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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2001-08-20; Parks & Recreation Commission; 801-1; Commissioner's ReportPARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION - AGENDA BILL AB#801-1 MTG. DATE: 8/20/01 STAFF: PRICHARD TITLE: COMMISSIONER'S REPORT [X] INFO r-i ACTION RECOMMENDED ACTION Accept and file. ITEM EXPLANATION : Attached is the Parks and Recreation Commissioner's Report for August 2001. EXHIBITS: 1. Commissioner's Report - August 2001 PARK DEVELOPMENT The City has initiated a major park development program that will create 6 new park and recreation facilities within the next 5 years. The Carlsbad City Council has allocated over $50 million in its Capital Improvement Program budget for new park devel- opment during this time period. The robust economy of the last several years has resulted in a resurging residential building boom in Northern San Diego County. Carlsbad's population has in- creased over 25% in the last 5 years to 78,000 residents with another 20,000 residents predicted to call Carlsbad home by 2006. Along with road and utility infrastructure, creating park and recreation facilites has risen to become the City's primary development focus. The new facilities are currently referred to as Leo Carrillo Park, Zone 1 9 Community Park,Alga Norte Community Park, Larwin Park, Pine Street Community Park, and the completion of Poinsettia Community Park. The Alga Norte Community Park is 33 acres and will be the site for the City's planned Aquatic Center. AQUATICS The long awaited sequel to Agatha Christie's gripping novel of suspense, "And Then Their Were None", has finally been written. Unfortunately, the Carlsbad Swim Complex was chosen for the setting and the Aquatics Staff were thrown into starring roles. The story opens with 1 4 enthusiastic swim instructors poised to spend ten weeks serving the citizens of a quaint coastal town (which is experiencing explosive growth and desperately needs a second aquatic facility). The task ahead of them is formidable and their number teeters on the razor edge of inadequacy. The first couple weeks of work pass without major difficulty and the Aquatics Staff settles into a challenging but survivable routine of long, sun-block slathered days. Management begins to make hesitant comments projecting a smooth summer, but always follows these comments with stout knocks on the lobby counter (in a sickening plot twist, the staff later discovers that this counter is made of floor Micah, not wood). The plot's plunge begins with an innocuous sneeze, a sneeze no one confesses to but most likely occurred in close proximity to the water cooler.With a vicious virus on the loose, the swim instructors disappear one by one. At the climax of the story management is faced with a gut wrenching choice between two horrific courses of action; cancel swim lesson classes, or, for the only time in 20 years, use uncertified staff to instruct classes. Alas, if you want to hear the suspenseful, tear wrenching end of this story, you'll have to read next months report! Amidst the struggles of health, the Aquatics staff once again contributed to the Carlsbad Triathlon by handling athlete body marking and the setting of the swim course. On an entertaining note, we set the buoy anchors using surfboards and a kayak. While the tandem kayak turned out to be the method of choice for years to come, paddling a surfboard through waves with a five-gallon paint bucket filled with cement on your surfboard, turned out to be difficult (who knew?). If we lose our senses and attempt this feat again next year, we are going to advertise the event and sell tickets (priced at Council approved fees). The fall swim lesson registration for Carlsbad Residents began on Monday.August 13, 2001. The 10 class sessions will be taught on either a Monday/Wednesday/Friday or Tuesday/Thursday basis. A weekend session will also be offered. ADULT SPORTS Softball and Basketball Seasons are Here! The Adult Sports Division is gearing up for the final days of registration for both Softball and Basketball. We anticipate full leagues at every park with games beginning the week of August 28th. Each Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday night throughout the remainder of summer and this fall, expect to see some big- bellied, big-talking, bat-swinging Softball players at Calavera, Stagecoach and Poinsettia Parks. We offer men's, women's and coed leagues to the community with varied talent catagories (highly competitive in our Competitive leagues and comically entertaining in our Recreational leagues). Before the season begins all team managers must attend a meeting which will discuss rules & regulations, sportsmanship, league format and overall expectations from the teams. This year we're introducing our "Sportsmanship" philosophy to all of our softball participants and spectators. 