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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMin - PR - 2012.01.19MEETING MINUTES Regular Meeting of the Burlingame Parks & Recreation Commission Thursday, January 19, 2012 The regular meeting of the Burlingame Parks & Recreation Commission was called to order by Chair Hesselgren at 7:00 pm at the Burlingame Recreation Center, 850 Burlingame Ave., Burlingame. ROLL CALL Commissioners Present: Hesselgren, Baum, Bullotti, Castner-Paine, Lau, Eaton Commissioners Absent: Griffith Staff Present: City Manager Nantell; Administrative Secretary Helley, Supervisor Hager Others Present: Margaret Glomstad, Ian Milne, Kevin & Elizabeth Raffaelli, Mike Brunicardi, Allen Menicucci, George & Dorothea Chrisman, William Evans, Patrick O'Flaherty, Ed Gigliotti, Dusko Rosic, Katherine Egbert, Bill Wolfenden, Julie Sanchez, Eric Nuss, Cliff Jones and Donna Colson City Manager Nantell introduced the Departments new Parks & Recreation Director, Margaret Glomstad. Margaret's experience as the Director of the Highlands Parks and Recreation District for the past eight years has provided her with an excellent background and set of experiences that will be of great value to Burlingame's Park and Recreation Department. Margaret's work brought to fruition the District's vision for the state of the art child care facility which they just opened this past month. In talking to elected Board Members for the District they clearly credit Margaret's persistence, energy and tenacity in pursuing the funding and providing the project management necessary to accomplish this vision. Her experiences will be very important in helping the City of Burlingame pursue its vision for a new Community Center in the years ahead. Nantell stated that "Margaret's energy and passion for the field of Parks and Recreation and her experience in managing recreation programs and open space, large capital improvement projects, along with an excellent record in building strong collaborative teams makes her the a great fit for our organization at this time". Prior to her appointment as the Highlands Parks and Recreation District Manager she worked as the Aquatics Manager for the District. Ms. Glomstad has also worked for the City of Costa Mesa P&R Department, as well as, working with troubled teens for the County of San Mateo. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from California State University Sacramento and a Master of Science degree in Justice Administration from California State University San Jose. Nantell noted to the commission the inadvertent omission on the agenda of the Burlingame Girls Softball's Request for Use of Ray Park on Sundays. A notice to the Ray Park neighbors stated the item would be on the agenda. Anticipating the attendance at the meeting of those neighbors who received the notice, Nantell inquired if Commission felt the item should be added to agenda. Commission decided not to add the item to the meeting's agenda. The commission would like to review the current Field Use Policy. The possibility of changes to the policy may allow for a solution to the limited use of field use time that the Burlingame Girls Softball group is experiencing. Commission would welcome input from those present on the item during the public comments section of the meeting. PUBLIC COMMENTS Mike Brunicardi, Burlingame Youth Baseball (BYBA) president, expressed concern about an event that will affect the groups program. The event, Divas Half Marathon, is scheduled on May 6, 2012 at Bayside Park. On August 18, 2011, BYBA met with the former Parks & Recreation Director regarding the scheduling of the event. The Director suggested May 6, 2012 and BYBA stated that date would be a problem for their programs. BYBA suggested Memorial Day weekend. The group gave their phone number to the Director and asked him to call them when a date had been decided upon. BYBA recently learned that May 6th, 2012 was chosen for the event without consulting the group. When field scheduling occurred for the spring of 2012, the weekend of May 6, 2012 was not blacked out. Based on that information, BYBA scheduled the May 6th weekend for games. BYBA is concerned about the fact there is no contract between the City and the Divas group for the event. Mr. Brunicardi stated there had been no communication regarding this decision from the Director. The group is further concerned about a non-profit group being "kicked off' the field for a "for profit" group. Brunicardi expressed concern about the lack of communication from the former director. Commission requested that Divas Half Marathon be placed on the February Agenda. Elizabeth Rafelli, a Ray Park resident, spoke on the Burlingame Girls Softball's Request for Use of Ray Park on Sundays issue and stated the letters of notice that were sent out were not received until Tuesday the 17th. She suggested more notice in the future to allow residents to schedule the meeting. She noted that noise is an issue in the neighborhood when BGS is using the park. She requested the usage schedule stay as current. Will