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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002-10-28; Parks & Recreation Commission; MinutesMinutes of: Date of Meeting: Place of Meeting: r Time of Meeting: PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION 530 P.M. October 28,2002 City Council Chambers CALL TO ORDER Chairman Pieratt called the Regular Meeting to order at 530 p.m. ROLL CALL Present: Chairman Pieratt, Commissioners Schulberg, Pacheco, Hubbard, and Comstock Absent: Commissioner Cunningham Staff Members Present: Ken Price, Recreation Director Keith Beverly, Senior Management Analyst John Cahill, Municipal Projects Manager Doug Duncanson, General Services Manager Mark Steyaert, Park Development Manager Liz Ketabian, Park Planner Lori Swenck, Recreation Area Supervisor Gail Lynn, Recreation Area Manager Marc Beasley, Recreation Supervisor Scott Bradstreet, Park Planner Colleen Finnigan, Arts Office Jennifer Cook, Management Intern Gian Lauro, Recreation Area Manager Jeff Armour, Assistant Library Director Cliff Lang, Library Director Richard Navarro, Recreation Specialist Kevin Granse, Recreation Specialist Jill Pritchard, Recreation Area Manager Peter Gordon, Arts Manager Steve Herrera, Recreation Supervisor Don Metcalf, Police Captain ,- Sue Spickard, Recreation Area Supervisor ANNOUNCEMENB Keith Beverly, Senior Management Analyst, announced that Commission Davidson had resigned. APPROVAL OF MINUTES ACTION: On motion by Commissioner Comstock, the Minutes of the Regular AYES: Chairman Pieratt, Commissioners Schulberg, Pacheco, Hubbard, and NOES: None ABSTAIN: None ABSENT: Commissioner Cunningham Meeting held on May 20, 2002 were approved. Comstock L - Parks and Recreation Commission -2- October 28.2002 PRESENTATIONS None. /- PUBLIC OPEN FORUM None. APPROVAL OF AGENDA ACTION: On motion by Commissioner Schulberg, the Agenda for October 28,2002 AYES: Chairman Pieratt, Commissioners Schulberg, Pacheco, Hubbard, and NOES: None ABSTAIN: None ABSENT: Commissioner Cunningham was approved. Comstock CONSENT CALENDAR 1. AB #1002-1 COMMISSIONER’S REPORT To accept-and file the Commissioner’s Report for the Fall Quarter 2002. 2. AB #1002-2 RECEIPT OF DONATION To receive the donation of a personal book collection of Leo Carrillo. F 3. AB #1002-3 SUMMARY REPORT To accept, approve and file the Summary Report of the May 20,2002 Commission Meeting. ACTION: On motion by Commissioner Comstock, AB #1002-1, AB #1002-2, and AYES: Chairman Pieratt, Commissioners Schulberg, Pacheco, Hubbard, and NOES: None ABSTAIN: None ABSENT: Commissioner Cunningham AB #1002-3 were approved. Comstock DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS Chairman Pieratt described the terms for audience participation due to the large audience in attendance. Mark Steyaert, Park Development Manager, gave the staff presentation on this item. He explained that the Parks and Recreation Commission was being asked to approve the preferred Master Plan for the Northwest Quadrant Community Park and recommend approval of the preferred Master Plan to City Council. He added that the Commission was also being asked to approve the use of Proposition 40 and 12 park bond funds to assist in the funding of the project. 4. AB #1002-4 NORTHWEST QUADRANT COMMUNITY PARK MASTER PLAN Mr. Steyaert introduced the staff involved in working on the project and stated that the Northwest Quadrant Community Park was a City Council priority goal. He added that consultants from the Schmidt Design Group were hired to prepare the park master plan and rc Parks and Recreation Commission -3- October 28,2002 were available to answer questions. He described the location of the park and pointed out the area on a slide. He explained the proximity of the Senior Center to the park and described what had been demolished at the old Pine school. He outlined the guidelines provided by the General Plan, the Park and Recreation Element of the General Plan, the Capital Improvement Program and what was included in the Capital Improvement Program rc- Scott Bradstreet, Park Planner, described the community input process that was undertaken with respect to this community park. He reviewed the community workshops in detail and emphasized that staff was guided by preliminary issues provided by City Council. He discussed these issues and the decisions made, as contained on page 018 in the Commissioners’ packets. Mr. Bradstreet described what was covered in each of the four community workshops and who attended the workshops. Glen Schmidt, Schmidt Design Group, explained the importance of linking the Northwest Quadrant Community Park with Chase and Holiday Parks. He described how they could be linked together. He displayed the preferred plan and indicated that 103 new parking spaces were available. He described the community park in detail, including the large multi-use’field with an artificial surface, the skateboard park, the open space turf, two basketball half courts, a tot lot, and a community center. Mr. Schmidt pointed out the buffer zones between the park and residential areas. Kim Emerson, the artist for the community park, described her proposed sculptures, adding that more could be added if the budget allowed for more art. She pointed to several small models being durable and strong. Glen Schmidt pointed out that the sculptures would be an identity for the park and that the identity could be carried along as a link to other places in Carlsbad. c and added that the artwork would be made out of reinforced cast concrete, resulting in their Manuel Oncina, Architect, described the preferred design of the community center located at Harding and Pine. He pointed to the floor plan and some of the areas, such as a large gym, a storage area, a staff area, a lobby which would connect to the Senior Center, restrooms, an activity room, a fitness room, and