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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMin - PR - 2022.06.16CITY 0 Raoawteo PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION APPROVED Meeting Minutes Regular Meeting on Thursday, June 16, 2022 1. CALL TO ORDER The duly noticed regular meeting of the Burlingame Parks & Recreation Commission was called to order by Vice -Chair Pappajohn at 7:00 pm via Zoom meeting. 2. ROLL CALL COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: STAFF PRESENT: OTHERS PRESENT: 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Milne, Brunello, Chang, Pappajohn, and Wettan Ardito & Holzman Parks & Recreation Director Glomstad, Manager Acquisti, Recreation Coordinator Parra, Parks Supervisor Holtz & Recording Secretary Helley Commissioner Milne made a motion to approve the April minutes. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Chang, and the motion was approved. 5-0-2. (Ardito & Holzman absent) 4. CORRESPONDENCE None 5. PUBLIC COMMENTS Lynn Feeney said she would like to offer her support for permanent pickleball courts in Burlingame to build a Burlingame -specific community. She and her husband travel to Mitchell Park in Palo Alto to play pickleball and are on the Foster City Pickleball group with 662 members and the Mitchell Park group with 750 members. She suggested that Burlingame could start with an increased opportunity to play on Washington Court 1 by adding Fridays and utilize a volunteer system to set up/teardown/lockup the portable nets. She believes Menlo Park and Redwood City Parks & Recreation Commission APPROVED Minutes June 16, 2022 are leaving the nets out. She recommended that staff speak with those cities to find out what issues they may have from leaving the nets out. She thanked the Commission for having the discussion and working with the community to increase the opportunities to play. Cheri Slightam thanked Commission for the opportunity to speak. She represents the Burlingame Doggy Friends Group, a group of 50 concerned dog owners who frequent the town parks with their furry friends. She would like everyone to recognize that there are more dogs than ever before and that lonely singles, seniors, and kids brought home dogs in record numbers during the pandemic. These dogs will be with us for the next ten years and are now a part of our community. Burlingame prides itself on being a tight -knit, family -friendly community. That means the City also needs to ensure that there are safe, clean spaces where responsible dog owners can socialize their dogs and locations to exercise their dogs. She recognized that there are also more apartment dwellers and smaller yards, which is a big element in Burlingame life. However, tensions are also rising as dog owners seek open spaces while many dog parks are closing to dogs. As responsible and considerate dog owners, dog owners have been using Skyline Park. However, the park has deteriorated, and dog owners have started going to Cuernavaca Park, Washington Park, and other City parks. Currently, there are restrictions on when dog owners can use other off -leash locations. Cheri asked that Commission and Council consider increasing access to existing options or exploring new spaces and improving existing sites such as Skyline or Ray Park. She said she understood that the newly supervised dog population is causing strain over how spaces are used. She would like to work together to ensure that there are safe spaces for dogs. Adrienne Leigh thanked the Commission for voting to make Washington Park Court 1 a permanent pickleball court. It will be a huge improvement to our community and would also be beneficial because in the winter we would be able to play under lights. She suggests that on Monday and Wednesday, a staff person come by around 10:30 to announce that it costs $5 to play on the basketball courts. In addition, she would like to request new lines be painted on the tennis courts. 6. OLD BUSINESS None 7. NEW BUSINESS a. Youth Field User Organization Field Validations Recreation Coordinator Parra introduced himself to Commission. He most recently worked for the cities of San Mateo, Dublin, and Colton. He reviewed the staff report noting that four non- profit field user organizations have submitted applications for validation for the use of City fields. Tier 1 organizations are required to get validated on a three-year cycle; all are previously Tier 1 approved organizations. All packets submitted are complete and in order. Staff recommends Commission approve the Tier 1 applications submitted by St. Catherine of Sienna School, Our Lady of Angels, Burlingame Girls Softball, and the American Youth Soccer Organization. Vice -Chair Pappajohn thanked Recreation Coordinator Parra for the report and opened them item for Commission discussion. 2 Parks & Recreation Commission APPROVED Minutes June 16, 2022 Commissioner Wettan asked if there are organizations that are considered Tier 2 and how that impacts their field use. Parra stated the qualifications for Tier 2 are listed in the Field Use Policy. Director Glomstad noted that the former Tier 2 organizations no longer meet the requirements for Tier 2 and are now renters of the fields. Therefore, there is no impact from Tier 2 organizations. Vice -Chair Pappajohn opened public comment on the item. There were no comments. Public Comment was closed. MOTION by Brunello to approve the Field Validation Applications for St. Catherine of Siena School, Our Lady of Angels, Burlingame Girls Softball, and American Youth Soccer Organization. Motion seconded by Wettan. Motion approved 5-0-2. Ardito & Holzman absent. b. Addition of Pickleball Lines on Laguna Tennis Courts Recreation Manager Acquisti introduced the item to add pickleball lines on Laguna Tennis courts. After much discussion at the April 21, 2022 Parks and Recreation Commission meeting, the Commission requested staff move forward with the public process of notifying the community around Laguna Park tennis courts about adding pickleball court lines to each of the tennis courts. On Friday, June 10, 2022, City staff posted