City of Lafayette Parks, Trails and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes

Transcription

1 City of Lafayette Parks, Trails and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes Wednesday, June, :00 PM Lafayette Community Center Sequoia Room, 00 St. Mary s Road Lafayette, CA 1. CALL TO ORDER: Chair Peter Read called the Parks, Trails and Recreation Commission meeting to order at :0 p.m.. ROLL CALL: Present: Chair Peter Read; Commissioners Susan Dalcamo, Abby Fateman, Alison Hill, Alan Horn, Carol Singer and Stephanie Stevens Absent: Commissioners Geoffrey Bellenger and Mark Poole Staff Present: Director of Parks, Trails and Recreation Jennifer Russell City Manager Stephen Falk Senior Planner Greg Wolff Also Present: Councilmember/PTR Liaison Mark Mitchell. ADOPTION OF AGENDA: Commissioner Horn moved to adopt the agenda; Commissioner Singer seconded the motion, which carried by unanimous voice vote (-0-): Ayes: Chair Read; Commissioners Dalcamo, Fateman, Hill, Horn, Singer and Stevens; Noes: None; Absent Commissioners Bellenger and Poole.. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FOR May, : The May, minutes were approved as amended.. PUBLIC COMMENTS: None. PARKS, TRAILS & RECREATION MULTI-YEAR CIP A. The Homes at Deer Hill (Terraces of Lafayette Project Alternative): 1. David Gates, Gates and Associates, will present design options and costs for a baseball field at Deer Hill Community Park. After the presentation, the public and any representatives from local sports groups can ask questions and offer comments. The Commission will forward its comments to the Parks Subcommittee for further discussion and come back to the PTR Commission with recommendations. Senior Planner Greg Wolff gave a project overview of The Homes at Deer Hill, which he said is the Terraces of Lafayette Project Alternative. The three components of the project alternative were the homes, a parking lot at the corner of Deerhill and Pleasant Hill, and some parks and recreation facilities. The purpose of this meeting is to identify what those project alternatives would include so the EIR consultant can analyze them in regard to traffic generation, visual impacts, grading, and any others that are cited in the EIR. Based on impacts and forthcoming public hearings, the PTR, Circulation, DRC and

2 Planning Commissions and ultimately the City Council will evaluate the merits of the project and potential environmental impacts and mitigation measures. He said he was available for questions. Commissioner Fateman asked and confirmed that a baseball field, if included as part of the field design, would affect the Supplemental EIR. David Gates, David Gates & Associates, said he is representing the owners and presented an A and B scheme for putting a Little League field on top of a proposed soccer, rugby and lacrosse field. He said they have a 00 by 0 foot plus, foot setbacks, and a clad field that will serve those three sports functions they designed. What is shown in red for Option A is a Little League field. The standard they propose is foul lines of 0 feet which takes it right to the fence. Usually the recommendation is for a setback between the fence and the 0 feet, so they are somewhat substandard in that the portion is only at that corner. As the radius pulls away, they are standard where the red dash line hits the foot setback, which is a safety zone. There is a recommended -foot setback for a dugout, bench and bleachers. This moves the surface of the useable space out to the outer red line, which is where the backstop sits, feet behind the plate. When moving into the hill, he pointed out the flat field with the foot retaining wall which sits at the back of the foot setback. As they move another feet back to get the bleachers, seating and extra zone, it necessitates a foot high wall on a :1 slope. Mr. Gates said they have taken the plan and identified subcategories. The backstop installed would be $,000. The additional retaining wall could be about $0,000. When the wall is this high it also requires a railing on it and this is another $,000 which would take this up another $0,000. Additional fencing, additional gates, the dugout, bleachers, concrete paving, striping itself and some storage for equipment which would cost $0,000 for Option 1. Option is for a minimal plan with no dugout, no bleachers, but it reduces things slightly and it would cut the price down to about $0,000. City Manager Falk asked if the eastern fence would need to change height to prevent fly balls from going into the tot lot. Mr. Gates said it is a foot fence and it depends. If they expect a home run to go down by the playground they should probably consider a higher fence which currently is not shown. Commissioner Fateman referred to impacts listed out and she asked and confirmed there were two ball walls on the western wall at the north and south ends, and confirmed both of the scenarios would require losing one of the ball walls close to where the dugout is located. She asked if the lines on the field are drawn permanently. Mr. Gates said a temporary fence can be put up along the edge and he clarified they will try to expand the existing storage which he believes they can do. Commissioner Singer asked what would go in if the seat wall is reduced. Mr. Gates