THORNTON PARK HOST REPORT
City of Santa Ana
Parks, Recreation & Community Services Agency
Park Host Program
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Table of Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...............................................................................................................................................2 I. RECRUITMENT & SELECTION .............................................................................................................................3 II. LOCATION & INSTALLATION ..............................................................................................................................3 III. MEDIA................................................................................................................................................................4 IV. PROGRAM ANALYTICS .......................................................................................................................................4 a. Thornton Park Report ....................................................................................................................................4 b. Police Field Activity Report............................................................................................................................5 V. PROGRAM EVALUATION....................................................................................................................................6 IV. RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................................................................................................................7 EXHIBIT A ...................................................................................................................................................................8 THORNTON PARK REPORT LOG-JUNE 2022 – MAY 2023 ......................................................................................8 EXHIBIT B ...................................................................................................................................................................9 POLICE FIELD ACTIVITY REPORT-THORNTON PARK FY 2021/22-FY 2022/23.........................................................9 2 | P a g e
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Santa Ana Parks, Recreation & Community Services Agency (PRCSA) embarked on a pilot Park Host program at Carl Thornton Park in May of 2022. The program was approved by City Council in July 2020 in an effort to bring a visible City representative who would assist in monitoring the park and report any issues to authorities. The objectives of this program is to determine how effective a resident Park Host would be in:
•Reporting vandalism/crime as well as activity related to alcohol and drugs. •Assist the Parks Maintenance Division in identifying maintenance related issues & safety hazards as well as provide minor custodial duties when needed within the Carl Thornton Park. •Engage with the local community, the Thornton Park Neighborhood Association and visitors to the park. • Communicate any atypical situations taking place at the park to the PRCSA so that solutions could be executed effectively & efficiently.
The following executive summary will provide details on how the program was initially developed and the overall impact that this program has had on the park during the first year of program implementation. 3 | P a g e
I. RECRUITMENT & SELECTION
After City Council approval for the pilot Park Host
Program at Carl Thornton Park in July 2020, the
program was tentatively placed on pause while the
City reprioritized services due to the Covid-19
pandemic. Once restrictions were lifted, PRCSA
began to advertise & recruit for the Park Host
Program on December 7, 2021. Applications were
received, reviewed and ultimately five candidates
were selected to participate in the interview process.
On January 26, PRCSA offered the opportunity to
Katie Rivero to become the first Park Host for the City of Santa Ana.
II. LOCATION & INSTALLATION
The first selected park host site location was identified as Carl Thornton Park (1801 W. Segerstrom Avenue) located in Ward 4. Efforts were made by the Parks Services Division to identify a space within the park that would be suitable for the installation of a fifth-wheel recreation vehicle that would be placed within a gated enclosure that provided access to water, sewage and electricity for the park host.
Ultimately a location was selected on the Northside of Carl Thornton Park off the South Linda Way entrance to the park. Parks Services began the site preparation at the end of 2021 and the project in the Spring of 2022.
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III. MEDIA
The Park Host Program garnered a great deal of public interest as well as inquiries from local media sources. Below are links to articles and news features showcasing the Santa Ana Park Host Program and the first Park Host, Katie Rivero.
ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
https://www.ocregister.com/2022/07/14/living-rent-free-meet-santa-anas-new-park-host/ NBC 4 LOS ANGELES NEWS FEATURE
https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/orange-county-live-in-a-park-job-park-host-santa-ana-thornton/2795565/ ABC 7 NEWS FEATURE
https://abc7.com/santa-ana-park-host-program-fifth-wheels-rv-abc7-solutions/11485625/ IV. PROGRAM ANALYTICS
a. Thornton Park Report
As part of the program the Park Host was asked to keep a “Thornton Park Report” (Exhibit A) to log atypical incidents that ranged from maintenance related issues, vandalism, safety hazards and/or alcohol/drug use. From June 2022 to May 2023, there were approximately 566 incidents that were reported to PRCSA, through the MySantaAna App, the Parks Maintenance Division and the Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD). Exhibit A provides greater detail about the atypical events represented in the Table 1.0 below.
