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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05.19.2020 PR Comm Minutes CITY OF SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES FROM TUESDAY, MAY 19, 2020 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, May 19, 2020, via teleconference due to the COVID-19 pandemic and local Shelter in Place health orders. II. ROLL CALL: Present: Commissioners Aires, Battaglia, Camacho, DeNardi, Firpo, Lock, and Uy Absent: All Present Staff: Sharon Ranals, ACM/Director of Parks and Recreation Greg Mediati, Deputy Director of Parks and Recreation Jacob Gilchrist, Director of Capital Projects Angela Duldulao, Recreation Manager Kari Jung, Administrative Assistant City Staff in Attendance: Mark Nagales, City Councilmember Mike Futrell, City Manager Philip Vitale, Deputy Director of Capital Projects Joshua Richardson, Parks Manager Brian Noce, Acting Aquatics Supervisor Laura Armanino, Childcare Supervisor Kimberly Morrison, Childcare Assistant Supervisor Kelli Cullinan, Seniors Supervisor Mike Mulkerrins, Rentals/Sports Supervisor Erin O’Brien, Civic Campus Fundraiser Co-Leader / Recreation Supervisor Marie Patea, Executive Assistant Guest Presenters: Erin Trompeter, SmithGroup III. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Skipped IV. AGENDA REVIEW: No changes. V. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF THE FEBRUARY 18, 2020, MEETING: No changes and approved by motion as written. Motion: Commissioner Battaglia / Seconded: Commissioner Firpo. VI. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION: None Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes of the Meeting of May 19, 2020 Page 2 VII. BEAUTIFICATION COMMITTEE Deputy Director Mediati reported that there has not been a Beautification Committee meeting since February of this year and there is nothing new to report. VIII. OLD BUSINESS: A. Civic Campus Playground Update Director Gilchrist updated the Commission about the 400+ responses received from the community survey on the two previously proposed park designs and introduce Erin Trompeter from the SmithGroup to introduce the design choices that evolved from comments by the Commission, Council, and Community. Director Gilchrist reminded the Commission that funding for the playground is still not secured, but design was going forward so that once funding is secured the City will be ready to proceed. Erin presented the proposed design scheduled to go to Council at the June 24, 2020, meeting. Erin shared that the nature concept was overwhelmingly preferred with types of play focusing on movement, inclusive play, adventure, play, and educational play with the types of equipment that stood out as favorites were climbing equipment, slides, swings, and balancing. The write-in responses, which gave the opportunity to address areas of interest/concern the questions didn't cover, included making sure that the playground had plenty of seating for adults and good visibility across the entire playground, needed to be accessible, inclusive, secure, provide some shade, and swings for all. Erin proceeded to present the proposed playground and its features in full detail with 3-D renderings. Commissioner Firpo inquired about the strength and stability of the shade structures, in consideration of the windy conditions in South San Francisco. Erin reported that the design is still in process but the posts will have a fairly substantial footing below grade, the posts will be steel, and the structure itself some sort of metal, so it will be very well structurally supported. Commissioner Lock inquired if the shade structures will be metallic and if they will be easy to clean. Erin clarified that they will be made of metal but not be metallic (shiny) and that they won’t be too high above ground. They will work with the Parks Department on these type of issues. Commissioner Battaglia inquired if any of the proposed structures were installed locally, specifically the large tower. Erin reported that the towers were fairly new pieces but they would check with the local sales representative. Director Gilchrist shared that the sales representative has a great video showing how accessible the equipment is. Commissioner DeNardi inquired about lighting throughout the park and if there are plans for cameras. Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes of the Meeting of May 19, 2020 Page 3 Erin shared that the whole park will be lit as part of the base bid, whether or not the playground is included and that the entire park will include proper safety standards. Once the playground is in place, we will look if any additional lighting needs to be implemented. The entire park will be monitored by cameras mounted to the light poles. There has been a security meeting with staff and police that includes cameras and overall sightlines throughout the playground and the park in general. Chair Camacho shared her support of how they took the nature theme and gave it a modern twist with touches of wood and greenery that ties in well with the architecture anticipated for the civic campus building. She noted that most of the inclusive equipment (We-Go-Round and We-Saw) for collaborative play was included however the swings selected with the belt and buckets is not ADA accessible. Erin clarified that in the 5-12 year old play area, they have specified a group swing, Moodle Swing by Landscape Structures, which is accessible by transfer. Due to safety standards, this swing could not be placed in the 2-5 year old play area. Chair Camacho inquired further about the recently installed accessible swing at the Winston Manor Park. Deputy Mediati shared that item is a commercially available retro fit item. Staff will look further into having a more accessible item available to swap in/out. Chair Camacho shared that she would like to make this playground as accessible as possible, to put in as much as we can into the design, and then after funding is secured remove items as necessary. Commissioner DeNardi shared that in lieu of having one park that is completely accessible, the City should look to having accessible elements installed at each park. Chair Camacho inquired if an option list can be developed to add the other items not selected as possibilities based on funding. Deputy Mediati agreed that