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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002-05-20; Parks & Recreation Commission; 502-1; Commissioner's ReportPARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION - AGENDA BILL AB# 502-1 INFO . TITLE : MTG. DATE: 5-20-02 COMMISSIONER’S REPORT n ACTION STAFF: PRICHARD I RECOMMENDED ACTION : U Accept and file. ITEM EXPLANATION : Attached is the Commissioner’s Report for May, 2002. EXHIBITS: 1. Commissioner’s Report - May, 2002. 0 __ Agrra Hedionda Lagoon Aqua tics Ca la vera Hills Civ \:Vide Trials Daytrippers Enrichment Classes Facilities Park Development Pa rks Preschool Senior Center Stay ‘n Play Spring Camp 1 b u th Sports ENRICHMENT CLASSES The enrichment program has discovered a very special student in one of its programs. Here is her story as told by her parents. Blanca has always loved to sing but since she is blind and autistic, her outlets for singing have been limited. Then, two years ago, we discovered the “Singing Basics” class offered through Carlsbad Parks & Recreation. We weren’t sure how Blanca might fit in until we met the instructor, Kathy Esqueda. Her wel- coming attitude reassured us that Blanca could and would enjoy the class. Not all in- structors are able or willing to work with chil- dren with disabilities, but Kathy always makes a point to include Blanca in all aspects of the class. She regularly utilizes Blanca’s strengths of memorization, singing ability and knowledge of class routines, raising the level of respect with which her classmates treat her. Her attitude of flexibility has helped Blanca improve not only her voice but her performance before an audi- ence. We believe the poise Blanca exhibited with her recent appearance on the “Kids are Worth a Million” telethon is a direct result of the training from her singing class. Kathy has also provided other community forums to showcase the talents of her students. She arranged for Blanca and some of her other students to per- form at a Senior Center and at a festival at Heritage Park where Blanca won 2nd place in the singing competition. As we look back over the last two years, we marvel at the many ways in which Blanca has matured not only in her sing- ing and performing, but also in interacting with her nondisabled peers. Be- cause of the singing class offered by Parks & Recreation, a child like Blanca can do something she loves in a positive social environment. And, she has a quality instructor who brings out the best in her. We are so thankful that Carlsbad Parks & Recreation offers a class that brings so much joy to our daughter. We look forward to many more years of partici- pation. EXHIBIT I Page 2 1. ,I Volunteers Needed for our Annual Agua Hedionda Lagoon Cleanup, Saturday, June Ist, 8:30 am to 12 noon. co- Sponsored with the Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation, Bristol Cove Property Owner's Association, California Watersports at Snug Harbor Marina and Carlsbad Boat & Ski Club, we meet at the foot of Bayshore Drive off Park Drive. Start with refreshments, grab some trash bags and plastic gloves, then go pick up that trash! Please call 602-7514 if any questions. This years Annual Spring Camp took place at Stagecoach Park from April 1-5. The Recreation Department hosted 85 children through a week of fun-filled games, arts and crafts, and exciting field trips. This year the camp ventured to the San Marcos Stadium 18 Movie Theatre, and to Universal Studios Hollywood. This action packed week of fun brought many smiles and memories to it's campers, and the grand finally trip to Universal Studios was a great climax for the end of the campers spring vacations. This April the Stay n Play Program received a visit from the Carlsbad Police Department. On April 18th, the Carlsbad Police department joined the Stay n Play Program at Holiday Park to give an educational demonstration on the many uses of their K-9 Unit. The officers gave a fantastic hands-on show to approximately 175 Stay n Play children. There are only five more weeks until the end of the year Sta\ Play field trip to Knott's Berry Farm. The Stay n Play children are anxiously waiting, and homewo. participation points are at an all time high. This year's trip may prove to be the biggest attendance in Stay n Play history! I Recreation News 8 Page 3 BY LALLRA BALL & SilARON IEWELL The annual Friendship Tea on April Il* was a rousing success, as about six of the ladies in attendance dressed in gorgeous Victorian costumes, with plumed hats and intricate lacy dresses, all ready for a High Tea. Hazel Whittaker wove her usual magic with homemade scones, clotted creme, strawbeny jam and ’.authentic British tea; the Nutrition Department supplied delicious sandwiches. All who attended commented many, many times what a wonderful affair it was! An RN