HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-01-30; Parks & Recreation Commission; 0112-12; DEPARTMENT REPORTAB# 0112-2 • INFO
MTG. DATE: 01/30/12 DEPARTMENT REPORT
\E\ ACTION
STAFF: SPICKARD
PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION - AGENDA BILL
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Receive a presentation from the Parks and Recreation staff.
ITEM EXPLANATION:
Sue Spickard, Recreation Services Manager, will report on recently completed and upcoming
Parks and Recreation activities, donations and grants, as well as other topics of local interest.
EXHIBITS:
1. Department Report
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DEPARTMENT REPORT
^? PARKS & RECREATION
^ CITY OF
CARLSBAD
Parks & Recreation October - January 30, 2012
1. Alga Norte Park
At their September 27*'' meeting, City Council directed staff to proceed with a "design/build" process for
the park. They also awarded a contract amendment to Wimmer, Yamada and Caughey, the original park
designers to make some preliminary updates to the plan and act as the city's agents to make sure the
final construction plans are in keeping with the original intent. The Property and Environmental
Management Department is scheduled to present and ask council to approve the Request for Proposal
for design/build firms at the February 14*'' meeting. Start of construction is scheduled for May 2012 with
completion anticipated in early fall 2013.
2. The Crossings at Carlsbad Improvements
Erosion repairs and drainage improvements began in November with the initial work beginning at hole
No. 17 to improve drainage at the northwest side of the fairway and to stabilize an adjacent slope. A
minor public works contract will soon be out for bid that will include remaining improvements for paving
an access road between hole No.'s 2 and 3 and for drainage and cart path improvements at hole No's. 8
and 9.
Design work is underway to add a players' lounge and redesign of the 18th hole at the Crossings Golf
Course. The players' lounge will be located within the golf shop and will be exclusively for golfers. The
existing Canyon's restaurant is often booked for special events (weddings, parties, etc.) and is often not
available to golfers. This will be a dedicated lounge with a bar and a paired down food service menu.
This amenity is anticipated to be complete in March 2012. The 18th green redesign is intended to slightly
enlarge and soften the undulations ofthe green to make the finishing hole more playable to the average
golfer. This work is scheduled to be completed in May. During the reconstruction, a temporary green will
be in place.
3. Pine Park IVIadison Properties
Planting and irrigation improvements were completed in late October by Western Gardens Landscape at
the vacant Madison lots. As part of the contract the contractor is also responsible for the maintenance
ofthe newly landscaped areas for 90 days after acceptance ofthe work. The maintenance period will
end in mid-February.
City owned vacant home - On January 24, City Council approved the demolition ofthe City owned
vacant house on Madison Avenue which is in the area ofthe future Pine Avenue Park expansion.
Although there is no specified date in the Capital Improvement Program forthe expansion ofthe park,
the house has been deemed an attractive nuisance and is not needed for any City use. Work is planned
to be completed by City staff.
4. Trails Survey and Trail Count 2010/2011
A trails survey was available on the City website during the month of October, to allow staff to collect
feedback on trails. Access to nature, a diverse transportation system and a healthy outdoor lifestyle
were all identified by Carlsbad residents recently as part of the "community vision" for the future. The
vision was created based on a nearly two-year public outreach and involvement process called Envision
Carlsbad. One important priority identified was expanding the city's trail program.
A key tool for assisting in the development of a trails program is to conduct trail counts and trail surveys
to evaluate current trail use in a community to help determine anticipated needs of trail users. The data
from the trail count and the trails survey will serve as a benchmark for evaluating the current status of
the trails program and for future development ofthe trails system in Carlsbad.
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In September, city staff and volunteers completed the trail count and collected data on their usage.
Counters documented the number and types of users (pedestrians, bicyclists, dog walkers, etc.) at
various times of day and days ofthe week. The trails included in Carlsbad's first trail count were:
Carlsbad Oaks North Business Park, Coastal Rail trail. La Costa Glen trail. Veteran's Park and The
Crossings trails and the El Fuerte trail and Poinsettia Lane trails in Bressi Ranch. The completed trail
count and survey will be posted on the city website and available for viewing.
5. Beaches and Lagoons
Dredging ofthe Batiquitos Lagoon - The California Department of Fish and Game awarded a contract to
Marathon Construction and its subcontractor, Camenzind Dredging, Inc forthe maintenance dredging of
the Batiquitos Lagoon. Equipment mobilization and dredging activities ofthe central basin began in
November, with project completion estimated by March 2012. The work plan is to dredge
approximately 118,000 cubic yards of sand from the central basin and deposit it south ofthe inlet
channel to the lagoon, and to construct minor modifications to the western basin including re-grading of
the sand on the beach west ofCarlsbad Blvd to minimize sand blowing onto the bike and travel lanes.
