City Council
Mayor Patrick Slayter
Vice Mayor Neysa Hinton
Una Glass
Sarah Glade Gurney
Diana Rich
City Manager
Larry McLaughlin
[email protected]
Assistant City Manager/City Clerk, MMC
Mary Gourley
[email protected]
CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
`MINUTES FOR Meeting of February 1, 2022
As Approved by the City Council at their regular meeting of February 15, 2022 The City Council Regular meeting was held via teleconference pursuant to AB 361.
Please note that minutes are not meant to be verbatim minutes and are meant to be the City’s record of a Topic:
City Council Meeting - February 1, 2022
Time: Feb 1, 2022 06:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting
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Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kd8w4jDQI2 6:00 pm Convene City Council Meeting - Meeting Start Time (ZOOM VIRTUAL FORMAT) CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Slayter called the regular meeting to order at 6:14 pm.
ROLL CALL:
Present: Mayor Patrick Slayter – By video teleconference Vice Mayor Neysa Hinton – By video teleconference
Councilmember Una Glass – By video teleconference
Councilmember Sarah Gurney - By video teleconference
Councilmember Diana Gardner Rich - By video teleconference
Absent: None
Staff: City Manager/City Attorney Larry McLaughlin
Assistant City Manager/City Clerk Mary Gourley
Administrative Services Director Kwong
Engineering Consultant Toni Bertolero, GHD
Planning Director Kari Svanstrom
Police Chief Kevin Kilgore
SALUTE TO THE FLAG: Mayor Slayter led the salute to the flag.
PROCLAMATIONS/PRESENTATIONS:
The following was presented:
• Proclamation – Proclaiming the “Locals Who Make a Difference” Recognition Program Honoree
Reference Order Number: 2022-032
PLEASE NOTE:
Public Comment on all items listed on the agenda will be limited to two minutes, per person, per item. The Public Comment Portion of the Agenda will allow for 20 minutes at the beginning of the meeting and public comment not heard during those 20 minutes will continue at the end of the agenda, following the last calendared item and before Reports.
Council welcomes and encourages additional comments via email. Public Comment Emails can be sent to:
[email protected]
COUNCIL PROTOCOLS FOR MEETING:
City staff read the protocols for the meeting.
• This meeting is being conducted utilizing virtual settings for teleconferencing and electronic means consistent with State of California Executive Orders regarding the COVID 19 pandemic and AB 361. • Live stream and zoom is being utilized for this meeting. In case of technical issues, meetings will be uploaded to the City web site as soon as possible after this meeting. • Members of the public may view and listen to the meeting by use of Zoom as noted on the City’s website and as noted on the agenda.
• Members of the public wishing to speak to the City Council may do so during public comment or may comment on agenda items during the discussion of each item and must be logged into Zoom. Live Stream is a viewing only format.
• Anyone using abusive, vulgar, offensive, threatening, or harassing language, personal attacks of any kind or offensive terms that target specific individuals or groups will be muted and removed from the meeting.
PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA :
Speakers are allowed to speak for a maximum of three minutes so that all speakers have an opportunity to address the City Council.
Power point or visual presentations for public comment shall not be permitted unless approved by the Agenda Review Committee two weeks prior to the requested meeting date.
Speakers may not "yield" a portion of their allotted time to others.
The Mayor has the authority to limit or extend the time allowed for speakers dependent on the number of speakers in attendance.
The Mayor can poll the members of the public for an indication of the number of people wishing to speak, then call on individuals to speak.
It is the goal of the Council to conclude the public comments portion of the agenda within 20 minutes. If the public comment period exceeds twenty minutes, the presiding officer, typically the Mayor, reserves the right to reduce the time per speaker or carry over public comments to after all business items are completed.
The City Clerk will monitor the time for public comments and inform the speakers when the time limitation has been reached.
The Mayor could survey the members of the public, as appropriate, to move agenda items up or back to address the members of the public items of concern.
Public participation is encouraged on all public agenda items.
Council and staff will treat participants and each other with courtesy. Derogatory or sarcastic comments are inappropriate.
The public will likewise be encouraged by the Mayor to maintain meeting decorum.
In Council meetings when citizens are agitated, the Mayor may call a short recess to calm the situation.
If a member of the public is unable to attend the Council meeting, written communications may be sent to the City Clerk by e-mail or by regular mail.
Communications received after distribution of the agenda packet will be made available to the Council at/or as soon after the meeting.
Rachel Allen commented as follows:
• I'd like to thank the City Council for their public service. • I know that it takes a lot of time and a lot of effort, much more than just in the meetings. • I do want to make a comment that I’m disappointed on the agenda today that there's no agenda item of new parking enforcement rules, especially permitted RV parking in our town, which it very much needs it. • Also I think it's a little bit weird that it's not on the meeting because our City declared a state of homeless emergency.
• There was a declaration that we're in a homeless emergency and yet it doesn't seem to have much urgency with moving forward on the parking laws.
• I can only speculate that perhaps making new parking regulations for our town, common sense one is somewhat being postponed until movement is made on the RV village • What I would like to suggest to the Council or the community is that we shouldn't wait on the parking rules for the opening of the RV village
• Much like the U2 song, With or without You, with or without the RV village, we really do need parking rules in our town.
• I wrote a couple comments just because I can get flustered. We've all seen what happened to the Joe Rodota Trail a few years past when the numbers of homeless got out of hand • It can become unsafe. Fire, disease, and the transients is making embarrassing and unacceptable amounts of garbage, petty crime, and we know drug use happens over there as well. • I know there's one talking one end of town to the other end, but my point is that all Sebastopol residents should have safe, sober and clean streets and we need forward movement on the parking regulations for the benefit of everyone in the town so we can be proud of our City • I can be good for everyone, for the community to enjoy.