a teen center. Mr. Oncina clarified why the plan was devised and explained why the senior center was not designed to connect to the community center. He displayed two elevations for the community center and described the community center in detail. Mark Steyaert reviewed the budget for the Northwest Community Park and explained why grant funding was being sought. He clarified there would be a shortfall but that it was a close enough margin to be dependent on the grant funding. Mr. Steyaert admitted that not everyone loved the plan and commented that staff had been struggling with special interests in designing the Northwest Quadrant Community Park Master Plan. He explained why lawn bowling could not be included. He emphasized that a majority of the park would be an active park but some buffers were needed. He complimented the community on their active role in designing the park and stated that he felt that the proposed Master Plan was sensitive to the neighbors. - Parks and Recreation Commission -4- October 28,2002 Questions and answers included the following issues: I 0 Clarification of whether CIP funding would be used in the linkage elements of different 0 Composition of children attending children’s workshop 0 Reasons for not linking the community center and senior center Potential use of a portion of the senior center How flowers reflected the culture of the barrio Lawn bowling parks Chairman Pieratt opened the public hearing. James Whittaker, 4742 lnverness Court, Carlsbad, explained the hazards of the location of the community center and skateboarding for the senior members of the Senior Center. He added that he was in favor of the ball fields and emphasized that lawn bowling was also needed. He described why three lanes would not work for lawn bowling and suggested that the gym could be located at Holiday Park instead of the Northwest Quadrant Community Park. Mr. Whittaker pointed out that the Senior Center was given to the seniors to be used strictly for seniors. Randall Benson, 3554 Ames Place, Carlsbad, explained that he was a resident of Carlsbad for 15 years and his sons played soccer and basketball. He said that he was in support of the neighborhood gaining a soccer field and asked the Parks and Recreation Commission to support the plans that Brian Donald developed for the maximum use of the field. Mr. Benson stated that he felt the field was too large and that he liked using Astroturf. He added that he would leave the rest of his time to Brian Donald for an explanation of Mr. Donald’s recommendation for two baseball fields. Brian Donald, 2410 Stromberg Court, Carlsbad, explained that he was an civil engineer and described his recommendation for the field area. He emphasized that a second field could be included and explained how he made that determination. He mentioned that he visited Ecke Field in Encinitas to check dimensions and described what he found. He pointed out that he had been coaching Bronco children for 1% years. He clarified that he felt it was important to have a field and facilities built and then work out the scheduling problems rather than not to have a field at all. 1c Mr. Donald described the recent meeting that Carlsbad Youth Baseball had with the City when buffers from residents were explained. He asked the Parks and Recreation Commission to consider two fields at this community park. In answer to a query from Commissioner Schulberg, Mr. Donald clarified that he was not pushing adult fields but stated that other age groups could also use the fields. In response to a query from Commissioner Comstock, Mr. Donald indicated that one of the options would require placing the fields closer to the parking lot and lessen the buffer from 60’ to 42’. Chairman Pieratt commented that the field was too small for an adult field. Tim Silverman, 1185 Tamarack Avenue, Carlsbad, explained that he was a resident of Carlsbad for almost 13 years and had three young children. He expressed his support for Mr. Donald’s plan and described the upswing in membership in Carlsbad Youth Baseball for more children to play baseball. He stated his support for an extra field and explained why he thought a fence was a. luxury. He added that he thought it was best to put in a field first and then deal with the scheduling issues afterwards. Mr. Silverman indicated that it was important to - accommodate children who wanted to play baseball. Parks and Recreation Commission -5- October 28,2002 Brett Souza, 2061 Laurie Circle, Carlsbad, mentioned that he was the President of Carlsbad Youth Baseball. He indicated that based upon his experience as a firefightedparamedic, the person’s concern earlier about safety for seniors was a legitimate concern. He stated that there was clearly a need for a baseball field, and that although his group was using seven other fields, they did not have all those time slots. He mentioned that he did not want to exclude any group and addressed the issue of the Bronco field and how it had been changed. He described the fields at Chase Field and discussed what he would do in a perfect park. Mr. Souza expressed his belief that the Northwest Quadrant Community Park would be a beautiful place. In response to Commissioner Pacheco’s query about whether the high schools allowed youth baseball to use their fields, Mr. Souza responded that they did not. Margie Monroy, 749B Magnolia, Carlsbad, clarified that she was not speaking about baseball _I but wanted to address the amphitheatre. She wanted to know what the wave like structure would be made of and recommended facing it toward the stage with a graduated seating area to enable dramatic works to be performed in the park. She said that she was glad that the planners listened to the skateboarders. Ms. Monroy indicated that a large portion of the space could be controlled and should not result in any problem for the seniors. Don