Buena Vista Lagoon Restoration Plan - On November 15th the City Council considered a presentation
by city staff and representatives from the California Department of Fish and Game regarding the current
status ofthe Buena Vista Lagoon Restoration Plan The Council subsequently authorized the Mayor to
send a letter to the Secretary ofthe Natural Resources Agency requesting he direct the completion of
the EIR. In December, representatives from Carlsbad and Oceanside met personally with Secretary Laird
reinforcing the cities' collective desire to see the EIR completed.
Sandag Regional Beach Sand Project - Sandag recently received construction bids for the Regional
Beach Sand Project II (RBSP II), and is currently working with the participating cities to ensure that the
available funding is sufficient to meet the expenditures needed for the lowest responsive bid. RBSP II is
anticipated to begin pumping sand onto the region's beaches in March/April 2012, most likely starting in
Imperial Beach and progressing northward. The two Carlsbad beach nourishment sites are: north
Carlsbad - between Oak Street and the Buena Vista Lagoon, and south Carlsbad - directly west of
Palomar Airport Road and Carlsbad Boulevard. It is anticipated the two Carlsbad Beach Nourishment
sites will receive an approximate total of 306,000 cubic yards of sand. RBSP 11 is anticipated to reach
Carlsbad's beaches during mid to late summer (August/September 2012).Beaches - Sandag recently
certified the Environmental Impact Report forthe Regional Beach Sand Project II (RBSP II). The project,
which is similar to the 2001 RBSP, will pump approximately 2 million cubic yards of sand from offshore
sand deposits to 11 critically eroded beaches in San Diego County. There are two beach sites within
Carlsbad - the stretch in north Carlsbad between Oak Ave and the Buena Vista Lagoon, and the segment
in south Carlsbad directly westward of Carlsbad Blvd and Palomar Airport Road. RBSP II is anticipated to
begin in April 2012, starting in the southern region ofthe county and working northward.
6. Parks Maintenance
A partial list ofthe non-routine tasks completed during December 2011 at Calavera Hills, Magee, Hidden
Canyon, Pine Avenue, Chase, Aviara, Poinsettia, La Costa Canyon, Leo Carrillo Ranch, and Stagecoach
parks included: refurbished multiple planters and slopes; planted several shade trees; over-seeded
active and passive turf where needed; re-graded decomposed granite trails/paths and parking lots;
installed donated memorial benches and plaques; painted storage buildings, light standards, barbeques,
railings, and backstops; and mounted regulatory signage. Also completed during December 2011 was
the programmed pruning of trees at Holiday, Oak, Skate, Hosp Grove, and Poinsettia parks.
7. Recreation Program Highlights
L.I.T.E Teen afterschoolprogram - We are proud to announce the opening of a second site that now
houses the expansion of the L.I.T.E. Teen Afterschool Program. It was discovered that after the initial
day of registration our enrollment exceeded our maximum amount of thirty participants at Pine Avenue
Park. A waiting list was created with seventeen teens and an additional six have been added to our
already growing list. In mid-September we decided to expand to Holiday Park (Holiday House) to service
20 more teens from the waitlist. This new site was opened on October 24,2011. Both locations offer
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identical program outlines & structure. This expansion is a great opportunity for the youth of Carlsbad to
go to a program that offers homework help, leadership opportunities, community service, making new
friends, and so much more.
Enrichment - is now offering Try it for FREE promotions where anyone can show up and try a new class
without the commitment of registering. We have hosted two of these sample weeks and they have
resulted in an increase in registrations by 30-34% after each sample week. We provide the facility and
promote the free sample classes in the brochure and the contract instructors volunteer their time and
program materials for this promotional event. This season the classes were focused on fitness and new
dance classes!
Enrichment is offering Winter and Spring camps for the first time. Our Toy Store Emporium one day
spectacular workshop, in December, allowed parents to drop the kids off to enjoy a day filled with crafts,
activities and even the ability to design their own toy. Despite this being added as a late addition we
drew 16 new kids and they had a great time!
T.R.U.S.T. (Teaching Respect, Unity, and Sportsmanship through Teamwork) Basketball coach meeting
was held in October for the coaches and volunteers. They were treated by two special NBA guests. Bill
Walton and Steve Kerr at the event. Both shared their stories and advice to our coaches and helped
reinforce our programs and create fun for the kids. T.R.U.S.T. was the key. Special thanks to Sue Irey,
city volunteer coordinator, for her taking the time to update our volunteers.