11 EXHIBIT 1 BALLFIELD STAFF The ballfield crew took advantage of the slow field usage and closure time in July to add 50 tons of infield soil and make any needed base peg and/or pitching rubber replacement to Stagecoach and Calavera fields. Staff received some much-needed assistance from the Parks Department when it came to working on Poinsettia Field #1. Parks Department crews rotated the infield, then added 50 tons of infield so. which was done to help the much needed drainage. Ballfield crews assisted with this project.We will see if this has helped the field this winter when the rains come.These renovations are needed to ensure safe play on the fields.This is one of the reasons why Carlsbad has some of the best ballfields in North County. The crew also found time to take a break from their ballfield duties to paint the exterior building of the Holiday House which is located in Holiday Park. The painting job took seven days to complete. This project helped an already busy Greg Clavier and the Building Maintenance Department. CALAVERA HILLS PARK July was another very busy month at Calavera Hills Commu- nity Center and Park.There were picnic reservations for birth- day parties, church events, company picnics and class reunions every Saturday and Sunday for the entire month at Calavera Park and Laguna Riviera Park. The Rotary Club of Carlsbad chose Calavera Park to be the site of their annual summer picnic on Thursday July 26th and Laguna Riviera Park was the site of the Skyhawks Youth Camp the week of July 16th. The Community Center was filled with busy summer patrons the entire month as well. Mad Science camps were held here in addition to a Secret Agent Camp. The kids were able to do hands-on science experiments every morning for an entire week, including a Mad Science Robot Camp. The Pee-Wee Voyagers' Camp, aYouth Singing Camp and a Cooking Camp were also held during July. For the Cooking Camp the kids got to microwave, bake and cook all sorts of goodies (they even left some here for the Calavera Staff to enjoy.) In the month of August, we look forward to hosting three "Jazz in the Park" events. Come to Calavera and enjoy these outdoor concerts and don't forget to bring your picnic dinner. DAYTRIPPERS In July the Daytrippers enjoyed excursions to the Laguna Beach "Pageant of the Masters" and Primadonna Casino in Stateline Nevada. We also enjoyed a trip to the Padres vs Cincinnati baseball game on August 4th for floppy hat night. ENRICHMENT CLASSES The parents and friends of the students in our Shining Stars Drama Camp enjoyed an action packed production of Winnie the Pooh at the Harding Center Auditorium on the last day of camp, while at the same time Singing Camp was presenting a recital at Calavera. There are some very talented children in Carlsbad. The month of August is always a busy time as camps and summer activities finish up and registration for our Fall session begins. Fall is also open-registration for our popular dance program with hundreds of registrations arriving daily to ensure a spot. To meet the demand for toddler/preschool classes, we are adding two more classes to the schedule, Kindermusic and Yoga for children. Kindermusic is a premier music program enhancing a child's musical, cognitive and language skills, while the yoga class promotes strength, flexibility, coordination and balance. Parents have shown such a overwhelming interest in teaching their children good manners that we have decided it may not be a bad idea to make sure that they are up to snuff with their manners as well. Thus,"Executive Etiquette", concentrating on the art of making a positive impression, cell phones, e-mail, the art of conversation and written correspondence. Tune in to October's Commission Report for the results! FAMILY NIGHT IN THE PARK It's that time of year again and everyone is invited! Join the City of Carlsbad Recreation Department as we hosts our second annual Family Night in the Park. This is a family (tent) camp out on the Calavera Community Center ballfields on August 25 & 26. The evening will start out with carnival games, astro jumps, a rock-climbing wall, crafts, and a BBQ. Following the BBQ will be a magic show, and raffle drawings for prizes such as tickets to Disneyland, California Adventure Land, Universal Studios, Wild Rivers, Knott's Berry Farm, and many more. The evening will conclude with a 20 ft. x 20 ft. outdoor movie, played in surround sound, against the gymnasium wall. Sunday morning, when all of our campers have finally awakened, the Recreation Department staff will be waiting to help serve a continental breakfast buffet. Come join the fun! 12 PARKS The Parks Maintenance Division is extremely busy this summer working on several construction projects. Staff has also been tasked with performing annual field maintenance operations on 14 City/School multi-use fields which involves aera- tion, renovation, topdressing, and sprinkler system repairs. ZONE 5 ballfield is progressing along with the installation of the irrigation system, soil preparation, and infield soil grading. The playing field will be hydrostolonized withTifway hrbrid Bermuda grass stolons at a rate of 10 bushels per thousand square feet. After hydrostolonizing is complete, we begin watering and wait for the grass to grow. It will take a couple of months for the turf to become established and ready for play. DOG PARK is being developed with the assistance of the Parks irrigation crew and several part-time staff. This project consists of a chain link fence enclosure, a park