PC - Minutes - 09-06-2022MINUTES OF THE ROSEMEAD PARKS COMMISSION
REGULAR MEETING
SEPTEMBER 6, 2022
The regular meeting of the Rosemead Parks Commission was called to order by Commissioner
Nguyen at 7:02 p.m. in the Rosemead City Council Chamber located at 8838 East Valley
Boulevard, Rosemead, California.
PRESENT: Commissioners Chavez, Dang, Mendez, and Nguyen
ABSENT: Commissioner Lou
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Commissioner Nguyen
INVOCATION was led by Commissioner Mendez
ADMINISTRATION OF OATH OF OFFICE The Oath of Office was administered to the
newly appointed Commissioners Charlie Chavez, Paul Dang, and Jennifer Mendez.
REORGANIZATION: Commissioner Chavez nominated himself for the position of Chairman,
the nomination was seconded by Commissioner Nguyen. Motion carried by the following vote: A
YES: Chavez, Dang, Mendez, and Nguyen; ABSENT: Commissioner Luu
Chair Chavez opened the nominations for Vice -Chair. Commissioner Dang nominated
Commissioner Nguyen, seconded by Commissioner Nguyen. Motion carried by the following
vote: A YES: Chavez, Dang, Mendez, and Nguyen; ABSENT: Commissioner Lou
1. PUBLIC COMMENTS FROM THE AUDIENCE - None
2. CONSENT CALENDAR
A. Approval of minutes — June 7, 2022
Chair Chavez motioned the approval of the meeting notes at 7:15 p.m.
ACTION: Moved by Vice -Chair Nguyen and seconded by Commissioner Mendez
to approve the June 7, 2022, minutes: Motion carried by the following vote: AYES:
Chavez, Dang, Mendez, and Nguyen; ABSENT: Commissioner Luu
3. MATTERS FROM STAFF
A. Fall Events Preview
Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking provided a report on the four major
events coming in the fall. The first event is the Pumpkin Dive to be held on
September 24 at Rosemead Park. The pool is loaded with floating pumpkins and
kids can get into the water and pick a pumpkin. There will also be games, arts and
crafts, decorations, and music for the kids to enjoy. The event will be held from
12:00 to 3:30 pm. The cost for the event is $10. The inaugural event the previous
year was very successful. The following event is the Fall Fiesta/Dia de los Muertos
event on Saturday, October 8 from 4:00 — 9:00 pm at Rosemead Park. This event
celebrates fall and includes live entertainment, community performances, games,
laser tag, food, and much more. If rained out, the rescheduled date is Saturday,
November 12 from 2:00 — 7:00 pm. The Pumpkin Patch is an event that is in
partnership with CultivaLA and is hosted at the 2"d Temporary Community Garden
on Del Mar. It will be held on Saturday, October 22 from 3:00 — 6:00 pm.
Participants will have the opportunity to pick up their pumpkins and enjoy a slice
of pie. Reservations for the event are required as it fills up quickly. This is the
second year of the pumpkin patch. The Trunk or Treat event will be held on
Monday, October 31 from 5:30 — 8:30 pm. It will be held at the Civic Center Plaza
behind City Hall. It is a great event with decorated cars where kids can go trick or
treating. There will also be a costume contest, carnival games, arts and crafts, and
a haunted house at the Rosemead Community Recreation Center that is
recommended for children 7 and above.
Commissioner Dang asked whether there was a fee for the haunted house.
Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking replied with a no as it is a free event.
The haunted house will be open on both Sunday, October 30, and Monday, October
31.
Chair Chavez inquired about the Pumpkin Patch event and where residents can
make reservations.
Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking mentioned that reservations can be
made online. There are 50 people per time slot with 6 different time slots. It is a
total of 300 people total. The event is free.
Commissioner Dang asked if there were flyers for the event.
Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking mentioned the flyers were still being
worked on but will be released soon. All the information was also provided in the
brochure as well as on the website. Information is also released via the City's social
media platforms.
B. Monthly Parks & Recreation Department Review
Director of Parks and Recreation mentioned that this meeting does not include the
summer review; however, it will be provided at another meeting. In the aquatics
program, there were a total of 3 swim cycles for swim lessons. Unfortunately, the
last cycle was cut short due to COVID and a shortage of staff. Both the Rosemead
Aquatic Center and the Slash Zone pools were open. The Senior Center served
lunch, had socials, and bingo, and distributed LA Food Bank boxes every month.
There are also craft classes that are offered in the center. On Thursday, September
8, there will be a Senior Fiesta Luncheon from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm, and is sold
out.
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On Saturday, September 10 the City will be hosting a 9/11 Remembrance
Ceremony which will take place on Valley Blvd. in front of the memorial. The
Parks Commission was invited to attend. The ceremony will have flag raising, state
flags, and a wreath -laying ceremony. The concerts in the park were fantastic. There
was also the inaugural Shark Week event at the Rosemead Aquatic Center.
Participants had the opportunity to partake in arts and crafts, enjoy snacks and
watch a movie in the pool. The Farmers Market is doing well at Rosemead Park
and is held on Mondays from 5:00-9:00 pm. The market will be held until
December and has been extended a little longer than before. The youth programs
have been doing well with the lunch program, camp Rosemead and the drop in
recreation. Youth golf, ultimate frisbee, and tennis have been very successful. The
adult basketball league filled up with a total of 8 teams. The championship game
will be held on September 25. The new fall season will open on October 9.
There is an exciting and new Student Anti -Hate Art Contest. The contest will be
for youth ages 5-18 who live in the City of Rosemead. There will be two themes
for the artwork, "Colors Should Never Divide Us" or `Be the Rainbow to someone's
Cloudy Day." The contest opened on August 25 and submissions are due on October
13 at 5:00 pm. Information went out in the brochure and was distributed to schools.
Although the LA Food Bank box distributions were taking place, there will be a final
distribution on Tuesday, September 6. The Food Bank notified the department that they
could no longer donate food monthly. The donations that the Food Bank was receiving
have lessened and therefore they can no longer provide the monthly donations. The
program was provided for a total of two years. As soon as anything becomes available,
the Food Bank will notify the department of donations.
Chair Nguyen mentioned he feels that having the Farmers Market on Mission would
provide more foot traffic and exposure as it would be on a busy street.
Director of Parks and Recreation stated that logistically moving it to Mission would be
an issue. There is no street parking allowed which would lessen the available parking
spaces. Currently where it is located, allows for cars to park on the street. If it were
moved to Mission, it could cause issues with people parking across the street and
having to cross over. The High School parking lot is not always available. Previously
the Farmers Market was held in the Civic Center Plaza; however, it was not receiving
much foot traffic. With more foot traffic, there are now more vendors.
4. MATTERS FROM STAFF
A. Commissioner Comments
Chair Chavez requested an update on the Dog Park at Garvey Park.
Vice -Chair Nguyen mentioned there are many transients at Rosemead Park and
they are harassing people using the park. He asked if there was a way to have Public
Safety patrol the area.
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Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking replied he would contact Public Safety
to patrol that area.
Commissioner Mendez announced that the Public Safety phone number is
disconnected. She mentioned she tried calling the number. The number was located
on google.
Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking informed the commission that google
has a horrible reputation for including random numbers and they have to be
contacted to make changes.
5. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 7:37 p.m. The next Parks Commission meeting will be held on
Tuesday, October 4, 2022, at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers.
Jennifer PiP84", 38agement Analyst
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