1 Richmond Recreation & Parks Commission
MINUTES
Wednesday, October 6, 2021 6:00 PM
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CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Meeting called to order by Chair Joey Smith at 6:10 P.M.
ROLL CALL
PRESENT: Joey Smith, Soheila Bana,* Brendan Havenar-Daughton, Maryn Hurlbut, Pardip S aini, Eleanor Thompson
*Arrived after Roll Call
ABSENT: Allison Blakeley (excused), Catalin Kaser (excused)
Vice Chair Brendan Havenar -Daughton requested that the Commission acknowledge that the City of Richmond was situated on land oc cupied for thousands of years by Huichin: Confederated Villages of Lisjan, Chochenyo Ohlone Territory, made up of the seven Tribe s of Lisjan (Ohlone), Karkin (Ohlone), Bay Miwok, Plains Miwok, W appo, Delta Yokut and Napian (Patwin) whose territory included Alameda, Contra Costa, Solano, Napa and San Joaquin counties. He added that there was an opportunity to support the Shu’umi Land Tax as a way to support the native community members in their work.
Chair Smith provided a brief overview of the meeting procedures and the Mission of the Recreation and Parks Commission.
AGENDA REVIEW AND ADOPTION
Motioned by Commissioner Hurlbut to approve the agenda, as shown, second ed by Commissioner Saini, the motion carried unanimously.
OPEN FORUM
Cordell Hindler invited Commissioners to a performanc e of “Our Town ” at the Contra Costa Civic Theater on Friday and Saturday at 8:00 P.M.
Jacqueline Thalberg noted that she often walked the beaches along the Marina Bay Trail where
2 construction material often washed up on the long beach, and recently a two-person lifeboat had been found sitting on the rocks . Since the boat had brittle materials that could foul the Bay , she asked who she could call to address that and similar situations where toxic debris washed up on the beaches.
Chair Smith advised that Ms. Thalberg should contact Jose Moreno, the Marina Park Supervisor at 510- 620-6921.
Dominique Roache-Green reported that the Mayor had approved the appointment of Aaron Rowden to the Commission, which would be considered by the City Council on October 19 . There were no additional applications at this time for the nine -member Recreation and Parks Commission where there was currently one vacancy. If Mr. Rowden was not appointed, there would be two vacancies.
ANNOUNCEMENTS & REPORTS THROUGH THE CHAIR
1. Chair Smith announced that Commissioner Saini would reach the maximum nine -year mark , which would be the end of his applicable terms unless the vacancy could not be filled and he could remain for 90 additional days or until that vacancy had been filled. Chair Smith commended Commissioner Saini’s service, dedication, tenacity, and contribution s to the Commission and to the City of Richmond. A Certificate of Recognition was presented to Commissioner Saini in recognition of his nine years of continuous service . Commissioner Saini thanked the Commission for the recognition.
2. The Next Commission meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 3 , 2021 via Zoom.
3. The balance in the Commission T rust account was reported to be $413.08, with an additional $1,000 in the RTA Snow Ball account.
4. Anyone wishing to speak during this meeting is encouraged to send an email to [email protected] by 12 P.M. the day of the meeting with the subject line “rec&parks commission speaker.” State your comments as “Open Forum” or “Staff Reports” as an example of the topic to be discussed.
AD HOC COMMITTEE STATEMENTS
Urban Green Canopy Committee (Brendan/Catalin/Maryn/Eleanor) Commissioner Havenar-Daughton announced a scaled down Arbor Day event on October 16, limited to 30 to 40 participants, and there was an event link to RSVP. While there was a continued concern for public health , the group was still welcoming organizations to do tabling although activities or gathering would be discouraged. The main focus would be on planting trees with 20 or so trees to be planted. An event to honor trees in Richmond in the spring was being considered when gathering might be possible.
