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PKC - Item 2A - Parks Commission Meeting Minutes of June 1, 2021MINUTES OF THE ROSEMEAD PARKS COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING JUNE 1, 2021 The regular meeting of the Rosemead Parks Commission was called to order by Commissioner Tocki at 7:02 p.m. in the Rosemead City Council Chamber located at 8838 East Valley Boulevard, Rosemead, California PRESENT: Vice -Chair Nguyen, Commissioners Ruvalcaba, Sornoso and Tocki ABSENT: Chair Lin PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Commissioner Sornoso INVOCATION was led by Commissioner Ruvalcaba 1. PUBLIC COMMENTS FROM THE AUDIENCE -None 2. CONSENT CALENDAR A. Approval of minutes — March 2, 2021 Commissioner Tocki motioned the approval of the meeting notes at 7:04 p.m. ACTION: Moved by Commissioner Ruvalcaba and seconded by Vice -Chair Nguyen to approve the March 2, 2021 minutes: Motion carried by the following vote: AYES: Nguyen, Ruvalcaba, Sornoso and Tocki 3. MATTERS FROM STAFF A. Fund a Dream Program Tam Chu, Recreation Supervisor, presented Matters From Staff on behalf of Director of Parks and Recreation, Tom Boecking. Recreation Supervisor Chu provided information on the new Fund a Dream Program which launching this summer. The program gives youth an opportunity to participation in recreational classes and activities at a reduced fee. The program is designed to help those families with low and moderate -income. The Fund a Dream Program will be supported through contributions from local businesses, community organizations, and individuals. Staff recommends that the Parks Commission receive the information and provide feedback regarding the program. This program has been implemented for families who live within the Rosemead city limits. Applicants are eligible to apply for a scholarship for any of their children who are 17 and under. Proof of yearly income must be submitted to determine if the family's income meets the Department of Housing and Development guidelines for low and moderate income. Each eligible family household may receive up to $150 per year. 1 Class/activity fees will be reduced by 25%, 50%, or 75% depending on household income and the number of people in the household. The remainder of the class/activity fee must be paid by the applicant at the time of registration. Class material fees are not covered by this program. These fees must be paid to the instructor at the first meeting. In order to qualify for the program, an application must be completed. Families who foster a child or children are able to apply for each child separately and each will be considered a household of one. Families will need to review the "Verification of Financial Eligibility" to determine the proof of income that they will need to submit with their application. Photocopies of all financial documents are required. Incomplete applications will be returned with guidance from department staff. Financial information submitted will be kept confidential. All applications and photocopies of financial documents should be submitted at least two weeks before registration deadlines, or if no deadlines are indicated, at least two weeks before the first meeting date of a class or activity. This will allow time for processing of their application. Staff is working on obtaining donations to help build the fund and support the program. For more information on how to donate or apply for the program, please visit our city website. Commissioner Tocki asked whether residents living in unincorporated areas would be considered for the program. Recreation Supervisor Chu mentioned he did not have information on city limits but would provide that information at a later date. Commissioner Ruvalcaba stated she agreed with Commissioner Tocki and thought the program was beneficial to the community as some parents may not be able to afford programs. Recreation Supervisor Chu received clarification regarding city limits and unincorporated areas of Rosemead would also qualify for the program. Commissioner Ruvalcaba inquired about donations and asked if there was a minimum. Recreation Supervisor Chu mentioned that more information can be found on the website and no minimum is required. B. Monthly Parks & Recreation Department Review As spring comes to an end, the department is gearing up for a busy summer with many programs and events. Recreation Supervisor Chu provided a recap of some of the spring programs along with a preview of upcoming summer events. In the Aquatics Division, reservations for summer swim lessons are now open. Due to Covid-19 guidelines, swim lessons have been limited to four participants per class. Sessions for summer swim lessons are offered Monday through Friday and Saturdays as well. Reservations for summer Lap Swim and Aqua Fit, at the Rosemead Aquatic Center, opened on May 31st. The Rosemead Rapids Swim Team had a total of 71 participants for the month of April. The Aquatics Division is also currently looking to hire Lifeguards, Instructors, Aquatic Attendants, and Assistant Pool Managers. Applications can be found on our city website. 2 The Community Centers have been busy as well. The Garvey Community Center's Drive -and -Go Lunch Program continued through the month of May and into June. The center staff continues to host the drive-thru meal program as well as a walk-up line in order to serve as many community members as possible. Meals are still being distributed on Mondays and Wednesdays at 11:30 am. Currently, the food provided for the program consists of frozen and fresh deli meals for a total of 160 participants. In May, the center celebrated Mother's Day by providing each participant with a lollipop bouquet and a card from the Garvey Community Center staff. Staff also led stretching exercises in the south parking lot and distributed sports drinks for National Senior Health and Fitness Day. The Garvey Center will also celebrate Flag Day on June 14 and have a special treat for Father's Day on June 21. Also, a Drive- in bingo will be held in the south parking lot on June 17 and will be luau themed. The Garvey Community Center will again receive two hundred food boxes from the L.A. Food Bank. The Food Bank has continued to provide produce for participants. In the previous months, oranges were provided. The next food box distribution will take place Monday, July 5. The Herald Christian Health Center provided the last COVID- 19 vaccination clinic