signage at the Laguna Park tennis courts and hand - delivered the notice to the surrounding homes. Residents were asked to provide feedback to Recreation Manager Acquisti or to attend the Commission meeting to provide their feedback. Staff sent the same notice via email to community members that have asked to be kept informed of tennis and pickleball matters. The cost to stripe a court with pickleball lines is $800 per court. There are sufficient funds in the Department's Capital Improvement Budget to complete this work. Staff received the following emails come the public: Charles Fracchia: "As a regular tennis player at the Laguna Park tennis courts, I want to express my opinion that pickle ball court striping should not be allowed at the Laguna Park tennis courts. I appreciate that there are not a lot of sport courts in Burlingame, but it would be much more efficient to build more pickle ball courts. You should ask someone who was involved in resurfacing the Washington Park tennis courts as to how the preparation of tennis courts should be done properly. You can also Google private businesses that install courts to find what is involved. Pickle ball does not require the preparation under the surface necessary to make a good tennis court. Additionally, pickle ball courts require less space per court. Pickle ball also requires a lower net in the middle and users lowered the center strap at court #2 when they played pickle ball, which explains why the net strap needed to be replaced recently. Once the summer instructional tennis programs begin, it will be harder for recreational tennis players to find time on the courts, as it was last summer. Pickle ball should have its own less - expensive courts. I also feel that the metal signage on the fence outside the courts should not have been removed. Many people who use the courts are not serious players and do not know the appropriate time limitations and the prohibitions that were described." Parks & Recreation Commission APPROVED Minutes June 16, 2022 Shannon Rudolph: "I'm just chiming in with my opinion re pickle ball lines at Laguna Park. I think one is a good idea!" Mason Howard: "Yes on pickleball lines." Kristin Bergman: "We would love pickleball lines on both courts at Laguna Park. A group of us plays most weekends (and rent the court) -and lines would help us a lot." Vice -Chair Pappajohn opened public comments. There were no comments. Public Comment was closed. Vice -Chair Pappajohn opened commission discussion. Commissioner Milne asked about the first email that was read in which he stated the signage was removed from the courts. He asked if that was the case. Acquisti responded, yes, the tennis signage had some discrepancies that are being corrected and will be posted soon. Commissioner Brunello asked about the five -dollar drop -in fee and how much money is collected on an annual basis. Glomstad noted the five -dollar drop -in is only collected at Washington. A full report will be coming in the future. Brunello also inquired about the inconsistency of a drop -in fee at one court and not another. Acquisti explained that the five -dollar drop -in fee covers the court's reservation fee. Any time a court/field/area is reserved exclusively for the use of a particular group, there is a fee. Additionally, it is also for staff to set up/break down the nets. It takes staff over an hour to set up the nets on all seven courts. Commissioner Milne noted the lining currently being discussed is not like the lines at Washington 1. He asked if that was because there was not enough space for a four -to -one lining. Glomstad and Acquisti noted it has to do with the nets. If the Laguna courts were lined like Washington, the public would have to bring their nets. The input from the public that uses Laguna was that they use tennis nets and they only wanted lines. Commissioner Wettan inquired if any tennis players have commented that the addition of the pickleball lines has been distracting or if it is an easy adjustment. Acquisti has heard no reports of any issues. MOTION by Milne to approve the addition of pickleball lines on both courts at Laguna Tennis Courts. Motion seconded by Wettan. Motion approved 5-0-2. Ardito & Holzman absent. STAFF AND COMMISSIONER REPORTS a. Parks & Recreation Department Reports 4 Parks & Recreation Commission APPROVED Minutes June 16, 2022 Director Glomstad reported the ribbon -cutting for the new Community Center went well. The previous evening the Capital Campaign hosted a sneak peek for the donors. Manager Acquisti reported that the portables would be removed in the next two weeks, and the parking lot would be cleaned up and back in use for the public. b. Commissioners Reports Commissioner Chang — No report Commissioner Milne — Milne noted he, Commissioners Pappajohn & Ardito had a chance to meet with the pickleball community. The group identified a few impediments to increasing the use of Washington Court 1: having to lug your net in; the signage is not clear to tennis players that court 1 is a priority for pickleball players. Commissioner Pappajohn — She agreed with Commissioner Milne about the importance of collecting input from the players. The committee had a zoom meeting and learned that pickleball is a growing community, and they go to other cities to play because the portable nets are too heavy. They would like to leave them at the courts and think paying the five dollars is silly. The committee also heard that the players think there should be reserved times such as Friday, Sunday, and a weekday evening. Commissioner Wettan — Wettan attended the opening, assisted with the dance studio, received a lot of questions, and noted a lot of interest in the new Community Center. Chair Brunello — No Report 2. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS 3. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:49 pm. The next meeting of the Parks & Recreation Commission is scheduled to be held on Thursday, July 21, 2022, at 7:00 pm via zoom webinar. Respectfully submitted, Joleen Helley Recording Secretary 5 Parks & Recreation Commission APPROVED Minutes June 16, 2022