Jackson, 260 Normandy Lane, Carlsbad, stated that he played in the area in the 30s and that he could not have imagined the area to be as beautiful as what was planned. He congratulated everyone and suggested putting a table top model in the library for the public to comment on. Rosie Turner-Marks, 3166 Harding Street, Carlsbad, addressed the traffic issue, particularly at concern about more traffic at that intersection. She recommended either stop lights or speed bumps to slow the traffic from Carlsbad Village Drive and vice versa. She added that she had a wonderful experience in participating in two of the workshops and commended staff on their effort to go out to the community for input from the community. - Oak or Pine and Harding. She described her experiences in crossing the street and expressed Randy Hughes, 2780 Highland Avenue, Carlsbad, explained that was a Carlsbad resident for over 20 years and felt the park would be beautiful for the downtown area. He added his support for Mr. Souza and Mr. Donald’s designs. He addressed the importance to the community that Carlsbad Youth Baseball served and the need for additional fields for a period of 20 years that had not been provided. Mr. Hughes summarized other learning that youths experienced in the league, including strengthening the community and socializing together. He explained that his 11 year old son would not be able to play at Chase Field and stated that an additional field was needed. Mr. Hughes also mentioned that there should be a baseball field that allowed for soccer in some of the green space. He emphasized the need to optimize space in the downtown area and presented a petition requesting that another baseball field be included. Tom Powers, 6160 Citracado Circle, Carlsbad, described what could happen when a frozen titanian bat bounced off Astroturf. He addressed safety issues with Astroturf and mentioned that he was interested in speaking about the amphitheatre, stage area and the new community center. He expressed concern that educational facilities on the site were not addressed at the workshops and pointed out that when getting grant money, there should be federal and state funds for after school mentoring facilities. /c Parks and Recreation Commission -6- October 28. 2002 Mr. Powers described his previous work at a large regional theater in North Carolina where there was an amphitheatre. He indicated that the mounds were in the opposite direction facing the stage area, had a terraced lawn, and each terrace had stone seating that was elevated. He added that it was wide enough to have other activities on the terraced platforms. He reminded the Commission about the attendance at the Barrio festival where over 20,000 people were in attendance and performers were out in the streets, resulting in a need for a proper stage where major performances could be conducted. - Mr. Powers also addressed the issue of artificial turf and whether a large amount of people on the artificial turf would create problems. Eva Froyd, 3602 Ames Place, Carlsbad, said that she was VP of Carlsbad Youth Baseball and was involved in other groups as well, including adult softball. She mentioned that her husband was a scheduler and that there were not enough fields for boys or girls to play. She described the problems with little girls playing at a big field at Catavaras and expressed her preference for a small field. She added that she did not feel that a skateboard park was needed and explained why. She added that she would like to see lawn bowling at the park and emphasized the need to maximize field use. Ms. Froyd explained that overlapping fields would not be a safety issue and that the scheduling factor could be worked out. She expressed concern about the artwork because she felt that children would climb the flowers, and used Poinsettia Park as an example. She said that she did not think the sculptures should be so large. She wondered if it was a safety issue or cost that resulted in the plans for artificial turf and pointed out that she grew up on grass. She ended by asking what the field was going to be used for during the off season when there was no baseball. Frank Sorino, 3528 Madison Street, Carlsbad, said that the park was nice but that his main concern was that he was not sure that the park was for the children in the neighborhood. He mentioned that many children walk home from Chestnut and would love to use the park. He explained that he thought the park was too passive for the children, that Holiday Park should have the amphitheatre, and that staff should rethink Astroturf in the field. Commissioner Pacheco asked for clarification on whether Mr. Sorino felt there should be organized sports or just a place where people could come and play. Mr. Sorino stated that these children could not afford organized play and would take advantage of playing volleyball, running around, and playing basketball in a place where they could just get together and exercise. Bill Kamenjarin, 4430 Trieste, Carlsbad, said that he was very impressed with the plan and that he was looking forward to the community park. He expressed his concern about traffic and suggested that tampering with a two-way street was dangerous. He discussed the educational component and referred specifically to the Centro which was recently moved. He added that he thought the artwork was very well done but that he was concerned about whether the facilities were very neighborhood appropriate. Mr. Karmenjarin stated that the City of Carlsbad desperately needed more parks and that the new parks were very small. He referred to parking at the Senior Center and mentioned that he was disappointed on the budget for the park. He ended by stating that if the budget were overrun, the City should put in grass instead of Astroturf. P Parks and Recreation Commission -7- October 28,2002 Nicole