area and a low maintenance landscape. We anticipate this project to be complete by mid August. JEFFERSON SCHOOL field upgrading is in the works with the addition of 100 tons of amended soil for filling in the low areas and top dressing. Next step of the procedure is to bring the sprinkler heads to grade and then to overseed the entire field. This project needs to be complete before school starts in September. ATVALLEY JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL field, sod was cut from the perimeter of the field to use for sodding in the wear areas in front of the soccer goals. Staff also filled in some of the more pronounced undulations and topdressed the entire field.This maintenance operation will help the turf to become more wear tolerant for the upcoming soccer season. In the near future, Park staff will be addressing pump upgrade/replacement needs to accommodate the School District and Park Division watering requirements and to improve irrigation system efficiency. The Sprint cell site at CALAVERA PARK is nearing completion with the antenna installed and the remaining work to be finished on the storage/transmitter room. Park staff has been working with the contractor to insure damages to our irrigation system and walkways are repaired promptly. Over several winters, POINSETTjA field #1 has been experiencing infield drainage problems where it takes days for the infield to dry out. In otir^tteSj5rtcratfdress this condition, staff disked and added 50 tons of infield clay from Corona Clay Co. If the field continues to have drainage problems, it may be necessary to replace the entire infield clay with a different type of infield soil that will have a better percolation rate. In addition, it may become necessary to tarp the infield when rain is expected. TheTREE DIVISION has received several complaints from residents along Trieste Drive regarding the infestation of the Red Gum Lerp Psyllid on the Eucalyptus trees behind their property (Woodbine Banks). The infected trees are constantly in defoliation due to the Psyllid, and creates a mess on their property. Staff has inspected the area and determined that several hundred trees are affected by this pest, and are dead or dying. A report to the Public Works Director is in the process with staff's recommendations/solutions. TheTree Division has completed planting 400 + street trees for fiscal year 2000/01. The trees were planted in accordance with the Street Tree Committee's recommendation to maintain a tree population approaching 90% of all qualified (valid) tree sites within the developed right-of-way of the City. Our goal for next year is to match 2000/01. In the next few months the Tree Division will be performing landscape improvements to the La Costa Road medians, between ECR and 1-5. Several of the planters along the road will be improved with new plant material. Our goal is to complete the project by the end of September 2001. 13 SENIORS A Senior Scam seminar, sponsored by the Contractors State License Board, attracted curious seniors and the media on July I I. Contractors, consumer protection agencies, local law enforcement and AARP took turns explaining various frauds aimed at the older population and how to prevent becoming a victim. Media included Channel 10 KGTV, Channel 8 KFMB, Channel 51KUSI and the San Diego Union Tribune. Great publicity for such a vital issue. On July 12, as part of the "Meet the Artist" series, photographer Eleanor Weston Larson displayed some of her various photographs and explained to the audience her inspiration and drive behind her creations. The seniors seemed intrigued by Larson's talent and passion. A six-week course to teach the exciting tile game of ancient China, Mah Jongg, began Wednesday, July 18. The demand for this course was so amazingly high, the volunteer instructor agreed to teach another six-week course beginning October 3. Anny Wright from the Ace ofTravel informed the audience about travel facts and tips on July 19. The seminar, which included refreshments and door prizes, was designed to inform seniors on how to make traveling easier, more economical and safer. The audience seemed to appreciate the tips! On July 24, Flo Evans, from the Senior Teams, discussed with audience members the various services provided by this arm of Aging & Independent Services. The day before, she had placed little candies impaled with signs advertising the upcoming seminar next to each place setting in the dining room. That was a big hit with the diners. The information discussed on the 24th was digested well and Flo called the next day to say she had already received two confidential calls for help. What a success story...that was the whole purpose of the seminar! The month of August promises to be interesting. A new, twice-a-month ongoing activity, "Stamps for Seniors," will begin on the 10th. The owner of the Carlsbad Hearing Aid Center will talk about hearing loss and advanced treatments on the 16th and Assistant Library Director Geoff Armour will talk about Carlsbad's colorful past and will showcase the newly-published self-guided tour brochure on the 21". A consultant from Creative Memories will demonstrate how to preserve photos for generations on the 23rd