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HomeMy WebLinkAbout13A - COUNCIL COMMITTEE RPTS - PREY MINUTESMINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON PARKS, RECREATION, EDUCATION AND YOUTH November 28, 2011 CALL TO ORDER The regular meeting convened at 3:39 p.m. in the City Hall, Room 831, 20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, California. ATTENDANCE Council members Present Michele Martinez (Chair); Sal Tinajero Vincent Sarmiento Staff Present: Gerardo Mouet, Executive Director; Ryan Hodge, City Attorney; Ron Ono, Administrative Services Manager; Jenny Rios, Community Services Manager; Jose Perez, Community Services Supervisor; Juan Lara, Community Services Supervisor; Heather Folmar, Library Operations Manager; Lupita Vega, Principal Librarian, Youth Services; Patty Lopez, Principal Librarian, Adult Services; Cheryl Eberly, Principal Librarian, Young Adult Services; Kent Yamaguchi, SA Zoo Manager, Nancy Edwards, Interim Executive Director CDA Public Present Andrew Galvin, O.C. Register Ken Nguyen, Board of Recreation and Parks Jim Walker, SA Resident Leslie Vasquez, America On Track Alejandra Cook, America On Track Shayne Garcia, America On Track Claire Braeburn, America On Track Anita Vasquez, America on Track Adam Elmahrete, Voice of OC Esther Trinidad, LHA Corazones Verdez, LHA Tixoc Vertura, SA Resident Rosalia Pinor, SA Resident Maria Andrade, SA Resident Sergio Hernandez, SA Resident Saroo Carrillo, SA Teen Club Marco Millan, SA Teen Club PREY Regular Meeting - MINUTES 1 November 28, 2011 13A-1 Ariana Tiaseci, SA Teen Club Juan Carlos Carrillo Gonzalez, SA Teen Club Manuel Escamilla, SAPL Laura Garibay, SACRED • APPROVAL OF MINUTES o Minutes of August 3, 2011 accepted as presented. • PUBLIC COMMENTS: o Ken Nguyen (Board of Recreation and Parks Chairman) - read a letter approved by the Board of Recreation and Parks on November 16, 2011 indicating the value of the SA Library of providing programs that are prepared strictly for SA residents. The City Council should not outsource the SA Library to the County. Mr. Nguyen also indicated to the committee that the United Methodist Church adjacent to Morrison Park is for sale. The City should look into options to acquire the property. The anticipated asking price is $3.4 million o Claire Braeburn (America on Track) - Spoke in support of the "No Smoking in Parks" ordinance. She presented 128 letters of support and highlighted the benefits of not smoking and the affects of second hand smoke. o Jim Walker - Spoke in support of "No Smoking in Parks". o Manual Escamilla - indicated he is not supportive of outsourcing the Library. o Juan Carlos Carrillo Gonzalez - indicated he is not supportive of outsourcing the Library. o Avita Vasquez- indicated she supports the "No Smoking in Parks" ordinance. o Sergio Hernandez - indicated he is a resident of SA for 6 years and indicated it is important to continue the Library program to support SA children. The program is excellent and some are giving back to the Library through volunteerism. The current programs in the library are clear and the county proposal is speculative. Mr. Hernandez submitted letters of support for the library. o Maria Andrade - indicated the Library is important to the children. She indicated her son is part of the Teen Program and she has seen her son improve through the year. UPDATE ON OUTSOURCING THE LIBRARY TO THE COUNTY o The Executive Director provided handouts and timeline to the PREY committee. He indicated staff met with the County in October to provide them with the City's Library program and budget information. When the County submits their proposal (estimated in early December) the City will be able to compare the County's proposal with the City's Library Services. Many of the Library Services are leveraged with grant funding. If the Library is outsourced to the County, the County will be required to manage the grant programs. PREY Regular Meeting - MINUTES 2 November 28, 2011 13A-2 o Councilmember Tinajero - asked if the county will provide a cost to run the grant programs? Staff responded it will be identified in their proposal that will be submitted to the City in December. ¦ Councilman explained that 41 % of the City will be on furlough to prevent the City from going into bankruptcy. We need to find creative ways to keep programs intact. We need to maintain stability in the City. o Councilmember Sarmiento requested the Library Outsourcing to the County be re-agenized on the next PREY agenda. ¦ Need to make clear to the public