be able to get to the trail form adjacent neighborhoods. Opportunities for small dog parks, children’s play areas, open turf, and a community garden to support the adjacent neighborhoods. They are also looking at opportunities at the BART Station Plaza to better activate that space with additional seating, landscape screening and other additional amenities. This will also be an opportunity to look for programming it for farmers markets, events, and possible food truck events. Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes of the Meeting of November 15, 2022 Page 3 Vice Chair Firpo asked how far the dog park and community garden will be from the new developments in the area. Brian Fletcher explained using the slideshow the distance in question, and how close the trail comes to Mission Road. All the improvements would be really close to the residential neighborhood. Chair Lock asked if they’ve reached out to the people from Sunshine Gardens to see if they were comfortable with all the amenities being proposed. Deputy Director Vitale responded that the outreach process for Centennial Trail and Orange Park were done with workshops, mailers, e-blasts and collected email addresses of people interested. Staff did our best to reach these areas and we mailed to the adjacent properties. Chair Lock asked if the response was good from the area around Sunshine Garden, to which Deputy Director Vitale responded that they didn’t ask people to identify their home address or location during outreach events. Chair Lock also asked about the restrooms on the trail that Commissioner Burgo had expressed was needed in past meetings. Deputy Director Vitale responded that they were looking at a potential location farther down by Spruce Avenue, as suggested by the Commission. Brain Fletcher adds in that the new Civic Campus will be along the trail which will help provide restrooms that weren’t there before. There is also a potential restroom location in the segment from Mission Road to BART between the play area and dog park. Brian Fletcher added that it is imperative that our plan indicate these connections between trails so that when properties come up for development the plan can guide those necessary connections. Orange Memorial Park Brian Fletcher gave update on the Master Plan for Orange Memorial Park. Goals and objectives are to develop a master plan to guide future park improvements, engage the community and stakeholders to understand desired improvements, and to incorporate these needs and improvements within the plan. The master plan includes the future planned improvements and the current projects underway with the fields, pool and storm water capture project. There was a very similar process in reaching out to the community, stakeholders and having pop up events to receive feedback. Alternatives were brought forth based on public input. Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes of the Meeting of November 15, 2022 Page 4 Alternative 1: Some of the key amenities included the bike pump track and the skate park, retaining a portion of the artist studios, restoration of Colma Creek, a park maintenance facility and parking lot. Alternative 2: Instead of a skate park and pump track, they propose a multi-purpose sports field, a flexible space that could accommodate a farmers’ market but could also be used for other community events or picnicking. Also included are community gardens, sculpture garden expansion and reconfiguration of the parking lot. Brian Fletcher shares slides with images of the proposed alternative in master plan. He breaks it up sections, starting with the area north of Colma Creek to the left of the tennis courts. He talks about connectivity for neighborhoods adjacent to the area having access to the park and the facilities. This section will include the multi-purpose fields, and a new parking lot. The loop road that goes from Tennis Drive, along the tennis courts and along Colma Creek has been eliminated to allow for more pedestrian and recreation opportunities, like six pickleball courts, a picnic area, restroom, concession stand and an outdoor group gathering area. Pedestrian bridges across Colma Creek are also being proposed in that area. Brian Fletcher moves on to the side north of Colma Creek. This master plan reflects both the indoor and outdoor pool, which is going through its own design process. There will be a new small parking lot and drop off zone, which will serve the new aquatic center as well as a new universally accessible play area. The current parking lot will remain the same but a there is a market/event walking area has been programmed into the area in front of the lot. The relocation of the Veterans Memorial is also being proposed to a more front and center location on the corner of the park. Near the universally accessible play area there will be a multi-purpose shade structure / community stage. Brian Fletcher explains about the aspirational notion of Colma Creek restoration. With the elimination of the loop road that goes by the tennis courts, it allows the removal of the concrete channel walls along Colma Creek. By doing this, the site will be able to handle additional storm water and we would be able to restore to a more natural state and bring secondary trails down to the lower areas of the creek. There could also be additional seating areas and other amenities along the creek edge. This concept is just a rendering of what the creek restoration could look like. Brian Fletcher moves onto the lower section of the park, south of Colma Creek, where the athletic field is currently under construction. He goes over the new plan for minor renovation to the existing turf, picnic shelter and play areas. He pointed out where the new park maintenance facilities would be and a smaller cluster of artist studios. He goes on to mention that the plan developed a signage program, not just for Orange Park but also for park facilities throughout the city. Brian Fletcher concludes his presentation with the next steps and where we are currently in the master plan. Feedback is welcome and the plan will be presented to City Council in 2023 for adoption. Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes of the Meeting of November 15, 2022 Page 5 Commissioner Camacho suggested that when this master plan is presented to City Council that the design team will indicate in the plan the parts of the project that are already being worked on and how much funding would be needed and/or used. The breakdown would be helpful to see where things currently stand and help prioritize which parts they’ll want to fund first. Commissioner DeNardi comments that she believes that the plan captured the community’s priorities and suggested the plan is revisited in the future. Deputy Director Vitale shared that the master plan is a guiding document so over the next several years the plan can be reevaluated to update any new priorities. He also adds that it is good to have these plans because as grants and funding become available, we can apply for those quickly because of the plan that shows community engagement. Commissioner Uy believes the preferred plan concept meets the needs of the community. He like the idea of the pickleball court eventually coming in and having more fields. He’s not sure that having an event walk will attract more people to the farmer’s market. The Colma Creek Restoration design is beautiful but wants to know how much it would cost to do something like that and is it even realistic to do. Brian Fletcher notes that part of the feasibility of the Colma Creek restoration is not just the cost but the willingness of the Flood Control District to look at a different flood mitigation models. The cost estimate for the Colma Creek Restoration is estimated at just over ten million dollars. He adds that this plan is very conceptual, and further engineering would be needed. Vice Chair Firpo states that he remembers working on this plan about ten years ago and his priorities then compared to now have changed. He appreciated the process. He likes the creek restoration idea but is not sure if it would be safe. Chair Lock thinks the plan is great. He suggests that the new playground have different areas for different age groups like the current one has. He adds that the population is going to grow significantly which means that the utilization of the parks will be heavier and additional fields will be critical and to consider turf fields versus natural grass fields. He then asked how far along the creek are they envisioning the restoration. Deputy Director Vitale responded that we won’t have the opportunity to do it the entire distance. They looked at the master plan where there was room to spread wider without impacting the other amenities or in areas with opportunities where other projects are up for being refreshed. Brian Fletcher also added that they’re looking at areas where a complete restoration can be done and areas where softening of the concrete channel could be done. Chair Locks opinion on the farmers market is that it won’t draw enough people because of the size and the small number of vendors. Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes of the Meeting of November 15, 2022 Page 6 B. Library | Park and Recreation Center Update: FF&E Manager O’Brien gave a brief overview of the furniture, fixtures and equipment for the library, parks and recreation facility. She shared pictures starting with the first floor of the facility which will have the lobby as well as the social hall, kitchens, Council Chambers as well as Council Chambers pre-functioned space. Pictures of tables and chairs staff have picked out were shared as Manager O’Brien explains that there were multiple meetings, samples tested as well as the communities needs taken into consideration when selecting these. Factors taken into consideration in spaces like the social and banquet halls is capacity, how many tables and chairs can fit, how do they store and having enough storage space. Manager O’Brien moves to the second floor where she shows where the dance and fitness studios, changing rooms, music classrooms, children’s classroom and exercise studio are located and associated furnishings. Manager O’Brien shares that in the exercise studio staff have been exploring equipping this room with a TRX type fitness system. On the third floor, there is a lobby area, Creator’s Studio, Gallery Room, and offices. Pictures of furnishings were shared. Commissioner DeNardi asked if the chairs are going to be fabric or wipeable and easy to clean. Manager O’Brien responded that the staff have lobbied for chairs to be very durable and able to easily clean. Commissioner Camacho asked if there was a way to get chairs for the banquet hall that didn’t look so office-like and would be more appropriate for parties and weddings. She will share examples with Manager O’Brien. Manager O’Brien responded that she understands what Commissioner Camacho is saying and will look at the examples sent over. Director Mediati added that they have looked at and been back and forth on sled bases chairs versus the four-legged chairs and most of the high-density stackers have sled bases. Commissioner Uy likes the TRX option in the exercise room and liked seeing potentially have weights. Spaces like the creator’s space are great to provide to the community and offered an idea integrating more tech equipment like 3D printers. Director Mediati added that Parks and Recreation was able to get a $1.5 million federal grant earlier this year that is helping to fund a lot of these furnishings and equipment. Robert Uy adds that if there will be a 3D printer maybe looking into laser etchers or Cricut machines. People can etch things into wood, glass or metal. It can be used in a lot of different crafts. Commissioner Firpo comments to make sure the chairs are functional and durable. He asks about the power supply in