and a physical therapist from ManorCare will show seniors how to prevent falls and will teach some helpful hints on the 30th. We did it up right for the 4th of July.. .we spent it in Hollywood at the Bowl for the star-spangled celebration. Dinner before the show and an evening under the stars and the bestest fireworks ever! We had 56 attendees for the evening. On July I Ith, forty-five of us coastered down to Old Town and walked to the theater for a matinee performance of "Shear Madness". This is one of the funniest plays we had seen in a long time. Non-stop laughter with a who-dunnit theme. "American Rhythm" was in store for us at the Lyceum Theater in Horton Plaza for the evening performance on July 19th. This three hour non-stop singing and dancing production was absolutely one of the finest musicals this year.A great musical extravaganza featuring all of the music from the 20th century entertained us. The evening of July 26th we saw the musical,"Crazy For You" at the Moonlight Theatre in Vista.This Gershwin classic was a hit for all forty-five who attended. "The Lion King" was our entertainment on Sunday.July 29. Forty-five of us traveled to Los Angeles, had dinner at the Sizzler Restaurant and attended the early evening performance. A wonderful way to finish the month of July! 14 HARDING CENTER FACILITIES Staff at the Harding Center took a little break from their routine duties in July to help out our neighboring departments and our own Recreation Division. On July 13th & 20th, the Arts Department's Jazz in the Park Festival come to Magee Park. July also was the month of the 20th annual Triathlon. The Harding Center andAdults Sports staff were "totally in control" of the transition area. Staff started at 4:30am and were continuously on the move until all was done at 2:00pm. Special kudos goes out to all of the Harding Center and Adult Sports staff and to all the volunteers that helped in the transition area. POINSETTIA COMMUNITY PARK The Carlsbad Youth Baseball organization held a baseball tournament on July 28th and 29th at Poinsettia. There were also five Sports Camps and nine Community Picnics held at the park. TheTGIF Jazz in the Parks concert of July 27 featured the Bill Magee Blues Band. SUMMER KIDZ CAMP The Summer Kidz Camp program is coming down to the last few weeks of its nine-week run. The Recreation Department has received an overwhelming amount of positive comments about the program. Once again we had waiting lists for each camp session. By the end of June, staff decided to expand from 85 children to 100. Even with the challenge of 100 children each week, the Special Events staff has worked hard to make the Kidz Camp program an excellent one. We have gone on fields trips to: Universal Studios, Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm,Wild Rivers, San Diego Zoo, Magic Mountain, the Family Fun Center, and Disney's California Adventure Land. Every Thursday night is Parent Night, where the parents have an opportunity to participate in a craft or game with their children. It's a chance for the parents to get a taste of the fun their children are having at camp. To finish the evening off, staff provides pizza and soda for all participants. This summer, staff experimented with a new form of Parent Night. On July 5th staff decided to give the parents an opportunity to experience a field trip with their children. So, the Kidz Camp program took 145 parents and kids to the Ice Chalet Ice Skating Rink in Lajolla. The parents had the opportunity to spend quality time with their children and have a close encounter with the cold ice (ouch!!). Overall,the Summer Kidz Camp Program has produced a fun and memorable summer for the youth and families of Carlsbad. STAGECOACH Youth Camps were offered for tennis, martial arts, cooking, marine megafauna, rocketry/space and the Mad Science Secret Agent Lab. Two of the popular Recreation Department's Kidz Club camps were held at the park. There were thirty-seven community picnics and workshops were offered for digital photography and avant-garden containers. Seventeen commu- nity meetings were held in the center.TheTGIF Jazz in the parks concert of July 6 featured the band Ruby and the Red Hots. STAY N PLAY PROGRAM The Stay n' Play program will be starting on September 18th. We are anticipating a new year of fun crafts, games, homework tutoring and field trips. The Stay n' Play program has come a long way in the last six years. With record attendances at both Jefferson and Buena Vista Elementary, the Stay n' Play program has proven itself to parents and the community that it is more than just an after school program, but rather an enrichment program. The Stay n' Play program focuses on academics and new and diverse experiences. The Stay n' Play program rewards its participants who work hard to complete their homework with participation in extra curricular activities such as prizes or field trips to places like Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm. Homework completion as well as class assignments are verified and monitored through the relationship and ongoing communication between Recreation staff and the school teachers. The Stay n' Play program is also appreciated by the teachers