that the Library is not being eliminated, but the city is looking at ways the services can be provided by the County. ¦ Due to the city's economic challenges, there is benefit in looking at the County to provide Library Programs. ¦ Function of the Library is changing, value of our library is where people gather and technology changes the way we offer programs. o Councilmember Martinez - Thanked Library staff in keeping the Library afloat with grant funding. It is important to provide spaces for the community. ¦ Requested CDBG be agenized at the next meeting. Need to leverage other funding sources. ¦ Thanked Mr. Nguyen and the public for attending and supporting the library system. The SA Library is very distinct compared to other library systems. UPDATE ON ZOO MANAGEMENT OPTIONS o The Executive Director indicated Schultz and Williams was hired to provide recommendations and options to manage the zoo. A draft report of the findings is scheduled to be provided to the City next week. ¦ Schultz and Williams worked on privatizing the Dallas Zoo. ¦ Most of the Zoo budget comes from Zoo admissions. ? 42% of the Zoo budget is subsidized by the general fund. ? 58% is from zoo revenue. o Councilmember Sarmiento - Santa Ana Zoo is a true zoo with concessions and a diverse animal collection. ¦ The zoo is not a natural function of the city, unlike other city functions. ? Need to do more with the zoo (Like Bowers Museum). ? Maybe it's a business we need to get out of. Others may be able to do better given the current economy. o Councilmember Tinajero - Due to the current economic times, more marketing is needed to attract patrons. o Councilmember Martinez - Need to discuss after the report is submitted. PREY Regular Meeting - MINUTES 3 November 28, 2011 13A-3 UPDATE ON NO SMOKING IN PARKS ORDINANCE o Executive Director indicated the no smoking in parks proposal was submitted to the Public Safety Committee, but it was not agenized. o Councilmember Martinez - Need to forward it to the next meeting. ¦ 12 out of 35 cities have initiated a No Smoking Ordinance. o Councilmember Sarmiento - asked what the cost of the sign is and the enforcement cost? o Councilmember Martinez - indicated we need to educate the community. • UPDATE ON ADULT SOCCER SURCHARGE OPTIONS Community Services Manager presented the surcharge options summary with background and update. o Met with sports leagues to identified options that might be feasible. o Presented the following options discussed on the use of the surcharge fee: ¦ Install synthetic turf in DYSC. Due to expense of synthetic turf a possible sponsor or naming rights could be developed. ¦ Partnering with SAUSD to install synthetic turf field on Godinez High School football/soccer field. ¦ Work with SASA to decide how to use of the existing surcharge fee. ¦ Use funding to help PRCSA to save the library or zoo from closing. ¦ Reconfigure fields 5 and 6 to add a third field o Staff recommended: ¦ Reinstate surcharge until balance reaches $500,000 and then discontinue. ¦ Work with the SAUSD to use surcharge to install synthetic turf on Godinez football/soccer field. o Joe Dixon indicated district is systematically changing their fields from natural turf to synthetic turf. o If Godinez is changed into synthetic turf the same city staff can monitor the field. With this proposal we don't have to reconfigure fields #5 & #6. Councilmember Sarmiento - indicated we need to check into re-imposing the surcharge. o If synthetic turf is installed on the Godinez Field where will the difference in cost come from? ¦ Staff indicated SAUSD will pay the difference. ¦ Staff will ask the SAUSD to fast track the installation at Godinez and provide a timeline. • STAFF COMMENTS o Gerardo Mouet presented an update on the various items requested on the August 3rd, 2011 PREY meeting: PREY Regular Meeting - MINUTES 4 November 28, 2011 13A-4 ¦ Cost estimate to have libraries open on Sunday will be continued until County proposal is received. ¦ Staff is doing research on establishing a Seeds to Trees Library Foundation. ¦ Ordinance to refine a 7 on 7 rule and changing obsolete items on the current ordinance is being reviewed. ¦ Godinez HS fence to stay up for year round school varsity program is being discussed with the Athletic Director. ¦ Presented revised concept of the Plaza Santa Ana to stay within $200,000 CDBG budget. Committee approved and requested staff move forward quickly to implement improvements. ¦ Presented Santa Ana Unified School District proposal to construct a 43 stall parking lot and running