1.0 Reportable Action Categories at Carl Thornton Park from June 2022-May 2023 Maintenance Vandalism Safety
Hazard
Animal
Control Alcohol, Drugs & Crime Other Total
71 174 10 18 63 230 566
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b. Police Field Activity Report
In addition to the daily “Thornton Park Report”, SAPD was asked to provide a Police Field Activity Report (Table 2.0) comparative analysis of the Thornton Park from Fiscal Year 2021/22 vs. Fiscal Year 2022/23.
Some highlights identified within the Police Field Activity Report, under the Call Description-Patrol subsection, there was a 13% increase in calls for service between FY 21/22 and FY 22/23. In addition, there was a noticeable increase in Public Nuisance calls for service (33%) and Narcotics (47%).
2.0 Police Field Activity Report-Thornton Park
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V. PROGRAM EVALUATION
EVALUATION METHOD-K.I.S.S. Model
The K.I.S.S. model evaluative tool is to gather constructive feedback at multiple levels within the program. The K.I.S.S. model asks participants the following questions in order to provide space for evaluation:
A. What elements of the program do you want to KEEP? (What worked well 95% of the time that we know will be successful year over year?).
B. What elements of the program do you feel we should IMPROVE on? (What worked a majority of the time, but need to be adjusted to add value?).
C. What elements should we START incorporating into the program? (What are some new ideas that would enrich our guests, add value to our current program, are innovative and creative?).
D. What elements should we STOP offering because they are not meeting our programming standards and expectations? (What areas decrease the value of our program? What may have worked in the past that may not meet the needs of the community now?).
The following exercise results was received at a post-event meeting on October 29, 2019. ▪KEEP
oCultivating relationship with park visitors, the Thornton Park Neighborhood Association, PRCSA, Parks Maintenance, Lyons Security and SAPD.
oReporting atypical incidents as they occur through the proper channels (i.e. PRCSA representatives, the MySantaAna App, and Parks Maintenance representatives. ▪IMPROVE
oA better understanding of Park Host Hours or dedicated community meeting times for park visitors to engage with the Park Host.
oCommunication with Lyons Security and the Parks Maintenance Division. ▪START
oPicking up litter, not only reporting.
oFilling doggie dispenser bags, not only reporting.
oRe-stocking toiletries when empty, not only report.
oUtilizing a plunger when toilets become clogged, if unsuccessful, notifying maintenance on-call. oNotifying via the My Santa Ana App to include graffiti. oContact security, if necessary, after the Host has contacted park users. oServe as a liaison for park information.
oAssist with securing restrooms when needed.
oA written inspection report with a schedule.
▪STOP
oLong term visitors at the Park Host site without communicating with PRCSA in advance 7 | P a g e
IV. RECOMMENDATIONS
The Park Host Program was initially designed as pilot program that would last between 12-18 months in duration.
Based on the results of the Thornton Park Report provided by Park Host Katie Rivero & PRCSA Staff, as well as, the Police Field Activity Report supplied by SAPD, it appears that there was minimal overall impact with the implementation of the Park Host Program at Carl Thornton Park and the objectives outlined earlier.
While the number of reportable atypical incidents increased overall, the number of the type of incidents appears minimally effected or unchanged. Also, the contract with Lyons Security went into effect in March 2023 which provides additional security to all of PRCSA’s parks, facilities and amenities including Carl Thornton Park.
Lyons Security’s presence has been widely acknowledged and praised by members of the community, City Staff and by the City Council.
As a result, it is staff’s recommendation that the City discontinue the Park Host Program at Carl Thornton Park no later than December 31, 2023. In addition, it is recommended to discontinue the expansion of the Park Host Program to other parks within the Santa Ana Park System.
If a majority of the City Council wants to continue the Park Host Program at Carl Thornton Park, staff recommends that the items outlined in the PROGAM EVALUATION Section (Section V.), START sub-section be included in an amended Draft License Agreement with the current Park Host at Carl Thornton Park. In addition, if a majority of the City Council supports expansion of the Park Host Program to the pre-selected sites of Santiago, Riverview and Centennial Parks, staff will need to submit a SBR for additional funds to support the Park Host Program long-term.
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EXHIBIT A
THORNTON PARK REPORT LOG-JUNE 2022 – MAY 2023
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EXHIBIT B
POLICE FIELD ACTIVITY REPORT-THORNTON PARK FY 2021/22-FY 2022/23