Sandi Maurer commented as follows:
• Director of the EMF Safety Network
• My comments are regarding the smart water meters
• Please explain why the updated telecommunications ordinance number 1123 which was signed by Patrick Slayter in May of 2019 does not apply to the installation of smart water meters in the public rights of way. • Shouldn't this utility project have required a conditional use permit? • Shouldn't this project have been reviewed first by the Planning Commission and preceded by a public notice and meeting where the technical aspects would have been mentioned. • Why was this never mentioned or an exemption mentioned either in the reports or Council meeting on this issue.
• Can the City Manager, Planning Director or Public Works Director please comment. • At the January 4th Council meeting, the Mayor asked staff to produce a brief report on the smart water meters. He said, and I think that would go to alternatives, what other devices might be possible within the bounds of contract and that the City has agreed to in addressing the concerns et cetera. We appreciated it his comments.
• Since the City already ordered the smart water meters, this is extremely time sensitive. • If there are going to be alternatives, can the order be put on hold or cancelled. • If they have already arrived, can the meters be sent back? • I'm told a request has been made by Councilmember Sarah Gurney to revisit the smart water meters at the next Council meeting on February 15th.
• We're eager to revisit this and appreciate the effort you made in writing up this request. • My final question is can the Mayor slate the issue of early in the agenda instead of at the end of the meeting.
Linda Collins commented as follows:
• Sebastopol Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center
• This is just a brief reminder that we are able to have our Apple Blossom Festival and Parade the weekend of the 23rd and 24th of April and if you are so inclined to be in the parade, the application is available on our Sebastopol Chamber web site.
• I encourage all of you to look on there, fill it out, and get it in as soon as possible.
• We also have openings for vendors, arts and craft and food. • Those applications will be coming online in the next few days. • We are waiting for one document from the City that is in regard to a weekend business license. Other than that, we are rolling forward.
• We're also looking for many volunteers, and we have a link on our web site that addresses that as well • Thank you to our wonderful City.
Katie commented as follows:
• Sebastopol Senior Center.
• I saw that Jim Pacatte, was recognized here
• For all of you who work with Jim, I just want to give a huge shout out from the Senior Center. • He's been leading our kitchen remodel and upgrade project. We're so thankful to have him. • I don't know where he gets the time after hearing his list of projects he works on. I thought we were the only ones so it's cool to hear he's just a busy guy.
• Linda, from the Chamber, I just want to say that the Senior Center will be in the parade this year, and we plan to win first place, so you can plan on that, we will be there • I want to say that the Senior Center is open, but we did move to go only in the cafe. Anyone can get lunch, whether you're a member, not a member, a senior, not a senior, grab a lunch, Tuesday through Friday.
• Take a class, we're doing lots of stuff on zoom as well. So if you have any questions, give us a call at the senior center. Thanks everyone here for what you do.
Thomas Stuebner commented as follows:
• Chief Executive Officer of California Human Development in Sonoma County • As an agency that works with migrant and seasonal farm workers that are the backbone of our local agricultural industry I would like to encourage the City Council to support local affordable housing for farm workers and other low income workers.
• Without the labor of farm workers, our local wine industry and other large scale agriculture cannot survive and thrive.
• Without the availability of local affordable housing, farm workers and their families are forced into expensive and substandard housing, far distances from where they work, which means additional expense for travel.
• I encourage the City Council to support local affordable housing for farm workers and other low income workers.
Rick Geggie commented as follows:
• I want to thank the Councilmembers for absorbing so much fear and anger and conflict and thank you for working on all our behaviors to make this and keep this a wonderful City even though there are always problems that cause fear and anger and I just hope that you can keep going. • I know you're doing your best, the best you can.
• I just commend you all and I commend all the huge number of people on this meeting tonight. • It makes me feel good about the Constitution and about living in America, and I want you all to know that the big thing that I'm realizing is that we I hope can be compassionate tonight with one another, and we can trust that people have good intentions.
• We may disagree with them, but I really hope that we can be civil and kind with one another because we all have far more in common than we know and even people that we don't agree with probably if we sat down, there are all kinds of things that we would find we love the same things, so thank you for making
this a kind City and a good place to live and I'm just sad that there is so much rancor, but I think it's part of growing up, and we'll get it right.
• Thank you very much, and I dedicate the last 24 seconds to silence so we can all calm down. • Be kind to ourselves and each other.
• I love silence, I hope everybody does.
Jill commented as follows:
• I want to say that I think City Council has violated the basic social contract of trust between citizens and elected officials.
• We were assured a parking ordinance would be put in place, and safety measures would be implemented to protect neighbors of 845 Gravenstein.
• None of that has happened.
• Transients are moving to the site without fencing, security or sanitation. • They're also moving their vehicles around the residential streets already. • I witnessed that yesterday.
• I'm just asking that you act with integrity and honor your word and institute the City wide RV parking ordinance immediately.
• That's what you sold to all of us, that's what was told to us over and over again. • I don't see that happening.
• I ask you to honor your word and act with integrity.
Linda Berg commented as follows:
• I just wanted to applaud Sandi.
• Those are excellent points you made.
• Thank you so much for all you've done over the years. • It's just like the old days like eleven, twelve years ago when we got together the three of us and recognized the need to protect ourselves and the public from microwave radiation, cell phones, cell towers, all the sources.
• We are regrouping again sort of now in the face of increased microwave radiation, millimeter waves in the form of 5G and the thousands of satellites that are beaming down radiation on us, you know, and then the City's sort of abysmal going ahead and approving the wireless water meters without any kind of investigation, you know, throwing us under the bus, as you said, Sandi. • The whole community, all of us who are being cooked alive, and this is like the elephant in the room that we need to recognize the harm and danger of wireless radiation, not only that, but the fraud that was involved in the entire $5 million scam.
• You need to slam the brakes on.
• I hope that the Mayor or somebody can comment on where that deal is right now. • All of those other projects, the library roof and this and that and the other thing, there are no bids. • It's all done through Syserco, and at a cost, they're getting $1.25 million from Sebastopol for this, for just blatant fraud.
