AGENDA
ITEM
19 AGENDA
CALEXICO California ITEM
WHERE CALIFORNIA AND MEXICO MEET
19 CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA STAFF REPORT
DATE: March 6, 2024
TO: Mayor and City Council
• ит Calvan
APPROVED BY: Esperanza Colio Warren, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Norma Gerardo, Recreation Manager More Serum SUBJECT: Receive and File Community Services Commission Minutes for Regular Meeting of November 8, 2023
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Recommendation:
Accept Minutes for Community Services Commission Regular Meeting Held on November 8, 2023.
Background:
City staff shall prepare minutes for Community Services Commission meetings and present them to the Community Services Commission for approval. Once approved, a copy of the signed minutes is submitted for Council ratification.
Discussion and Analysis:
On February 15, 2024, the Community Services Commission met and approved minutes for regular meeting held on November 8, 2023
Minutes have been signed by Chair Ureña and are now submitted for ratification by the City Council of the City of Calexico.
Fiscal Impact:
None.
Coordinated With:
None.
Attachments):
1. Minutes for Community Services Commission Regular Meeting of November 8, 2023.
COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMISSION
CALEXICO MINUTES
608 Heber Ave. Calexico, CA 92231
THE COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMISSION MET IN REGULAR SESSION ON THE 8th DAY OF NOVEMBER, 2023 AT 5:30PM AT THE FERNANDO "NENE" TORRES COUNCIL CHAMBERS, 608 HEBER AVENUE, CALEXICO, CALIFORNIA. THE DATE, HOUR AND PLACE DULY ESTABLISHED FOR THE HOLD OF SAID MEETING PURSUANT TO EXECUTIVE ORDER N-29-20.
CALL TO ORDER
A regular meeting of the Community Services Commission was called to order on Wednesday, November 8, 2023, at 5:32 p.m. by Chairperson, Patricia Ureña.
ROLL CALL
Commissioners Present:
Patricia Ureña
Antonio Garcia
Rosanna Pacheco
Alberto Martinez
Oswaldo Baeza
Jose Jesus Iñiguez
Christina Rojas.
Commissioners Absent:
None.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Commissioner Rojas led the Pledge of Allegiance.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Commissioner Martinez made a motion to approve the agenda. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Pacheco. Motion passed unanimously.
PUBLIC COMMENTS
Jesse Garcia - Las Casitas Park: Mr. Garcia mentioned there is a piece of plywood in the playground that is dangerous and is missing trash cans and the canopy (shading).
Nosotros Park: the basketball courts are in very bad shape. Cordova Park: playground has a hole and there are no water fountains. Crummett Park: has no playground. Light poles in city parks have no covers. Rodriguez park needs trash cans. 1 | Page
COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMISSION MINUTES
Luis Briseno - Trash cans needed at all city parks. Nosotros Park's trail is full of weeds and restrooms have not been fixed. Nosotros Park and Rodriguez Park need lights in the playground area. He recommends installing murals to decrease graffiti.
RECREATION MANAGER REPORT
Norma Gerardo, Recreation Manager, reported the Recreation Department's Halloween Carnival hosted over 300 children. Furthermore, the Altar the Muertos Opening Night at the Art's Center was well attended.
PUBLIC WORKS MANAGER REPORT
Lily Falomir, Public Works Manager, reported the department continues working on the upkeep of parks and retention basins with one crew leader, four permanent full time employees and two temporary employees. Ms. Falomir reported that as of November Ist, the City Council authorized an agreement between the City of Calexico and Mr.
Guillermo Sillas to serve as the new Public Works Director/City Engineer. Mr. Sillas was not able to attend this meeting.
COMMISSIONER COMMENTS AND REPORTS OF MEETINGS/EVENTS ATTENDED REPORT Commissioner Baeza, no comments.
Commissioner Pacheco reported having attended the Farmer's Market at Adrian Cordova Park on November 5th, 2023. Ms. Pacheco also reported having promoted the Utility Box Art Project Cycle Il and is happy with the artwork submitted.
