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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1989/11/14 - Minutes - Adjourn Joint (Park and Recreation Commission) November 14, 1989 CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA CITY COUNCIL MINUTES Adjourned Joint Meetinq An adjourned joint meeting of the City Council of the City of Rancho Cucamonga and the Park and Recreation Commission was called for Tuesday, November 14, 1989 at 7:00 p.m., to be held at the Lions Park Community Center, 9161 Base Line Road, Rancho Cucamonga, California. Present were Councilmembers: William J. Alexander and Mayor Dennis L. Stout. Absent were Councilmembers: Deborah N. Brown, Charles J. Buquet II, and Pamela J. Wright Due to a lack of quorum, the Council meeting was adjourned by Mayor Stout. The Park and Recreation Commission meeting was called to order at 7:21 p.m. by Chairperson Leslie Riggs. Present were Commissioners: Pam Henry, Molly Mitchell, Sam Punter, Mark Whitehead, and Chairperson Leslie Riggs. Also present were: Dennis L. Stout, Mayor; William J. Alexander, Councilman; Jack Lam, City Manager; Linda D. Daniels, Deputy City Manager; Joe Schultz, Community Services Manager; Paula Pachon, Administrative Assistant; Kathy Sorensen, Recreation Superintendent; Susan Mickey, Administrative Aide; and Jan Sutton, Deputy City Clerk. , , , , , B. ITEMS OF DISCUSSION 1. Discussion of Park Naminq Policy. (1404-05 PARK) Commissioner Punter stated he was concerned that when the Commission made a recommendation to the Council on a park name, there was a lack of communication back to the Commission regarding action taken by the Council. He gave as a recent example the naming of the John P. Quimby park, which they recommended as a name, and how they read in the paper the next day that Council directed the item be referred to another Commission for action, instead of coming back to the Park and Recreation Commission. He felt that it created negative feelings as to why they should bother making a recommendation when it appeared they would just be dropped out of the loop. (i) City Council/Park and Recreation Commission Minutes November 14, 1989 Page 2 Mayor Stout stated that on the issue of park naming, the Council goes along with the Commission recommendations the majority of the time. He stated that in this particular instance, first they had a problem with the name because they didn't want to name a park after a living person. Secondly, it was felt that if they were going to break that rule and name a park after a living person, he felt it should be someone who has really helped the City, and it was felt that Mr. Quimby has been more of an adversary to the City than an advocate. It was felt that the name should be more historically appropriate. Commissioner Henry stated that one thing the Commission had discussed was that they didn't have a list of historical information on hand to help them make recommendations. She felt the Commission should have that information available to help them choose names for new parks. Mayor Stout felt that the Commission could deal directly with the Historical Preservation Commission on mutual concerns, and didn't need City Council approval before doing that. He also felt that not every name had to have historical impact. Commissioner Whitehead was concerned because on this particular park there seemed to be a rush to choose a name, and at the Park and Recreation Commission meeting that this item came up on there were only three Commissioners present to make a recommendation. He felt that maybe if the process had started sooner, a lot of the concerns expressed tonight could have been avoided. Mayor Stout stated that possibly if there were a number of appropriate names, a list could be submitted to Council to select from, and they could make the final decision. Commissioner Punter stated that one of his concerns was that they find out from the newspaper what the Council action was, and felt that there should be some type of direct communication back to the Park and Recreation Commission on their items. Mayor Stout stated that the staff contact for the Commission should report back to the Commission on what happened to their item at City Council, if the recommendation was accepted or not. He also stated that if a recommendation was not accepted, staff should explain why the Council determined not to accept the recommendation. Commissioner Henry stated that sometimes decision on an issue if you are under the overturned by Council. it is difficult to make a serious impression that it is going to be , , , , , , City Council/Park and Recreation Commission Minutes November 14, 1989 Page 3 2. Identification of Items of Mutual Concern. (1404-05 PARK) Commissioner Punter stated he was concerned about residents of the Caryn tract going directly to the City Council requesting a park in their community instead of coming to the Park and Recreation Commission first, and was concerned about Council hearing them. Mayor Stout stated that because of the Brown Act, Council had to listen to them, but if the Council chooses to take action, it would go through the normal process. He stated he was concerned about the Caryn residents because they did not understand how the park program operates. They come in and check the City's General Plan, which states there shall be 5 acres of developed park land for each 1,000 residents, and think the City owes them a 15 acre park. He stated it was explained to the residents that since they were a County approved project, they did not pay park fees. He stated that Etiwanda School District came to the developer and said they needed a site for a school, so the developer put it at the park site. He stated the residents