1505 Tiburon Boulevard, Tiburon, California

CALL TO ORDER

Chair Lindqvist called the regular meeting of the Parks & Open Space Commission to order at 7:38 P.M., Tuesday, August 13, 2002, in the Town Council Chambers, 1505 Tiburon Boulevard, Tiburon, California.

PRESENT: COMMISSIONERS: Fraser, Lindqvist, Zender, and McMullen

ABSENT: COMISSIONER: Canter

EX-OFFICIO: Town Engineer/Public Works Director Echols

II. PUBLIC QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS  There were none.

III. STAFF AND COMMISSION BRIEFING

Commissioner Fraser commented on the attendance of the P.O.S.C. staff and requested that the commissioners communicate via e-mail when they will be late or absent from meetings.

A. Minutes of May 14, 2002 (No. 193) with the following changes:

1. Page 1, Item I, indicate that Cantor and Zender were late, not absent.

2. Page 1, Item V.B., line 3: add "3-4 bins".

A. Presentation by Samantha Parent to discuss plans for a new playground structure to be built in Belveron Mini-Park location

Echols suggested that discussion of this item be postponed until Samantha Parent is able to reschedule her presentation.

B    Introduction of Michael McMullen, new Parks & Open Space Commissioner

Michael was introduced by Echols. Commissioner McMullen said a few words about being honored to serve on the Commission. He will be sworn in by Town Clerk at a later date.

C    Discussion of Town of Tiburon Open Space Management Policy and Rules & Regulations

Echols recommended that the draft of the Open Space Management Policy Rules & Regulations be reviewed and revised as necessary. The commission should also consider ways to disseminate it to the public, e.g. via the Town website and newsletter.

Commissioner Fraser encouraged the Commission to discuss their issues with the draft and propose acceptance of it at a later meeting to then be forwarded to the Town Council with a recommendation from the P.O.S.C.

Echols suggested that the Tiburon Police Department be given copies of the Rules & Regulations along with tri-fold hand-outs that they can give out as warnings to violators. Echols suggested that the Commission either endorse and forward the draft to the Town Council to adopt the policy, or to have a draft posted on the website and allow a public comment period.

Commissioner Fraser stated that he did not have any objections to the draft and recommends that it be submitted to agencies that would have to enforce it, such as the Police Department, Fire Departments, and Planning Commission for their suggestions and approval. Echols will forward copies of the draft to each of these agencies and to Scott Anderson, the Planning Director, to solicit comments before the draft goes to the public once it has been revised. Commissioners Zender and McMullen agreed with this process. Zender suggested that consideration of adoption of the draft with public noticing be put on a future P.O.S.C. agenda.

Chair Lindqvist recommended that the Southern Marin Fire Department should solicit volunteers to aid in the clearing of fire hazards. Echols replied by stating that clearing of fire hazards is a matter of resources. He suggested that the P.O.S.C. either lobby the Town Council through the budget process to earmark funds to retain organizations such as the Marin Conservation Corps to bring in crews to clear fire hazards or locate outside funding sources. He suggested that there may be grants for Parks and Open Spaces maintenance. Echols will continue to look for funding opportunities as they present themselves. Echols also suggested that Chair Lindqvist organize volunteers to clear French broom.

Director Echols gave a brief background of the decisions made after the May 14 Town Council meeting when the concept of the skate park was initially brought forth. He reminded the Commission of the Council's decision to approve and endorse the formation of a task force that would be composed of a representative from each of the Boards and Commissions of the Town. Echols informed the Commission that to date, members have been selected from each of the Boards and Commissions with the exception of the P.O.S.C. The task force is currently comprised as follows: Miles Berger, Town Council; Bill McLaughlin, Design Review Board; Paul Smith, Planning Commission; and Barbara Kramer, Joint Recreation Committee. Once the P.O.S.C. selects a member, Echols will forward a memo to Town Council and Town Manager indicating that all the members of the task force have been selected and an initial meeting will be set up in which the schedule, direction, and focus will be developed.

Echols anticipates that Councilmember Berger will likely be the chair of that task force, and the process of gathering information would begin at the first meeting. The first task force meeting will be open to the public so that the community can express their concerns and give their input.

Echols informed the council that they are each being asked elect one representative to serve on the task force and suggested that the individual(s) elected are without a particularly strong bias on the matter to ensure that the person is receptive and open to the issue itself.

Director Echols suggested that Ann Cohn give a brief comment on the concept of the skate park. Commissioner Fraser, who was absent from the May 14 meeting, replied that although he is fairly familiar with the project, he would like to hear Ms. Cohn's perspective on the task force.