8. PERSONNEL
On October 31, 2011 Jessica Field, Recreation Supervisor, overseeing special event coordination
transferred from the Police Department to the Parks & Recreation Department.
At the December Employee Breakfast the following employees were recognized for their years of
service.
5-year service pins:
• Parks Maintenance - Ron Anderson, Maintenance Worker II
• Parks Maintenance - Mark Hogan, Maintenance Worker II
• Parks & Recreation Administration - Debbie Jo McCool, Administrative Secretary
• Parks Maintenance - Juan Ojeda, Jr., Maintenance Aide
• Recreation/Special Events - Rachael Shay, Recreation Supervisor
10 year service pins:
• Parks Maintenance - Jason Christman, Maintenance Worker II
• Park Planning & Development - Liz Ketabian, Park Planner
• Recreation/Harding - Brian O'Grady, Recreation Specialist
15 year service pin:
• Trails/Medians/Parkway-Thomas Sanchez, Maintenance Worker III
30 year service pin:
• Trails/Medians/Parkway - Bruce Lentz, Tree Trimmer II
• Recreation/Monroe Street Pool - Carl Pope III, Aquatics Supervisor
9. Completed Event(s) / Donation(s)
12/31/10-7/1/11 - Leo Carrillo Ranch Donations - The Carlsbad Parks & Recreation Department has
received and deposited a total of $4,620.74 in donation revenue to the Carrillo Ranch Trust Fund. The
donations, in support of Leo Carrillo Ranch, were in part due to the significant contributions from the
following donors: Ms. Martha McCarter, Ms. Esther Hofer, Mr. Ron Young, Good Times Travel, Canyon
Lake Garden Club, and Inland Empire Tours. Donations were generated through the sale of gift items and
private docent led tours ofthe historic rancho. No single donation was in excess of $500.
9/14/11 - Friends of Carrillo Ranch - Six garden benches were donated for use at Leo Carrillo Ranch
Historic Park, to compliment a bench which was donated a few months prior in memory of former
Friends of Carrillo ranch board member, Tony Carter. The total value ofthe in kind donation for all seven
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benches was $2,550. Each of these benches were placed separately in areas throughout the park for our
visitors' enjoyment.
9/17/11 - Family Movie Night @ Stagecoach - The event was a huge success as 1,300 people joined
Carlsbad's Parks & Recreation staff at Stagecoach Park. E.T., the Extra Terrestrial was shown on a 35'
outdoor screen at dusk. Prior to the start of the movie, attendees participated in themed relay games,
crafts, and a photo op of the iconic image of the bike in front of the moon. Attendees had the chance to
spin the opportunity wheel for one dollar and win fun prizes. Proceeds from the prize wheel totaled
$128 and will support Opportunity Grants.
10/29/11 - Halloween on Elm - Halloween on Elm celebrated its second year on October 29 in Carlsbad
Village. This event is a multi-department effort headed up by the housing and neighborhood services
department. Parks & Recreation staff played a key role in coordinating the fun zone as well as supplying
the decor, all graphics support, and equipment such as tables, canopies, generators, and staff support.
The event drew approximately 10,000 attendees to the Village who were able to take part in arts and
crafts, trick-or-treating, face painting, a costume contest and more.
11/23/11 - Opportunity Grants Donation - La Costa Youth Sports Organization donated $500 in support
the of department's Opportunity Grant Fund. The generous donation was made as a gesture of gratitude
for Parks Department staffs completion of a fence extension and enhancement project at La Costa
Meadows/El Fuerte (North) athletic field. Staff procured the necessary materials and extended the fence
on the 3rd base side of the field to match the extension performed several months earlier on the first
base side. This new enhancement will enhance player and spectator safety, and help to minimize
wayward baseballs from leaving the playing field.
Opportunity Grants provide low income Carlsbad residents the opportunity to send their children to
classes, camps, and other recreation activities offered by the Parks & Recreation Department."
12/1/11 - Volunteer Appreciation luncheon - A luncheon was held to recognize the great support of
city trail volunteers. The trail volunteers were recognized for over 2,000 hours of volunteer service by
360 volunteers during the 2011 calendar year and for milestone accomplishments to implement
Carlsbad's first trail count, trails survey, and for maintaining and improving the 30 miles of open space
trails throughout Carlsbad. Over 600 hours of volunteer service had been provided at the Calavera
Preserve. High School students from Carlsbad and Pacific Ridge High Schools contributed over 200 hours
of volunteer service to the city's trails in 2011. Donated items used at the events were received from
Jimbos, REI, Adventure 16, Pete's Coffee, Vanaka Cafe' and Grand Cafe'.