said the retaining wall would go from a foot wall to a foot wall. Dean Hobson representing Lamorinda Lacrosse said their club currently serves 0 applicants in the broader Lamorinda community. He said when looking at the plan it appears that a soccer field is in the agreement. There are currently baseball fields available for use that their club is unable to utilize because of field dimensions, and it appears the fields are not used to capacity within the community. When looking at the broader Lamorinda area, Orinda currently has turf baseball diamonds and another that is being planned. He said their field size is comparable to the soccer plan, and adding their sport would mean minor alterations. Their club growth is impacted by field space for practice and games and coaching. The addition of the ball walls is much appreciated and will be utilized year round for Lacrosse, so losing one would be a big loss to them. He said this is the single most important thing to increase coordination and skill. He added that Lacrosse is the fastest growing sport in the country. They have players that feed all three Lamorinda high schools. They currently have % Lafayette players with and Parks, Trails and Recreation Commission Draft Minutes Page of 1 June,

3 year old girls playing at or PM and would like to see this field become a home field for their club if possible. He confirmed that their current season is January through May and they would like to expand the program to include summer and fall. As a club they respect and appreciate the baseball community and feel they are well-represented in the Lafayette community. They see the removal of the ball wall as a loss and believe they could fully utilize this field. David Baker, Project Manager, O Brien Homes, said he is here to clarify what the processing agreement includes, stating they are totally in support of Little League but the deal they made with the City was to provide a sports field that accommodated soccer, rugby and lacrosse. They did not anticipate Little League, as they already have fields in Lafayette. He has received approval to allow David Gates to review and analyze the possible addition of a Little League field, but this was not part of the agreement. He also stated that the agreement does not provide for a lighted field. They will provide conduit so when the City takes possession of the property they can go through the process and determine if they want lighting or not. Commissioner Singer asked and had confirmed that the agreement stipulates a field for soccer, lacrosse and rugby but not baseball. Mr. Baker said they can be cooperative and neutral on this, but they are way over budget on the park amenities and will not be putting any more money into the project. Larry Finney, Lamorinda Rugby Club, said they serve the Lamorinda area and their distribution of players is about 0% Lafayette and most of their field practice time has been at the Wilder Field in Orinda and they are excited about the opportunity to be able to use this field and share it with lacrosse, soccer and rugby on a regular basis. Commissioner Singer asked if rugby would use ball walls and Mr. Finney said they would not and that the all-purpose turf field is their key component. Having the all-purpose field along with the Wilder field would be great for them. He noted their season runs from January to about May and they start practicing in November. He also stated their participation level is under years to high school seniors. Dan Ventrelle, Lafayette Little League, said the City s priority for sports fields always goes to the largest participation and the largest number of Lafayette residents. He respects and appreciates all of the groups, and noted some groups have 0% participation and they are asking the Commission to allocate funds for 1 total people where Little League has 0 people, of whom are Lafayette taxpayers. Therefore, he would purport that the first priority should always be the most people served and they serve times the representation of other groups. They are also an all-volunteer and community service organization which the other groups are not. He recently met with the Mayor and said they put $,000 into City fields over the last years. They are not a user but a partner in the City s fields. He thinks the first question is how to serve the most number of people. If other groups can be served this is great but he thinks the analysis is intentionally designed to over-estimate the cost of adding a baseball field. He has been asking for a month why the retaining wall needs to be pushed back for a baseball field and no one has answered this. The wall needs to be pushed back for bleachers, but no one has asked for them, and they are a significant cost. Also, he questioned why it is being put in that specific corner. Another interesting component is that there is $,000 allocated for a storage container and for baseball they would only need to put three bases into a small storage box for no cost. They also did research on the numbers and $,000 for a backstop is overstated by 0% or 0%, the dugout bench is overstated by 0%, the bleachers are overstated by 0%, there is no explanation for why concrete paving is required and all numbers are designed and put together to intentionally make this project look impossible when it is not impossible. The only legitimate cost is a backstop and the Little League would be happy to pay for one. He also pointed out that there are other luxuries built into the budget already like ball walls, and the Parks, Trails and Recreation Commission Draft Minutes Page of 1 June,

