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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002-03-18; Parks & Recreation Commission; 302-1; Commissioner's ReportPARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION -AGENDA BILL AB# 302-1 INFO t TITLE : MTG. DATE: 3-?8-02 ' COWIMtSStONER'S REPORT 0 ACTION STAFF: PRICHARD RECOMMENDED ACTION : Accept and file. ITEM EXPLANATION : Attached is the Commissioner's Report for March, 2002. EXHIBITS: 1. Commissioner's Report - March, 2002. Recreation ,News .... SPRING EGG HUNTS BY RfCHARD NAVAliIlO The Annual Spring Egg Hunts are right around the corner. The Recreation Department has been working closely with its long time sponsor, Coldwell Banker, to make this a most excellent event. Coldwell Banker will be hosting a series of events to follow this year's hunt. Children will be able to have their picture taken with the Spring Bunny and enter a color contest for prizes. There will be Jump Tents, a face painter and a raffle for family prizes! Come join the fun at Stagecoach, Calavera or Holiday Park on March 30th, we say go at loam! YOUTH SPORTS BY 1.ORI SWENCK The Youth Basketball season has almost come to an end as the season tour- nament begins. March 2nd and 9th to be exact. The Division "A" (7/8 grade), Boys at Stagecoach Park completed their season on March 2nd. Congratula- tion to the Tarheels and Coach Ken Alexander for their championship game win. They, along with all the other teams that win their divisions are now eligi- ble to play in the SCMAF (Southern California Municipal Athletic Federation) Tournament on March 16 & 17 in Chula Vista. Good luck to all of them. Overall, this Youth Basketball Season has been a great success. There were several changes implemented including the NYSCA Coaches Training and modifications to our end of the season play-off tournament. All of which were accepted by a majority of our coaches, parents, and participants. Thanks to all of them for their dedication, hard work, fair play and sportsmanship philoso- phies. Be assured that next season the parents will be members of the PAYS (Parent Association for Youth Sports) program. A big THANK YOU also goes to all of the Youth Sports staff and their commit- ment to the program. We've got a top notch group of people working for this community and for the City of Carlsbad. POINSETTIA PARK BY DAVE Mlrr.rKnY The Carlsbad Lightning Soccer is continuing to use the soccer field for . practices until the synthetic turf project starts. The Carlsbad Youth Baseball Organization is having their opening day ceremonies on March 2. The City Adult Softball League play started the end of February. Page 2 H ARDlNG c ERTER U Y G I A :< I, .A i! H (1 "The best bargain in town." When you hear this phrase you tend to think of something to gain at little or no cost. When it comes to renting a facility for a seminar, private party, or wedding and reception, the Recreation Department facilities, when compared to hotels and banquet rooms, is the best bargain in town. The Recreation Department allows groups to bring their own food and refreshments, while supplying tables, chairs, and audiohide0 equipment, at no extra cost. The Department has meeting rooms to choose from ranging in from 15 to 200 in capacity, but- what keep renters coming back is the customer service and the flexibility of the staff. From the supervisors booking the clients, to the part-time staff working the actual event, the staff makes sure that the renters are satisfied and their requests are met. Suitable prices and a high priority on customer service make the Recreation facilities the best bargain in town. In other news, the Harding Center Auditorium was converted to a dance hall in the month of February. The Sandpiper Square Dance Club held their first of three visits. Narcotics Anonymous held one of their annual dance night fundraisers with over a hundred people in attendance. Finally, the Carlsbad Head Start Program held a Valentine Sweetheart Dance. Parents involved with the program were able to enjoy an evening of dancing and fun. EIXRICHMENI' c LASSES Fly Bc 1 [<tN:;!:)y Our first session of WintedSpring classes is quickly winding down. We have approximately 2,605 youth and adults participating in our program which is up by 400 compared to last year at this same time. Because the facilities are so impacted with no room for new classes the rise in numbers shows how many more students are participating in the existing classes. Our congratulations go out to all of the kids that competed in the AAU Youth Shotokan Karate tournament on Sunday February 10. Out of approximately 150 participants state wide 18 from our class placed lS', 2"d or 3rd. The students range in age from 5 through 14 years. Our instructor, Otis Edmond takes his students to two major tournaments a year. When Otis started teaching for us 3 years ago he started with 3-4 students. He know instructs over 60 kids and has a waiting list. Tennis instructor, Mark Keefer, is offering a wheel chair tennis class this summer. Last session a young girl in a wheel chair registered for one of his beginning classes. It was evident, for safety reasons and the special- ized attention that she would need, that he couldn't mix her in with the other students so Mark set aside 1 hour just for her. He has been so touched and inspired by her strength and courage that he would like others to join her in the class. As you can see many of our instructors give much more that just what is required to teach a class. They give their time and their hearts. Recreation News Page 3 AQUATICS BY DAVE GoRSI.rh'E Hey! No diving in the shallow end! Or the middle, or the deep end, or off the spring boards; its just not safe with no water in the pool! The Swim Complex began an estimated 45-day renovation closure at . 