12/3/11 - Holiday at the Rancho - On December 3, hundreds of people joined us to kick off the holiday
season at the Holiday at the Rancho community event. Families gathered around the pool area to watch
Santa light the tree and carolers kick off the event. The train ride took visitors across a portion of the
park donned with animated lights. Santa visited with the children in the Cabana, volunteers read holiday
themed stories in the Hacienda, and holiday shopping, fun crafts, face painting and cookie decorating
were available to all visitors. The Parks & Recreation Department hosted a Toys for Tots drive at the
event and collected over 100 toys. A $200 cash donation by Point Loma Credit Union helped in support
of the Holiday at the Rancho event.
12/7/11 - Opportunity Grants Donation - Received a donation in the amount of $1,000 from Rhythm &
Hues, Inc. to benefit the Opportunity Grant Program. This generous donation was received upon the
conclusion of an Aviara Community Park rental. The $1,000 donation will help to provide recreational
opportunities for low income Carlsbad residents age 17 and younger.
12/22/11 - Holiday Candy Grams - Each year during the holidays the Ll.T.E. teens run a program to
raise funds by selling Holiday Candy Grams to city staff that allows staff to send holiday cheer along with
some candy to other staff members. The candy gram proceeds are then used to purchase small gifts for
seniors who receive Senior Center home meals delivered on December 22. This year over 600 candy
grams were sent by staff and the event's proceeds were $510 dollars. These funds allowed the L.I.T.E.
teens the ability to provide forty seniors with a small gift that was delivered with their holiday home
meal. ^
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1/28/12 - Teen Scene - The city's largest sponsored teen event, took place on January 28 and brought
out over 600 teens to Calavera Hills Community Center. The activities entailed a dance room with a D.J.,
a teen art exhibit, a film festival with film short written and directed by teens and a luxury video game
trailer sponsored by GameTruck. The featured event. Battle ofthe Bands, brought 11 extremely
talented bands who competed for the title of 2012 Carlsbad Battle of the Bands Champions along with
professional recording time in the Hurley recording studios. Big Bear Mountain Resort lift tickets, a gig at
the Rock the Library series and much more. This event brings in our second largest amount of in-kind
support from the community donating prizes for our winners valued at $6,620.
10. Trails
9/24/11 - National Public Lands Day Event- 9/24 Lake Calavera - Approximately 30 hikers participated
in a 5 mile interpretive hike at the Calavera Preserve. The interpretive hike began at the dam with Sherri
Howard, Associate Engineer for the City of Carlsbad and Greg Rubin, President of the Agua Hedionda
Lagoon Foundation, speaking ofthe history ofthe lake and dam, and the importance ofthe Agua
Hedionda water shed and the lake's current function as a flood control reservoir for protecting
residential and open areas downstream of the lake. Another highlight of the walk included the
geological history on Mount Calavera, by geologist, and long-time trail advocate and volunteer leader,
Gary Hill along with great tidbits of information on native plant species by Greg Rubin as the hike went
from upland areas into the creek bed. Insight into the habitat management, protection and restoration
which are overseen by the Center for Natural Lands Management and the City's HMP Land Steward,
Rosanne Humphrey, were also highlighted. Participants also learned about the Lake Calavera Trail
Master Plan and saw first-hand, the volunteer efforts that have improved the trails in the preserve.
10/15/11- October Trail Hike-Rancho Carrillo Trails -A hike was held from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on
the Rancho Carrillo trails into neighboring San Marcos. Leading the hike was Walter Konopka, a
San Diego History Museum volunteer Canyoneer. Hikers learned a bit about the historic Leo Carrillo
Ranch Park from the park staff and then Walter led the hike on the east side ofthe trail system and up
the big hill to Simmons Family Park in San Marcos where hikers took in the expansive views ofthe north
county coastline. Returning to the park, hikers were invited to stay and explore the ranch.
12/3/11- La Costa Glen Trail Clean Up- Trail volunteer work at this event focused on refurbishing the
kiosk at the Levante St. trailhead with a new coat of paint, removing vegetation that was starting to
encroach on the trail, as well as repairing erosion and replenishing the trail surface with decomposed
granite. All tasks were completed with approximately 30 hours of volunteer service donated that
morning.