Commissioner Martinez reported having attended the Calexico Recreation Halloween Carnival and was excited to see a lot of kids in attendance. Mr. Martinez also reported having attended "El Festival Pa La Raza" (Farmer's Market) at Adrian Cordova Park.
Chairperson Urena reported having attended every City Council meeting since the last time this commission met in August.
CONSENT AGENDA
1. Approval of Community Services Minutes for Regular Meeting of August 9, 2023.
Vice-chair Garcia made a motion to approve the agenda. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Iniguez. Motion passed unanimously. 2 | Pa ge
COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMISSION MINUTES
DISCUSSION ITEMS:
2. Adopt a Park Program and Volunteer Forms.
Chairperson Urena requested that the appropriate Ad Hoc Committee review the Adopt-a-Park forms to decide if the contract term should remain for one year or change to two years. Commissioner Pacheco would like to see a list of the organizations that have a park adopted. Commissioner Iniguez mentioned that there are not many parks in the city. Commissioner Martinez would like to see a marketing team promote the Adopt-a-Park Program. Commissioner Rojas said she was unaware of the program but will be adopting a park soon.
3. Year-round Swim Program.
Chairperson Ureña mentioned Calexico is the only city in the valley that does not have a swim team. Chairperson Ureña would like to see an MOU with the Superintendent or Calexico High School Principal to have the use of the swimming pool year-round and not just the summer. Commissioner Pacheco said a few years back she was part of the Calexico Swim Team that was called the Dolphins. Commissioner Iniguez remembers the pool when it was named after Debbie Alvarado and mentioned it was a really good program. Vice-Chairperson Garcia thinks the Year-Round Swimming Program it's a great idea. Commissioner Rojas mentioned she was a swimmer even though not on the swim team.
Public Comments: Robert De Necochea mentioned that the Dolphins Swim Team was terminated in 2007 due to budget issues. He would like to see an MOU agreement between Calexico School District and City of Calexico to have year-round swim program.
4. Park Fees: Farmer's Market at Adrian Cordova Park
Chairperson Ureña commended Mr. Jose Contreras for submitting his park fees and Environmental fees for the Farmer's Market event at Adrian Cordova Park.
Chairperson Ureña would like to see more of these events take place around the city.
Commissioner Pacheco said she would like to see a more structured way of paying fees for the vendors. The event, she said, was more like a Bazaar than a Farmer's Market as there was no fresh produce. Commissioner Iniguez suggested the fees for vendors be cut in half so it's worthwhile for those who are trying to make a profit in these hard times.
Vice-Chairperson Garcia asked if there was a different fee for renting the park and using it for events. Ms. Gerardo replied that it was the same fee. Chairperson Ureña mentioned she agreed with the park fees. Commissioner Martinez deems the fees reasonable. His concern is that during the previous Farmer's Market event, vendors set up in the parking lot and did not take advantage of the vast area of the park. 3 | Page
COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMISSION MINUTES
5. Playground Inspections.
Chairperson Ureña mentioned that she has noticed that there are some playgrounds around town that are non-functional. She said that the Park Inspector Certification test is hard, but that there is a certified inspector registry through the National Parks and Recreation Association. Inspection fees can range from $500 to $1,000 depending on the size of the park and the location. Commissioner Pacheco concurs with the Chairperson's statement that city parks need inspections. She mentioned Cordova Park has some holes that resulted after the installation of the boxing ring for the Boxing Exhibition at the recent Farmer's Market. These holes pose a risk to children.
Commissioner Iniguez said a lot of the parks are in bad condition. Vice-Chairperson Garcia said he agrees with the inspections but knows it's going to cost the city a lot of money.
Chairperson Ureña mentioned she will have a conversation with Public Works Manager, Ms. Falomir, and Public Works Director, Mr. Sillas, to possibly have someone take the test to be certified as Playground Inspector possibly in the coming year.
Commissioner Martinez said he would like to see the Cordova Park project completed.
Commissioner Rojas said she hopes to have someone certified for Playground Inspections soon.
