December 2022
Parks, Recreation & Beautification
Commission
Monthly Report
The following information is provided as an update regarding the Parks, Recreation & Beautification Commission meeting activities during the month of November and updates for previously approved projects.
Parks, Recreation & Beautification Commission meetings are held on the 3rd Wednesday of every month at 5:00 pm in the City Hall Council Chambers. 5-Member Commission
Commissioner Vacant Term: May 2021-2023
Commissioner Adolfo Virgen Term: May 2022-2024
Commissioner Oscar Roman Term: May 2021-2023
Commissioner Renelle Layfield Term: May 2022-2024
Commissioner Gabriela Hernandez Term: May 2021-2023
Parks & Recreation & Beautification Commission Meeting:
The regular meeting scheduled for December 21, 2022, was cancelled. A special meeting was held in person on December 14,2022 at 5:30 p.m. The agenda items are listed below.
1. Water Fountain Discussion
2. Dog Park Improvements
3. Commission Powers and Duties
4. Activities for Teens
a. LBGTQIA Teen Opportunities
b. Teen Space Venue
5. Farm-to-Fork Event Summary
6. Wall Mural Project & Funding
Agendas & Minutes can be located on the city website under the agenda center.
A regular meeting is scheduled for January 18, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. The meeting will be held in person in the City Council Chambers.
January 2023
Parks, Recreation & Beautification
Commission
Monthly Report
The following information is provided as an update regarding the Parks, Recreation & Beautification Commission meeting activities during the month of November and updates for previously approved projects.
Parks, Recreation & Beautification Commission meetings are held on the 3rd Wednesday of every month at 5:00 pm in the City Hall Council Chambers. 5-Member Commission
Commissioner Vacant Term: May 2021-2023
Commissioner Adolfo Virgen Term: May 2022-2024
Commissioner Oscar Roman Term: May 2021-2023
Commissioner Renelle Layfield Term: May 2022-2024
Commissioner Gabriela Hernandez Term: May 2021-2023
Parks & Recreation & Beautification Commission Meeting:
The regular meeting scheduled for January 18, 2023 was held in person at 5:00 p.m. The agenda items are listed below.
1. Water Fountain Discussion
2. Dog Park Improvements
3. Commission Powers and Duties
4. Activities for Teens
a. LGBTQIA+2S Collaborative
b. Teen Space Venue
5. Wall Mural Project & Funding
6. Vice-Chair Election
7. Elected Location of Future Committee Meetings
Agendas & Minutes can be located on the city website under the agenda center.
A regular meeting is scheduled for February 15, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. The meeting will be held in person in the City Council Chambers.
City of Patterson
Parks, Recreation & Beautification Commission Minutes
Special Meeting of December 14, 2022
1. Call to Order
Commissioner Adolfo Virgen called the Special Meeting of the Parks, Recreation & Beautification Commission of the City of Patterson to order at the City Hall Council Chambers at 5:44 P.M.
2. Roll Call
Present: Commissioners: Adolfo Virgen (Commissioner), Renelle Layfield (Commissioner), and Oscar Roman (Commissionner)
City Staff: Deputy Director Robert Andrade (Ex-Officio Member), Deputy Director Sonia Delgado (Interim Secretary), Jason Hayward (Recreation Supervisor) Diana Hernandez (Recreation & Community Services Administrative Service Manager), Adrian Laurel (Environmental Compliance Specialist), Xavier Guluarte (Management Analyst) and Brittany Callum (Secretary).
Absent: Gabriela Fernandez-Hernandez (Chair),
3. Statements of Conflict : None
4. Items from the Public: A community member from the Love Patterson commission would like to thank the commission for their participation in the Love Patterson float during the Holiday Parade. She stated that she enjoyed being able to build the relationships among the commissions.
5. Approval of Meeting Minutes
The minutes for the November 16, 2022, regular meeting was reviewed and approved by the Commission by a 3-0 vote. Renelle Layfield first motioned and Oscar Roman 2
nd the motion. Motion carries.