• So please prevent the whole thing from happening.
Kyle Falbo commented as follows:
• Taking a look at the Press Democrat from January 29th it states that Sebastopol neighborhood group files lawsuit to stop safe parking program from homeless people in RVs. • Unfortunately when this happens and Sebastopol neighborhood group has sued the City to halt the controversial plan, safe parking program, the North end of town for local homeless people living out of
their RVs, it gives our public officials, it gives our servants this great out to say we don't comment on current litigation.
• What I'm asking is for our Council, for our City staff to evaluate the process in which they go through with the decision making, the transparency, the timeliness, the amount of time for public comment, and their interpretation of, say, the Planning Commission, oversight or the general plan to be able to allow and push through items without public comment or without any sort of permitting process that we would expect as citizens.
• Doing so might, just might prevent further litigation in the future. • What I'm hoping and the question that I have is that I'm sure that our City is dealing with litigation on a regular basis.
• Unfortunately even though I do my due diligence, it is very very little information about those cases, about once they've concluded and about the financial burden that has come to our City as a result of regular litigation.
• It's my hope that this Council can come forward and speak on closed litigation that has happened on the amount of money, the amount of increased insurance costs that have happened to our City as a result of regular litigation.
• It's a bruise. It's not pretty. I know that, but that transparency and that openness is going to regain the trust of your citizens with the way that governance works in our City.
Jim Wheaton commented as follows:
• I've lived in Sebastopol now for 20 years, which is sometimes considered I'm a newbie and sometimes I've been here for a long time.
• I've been through a lot of contentious things like the Northeast area, the Barlow, CVS, currently we have the consolidation of high schools, and I've learned from my own self that my fears in general about the future rarely come through at the level that I think they might. • Even CVS, which I thought was a bad thing for right there, it's okay. The building looks good. • I'm trying to see the current conflicts in our society and our local town with a little bit of tolerance • That being said, I think housing and homelessness is a crisis and we need to do what we can. • We have an obligation
• When we have funds from an outside organization of professionals that are trying to help these people and we can do something that's a year-long study and if there are problems that come along with it, we have a year to say, hey, that was a bad idea, I think we just got to do it, and I'm dismayed that we have a lawsuit against this project that may derail it when it's an experiment in helping our fellow human beings and I just can't imagine that it would be that bad.
• It's already bad. We have 150 people living out of their cars and on the street right now. • That's increasing. Morris Street has taken that burden. It's okay to shift it around. • I haven't had a chance to speak on this issue, but I think we have an obligation to do what we can, especially when there's money on the table and goodwill to help these people.
Oliver Marks commented as follows:
• I wanted to follow up on what Kyle was saying.
• I don't know what sort of shenanigans went on with the City Manager with the performance review I think that was going on, I can't tune in to every Council meeting but as I said in my public comments, I think Council should resign at this point because the process and the procedure has been so incredibly poor already for the rest really all of this year from squabbling over who was going to be the Mayor, and now this fiasco with the homeless business with Sonoma Applied Village Services.
• I have a very low level of confidence in the decision making and the flow of information, the amount of time we can actually spend discussing this as a community, this is all very autocratic and inappropriate behavior, really.
• It's very disappointing on a Democratic level, and it makes people like Rick who spoke earlier who lives in an RV on Morris Street very uneasy and nervous, understandably. • So I really feel that there's a mea culpa going on here, and the Council should really be thinking very seriously about how they're basically organizing themselves and making decisions and communicating.
STATEMENTS OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: Conflicts of interest may arise in situations where a public official deliberating towards a decision, has an actual or potential financial interest in the matter before the Council. In accordance with state law, an actual conflict of interest is one that would be to the private financial benefit of a public official, a relative or a business with which the Councilmember is associated. A potential conflict of interest is one that could be to the private financial benefit of a Councilmember, a relative or a business with which the Councilmember is associated. A Councilmember must publicly announce potential and actual conflicts of interest, and, in the case of actual conflict of interest, must refrain from participating in debate on the issue or from voting on the issue and must remove themselves from the dais. There were no stated conflicts of interest.
CONSENT CALENDAR: The consent agenda consists of items that are routine in nature and do not require additional discussion by the City Council or have been reviewed by the City Council previously. These items may be approved by one motion without discussion unless a member of the City Council requests that the item be taken off the consent calendar.
The Mayor will read the consent calendar items; ask if a Councilmember wishes to remove one or more items from the consent calendar; and then open public comment to the members of the public in attendance. At this time, a member of the public may speak for up to three minutes on the entire consent calendar and request at that time that an agenda item or items be removed for discussion.
If an item or items are removed from the consent calendar, the item shall be placed at the end of the regular agenda items unless otherwise determined by the Mayor or Mayor Pro Tern.
Councilmembers may comment on Consent Calendar items or ask for minor clarifications without the need for pulling the item for separate consideration. Items requiring deliberation should be pulled for separate consideration and shall be placed at the end of the regular agenda items unless otherwise determined by the Mayor or Mayor Pro Tem.
Mayor Slayter read the consent calendar.
Mayor Slayter opened for public comment on the consent calendar. The following public comment was received:
Kyle Falbo commented as follows:
• Two issues on this consent calendar I need to address, first is the January 18th meeting in which my particular comments on the agenda item referring to the RV parking ordinance, I'm misquoted as suggesting it was the committee or association for the homelessness that it was stated that it is a reasoning of lack of staffing and leniency.
• My statement was it was the Police Chief who is giving the reasoning of lack of staffing and leniency as to not enforcing current regulations that could be used on current RV dwellers in the area. • Secondly, I didn't quite get a catch on the agenda according to the audit. • Historically, I believe the audit was something much more presented to the public. • I do recall the audit in which a public member caught an error and provided that error to the subcommittee in presentation.