were also advised that if they pinpoint a certain area that they would like to see developed as a park and make that public knowledge, it dooms that area for the City to purchase it because the cost will go up. Commissioner Henry asked if the Caryn tract was part of an Assessment District, and if not, wondered how the residents would feel if it was suggested to them to be a part of a District to cover park maintenance costs. Mayor Stout stated no, they were in a Landscape Maintenance District only, and since a park could not be located in the Caryn tract itself, they would not geographically be in the Assessment District for it. Commissioner Punter stated that he doesn't see many alternatives to the situation. He felt that if other residents saw the City giving special treatment to the residents of the Caryn tract, then they would want special treatment also. Mayor Stout stated it was pointed out to the residents who attended the Council meeting that there are other areas of the City with floating designations who have waited longer than the Caryn community, so Council's direction was to look at all designated floating areas, not Just that one. Joe Schultz, Community Services Manager, stated that when the staff report was presented to Council it covered the historical background and analysis of that area so that the homeowners would have the facts about why they did not have a park right now. He stated that staff is searching for open space in their area, and is also conducting an open space inventory for potential purchases. He stated that staff will ask the Park and Recreation Commission at their December 21, 1989 meeting to prioritize a list for Council for potential park sites to be purchased with limited funds. Mayor Stout stated that possibly the residents in that area would be willing to vote to expand the Landscape Maintenance District to cover maintenance costs for a park. (2) City Council/Park and Recreation Commission Minutes November 14, 1989 Page 4 Commissioner Punter felt that would be fair, because then everyone is paying, and no one is getting special treatment. Chairperson Riggs stated she was concerned about maintenance costs when planning neighborhood parks. She wondered if it would be better to plan fewer parks that could be income producing, instead of smaller, scattered parks throughout the City. Joe Schultz, Community Services Manager, stated another avenue to pursue is in the semantics of classifying parks. If a park is called a Neighborhood Park, the Assessment District pays for maintenance. If it is called a Community Park, the Assessment District doesn't. A Neighborhood Park can be up to 20 acres and can be included in a Landscape District. If we could redefine a Neighborhood Park to be up to 50 acres, that might give some leeway in including them into an Assessment District. Mayor Stout stated he felt there was a need for parks of all sizes and would hate to lose the elements that make each type of park unique. He felt another problem was that land for parks was not as available as it has been in the past. He felt we might want to develop other types of opportunities to take advantage of the land that is available, like wilderness parks in the foothill area. He stated we needed to develop goals and ideas for other types of parks now and have them ready for when the opportunity arises for the political workings needed to get parks funded. He felt the Commission could best serve the City in this area by coming up with creative ideas for new parks, and looking for opportunities to implement those ideas. He stated that especially when trying to qualify for grant funds, if you have a proven track record of doing something special with the funds, you are more likely to be given future funds. Chairperson Riggs stated we might also look at using an outside consultant who would work on a commission basis to help generate funds. Joe Schultz, Community Services Manager, stated the City was supporting an alcohol and cigarette tax measure that would generate $40 million in grants for park and recreation agencies in its first year if approved. Councilman Alexander stated that if a wilderness preserve is developed, he would like to see it incorporated into a trail system so that residents could hike up to the area instead of driving. Commissioner Whitehead stated they had plans to preserve certain areas in northeast Etiwanda, but when the developer came along with plans for homes in that area, their plans were pushed aside. He wondered what they could do as a Commission to try to preserve some of those areas. Councilman Alexander stated the Council was very aware of that situation and did not want to see that area destroyed either. City Council/Park and Recreation Commission Minutes November 14, 1989 Page 5 Mayor Stout stated that Supervisor Larry Walker was very interested in the City annexing the whole sphere of influence to help preserve the area, and that density be kept down to a reasonable amount. He stated that they want a commitment from the County that as of now, they will impose Rancho Cucamonga standards on all development in the sphere of influence, and stated there was precedent for that type of action. The second thing is the City wants the County to allow the City to annex all County areas. The third thing is the City wants the County to modify their plans in that area to bring them into conformance with the City's plans. And the final thing is the City wants the County to do everything they can to encourage annexation. Commissioner Henry asked if there was the possibility of freezing building permits during this process. Mayor Stout stated the County has just adopted a new General Plan that revokes the Foothill Specific Plan in that