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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMin - PR - 2021.02.18R C1TfY ti o� `ls Rvoawreo PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION APPROVED Meeting Minutes Regular Meeting on Thursday, February 18, 2021 1. CALL TO ORDER The duly noticed regular meeting of the Burlingame Parks & Recreation Commission was called to order by Chair Ardito at 7:00 pm via Zoom meeting. 2. ROLL CALL COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: STAFF PRESENT: OTHERS PRESENT: 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Milne, Holzman, Chang, Matthews, Lee, Pappajohn & Ardito None Parks & Recreation Director Glomstad, Recreation Manager Acquisti, Recreation Coordinator Sanchez, Recording Secretary Helley None Commissioner Holzman made a motion to approve the January minutes. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Pappajohn and was approved. 7-0. 4. CORRESPONDENCE None 5. PUBLIC COMMENTS None 6. OLD BUSINESS None 7. NEW BUSINESS a. Burlingame Tennis Court Scheduling Policy Recreation Coordinator Sanchez gave a background of the scheduling/reservation program and the use priority as referenced in the staff report. The remaining hours were open for drop -in use. In March 2020, all tennis courts were closed due to COVID-19, and in May 2020, the Health Department approved reopening courts for the public to use. Cities were required to monitor courts to avoid any public gatherings while players waited for court access. To meet this requirement, staff instituted a reservation process for court use. Burlingame residents could make free 1 Parks & Recreation Commission APPROVED Minutes February 18, 2021 reservations using online scheduling software (Max Galaxy), thus spacing the courts' use. Through this system, residents can book up to two hours of court time per day and reserve courts up to 10 days in advance. Courts are often fully scheduled by Burlingame residents many days in advance. In June 2020, the Health Department allowed private lessons to resume, so staff reached out to past instructors to reestablish their lesson schedules. In August 2020, staff was able to program afterschool sports and adult fitness outside, most of which occur on Washington Park Tennis Courts. With the restrictions set by the Health Department, staff has seen an increase in the number of community members interested in using the tennis courts both for lessons and recreational use. The additional programming has reduced the court availability for general recreational use. Some Burlingame residents mentioned they thought that there was a lack of available court time, so staff blocked out drop -in tennis times in the scheduling system (reservations not required). Chair Ardito opened Commission discussion. Commissioner Holzman asked how people in the community know about the system. Coordinator Sanchez stated upon the reopening of the courts, Department staff posted A -frames at all courts with information regarding the system in addition to court rules and signs with a QR code that, when scanned, takes individuals to the Max Galaxy site. She also asked if there was a sense of which courts are the most reserved by the general public. Sanchez noted the most popular courts were Washington and Ray. He also noted that all courts are being booked out during the prime times of 3-6 pm weekdays and weekend mornings. She asked if the number of days to reserve ahead of time could be changed. Sanchez said the number of days could be changed. Commissioner Lee asked about no-shows. Sanchez noted he does not have that type of data; however, in the correspondence received from the public, it does happen and that people who are around for drop -in will take advantage of the no-shows. The current policy allows for 15 minutes past the reservation time to show up or forfeit the time slot. Lee also asked if there is a way for a person to prove they have the reservation. Sanchez noted the software system generates an email receipt with time and location. Recreation Manager Acquisti noted that scanning the QR code, it would take the user to Max Galaxy and show the list of names on a reservation. Lee additionally asked how many of the classes now taught on the courts will be taught somewhere else when things become COVID safe. Sanchez said the adult fitness classes would return to the normal environment. Lee also asked if we are using the sports court as well as the tennis courts for classes. Sanchez said yes. Lee questioned if staff was concerned about people waiting outside the tennis courts while waiting for a court to open. Sanchez noted the Department is careful of the "large gathering" limitation 2 Parks & Recreation Commission APPROVED Minutes February 18, 2021 and has noted the number of people waiting near the courts is limited to about 5-7 at a time. Director Glomstad noted the public had gotten better at following COVID protocol. Commissioner Chang asked if the afterschool lessons, which are limited to four participants, are tied to the COVID Tier System. Sanchez stated that he was unaware of a limit, but four participates allowed for spacing due to court size. Director Glomstad noted that as other sports open up, tennis may decrease in demand. Commissioner Pappajohn asked if Department staff would work with Burlingame High School (BHS) to utilize their courts while demand was high. Sanchez noted the Department has worked with BHS in the past for programs such as Serve n Splash, which the Department paid a rental fee to use the courts. To utilize the BHS courts for this current situation, the Department would have to pay the rental fee. Glomstad noted it would be cost -prohibitive to rent the courts for Department programming. Commissioner Pappajohn asked about the current two-hour reservation time if it could be reduced to one hour. Sanchez noted it can be considered; however, most tennis matches take about two hours. Commissioner Milne suggested offering one -hour blocks and then letting those who request two hours come back and be given more time at the end of the day. He asked if there is a minimum amount of time private instructors are requesting. Sanchez noted it varies amongst instructors. Milne also asked if staff know how many private lesson students were Burlingame residents. Sanchez noted that Peninsula Tennis Academy is the biggest renter of City courts, and they have about 200 Burlingame resident families; however, he did not know the total number of clientele. Milne noted if a reservation was booked next to a lesson court, there would be a better chance for a drop -in to access the court if there was a no-show. Another suggestion is to shorten the time for booking to show up to 5 minutes down from 15 minutes. Commissioner Holzman asked about the fee charged for the general public to reserve courts. Sanchez noted the fee is part of the City Master Fee Schedule, a resident pays $21/court, and non- residents pay $25/court. The fee has temporarily been waived due to COVID but will be reinstituted. Commissioner Matthews asked if there is a penalty or fee for no-shows. Sanchez noted there is not a fee and the system is not set up to cancel a reservation. Chair Ardito opened public comments. Coordinator Sanchez read emails received from: Cindy Wang — "Overall, she thinks the reservation system is working well, and it prevents arguments. She realizes the system is not fully automated however, she appreciated the coordination in place for the process." Stan Chu — "Really thinks the system works well to avoid the wait time for a court and noted the inability to cancel a reservation." 