• It would be my hope that especially something as important as the budget that we would have an open discussion with public comment on that item.
Terry Winters commented as follows:
• I wanted to thank the Council for taking up the issue of the guaranteed health care for all. • It's an issue that's important for our City as well as the nation. • I'm a retired nurse and lived in Sebastopol for 40 years, and we have the most expensive health care system in the world and the worst in outcomes of inefficiencies compared to other nations.
• We ration health care by making it unaffordable for many. • Many rural hospitals like Palm Drive have closed or at risk of closure not because of inability to do better but because it's not profitable, and we must belatedly catch up with the rest of the world. • Single payer would create a single insurance plan that covers everyone. • All would have the same coverage with benefits that would even more comprehensive than what people receive now on Medicare or on any current public or private plans and for all but the wealthiest and largest businesses, the cost would be less than what we're currently laying out now. • This City spends $1.2 million on coverage for employees and retirees. • The County spends another $87 million, and neither of those would any longer have to finance health insurance.
• Much of that money could be redirected to services, wages and benefits. • Federal and California bills proposing single payer would provide all portable lifetime coverage, free choice of doctor or hospital, no restrictions and it would eliminate all patient cost sharing, no copays, no premiums, no deductibles, and in addition, most importantly, would save an estimated 68,000 lives a year in this country.
• I'd like to thank you for your support. 20 community organizations urge Sebastopol to support this effort.
Maria commented as follows:
• My name is Maria Behan, I'm co-chair of the Health Care for All working group. • I'd like to start my public comment tonight on the same topic Terry just addressed by quoting from an email that a local doctor sent to the Council in advance of tonight's meeting. • He wrote, I am a retired pediatrician living in Sebastopol. I grew up and attended medical school in Canada. Since then, I have trained and worked in medicine on both sides of the border including 12 years at Kaiser Santa Rosa. From a Canadian perspective, universal health care has been a resounding success. • Canadians marvel at how many Americans cling to a health care system which costs its citizens twice as much per capita while offering poorer medical outcomes across the board. • I'll leave you with a reminder that we too could have better health care at half the cost. • I think the doctor makes a very strong case and he's certainly not alone in seeing the benefits that would come from a single payer system.
• More than 20 local communities labor and health care organizations have endorsed the resolution that I appreciate you considering tonight.
• The Sonoma County Democratic Party, Staff Nurses Association, National Union of Health Care Workers, California Alliance for Retired Americans, Physicians for National Health Program, the Graton Day Labor Center, the North Bay Labor Council, the Sunrise Movement, and local chapters of Indivisible support tis • By supporting a resolution tonight, you would be in good company and you would send a strong message to counter the influences of insurance and big pharma which are having a strong impact in Washington, D.C., and Sacramento as we just saw this week.
• I hope you'll join cities like Sacramento and smaller ones like Eureka in joining this fight.
Sue commented as follows:
• I would also like to thank the Council for consideration of the proclamation in favor of a single payer system.
• I am also a retired registered nurse. I represented nurses for many years, 39 to be exact at Santa Rosa memorial hospital.
• The feedback that we have continued to receive from nurses who work in the emergency department is that emergency departments locally and across the nation tend to be overrun by patients presenting with very complex problems who do not have a quote unquote medical home.
• Therefore, their only choice for receiving care is often an emergency department which is the most expensive way of receiving care in the nation locally or wherever. • I really encourage you to take a look at a proclamation in favor of single payer as already indicated by the previous speakers.
• It's a very successful system in many countries across the world, and results in far lower costs both to employers, to people seeking care as well as the cities and governments that are providing insurance coverage
Jim Wheaton commented as follows:
• I just wanted to say I've worked hard on AB 1400 as has Terry, and there will be another issue coming before for universal health care or whatever they decide to call it, single payer is the right phrase, and California can do it.
• I'm so happy we have a resolution to support it, and the best way you can make this happen is applying pressure to your local state Senators and Gavin Newsom. • Right now, Jim Wood was in favor of it, which is the first time he's been in favor of this. • Mark Levine has kind of been termed out so we're not sure where he was, Mike McGuire is in favor of it.
He's a coauthor, I think.
• So for the North bay, I think we are in favor of this, but really, if you can take the time to reach out to your state representatives and say, please get it done next time it comes up.
Mayor Slayter asked if any Councilmember wanted to remove a consent calendar item. There was no request to remove any consent calendar item from Council.
Mayor Slayter called for a motion.
MOTION:
Councilmember Glass moved and Councilmember Gurney seconded the motion to approve Consent Calendar Item(s) Number(s) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9.
Discussion:
Councilmember Gurney requested the addition of correction to the minutes as stated by Mr. Falbo.
MOTION:
Councilmember Glass amended the motion and Councilmember Gurney seconded the amended motion to approve Consent Calendar Item(s) Number(s) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 with review of the January 18, 2022 City Council meeting minutes for accuracy of comments by Mr. Falbo Mayor Slayter called for a roll call vote. City staff conducted a roll call vote.
VOTE:
Ayes: Councilmembers Glass, Gurney, Rich, Vice Mayor Hinton and Mayor Slayter Noes: None
Absent: None
Abstain: None
1. Approval of the January 18, 2022 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes (Responsible Department: City Administration)
City Council Action: Approved the January 18, 2022 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes with review of the January 18, 2022 City Council meeting minutes for accuracy of comments by Mr. Falbo Minute Order Number: 2022-033
2. Approval of the January 19, 2022 City Council Special Meeting Minutes (Responsible Department:
City Administration)
City Council Action: Approved the January 19, 2022 City Council Special Meeting Minutes Minute Order Number: 2022-034
3. Resolution Authorizing Continued Use of Teleconference Meetings Based on Circumstances of the COVID19 state of emergency and that the following circumstances exist:
a. The City Council has reconsidered the circumstances of the COVID-19 state of emergency and that any of the following circumstances exist;
b. The state of emergency as a result of COVID-19 continues to directly impact the ability of the members of City Council and the members of the City's subordinate bodies to meet safely in person; and/or
c. State or local officials continue to impose or recommend measures to promote social distancing.