track onto Lillie Kind Park to address issues around the school and park site. Recommended the SAUSD present the proposal to the Neighborhood Association and the Board of Recreation and Park for comments. • COMMITTEE MEMBER COMMENTS o No Comments ADJOURNED: 4:55 p.m. Gerardo Mouet Executive Direct , PRCSA PREY Regular Meeting - MINUTES 5 November 28, 2011 13A-5 13A-6 MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON PARKS, RECREATION, EDUCATION AND YOUTH April 2, 2012 CALL TO ORDER The regular meeting convened at 3:45 p.m. in the City Hall, Room 831, 20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, California. ATTENDANCE Council members Present Michele Martinez (Chair); Sal Tinajero Vincent Sarmiento Staff Present: Gerardo Mouet, Executive Director; Laura Sheedy, Assistant City Attorney; Ron Ono, Administrative Services Manager; Jenny Rios, Community Services Manager Public Present Glen and Julie Stroud, Riverview Neighborhood Assoc. Steve McGuigan, Windsor Village Neighborhood Assoc. Dave Hoen, Gay Neighbors Darren Shippen, Families and Friends Vicky Baxter, Downtown Inc. Don Cribb, Santa Ana ETAC and Council of the Arts Catalina Lopez, Latino Health Access Roman Beltran, Orange County Equality Coalition Agustin Gonzalez, OCEC Veronica Arroyo, Resident Teresa Cuin, Resident Mayra Mejia, Latino Health Access • APPROVAL OF MINUTES o Minutes of November 28, 2011 accepted as presented. PUBLIC COMMENTS: o Darren Shippen expressed concern about closing 4t"/French Plaza during the summer for construction. Also expressed concerns about the design and need to accommodate special events. PREY Regular Meeting - MINUTES April 2, 2012 13A-7 o Julie Stroud indicated she agreed with Darren Shippen on the summer closure and use. She also expressed concern about the PREY Committee meeting at 3:30pm. The committee should meet at a time convenient for the public. o Steve McGuigan indicated the Friends of the Santa Ana Zoo (FOSAZ) expressed interest in submitting a proposal to run the SA Zoo. He also provided information on the funding ($75,000) FOSAZ obtained to improve the walkways and other improvements required for AZA accreditation. o Dave Hoen expressed concern about the time of the day (3:30pm) for the PREY committee meetings. Dave also voiced concern about the construction schedule and maintenance of Plaza Santa Ana development. o Vicky Baxter indicated the city should make arrangements with Mr. Chase on the use of the restrooms. There are activities every weekend on the plaza and a need to provide restroom facilities. • CENTENNIAL PARK AND FIRE TRAINING FACILITY o Staff indicated the adult soccer surcharge was implemented to provide funding for another synthetic turf soccer field. Due to the cost of a synthetic field, it was difficult to raise sufficient funding for construction. Staff has discussed with Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD) staff a proposal to use the funding to develop a synthetic turf field on the Godinez football/soccer field. Sports lighting and a running track currently exist on the Godinez field. This improvement will add 1990 hours of play time per year on the new field. If this is acceptable, staff will continue discussions between the SAUSD and soccer leagues. o The agreement between the City and SAUSD requires the temporary homerun fence at Godinez High school be removed after school use. The SAUSD is requesting the fence be left in place for use by the Varsity Team. In addition, the SAUSD is requesting permission to install a batting cage, between the school ballfields and a covered awning over the each of the player's bench/dugout. Since this is part of the play experience, the committee approved the district's request. o The Fire Training Facility at Centennial Park is no longer needed by the Fire Department. Since this site has deed conditions for "Educational Use", the PRCSA and the Police Department is proposing to jointly use the facility. The Police Department will use the concrete area for training and the PRCSA will be using the dirt area to the west as a nature center with drought tolerant and riparian planting. The Santa Ana River Vision Plan approved by City Council also identified this area as a potential open space location to enhance the landscaping along the river. o Councilmember Sarmiento indicated in the future staff should schedule a City Council Study Session on Open Space. o Gerardo Mouet mentioned to the committee that Rob Richardson (SAUSD Board of Education) would like to re-establish the quarterly City/District Joint