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PKC - Item 2A - Minutes of August 3, 2021MINUTES OF THE ROSEMEAD PARKS COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING AUGUST 3, 2021 The regular meeting of the Rosemead Parks Commission was called to order by Commissioner Tocki at 7:00 p.m. in the Rosemead City Council Chamber located at 8838 East Valley Boulevard, Rosemead, California. PRESENT: Vice -Chair Nguyen, Commissioners Luu, Ruvalcaba, Sornoso and Tocki ABSENT: Commissioner Sornoso PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Commissioner Tocki INVOCATION was led by Commissioner Ruvalcaba ADMINISTRATION OF OATH OF OFFICE Commission Secretary, Jennifer Pineda, administered the Oath of Office to re -appointed Commissioners Nguyen and Tocki, and newly appointed Commissioner Phieu Luu. REORGANIZATION: Vice -Chair Nguyen nominated Commissioner Tocki for the position of Chairman, the nomination was seconded by Commissioner Ruvalcaba. Motion carried by the following vote: A YES: Luu, Nguyen, Ruvalcaba, and Tocki; ABSENT: Commissioner Sornoso Chair Tocki opened the nominations for Vice -Chair. Commissioner Nguyen made a motion, seconded by Chair Tocki. Motion carried by the following vote: A YES: Luu, Nguyen, Ruvalcaba, Tocki; ABSENT: Commissioner Sornoso 1. PUBLIC COMMENTS FROM THE AUDIENCE - None 2. CONSENT CALENDAR A. Approval of minutes — June 1, 2021 Commissioner Nguyen motioned the approval of the meeting notes at 7:07 p.m. ACTION: Moved by Commissioner Nguyen and seconded by Commissioner Ruvalcaba to approve the June 1, 2021, minutes: Motion carried by the following vote: A YES: Luu, Nguyen, Ruvalcaba, and Tocki; ABSENT: Commissioner Sornoso 3. MATTERS FROM STAFF Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking congratulated the Commissioners on their appointment. He mentioned that if at any point there are questions regarding the items being presented, to feel free to ask. If there are questions on non -agenda items, then they can be brought up during Commissioner Comments. A. Grants Update Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking announced that there are three active grants for the department: the Dog Park grant, the Duff Park grant and Prop 68. The Prop 68 grant is on the last round, and we are waiting to hear back regarding the status. It is the largest grant we have applied for, 7.1 million, and is for one of the Edison properties located on Walnut Grove and Mission Road. The state requested additional information on certain items and asked for amendments to the submitted application. The final notice will not be provided until the fall with a final decision in November. It was a competitive grant with over 400 applications received. This was the second time the City of Rosemead Parks and Recreation applied for the grant. There are other potential grant opportunities that the City is looking into which are per capita grants. However, the City needs to determine whether it qualifies and if we will be applying. B. Rosemead Walking Trail Update At the March 2, 2021, Parks Commission Meeting, the commission was presented with a decision that needed to be made regarding the Rosemead Walking Trail. The walking trail was recently replaced within the last year and there were some concerns brought by the public and City Council. The concerns were based on the materials used and the construction. City staff was confident that the project was up to par; however, the City Council asked for potential options that could be done to enhance the walking trail. In the March meeting, there were three options presented by previous Public Works Director Daste which were: (1) acceptance of the completed surface, which would leave the trail as is, (2) Add an additional overlay to the completed surface which would have added an additional $163,000 cost, (3) Demolish and replace the entire walking trail with an approximate cost of under a million. At the meeting, the Parks Commission decided that the best option was to add an additional overlay to the existing surface. The recommendation was presented to City Council at the April 27th meeting. There was much discussion between Council and staff, and it was determined at that meeting that none of the options would go through. The majority of the Council decided to leave the existing trail as is for now and asked that staff research additional options that could potentially be done. As of now, no information has been brought back to the City Council regarding the potential changes to the trail. The walking trail is very popular and is used by a lot of people that seem happy with it. City Council is still requesting information regarding the trail. The option provided by the commission was not voted on. Chair Tocki asked whether there have been other residents filling complaints or concerns regarding the trail. He recalled there being concerns during the March meeting. Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking mentioned he has not heard any new complaints from new or existing trail users. Vice -Chair Ruvalcaba asked whether it was safe for the community to use the trail. OA Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking stated it was safe to use the trail. There have not been any complaints or injuries and it is something that is used every day by multiple people. In the interest of the City and in the City's perspective, it is safe. C. Dog Park Update The Dog Park has been in progress and in the planning phase for a while, but a planning design was finalized. The design amenities are being presented which include a rustic dog tunnel, a dog totter, and a weave post. All the equipment can be used for training as well. The amenities have been spread out around the park. The project is being turned over to the engineering department to get construction documents ready to go. It is a bid project and therefore must wait on the documents from Public Works to get it out to bid. The hope is to move quickly with the project. Commissioner Luu asked where the Dog Park would be located. Director of Parks of Parks and Recreation Boecking mentioned it would be next to the Tennis Courts on the south end of the park. There is currently an area that is being utilized by the city as a vehicle storage and will be the location of the Dog Park. The Dog Park will wrap around the tennis courts. Commissioner Luu asked if the parking space would still be available. Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking stated it would be. Chair Tocki inquired regarding the dog waste bag dispensers, the frequency the dispensers would be refilled and the cost to the city. He mentioned visiting other parks, not in Rosemead, and seeing the dispensers empty which he would not want to see in the new dog park. Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking stated that there are staff members that are housed at Garvey Park and would have the dispensers added as part of their daily maintenance checklist as well as removing the trash. The cost of the bags is inexpensive, especially when ordering in bulk. The exact cost of the bags was not readily available. Vice -Chair Ruvalcaba said the park has shading and she likes the design. Chair Tocki referenced the last discussion on the dog park and whether there would be an additional opening. He noticed the new design has a double gate on the large dog area, to the far right, and asked if it would be an in and out accessible gate or merely for staff and maintenance. Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking replied that the gate would be for maintenance and accessible to staff only. 3 Chair Tocki recalled discussing the entry gates and saw that the new design has gates that are 6 feet, he asked whether the gate in the small dog area would also be 6 feet tall. Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking responded that the fencing for the small dog area would be 5 feet tall. It was previously 4 feet, but after the discussion was increased by 1 foot. D. Fall Special Events It is exciting to welcome back some of the in person fall events. There were two large scale events that were held in person, which were the concerts and movies in the park. Parks and Recreation will be hosting in person events this fall starting with the return of Fall Fiesta/Dia de los Muertos as well as the Trunk or Treat and introducing a new event, the Pumpkin Dive. The department is closely monitoring the CDC and LA County Department of Public Health guidelines and recommendations for events and if necessary, change or modify the event pending recommendations. The Fall Fiesta/Dia de los Muertos event will be held on October 9 at Rosemead Park and is scheduled from 4:00 to 9:00 pm. A rain date has also been scheduled for Saturday, November 13 from 2:00 to 7:00 pm. The day includes family fun, live entertainment, community performances, carnival games, laser tag, moon bouncers, arts and crafts and an outdoor movie. Food and merchandise vendors will be onsite. This is all part of normal programming; however, if a recommendation were to be given by the LA County Department Public Health, the city would alter the event to fit with those guidelines. There is a new event being introduced, the Pumpkin Dive, which will be held Saturday, October 16 at the Rosemead Aquatic Center. The pool will be transformed into a floating pumpkin patch where participants will have a chance to pick out the perfect pumpkin and decorate it. The event is for children ages 3 to 16 years of age. Children 7 and under must be accompanied in the water by an adult 18 years or older. The event will be held from 12:00 to 3:00 pm with a small fee of $10.00. The next fall event is the Trunk or Treat which will be held in the Civic Plaza area. It is scheduled to take place on Saturday, October 30 from 5:30 to 8:30 pm. Traditionally this event is a Halloween event and held on October 31, but because October 31 is a Sunday, the city typically reverts to the Saturday. Children will be able to trick or treat around decorated vehicles, enjoy an outdoor movie, costume contest, games, and arts & crafts. There will be food trucks serving treats and food for purchase. The City is also planning on having a haunted house as well. We are waiting on additional guidelines given that the haunted house is typically held indoors. The city is waiting on more information to be released but is hopeful in having the haunted house which is held over three evenings leading up to October 31 sc Chair Tocki is hoping there is no rain for Fall Fiesta/Dfa de los Muertos since it did rain a few years ago. He mentioned liking the idea of the Pumpkin Dive but was not sure what to expect and would need to see it in person. 