Resolution needs to be submitted to Council every 30 days.
City Council Action: Approved Resolution Authorizing Continued Use of Teleconference Meetings Based on Circumstances of the COVID-19 state of emergency and that the following circumstances exist:
a. The City Council has reconsidered the circumstances of the COVID-19 state of emergency and that any of the following circumstances exist;
b. The state of emergency as a result of COVID-19 continues to directly impact the ability of the members of City Council and the members of the City's subordinate bodies to meet safely in person; and/or c. State or local officials continue to impose or recommend measures to promote social distancing.
Minute Order Number: 2022-035
Resolution Number: 6398-2022
4. Approval of City Sponsorship for Friends of the Sebastopol Library Parking Lot Book Sale (Requestor:
Councilmember Gurney Library Advisory Board and LANTERN Liaison) City Council Action: Approved City Sponsorship for Friends of the Sebastopol Library Parking Lot Book Sale Minute Order Number: 2022-036
5. Approval of Resolution Supporting Legislation Guaranteeing Healthcare to All (Requestor:
Councilmembers Rich/Glass) – This item was continued from the January 18, 2022 City Council Meeting.
City Council Action: Approved Resolution Supporting Legislation Guaranteeing Healthcare to All Minute Order Number: 2022-037
Resolution Number: 6399-2022
6. Approval of Authorization to City Manager to Submit a City application for membership on the Continuum of Care (CoC), and authorization of a formal City Council letter inviting other West County entities to apply for membership (Requestor: Councilmember Rich)
City Council Action: Approved Authorization to City Manager to Submit a City application for membership on the Continuum of Care (CoC), and authorization of a formal City Council letter inviting other West County entities to apply for membership
Minute Order Number: 2022-038
7. Adoption of Resolution authorizing the closure of Main Street during the 2022 Apple Blossom, Saturday, April 23, 2022, the use of the South High Street parking lot for the Apple Blossom Festival and the suspension of street vendors/solicitation licensing Section 201 of Ordinance No. 696 (Responsible Department: Police)
City Council Action: Approved Adoption of Resolution authorizing the closure of Main Street during the 2022 Apple Blossom, Saturday, April 23, 2022, the use of the South High Street parking lot for the Apple Blossom Festival and the suspension of street vendors/solicitation licensing Section 201 of Ordinance No. 696 Minute Order Number: 2022-039
Resolution Number: 6400-2022
8. Approval of Receipt and Acceptance of the City’s Annual Audit for Year Ended June 30, 2021 (Responsible Department: Administrative Services)
City Council Action: Approved Receipt and Acceptance of the City’s Annual Audit for Year Ended June 30, 2021 Minute Order Number: 2022-040
9. Approval of Support for Earth Day Events in the City of Sebastopol (Responsible Department: Public Works/Climate Action Committee)
City Council Action: Approved Support for Earth Day Events in the City of Sebastopol Minute Order Number: 2022-041
INFORMATIONAL ITEMS/PRESENTATIONS: (Please Note: Although informational/presentations items are routinely informational in nature, some informational items may contain request for actions such as support, direction to staff, follow up, or receipt of item based on the presentation/information provided.) NONE The City of Sebastopol is a general law City formed under the laws of the State of California. With respect to adoption of ordinances and resolutions, the City adheres to the requirements set forth in the Government Code. Unless otherwise required, the full reading of the text of standard ordinances and resolutions is waived.
REGULAR CALENDAR AGENDA ITEMS (DISCUSSION AND/OR ACTION):
10. Ives Park Calder Creek Naturalization Project – Approval of Preferred Concept (Responsible Department:
Planning)
Planning Director Svanstrom presented the agenda item recommending the City Council receive the report and provide direction regarding the preferred alternative. Staff will work with the consultant to develop the preferred alternative, which will be presented to Planning Commission and then again to Council later this spring/summer.
The Council could also provide direction to staff regarding future planning for updates to the Ives Park Master Plan based on the preferred Option. The Planning Commission recommended two options to the Council to consider: Option C and Option B (in order of preference). Both of these options would require modifications to the Ives Park Master Plan, with Option B less extensive, and Option C more extensive.
Jessica Hall provided a presentation.
Director Svanstrom commented as follows:
• The Planning Commission did find both of these options viable. • I think the main things that they were looking at were the balance of the event space. We have Peace Town concerts, other than the last year or so when things have been in disarray due to Covid, but there's Peace Town concerts, Shakespeare in the Park, those types of opportunities, Apple Blossom Festival, festivities that happen in the park as really the City's central park. • The constrained creek is a much smaller event space, which is present in both of these. • Option C obviously has the event space becoming the focus of the park, and compromises some of the other elements.
• I will say one of the other things the Planning Commission has been frustrated with and did note is that the ball fields are a large portion of the park – about a third or so of the park, and that it is basically locked off from public access other than when they're being used by the league. • There is a feeling of this is our City's central park, and there's a big portion of it that's not open to the public.
• I think both of those played into Option C being worth considering. • Obviously it also has the flood retention and creek health components as well.
• I do want to note, it seems weird to be talking about flooding most of the time when as a City we're talking about flooding, we talk about the Laguna. However, Calder Creek which goes into the culvert on High Street, and down through culverts down towards just east of Petaluma Avenue/ • Jessica is working and so is GHD on the connection of Calder Creek to the east side of town where it connects to the Laguna.
• The one area of town that did flood this year was Abbot and Petaluma, and that was out of one of the storm water manholes. It was over capacity and it flooded that area. • It is one of the things that if you have more water detention up stream, it can help with those issues and Jessica and GHD and city staff are working on making sure that those elements downstream, and also the health of the creek up stream is part of this project.