6. Murals.
Ms. Gerardo, Recreation Manager, said the mural project will start once the Utility Box Art Project has been completed. Commissioner Pacheco said she would like to discuss possible locations for the mural project. Commissioner Pacheco mentioned she would like to see a mural at the storage bin located outside the Camarena Memorial Library and another one downtown. Vice-Chairperson Garcia said the mural on the west side of town on Hwy 98 is awesome. Chairperson Ureña mentioned she would like these murals on the walls, not the street where people step over them.
Chairperson Martinez mentioned the Mural project is very different from the Utility Box Art Project; therefore, more precaution must be taken when doing the call for artists.
Commissioner Rojas said she hopes the program is successful.
DISCUSSION AND POTENTIAL ACTION ITEMS
7. Heber Park Project Status.
Ms. Falomir gave a brief report on Heber Park Project status. Ms. Falomir reported that City staff continues to seek the additional funding needed for the expansion of Heber Park Project. City staff is also in the process of requesting and extension (June 30,2028) of the grant received from the State of California Department of Parks and Recreation. Chairperson Ureña offered the department the support of the Commission by writing letters of support to the City Council to get this project started.
She also mentioned that the citizens of Calexico are in great need of an indoor gym, and that it would be a shame to lose the grant of $8,500,000. 4 | Page
COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMISSION MINUTES
8. Additional Funding for Adrian Cordova Park.
Chairperson Urena reported that about $3,000,000 are needed to complete Adrian Cordova Park and the city only has $1,000,000. Chair Ureña suggested cutting down items from the original design to reduce costs; such as the splash pad, parking lot, and number of trees, in order to complete the Cordova Park Project.
9. Discussion and Potential Approval of Community Services Commission Bylaws.
Chairperson Ureña assigned Commissioners to the following Ad Hoc Committees:
Recreation Services, Senior, Youth, Aquatics and Sport Association Programming Ad Hoc Committee - Commissioners Iniguez and Commissioner Garcia.
Bylaws, school and other partnerships - Commissioners Baeza and Commissioner Rojas.
CSC Non-Profit research, grants, local, State and Federal budget - Chairperson Urena and Commissioner Rojas.
Vice-Chairperson Garcia made a motion to table Review of First Draft of Community Services Commission Bylaws. Commissioner Iniguez seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.
10. Selection of Artwork for the Utility Box Art Project Cycle II.
Commissioners Pacheco and Martinez spoke briefly about the pieces of art displayed around the chamber. Commissioner Martinez made a motion to accept the pieces of art selected by the Utility Box Art Project Selection Panel and submit the recommendation to City Council. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Pacheco.
Motion passed unanimously.
11. Setting Bi-monthly Community Services Commission Meetings.
Commissioners made brief comments on the item. Commissioner Iniguez made a motion to approve the draft of the letter for a recommendation to the City Council.
Motion was seconded by Commissioner Garcia. Motion passed unanimously.
12. MOU with Wincent Memorial Regarding the Use of City Parks for Interscholastic Sports.
Commissioner Iniguez made a motion to table this item. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Garcia. Motion passed unanimously.
INFORMATIONAL ITEMS
13. Rescuing the Experience Between Building in the Calexico Downtown. 5 | Page
COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMISSION MINUTES
Commissioner Baeza explained to the commission his vision on his item "Rescuing the Experience Between Building in the Calexico Downtown.
14. Christmas Tree Lighting Flyer.
Norma Gerardo, Recreation Manager, invited the Commission to attend the Christmas Tree Lighting event that will take place at City Hall on November 30th. There will be live performances by the Calexico High School marching band, William Moreno marching band, and Imperial Valley College Jazz band. There will also be performances by the Calexico Recreation Gymnastics and Ballet classes. In addition, there will be raffles and food vendors. Ms. Gerardo requested the help from the commission in promoting this event.
15. Christmas Parade Entry Form.
Ms. Gerardo announced that the City of Calexico will be hosting a Christmas Parade this year. The recreation department oversees the planning and coordination of this event. Ms. Gerardo requested the help from the commissioners in promoting the parade.
16. Attendance Report.
Attendance report was provided to the Commission.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:34 PM by Chairperson Ureña.
Patricia SCene
atricia Ureñd, Chairperso
Attest: Labeth Carbgal
Lizbeth Carbajal, Administrative Assistant
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