for its dedication toward homework and taking the time to teach things that not all teachers have time for in the classroom such as art, cooking, music, athletics and team work. YOUTH SPORTS The summer camp season is quickly coming to an end. It has certainly been a busy time for us. And, while one program ends, another begins. Yes, the planning of the Youth Basketball season is underway. Staff will also be meeting with the Carlsbad Boys and Girls Club to discuss the possibility of joining ranks to offer a Flag Football pro- gram for the kids in the community. The Youth Sports Department will also be initiat- ing a volunteer program with the Army/Navy Academy in Carlsbad. Students at the Academy will be volunteering as coaches, scorekeepers and officials for our 2002 season. A great chance to partner with this historical school and offer enriching opportunities to these fine young men. .. 15 2001 TRIATHLON The 20th Anniversary Carlsbad Triathlon was a huge success!! Our weekend of festivities started on Friday evening with our VIP banquet at the beautiful Grand Pacific Palisades Resort & Hotel. Over 50 guest were treated to fabulous food catered by Kaul Strauss, music by Semisi & Fula Bula, a presentation by Michellie Jones all while enjoying a beautiful California Sunset. Michellie, the Silver Medalist in the 2000 Sydney Olympics gave an emotional speech on her Olympic experience, her childhood experiences growing up in Australia and her current passion for the sport ofTriathlon. Everyone was given a special treat as she passed her Silver Medal around for all of us to hold while she spoke.A very inspirering evening for all the dignitaries, professional athletes and sponsors who attended. On Saturday, our Seaside Celebration began it's festivities starting at 7am with our Wild Women Waterday celebra- tion. Over 200 women from San Diego, Orange and Los Angeles Counties came together to celebrate and compete in various water activities. Participants competed in a 2 mile beach run,a I mile paddle race, surfing contest, hula hoop contest (while surfing!!) and a "Quad" relay. Points were awarded throughout the day to all competitors to determine an overall "Wild Women Watergirl Champion" Special thanks to the Surf Academy staff for producing a fantastic event. Saturday also played host early in the morning to our 3 on 3 Showtime Show- down Basketball Tournament. This tournament, produced by our own Adult Sports Office had catagories for men, women, youth and masters. Over 60 Basket- ball enthusiast competed for awards in their respective divisions. Twelve noon brought the onslaught of Festival activities for the day. Our Seaside Celebration kicked off its 6th year with over 70 Expo Booths, entertainment (bands), a kids zone with crafts from Home Depot, The Rad Hatter, Birch Aquarium, the Children's Museum and our own Kidz Camp crafts. Add a Rock Climbing Wall, two "jump tents",food from Hunter Steakhouse and Pick Up Stix and you get one huge PARTY!! (Wow!) And to continue the tradition, the Carlsbad based Polynesian dance group "Tahiti Otea" performed from 6:30-8pm on the main stage. (No coconuts where lost but a few grass skirts fell around the ankles - oops!) During all of this activity, 1200 athletes managed to find parking and make their way to the athlete "packet pick-up" booths and get race materials, information, maps and instruction for the race the next day. We even had three (free) race seminars for athletes to attend and get last minute instruction on the "how to's" of our race. Sunday (tired staff already) brought our 20th running of the Carlsbad Triathlon. We had a record 1200 athletes signed up two weeks out from race day. This is the first time in Carlsbad Triathlon history we have sold out our race prior to Saturday's Festival. The popularity of triathlon has risen emensely due to the inclusion of triathlon as an Olympic sport and our own race is know throughout the U.S. as THE most organized and safe race out there. Of our entrants, 134 were Carlsbad residents, 516 hailed from San Diego, another 200 from the rest of our neighboring North County City's, about 50 from across the U.S. and over 300 from Orange, Los Angeles and other Southern California Counties. There were a few from Puerto Rico and Mexico and we had some from as far away as Australia & Britain. In our specialty divisions, we had one Challenged Athlete, Jeremy Newman, a parapalegic who is an inspiration to all (and a really fun guy!) and we had over 60 Clydesdale/Athena participants. Our Professional/Elite Division had a record 42 participants. We were able to offer a prize purse of $ 13,000 ($2,000 to each winner) which attracted a lot of attention. Of the 42 pros, 14 were the top ten triathletes in the world and the other's were local pros. Spencer Smith (Europeon Champion) won the men's title and Carlsbad resident Michellie Jones won the women's. A huge, enormous, big hug and a squeeze and THANKYOU to all of the Recreation, Public Works, State Lifeguards and Police who helped make this event possible and a success. Also, a thank you to the Recreation Commission and City Council for supporting this event every year. We DO "Create Community through People, Parks and Programs!!" 16