area. He stated the new plan incorporates many of the things mentioned, but they still might ask for a freeze on permits. Jack Lam, City Manager, stated the minimum the County should do during this time is adhere to their policy of developers meeting our standards. Commissioner Henry asked about the zoning and density. Mayor Stout stated there is a problem because the County increased the density level five times more than what the City had wanted. Jack Lam stated there are challenges when financing parks. When the City first incorporated, there were only 50,000 people, with only five or ten acres of parkland, so the City started with a deficit. He stated the other challenge is that people believe that the program for park fees is going to take care of the City's goal of five acres per 1,000 people. The State only allows you to charge three acres per 1,000 people in fees, so the fees would never pay for park development and maintenance. You need to have revenue sources other than park fees, which are only a stop gap measure. He stated that along with the long term planning, you need to keep looking for windows of opportunity, especially with land acquisition or options for financing. Mayor Stout stated the City has also allowed developers park fee credit for things other than traditional parks, such as trails and paseos. He stated that some of these items will be included in a special category in the park inventory. Commissioner Henry asked what was the philosophy of the City Council on Assessment Districts for funding. Mayor Stout stated there was a conscious decision made to exclude the eastern half of the City because that area is already heavily taxed. Tetra Vista, Victoria, Caryn and the sphere of influence all have separate Assessment Districts, so he was not sure what the philosophy will be when it comes to park assessments. He stated he felt the Park and Recreation Commission should only be concerned about what they would like the City to have, and let the City Council worry about how to pay for it. If it is a plan that the residents like, City Council/Park and Recreation Commission Minutes November 14, 1989 Page 6 there are always possibilities for finding funding. He stated that we are also involving the Maintenance Department in the design of the parks to achieve a level of sophistication that will be much easier and more economical to maintain once the park is built. Chairperson Riggs stated that with the new environmental commission being formed, she would like to work with them in planning new parks to be more environmentally sound. Commissioner Henry stated she felt frustrated about the lack of input from the general public, and thought maybe there could be a City sponsored open house, either annually or semi-annually, where the Commissioners and public could meet informally to discuss concerns. Chairperson Riggs stated the Commission has had discussions regarding the development of horse trails versus bike trails, and asked what direction Council would like them to take, since there were more bicyclists in the City. Mayor Stout stated he did not see those two items as being mutually exclusive. He felt the trail system was built similar to the street system, and relied mostly on development to do it incrementally as the occasion arose. Now they can see areas where it is the logical conclusion to complete the trails and tie them into a system. He didn't feel that one had to be prioritized over the other, you would just complete it when it made sense to, either through the developer in a new area, or to finish off an existing system when there were enough pieces to tie together. Commissioner Mitchell felt the Commission might want to send a contact person to Council meetings when they had an item on the agenda to see what action is taken on their items. Mayor Stout felt a better way would be to have the staff person for the Commission write them a memo the next day after a meeting and advise what the dispensation of their items was. Commissioner Whitehead stated that the Commission has discussed charging fees for service to groups that use the parks, to help pay for lighting, etc. He wanted to know what the Council's feeling on that would be. Jack Lam, City Manager, stated the Council has approved a cost allocation study, because before fees can be collected, they have to be justified to meet legal requirements. He stated that many areas need to have their fees updated. This study will be presented to City Council and they can determine which items to update. Mayor Stout stated that when Central Park was built, they might license concessionaires to operate carts in the park, who would have to meet certain standards to operate, and could serve as a source of revenue to help maintain the park. City Council/Park and Recreation Commission Minutes November 14, 1989 Page 7 Chairperson Riggs stated she felt the City might also be able to capitalize on the association of Jack Benny with Cucamonga, that we could build a Jack Benny theater and museum, and possibly hold comedy competitions to generate revenue. Commissioner Henry asked what specific areas of the sphere of influence was the Council considering annexing. Mayor Stout stated the Council has discussed annexing from Milliken Avenue west to the current border. He stated from Milliken Avenue east is a far bigger area, and Milliken Avenue west is primarily foothill area and would be easier to annex. He stated that once they have this one area ironed out, they would look to annex the populated area. MOTION: Moved by Henry, seconded by Mitchell to adjourn. Motion carried unanimously, 5-0. The meeting adjourned at 8:55 p.m. Respectfully submitted, an Sutton Deputy City Clerk Approved: December 6, 1989