A summary of the Parks & Recreation Commission meeting of June 12, 2017

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A complete description of this meeting, including a two-hour audio transcript, the staff report, and copies of all communications received, may be found here.

All Commissioners were present: Donna Meyers (Chair), J.M. Brown (Vice Chair), Maggie Duncan-Merrell, Gail Evans, John Falkowski, Hollie Locatelli and Lars Shallberg.

Department staff members were also present.

The single agenda item was entitled:

Clarification of the Recommendations to Include Considerations for Exploring Mountain Biking and Multi-Use Trail Opportunities in Pogonip Open Space and DeLaveaga Park in the Draft Parks Master Plan 2030.

The staff recommended that the Commission take the following action:

Motion to recommend to the City Council that the final Parks Master Plan 2030 include recommendations for exploring additional mountain biking and multi-use trail opportunities in Pogonip Open Space and DeLaveaga Park.

The staff report contains (quoted from the Draft Parks Master Plan) these proposals for new Pogonip trails that would be accessible to mountain bikers, with the direction to “Explore modifications to the existing master plan to improve access and connectivity”:

• Link Harvey West to the Emma McCrary Trail, possibly with an easement through public [private?] property.
• Consider allowing mountain bike use on the remainder of the Rincon Trail, from the U-Con trail intersection to Glen Coolidge Drive.
• Create a multi-use trail along Glen Coolidge Drive to connect Spring Street to UCSC and the U-Con Trail.
• Add a separate downhill mountain bike trail with unique features and obstacles.

The Council chambers was full. Most of those in the audience were proponents of mountain biking and the proposed new Pogonip trails. There were also significant numbers of people who were opposed to the addition of new mountain biking trails in the Pogonip.

Many testified. At the conclusion of the testimony, and after some discussion by the Commissioners, Commissioner Evans offered a motion, seconded by Commissioner Brown.

Her motion was to support the staff recommendation, but recommended that focus be given to (a) the Harvey West to Emma McCrary connector and (b) the opening of the Rincon Trail to mountain bike use. This motion failed by a 4 to 3 vote, with Evans, Meyers and Brown voting yes.

Commissioner Duncan-Merrell then made a motion to simply support the staff recommendation. This motion passed, also by a 4 to 3 vote. Those who voted against it (Evans, Meyers and Brown) thought it was too broad. Meyers also said it did not provide sufficient information.

The meeting adjourned shortly after 6:00 pm.

What follows below are past notes describing what happened at the meeting of the Parks & Recreation Commission meeting of May 1, 2017. There is an introduction, followed by a summary of what happened at the meeting.

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The Parks and Recreation Commissioners, at their upcoming meeting on May 1, 2017, were asked by their staff to prioritize 80 proposed “Actions” to be taken, as part of the “Parks Master Plan” (PMP) now under preparation. The full agenda packet for this meeting is posted here.

The relevant part of the agenda packet, the 9-page staff report about “Park Master Plan 2030 Priority Actions”, is here. It's a curious document, worth looking at. It contains this line:

VISION ➜ 7 GOALS ➜ 80 ACTIONS ➜ 143 PROJECTS = ENHANCED PARK SYSTEM
The commissioners are being asked to rank the 80 “ACTIONS”, specifying a priority of “1” (low), or “4” (medium) or “7” (high) for each.

However, the “ACTIONS” are vague and broad, and there is no comprehensive list of the 143 PROJECTS included in each ACTION to be found, either in the agenda packet or in the Draft of the Parks Master Plan.

For example, under GOAL III, Action 9 states “Develop, improve, and enhance mountain bike trail system”, but says nothing at all about what PROJECTS this refers to. If a Commissioner (or a Council member) would like to see the mountain bike trail system enhanced in DeLaveaga Park, but not in the Pogonip, how should he or she rank this action? Why is it not possible to rank the individual PROJECTS?

Keep in mind that this item (along with its staff report) was originally included at the end of the agenda for the previous meeting (on April 10), but this staff report was not made available for public review. At 6:10 pm on April 10, when the Commissioners were urged to accept this item, they objected, and it was continued to the meeting of May 1. The staff report has now been made visible to the public.

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A summary of the meeting of May 1, 2017

A few of us attended the meeting of the Parks and Recreation Commission on the afternoon of May 1. All seven commissioners were present:

Donna Meyers (Chair), J.M. Brown (Vice Chair), Maggie Duncan-Merrell, Gail Evans, John Falkowski, Hollie Locatelli and Lars Shallberg.

Department staff members were also present.

The commissioners were asked by Director Garcia to indicate their highest priorities (a "7" on the Director's scale), selected from among each of the 80 ACTION items listed on the Priority Ranking document.

So Chair Meyers invited each commissioner to speak in turn to indicate his or her selections.

There was interesting discussion, with many thoughtful remarks, especially as commissioners described their motivations for their votes. Here is a long summary of the ranking of the ACTIONS as we noted them (there may be errors). We group them in the order of the number of commissioners who supported each action:

――― Seven ―――

Action 5/Goal VII (Increase funding for parks) was endorsed by all seven commissioners.

――― Six ―――

Action 1/Goal I (Use sustainable landscaping design and maintenance practices to conserve water, prevent erosion and run-off, and provide habitat and food sources) was endorsed by six commissioners (Meyers, Brown, Duncan-Merrell, Evans, Locatelli and Shallberg).

Action 4/Goal IV (Protect and improve wildlife and wildlife habitat) was endorsed by six commissioners (Brown, Duncan-Merrell, Evans, Locatelli and Shallberg).