7:OO PM on Friday, March 1". The major project involves demolishing the fiberglass pool shell (which was beginning to blister and crack, creating a safety concern), cleaning any old plaster off the underly- ing cement and replacing it all with a new plaster pool shell. The contractor handling the pool shell pro- ject will also be repairing broken tiles and rust spots. The City's own Building Maintenance department will take this opportunity to replace most if not all of the underwater lights with more illuminating fixtures (for some reason they were hesitant to do this when there was water in the pool ... even after we dem- onstrated how easy it is to breathe through old lengths of garden hose). Aquatics goal is to reopen this valuable resource as soon as possible while using the down time efficiently. In the days leading up to the closure, Aquatics staff poured effort into educat- ing patrons about the project and proc- ess of closing the facility. Customers had many questions, and second only to "Will it really take 6 weeks?" was "What do you do with all that water?" Unfortunately, getting rid of 370,000 gallons of water takes a bit of thought; its not as though there is a large cork in the bottom of the pool. Because much of the water has to go to the storm drain system, we first dechlorinate using granular sodium thiosulfate (the same active ingredient found in swimmers shampoo). Some of the water can be sent into the sewer system via the 2" vacuum hose, but at an optimum flow rate of 100 gallons per minute we would have to wait 62 hours before the pool is empied. Fortunately, the Water District is kind enough to deliver a trailer pump with the ability to move water at 400 GPM into our parking lot (note to self: next time bring hip waders to get to car at end of day). In yet a third system, up to the point where the water level in the pool and that of our filterkurge pit equalize, water will drain through the "main drain" into the pit where it can be pumped to sewer. So what does this all mean? It means that the process of draining the pool took from 7:OO PM to 1O:OO PM on Friday, 8:OO AM to 6:OO PM on Saturday and 8:OO AM to 11 :00 AM on Sunday. In the end, we fin- ished the job with our fourth system; staff with buckets. Ironically, at the time of this writing it is raining. Staff compiled a list of alternate swim facilities including their fees and laphecreation swim hours. Not only did this project benefit our withdrawal prone patrons, it illustrated that the City of Carlsbad offers more aquatic services than any agency in the region. Page 4 Recreation News An eager crowd listened intently as astrological consultant Douglas Barker talked about science that is as old as recorded history. Barker spoke of the enormous effects the planets have on your life ... and the world in general. The audience asked several insightful questions and seemed to enjoy this topic! Marie Jeanne Darr, who grew up in Nazi-occupied France during World War It and who as a young girl slipped secret messages to the French Underground, spoke to an audience on February 21”. Accompanied by her daughter, Cherie, Marie Jeanne shared stories of risking her life to hide an enemy soldier and the lessons she learned by the events of the war. Back health was the topic of a seminar that attracted a large group of seniors. A rehabilitation therapist from Casa Palmera advised how to maintain a healthy back and included in his informational handout some helpful exercises. The speaker was candid, intelligent and light-headed. Music filled the hearts of many peo- ple on February 28th as the curator of the nationally-famous Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad spoke about the “Sing” era, a follow-up to the Big Band era and a predecessor to rock & roll. Dan Del Fiorentino wowed the audience with facts, fun and CDs of the well-known singers of this time, including Patti Page, Frank Sinatra and Peggy Lee. March will present a cornucopia of interesting topics: first, a Life Story Preservationist will teach seniors how to trigger and record valuable forgotten memories; next, a Reha- bilitation Therapist will offer hints on how to cope with chronic lung diseases, then, the auditorium will be filled with Certified Therapy Dogs and their volunteer handlers when a representative from “Love on a Leash” addresses seniors, and finally, a local attorney will discuss whether a living trust is right for you. We took a trip to Disney on Ice for an early matinee performance on February Is‘. The show was amazing as we watched three tales from the jungle adven- tures on ice ... Tarzann, Jungle Book and the Lion King. February 6‘h we traveled south of the border to Rosarito Beach for shopping, the beautiful Santini Gallery of Fine Arts and a lobster lunch in Puerto Nuevo. The day ended with a stop in Tijuana for that last minute can’t-go-home-without-it item! What a bargain day!! We took a trip to the Laughlin Spring Escapade in February. The weather was absolutely beautiful. We took the boat trip up and down the Colorado