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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMin - PR - 2006.02.16MEETING MINUTES Regular Meeting of the Burlingame Parks & Recreation Commission Thursday, February 16, 2006 The regular meeting of the Burlingame Parks & Recreation Commission was called to order by Chairman Heathcote at 7:10 pm at Burlingame City Hall, 501 Primrose Road, Burlingame. ROLL CALL Commissioners Present: Dittman, Heathcote, Larios, Schreurs, Shanus Commissioners Absent: Hesselgren, Muller Staff Present: Randy Schwartz, Parks & Recreation Director; Joleen Butler, Account Clerk Il; Rocque Yballa, Fire Marshal, Central County Fire Department. Others Present: Julia Bott, Executive Director of San Mateo County Parks Foundation; Robert & Ruth Jacobs, 2965 Arguello Drive; Connie Brown, 3400 Douglas Ct., SM; Bob Brown, 3008 Arguello Drive; Helaine Darling, 3100 Marguarita Ave.; Mr & Mrs. Emilio Rossi, 3019 Arguello Drive; Mr. William Brown, 3008 Arguello Drive; Annette Hart, 1112 Peninsula Ave.; Gerda Levy, 2814 Arguello Drive; John Ijes, 2814 Arguello Drive; Bobbi Benson, 550 El Camino Real, #103; Sister Carolyn Krohn, 2300 Adeline Drive; Ray Forrest, 6 La Mesa Ct.; Karlyn Schneider, 2705 Arguello Drive; Martin Peters, 2982 Arguello Drive; Ross Bruce, 500 Almer Rd.#206; Dian Delantoni, 27 Mills Canyon Ct; Mary & Joe Dees, 2909 Arguello Drive; Diana Leos, 2989 Arguello Drive. MINUTES The minutes of the January 19, 2006 regular Commission meetings were approved as submitted. PUBLIC COMMENTS None NEW BUSINESS Council Goal Study Session - (In order to accommodate the public present for the discussion this item was moved forward on the agenda) Director Schwartz explained that during the City Council's goal setting session in January, over 200 items were submitted by the public or Council members. Of these, five items were referred to the Parks & Recreation Commission for their input. • Parks & Recreation Department should reserve some space for community meetings instead of conducting classes • Improve signage in Mills Canyon • Need for directional signage to Mills Canyon • Removing the Parks Yard from Washington Park • More lap hours at pool Parks & Recreation Commission Minutes February 16, 2006 —page 2 Schwartz noted that the public was present for the two items regarding Mills Canyon and that staff had invited Bobbi Benson to attend the meeting. Chairman Heathcote invited Bobbi Benson to speak regarding Friends of Mills Canyon (FOMC). Ms. Benson explained that she does not live in the area of Mills Canyon however she is the Chairman of FOMC. Ms. Benson informs the public about the background of FOMC. Ed Taylor Trail was named for Ed Taylor, the co-founder of FOMC with partner Bill Friedman. Margaret Taylor, Ed Taylor's widow is still active with FOMC today. FOMC organizes many activities at the canyon including hikes every second Saturday of the month and mushroom hikes, which are quite popular. FOMC acts as a support group for the Parks Department. They help groom the trails, helping tic abatement and chop away deadwood and return it to the forest floor. FOMC is currently seeking 501(c)3 status to enable the organization to obtain grant monies to help pay for maintaining bridges, retaining walls and waterdogs. FOMC also seeds wildflowers and removes invasive species in the Canyon. FOMC wants the habitat to remain as natural as possible. FOMC would like to plant native oak trees on the Arguello entrance on Arbor Day to replace the eucalyptus that recently came down in a storm. FOMC has a wish list of items for the Park including $7,000 to pay the CCC for 3-4 days to fix the washouts. Chairman Heathcote invited the public to make comments regarding the two Mills Canyon items. Ruth Jacobs (2965 Arguello Drive) asked what we need the signage for, where would the signage be located, where it is planned for the public to park and what role will the police play regarding kids in the Park. Bob Jacobs (2965 Arguello Drive) commented the he has lived next to the Canyon for 44 years. He agreed there are problems in the Park but that magnificent changes proposed to the Canyon by someone new to the area and whom does not live in the area is not right. Fire is the main concern of the neighbors. The Canyon is in a natural state and should remain thus. He agrees there is a huge amount of fuel down there increasing the danger and there are periodic fires. Neighbors have extinguished many of the fires and/or have called the Fire Department. However, a fire of any magnitude would be disastrous. Neighbors have cleared their own back hills to avoid a fire possibility. Mr. Jacobs believes that increased traffic in the Park would increase the fire risk. The second issue is kids in the Park. Middle school kids use it as a hangout, having loud late night parties with smoking and alcohol. The police have been responsive but lack adequate personnel to properly patrol the area. A third issue is periodic robberies with easy ingress and egress to the Canyon. A fourth issue is the main entrance to the Canyon at Arguello is on a residential block with lots of children, with limited parking in this area. The efforts of the people who work on the Canyon are greatly appreciated by the neighbors, however developing the area as a regional attraction could become seriously overrun. Karlyn Schneider (2705 Arguello Drive) says there are fires every summer. There are kids that smoke at the Toledo Court end of the Park. Ms. Schneider suggests there be No Smoking signs on the trails. She also felt that if Mills Canyon is opened the deadwood and fires will increase. Connie Brown (3400 Douglas Ct., SM) has lived next to the Canyon for 40 years. Her son is buying the family home at 3008 Arguello Drive. Mrs. Brown says the Canyon has changed. There are many teenagers and the