――― Five ―――

Action 1/Goal II (Continue to seek opportunities to purchase or lease additional parkland. Use criteria for deciding where to purchase property for new park development) was endorsed by five commissioners (Meyers, Brown, Falkowski, Locatelli and Shallberg).

Action 1/Goal III (Provide neighborhood park uses including, but are not limited to, off-leash dog use areas, ball fields, skateboard parks, tennis courts, basketball courts, ping-pong tables, playgrounds and tot-lots, climbing and exercise equipment, slack-lining, pickleball courts, community gardens, pump tracks, bocce courts, disk golf courses, horseshoe pits, picnic areas, sand volleyball courts, and other recreational activities when designed to minimize impacts to the surrounding neighborhood) was endorsed by five commissioners (Duncan-Merrell, Falkowski, Locatelli and two others).

Action 1/Goal IV (Develop a natural open space restoration work plan) was endorsed by five commissioners (Meyers, Brown, Evans, Falkowski and Shallberg).

Action 6/Goal V (Increase park ranger/police presence and interaction) was endorsed by five commissioners (Meyers, Brown, Duncan-Merrell, Evans and one other).

――― Four ―――

Action 7/Goal III (Renovate and maintain playgrounds to create more unique and interesting play experiences) was endorsed by four commissioners (Meyers, Brown, Evans and Locatelli).

Action 8/Goal III (Assure accessibility and safety on all City playgrounds) was endorsed by four commissioners (Duncan-Merrell, Evans, Locatelli and one other)

Action 3/Goal IV (Increase the number of large clean-up days to remove waste from illegal camping activities) was endorsed by four commissioners (Meyers, Duncan-Merrell, Evans and Locatelli).

Action 5/Goal IV (Protect water bodies, including creek systems, riparian environments, and wetlands) was endorsed by four commissioners (Brown, Duncan-Merrell, Evans and Shallberg).

Action 5/Goal V (Increase resources to remove trash and debris from illegal camping) received the endorsement of four commissioners (Brown, Evans, Locatelli and Shallberg).

Action 7/Goal V (Increase enforcement of park rules) was endorsed by four commissioners (Duncan-Merrell, Evans, Falkowski and Locatelli).

Action 2/Goal VI (Work with Public Works to help connect major parks throughout the City with smaller loop options and spur trails that connect to the bike and pedestrian system) was endorsed by four commissioners (Meyers, Duncan-Merrell, Falkowski and Shallberg).

Action 3/Goal VI (Promote alternative transportation by integrating bike trails and paths into City street pattern) was endorsed by four commissioners (Meyers, Brown, Duncan-Merrell and Locatelli).

Action 9/Goal VII (Utilize and support Friends of Parks and Recreation (FOPAR) to help in their fundraising, scholarship, and funding of smaller special projects to improve the parks system) was endorsed by four commissioners (Meyers, Duncan-Merrell, Locatelli and Shallberg).

――― Three ―――

Action 12/Goal I (Increase the number of restrooms at larger or highly utilized neighborhood park facilities) was endorsed by three commissioners (Evans, Falkowski and one other).

Action 14/Goal I (Provide an adequate level of service of restroom facilities and renovate existing restrooms to maintain a clean, safe, inviting appearance) was endorsed by three commissioners (Meyers, Brown and Evans).

Action 2/Goal II (Explore opportunities for partnerships with other agencies to use land outside but adjacent to the City to help fund larger facilities to meet unmet needs) was endorsed by three commissioners (Meyers, Duncan-Morrell and Shallberg).

Action 6/Goal III (Expand opportunities for informal sports play) was endorsed by three commissioners (Falkowski, Locatelli and Shallberg).

Action 9/Goal III (Develop, improve, and enhance mountain bike trail system) was endorsed by three commissioners (Duncan-Merrell, Falkowski and Locatelli).

Action 12/Goal III (Provide activities that improve physical activity and mental health for all ages, abilities, and interests) was endorsed by three commissioners (Meyers, Brown and Falkowski).

Action 17/Goal III (Consider partnerships to allow for public recreational uses in the permanent Kaiser Permanente Arena during the Santa Cruz Warriors off-season) was endorsed by three commissioners (Duncan-Merrell, Falkowski and Shallberg).

Action 10/Goal IV (Provide more interpretive signage in parks and open spaces and along waterways) was endorsed by three commissioners (Brown, Duncan-Merrell and Locatelli).

Action 4/Goal V (Explore partnerships and programs to provide mental health services in parks) was endorsed by three commissioners (Meyers, Brown and one other).

Action 4/Goal VI (Support a Felton-Santa Cruz recreational trail and transportation/commuter corridor) was endorsed by three commissioners (Duncan-Merrell, Locatelli and Shallberg).

Action 5/Goal VI (Develop trailheads to improve access and minimize conflicts between different uses) was endorsed by three commissioners (Meyers, Brown and Evans).

Action 2/Goal VII (Work with the Parks and Recreation Commission to establish annual priorities for capital improvement projects that are proposed to City Council) was endorsed by three commissioners (Meyers, Brown and Duncan-Merrell).

――― Two or fewer ―――

Other Actions were endorsed by two or fewer commissioners.

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Note that the next meeting of the Parks and Recreation Commission, to occur on Monday, June 12 from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm in the City Council chambers, will be devoted to “Mountain Bike Trails”. Please attend this meeting if you can. We will post the agenda packet for the meeting when it becomes available, which should be on approximately Thursday, June 8.