12/10/11 - Lake Calavera Preserve Trail Improvements -Twenty volunteers were not at the mall, but
spent their morning doing various improvements at the preserve including trail erosion repairs and a
major drainage improvement at the Skyhaven Lane east trailhead. in addition to trail "dirt work", a
special planting effort took place at the 1 acre mitigation site with plants that were lovingly grown from
cuttings taken from the preserve, by trail co-captain Bet Fetscher, who contributed 35 native plants that
were planted in the 1 acre mitigation site. Special thanks also for this day's volunteer effort goes to
Habitat Restoration Sciences for donating their time, equipment and expertise in performing trail
erosion repairs on the trail north of the restoration sites at Skyhaven Lane.
1/28/12 - Trail Volunteer Work - Lake Calavera - A general clean-up removing litter, trimming
overgrown shrubs and repairing trail ruts on trails as well as a native plant restoration planting project
were completed with the help ofthe Solana Ranch Girl Scouts as part of their "Thinking Day" community
service project. Erosion control efforts were also a big part ofthe improvements to the preserve,
provided by the more rugged and hardy trail volunteers who installed 200 gravel bags to prevent further
erosion of areas alongside and near the trails.
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11. Upcoming Events
2/11/12 - Second Saturday Trail Work- Santa Fe Trails - Volunteer events are from 8:30 a.m. until
11:30 a.m. Work for this volunteer event will include further improvements for the timber stairs at the
west trailhead at Calle Acervo along with, general erosion repairs, and vegetation clearing. Gloves, tools
and snacks are provided by the Parks and Recreation Dept. for use by the volunteers who come out to
assist. Further information is available at the City's website.
4/7/12 - EGGstravaganza - Parks & Recreation annual spring special event to take place at Poinsettia
Community Park from 10am to 1pm. More details forth coming.
12. ''Feel Good'' Moments
Trail awareness at the recent National Public Lands Day event led a participant who came out to ask
where there are wheel chair accessible trails with open space here in Carlsbad where she could take
her husband. The next day staff received an email from Laura Cunningham, Laura wrote "
Thanks for a great National Public Land Day hike at Lake Calavera. Please thank everyone involved in
the program. It was educational and enjoyable. Today we took your advice, and my husband and I went
to the La Costa Glen trail. Although it is not as exciting as the Lake Calavera, it was easy to do with the
wheel chair. I've attached a picture of Bob on the trail."
Greg Dauss, Parks maintenance employee was featured in a full page article in the December 2011
Carlsbad magazine. They showcased how he continues to take special care ofthe Carlsbad village area
landscape. Way to go Greg!
Story of service - Parks Maintenance Team at Aviara - Letter from Park visitor - My name is Ryan
Martin and I wanted to express my sincere thanks for the work of two of your employees. Last week, I
was in Carlsbad with my family visiting my mother. We took my sons to Aviara Community Park (on
Poinsettia and Ambrosia) to play and accidently left our diaper bag at the park. I didn't realize it until
the next morning when we were on our way to Legoland and quickly ran back to the park to try and
find it. It wasn't where I thought I had left it so asked one of your employees (Jason) if he had any idea
where it could be and he quickly dropped what he was doing to try and help me out. He and another
worker (Cooper) were able to find the bag in a matter of minutes and were incredibly friendly while
doing it. I was extraordinarily thankful for their hard work. The bag had a lot of important things in it
and if we had lost it, it would have made things very difficult for us. On a separate note, your park is
beautiful. I live up in Green Bay, Wisconsin and though we have lots of nice parks here, I found myself
very jealous of the great play area, the nice soccer fields, etc.
A story of 3 Homebound seniors at home alone during Christmas - After lunch was delivered today,
one of our Home Meal delivery volunteers stopped by to tell me a story and now I want to pass
this story on to you. You see, Vivian is one of the volunteer drivers who deliver meals each week to our
homebound seniors. Today we asked her to help deliver the wonderful presents that the LITE kids had
purchased with the money earned from their Candy Gram sales.
Vivian's first stop was a lady who just celebrated her 102nd birthday when she received the
present she didn't understand so Vivian showed her the flyer included that explained what the LITE kids
were all about. The senior lady was so touched and said: "I didn't think anyone cared".
Next stop was a much younger 98 year old lady..... when she opened her present, Vivian said she
caressed the mug inside like it was the finest China.
Last stop was also very moving because Vivian said that the lady cried she cried with joy because
the LITE kids had thought of her at Christmas. Bottom line is that the seniors were thrilled, the
volunteer was thrilled, I was thrilled, the LITE Kids were thrilled when Vivian told them the story and
now I know that you have that same warm feeling because no matter what your job is in this
process we all worked together to make this wonderful Christmas story come true for some
homebound seniors that thought "no one cared" that they were alone.
For additional events please visit the City web site @ www.carisbadca.gov
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