from Casa Palmera addressed a full house April 18* on how to stay Healthy ‘til A Hundred. Beth ,Blackmon discirssed a wide range of health concerns specific to seniors and offered advice on how to stay healthy from head to toe! The informative handouts were a real treat for those in attendance. The seniors went back in time as they watched clips of silent films on April 25*. Kent Jewel1 presented clips showcasing Mary Pickford, Rudolph Valentino and Clara Bow, and then discussed the transitions and history of the period. It was fantastic! Our April travel included San Juan Capistrano, Santa Anita, Hollywood and our infamous Mystery Trip. The most special was Hollywood and our tour and lunch at the Roosevelt Hotel, a tour of tinsel town downtown and our afternoon spent at the costume exhibition from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising which presented the costumes from the 2001 movies. There was a lot of history on the star‘s walk of fame and the academy awards and the costumes were magnificent. This was a beautiful experience for.all of us. -C!TYWZDE TRAZLS PROGRAM The Citywide Trails Program is visualized as a flexible, multi-use recreation and circulation system which will proyide varied recreational uses and routes for walkers, bikers, hikers, joggers and pedestrians, as well as providing opportunities as an alternative to automobile transportation, exercise and nature study. A variety of trail types with varying degrees of difficulty, surface types and uses currently exists and will continue to be built. As development continues, many trails will be built in the open space corridors of master planned communities and as part of future roadway development. Carlsbad has included trails in planning efforts as far back as the 1973 General Plan. Recently, in November 2001 the City Council approved the Citywide Trails Program Report due in large part to the Carlsbad Citywide survey and citizens overwhelming response that trails and open space and the associated recreational opportunities they afford, are quality of life issues that they feel are a priority in determining Carlsbad as a city in which they wish to reside. Currently staff is working on acceptance of Trail Dedications that were offered as part of development of the Rancho Carrillo housing project. This unpaved recreational trail meanders through the Open Space corridor of the development and connects to Leo Carrillo Historic Park and to the City of San Marcos trail system at Carlsbad’s eastern border. The trail will also tie into future trails being developed as part of the Villages of La Costa Open Space corridors and the future Alga Norte Park. Final dedication and a ribbon - cutting ceremony for the Rancho Carrillo Trail is expected to occur later this summer. The new Citywide Trail System will rely heavily on the use of volunteers to build, maintain and monitor trail use, which will assist with defraying maintenance costs and promoting the trails system. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please contact the Recreation Dept. at 434-2826. Page 4 Recreation News The Parks Division is currently gearing up for this summer‘s events: preparation for “Jazz in the Parks” concert series, sod removal at Poinsettia Park for the new synthetic turf installation, and the annual athletic field maintenance operations. We believe this will be a very challenging and productive summer and are optimistic that we will meet this challenge. At Zone 5, staff is working on installing a net that will add an additional 10 ft. in height along the Ist base fence line. This should help to deflect errant foul balls from going into the street. Staff is also coordinating an Eagle Scout Project for Zone 5 that will address the bank area outside the 3‘d base fence line. The Eagle Scout will be responsible for coordinating this project, which will entail soil preparation, irrigation system installation, and transplanting sod from Poinsettia soccer field. In addition, the Irrigation crew installed a new ADA compliant drinking fountain, which was a much-needed addition. A minor public works contract was established with True-Line Surfacing for resurfacing the tennis/ basketball courts at some of our parks. This project is scheduled to begin mid-May, starting first with La Costa Canyon Park, then onto Laguna Riviera at the end of May, and finishing up at Poinsettia Park at the beginning of June. We are hoping this project will not adversely affect recreational tennis lessons at these locations, since this work is being done during a break in the program. Soon to follow will be windscree installation on all 21 tennis courts maintained by the Parks Division. Once the windscreen installation is complete, we will have top condition tennis courts again. April was a steady month for the Harding Community Center