4 proposal is contrary to every priority they have been told by this Commission and the City Council. He asked not to allocate $1 million for 1-user teams. Commissioner Singer asked why Mr. Ventrelle was not counting soccer. Mr. Ventrelle said there is no conflict with soccer. LMYA is a volunteer organization that serves a lot of kids. LMYA should be a priority just as Little League should. LMYA plays in the fall and Little League plays in the spring, so the two most important groups to accommodate this are LMYA soccer and Little League, both volunteer, community service organizations. Commissioner Singer asked about Club Soccer. Mr. Ventrelle referred to the priorities that have been articulated by this Commission and the City Council; organizations that recruit from other towns and are not composed of Lafayette taxpayers have professional coaching and different from their organizations have less of a priority. If they can be accommodated, this is great but he did not think they should be a priority. He also stated there is not a field in Lafayette that has a 0 edge on it. Every field they play on is less than 0 feet and that guideline is for 1 year olds to play on, so the notion of a higher fence requirement is also not true. They play in Danville on a turf field without any fence and fences are luxuries. Also most backstops do not need a setback (between home plate and the backstop) because most are about feet. Commissioner Dalcamo asked what the field would be used for games and/or practice? Mr. Ventrelle said it could be used for either. She asked what is needed for a mound, and Mr. Ventrelle said they would need a portable mound that the League would purchase that must be chained to a corner of the fence. However, young kids could play with no mound at all and he noted this was done at the Danville and the Wilder fields. Commissioner Fateman said of the current fields that exist in the City, she asked how many are adequate for Little League to use. Mr. Ventrelle said in the last years they grew from 00 to almost 00 people. They have had to use fields that are not ideal. Every single day of the week, they use the White Pony field behind the Meher School which is in poor condition. They use 0% of the fields every day in Lafayette, but some are substandard and they make them work. Joe Dougherty, representing LMYA and as a parent of children who have enrolled in other sports, said they are just happy to have a field regardless of turf and lights. Currently they only are able to give kids one practice and one game a week and they are at % capacity of field usage. This project for them is very vital. He also said he cannot use any of his high school kids on any of the school fields because the School District will not allow it. He is only limited to parks and recreation fields which include Buckeye and Lower Community Park fields. He said he was available for questions of the Commission if they have questions on LMYA. Commissioner Singer asked and confirmed there were 00 kids from kindergarten through high school, teams, boys and girls who play LMYA soccer. These are all Lafayette kids, but he has another 00 from Moraga, their sister organization. Commissioner Singer asked if this was just a soccer field without rugby or lacrosse how much LMYA would use the field. Mr. Dougherty said he could add second practices to his teams, some th and th graders off of Burton Valley onto that side of town. Lower Community Park field is their only regulation size for about th grade and he has boys teams and girls teams in th and th grade, girls teams and boys teams in the th and th grade, and co-ed high school teams. In addition, there are at least adult teams that use Lower Community Park fields. Therefore, there is a need for a regulation size field. Parks, Trails and Recreation Commission Draft Minutes Page of 1 June,

5 Commissioner Singer asked and confirmed LMYA would love to use the field the entire time, but given other teams in the fall sport, he doubts he would be able to use it 0%. What it would do is allow him to take the stress off of coaches that have to have a Friday PM practice. He could extend practices for kids that want to play more soccer but he just does not have the field space to give them any more soccer time. They lose a lot of kids because they want more soccer and these kids go to the soccer clubs which is times LMYA fees. Commissioner Singer asked if LMYA, lacrosse and rugby shared the field, would it be used 0% of the time. Mr. Dougherty said he does not start his season until the last week in August and by then, they are done by the middle of November due to rain primarily, so they have about an -week season. Other than that, he knows rugby is a winter sport and lacrosse is a spring sport. LMYA does not offer a spring program simply because there is no field space. Commissioner Singer asked if a spring program could be offered if LMYA had use of this field, and Mr. Dougherty said they might