an options list can be developed, but referred back to the survey that the community ranked interest in the different types of equipment and the design was based upon that input. Chair Camacho inquired about use of the outdoor musical instruments in the playground. Director Gilchrist shared that the proximity to the Library may be a deterring factor to the use of outdoor musical instruments at this playground. ACM Ranals shared that the design decisions were not based on budgetary constraints, but based on space consideration. Erin concurred that there is space limitations due to safety standards related to fall zones, and that the design has taken advantage of all usable space. Commissioner Uy raised concerns about how the current COVID-19 pandemic may affect the design and future use of parks and inquired if a different design approach should be considered. ACM Ranals responded that those types of considerations are being discussed in relation to the LPR building because it is funded. However, the park is not currently funded, and would be at least three years out on construction, during which time it is expected that a vaccine will be developed and in wide use. Additionally, existing facilities would need to be reviewed for retrofit and reprogramming prior to that anticipated date. Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes of the Meeting of May 19, 2020 Page 4 Chair Camacho recognized the potential concern and stated that this design is well planned and if we are facing the same pandemic situation a year from now, then we probably will have to consider other options, but for now we can move forward with this design. ACM Ranals shared that adaptations to the virus would be more behavioral than structural, involving capacity limitations, cleaning schedules, and monitoring usage, otherwise we’d just be looking a large flat area with no structures. IX. New Business: A. COVID-19 Response and Modified Operations Update ACM Ranals asked Deputy Director Mediati report on this item. Before that, she welcomed and introduced the new commissioner, Michael Aires. Deputy Director Mediati summarized the start of the Shelter in Place orders, declaration of the pandemic by the World Health Organization, and how the department has responded. He then explained how the new orders easing restrictions did not directly translate into the opening of facilities due to new requirement on limitations and active monitoring, i.e. monitoring use of tennis courts by single households with separate balls for each player to handle or use of swimming pools by single household or verification of social distancing. While most programs and activities have been closed or postponed since mid-March, Deputy Mediati shared the following alternatives that have taken place or been scheduled: • Virtual program with Junior Giants: three sessions remotely this spring and summer • Staff has developed a robust Virtual Rec page on our website with approximately 106 different programs offered, including both prerecorded videos live classes. Deputy Mediati reported that, in the near term we are looking at our Childcare Programs with staff working under the assumption that they will be able to mobilize starting June 15th with the easing restrictions allowing more children to participate under stricter guidelines including: • Maintaining smaller stable groups, meaning these children can't go from classroom to classroom. • The same 12 students in the classroom at a single time. • Maintaining the physical spaces to allow for social distancing • Maintaining the same staff that serve those children each day and again can't move between spaces. Deputy Mediati shared the results of the survey by parent of currently enrolled children in the program: • Close to 400 responses from those enrolled in or waitlisted for Preschool, summer camp, and teen camp. Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes of the Meeting of May 19, 2020 Page 5 • We would not operate a program if we could not ensure that their children's safety. • 70% across all program areas responded that they would enroll if we did offer a program Deputy Mediati shared that Senior Center staff has been doing an amazing job making hundreds of calls each week to their participants and the van driver has been delivering hundreds of meals to seniors and other in-need individuals, in partnership with the Second Harvest Food Bank and a private donation that has funded quite a few meals. In summary, staff has been resilient modifying activities and providing high quality services to our residents. Deputy Mediati then updated the Commission on the Parks and Facilities Divisions. After a few rounds of scaling back staffing, we've returned staffing to 100% as of May 13th, and staff are busy preparing facilities and parks for re-entry. Facilities staff are deep cleaning common office areas in all buildings throughout the City. Our report details our Restoration of Operations Plan. ACM Ranals shared that the 70% response rate of interest in our Childcare program is phenomenal and that our neighboring municipalities are reporting 40-50% rates. Additionally each are working together to open or not open (tennis courts, skate parks, swimming pools) in a unified manner based on what is safe and what is manageable. Commissioner Uy shared his support for utilizing the rentals reservation system for partially opening up tennis courts, fields, etc. ACM Ranals stated we may have capacity to provide some recreation staff as monitors through June 30th, however we would need to consider how to proceed after July 1st. Commissioner Uy shared that he saw a report that some municipalities are painting circles in their park meadows so that residents can use the park with social distancing practices. Commissioners Camacho and DeNardi concurred that they had seen similar reports and were supportive of the idea as long as it was clear that users are to be from the same household. Commissioner Battaglia inquired if they would be self-monitored or if there would be park staff to monitor. Commissioner Lock expressed his pride in all of the efforts that staff have made to adapt to the changes with creativity and thoughtfulness. Deputy Mediati expressed his gratitude to staff for the outstanding effort put in during this time. Commissioners Firpo and Camacho