6. Review of Action Items: None
7. Agenda Items
New & Returning Business
7.a Water Fountain Discussion (Chair Fernandez-Hernandez) how the program should be fully executed. Suggesting having a reason to get the commission’s name out there. Adolfo wanted to know what the budget is for the commission. He was informed that the commission can access the interest from the donation that was made to the commission.
The current amount is $300. The commission was informed that they are more than welcome to fundraise for more funds. If a special project comes up, the commission is welcome to ask for more from the City Council.
Renelle suggested that each member takes some time to produce their criteria and discuss it during the meetings. Then in the spring, award it to someone. Robert mentioned some of the things that the previous commission did with their budget such as planting flowers for the community. The previous commission would even get vendors to donate pizza and water. Adolfo requested that we place this topic on the next agenda. Renelle would also advertise to see if they can get more attendance from the public so that they can get their input and some potential ideas.
7d. Activities for Teens (Commissioner Virgen)
Commissioner Layfield spoke with some teenagers in the community. She wanted to pass along the desire from teens to have more activities available. She thinks that they will participate especially in the spring, summer, and early fall. The input for activities was cornhole, spike ball, trivia night, BINGO, craft night, gardening, and volleyball. Renelle gave a suggestion to have teens partner up with seniors that have similar interests as a community program. Commissioner Virgen agreed with Renelle that teens enjoy trivia and BINGO. Jason Hayward (Youth Development Specialist) informed the commission about a Generational Grant to partner youth with seniors once a month for activities. The recreation department currently offers a game night for teens once a month, which is planned by the Youth Action Commission. Commissioner Layfield was curious about how they advertise to inform teens. Jason shared that it is shared in the Activity Guide, on the city’s website and social media pages. Y.A.C currently has an Instagram page, where they are active. The Y.A.C board meets on Tuesdays to plan activities for Wednesdays. They are also posting at school and on their personal social media. The Recreation Department is prepared to have as many teens as possible at the Hammon Center. Commissioner Virgen suggested to the members that they should visit the Y.A.C program meetings just to interact with them and get their input on teen activities.
7d.1 LGBTQIA+/2S Collaborative
This organization is available to help anyone within the specified community. They are showing interest in coming to the City of Patterson to work with the Family Resources Center. Advocacy Director Patty Davis invited the commission to tour their facility in Modesto; Renelle and Oscar stated that they would be interested in going to visit the facility also.
7d.2 Teen Space Venue
A community member asked if the city is actively looking to replace the old teen lounge that was once across from the skate park. Jason informed the committee that they are not looking to replace the center that they had there. When the teen center was across from the skate park the attendance was incredibly low and when teens were there the other businesses in the strip mall did not like the noise level. However, a teen center is a part of the Master Plan where it will include a gym and 2 classrooms, they are just looking for the funding. The community also asked if it was possible for the city to use an interim building such as the Old Theater. Jason informed them that the Recreation Department is already offering programs for teens at specified times at the recreation center. The new teen outdoor grant will be based out of City Hall. Once spring comes, many of the outdoor programs will be held outside. After the community expressed a preference for the city to utilize the Old Theater for a teen center and community events, the commission felt that this subject should be further discussed at the next meeting. Commissioner Virgen’s concern is that the Old Theater is a significant distance away from the schools, so it would be hard for teens to conveniently get there.
Commissioner Layfield remembered Sacred Heart as another location for the teen center. Jason informed everyone that the city has limited access to the hall. It was only available two days out of the week, due to the facility being church property the special insurance was ten thousand dollars, and they were only able to use the gym. Since the pandemic, the recreation department has not accessed the building. When they tried to have an open gym, very few teens attended. Renelle mentioned that since the pandemic, there has been an influx of people that have moved to Patterson so it would be a promising idea to try again. She noticed that there has been a shift in the population of the city and the needs that it now has.
