City of Santa Clara
Meeting Minutes
Parks & Recreation Commission
Draft
7:00 PM Hybrid Meeting
Sparacino Conference Room - City Hall East Wing
1500 Warburton Avenue
Santa Clara, CA 95050
02/10/2025
The City of Santa Clara is conducting the Parks & Recreation Commission meeting in a hybrid manner (in-person and a method for the public to participate remotely).
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https://santaclaraca.zoom.us/j/89140287145?pwd=vxTpbZL37PSa9tyNRsapnbNKFauJJP.1
Meeting ID: 891 4028 7145
Passcode: 863597
CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL
Chair Hai called the meeting to order at 7:06 PM.
Commissioner Dana Caldwell, Vice Chair Maureen Chu,
Commissioner Eversley Forte, Commissioner Derek DeMarco, Chair Sajid Hai, and Commissioner Vikas Gupta
Present 6 -
Commissioner Brittany RickettsAbsent 1 -
CONSENT CALENDAR
1. 25-62 Action on the Parks & Recreation Commission Minutes of the January 13, 2025, Meeting
Recommendation: Approve the Parks & Recreation Commission Minutes of the January 13, 2025, Meeting.
Commissioner Forte made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Chu to approve the Parks & Recreation Minutes of the January 13, 2025, meeting.
Aye: Commissioner Caldwell, Vice Chair Chu, Commissioner Forte, Commissioner DeMarco, Chair Hai, and Commissioner Gupta 6 -
Absent: Commissioner Ricketts1 -
02/10/2025Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes
PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS
An email message from Susan Hinton, a member of the public, was shared with the Commission regarding not using synthetic surfacing for the Warburton Park Playground Rehabilitation Project.
GENERAL BUSINESS
2. 25-590 Action on the Park Master Plan and Schematic Design for Warburton Park Playground Rehabilitation Project
Recommendation: Discuss and take action on a recommendation to the City Council on the Park Master Plan and preferred schematic design for the Warburton Park Playground Rehabilitation Project
Commissioner DeMarco made a motion, seconded by
Commissioner Chu to recommend approval of Option 2 with the expanded playground shade structure for the preferred master plan for Warburton Park, and that the new pathway loop be expanded as much as possible.
Aye: Commissioner Caldwell, Vice Chair Chu, Commissioner Forte, Commissioner DeMarco, Chair Hai, and Commissioner Gupta 6 -
Absent: Commissioner Ricketts1 -
3. 25-165 Action to Recommend City Council Adoption of the Updated Wade Brummal Scholarship Program Guidelines
Recommendation: Recommend that City Council adopt the Updated Wade Brummal Scholarship Program Guidelines
Commissioner DeMarco made a motion, seconded by
Commissioner Gupta to recommend that City Council adopt the Updated Wade Brummal Scholarship Program Guidelines.
Aye: Commissioner Caldwell, Vice Chair Chu, Commissioner Forte, Commissioner DeMarco, Chair Hai, and Commissioner Gupta 6 -
Absent: Commissioner Ricketts1 -
02/10/2025Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes
4. 25-161 Status Update on the Progress Made on the FY 2024/25 Parks & Recreation Commission’s Work Plan Goals
Recommendation: Provide status update on progress made on the FY 2024/25 Parks & Recreation Commission’s work plan goals.
Goal A: Review park site and facility condition assessments and recommend priorities given existing and anticipated service levels and available resources.
--No update.
Goal B.1.: Review and solicit community input on the existing City park rehabilitation projects based on the current Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Budget and schedule.
--The Commission recommended City Council approval of Option 2 with the expanded playground shade structure as the preferred master plan for Warburton Park.
Goal B.2.: Review residential developer proposed schematic designs for new neighborhood parks that serve new residential development. --No update.
Goal C.1.: Host and develop recommendations for the annual Santa Clara Art & Wine Festival 2024.
--No update (completed)
Goal C.2.: Participate in Citywide Special events.
--No update.
Goal D.: Partner with at least one other commission to build upon/expand at least one existing Parks & Recreation event by adding one extra element for patrons to interact with during the event. --No update.
Goal E.: Participate in the Parks & Recreation Master Plan Process. --No update
Goal F.: Consider the annual budget of the Parks & Recreation Department during the budget preparation process and make recommendations with respect to the City Manager and City Council. --No update.
02/10/2025Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes
STAFF REPORT
Director Damon Sparacino
Parks & Recreation Staff are working to standardize the Commission's Work Plan Goals across the organization which will provide a greater opportunity for City Council to play a larger role with the various commissions. The Director provided updates for the George F. Haines International Swim Center project. A few unanticipated issues have come to light with the pool gutter, apron and coping. The City will be considering next steps based on addressing those issues. Recent rain days have also impacted the project timeline.