parties in the Canyon have increased. The Police Department is slow to respond due Parks & Recreation Commission Minutes February 16, 2006 —page 3 to less staff. Often fires cannot be seen until too late. Mrs. Brown feels that marketing Mills Canyon will cause an increase in fires. Mrs. Brown suggests that instead of planting new trees at Agruello on Arbor Day to leave the area natural and wait and see what happens as teenagers used to hide behind the old trees to smoke. Sister Carolyn Krohn (2300 Adeline Drive) says she lives at the base of the Canyon at Sisters of Mercy. Sister Carolyn says that they are concerned about fires. Helaine Darling (3100 Marguarita Ave.) lives at the top of the Cyon. Ms. Darling would like to commend Bobbi Benson and her efforts within the Park, however, she feels that the Canyon should not be opened up as there is a lot of work that needs to be done to secure trail safety and would expose the homes. She also feels it should remain a City Park and, if a change in status is desired, an environmental impact study would need to be done on the area. Ms. Darling mentioned that fire is a primary danger. She has also been a robbery victim and has concerns about safety of the area residents if the traffic is increased. She feels it is a poor idea to proceed with signage. She reads a letter from a neighbor who could not attend the meeting. The letter contains concerns about hazards to the hikers by the natural erosion from the creek. Mary Dees (2909 Arguello Drive) comments on a chain link fence that has been put up that blocks the passageway that was meant for the Fire Department. She also mentioned that good weather brings young kids to the Park and they parry in the passageway. She commented that the biggest concern regarding this is fire danger Ray Forrest (6 La Mesa Ct) said he has lived next to the Canyon for 35 years. He built his house in 1975 and has noticed there has been increased traffic to the area resulting in large parties which the police are slow to respond to. There are fires all the time. There is no water supply to the area. He has heard rumors of picnic tables being put into the Park and has seen benches that just appeared one day with no notice to the surrounding neighbors. Diana Leos (2989 Arguello Drive) who has two small children says that she is very concerned about fire and undesirables coming to the area. The neighbors have been self policing the area so far however with increased traffic along comes increase debris. Ms. Leos requests a letter be sent to the neighbors before action is taken. She also mentioned the slow replacement of the lamp at the entrance to Argruello. Robert Brown (3008 Arguello) said that he has lived next to the Canyon since 1963. He feels the benches are a huge attraction that the neighbors do not need and should be removed. He has no problem with FOMC and their efforts. He agrees with removing the old eucalyptus trees, however, he does not think they should be replaced with new trees. He feels signage regarding the Park is fine as it currently is and thinks we should clear weeds and then leave well enough alone. He also thinks the Park should be closed sunset to sunrise. If anything should be done, it should be thinning of the trees at the entrance. Martin Peters (2982 Arguello) said that we should be setting priorities. Until the City can provide protection via the Fire Department and Police Department, the focus should be on cleanup. The Canyon and the trails are listed on a local Bay Area Trails website as dirty with bottles and cans lining the trails. Parks & Recreation Commission Minutes February 16, 2006 —page 4 Mr. Peters also mentioned that it is very difficult for the local homeowners to obtain fire insurance due the proximity to the Canyon. Rocque Yballa, Central County Fire Department Fire Marshal, stated he is a resident of Burlingame and that his son loves to hike the Canyon. Yballa said that public education will do much to keep fires down in the Canyon and has sent a letter to the local residents with this information. Yballa said that his firefighters are now strike team certified and they are working to incarcerate and fine fire starters. Yballa earnestly requested the public to record any fires that happen even if the public puts them out themselves and he urgently requests them to inform the Fire Department of the incident. Yballa let the public know that they can contact him personally at any time. He is open to questions and concerns. Heathcote asked Benson if she would like to comment on the concerns of the residents. Benson said that she was delighted to meet with the neighbors and encouraged them to join her in the Park for trash pick-up, FOMC never conducts evening hikes and invited the public to the FOMC board meetings. She said FOMC was only considering improving the directional signage within the Park, but, after hearing from the residents, will not request the City increase any signage. Schwartz reminded the Commission and the audience that this topic was initiated by an email received from a member of the public. There is no City plan to add signage, benches, or change the status or usage of Mills Canyon. The City is working with FOMC in hopes that FOMC, upon gaining 501(c)3 status, will be able to obtain grants to improve maintenance, deadwood removal and fire prevention. Schwartz also encouraged the public to call the City if they want to confirm work in the Canyon has been permitted and to sign up for the City's list serve to keep abreast of City information. Heathcote then closed the public comment portion and asked for input from Commissioners. Commissioner Shanus expressed concern regarding roadside access and feels that there are other more pressing issues in the Canyon, i.e. fire safety that should be addressed before any parking plans. He feels if