• During Planning Commission's deliberations, we did discuss that the options would be a change from the master plan. Both options require some changes to the master plan. That's why we're here with you tonight. To get your input on that.
• I did also contact Andy Russell, the current Little League President a few weeks ago, and I've had a couple of conversations with him. I discussed the access to the public and some of those concerns. • I don't know if he is here tonight but obviously he got the word out to folks, and you have a number of public comments both in regard to option B and option C that are on the City's web site and have been forwarded to Council, and obviously there's a number of folks here to comment on this item tonight.
Evert Fernandez commented as follows:
• Planning Commissioner
• I'm excited at the possibility of being able to do something with the master plan sitting up on a shelf and to review it again, and also not only the restoration of the creek in Ives Park but before and after at some point hopefully we can look at that as well in the care of the creek. • We did ask for three scenarios, from the scenarios from the advisers, because wanted to see what the parameters were.
• Constraint basically did very little, like it says, constraining the creek. • Then it was the opposite, if there was nothing in the way, how would the stream flow. • Option B is somewhere in between.
• We are not advising or asking that the ball field be taken away. What we're asking is to consider those options, and to look at the information for it.
• Just wanted to make that clear, even though one of the options does show that, doesn't mean that's what we're necessarily recommending.
• One of the reasons to choose that option is because it does something bringing up the conversation about the field and its use.
• I've been on the Planning Commission over 13 years, and not once as part of the parks Commission have we had any report about the lease, about who uses the park, how is it decided, who gets to use it, what organizations use it.
• What is the demographics of those individuals? Gender, socioeconomic situation, how inclusive or exclusive is it. I think it's worth asking those questions, getting some information on it. • That's one of the reasons I felt it was important to bring up that option because it does bring us to that point of asking those questions.
• Maybe all that is taken care of and everything is fine. But at least from a perspective for from lack of information, I don't know what those answers are.
• It's not about Little League. I have a lot of respect for the organization and what they do, what they've done. Lots of people have nostalgic memories about that, has to do with families and so forth.
• But because it is not accessible most of the time, what it does is forces the rest of the park to force an event area that's not ideal.
• Trees in the way, not comfortable for people to be there, forces people to be in areas that maybe shouldn't be trampling on, et cetera.
• So I look at the situation in the ballpark, is there a way for us to share it without causing damage let's discuss how we can share it.
• If that's the case and we're able to do that space, it helps the rest of the park to be more family oriented and occasionally have events when it doesn't conflict.
• That's just something I would like to bring up for discussion, hopefully you will talk about that. • So again, renewal process as I mentioned should be at least reviewed. • Financially, I looked at the contract, the League has to report in to the City about financial aspects, but not about the operational and so forth. Would be something that would be good to know, at least public record.
• So as Director Svanstrom mentioned, constraints to the field, I can go down to the local schools, use tennis courts or use our tennis courts, basketball courts, walk on fields with dog, Frisbee ball. • My impression of the park is more outside of the fence looking in. Certain people can use it, certain people can't.
• I think it's just a question that needs to be asked about that. I'm not saying it is not fairly operated or it is not but just saying the perception is there.
• I think a lot of events, organizers don't even bother asking because they know they're going to be rejected.
• So event after event after event, if you have attended, you'll see that the park is full but the ball field is empty.
• I think that there's more information that needs to be considered and brought in. It's a complicated situation.
• Waiting a couple of weeks for the next meeting, so forth, to allow more public input, sometimes we think that hey, the public knows, everybody knows, but word doesn't get out as quickly as we might like. • Might not change your perception of what is important but at least you'll have all the information when you make that decision, I think it's due diligence on everybody's part. • Other issue for a project of this size is the maintenance portion of it. • How is this going to be maintained?
• I think as I mentioned before on any projects approved by the city, part of it should be discussion of how is it going to be maintained rather than oh, it will just happen. • When we are looking for funding sources, I think that should be considered. • But I think unlike previous times of the master plan, we do have legitimate connections to getting some of that funding, thanks to Riley and her group.
• I think it's important to realize and have the optimism of something over the last couple of years. • It's just for the Council to consider, it's not necessarily recommended removal of the field but I think there's things to talk about the field and how it's used.
Mayor Slayter commented as follows:
• Thanked Commissioner Fernandez for being the Commission's spokesperson this evening. • Appreciate the information and the way that the Commission vetted the project and discussed it. • Reading through the minutes, quite enlightening.
• I'm going to turn to our City Manager and ask if he has any input about lease, about any other kind of management issues in regard to Ives Park, the pool, to give us the nuts and bolts summary of the way it operates.
City Manager/Attorney McLaughlin commented as follows:
• In connection with the conceptual plan this evening we really didn't take a look and update anything with regard to the existing arrangements both for the pool and with the Little League. • As Commissioner Fernandez talked about, that could be looked at but we didn't prepare that this evening because we assumed the Council was going to be looking at this conceptually in terms of the design.
Mayor Slayter asked for questions of staff and/or presenter.
Vice Mayor Hinton commented as follows:
• Discussed the ball field could be flooded.
• I'm not sure if that would be in one plan and not the other or if that could be in either plan. • I wanted to ask Director Svanstrom how much money we are getting annually from the park tax that passed and whether any of that was used for this study if for that's just going into the bank account for now.
Ms. Hall commented as follows:
• The updated scenario has the ball field in it, so that one could be modified to be floodable. • There are electrical lights on that -- on the field, and they are around a part of the perimeter of the field that would be floodable and that would have to be worked out how to do that safely. • I think that comment really does apply to the updated option B.
Director Svanstrom commented as follows:
• Regarding question on the measure fund, county wide sales tax measure, we receive is dependent on sales tax, between $80,000 and $100,000 a year for that. • We're not using that for this project but for projects around town, Brookhaven tennis court resurfacing project I believe we used the fund for.