be able to do something, but there is a lot of competition for field space. He would feel bad using his secondary season to take away from someone s primary season, but he might be able to put a one day clinic for kids that really want to be involved. Ms. Russell thought there was a limited amount of field space for Girls softball and asked Mr. Dougherty to comment on this. Mr. Dougherty said they use Stanley and they play with Moraga teams, so a lot of times they are using J.M. School field too. He cannot speak for the softball commissioner, but he knows they have had games at Stanley and at J.M. School. Dean Hobson said that Lamorinda Lacrosse is a 0% not for profit organization and does not hire professional coaches. Because of the NCJL rule guidelines, they can only support one club in the Lamorinda area due to total population within the area itself, and they are 0% impacted by field space. Larry Finney, Rugby Club, added rugby is also a non-profit organization and unless they get facilities they can share, they cannot grow the sport which is one of their main goals, and they scholarship about onethird of their kids. Commissioner Singer said if rugby coaches are not paid, she asked and confirmed that the club collects money to rent the fields. Mr. Finney said if they are under high school level it is $0, and for high school it goes up to $0 which pays for field, equipment, traveling, and some scholarship funds. He said they are a not-for-profit but do have reserves for field payment. They used to pay for the Campolindo grass fields in Moraga, and it was a great deal for them to get Wilder during rainy months and they have league and referee fees which the club also pays for. Commissioner Read noted that Mr. Baker stated that if the field adds lights or baseball the EIR must go back and be redone. Mr. Baker said he was not clear on baseball but if lights are added, it will be when the City takes possession of the property and they will do their own study. O Brien Homes is not including this in the current EIR. Commissioner Fateman noted that Mr. Ventrelle pointed out that the baseball field configuration could be changed and asked Mr. Gates about this. Mr. Gates stated it is less costly to cut into the hill due to the steep drop on the east edge. There are two retaining walls; one is a foot wall and the other is a 1 foot wall. It is a geo-grid stepping up the hill. If it were pushed over it would be much more costly. He said they were following the standard which is feet off the foul line and they put it at the edge which went over requirements. Parks, Trails and Recreation Commission Draft Minutes Page of 1 June,

6 City Manager Falk commented that baseball fields almost always face east because of the sun setting in the west and this is also why left-handers are called south paws. Mr. Gates noted the plan is better for ADA, it is closer to parking, the drop-off area, storage, it is cheaper to build, it is a better orientation for the sun direction, and it seems like the correct, most economical place. Commissioner Fateman asked if putting it there eliminates the ball wall. She asked if it was possible to slide back the ball wall further south. Mr. Gates said they could remove some of the seat wall or bleacher and a ball wall could be put in that zone. Commissioner Singer said if they put the ball field at the other end, this brings it right up against the tot lot. Mr. Gates said this is another issue. If the additional fence is built, there will be small children at the base of those walls. If the wall did get out of the playing surface, there is a pathway and trail down there but not a lot of children and parents. Commissioner Horn referred to the bleacher area and asked if this was a required standard. Mr. Gates said yes, according to several baseball standards which can be found on-line and he has the exact material costs for what the backstops are and multiplies the cost by two for installation, which is the standard in the construction industry. Mr. Ventrelle interjected that the issue of standards has become important and if this is the standard, they then have zero standard fields in Lafayette because they do not have a single field that meets any of the requirements as stated. Chair Read noted that the discussion will be passed onto the Parks Subcommittee who will meet and discuss this further. Commissioner Singer suggested the Commission discuss and get a handle on costs because they may be more than what Little League wants to pay. Commissioner Stevens stated the Commission needs to decide whether they are going to do the retaining wall and concrete paving, or will these things be eliminated. Commissioner Hill said first question is whether a baseball field gets added because this is not in the original plan. Commissioner Stevens questioned whether they need to pay attention to standards and safety issues from a legal standpoint. Mr. Baker said his contract calls for building a sports field that will accommodate rugby, lacrosse and soccer. From what he is hearing tonight from Mr. Ventrelle is that they are willing to live with a substandard field that does not require all of the outlined improvements. When he sees retaining walls and extra grading, he worries whether this will affect the EIR. He will not