roadside parking is not readily available then it should not be encouraged in the area. He suggests that Arbor Day be used to remove fuel from the Canyon. Commissioner Schreurs echoed Shanus regarding the parking issue. She also said that trespassing could be reduced with less signage. She feels the issue needs more discussion. She thought that educational signage that the head of the trail would be a good idea and would be in favor of a future study session on Mills Canyon so the Commission could gain more knowledge. Commissioner Larios said that problems are inherent in the area. He feels the current signage is adequate, but additional signage regarding the fire dangers would be the most helpful. He also feels that the parking issue is serious and that park hours should be prominently posted. He feels these signs would be enough to allow a person to call the Police Department if someone was not abiding by the regulations. Larios also agreed with the seriousness of the parking problems in the area. Chairman Heathcote said that he has lived in Burlingame for many years and he feels that to direct more people to the Canyon is not a good idea. He feels that directional and informational signage could be Parks & Recreation Commission Minutes February 16, 2006 —page S useful inside the park; however, he would not recommend signage to the Park. He felt that other issues brought up by the public this evening should be addresses at another meeting. Schwartz stated that the recommendations from the Commissioners would be given to the Council for consideration at their upcoming Goal Setting session. OLD BUSINESS Senior Mobility — Chairman Heathcote suggested that the Commission wait until the San Mateo County Senior Mobility Action Plan, presented at the January 2006 meeting, is finalized before making a recommendation to the City Council. Parks for the Future — Julia Bott reported on the Parks for the Future proposal, an effort to secure dedicated tax -based revenues to support the parks and recreation agencies within San Mateo County, including city parks and recreation departments, special districts and the County's Parks Department. The proposal would increase sales tax in the County byl/8th cent and would generate between $13 and $16 million per year to be distributed by a negotiated allocation. The funds may be used for parks and recreation related functions such as maintenance, operations, activities and programs, capital improvements and acquisition. The proposal will be presented for the first time to the City Council on February 22"d. In the summer, support from each of the cities will be sought and the item may be placed on the County's November 2006 ballot. If the ballot measure remains unchanged and approved by the voters, Burlingame is anticipated to receive approximately $300,000 each year in new parks revenues. Community Recognition Policy Update - Director Schwartz reported that City Council asked to change the timeline of the solicitation to November and would like to revisit this matter in April or May. No Smoking in Sections of City Parks Update — Schwartz reported that the City Council unanimously supported establishing No Smoking sections in City parks. The issue will go back to Council for a second reading. NEW BUSINESS Update Senior Citizens Programs — This item was postponed due to the lateness of the meeting. Senior Resource Handbook — Due to the lateness of the meeting, this item was tabled until the March meeting. Commissioner Dittman said she would be more than happy to work on the revised handbook. Parks & Recreation Commission Minutes February 16, 2006 —page 6 Council Goal Study Session - The Commission discussed the remaining items from the Council's Goal Setting Session and made the following recommendations: Parks & Recreation Department should reserve some space for community meetings instead of conducting classes — Recreation Staff needs to continue offering as many recreation activities as possible to the community. Staff should also assist community groups in finding space for meetings within the community when the Recreation Center is not available. Such meeting space may include other City facilities, school facilities, local meeting spaces or private businesses including the hotels. Removing the Parks Yard from Washington Park — Because there is no immediate need to remove the Parks Yard, no plan for the use of the space and the cost of such a move, the item may be considered in conjunction with the Facilities Master plan. More lap hours at pool — Recreation Staff needs to continue balancing the use of the Aquatic Center between City, School and Club programs with the goals of maximizing use and proper fiscal management. REPORTS/HAND-OUTS Parks & Recreation Department Reports Monthly Report (see attached) 2004-5 FY Revenue Report (see attached) Fall 2005 Scholarship Breakdown (see attached) Fall 2005 Senior Discount Report (see attached) Commissioners Chairman Heathcote suggested staff relocate the Arbor Day ceremony after learning the concerns of the Canyon's neighbors. Commissioner Dittman mentioned that she feels that oak trees would be appropriate for Arbor Day. Commissioner Larios mentioned that Bayside needs trees and perhaps Arbor Day planting could take place there. Commissioner Shanus asked how to register for the Commissioners Training Workshop scheduled for February 25t'. Schwartz said to contact him to register. NEXT MEETING The next meeting of the Parks & Recreation Commission is scheduled to be held on Thursday, March 16, 2006 at 7:00 p.m. at Burlingame City Hall. Parks & Recreation Commission Minutes February 16, 2006 —page 7 ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to come before the Commission, the meeting was adjourned at 10:25pm. Respectfully submitted, Joleen Butler Parks & Recreation Account Clerk II