concurred. B. Fiscal Implications Related to COVID-19 Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes of the Meeting of May 19, 2020 Page 6 ACM Ranals reviewed provided an overview of the budget outlook for the city, noting an impending budget shortfall of $16 million dollars. ACM Ranals noted that to date, staff has frozen many non-critical expenditures, and vacant staff positions. Last year, staff performed a fiscal sustainability study where 5% and 10% budget cut scenarios were studied in anticipation of a future recession. This exercise was not planning for the pandemic, but coincidentally completed last fall. ACM Ranals reviewed the budget proposal submitted to the City Council Budget Subcommittee line by line, noting each of the proposed budget reductions. ACM Ranals also noted that she has contacted all Parks and Recreation staff, including part time employees, to inform them of potential budget reductions and city resources available to them should their wages be impacted. Chair Camacho thanks ACM Ranals for considering staff, and noted that staff may be eligible for unemployment benefits. Chair Camacho also noted that the Department has had many vacant positions, and it’s unfortunate they cannot be filled after waiting so long. Commissioner Lock noted that it may be challenging to maintain adequate ratios in Childcare programs, noting the additional burden to clean and sanitize classrooms. Chair Camacho noted that program revenues should be shown in addition to expenditures since many of the programs are cost recovering. Chair Camacho also noted that may part time employees have worked for the city for many years, and were largely residents. Commissioner Firpo asked if the fireworks event was also being cancelled. ACM Ranals noted yes, this is likely cancelled. Commissioner Lock asked if any CIP projects for Parks and Recreation were being postponed. Sharon noted no, Gardiner Park is still under construction, and design for the Orange Park Stormwater Capture Project is continuing. Chair Camacho closed the discussion with a request to see more detailed information on program closures and restoration of programs, including a prioritized list of programs that staff would want restored, and a schedule of when programs could be restored to inform decision makers. X. Friends of Parks and Recreation: Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes of the Meeting of May 19, 2020 Page 7 Chair Camacho read comments from Marie Patea: “Good evening, Chair Camacho, Vice Chair Uy and Commissioners on behalf of Friends of Parks and Recreation. Please know that you have Friends’ support if you need anything. Commissioner Firpo, I'm sorry for your loss. Your mom sounded like an amazing woman. I'm sure she's very proud of you and your kind and generous family. Welcome, Michael! I look forward to working with you and all other commissioners at future groundbreaking ribbon cuttings and other community events.” ACM Ranals shared that Friends of Parks and Recreation is the fiscal agent for donations. Currently, an anonymous donor donated $2,000 through Friends’ to provided grocery boxes to homebound seniors. Chair Camacho commented that this is a great partnership. XI. Items from Commission: Commissioner Battaglia shared her condolences with Commissioner Firpo. She had no items to report as she has been sheltered in place since the last meeting. Commissioner Uy shared that he recently has taken to walking the Centennial Trail and is very impressed with the trail. Commissioner Lock expressed his condolences to Commissioner Firpo and welcomed his fellow commissioners to the walking club. He also extended a welcome to Commissioner Aires. Commissioner DeNardi shared her condolences with Commissioner Firpo. She expressed her gratitude to Laura Armanino and Kelli Jo Cullinan for driving the carpools to the district dinner in March. She also expressed gratitude to staff for work done at Avalon Park and Orange Park. She also attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the Police Station and was very appreciative of staff efforts. Commissioner Firpo thanked everyone for the sentiments. He shared that he was impressed with the information being provided in various reports as well as the 160 different options provided on the Virtual Rec Page, the food donation programs/support, a shout out to Judy Barreto for the mask making efforts, and to facilities staff with the further enhanced cleaning efforts making sure it is safe for when employees return to the office. He further expressed his concern for staff to take care of their own mental health and to watch out for each other as well. Commissioner Aires thanked everyone for the warm welcome and expressed that this was an interesting first meeting. He inquired about mobile touchless handwashing stations for the parks, which he has seen out in other communities. Chair Camacho expressed that hand sanitizing stations should be considered for City Hall, MSB, and Library as we move towards reopening. She shared that Parks and Rec staff has always been like a family and circumstances have brought everyone closer together. She reiterated the point made by Commissioner Firpo about work-life balance challenges is this work-from-home period of time, reminding staff to take care of themselves and their families as well. Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes of the Meeting of May 19, 2020 Page 8 XII. Items from Staff: A. Calendar of Events. Revised Calendar of Events indicating cancellations and postponements were provided. No additional details were reviewed. B. Administrative Updates Copies of bi-weekly updates were provided. No additional details were reviewed. ACM Ranals gave a shout-out to Brian Crume and the Facilities Team – noting that they tend to be underappreciated, but that they wanted to express thanks to the team for their hard work. She also acknowledged Greg and Angela for their amazing management of the situation and staff during this period. Deputy Mediati also acknowledged the administrative staff that has been working both in the office and remotely, answering calls from the public and assisting staff. Manager Duldulao expressed her gratitude to the Commission for their support. XIII. Adjournment: 8:45 p.m. Respectfully submitted by Kari Jung, Administrative Assistant II