3 Parks & Recreation Commission APPROVED Minutes February 18, 2021 Dan Mulready — "A longtime resident who plays competitively and hopes the system goes back to the former format as the current format only benefits those that know well in advance when they want to play." Director Glomstad read chat comments from: Sylvia Cox — "Some of the renters for private lessons are associated with Peninsula Tennis Club which has its own private tennis courts. As a private club, why are they given priority to public courts?" Sanchez noted that the Peninsula Tennis Club may be getting confused with Peninsula Tennis Academy, and Peninsula Tennis Academy has no affiliation with the Peninsula Tennis Club. Greg Schneider — "As a frequent player, I really like having the ability to schedule. I hope that's not eliminated as the pandemic subsides." And "Two other thoughts: 1) it would be nice if you could automatically cancel (vs. sending an email). That would help with the no-shows (though might not be possible with the software). And 2) additionally, you could charge a nominal fee for each rental ($5 $10?). I know Hillsborough does this ($17, which seems kind of steep). Glomstad stated these were both addressed in previous comments during the Commission discussion. Karen Ferman — "As a follow-up, why can't Peninsula Tennis Academy use the BHS courts for lessons?" Glomstad noted that when the school opens its courts, anyone can rent them through their reservation system. Spoken comments from: Bryan Jeong of Peninsula Tennis Academy wanted to address the question by Commissioner Milne about the amount of Burlingame residents the private instructors' service. PTA is servicing 157 resident families and of that, anywhere from 90 - 95% are from Burlingame. He noted that they are in partnership with the City to provide instruction for the afterschool tennis program. Sylvia Cox, a Burlingame resident, supports the scheduling system and is in support of a nominal fee for abuse and to show up and use their time. Another part of the scheduling abuse is not knowing if you are getting a two-hour block. Most matches take two hours to play. If the system could be more interactive, players would get more effective use with the limited supply. She felt that, generally, the courts are wonderful and well taken care of, and she appreciated having this wonderful resource, and the lights at Washington Park are very much appreciated. Chair Ardito asked staff for clarification about what the Commission was being asked to decide. Director Glomstad reiterated the two items before the Commission: continue the free reservation system or resume the fee reservation system when County moves to the red tier; and should side - by -side private lessons at Ray and Laguna continue or only allow one private lessons on those courts at a time. MOTION: Commissioner Matthews made a motion to dissolve the free reservation system two weeks after the County is in the Red Tier of COVID protocol. The motion was seconded by Commission Lee and was approved. 7-0 4 Parks & Recreation Commission APPROVED Minutes February 18, 2021 MOTION: Commissioner Lee made a motion not to reserve side -by -side private lessons and ensure one court is open for public use. The motion was seconded by Commission Chang and was approved. 7-0 8. STAFF AND COMMISSIONER REPORTS a) Parks & Recreation Department Reports Director Glomstad reported that a small ribbon -cutting for Primrose Park is anticipated by March 12. The Ray Park ribbon cutting has been pushed back to late March since the grass isn't established yet. The Department will be hosting several upcoming events: a St. Patrick's Day parade on March 17, Night under the Stars on March 13, and an Egg Hunt on April 3. The Beautification Commission has an opening and is looking for applicants. Glomstad asked Commissioners to direct interested parties to apply on the City's website. There will be an upcoming presentation to Council on Department afterschool programming. The Activity Guide is becoming a communitywide resource guide and an activity guide/lifestyle magazine in anticipation of the new Community Center and in an effort to broaden the audience. Glomstad presented a PowerPoint on the status of the construction of the new Community Center. She noted the Capital Campaign website is active and encouraged the Commissioners to visit the site. The Campaign has already received a generous $245,000 donation from the Burlingame Seniors for the Senior Lounge. b) Commissioners Reports Commissioner Milne — No report. Commissioner Pappajohn — No report. Chair Ardito — No report. Commissioner Lee loves the bunny hutch in Washington Park. Commissioner Chang attended Burlingame Aquatic Club Board meeting as a liaison and looks forward to working with the group. Commissioner Matthews reported she, Commissioners Pappajohn, and Lee assisted with preparing information letters to Title One families for the scholarship program. The new Burlingame School District Superintendent, Chris Mount-Benites, expressed gratitude as there are 245 families in need within the district. Commissioner Holzman is excited to hear about scholarship responses. No update on Victoria Park as the committee has not met recently. 9. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS 5 Parks & Recreation Commission APPROVED Minutes February 18, 2021 Pickleball opportunities 10. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:50 pm. The next meeting of the Parks & Recreation Commission is scheduled to be held on Thursday, March 18, 2021, at 7:00 pm via zoom webinar. Respectfully submitted, Joleen Helley Recording Secretary 6 Parks & Recreation Commission APPROVED Minutes February 18, 2021