River, ate, shopped, did a little gambling and had show tickets at the Flamingo to see ‘Reflections of the Rat Pack’ ... what a fun show, complete with dancing girls. “Hello Dolly” was attended at the Candlelight Pavilion for lunch theatre and the show. This was a delightful presentation and the sets and costumes were great. The gal that played Dolly Levi looked and sounded just like Streisand. $ Recreation NCWE Page 5 s TAY 'N PLAY The Stay n Play program took an educational adventure to the Page Museum and La Brea Tar Pits on February 23. Many of the children on this voyage had never visited a natural history museum until then. The Stay n Play children were taken on tours through the Page Museum Labo- ratories and fossil exhibits. Many children. expressed how "cool" the mu- seum was and were surprisingly attentive during the tours. The Tour Op- erations Manager was extremely pleased to see how'fascinated the chil- dren were. The excellent behavior did not go unnoticed and the Stay n Play program was welcomed back anytime by the Tour Operations Man- ager. The Stay n Play field trip to the Page Museum is just another exam- ple of the Recreation Departments attempt to create life long learning ex- periences for the youth of our community. I I I PARKS DIVISION BY ADRlaNA O]I.:DA At our new Zone 5 Park, irrigation clocks were relocated to accommodate future bleachers and players benches. Parks Division employed the services and expertise of the Street Dept. to relocate the culvert pipe, which provides equipment access to the field. The chain link fence at the cul-de-sac on Newton Dr. and Zone 5 backstop have been completed. Upgrades have been completed at Stagecoach Park. The upgrades include painting the restrooms, benches, and installation of a new slide at the tot lot area. One drinking fountain by the Tennis Courts is in the process of repair and 2 others (lower park & behind snack bar) have been repaired. We are in the process of retrofitting 60 irrigation heads per reclaimed water requirements at Poinsettia Park. Installation of recommended ADA and safety upgrades to tot lot area have been completed, however we're still waiting on "poured in place" safety surfacing. Improvements at Poinsettia Park include painting the interior of the four restrooms and adding wood chips to basins of trees within the turf. Irrigation crew repaired a main break at Aviara Middle School field and a 4" main break at Poinsettia Park. They installed a 4" gate valve at Poinsettia, a water line at Pine School for future use, and a new Hunter Irrigation Controller at Magee Park. Staff also assisted the California Department of Fish and Game in providing minor improvements and repairing the irrigation system at the Buena Vista Ecological Reserve. In addition, the Parks crew completed planting 160 trees at La Costa Canyon Park, 6 trees above field one at Poinsettia Park, installed plant material in the new ornamental planters at the Dove Library, and planted 65 new shrubs at Chase Field as part of the upgrades. Due to vandalism, staff replaced a section of wrought iron fence at the Holiday Park Gazebo, also signs that were knocked down at the Skate Park have been repaired. There was extensive vehicle damage to turf at Cannon Park and minor damage to turf at Calavera Park and Laguna Riviera by unknown drivers. In addition, Stagecoach Park maintenance facility experienced 3 unsolved break-ins over the last 2 months. I The Parks Division contracted out the concrete sidewalk and park bench pad installation at Cannon Park adjacent to the tot lot and assisted the Facilities Division with the Chase Fields snack barhestroom upgrades and improvements. Staff also placed a memorial plaque under one of the donated trees at Magee Park adjacent to the shuffleboard court. I Page 6 Recreation News Carrillo Ranch- Phase II CONSTRUCTION HAS BEGUN on Phase II of the Carrillo Ranch, a 27 acre future park located at the site of the former “rancho” once owned by the late actor Leo Carrillo. The ranch is located in the Southeast Quadrant of the City, near the intersection of Melrose and Carrillo Way. On February 27*, a “ground-breaking” ceremony was held at the Ranch and was attended by the City Council, Parks and Recreation Commission, Arts, Historic Preservation and Planning Commission, as well as various other dignitaries. The ceremonial dirt was turned using the gold shovels. This was a momentous occasion that has been long awaited. Leo Carrillo built the ranch in the late 30’s as a retreat and working ranch get-away from his busy Hollywood career. The property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a State Historic Landmark and has been closed to the public awaiting needed improvements. This phase of the park (Phase II) will include the infrastructure, roads, parking, walkways, building renovation, landscaping, signage and ail improvements to accommodate public use. The park will be unique from other City parks, as it will focus on historic interpretation of the early Spanish rancho period and will provide educational, cultural and passive recreation opportunities. Completion is expected in Spring of 2003. The budget for construction is $4,400,000. Larwin Park The development of Larwin Park is currently needed to keep pace with park requirements of the Growth Management Plan as well as the recreational needs of the community. The site is located In the Northeast Quadrant of the City, off of Carlsbad Village