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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-10-19; Parks & Recreation Commission; ; 1020-2 DEPARTMENT REPORT Meeting Date: October 19, 2020 To: Parks & Recreation Commission From: Kyle Lancaster, Parks & Recreation Director Staff Contact: Mike Pacheco, Recreation Services Manager Subject: Parks & Recreation Department Report Recommended Action Receive a presentation from the Parks & Recreation staff. Executive Summary Mike Pacheco, Recreation Services Manager and Tim Selke, Parks 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 PARKS & RECREATION DEPARTMENT REPORT Oct. 19, 2020 GENERAL & RECREATION Monroe Street Pool Renovation Project The City of Carlsbad’s Monroe Street Pool is 38 years old and requires maintenance to remain operational and in compliance with current health and building codes. While the city makes required upgrades, there is an opportunity to also make other enhancements to the pool. City staff are exploring three different options for the project. The city gathered input on the options for the project through an online survey from Aug. 21 - Sept. 30, 2020 to help develop an approach for improving the Monroe Street Pool that will best reflect the community's needs, values and priorities. The input gathered will be provided to the City Council to assist in deciding how ultimately to proceed with this project. 30,000 Senior Meals Served On Oct. 2, 2020, staff provided the 30,000th meal in our senior lunch program since the beginning of the COVID- 19 public health emergency. When the COVID-19 stay at home order began, staff had to shut down in-person dining at the Senior Center. Instead, staff arranged to have senior lunches packed for pick-up and delivery. These meals are provided through the County of San Diego’s Aging and Independent Services senior nutrition program. To meet the increased demand for meals during the public health emergency, the department has redeployed numerous staff. Virtual Activities and Events Our “Play@Home” campaign is still going strong, with new virtual activities and events for kids and adults being added weekly. So far, our analytics show that hundreds of residents are taking advantage of this site. Community Center Gyms to be Used as Polling Places The gyms of the Pine Avenue, Calavera Hills, and Stagecoach Community Centers will not be available for reservable pickleball and basketball play from Oct. 19 through Nov. 4, 2020. These gyms will be used as election polling places from Oct. 31 through Nov. 3, 2020; the additional closure days are needed for the Registrar of Voters set-up and take-down procedures. NEW THIS WEEK • eSports Tournament o The city’s first virtual eSports tournament was an opportunity for teens to gather virtually to show off their talents on the Fortnite battlefield. ▪ Estimated Participation (total): 95 participants • Lunch at the Culinary Lab o In honor of Leif Erickson Day, Chef Kyle prepared Icelandic cuisine including rye bread and lobster soup. In addition, the Fire Dept. joined the lab to share kitchen safety tips for Fire Prevention Week. This week’s theme is brunch and the lab will prepare eggs benedict with homemade hollandaise sauce. ▪ Estimated Participation (weekly): 22 participants • History Mystery o An image of an antique Catholic crucifix finely crafted of wood and detailed metal work was shared and revealed on the Friends of Carrillo Ranch Facebook and Instagram pages. ▪ Estimated Participation (weekly): 30 social media engagements • Virtual Preschool o The virtual preschool program for children ages three and four started its second session last week. Participants enjoyed sing-alongs, story time and festive fall crafts. ▪ Estimated Participation (monthly): 35 participants • UCSD Osher Lifelong Learning o October’s weekly video lecture from the UCSD Osher database kicked with a presentation on the world-famous graphic artist M.C. Esher. This week’s lecture features The Arc of Western Art and the Great Disruptions of the Renaissance and Impressionism. ▪ Estimated Participation (weekly): 30 video views; 8 participants • The ABCs & Part D of Medicare 2021 o Local Medicare agent, Steven Kuzmack, discussed Medicare and current changes during the open enrollment period, Oct. 12 through Dec. 7. ▪ Estimated Participation (total): 13 participants COMING SOON • Zentangle - Tangled Recipes o Learn new ways to mix, stir and combine tangle patterns into deliciously tangled tiles. ▪ Expected launch date: Oct. 13 • Successful Aging in Place: Who Gets Grandma’s Yellow Pie Plate? o A family-focused educational program offering ideas for the transfer of personal property; presented by 101 Mobility and Certified-Aging-In-Place-Specialist, Kindra French. ▪ Expected launch date: Oct. 13 • Organic Zentangle o Participants explore organic tangles that make them think of nature. ▪ Expected launch date: Oct. 20 • Healthy Rituals for Well-Being and Health, Including How to Deal with Fear o Presentation addressing issues of fear and the ability to maintain daily disciplines for well-being and bring more joy to daily life. ▪ Expected launch date: Oct. 22 • Family Halloween Household Party o Halloween themed dinner party for the whole family, complete with decorations and entertainment. Presented through a series of videos with step by step instructions. ▪ Expected launch date: Oct. 23 • All About Eyes: What Seniors Should Know About Age-related Eye Conditions o An educational journey into the world of age-related eye conditions and leading causes. ▪ Expected launch date: Oct. 29 • Carlsbad Sings! – Halloween Spooktacular o Join the Carlsbad Senior Center staff for a spectacularly spooky sing-along including popular Halloween tunes like Thriller, I Put a Spell on You and Monster Mash. ▪ Expected launch date: Oct. 29 • Festival of Lanterns: A Night of Light & Reflection o A virtual floating lantern event bringing the community together in honor of National Gratitude Month. ▪ Expected launch date: Oct. 7 (lanterns for sale online) and Nov. 14 (video streamed of floating lanterns) • Carrillo Ranch Interactive Map o Self-directed interactive map, to provide viewers a virtual exploration of the Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park. ▪ Expected launch date: TBD PARKS Village H South Status On April 14, 2020, the City Council voted unanimously to move forward with the Staff & Preserve Calavera Option for an off-leash dog area at Village H South. A fiscal year 2020-21 Capital Improvement Program charter was created and submitted with the budget request that was approved by City Council on June 23. On July 2, staff posted a Request for Proposals and Qualifications and on Aug. 5, five proposals were received. After an initial