Recreation Manager Castro
Summer Camp registration will begin on February 25, 2025. The Senior Center Wellness Fair has been updated from a one day event to four days, every Friday in March 2025. These events will be held indoors to mitigate accessibility issues for patrons and to better serve their needs. As a reminder, The Senior Center serves seniors 50 and older to promote and encourage activities, exercise and wellness. Membership is $37 per month for Santa Clara residents.
The Senior Center Showtime event will be showcasing “The Saga of the Sasparilla Saloon” on March 1-2 at the Community Recreation Center. The show is produced by the Santa Clara Women’s League as part of the Health and Wellness Program.
02/10/2025Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes
COMMISSIONERS REPORT
Chair Hai
Chair Hai visited Maywood Park and Jenny Strand Park. He thoroughly enjoyed watching the Super Bowl with family and friends.
Commissioner Caldwell
The Commissioner visited the construction site for the new park at Gateway Crossings to see the progress. He noted that the park looks great and it's getting close to completion. He and former Commissioner Field spent some time clearing blocked storm drains, which were severely blocked as the result on recent rains.
Commissioner Chu
Commissioner Chu visited her local neighborhood parks as well as Henry Schmidt Park. Commissioner Chu mentioned that the heater in the recreation building at Henry Schmidt Park was broken, which made the room quire cold for program participants. Deputy Director Seale assured the Commission that Parks Division staff were already working on the issue. Commissioner Chu also made note of a heating issue at the Montague Park community building.
Commissioner Chu also mentioned that visitation numbers for Henry Schmidt Park appeared to be waning due to the playground being closed and its aged structure.
Commissioner DeMarco
The Commissioner visited several parks with his family. He and his assigned subcommittee met and discussed how they could leverage visitation, geospatial and census data collected from Placer AI to enhance the park system. He also enrolled his child in the programmed dance class on Mondays.
Commissioner Gupta
The Commissioner met with his subcommittee regarding how to best utilize park patron visitation data from Placer AI. He Commissioner also visited several parks over the past month. He visited several parks over the past month, including Mary Gomez Park and Warburton Park to inspect the amenities and to observe park lighting after sunset. Commissioner Gupta submitted four entries for the Commission’s Park Visitation database. Commissioner Gupta was interviewed by The San Jose Spotlight on February 7, 2025. The article outlined the current construction project and future of the George F. Haines International Swim Center and highlighted his passion for youth sports.
Commissioner Forte
Commissioner Forte worked-out at Bowers Park. He asked to query staff regarding the programmed class offering for this facility and the lack of options available. Currently, zumba classes are one of the only options offered at the Community Recreation Center. Staff responded that finding additional instructors is challenging. Commissioner Forte offered to inquire with his contacts in an attempt to find instructors to increase the options for programming.
02/10/2025Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes
ADJOURNMENT
Commissioner DeMarco made a motion, seconded by
Commissioner Caldwell to adjourn the Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting at 9:15 PM until the next regular meeting on March 10, 2025, at 7:00 PM in the Sparacino Conference Room at City Hall.
Aye: Commissioner Caldwell, Vice Chair Chu, Commissioner Forte, Commissioner DeMarco, Chair Hai, and Commissioner Gupta 6 -
Absent: Commissioner Ricketts1 -
MEETING DISCLOSURES
02/10/2025Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes The time limit within which to commence any lawsuit or legal challenge to any quasi-adjudicative decision made by the City is governed by Section 1094.6 of the Code of Civil Procedure, unless a shorter limitation period is specified by any other provision. Under Section 1094.6, any lawsuit or legal challenge to any quasi-adjudicative decision made by the City must be filed no later than the 90th day following the date on which such decision becomes final. Any lawsuit or legal challenge, which is not filed within that 90-day period, will be barred. If a person wishes to challenge the nature of the above section in court, they may be limited to raising only those issues they or someone else raised at the meeting described in this notice, or in written correspondence delivered to the City of Santa Clara, at or prior to the meeting. In addition, judicial challenge may be limited or barred where the interested party has not sought and exhausted all available administrative remedies.
If a member of the public submits a speaker card for any agenda items, their name will appear in the Minutes. If no speaker card is submitted, the Minutes will reflect "Public Speaker."
In accordance with the requirements of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ("ADA"), the City of Santa Clara will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability in its services, programs, or activities, and will ensure that all existing facilities will be made accessible to the maximum extent feasible. The City of Santa Clara will generally, upon request, provide appropriate aids and services leading to effective communication for qualified persons with disabilities including those with speech, hearing, or vision impairments so they can participate equally in the City’s programs, services, and activities. The City of Santa Clara will make all reasonable modifications to policies and programs to ensure that people with disabilities have an equal opportunity to enjoy all of its programs, services, and activities.
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Contact the City Clerk’s Office at 1 408-615-2220 with your request for an alternative format copy of the agenda or other written materials.
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