Ms. Cohn remarked that the skate park task force will permit many points of views to come forth while remaining focused on one project and moving through the issues of that project in a systematic way. The task force will also allow any other issues that begin to surface with the public to be handled analytically and thoughtfully, taking into context that this project is not mutually exclusive of other current projects. The task force will be able to give a broader view of how the skate park fits in the plan for the general youth of Tiburon. The task force will also listen to unbiased information about what it means to build a skate park in Tiburon.

Ms. Cohn suggests that the task force work with other municipalities that have experience in building skate parks so that they may learn from how they accomplished their goals, what issues they had to overcome, and how they would do it differently if they were given the opportunity to do it again.

Ms. Cohn currently has many ideas of what would work for the skate park based on other sites she has visited. While she recognizes that skate parks in other cities may appear "scary", as they are often dominated by older children and young adults, she intends to create a skate park that will be a place for the entire family. She envisions the park as a place where the community can gather to not only participate, but enjoy watching the youth as well. Secondly, Ms. Cohn has observed that children now consider it cool to wear safety-gear, and will view that park as a playground. She would like to see the preconceived notions of skate parks abandoned, which she feels is an important objective for the task force.

An additional motivation of Ms. Cohn's for building the skate park is to give the youth a safe place to skate. She recognizes that both in-line skating and skateboarding are popular and fast-growing sports, and that children are putting themselves in danger due to the lack of a safe facility. She fears that eventually someone will either be killed or seriously injured either by impact or jumping of a curb into the street, a tragedy that has occurred in other towns. Having a child that loves skating, she wants to ensure that he has a safe place to enjoy this sport without getting hurt.

Ms. Cohn continues by stating that she feels this task force is very important because it considers a problem that is not going to go away on its own. She is very concerned about how Tiburon is transitioning to accommodate its youth. As Marin continues to change, she would like to see Tiburon address the issues of what it needs as a new community. She recently wrote a series of articles to be published in The Ark in which she discusses the community in general and, more specifically, the need for a place that Tiburon's youth can enjoy and that will endure into the future.

Ms. Cohn concludes by stating how fond she is of Blackie's Pasture and how she feels it is a good location for the skate park as it will be an extension of the elements already in that area. She is aware of the problems that are associated with making changes to the pasture, and acknowledges that the Commission is particularly sensitive to the issues concerned with this park.

Commissioner Lindqvist responded to Ms. Cohn's perspectives on the skate park by agreeing that there are very few places available for children to play. She added that some residents have mentioned that they would like to see a children's playground on the east side of the tennis courts on Beach Road, which currently is only a chipped bark lot with a park bench, without any structures for children to play on. Commissioner Zender stated that there is not enough space in that area to build a playground.

In response to a question by Zender concerning the status of the Mill Valley skate park,

Ms. Cohn stated that their park has been a work-in-progress for some time now. Being that Mill Valley is planning on building an above-ground wooden park, Ms. Cohn does not suggest that that Tiburon build a park of that type because they tend to fall apart easily and are often not maintained well. Although Mill Valley has received approval and funding for this park, she is not sure of when they will be moving forward. The site of the Mill Valley skate park is in the parking lot area of the high-school and is a joint project between the school and the Parks & Recreation Department. She further stated that Mayor Gram has contacted the Mayor of Mill Valley in regards to their plans for this park.

Chair Lindqvist informed Ms. Cohn that she will be giving her a video of an ideal skate park in Oregon. The video contains both rules and regulations for the park as well as sponsorship information.

Cohn commented that although she does not have a formal position on the task force, she is hoping to work side-by-side with the committee.

Commissioner Lindqvist asked if any of the fellow commissioners were interested in serving on the Skate Park Task Force. Commissioner Fraser replied that he would be happy to represent the community by serving on the force. Commissioner McMullen replied that although he too is interested in serving on the task force, he thinks it would be an issue that he lives in close proximity to the proposed site. McMullen stated that he would like to see Fraser serve on the task force if he is interested in doing so.

M/S Lindqvist/Zender (4-0) to nominate Vice Chair Fraser as the P.O.S.C. representative for the Skate Park Task Force.

A. Acknowledgement of original email from Samantha Parent

Director Echols would like to see that Parent have a proposal drafted by the P.O.S.C. that she can bring to her Homeowners Association and then hold a public hearing on the item. Echols suggested that Commissioner McMullen, being a resident in the neighborhood of the proposed playground project, may be able to offer some insight to issues that the Commission should be considering and what the project proponent should address and bring forward to the Commission. Fraser suggested Commissioner McMullen to be an adjunct advisor to Parent.