the creator’s studio since the table can be moved around Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes of the Meeting of November 15, 2022 Page 7 and in different configurations. Manager O’Brien responded that the power will be coming from the ceiling. Commissioner Battaglia asked if the creator’s studio would also be used for events. Manager O’Brien responded that the creator’s studio is where a lot of our classes will take place. It is more like an industrial kind of working space that is meant to get a little bit dirty. Not to say you couldn’t have an event here if that fit your needs but wouldn’t be a pristine meeting space. Chair Lock asked if there was going to be audio built into the rooms and if the noise level was going to be managed. Manager O’Brien responded that all the rooms are equipped with the proper A/V for the sizes of the room. One of the things expressed, up front with the design of the building was to be able to increase the music in the rooms without disturbing adjacent spaces. Chair Lock asked about a press release he had seen regarding the library receiving four million dollars and wanted to know if any of that funding would be used for any of the equipment. Director Mediati and Assistant City Manager Ranals respond that the $4 million is going to the overall budget. VIII. New Business A. Age-Friendly Communities Initiative Assistant City Manager Ranals shared that the County wants to get every city in the county to be certified as age friendly by the end of next year. Currently the City is at the focus group phase and is trying to recruit 60 individuals ages 55 and over to meet with the consultant that the county and AARP are paying for. They’ll focus on the following areas: outdoor spaces, transportation, housing, social participation, respect and social inclusion, civic engagement, employment, communication and community support, and health services. Once the report comes from the consultant with ideas from the seniors, we will pick three pilot projects to help seniors. Commissioner Camacho asked about the length of this program and if the task force does become permanent if it would be possible to have one or two Parks and Recreation representatives since it is closely related to Parks and Recreation. Assistant City Manager Ranals responded that she thinks that would be a great idea. IX. Friends of Parks and Recreation: Acting Deputy Director Duldulao reported there are no updates at this time X. Beautification Committee: Director Mediati reported that there are no updates at this time. XI. Items from Commission: Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes of the Meeting of November 15, 2022 Page 8 Vice Chair Firpo shares that he noticed trucks removing dirt at Oyster Point and believes they must be getting ready to start additional work at the site. He also shares that PG&E has been out there to the power on, but the bathrooms are still not open. He adds that the area there is beautiful and can’t wait to for it to be showcased during the Fun Run event this weekend. Director Mediati shared that there will be some grading in the area where the dirt is being removed as part of the future hotel site improvements but there won’t be any construction for at least 2-3 years. PG&E is largely done but they are still commissioning bathrooms and they might be opening in early to mid-December. Commissioner Camacho shares that Halloween Extravaganza was a hit and that staff did an amazing job. She talks about the upcoming Fun Run event and the Wreath Workshop for IPP. Commissioner DeNardi she shares her experience at the Holiday Boutique and likes that they opened a second room to accommodate more vendors. She also shares enjoying being part of trunk or treat at the Halloween Extravaganza and hopes to see it again. She shares some comments from the community regarding the pumpkin patch. Having a reservation system was a great idea but suggested having signage so people would know that the line forming is for people who have reserved times. Chair Lock thanked Manager Richardson for getting the slide fixed at Alta Loma Park. He asked if Alta Loma tennis courts were going to be repaved like the other ones. Manager Richardson said he’s had a couple of courts repaved each year and Alta Loma should be getting at least a new surface seal if not rebuilt entirely. Chair Lock asked about the agreement between the City and the school district and keeping the fields open for public use. He stated that Parkway Middle School has their field locked up. Director Mediati believes Parkway may have been one of the schools excluded but said he would double check the updated joint use agreement. XII. Items from Staff: A. Calendar of Events Director Mediati provided a brief update of the Calendar of Events. B. Administrative Updates Acting Manager Mulkerrins gives update on winter camp. It will be open December 19, 20, 21, 27, 28 and 29 at Terrabay Gymnasium and is open to the public. Applications are available on the Child Care website or available for pick up at the Fernekes Building. He also shares that the recreation office will be closed to the public and all classes and events December 23 through January 2. Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes of the Meeting of November 15, 2022 Page 9 Manager Richardson gives update on the tennis courts at Buri Buri and Brentwood Parks. They were repaved with asphalt at the end of October and have been curing for thirty days. Final surfacing, coloring and striping will be put on at the end of this month if weather allows. Brentwood Park will be strictly tennis courts and Buri Buri will have pickleball lines repainted as it had previously. Brentwood may eventually have pickleball lines added but for now stay strictly tennis courts due to the close proximity of neighboring homes. XIII. Adjournment: 9:10 p.m. Respectfully submitted by Jeanette Yoshida, Administrative Assistant II Next Meeting: January 17, 2023