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PC - Minutes - 03-07-2023MINUTES OF THE ROSEMEAD PARKS COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING MARCH 7, 2023 The regular meeting of the Rosemead Parks Commission was called to order by Chair Chavez at 7:07 p.m. in the Rosemead City Council Chamber located at 8838 East Valley Boulevard, Rosemead, California. PRESENT: Commissioners Chavez, Mendez, and Dang ABSENT: Commissioner Luu PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Commissioner Dang INVOCATION was led by Vice Chair Mendez 1. PUBLIC COMMENTS FROM THE AUDIENCE — None 2. CONSENT CALENDAR A. Approval of minutes — February 7, 2023 Vice Chair Mendez motioned the approval of the meeting notes at 7:09 p.m. ACTION: Moved by Vice Chair Mendez, seconded by Commissioner Dang to approve the February 7, 2023, minutes: Motion carried by the following vote: AYES: Chavez, Mendez, and Dang; ABSENT: Luu 3. MATTERS FROM STAFF A. Youth Advisory Committee Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking provided an update on the appointment of the Youth Advisory Committee. As was stated in the staff report, the Youth Advisory Committee was formed many years ago and has been revitalized and brought back. At the September 27, 2022 meeting, the Department presented information to the City Council about reestablishing the Youth Advisory Committee. The Committee is made up of a total of seven youths who reside within the Rosemead city limits. This Committee is responsible for advising the City Council on youth matters, promoting efforts that improve the welfare of Rosemead youth, educating the community regarding youth -related issues, and educating Rosemead youth and their families about available services, resources, and programs. The Department would really use them as liaisons within the school districts. There were a total of seven applicants who applied; only five of those met the criteria, and only four of those attended the interviews and were appointed. They are, however, four outstanding individuals. They were appointed by the City Council as of February 28. The new members of the Youth Advisory Committee are Richard Chang, Yixuan Li, Frank Loung, and Alton Wu. They represent Rosemead High School and San Gabriel High School. They are eager and looking to be involved in their community. The Youth Advisory Committee will meet once a month. The first meeting will be coming up hopefully next week during which a structure will be established, including guidelines for the Committee. The Committee members will have an opportunity to voice some of their ideas and concerns. The groundwork for this Committee will be laid during the next couple meetings. The Department would like to have this committee up and going towards the end of this school year, so that it can really take off for next year. The Department is excited about the possibilities with this Committee going forward. There are still open spaces for three additional Committee members, and the Department is still accepting applications for those positions. If anyone is interested, they can still apply. They can attend any of the three high schools in the area as long as they live within Rosemead. The Department would really like to fill all seven seats, so applications will remain open until all seats are filled. Chair Chavez noticed that three of the four students currently appointed attend Rosemead High School, and only one student attends San Gabriel High School. He noted further that there were no students from Mark Keppel High School. Chair Chavez asked if the Department intends to even out that representation. Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking said that since this is a newly reintroduced program, the Department is more focused on filling all seven seats rather than limiting participation from each high school. Chair Chavez also asked how the Department is communicating with the students. Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking said that the reestablishment of the Youth Advisory Committee was advertised on social media and the City website, as well as through direct contact with each school. The Department asked each school to disseminate information on the Youth Advisory Committee to their students. Going forward, now that four students have gone through the appointment process with City Council, the Department hopes that word will spread and more people will apply, and that the three remaining seats will be filled quickly. Commissioner Dang asked what the goals of the Youth Advisory Committee are. Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking replied that the goals for the Committee are really set by the Committee itself. The Committee will have a staff liaison, and Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking himself will oversee the Committee, however, the goals will be established by the youths on the Committee. Nevertheless, the Department hopes that the Committee will have ideas on programming that will better serve the youth population and what areas need more activities. The Department would also like to allow the Youth Advisory Committee to plan an event for next year that would embody the types of activities that they would like to see catered to the youth population. B. Monthly Parks & Recreation Department Review Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking provided the monthly update. Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking started by highlighting some of the items from the Monthly Department Report. First, the Department is in the process of recruiting Aquatic staff. There are openings for Aquatic Attendants, Lifeguards, Lifeguard Swim Instructors, and Assistant Pool Managers. The Department is 2 currently short-staffed and needs to hire more lifeguards in order to run its Summer programs at their max capacity. The Department would appreciate assistance in spreading the word about the available positions. To that end, the Department will be attending a few high school career fairs and other job fairs. Additionally, the Department is running an incentive program for the positions of Lifeguard, Lifeguard Instructor, and Assistant Pool Manager wherein new hires will receive an additional $500 incentive. The Department hopes to onboard new staff for these positions as soon as possible. The Department hosted its annual Sweethearts Jamboree in February. This was the first time the event has been possible in the last three years, and it was very successful. About 160 Seniors came out to play bingo, dance, eat, and have an overall fantastic time. It was wonderful to see the Seniors out participating and enjoying the event. Additionally, the Garvey Center hosted a Senior Excursion trip to a casino, which was a big hit. The Department is looking at planning additional trips to the casino since this excursion was so popular. The Department also has various youth programs which are up and running. On February 24th, the Department had a Family Excursion to a basketball game: LA Clippers vs Sacramento Kings. The game went into double overtime, and the Family Excursion was very successful. After the game, participants were able to go down onto the court and take pictures. It was an exciting moment for everyone. The Department is looking to continue Family Excursions following the tremendous success of this one. The Department has its Virtual 5K Race coming up: The Shamrock Run and Roll. Registration is still open, and participants can register and run anytime between March 12 to March 18. Race packets will include a virtual race bib, a t -shirt, and a commemorative metal. Chair Chavez asked how a virtual race works. Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking replied that participants will run the 5K on their own rather than a typical race where everyone comes together to race as a group. The Department will suggest 5K routes within the city that participants may follow, but there is no dedicated time and place. The virtual race was started during COVID, and has been fairly successful in the past. The Department will be looking at doing a traditional in-person 5K race next year. Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking continued the Monthly Report, stating that there are three really exciting new things coming up. First, the Garvey Paws Dog Park opens on Monday, March 13th. It will be open daily from 7:OOam to dusk, except on Thursdays, when it will open at 9:OOam due to scheduled maintenance. Second, the City's new stage (which was purchased about a year and a half ago) was finally delivered last week, and it is beautiful. The Department is very excited about getting the new stage in place. The first event is will likely be used for is probably the July 4th Grand Celebration event, and then it will be used all summer for the Concerts in the Park series. Third, the Department's Youth in Government program is accepting applications. The program is fantastic for youths interested in local government including learning about what a municipality does and learning about the responsibilities of various local government officials. Students who apply and are accepted into the program will participate in a two-day event. The first day, on March 23rd, will consist of a Shadow Day. Participants will learn about every department and about the role of City Council as policymakers. Participants will be assigned to a specific role in the city government (i.e., City Council Member, 3 Department Director, etc.), and they will meet the person who has that position within Rosemead and become educated about that role. The second day, April 13th, will consist of a City Tour and a Mock City Council Meeting. Participants will be taken on a tour around Rosemead's facilities and will receive an overview of the operations at each facility. During the Mock City Council meeting, participants will conduct the meeting from their assigned roles and will mimic staff reports, comments from the public, and so on, giving participants a small window into what goes on within a city government. Vice Chair Mendez had a question regarding the opening of Garvey Paws Dog Park. She asked if there were going to be any vendors or anything special to mark the opening of the dog park for the public. Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking replied that there would be a Ceremonial Ribbon Cutting on March 11th for invited guests, and that the park would open to the general public on March 13th. When the dog park opens to the public on March 13th, the Department is planning to have staff at the park giving away some special items throughout the first week. The Department is looking at utilizing the dog park for a dog -focused special event next year. Vice Chair Mendez had a question about the new stage and the Summer Concerts in the Park series. She asked if the lineup for the Concerts in the Park had arrived yet. Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking replied that the Department is working on that currently. One of the Department's Recreation Coordinators, Janette Vicario, oversees the entertainment for the Concerts in the Park, and she has been working with bands and hopes to have a finalized list within the next month. Vice Chair Mendez asked if there would be a Farmers Market on the same day as a Concert in the Park. Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking replied that the Farmers Market will take place on Mondays, while the Concerts in the Park will occur on Fridays, so there will be no overlap. Vice Chair Mendez asked when the Farmers Market would start. Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking replied that the Farmers Market will open on April 3rd and will take place every Monday evening until the end of November. Vice Chair Mendez asked if there was a minimum age requirement for the Youth in Government program. Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking replied that the program is open to high school juniors and seniors only. Commissioner Dang asked what number of students would be accepted into the Youth in Government program. Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking replied that there was no maximum number of students. The program would accept all juniors and seniors so long as they live in the City of Rosemead. Commissioner Dang asked if the City has a place to store the new stage. Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking replied that the stage is stored at Rosemead Park. There is a Public Works storage yard behind the baseball field there, and that is where the stage is stored. The stage folds into what looks like a trailer. When it is pulled out, it opens up with a hydraulic lift and it unfolds into a very nice stage. It is personalized with the Rosemead logo, it has banners, and it looks very good. The Department is excited to have it. 11 Commissioner Dang asked if there were any protections for owners who utilize the Garvey Paws Dog Park, or if there is any City Liability for owners/dogs who have problems. Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking replied that it's just like any park where guests take on a reasonable amount of liability by choosing to partake in the park. For the first week, the Garvey Paws Dog Park will have staff in and out to check in on things, there will be some publications and rules handouts for people to follow, however, the Department expects people to self -police themselves and take responsibility. It's just like when a child goes to a playground, the City expects everyone to play nice and to take care of any issues that may arise. 4. MATTERS FROM COMMISSION A. Commissioner Comments Vice Chair Mendez had a question regarding the dog park and vaccinations. She asked whether the City would offer a low cost (or free if you reside in LA County) Spay and Neuter Clinic this year. Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking replied that he did not have this information, but that he would follow up on this and report back at the next meeting. Commissioner Dang asked if the swimming pools and Splash Zone would be opening up this summer. Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking responded that the Department has every intention to open both aquatic facilities. Unfortunately, the reality of this happening will be based on the number of aquatic employees that the Department has available. If the Department is able to hire the number of people needed, both facilities would be open on a daily basis. It will all depend on the number of staff available. Last year, the facility was only open two days a week, the Department is really hoping it will be able to be open more this year. Commissioner Dang asked if there is a requirement to have a certain number of staff in order to open. Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking responded that there is a requirement that there has to be a certain number of staff on deck in order to open a pool. The number of staff that must be present depends on what areas are open and how many people are in the pool. The Department's approach with programming has been that life-saving programs take precedent, so swim lessons are the most important thing offered because they are teaching life-saving skills, then recreation swim. The Rosemead Aquatic Center can accommodate more people swimming than the Splash Zone can, so the Rosemead Aquatic Center generally takes priority if there is only staff enough for one facility. The Department cannot simply pull staff, it has to make sure that there are enough staff to watch the water effectively. Vice Chair Mendez asked if Rosemead would do something at the parks with the Sherriff s Department to interact with the population and have more of a presence in the city since they seem to be patrolling less recently. Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking said that he could have a conversation with the Lieutenant of the Sherriff s Department about patrolling more. There is a 5 program called Coffee with the Chief. The last one was held about two weeks ago at a Starbucks. Typically, those are held on a regular basis and those are generally well attended. Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking said that he could bring up the idea about hosting something like that at a park and leave it up to the Sherriff" s Department to decide. Chair Chavez stated that he noticed a lot of the events seem to be geared towards the Senior population. He asked if there were any events or activities for youths other than sports programs, for example arts and crafts or reading time. Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking replied that the Department offers an afterschool program at the parks. It is recreation based, so it is arts and crafts and recreational fun. They are not that well attended since there are many other programs that are school district run that provide much competition (for example Woodcraft Rangers, ACES, etc.). While the Department would like to grow this program, it has noticed that parents tend to gravitate towards the schools' programs rather than the parks'. Commissioner Dang asked if there has been any change to the decrease in watering the grass in the parks. Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking replied that there has been a big change. During the rainy season, the parks were not watered. However, before that, watering has increased in the last few months. Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking said that he would have to get back to them with exactly the number of times that the grass is watered at the parks. 5. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 7:34 p.m. The next Parks Commission meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 4, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers. r! Kenlldahl Gottes, mmission Secretary V; VED: C ie Chavez, Chair 0