be opposed to something where Mr. Ventrelle is calling for only a backstop and striping especially if Little League will pay for it, but what they bargained for was a soccer, a rugby, and a lacrosse field and it is up to this Commission to figure out if this can be done and how it will be paid for. City Manager Falk suggested parsing this out into three sequential decisions: 1) Does the Commission want this to be a rectangular field for rugby, soccer, lacrosse only or not? ) if the Commission decides it is willing to consider baseball use, does the PTR Commission believe that this should be a standard field with bleachers, a full backstop, fencing that meets Little League standards or of the same quality of Buckeye Fields or are they amenable to a reduced scope that might be useable for younger ages or for practice only; and Parks, Trails and Recreation Commission Draft Minutes Page of 1 June,

7 ) Depending on the answers to 1 and, who will pay for the additional or incremental costs beyond that which the City and developer have agreed upon? Mr. Falk noted that the Mayor has had conversations with Mr. Ventrelle. While Mayor Tatzin does not represent the entire Council he has proposed that Little League would be responsible for all incremental costs, and the Council would appreciate a recommendation according to the three questions. Mr. Wolff said the goal for tonight was to coalesce the components to be studied in the EIR and the questions posed need not be answered this evening because it sounds like there might need to be additional study. Mr. Falk disagreed. As Mr. Baker has suggested, if the PTR Commission were to decide it wanted a full standard Little League field that required a taller retaining wall and grading, then this may have a differential impact on the EIR. He thinks it is germane to tonight s conversation. Mr. Ventrelle commented that Little League believes it would be ridiculous to spend this money, but Mr. Falk noted that the decision is for the Commission. Commissioner Fateman confirmed that Little League s season is in March, April and May. She said she would like to explore what the design might look like if a baseball backstop and lines were added without impacting lacrosse, rugby and soccer facilities. She asked if there could be a scaled down version which would remove bleachers, the higher retaining wall and just involve a backstop and striping. It would not have the whole length of the field but it would make it useable by Little League and also keep both ball walls. She thinks this would have the least cost and impact. She noted that the conflict created by adding a baseball field is the overlapping seasons by the various groups and that issue would have to be worked out. If this simple approach is doable then the field would match the original development agreement for soccer, lacrosse and rugby. Commissioner Hill said that if the Commission was to decide adding baseball was acceptable because it did not involve any significant changes in the original field design and these were funded by Little League, then they do not have to worry about additional costs or creating a significant environmental impact. Mr. Wolff said if the retaining walls are not increased and the flat terrace where the synthetic turf is placed is not accentuated, it is essentially unchanged. If there is no increase in height of retaining walls, or fence then they only need to discuss the additional striping and usage. This direction would be given to the EIR consultant. In terms of trip generation and usage, he will confirm with the traffic consultant, but they are analyzing full field usage irrespective of what sport is being played on the field. The number of athletes rotating at the field would not change their analysis at all, but he said he will confirm this. Alan Moore, legal representative for the applicant, stated he has been working with David Baker and the team for many years. He said Mr. Wolff is correct about the EIR. He believed the City Attorney would agree that the fact that going with a substandard size in and of itself does not present a legal liability. If they went substandard in a way that created a special health and safety impact this would be an issue regardless of whether standards are in place or not. He said every sport represented is here for the kids and wants the best for them, which he thinks is very impressive. Mr. Gates noted that since the design would not change, when the City owns it they can bring in whatever user group they want who they think is appropriate and then the user group can create the best possible field they can. Commissioner Fateman said she supports the field being used by as many user groups as possible and constructed without taking away the uses that were initially identified. If Little League can also use that field without taking away any uses from those other user groups, she would support that. She thinks it Parks, Trails and Recreation Commission Draft Minutes Page of 1 June,