4 Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking responded that the event was a floating pumpkin patch, since pumpkins do not sink, where children can play and splash around with pumpkins. E. Monthly Parks & Recreation Department Review The department has been preparing for the fall and looking forward to bringing back traditional events. Registration for classes will begin on August 18. Brochures will be sent to homes on the week of August 9 and will also be available to the public online on August 9. The summer has been very busy, even with limited programming, and it has been very successful. Swim lessons have been filled every session with a total of three completed swim cycles and in the middle of the fourth cycle. With the lift on restrictions on June 19, the aquatics division was able to accommodate more participants per class. Recreational swim is being offered three days per week with times offered Tuesday and Thursday evenings as well as Friday afternoons. There have been issues at the Splash Zone at Garvey Park. Currently, there are major repairs that are being done to the pump caused by other repairs that were made which in turn made the pump malfunction and burn out. The hope is to have Splash Zone open sometime in August. There will be more information to come. Lap swim and the Aquatic Fitness programs have been going on. The Rosemead Rapids Swim team has qualified and competing in some major swim meets. The department is proud of our team and is looking forward to hearing the results. The Garvey Community Center has continued the Drive-in Lunch Program. On Monday, August 9, the lunch program will once again be offered inside the facility. The seniors are excited to be back inside and socializing with each other. There will be a limit on participants per table and providing extra distance. All safety protocols will be followed. The Garvey Center is continuing to provide the LA Food Bank boxes once a month for seniors. The facilities have been open and are available for the public to come in. Private rentals have begun in the community centers, picnic shelters, gymnasium, and facilities. The Virtual Family Trivia Night has been successful which is a fun time for the family to get together. The Summer Nights included movies and concerts. Raya and the Last Dragon was featured and there is an upcoming movie showing Onward. The first concert was also successful and there is one more planned for August 13 featuring the LA Sound Machine at Rosemead Park. The planning for the 9/11 memorial ceremony is underway. This would be the 20th Anniversary of 9/11. It will be held on Saturday, September 11 at 10:00 am. The event is based on what the guidelines are now but can be moved around if the guidelines change. The youth programs are up and running. The summer camp program has been doing great and has been filled every week. Parks and Recreation kicked off its first golf lessons this season with 38 participants. All the youth sports clinics were successful as well. 5 There is a final update, which was left off from the report, which is regarding the Edison property located on Walnut Grove and Rush. Currently the City is in communication with a water company that is interested in developing the area as a water station/processing station. The water company would then build a pocket park and turn it over to the City. The process is lengthy and could potentially take about 2 to 4 years. The City is hopeful that it will work out. More information will be provided later as things develop. Vice -Chair Ruvalcaba asked whether the City still provides preschool. Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking stated that the department offers Playschool as it is not a licensed preschool. Playschool will be offered in the fall at Rosemead Park, Garvey Center and at a new location, Garvey Park in the Youth Center. Vice -Chair Ruvalcaba asked if the event would be in person and whether the commission would be invited. Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking replied that it would be held in person and the invitation to the event would be sent within the next couple of weeks. 4. MATTERS FROM STAFF A. Commissioner Comments Vice -Chair Ruvalcaba welcomed Commissioner Luu to the Parks Commission. Commissioner Nguyen expressed his concern regarding the recent thefts in catalytic converters that are being stolen in daylight. He asked if there is anyway to have more police drive by Rosemead Park or increase patrol for safety. Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking responded that he would reach out to the chief of police and request an increase in patrol. Chair Tocki asked if there was an increase with catalytic converters in the Rosemead area as he had not heard previously. Vice -Chair Ruvalcaba inquired about the current outdoor exercise equipment located at the parks and whether maintenance staff checks on items that are in need of repair. She also asked if there is a money in the budget to ensure that things are fixed in a timely manner. Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking replied that there is a budget for repairs. The issue is that there is a back-up in shipping for the parts needed to repair the equipment. An example of that is the pump at Splash Zone where it is 6 to 8 weeks to receive the part and now it has moved up to 10 weeks. It is taking a long time to receive parts, especially custom ordered parts. There is a budget for repairs and the Public Works department inspects the equipment. There will be follow up with Public Works to see where they are in the process. Vice -Chair Ruvalcaba gave a shoutout to Animal Control for the quick response. She mentioned how appreciative she was on the request being fast and easy. Commissioner Luu thanked the commission for welcoming her and is excited to start. She mentioned looking forward to providing input as the meetings continue. Vice -Chair Ruvalcaba mentioned the garden and how great it looks. There are many plots that are filled and growing. She is excited to start at the new garden. 5. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 7:49 p.m. The next Parks Commission meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 7, 2021, at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers. Jennifer Pineda, Commission Secretary William Tocki, Chair 7