review of the proposals by staff, the five design consultant firms were narrowed to three and interviews were conducted with each firm on Aug. 31 to determine the best suited company to provide the needed services for the city. Schmidt Design Group was ultimately recommended for the project and a Professional Services Agreement is scheduled to be awarded by City Council on Nov. 3. Hub Park – South Shore Agua Hedionda Lagoon Trail On May 19, 2020 City Council awarded a Professional Services Agreement to Dudek for design services for the south shore Agua Hedionda Lagoon (Hub Park) Trail. Since the award of contract, staff has held a project kick-off meeting on July 23 and visited the site with the Dudek team on Sept. 3. SDG&E, the property owner, has expressed its desire to limit the scope of work and trail alignment to within the Hub Park lease area at this time. The team needed to evaluate potential trail alignments and parking solutions, and to identify the opportunities and constraints of the area given this parameter. The project team is currently developing conceptual designs to be reviewed by staff. Poinsettia Community Park Phase IV Dog Park, Parking Lot and Restroom On Dec. 10, 2019 City Council adopted an amendment to the Poinsettia Community Park Master Plan, reflecting the new location of the dog park, as well as the addition of an adjacent parking lot and restroom. Staff worked with the design firm to prepare the construction documents and plans/specifications for the Phase IV Dog Park Project and will return to the City Council on Nov. 3, 2020 for approval of the plans/specifications and authorization for public bidding. Calavera Hills Community Park Gateway Improvement Project When Calavera Hills Community Park was constructed, Fire Station #3 was proposed to be constructed on a lot at the southwest corner of Carlsbad Village Drive and Glasgow Drive. That lot remained vacant throughout the subsequent years. When Fire Station #3 was re-sited in the Robertson Ranch community, the referenced vacant lot became available for the construction of an entryway to Calavera Hills Community Park. On Sept. 1, 2017, the Planning Division approved a consistency determination for the project. This determination confirmed the project’s consistency with the uses previously allowed in Calavera Hills Community Park under its Conditional Use Permit. Staff then worked with the design consultant to develop the project’s contract documents and plans/specifications. On Feb. 25, 2020, the City Council approved the contract documents and plans/specifications for the Calavera Hills Community Park Gateway Improvement Project and authorized the City Clerk to advertise the project for public bidding. On May 27, fourteen sealed bids for the project were received. A formal bid protest was received from Tri-Group Construction and Development, alleging that the apparent low bidder received an unfair competitive advantage because its bid listed a company other than the city’s specified shade manufacturer. On Aug. 18, in response to the bid protest and the fact that all bids considerably exceeded the engineers estimate, the City Council adopted a resolution rejecting all bids received, consistent with Carlsbad Municipal Code. The project was re-advertised for bids on Aug. 27 and bids were due on Oct. 13, 2020. Staff is currently evaluating the bids to determine the lowest responsive and responsible bidder. Buena Vista Reservoir Site The site of the former Buena Vista Reservoir will be turned into a small park as part of a set of agreements approved by the City Council in March 2017. The new park will be approximately three acres and will include the following amenities: the existing water tank, children's play area, loop trail around the park, picnic areas with shade, water-wise landscaping, benches throughout the park and 11 parking spaces on the street. After presentations to the Parks & Recreation Commission and the City Council, Lennar Homes - in partnership with the city - submitted an application for a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for the project on Dec. 13, 2018. On Oct. 2, 2019, the Planning Commission unanimously approved that CUP. The design team has prepared construction plans and specifications for the project and Lennar has conducted a formal bidding process. Lennar is currently working to towards awarding a contract and beginning construction on the site, with an anticipated completion in early 2021. ADA Beach Access Project/Tamarack State Beach Trail Connectivity Project On July 24, 2018, the City Council adopted a resolution authorizing the execution of a Professional Services Agreement with Chen Ryan for the preparation of feasibility studies for the ADA Beach Access Project and the Trail Connectivity to Tamarack State Beach Project. The feasibility studies evaluate alternatives to construct ADA accessible pedestrian walkways and ramps to provide a connection from Carlsbad Boulevard to the beach, as well as the potential for the connection of the North Shore Agua Hedionda Lagoon Trail to Tamarack State Beach. On July 21 staff presented a report on these feasibility studies to the City Council and subsequently, the City Council accepted the ADA Beach Access Feasibility Study and corresponding plans and directed staff to prepare a request for proposals to pursue the environmental review, agency permitting, engineering and construction documentation phases of the project. The City Council did not accept the Trail Connectivity to Tamarack State Beach Feasibility Study and corresponding plans due to concerns over safety, cost and sea level rise and discussed the feasibility of an at grade crossing. COVID-19 Related Park Amenity Reopening’s On Sept 8, all the basketball hoops were reinstalled on the outdoor park basketball courts. The reinstallation of the outdoor hoops coincided with the timing of our resumption of community center gyms’ activity at 10% maximum capacity, under a reservation system, for pickleball in the mornings and basketball in the afternoons (and weekday evenings). On Sept. 29 the state released direction and guidance to allow for the safe re-opening of public playgrounds. Parks Maintenance staff along with the City’s Communications team created all the necessary signage to be displayed. The Parks team implemented the appropriate safety measures including establishing maximum occupancies, marking six-foot distances and providing hand wash stations and were able to open the playgrounds on the morning of Oct. 2. On October 10, following direction received from the state the previous day, all park picnic shelters were re- opened to the public. The revised guidance from the state allowed outdoor gatherings of no more than three households.