• Also as separate Ives project, the pathway replacement, pathway that goes through the park, that design is done, obviously may be some adjustments to portions of it, but looking at doing a portion of that this year, and part of the match to our prop 68 state grant is from the measure M funding. • So we are using it for projects through town but not this particular naturalization concept project.
Vice Mayor Hinton commented could that be used for park maintenance? Director Svanstrom commented as follows:
• Measure M is one of the few measures that can be used for park maintenance. That's why the tennis courts resurfacing.
• Grants don't usually, they want to build new stuff but yes, that's type of thing that measure M can be used for.
Councilmember Glass commented as follows:
• I know that there has been discussion that there is varying grant possibilities for doing creek restoration, this kind of work on our parks.
• So there's a notion we might be able to get a lot of this funded. • My question is, do you have an idea of whether many of those grants require matching funds from the city or do you think we can really actually fund the bulk of this from grants?
Director Svanstrom commented as follows:
• One of the things that you can do is there is an open space grant program open to public entities and nonprofits mainly that is a 50% match.
• You can use other grants to match to that grant.
• So there are possibilities for that type of a grant together with city funding. • I'm always looking at can we use this similar to the Libby Park playground, the match came from the rotary, $20,000 to the $100,000 from the state funds.
• We would need to have multiple grants in place to do a project like this.
Riley commented as follows:
• There are numerous state grant programs all with different criteria. • They include the California natural resources agency river parkway program. • They will fund a wide diversity of creek/river related components, including bridges, trails, street restoration, flood plain restoration.
• California Department of Water resources has a river and stream restoration grant. • Of course matches can make you look more competitive. • California coastal conservancy can fund a full range of things such as even design. • Trying to upgrade the Ives park design including trails, bridges, creek restoration. • The California natural resources agency program also has funds for interpretation and education. • The wildlife conservation board often does projects in the North bay. • California is really lucky in that we've got this incredible range of grant programs. • Department of Water resources, integrated regional water management program, and we see these on our state ballots every few years, you know, the propositions, where we vote to refund these things. • They're pretty well funded because they're quite popular. • Because there's quite a bit of grant money, because the versatility of these grants, many communities throughout California are doing projects such as this, stream restoration, interpretive aspects, bridges, trails, you know.
• We're really fortunate as a state to have that kind of opportunity. • The matches can also be not necessarily cash. They accept in kind. • I think the Department of Water resources grant actually allows you to quantify that kind of in-kind contribution.
• We have to take each funding source and its rules and look at what looks like the best fit.
Councilmember Glass commented as follows:
• My thought is as a Council we're thinking about giving advice or feedback to our Planning Director and everyone about which would be our preferred alternative. • But one of the things that we get kind of stuck in doing is doing these aspirational ideas but we don't fully monetize, and I know that you can't just off the top of your head say oh, yes, this is going to cost exactly that.
• But I'm thinking in this process it would be extremely prudent and helpful if out of this process we could have we're looking at this vision and here is in today's dollars, this is sort of a thought of ballpark estimate of what this would cost.
• Then provide us with what I just heard was this really great rundown on potential funding sources. • Maybe some listing not just the agencies but this fund, this fund, this fund. • When we consider moving forward with this, we have a blueprint not just for what we're going to do in this aspirational wonderful park, but these are the options we have in terms of funding, and then taking a look at how can we stage this.
• Do we have the funding to do this all at once? Do we have to come up with matching funds? We're not exactly rolling in money, what does that look like? We need to have that kind of information. • Can we incorporate that kind of background information in this process? Director Svanstrom commented as follows:
• I've already had discussions with Jessica in terms of ‘phasing’ - looking downstream through downtown, that's likely a future phase, there's no redevelopment in California anymore, no way to pay for that. • I think I can work with Riley on identifying grant opportunities. • Additionally, because of the stormwater improvements and flooding improvements, this is included in local hazard mitigation plan so there's a potential for FEMA funding because it's included in that document (once it's approved).
• I think it makes a lot of sense to know all the sources and can figure out strategically what the best path forward is to make it happen.
Councilmember Glass commented we love our visions but need to figure out how to make them happen.
Councilmember Rich commented when we look at the various options, can you give a sense of how the event space that's been allocated in A, B and C compares to the current event space at Ives Park and commented it looked to me it was substantially smaller than the current in any of the examples.
Director Svanstrom commented as follows:
• It depends upon how you look at it.
• Discussed the updated Charrette. These three trees in the middle of the event area, right now that's where the creek is, that channelized creek that goes through. The event space is really limited to this Southern area for all intents and purposes.
• You have the creek channel in between these two trees here running this way. • There are redwoods but it spills out further and this removes the picnic tables and relocates them up to place that's quieter and away from the event space.
• Without doing any square footage, which we can do, it may actually be larger than what we have currently because it's moving the creek line up further North. The master plan does this as well, it the back expands down in that area.
• Right now there's a weird intersection configuration and curve around the park, there's two different lanes of traffic this which is more than needed. There’s a potential to close the lane of travel between the median and park, enclose and capture that and the median into the park. • Discussed the existing space but expanded by the fact that additional space on the other side of the trees becomes available.
Councilmember Rich commented as follows:
• Could you please explain what the downside is or what is the problem with capping the creek at that end? • As I look at the plan, I have ask myself if we can cap that end of the creek and make the other naturalization changes, it seems like that might give us options. • In a real nutshell, why are those involved in the plan so opposed to having the creek continue to be capped?
Director Svanstrom commented as follows:
• It's twofold, one is it is more difficult to permit.
• Second is the ability to get funding for it, for such a large project, this component of the Master Plan (which was $5 million in 2013) is probably half the budget of the master plan, and you need to escalate that to today’s costs.
• It's huge price tag and being competitive for grants in that component. • I think it also constrains how you could naturalize it from hydrological standpoint through the rest of the park.