8 does raise the issue of moving forward as to who gets to use the field when and noted this will always be a conflict at all fields as all sports grow. She would rather address this decision when it is actually a problem. In terms of construction, she does not think anything has to be done that differently to be able to allow Little League to use the field. Chair Read concurred and echoed Commissioner Fateman s comments, as did Commissioner Singer. Commission Singer said she thinks the Commission can forward this decision to the City Council. She noted that the application is not even complete yet and it has a long way to go and that another sport in a couple of years might also come up. Mr. Falk asked the Commission to take a conscious position that when a baseball field is eventually delivered here, it will not have full featured bleachers, and Commissioners all noted they are aware of this. Commissioner Hill moved to proceed with the original sports field plan, finding it will not affect the plan or EIR moving forward, and that the field might accommodate Little League which will be addressed in the future; Commissioner Horn seconded the motion, which carried by unanimous voice vote (-0-): Ayes: Chair Read; Commissioners Dalcamo, Fateman, Hill, Horn, Singer and Stevens; Noes: None; Absent Bellenger and Poole.. Proposed Dog Park: The PTR Director will give a status report. Ms. Russell reported that the City Attorney drafted a first amendment to the Terraces Project Alternative Process Agreement to specify that there is a new dog park location. The agreement went to the City Council and they continued the item to June rd and directed staff to provide additional public noticing. Chair Read opened the public comment period. Public Comments: Susan Candell said the proposal for a new dog park feels very premature. It took the scope of the whole Terraces project way outside across the street and nobody has even seen the new drawings of the new proposal. She encouraged the Commission to hold off until more information is known, especially given its $00,000 cost. Mr. Wolff clarified that the $00,000 is the total estimated cost for the parking lot and parks and recreation facility which is part of the processing agreement. The dog park would be a component of that. David Baker, O Brien Homes, said when they had the parks package presented, the sports field got bigger, the neighborhood park got bigger, but the one that kept suffering was the dog park. The genesis of why they needed another site was because it got too small and no one wanted to decrease the size of the other park features. He went to Anna Marie Dettmer who owns land on both sides of Deerhill Road and she made. more acres available on the other side of the road. They have a dog park plan for the Commission to consider and have asked the City to provide an amendment to the process agreement for the additional acreage, which will be included in the EIR. Commissioner Hill said she believes the plans including the dog park are on the City s website, and Mr. Baker said this is correct, and they are also available at his office. He said it is a $0,000 line item in the City s budget and it will cost O Brien Company about $00,000 to move it across the street because they will need to build a driveway, parking lot and fencing. Ms. Russell said the agreement has been continued to the next City Council meeting. Parks, Trails and Recreation Commission Draft Minutes Page of 1 June,

9 Alan Moore, Gagen McCoy, said their office represents Anna Marie Dettmer who is the property owner. Procedurally, the process agreement is simply an amendment to their proposed application. The City Council has not taken any steps to approve the dog park. It was submitted as part of the hearing so people could see they are proposing the dog park. Under CEQA, there may be other changes to the project to mitigate project impacts as they go through the application process. During the process, the City Council and various City Commissions might request changes in the project. He and Mr. Baker took some people out to the proposed dog park area today and he invited people to contact him to visit the area.. Sports Field Lighting: The Commission will discuss the issue of lighting the field with the sports groups. Ms. Russell stated they heard from David Baker that sports field lighting is not part of the project. She wanted to be sure Commissioners were clear on this. Once the application goes through the process and the land is transferred to the City, it would be beneficial to hear from various sport groups to see if there is an interest in moving forward with a plan to put lights on the field. They already learned through a special City Council Fields Task Force that installing lights is very controversial. However, having a lit turf field provides the longest amount of play time possible. It would be a comprehensive EIR public hearing process if lights are added, but this is not something the Commission can decide at this time other than encouraging the public to get involved in the process. Mr. Falk added that the developer does not want to own the issue of lighting, as it could delay their project. Therefore, the developer has agreed to install conduit and the moment that they turn over the property to the City, the City can discuss lighting and hold conversations with the neighborhood. There would be an month window between the time the City takes ownership and when the first owners occupy the homes. Dean Hobson representing Lamorinda Lacrosse said because their season starts in January