meetings. PREY Regular Meeting - MINUTES 2 April 2, 2012 13A-8 PLAZA SANTA ANA o Staff presented a revised concept plan for Plaza Santa Ana that accommodated the use for special events, leisure public use and ADA accessibility to the stage. Staff explained the various concepts and process to provide a plan within the $200,000 CDBG project budget. Because of the excitement and interest in the plaza design, staff shared a model prepared by Architect Geoff Sumich from San Juan Capistrano. The concept reflected a modern design with a colorful overhead shade structure, special pavement and flowing wall design. o Don Cribb indicated Geoff Sumich specializes in Spanish colonial and modern architecture. The concept symbolizes butterflies that are recognized in Mexico. o Councilmember Sarmiento indicated because of the various events planned on the plaza, it is never a good time for construction. Additional funding is not available and time is limited in order to complete by September 14th. This is the right time to move forward and the city is currently preparing plans to install restrooms in the adjacent parking structure. o Councilmember Martinez indicated this is an attempt to beautify the area. Funding is limited and we risk losing the monies if we don't act now. The funding was approved to address the priority for more open space. We need to construct an area for children and residents, not another building. o Councilmember Sarmiento indicated he was contacted by various people who did not want the area to be used for events and requested more seating for leisure use. This is an attempt to accommodate both uses. o Dave Hoen asked if the CDBG monies have to be spent? The Assistant City Attorney indicated the CDBG funding has to be spent within a reasonable time frame. o Julie Stroud asked what type of trees will be planted. Administrative Services Manager indicated the site is planned for two types of trees: Sycamore trees to carry the 4th street tree planting into the plaza and Crape Myrtle to provide color in the plaza. o Councilmember Tinajero indicated we need to continue the excitement for downtown so everyone has access and the downtown businesses and residents will benefit by the improvements. You need to look at other areas to hold events while the plaza is being constructed. • ROOSEVELT ELEMENTARY OPEN SCHOOL YARD PILOT PROJECT o Mayra Mejia (Latino Health Access/Parents Organized for Recreation Spaces) introduced residents that spoke on the need to continue the pilot program at Roosevelt Elementary School. They indicated how the program benefited the children in the area and thanked the city for applying for the grant to construct a community center on the school. They asked for city support to maintain the program open until 2014. This is a good example and model to provide open space for areas that don't have park space. PREY Regular Meeting - MINUTES 3 April 2, 2012 13A-9 o Councilmember Tinajero asked if the district has given them a deadline to end the program? Have they tried to ask the California Endowment to fund the program until the community center and park is completed? o Latino Health Access indicated the California Endowment only provided funding for 1 year to cover custodial and security costs. They are asking if the city can help the continuation of the program and cover the cost of maintenance and security. o Councilmember Sarmiento excused himself and left at 4:45pm for another meeting. o Gerardo Mouet explained the city was successful in receiving a $5 million grant to construct a 10,000 square foot community center, playground, restrooms, benches, landscaping, basketball court, running track, parking lot and fencing. 400 applications were submitted and the City of Santa Ana was one of 64 applicants that were awarded the Prop 84 grant. This joint use will be similar to Willard Intermediate Park that will be constructed this fall. o Don Cribb indicated the city should have an influence on the type of architecture for the community center. • STAFF COMMENTS o None COMMITTEE MEMBER COMMENTS o Councilmember Martinez indicated the City is doing more with less funding. Staff and City Council has moved forward to address the financial issues in the city. We are fortunate this issue is being addressed and will be behind us. She thanked the residents at Roosevelt/Walker for working together with the city to obtain the funding to construct a new park in Santa Ana. ADJOURNED: 4:55 p.m. Gerardo Mouet Executive Direct r, PRCSA PREY Regular Meeting - MINUTES 4 April 2, 2012 13A-10