Willie Mays Day (Maryn/Eleanor/Joey)
Commissioner Thompson described the background and concerted efforts by the Willie Mays Field Committee in cooperation with several neighborhood councils t o approve a Willie Mays Day and to name Diamond #2 in Nichol l Park after Willie Mays. She reported that Councilmember Bates had agreed to sponsor the proposal at the City Council. She expressed her hope that the proposal would be approved by the City Council.
Commissioner Hurlbut emphasized that the project had been ongoing for some time pending the due 3 diligence from the five neighborhood councils on the south side where only positive feedback had been produced.
Madalyn Law, President of the Park Plaza Neighborhood Council and Co-chair of the South Side Improvement Group Plus One, described the additional support from the Pullman, Laurel Park, and Hilltop Neighborhood Councils , and pledged to do everything possible to name the field for Willie Mays and to help promote and advocate to bring the event together.
Jan Mignone , President of the North & East Neighborhood Council, and the Richmond Neighborhood Coordinating Council also identified those in support, commended the event , and pledged to help wherever needed.
Motion by Commissioner Thompson to approve Willie Mays Day and to name Diamond #2 after Willie Mays in Nichol Park, seconded by Commissioner Hurlbut, and carried unanimously.
Associate Commissioner Committee (Maryn/Allison/Joey)
Commissioner Hurlbut advised she had submitted all the background information to the Commission and staff and noted the desire to begin the training program for how to be an effective Commissioner into two levels: for under 18-year old non-voting members and for over 18-year old voting members, at the beginning of every Commissioner’s first term.
Commissioner Bana arrived at this time.
Ms. Roache-Green said that those 18 years and older, even if a college student, should have voting rights while high sch ool students under 18 years of age could get credit for participating in the Commission. She was also working on a project to provide training for all incoming Commissioners to advise of the protocol and requirements of Commissioners. She and Ranjana Maharaj were also working with the legal department and would keep the Commission apprised of that process, as requested.
CONSENT CALENDAR
APPROVE minutes of the September 1, 2021 meeting
Motioned by Commissioner Havenar-Daughton to approve the minutes of the September 1, 20 21 meeting, as submitted, seconded by Commissioner Hurlbut, and carried unanimously.
REPORTS FROM STAFF
Public Works Department – oral and visual report presented by Jose Urquilla, Superintendent of Facilities and Greg Hardesty, Superintendent, Parks and Landscaping.
Library & Community Services Department – oral & visual report provided by Ranjana Maharaj, Community Services Administrative Manager.
PRESENTATIONS
1. Receive a Presentation Regarding Bechtel COVID-19 Love Your Block Grant – Stephanie Ny
Stephanie Ny, Community Services Division , provided an update on the Richmond Tool Lending Library, noted the need to fill a current vacancy, and explained that the hours had just been reduced . 4 She said that the Tool Lending Library was now officially in the City budget and funding would be available to sustain the program.
Commissioner Bana recommended that the City and County collaborate to have the Tool Lending Library be an actual library open at the same time as the regular Library to make it available to more residents.
With respect to the COVID -19 Mini grant program that ran through October 2020 to June 2021, Ms.
Ny stated that nine mini grants had been awarded for a total of $4,225 to community residents and organizations affected by COVID -19. In total, that amount had engaged 342 volunteers, 211 hours of services and served over 10,000 residents in Richmond. She provided a rundown of each of the projects and those who had made the mini grants work. She stated the money had come from a Bechtel grant.
2. Receive a Presentation on the Mobile Tool Lending Library – Stephanie Ny
Ms. Ny referred to the special Mobile Tool Lending Library funded by the North Richmond Mitigation Fee grant. The Mobile Tool Lending Library was to provide free tool lending by means of curbside delivery to people and residences, site pickup, and community events where non -profit organizations could host the mobile library for gardening and improvement pro jects. She described the outreach and surveys involved and stated there had been over 100 participants in the North Richmond community .
She said the most popular tools being used is the power tools. She identified the social media outreach, and shared how the tools themselves would be funded , managed, and stored to ensure the security of the tools. She added that a storage garage would be built.
