Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout03.19.2024 - PR Comm Minutes CITY OF SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES FROM TUESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2024 I. CALL TO ORDER: 7:01 p.m. A regular meeting of the Parks and Recreation Commission of the City of South San Francisco was held on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, in the Council Chambers at the Library | Parks and Recreation Center. II. ROLL CALL: Present: Commissioners Battaglia, Burgo, Camacho, DeNardi, Uy and Firpo. Absent: Commissioner Lock. Staff: Greg Mediati, Director of Parks and Recreation Angela Duldulao, Deputy Director of Parks and Recreation Erin O’Brien, Business Manager Mike Mulkerrins, Recreation Supervisor Jeanette Yoshida, Administrative Assistant II III. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Erin O’Brien led the Pledge of Allegiance. IV. AGENDA REVIEW: Update regarding the Department’s Pickleball Pilot Court Program was moved up to item one on the agenda to accommodate public speakers. V. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION: Toni Allen, Tyler Roberts, Elisa Nunez, James Estelita, Jose Amaya, Eric Leow and Tauaveave Fineaso. VI. PRESENTATIONS 1. Update regarding the Department’s Pickleball Pilot Court Program: Director Mediati gave an update on the pilot program at Orange Memorial Park. He shares that the Department has received mixed, but for the most part positive, feedback. They have also received some complaints regarding noise. Currently, they are looking to relocate the pilot program to Sellick Park in the coming weeks. Staff are submitting a budget request of $650,000 from the park fund to construct a dedicated court in the new fiscal year. The scope of work includes study of appropriate location with respect to noise, circulation, lighting, court design and construction. Orange Memorial Park and other locations away from private residences will be studied for appropriateness if the budget is approved. Public comments: Toni Allen shares noise level is an issue. She would like to still have a dedicated pickleball court but in a different location where noise isn’t an issue for nearby residents. Armando Leigh shares that Sellick Park is a good location for the pilot program, but parking may be an obstacle. In terms of a permanent court, Orange Memorial Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes of the Meeting of March 19, 2024 Page 2 Park would be the best option with locating the actual courts to a different location in the park. Tyler Roberts, Elisa Nunez, James Estelita, Jose Amaya, Eric Leow, and Tauaveave Fineaso each share their stories and love for pickleball and advocate for permanent courts. Chair DeNardi shares that she recently went to the pickleball courts at Buri Buri Park in the evening, and it was very busy. Orange Memorial Park courts on Sunday were also busy, with many multigenerational groups playing. She thanks the public in attendance for their comments. She expresses that the noise level needs to be taken into consideration and believes looking into different locations should be considered. Commissioner Uy agrees with a lot of the experiences shared by the public. He believes that the City should create permanent courts in a way that is respectful of nearby residents. Commissioner Firpo comments that the Commission sees the need for permanent courts and a lot was learned from Orange Memorial Park; hopefully a better location will be found. He thanks the public for their comments. 2. Capital Projects Update: Centennial Way Park South: Director Mediati provides updates on ongoing capital projects for Capital Projects Deputy Director Vitale. The groundbreaking event was held on February 3, 2024. Site grubbing is mostly complete and are working on grading the site. Some of the materials have arrived including the playground equipment. With the rain delays, the project is still on track for completion in late summer. Oyster Point IIC: Construction is underway. The fishing pier, boat ramp, and lower parking lots remain open during construction. Due to construction on the trail, a temporary north-south trail connector will be constructed. Orange Memorial Park Aquatic Center: Design and bidding have been completed as of January 30, 2024. The lowest responsive bidder was Wickman Development and Construction. Staff have reviewed their proposal and found that it meets all requirements and are in good standing with their contractor’s license. City Council awarded the contract at the February 28 meeting and groundbreaking is scheduled for March 30. 3. Fiscal Year 2023-2024 Mid-Year Budget Update: Manager O’Brien gives a brief update on the mid-year budget. All requests listed in the packet were approved by City Council on February 28, 2024. General Fund Appropriation Requests One-Time Appropriation Request Total: $235,000 Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes of the Meeting of March 19, 2024 Page 3 Ongoing Appropriation Request Total: $50,000 Non-General Fund Appropriation Requests One-Time Appropriation Request Total: $100,000 Ongoing Adjustment Correction Total: $416,670 Non-General Fund Transfer Request Transit Village Park Project Funding Transfer to Park Land Acquisition Fee Fund and Park Land Construction Fund: $2,000,000 Manager O’Brien shares that the new year budget requests are currently being reviewed with the City Manager’s Office and Finance Departments. Those will be presented to the Commission in a future meeting. 4. California Parks and Recreation Society Statewide Awards Update: Director Mediati shares that each year the California Parks and Recreation Society hosts an annual competitive awards program, and this year the City was awarded two of their most highly competitive awards. Orange Memorial Park Sports Field was awarded Excellence in Design, Park Planning and Library | Parks & Recreation Center was awarded Excellence in Design, Facility Design. Manager O’Brien, Manager Armanino, and Supervisor Mulkerrins were in attendance to accept the awards at the CPRS Conference. 