on May 20th, at the Rosemead Community Center. The Parks and Recreation Department was grateful for the partnership and the ability to bring COVID vaccines to the community. One of the bigger events that took place in May was the Farmers Market which began on May 3rd and will run until September 27. The Farmers Market will be held every Monday from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. in the Civic Center Plaza A Ribbon Cutting Ceremony was held on May 8 at 9:00 a.m. for the 2nd Temporary Community Garden located at 3224 Del Mar Avenue. The garden was attended by City Council, Parks Commissioners, Garvey School District Board and Staff as well as community partners from CultivaLA. Free seedlings were provided to all plot owners courtesy of CultivaLA. Recreation Supervisor Chu thanked CultivaLA for their partnership and donation The youth sports staff was also busy this spring. The Youth Outdoor Sports Clinics, which was a 6 -week program, ended on Saturday, May 8 with a total of 34 participants in basketball and volleyball. Participants worked with our Recreation Staff each week to learn the fundamentals of the sport as well as teamwork and sportsmanship. Parks and Recreation is excited to offer soccer, basketball and volleyball clinics beginning June 19. Camp Rosemead is back for Summer 2021 and will be offered beginning June 14. Participants can register for weekly themed camps that will be held at Garvey Park, Monday through Friday, from 7:00 a.m.- 6:00 p.m. Park and Recreation is teaming up with Johnny Allen Tennis to offer youth group lessons this summer at Garvey Park for kids ages 6-17 years old. Classes will be held on either Tuesday or Thursday evenings beginning the week 3 of June 14. The department is also partnering with SCGA Jr. Golf to offer youth group golf lessons at Whittier Narrows Golf Course. Kids ages 5-17 will work with golf instructors to learn the fundamental skills of the sport. Classes will begin the week of July 12. The design of the dog park has been completed. Play amenities have been added to the design. The next step in the process is to develop construction plans and documents. Staff is hopeful that the project will begin this summer. Parks and Recreation has a very busy summer ahead, but we are all excited to welcome back all of our participants. Registration for all classes opened on June 1' and the summer recreation guide is available on our city website. Vice Chair Nguyen asked whether parks were fully open without any restrictions. Recreation Supervisor Chu replied that there are still some restrictions as nothing has changed over the last month. The parks are open for passive users; however, the picnic shelters are still closed as well as the basketball courts. Vice Chair Nguyen mentioned we are nearing the yellow tier for opening with many people asking when things will open. Recreation Supervisor Chu replied that the target opening date is June 15 and the department is waiting to see what the State will be doing. There are also City guidelines that will need to be followed. There will be a better idea regarding opening after the June 15 date. An update will be provided as soon as more information is received. Commissioner Ruvalcaba will also wait to hear back regarding an opening date for the swimming pool. Recreation Supervisor Chu mention the Aquatic Center is open for swim lessons, lap swim as well as Aqua Fit. Lap swimming and Aqua Fit are open by reservations only in order to limit the amount of people coming into the facility and adhering to COVID guidelines. Recreational swimming is currently on hold pending upcoming guidelines after which the program can be reevaluated. Commissioner Tocki inquired regarding the Farmers Market vendors and whether there were more options available than before. The subject had been previously discussed during a commission meeting as far as getting additional vendors and/or different types of vendors that could provide more organic fresh produce. Recreation Supervisor Chu mentioned that due to COVID-19 guidelines, the number of vendors is being kept limited. Pre COV ID, there were a lot more vendors available but at the moment things are a bit more restrictive. Once restrictions are lifted, then the department can look into bringing in more vendors. Commissioner Tocki mentioned the commission got to see the draft of the Dog Park design but was hoping the updated version is shared with the commission. He also asked regarding the Rosemead Park Walking Path and an update on where that is. Recreation Supervisor Chu took note of the items and mentioned he would pass them along to Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking. 4 Commissioner Tocki mentioned that he was glad that the classes were beginning to open and bring back some kind of normalcy to the City. Commissioner Tocki is looking to take some dancing classes as well. 4. MATTERS FROM COMMISSION A. Commissioner Comments Commissioner Ruvalcaba mentioned she would like to hear an update on the Rosemead Walking Path and whether there were any comments from the City Council. Commissioner Tocki stated his previous comments were meant for the Matters From Commission. Commissioner Somoso mentioned his comment was for Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking regarding the large events such as the 4"' of July. Many events were cancelled; however, he was wondering what the new guidelines will be and how the City will plan for these big events. Recreation Supervisor Chu stated that the department is waiting to hear what the guidelines will look like after June 15 but will have a conversation with Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking regarding providing a schedule of events to see what events will be held. Staff has been busy putting together virtual events and things that can be done from home. Commissioner Tocki requested an update on the grant that the department applied to aside from the dog park grant. Commissioner Ruvalcaba requested an update regarding the corner lot on Walnut Grove and Rush streets. She mentioned the water company was going to take it over and wanted to make it a nice park area. 5. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 7:25 p.m. The neat Parks Commission meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 6, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers. Jennifer Pineda, Administrative Specialist APPROVED: Qui Dang Nguyen, Vice -Chair 5