and goes to May and because kids are at school and parents are at work, they are greatly impacted by the fact that there would not be lights. They do have funds in reserve and would be willing to spearhead the initiative to fundraise to light the field. This will expand usability and everybody can benefit from it. Dan Ventrelle said he would have the same concerns. They utilize the ball fields at night now up to PM. Having lights would be essential to expand use of the field. Like Lacrosse, they have some reserve funds and would be more than willing to participate in fundraising opportunities. Fields without lights would be half the value because most use occurs after school and into the evenings. Joe Dougherty, LMYA, said soccer is primarily in the fall and they lose the last two weeks of the year for any practice after PM. Lights would be nice, but the important thing is that it is one field that he can put two teams on, so teams a week would benefit from this. He knows it is effective for rugby because they play in the winter where they are limited given daylight savings. He commented that he does not have additional funds, stating he pays for all of school and City fields just to play soccer. His concern is that if this goes to a sports funded project, they will be excluded from using this field. Also, the lights will be very expensive so he is hoping the City does not start eliminating recreational users from this facility. Chair Read thanked user groups for their input. B. The Manzanita Building Project: The PTR Director will give a status report. Ms. Russell stated at the May City Council meeting, they authorized the City Engineer to proceed working with the architect to create the biddable documents, but they also asked for information about Parks, Trails and Recreation Commission Draft Minutes Page of 1 June,

10 the flow of funds for the Manzanita Building project using Fund 1 and the Deerhill Park Project using Fund. Staff will provide this information to the Council on June rd and once that staff report is complete, the Commission will receive copies of it. The City Council also asked the City Engineer about new impacts from the new building code that have to do with energy efficiency. Mr. Coe has been in touch with the architect and there will be a report from him about that. The Council also wanted to look at additional bid alternates and Mr. Coe will be suggesting value engineering ideas.. PARKS A. Leigh Creekside Park: The Parks Subcommittee will give a status report. Commissioner Stevens said at their last Parks Subcommittee, they looked at some initial ideas for play structures. They had two members of the community attend. The subcommittee narrowed down ideas to nature-oriented examples. They are looking at the younger set, something very natural looking and at their next meeting on June 0th they hope to have more members of the community in attendance. She will follow-up with staff as far as communications and designs around the park. They are hoping to mark the sizes of the structures to get an idea of how they will fit in the park and get feedback from the community. Also, they would like to identify someone they can partner with in the community so they can look at next steps such as fundraising. Commissioner Singer added that one of the public members was very opposed to adding anything new in the park at their first meeting but who seemed happy with the examples and efforts to keep the park natural. The other male speaker who was opposed to the park had very little to say when presented with the photos of the examples. Commissioner Dalcamo asked if they obtained a preliminary cost estimate. Commissioner Stevens said no, but she will draw this up for the next meeting and the community members can get an idea of the cost for fundraising purposes. Commissioner Singer suggested also clarifying the dimensions of the log tunnel and mushroom climbers. Ms. Russell said she forwarded Commissioner Stevens catalogue sheets and equipment reps will provide cost estimates. She also mentioned they had discussed finding a volunteer landscape architect in the community once the conceptual plan moves forward. Commissioner Fateman said it would be nice to hear from the people who want a park to make sure the features are going to meet their needs. It sounds like there was initial interest, but wondered if additional outreach was necessary. Commissioner Stevens said she hoped that by giving enough notice, it allows for people to provide input. Ms. Russell said instead of hours, staff will be noticing two weeks in advance and she has large meeting information signs that will be put up in Leigh Creekside Park. She has the addresses of everybody who said they wanted to be kept apprised. She said on the websites, the manufacturer cut sheets can be obtained which has all sizes and descriptions and options. Commissioner Singer clarified that the public suggested having a meeting at the park once they get closer to choosing items and determining where they would go. Commissioner Horn noted that they did not necessarily like the rubber material and there was a question of whether to use wood chips or gravel. Ms. Russell said her understanding is that if the park is natural, rubber would not be introduced. Either wood chips would be used or they would have the equipment on dirt. Everybody agreed they did not want a big climbing structure so the stand alone pieces will be fairly easy to size, determine fall zones and determine depth. B. Lease Agreement between the City and Lafayette Little League for preferential use of Buckeye Fields: The Parks Subcommittee will give a status report. Parks, Trails and Recreation Commission Draft Minutes Page of 1 June,