Evans, speaking on the Burlingame Girls Softball's Request for Use of Ray Park on Sundays issue voiced concern about the equity of field space usage for girls vs boys programming. Since there is no sports complex for the girls programs to utilize they use Ray Park as their home field. Eric Nuss, who has been affiliated with the Burlingame Youth Baseball Association for twenty years, spoke on the issue Burlingame Girls Softball's Request for Use of Ray Park on Sundays. He stated that he recently attended a meeting with the school district at which was stated the district is preparing for growth which means all groups will be growing and this will be squeezing tighter the current use of the fields. He stated by allowing BGS three months of Sunday use in the spring and three months of Sunday use in the fall would benefit all users. George Chrisman, a Ray Park resident, spoke on the issue of Burlingame Girls Softball's Request for Use of Ray Park on Sundays. He commented he was not opposed to any sports. He voiced concern about increased impact on the parking in the neighborhood if the additional use is approved. He would like to see the group reorganize their usage to allow all kids to play. Al Menicucci, a Ray Park resident, spoke on the issue of Burlingame Girls Softball's Request for Use of Ray Park on Sundays. He voiced concern about increased traffic and lack of useable time of the park for the neighbors. Ian Milne, President of Burlingame Girls Softball, stated the request is for eight more Sundays of use. The fall program is smaller than the spring program. 2 Pat O'Flaherty, a softball coach, noted the public expressed concern about softball fields being used when not scheduled. These occurrences are not always an organized activity and are not sanctioned by the league. MINUTES Commission moved approval of minutes to the November meeting. Motion carried; Griffith not present. NEW BUSINESS A. Field Use Policy Review - Nantell briefed the Commission on the included staff report which recommends the formation of a sub -committee comprised of the stakeholders and staff for reviewing the current field use policy. He noted understanding that the Commission felt the policy is in need of review. He stated the school district is reviewing their field policy and how they allocate their field space. The policy the District uses has significantly impacted the Lacrosse program. The district would like to include an element of "In Season" field allocation. The teams would designate their "season" dates. Nantell acknowledged that policy making is difficult. The goal of the policy being the fields are made available in a fair and equitable manner. Nantell offered some suggestions for moving forward: Staff can work with the new Director on reviewing the policy OR staff could sit down with the stakeholders to devise a plan and bring the plan back to the Commission for recommendation. Also suggested, input be solicited from Commission as to the interests or what items need to be addressed during the review process. After discussion, the following was agreed upon as issues to be taken to the sub -committee to take into account upon reviewing the policy. Commission Interests • Allowing for neighborhood access to neighborhood park facilities • Avoid non-resident sports programs intruding on the neighborhood residents' access to park facilities. For example possibly post signs indicating when the field is scheduled for neighborhood use. • Consider field hours allocated per player and per resident • Consider gender equity • Consider field time for practice and game time per player. Commission concluded the new Director will consult with staff prior to moving forward. OLD BUSINESS A. Cuernavaca Dog Off Leash Survey, — Commissioner Hesselgren reported the Youth Advisory Committee member, Allie Brissman, helped in distributing the surveys on December 17th. Of the 148 surveys distributed, 35 have been submitted. Hesselgren will finalize the results of the survey and report back at the February meeting. REPORTS/HANDOUTS Staff Reports 1. Monthly Report — Distributed 2. Director Position — see above 3. Correspondence — There was no correspondence. Commissioner Reports Commissioner Baum inquired about a bridge that is down in Mills Canyon. Nantell reported that Bob Disco, Parks Supervisor, is aware and is working with the public works department to find a resolution. Commissioner Hesselgren requested the police department schedule (around 4:30 to 5pm) a regular foot patrol of the back corner of Washington Park as teenagers are using the area to engage in illicit activities. She has noted the activity has been going on for several months and has called the police on one occasion. Nantell stated the police chief would be contacted to set up a patrol of the area. Next Meeting The next meeting of the Parks & Recreation Commission is scheduled to be held on Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. at Burlingame City Hall. There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 8:46 pm. Respectfully submitted, Joleen Helley Recording Secretary 2