Pappas, 2689 Garfield Street, Carlsbad, clarified that the high schools do allow use of the fields for other people but scheduling was sometime a problem. She mentioned that she was pleased that there was a skateboard component and asked for clarification on the activities planned at the Teen Center. She wanted to know how they would be managed and whether there would be basketball inside the gym. She also wanted to know if parking would be strictly for compact cars as she was concerned about adults and children getting out of their cars with their sports equipment, resulting in safety concerns. Ms. Pappas referred to the Centro de lnformacion being discussed and pointed out it was more than just a library. I Julio Ramirez, 1298 Buena Vista, Carlsbad, indicated that his family resided in the barrio for 100 years. He complimented the artistic design and stated that he was concerned about the amount of organized sports represented as it was taking away from the aspect of a community park where children could go and play basketball. He added that he felt there would be a lot of children, especially on Harding Street, who would use the park during the day, and that there were other activities besides baseball and theater. Ofelia Escobedo, 161 1 James Drive, Carlsbad, explained that the Northwest Quadrant had been advocating for a park for many years and now they were finally seeing the results. She added that now everyone wanted a part of it whereas no one was concerned about the children or the residents of the area. She added the importance of having a park, not huge playing fields that were all over the City. She applauded the efforts of the architect and pointed out that seven acres was not large enough to hold everything that everyone wanted. Chairman Pieratt closed the public testimony at 7:30 p.m.. He called a break. The Commission meeting reconvened at 7:35 p.m. Questions and discussion ra.ised during and after the public testimony included the following issues: F Clarification that the senior and community centers would be separate The small size of the park and its limitation for lots of activities Lighting at the park The impact on parking if a second field was included Shared parking and how it was calculated Implications of changing Chestnut into a one-way street Use of a second field area as a common area ’ A fence vs.brick wall The purpose of the amphitheatre Traffic concerns Safety and benefits of Astroturf/synthetic turf Centro de lnformacion Clarification of potential activities at the teen center and community center An interest in the school district pooling interests together for after-school programs The size of the parking stalls Recap of what will be located between the two facilities Educational components anticipated Size of skate park requested by children attending the children’ s workshop Size of the soccer field and stage area Color of the roof of the community center Clarification of steps taken by Carlsbad Youth Baseball to develop their own fields and the importance of long-term planning ? Parks and Recreation Commission -8- October 28,2002 I a a a a a a - Prevention of damage to the artwork Lawn bowling and the recommendation that it be looked at for this community park Safety issues of overlapping two fields The need for casual play at the community park for the residents The importance of including mentoring and education at the community center A desire to incorporate the flavor of the neighborhood in the park and set aside time for the local citizens to allow them to learn how to use the park A suggestion that the park be open as much as possible A recommendation to turn the berm areas around to face the stage The need for more fields in Carlsbad A preference for linkage at the first phase rather than a later phase A review of Brian Donald’s alternatives The importance of accommodating the residence in the area Keith Beverly summarized some of the preferences expressed by individual commissioners during their discussion including the issues of accommodating lawn bowling or another baseball field, the issue of switching berms for use with the amphitheater, traffic calming along Harding and Pine, taking a hard look at organized use at this park, and taking a look at parking issues. He added that staff would look at programming time as part of an operational issue once the park is opened. Commissioner Comstock made a motion to create two motions and address ancillary issues related to development and operations separately from the park design and park bond funding. The motion was seconded. The motion failed by a vote of 3-2, with Commissioners Comstock and Hubbard voting Aye, and Chairman Pieratt, Commissioners Schulberg, and Pacheco voting r No. ACTION: On motion by Commissioner Schulberg, to endorse the “Preferred Plan” outlined for the Northwest Quadrant Community Park Master Plan and recommend approval by the City Council; recommend applying Proposition 12 and 40 Park Bond funds to assist in funding this project; and endorse the following ancillary actions associated with the park’s development and operations: Amend the configuration of the berm areas immediately adjacent to the skateboarding amenity Install an appropriate traffic calming device at Harding Street and Pine Avenue for pedestrian safety Reserve adequate time for casual use of the park by participants not associated with structured group activities such as organized sports review, additional amenities or open space should be considered in its place facility use operations associated with the park and community center/gymnasium. If parking requirements can be reduced as a result of further Educational opportunities should be promoted as part of the AYES: Chairman Pieratt, Commissioners Schulberg, Pacheco, and Hubbard NOES: Commissioner Comstock ABSTAIN: None ABSENT: Commissioner Cunningham