11 Ms. Russell reported for Commissioner Poole, stating that Little League has taken the lease agreement to their board. They are amenable to all suggested changes and it will go before the City Council in July. The lease is not up until August. C. Merriewood Children s Garden: The Parks Subcommittee will report on the annual tour. Commissioners commented that the tour was wonderful. Ms. Russell added that they are adhering to the lease agreement. D. Parks Maintenance and Operations: The PTR Director will report on recent maintenance and operations activities. Ms. Russell gave the following report from Greg Travers: The Community Park looks good despite the heat wave Weed abatement is complete and sections of the trails will soon be graded. A master valve was installed for the irrigation system which helps to ensure any leaks are stopped as quickly as possible. Buckeye Fields regular season is complete and All Stars and play-offs begin. The fields are pretty compacted from play and a bit stressed, but overall, they look good. Weed abatement is complete at Buckeye Field. Neighborhood parks: The irrigation controller at Leigh Creekside has been upgraded. They have experienced some unauthorized maintenance activities and there is concern with some damage issues. Greg Travers has worked with Ms. Russell and Little League to address the problem. Chair Read referred to the drinking fountain at Leigh Creekside Park and said it leaks once in a while. Ms. Russell said she will pass on this information to Mr. Travers.. TRAILS A. The Trails Subcommittee will give a status report on recent maintenance and operations activities. Commissioner Fateman reported that the Trails Subcommittee completed its walk of all trails and met with Greg Travers to review and address the punch list of items. She said John Kiefer has been very active over the years with taking care of maintenance items but he is stepping back from some of those activities, which is increasing the burden on Mr. Travers a bit. However, Mr. Travers seems to be okay with it. Commissioner Horn asked about the Moraga Road to the Reservoir Trail connector and Commissioner Dalcamo said she recently walked it and it is in good shape. B. The Trails Subcommittee will report on the status of updating the Trails Master Plan. Commissioner Fateman said staff met with two people on the Trails Subcommittee to talk about CEQA obligations related to the changes they have been working on while updating the Trails Master Plan. Commissioner Hill stated they meet again next week and there will be revisions of maps and clarifying of text. Commissioner Fateman said the plan will be reviewed again by the full Commission before it goes to the Council. Commissioner Hill noted that Commissioner Bellenger is an enthusiastic new member of the Subcommittee and he brings a new perspective to the Trails Master Plan.. COMMUNITY CENTER A. The PTR Director will report on recent maintenance and operations activities. Parks, Trails and Recreation Commission Draft Minutes Page of 1 June,

12 1 1 Ms. Russell reported that the summer program starts next week and staff is working hard to get ready. She noted that parents really like the flexibility associated with the Awesome Punch Card. She explained that instead of paying for a full week of camp, kids will be allowed to come and go throughout the weeks as much as they want.. OLD LIBRARY/ MORAGA ROAD TASK FORCE: Commissioners Horn and Fateman had no report and asked that this be agendized for the next Commission meeting.. SELECTION OF AGENDA TOPICS FOR THE NEXT REGULAR MEETING AND EXPLANATION FOR REMOVING CURRENT TOPICS 1. Only New Item - Subcommittee Goals Regarding the PTR CIP agenda item on next month s agenda, Ms. Russell noted that staff is waiting until the Old Library Task Force completes its mission. The Council wanted to go through the process and, if in fact the recommendation was to look at the old doctor s facility at Moraga for a downtown community/senior center, then there was a chance it would be incorporated into the CIP. She continues to work on this and was not sure when this would go to the City Council. Once the flow of funds is settled and the Council feels comfortable with the two big projects, they can discuss their long range CIP. Commissioner Singer asked about the PTR capital projects budget in relationship to the City budget. Ms. Russell noted the Commission s immediate projects for the fiscal year are included in the City s budget and include The Homes at Deerhill Park (Terraces Project) and the Manzanita Building. The Commission s long range CIP still needs to go to the City Council for approval. 1. ADJOURNMENT: The Commission adjourned at :00 p.m. to its next regular meeting on Wednesday, July, at the Lafayette Community Center. Parks, Trails and Recreation Commission Draft Minutes Page 1 of 1 June,