McMullen replied that he agrees that the park is a nice place for children and is currently a wasted asset to the town because many Tiburon residents do not know of its existence. The site also has the potential to be a great trailhead for the Marin mountain area, but currently there no right-of-ways to any trails. He agrees that a trailhead and play-structures should be put in to attract both younger and older age-groups and notes that the park would require relatively low maintenance by the city. McMullen also acknowledges that the noise from children playing may prove to be an issue for some residents of that area. Zender replied that the Commission always tries to do the best they can when dealing with issues, and that they should aim to receive support from 80% public.

Commissioner Zender also commented that, being on the playground committee, she has been exposed to parents concerned with bringing young children (i.e. infant to ten-year-olds) across Tiburon Boulevard to play at Blackie’s Pasture because it is a long hike for young children to make. There have been many suggested sites for more accessible "tot-lots", such as Cypress Hollow, to accommodate younger children.

Zender commented that Parent’s e-mail inquired about doing an additional survey, to which Chair Lindqvist replied that the town has already spent a sufficient amount of resources on the survey. Echols agreed that an additional survey was not necessary.

Echols briefly commented on his experience working on the Millennium Playground and Memorial Park projects in San Anselmo, remarking that although the two projects received a great deal of support and raised a lot of money, there was last-minute opposition by the neighbors concerned with the amount of use and noise the playground would attract, in turn affecting their quality of life. San Anselmo responded by putting up a 15-20 foot fence and landscape buffer to mitigate the additional noise created by the projects. Echols used this example to illustrate the types of resistance that may arise and that the proponent should be prepared to handle. Echols further suggested that an environmental review be conducted to assess the impact of noise, parking, and other issues involved with this project in order to be prepared for the opposition once is arises.

Zender noted that she found the homeowners associations neighboring the South of Knoll playground to be instrumental when planning that project. They were able to bring forth many issues and respond to questions from the public. She suggests that Parent's homeowners’ association put together a petition, stressing that the park will be for children eight and under. McMullen commented that everyone in the Belveron Neighborhood Assoc. is very supportive of the playground. It is those that are backed-up to the site and not active in the association that may oppose the playground. Echols suggested that a notice be sent out to the Belveron Neighborhood Assoc. in order to gain a strong basis of support for the playground.

McMullen suggested incorporating a train theme into the playground because of that being a part of the history of that area.

Note: Commissioner Zender excused herself from the meeting.

M/S Fraser/McMullen (3-0) to direct staff to communicate with Samantha Parent regarding elements necessary for the proposal, notify the community of the playground concept, and to put the concept on a future P.O.S.C. agenda.

B. Acknowledgement of informational flier from California Parks & Recreation Society

Director Echols gave a brief overview of the intent of the brochure, stating that it is designed to show how various communities gain interest in support from the public for Parks and Recreation projects. Echols suggested that if the P.O.S.C. desired, a small quantity of the brochures could be purchased but that the current budget would not allow procurement of large amount.

Lindqvist and Fraser recommended that the Skate Park be referred to as a concept, rather than a project. Echols indicated that he will be corresponding with Mr. Abbott in the future on this issue.

Chair Lindqvist gave a brief overview of the current status of the Coastal Clean-Up campaign, indicating that ten posters have been put up in schools and shopping centers, and the committee is considering disseminating flyers to schools. Commissioner Fraser will contact the Belvedere P.O.S.C. to inquire if they would be interested in joining the Clean-Up. Commissioner McMullen will contact Chris Carter, the Tiburon School District Superintendent; local Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops; and local homeowners associations to solicit interest in volunteering for the Clean-Up. McMullen responded to a suggestion made by Director Echols to extend the Clean-Up to Shoreline Park by indicating that the area poses a liability risk due to its unsafe conditions. Echols suggested that the Commission communicate throughout the week via e-mail to update one another about the efforts being made to publicize the event. Echols will ask the Town Clerk to post information on the web site as soon as the details of the event are decided. Currently, there is no specific funding source for this project.

Echols suggested Beverly Bastian assist with researching funding sources for the removal of French broom. He stated that the Fire Department removes the necessary amount to reduce fire danger, but that resources are otherwise limited. Chair Lindqvist will communicate with Bastian to clarify what area she is concerned about, as it is not stated clearly in the letter.

Echols will request a copy of the minutes for the California Dept. of Parks & Recreation meeting and distribute it to the commissioners.

VII. ADJOURNMENT

The meeting was adjourned at 9:07 P.M.

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HELEN LINDQVIST, CHAIR

Parks & Open Space Commission

ATTEST:

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PAT ECHOLS, SECRETARY