Chair Smith requested that the contact information for Rebuild Together be included in the social media information.
Commissioner Saini verified with staff that while the stationery Richmo nd Tool Lending Library at the Richmond Recreation Complex was currently open, the Mobile Tool Lending Library funded by grant specifically for North Richmond residents was not expected to open until early 2022.
DISCUSSIONS & ACTION ITEMS
a. Update Rules for Naming or Re -naming of Parks, Facilities or Streets or Park Tables and Benches with accompanying fill in the blanks application form with imbedded instructions
Commissioner Hurlbut explained that the Naming Committee had crafted the rules and categories and had combined the guidelines in the application so that anyone applying for a name change or renaming would understand the process and request status updates.
Ms. Maharaj stated she had received the process for name change document from the City Council Liaison, and asked that those be combined into one document to be sent to the Commission for review at the November meeting.
Chair Smith stated she would reach out to the Commission to find out who was interested in participating in each of the committees to get more work done.
b. Create a Kiosk Concept Paper to go out to bid as part of a “Walk of Honor” to be installed as part of the Yellow Brick Road Project – Requestors – Charles Cavenes Arts and Culture Division staff and Toody Maher.
5 Jan Mignone described the history of the item about a way to honor volunteers in the City of Richmond, and offered the Richmond Neighborhood Coordinating Council’s Board of Directors desire to partner with the Commission as to how to secure the names and pursue the project.
Commissioner Hurlbut added that Charles Cavenes and Toody Maher wanted to participate because the concept that had previously been discussed was to move the Walk of Honor to the Yellow Brick Road and have a standardized kiosk concept to honor people with a story of their service, their category, and provide something appropriate for both the child and adult levels.
c. Update Park Signage to include the following information:
i. Ordinance regarding dog leash and waste pick up by park users. ii. Posting multilingual signage (English/Spanish)
iii. Signage regarding illegal dumping
iv. Signage with QR Codes
Mr. Hardesty offered examples of symbols that could be used for signs to identify the need that dogs be leashed. He offered design options, the Commission discussed the options, and he advised that he could add the applicable section of the Richmond Code to the sign, if so directed.
The Commission recommended the symbol with the human, the dog and the leash, to potentially include a QR Code with information in several languages , and to identify the applicab le City leash laws.
At 8:30 pm the meeting was extended 15 minutes to complete the agenda.
d. Update on Commissioner Attendance Reports and Address Discrepancy in Term Appointments.
As earlier reported, the item would be submitted to the City Council on October 19, 2021 to correct the terms of appointment.
e. Receive Update from Staff Regarding Fees for the Use of BTA Tennis/Pickleball Courts by the Eastbay Pickleball Association.
Staff provided an update stating a meeting was condu cted with the representatives of the Eastbay Pickleball Association. Based upon information shared amongst both parties, an amicable decision was reached to support the pickleball program allowing the fees to remain the same until the end of the grant period.
COMMISSIONER LIAISON REPORTS
A written report from Commissioner Blakeley was presented to the Commission.
COMMISSIONER COMMENTS
Chair Smith commented that at the last election she had served as a poll monitor and had learned there were 22 polling places in Richmond, many in recreation area s. She had visited 14 of them and all had passed muster.
6 Commissioner Thompson stated she had enjoyed working with Commission er Hurlbut and the Willie Mays Field Committee.
Chair Smith identified a corr ection to the materials packet from Commissioner Kaser where the spreadsheet had not shown Commissioner Kaser’s attendance at the May meeting . She reported that she had visited the Unity Park where Commissioner Kaser had led a clean-up event and the sharing of the Purple Collard Tree.
Commissioner Hurlbut asked if the park assignments for Commissioners could be addressed, and Chair Smith advised that she was currently in the process of assignments.
AGENDA SETTING FOR NEXT MEETING
There were no comments.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 8:43 P.M.
Respectfully Submitted,
Anita L. Tucci-Smith
Minutes Clerk