scheduling office. If you take a look at the scheduling books you’ll find that every weekend from May through September has either a wedding cere- mony, wedding reception or private party scheduled. Our parks have become increasingly popular for these types of events. This can only be credited to the outstanding conditions of the parks and the job performed by the Parks Department. I would like to highlight a few park sites: Magee Park offers a picturesque location while offering the Magee House rose garden, the historic Red Barn as a backdrop and the newly remodeled Heritage Hall. Holiday Park is parallel to Magee Park in popularity while having the distinction as Carlsbad’s oldest park. Often, when citizens call for reservations, they refer to Holiday Park as “Carlsbad Park. Holiday Park offers a ga- zebo and a shaded picnic area, plenty of open space and active playground equipment. You can go by Holiday Park on any Saturday or Sunday and the park will be filled with hundreds of people. Holiday Park has also been the site of the Carlsbad Rotary Club’s Octoberfest fundraiser for the past 25 years. One other park site that gets used quite a bit, but is not that well known is Cannon Park. The parks location on Carlsbad Boulevard with a view of the ocean says it all. When citizen: call inquiring about this park they can’t believe it is a first come, first serve park - no reservations needed. With a backstop for friendly softball games, plenty of open grass for Frisbee throwing, a basketball court and newly installed tot lot, this is a perfect spot for those summer sunsets with family and friends. P I, - Re-creatio'n News t r .jA'JTRlPPERS B Y L7 A b' F ,VI I L 1. 1 K A I\' Excursions in April were to the Anza ' Borrego desert and Getty Museum. In May an excursion is scheduled to see a theatrical performance of the Lion King at the Pantages Theater. Upcoming summer trips include the Laguna Art Festival, Solvang & Danish Days and another trip to Laughlin. - Page 5 YOUTH SPORTS BY LORI SLVENUK As May flowers blossom so does the Youth Sports department. The Summer Brochure is ready and the Camp Booklets are being distributed to the schools! Needless to say, our phones are ringing off the hook with questions about our summer sports camps. To date there are over 30 camps to choose from and something for all ages. We're taking a new twist on youth basketball and offering a summer league for our High School age population. Registration begins in mid May and league play is scheduled to begin July 13, 2002. Games will be played on Saturdays and yes, volunteer coaches are needed. It's going to be a short season but a lot of fun! Anyone interested can call the Youth Sports department at 602- 7525 for more information. Staff would like to acknowledge the Boys "A" Division youth basketball team from Stagecoach Park coached by Ken Alexander and Larry Lawrence. After winning the Southern California Municipal Athletic Federation (SCMAF) County Tournament on March 17,2002 in Chula Vista, the team went on to play in the Federation Tournament March 22-24 in the Los Angeles area, and won the championship! Teams from all over Southern California participated. The team was also awarded the "Sportsmanship Award" for that Division. We're proud and honored to have them representing the City of Carisbad and the youth of our community. Congratulations! PARK DEVELOPMENT Pine Park BY SCOTT BRADSTREET Located at the site of the former Pine School, bordered by the Senior Center, Harding Street, and Chestnut Avenue, this 7.2-acre community park will serve the Northeast Quadrant by providing active and passive use amenities. Council recently approved the master planning process and the consultant agreement with Schmidt Design Group for Pine Park. The master planning process will begin with two public workshops; the first to be held on May 28, 2002 at 6:OO p.m. at City Hall. The second will be held on June 17, 2002 at 6pm at the Senior Center. For each of these workshops, existing city standards and guidelines will be discussed and public testimony will be heard. The product of the workshops will dictate the primary emphasis and the design parameters for the park. Pending Council approval, the bidding process for demolition of Pine School will begin May 8, 2002. The bidding process will require 45 days, followed by actual demolition, which will require 4 months. Demolition is scheduled to be complete in mid-September, 2002. For the interim use of the property, the temporary modulars for the Centro de lnformacion and the Stay 'N Play program are now on site. Utilities hook-ups and .*nant improvements will be coordinated over the next month to prepare for occupancy. ,mstruction for the park is projected to begin in mid-2004, with a possible opening in late 2005. The park budget is 6.9 million dollars.