Dr., % mile east of El Camino Real. The total project area is 22 acres, however, the majority of the land is severely constrained by topography, habitat, and power line . easements. On the positive side, the site has dramatic views to the north and does contain approximately 5 acres of un-encumbered flat area for a passive park. Already on a portion of the site is the newly opened “Dog Park”, the first of its kind in Carlsbad and a resounding success with both canines and the community alike. The most current plan for the remainder of Larwin Park calls for a passive park with a tot-lot, rest- room, picnic areas, walkways, and connections to trail systems. On February 2lSt the Parks and Recrea- tion Commission approved the Larwin Master Plan with some modification. The Plan will now go one to the City Council for approval sometime in the next month. Comments from the Parks and Recreation Commis- sion and public (from a workshop held January 30’) will be passed on to the City Council. Pine School Park In the past month, the consultant selection committee comprised of Parks and Recreation Commissioners and staff conducted interviews and selected the landscape architectural consultant to prepare the Master Plan for Pine School Park. We are excited to have selected the Schmidt Design Group as the recom- mended team to help the city make the park project a success. A pre-proposal meeting between city staff and Schmidt was held on March 4‘h to discuss the expected scope of work for the project. As of March lS‘, the school district has completely vacated the maintenance facility property. City staff are coordinating with the school district and utility companies for disconnects in preparation for the building demolition. Ninyo and Moore (the geotechnical and environmental consultant for the project) has identified some additional areas of concern in their Phase One Environmental Site Assessment. Consequently, contaminated soil removal from the Madison Street properties and further evaluation to determine if an underground fuel storage tank exists at Pine School will be required. This work coupled with the city’s recent purchase of a third residential property, has created the need to perform an additional environmental site assessment. An amendment to the original agreement for Pre-demolition Hazardous Building and Materials Survey is currently being proc- essed with the City Attorney’s office. We anticipate addressing the City Council shortly in order to approve the selection and contract for the landscape architectural consultant. At that time, staff will also outline a proposed planning process for the park, which includes City Council, Parks and Recreation Commission, and community input to the park design. Page 7 Recreation News ADULT SPORTS BY STFVF. HFRREIIA Strike One! Count It! What does this mean? Well it means the Adult Sports leagues are in full swing with thirty-two basketball teams and ninety-six softball teams. The Adult Sports Leagues started league play on February 26, 2002 at Poinsettia Park, Calavera Hills, and Stagecoach Park. This season during our managers meeting we invited the chief umpire from the Margaritas Officials As- sociation to attend our meeting so that he may address all the team managers in the aspects of umpir- ing, sportsmanship, rules and regulations, and to answer any questions teams may have. At the conclu- sion of all the meetings several of team managers expressed that they enjoyed having the chief umpire . in attendance. Carlsbad businesses sponsored several teams, such as, Terry's Automotive, Rising Sun Landscaping, Rip Curl, GIA Diamonds, CJ Delong's (3 Teams) Redeemer Church, Viasat, Capital Bank, Four Sea- sons, Legoland (3 Teams), Grand Avenue, 3E, That Pizza Place (2 Teams), and this is just to list a few. Businesses sponsor their employees teams so that all their co-workers can unite, build team values, and to meet new workers. HILLS February was a busy month at Calavera. Adult basketball has returned to the gym to start another season, and adult softball has done the same out on the ball fields. On Friday February 8", Calavera hosted a teen dance sponsored by the City's special events department. All of the jr. high kids had a . great time dancing to the music in the gym. On Saturday, Feb. 23rd, Carlsbad Softball Association had their opening day festivi- -;ties . In addition to games taking place on all 3 fields, there were numerous astro ~: jumps, food vendors, and an airbrush company that did t-shirts and helmets for the girls. A member of the gold medal U.S. Olympic Softball Team was also present to give an inspirational talk to the girls and sign autographs. On Thursday, Feb. 28h, Calavera's Recreation Specialist and Recreation Supervisor I1 were able to attend the CPRS So-Cal Super Symposium in Garden Grove. The workshop was sponsored by the CPRS Supervisors' Section and included sessions on budgeting, programming, politics, evaluating employees and working with outside organizations. It culminated with an address by keynote speaker Antonio Villaraigosa. Mr. Villaraigosa is a former Speaker of the State Assembly and one of the final 2 candidates for mayor of Los Angeles in 2000. DAYTRIPPERS Everybody had a fun time at the "Fabulous Palm Springs Follies." Upcoming trips are scheduled for Ensenada, The Santa Anita Racetrack, and Glory of Easter in March. April excursions include the Anza Borrego Desert and Getty Museum.