5. Orange Memorial Park Sports Field Update: Supervisor Mulkerrins gives an update on operations at the Orange Memorial Park Sports Field. Parks staff open the park at 8:00 a.m. and Recreation staff close the sports field in the evening. Currently the Youth Baseball Program and Youth Soccer Program use the field almost daily. The City softball league will be starting April 8, which will be on Monday nights and tentatively scheduled for Tuesday nights if needed. In the summer, the Junior Giants Program will begin to use the field. Due to construction of the new aquatic center, summer camp will be moving their outdoor play over to Orange Memorial Park Sports Field. Public hours currently are Monday through Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and permit groups start around 4:00 p.m. There are open hours on Saturday and Sunday when no games are being played. Current challenges include high demand from the public and leagues. Parking during the tournaments is a challenge and will become more so now that we are coming into picnic season. Staffing also remains a challenge. Staff are looking into the possibility of having a full day open for public use. Staff are currently in the process of ordering and installing kiosks on the exterior of the Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes of the Meeting of March 19, 2024 Page 4 park to share information like the monthly schedule of permitted and open play hours and updating the website with the same information posted in the kiosks. Chair DeNardi shares that at the baseball opening celebration, there were large trailers parked along West Orange Avenue in the front of the park. They took up a lot of parking spots, and she suggests some communication and coordination ahead of time to have them park somewhere else during these big events. Commissioner Uy comments that he would like to see lights stay on until 9:45 p.m. or 10:00 p.m. on evenings when there are no permitted activities so the public can still use the field after hours, and that notification is given to the community when there is open play. He likes the idea of having at least one day that is only open play and understands that during league play it’s not feasible but that leagues should be mindful and communicate if they will not be using the field so that it may be opened for the community. He also suggests that during the summer when league play slows, to schedule more days for open play. Commissioner Firpo shares that he believes having the schedule communicated on the website and kiosks is a great idea. He asks what types of maintenance need to be done at the fields. Director Mediati responds that maintenance largely includes grooming, fluffing the infill material, and picking up leaves. Secretary Camacho comments that she likes the idea of monthly communication on the website but thinks there should be a bulletin of sort to see what is open that day. Chair DeNardi suggests installing a kiosk near the snack shack with the week’s schedule and giving the schedule to the schools to distribute to the children. 6. Administrative Updates: Deputy Director Duldulao shares that the Lunar New Year art show was the first art exhibit event. She thanks Commission Burgo for suggesting an opportunity to honor Shane Looper, which was a nice reception attended by guests and City Councilmembers. Secretary Camacho asked when the Measure K results will be announced. Director Mediati responded that they should be released by the end of March. Secretary Camacho thanks staff for doing the Flash Vote survey and shares that she thought it was a great concept. Chair DeNardi thanks staff for putting on the art show and the reception for Shane Looper. She enjoyed both and thought it was a great way to bring the love of art and the community together. Vice Chair Burgo shares that she really enjoyed the art show and the bench dedication for Shane. Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes of the Meeting of March 19, 2024 Page 5 7. Calendar of Events Director Mediati gives a brief update of the Calendar of Events. VII. FRIENDS OF PARKS AND RECREATION Deputy Director Duldulao shares that Friends of Parks and Recreation is sponsoring a $1,000 scholarship with the South San Francisco Chamber of Commerce. VIII. BEAUTIFICATION COMMITTEE No updates at this time. IX. ADMINISTRATIVE BUSINESS 1. Motion to approve meeting minutes from January 16, 2024 Approved by motion. Motion: Commissioner Camacho / Seconded: Commissioner Battaglia All voted in favor, other than Chair Uy, who abstained due to absence at the January meeting. X. ITEMS FROM THE COMMISSION Commissioner Firpo speaks about his resignation as Commissioner. He shares his appreciation for his time serving on the Commission and thanks everyone. Commissioner Battaglia speaks about the Senior Center and shares that it was very busy. She shares that she had a great time at the baseball opening day celebration, the art show and the dedication reception for Shane Looper. Secretary Camacho thanks Commissioner Firpo and shares that she has really enjoyed working with him. Commissioner Uy thanks Commissioner Firpo for his service and liked the efficiency of running the meetings when he was chair. He shares that at Buri Buri Park there is a large number of people coming out to play pickleball and feels that they need to be reminded not to play after hours. He has been biking on Centennial Trail and shares that it is much cleaner now, and the development in the new section is going to be great for the community. Commissioner Uy shares that a lot of people are complaining about how hard it is to get into the summer camps and hopefully we’ll be able to get more summer camps going one day. Vice Chair Burgo thanks Commissioner Firpo for his service on the Commission. She was able to attend the Centennial Trail groundbreaking and liked that Sign Hill Stewards had their tent set up nearby so that people could stop by and learn a little more about the group. She shares that she plans to attend the aquatics groundbreaking and is excited for bocce to start. Chair DeNardi thanks Commissioner Firpo for inspiring her to try her best and for his commitment to the community. Chair DeNardi shares that the groundbreaking event on Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes of the Meeting of March 19, 2024 Page 6 Centennial Trail was a wonderful event, and it was a good opportunity for our youth to come together to learn about community. XI. ITEMS FROM STAFF Manager O’Brien shares to save the date for May 9, which South San Francisco will be hosting the District 4 awards dinner at the Library | Parks and Recreation Center. Formal invites will be sent out. Award recipient nominations will be presented at the next meeting. XII. ADJOURNMENT: 8:41p.m. Respectfully submitted by Jeanette Yoshida, Administrative Assistant II Next Meeting: April 16, 2024.