7e. Farm to Fork Event Summary
Jason shared that the event brought in $11,800 profit after expenses. The profit allows for scholarships for 118 youth in the community. In 2022, the recreation department has issued $15,000 in new scholarships for youth. He emphasized that this fundraiser is very important to the scholarship fund. In total it was 179 attendees. All the talent that performed was from the high school. It was a successful event, and they are looking forward to it next year. 7f. Mural Project and Funding
There are no comments currently. This is a topic that Chairperson Gabby brought up, unfortunately due to her absence, it will remain on the agenda. A community One of the reoccurring themes of the Downtown Revitalization is that the community would like to see a water feature added to a different park. It is on the radar of all the committees that are responsible for the parks and downtown areas. It was suggested to for the Parks, Recreation and Beautification to collaborate with the other committees to bring this vision to life. Chairperson Gabriela Fernandez-Hernandez has been in contact with a few people in Patterson. She will be bringing forth the plan for a water fountain and possibly adding it to the existing plan. This item is still pending. Commissioner Gabriela will bring back more information to the next meeting.
7b. Dog Park Improvement (Commissioner Virgen)
Currently, commissioners Layfield and Roman do not have anything to add to this item. Devin Davis (Recreation Superintendent) would be the point of contact when it comes to discussing the replacement or location of the improved dog park. Per Diana Hernandez (city staff), there has not been any other updates regarding the location of the new dog park.
Commissioner Virgen feels that it would be good to find the most appropriate location before moving forward.
7c. Commission Powers and Duties (Commissioner Virgen)
Commissioner Virgen would like to award certificates to people who have done amazing things, but he is not sure how to go about creating the criteria to award the public for their services. Commissioner Virgen requested input from the other commissioners on how to go about selecting who would be awarded. Commissioner Layfield suggested starting with one award per year; it would also help to have a criterion for outstanding behavior in terms of Parks, Recreation and Beautification.
Commissioner Virgen has spoken with someone about potentially getting a grant to improve Felipe Garza Park. However, to receive the grant, they would have had to hold specified events for a large group of children.
Adolfo gave an example of a person that resembled outstanding behavior; whom he felt would be a qualified candidate for an award. Robert Andrade (city staff) suggested the commission should start once a year to gain traction. Then as the award program becomes more popular, they can increase the amount of award periods. Commissioner Layfield felt it would be best for everyone to get adjusted to being a part of the commission, including their roles and duties. She felt that this was a great idea, but it is something that will take time. Renelle also felt this topic should be revisited in the Spring. Adolfo thought it would be a clever way to get the commission’s presence out to the public. A member of the public suggested that we have quarterly or monthly rewards to give multiple opportunities for people to be awarded. Adolfo also agreed that a public nomination would potentially be better. Robert suggested that the commission produces a full concept including advertisement, criteria, and member was hoping to get an artist from a local college to paint the mural. During the last meeting it was discussed that there has been funding approved for the project, the commission just had to figure out a local to put it. Robert informed the committee that a mural project is something the commission could spend their budget on. If the amount available is not enough the commission is able to ask the City Council to access more funds. A community member suggested that people submit mural ideas, and the commission can find a local professional to paint it.
8. Items from Committee Members
Ex-Officio Member Robert Andrade asked the commission what the best way would be to hold the meeting. He gave the option of in-person only, hybrid or Zoom. The commission did not have to decide at the moment, they are allowed to vote on it at the next meeting. As of today, Commissioner Roman would like meetings in-person, Commissioner Layfield suggested that meetings are in hybrid format, Commissioner Virgen agreed that the meetings should be in hybrid format just in case someone cannot make it.
Commissioner Virgen suggested that we add the topic of Vice Chair to the next meeting’s agenda. In the event that the Chairperson is not in attendance then the commission would know who to turn to next.
9. Adjournment
With there being no further business, Commissioner Virgen moved to adjourn the City of Patterson Parks, Recreation and Beautification Commission Meeting at 6:44 p.m.
Any questions or concerns, please email them to Brittany Callum at [email protected].
Minutes Prepared by:
Brittany Callum
Brittany Callum (Secretary)
Administrative Assistant I