Riley commented as follows:
• Looking at the Ives master plan, part of the feasibility study for that was the cost of putting in new culverts underneath a cap in order to have the proper flood capacity going under a cap. • That alone made that idea look financially infeasible. • But the way permitting goes these days is the kinds of things we used to do to creeks and parks, like cover them or channelize some portion, or put some portions behind fences or whatever, we have to get permits from the water board, from the California Department of Fish and wildlife, and that just gives us a stumbling block where they've become more protective of streams and wanting them to be more functional ecologically.
• I think it would make it difficult for us to create the stable plan we're talking about where we're trying to shape the creek so it doesn't excessively erode or excessively deposit and cutting off a whole piece of the meander makes our job really difficult.
• When we went upstream, we've been working with four or five property owners up there, and we've noticed what happens when the creek gets constrained for a length of the creek, either gets straightened or put in culverts, the creek tends to erode down in its channel, it incises. • Sometimes it flanks, bank stabilization works.
• So this whole idea of doing something sustainable I think is important. • Where the city isn't looking at large bills for a platform and culverts, but also isn't looking at patching erosion and, you know, trying to address a creek that's not really stable.
Councilmember Rich commented am I understanding correctly that in plan B, where the ball field remains in place, that we could expect the ball field to flood?
Ms. Hall commented as follows:
• The way it's currently conceptualized, the ball field remains as is, it's a couple of feet higher in elevation than everything else.
• If there was desire to make it part of integrated water strategy, it could be redesigned to be floodable or partially floodable, yeah.
• Would entail grading it out and sinking it by a few feet. It's made not to flood but if it needs to be. It would have to be at flood elevation to flood.
Councilmember Gurney commented as follows:
• Special thanks to everybody who has presented so far and the questions so far. • Particularly grateful to Councilmember Glass for questions about funding and phasing so that our dreams are realistic.
• Want to thank Director Svanstrom for your work and answering some of my questions and redirecting me to the big concept as the Mayor did this evening.
• Pleased to meet Riley and Jessica after I've heard about you from Planning Commissioners, and Evert thanks for being here to represent the Planning Commission and long work you've done to bring
something forward from all the dreams that have been put on the shelf, it's amazing to see something coming forward.
• I'm curious in the two options, where fences go. Because we have that concern that we've been removed from our creek by the chain link fence, there's also a concern we need fencing for liability, so I'm curious on the two design options where the fencing would go.
• It would help me to understand as well about the other entrances to the park. • Part of the odd character to the park, you really can't get in easily, there's no clear dramatic threshold that announces it's a park, on South high, there's a little strip, and access near the fire department. • Talking about access by the island in jewel.
Ms. Hall commented as follows:
• About fencing, right now the creek is fenced because it is a public safety hazard, and it is a safety hazard in part because of the drop, because there's hard surfaces, and because the velocity of the water if it's flooding is pretty high.
• Why it's high is because the stream is straight and it's in concrete, and it's at a steeper slope. Those things together create high velocities. Which inherently make it dangerous. • When we restore the creek, we're adding length, decreasing the slope, and we have a gentler gradient down to the stream channel.
• That means the velocities would be lower and those lower velocities combined with adequate public education and I think in general people are not out in creeks when it's raining, those things all combine to reduce the area that you need to have fenced.
• Where we have the creek going back into a channel where there's retaining walls or some condition that could become a public safety hazard, if there's an area it's constrained, there would have to be guard rails and those would comply with the standards we have statewide. • Can't pass a ball that's four inches or larger through the pictures in the fence or the spacing in the picture. • All those kind of safety measures standard to the state would be applicable in those situations. • Like down at High Street, likely that would be needed because it would be part of the overall design, you get to have a designed guard rail structure, not just a chain link fence. • It can look like an opera balcony, can be something nice. • Having nice features, guard rails, can be part of your entry statement at High Street, integrating that with the art sculpture mounts.
• There's a way to create an announcement at High Street and Jewell and the fire department. • I haven't explored the entry you get from the North because it's not within the creek zone, but that can also be looked at.
• Speaking of Jewell, part of what we're visioning on is what that intersection should look like, how it can also either provide a little more real estate to the park or can somehow become part of an entry statement to that side of the park.
• We're a ways from being able to really show any concepts to the public, but that's something we've been talking with Director Svanstrom about.
Councilmember Gurney commented as follows:
• We have I think a concept of a lovely creek, we're all quite drawn to that vision of something naturalized and much more beautiful than what we've lived with. My concern is upstream. • Because we're looking at enhancing public access to the water, to the creek bed, the sloping sides, picnic tables down lower than the trails, how do we work together to make sure the water in the park is safe for public contact?
Ms. Hall commented as follows:
• We are also working with property owners upstream and we're providing technical guidance on ways they can manage the stream corridor and reduce contamination from getting into the streams, building stream buffers and things like that.
• You also have resource conservation districts in the region that can provide that technical assistance as well in a very supportive kind of approach to getting everyone to work together on that. • I think there's a way out with that.
Director Svanstrom commented as follows:
• Our creek ordinance in our zoning code is very typical of what I've seen in a number of cities, I think it dates back to '70s or '80s. It’s directly related to not putting structures in a localized flooding scenario. • So you have an ordinance that states you can't have structures without 30 feet of top of bank. However, it says absolutely nothing related to non-structure development. I've run into this, not here thankfully, where people want to build a deck with pressure treated lumber all the way out to the creek and because it's not a structure its allowed, or they want to pave all the way out to where the creek flows, because it's not a structure and not subject to permitting, they're allowed to do that. • There are areas where our creek ordinance coming out of this, at later phase, like funding only so much we can work on at one time, but I've gotten a couple more model ordinances from riley already, and that is something I would like to bring to the Planning Commission and City Council, how to update and modernize it so we're actually looking at good stewardship of our resources, not just make sure doesn't flood and there's a FEMA claim or something.
• One of the things that was discussed early on in the process, when we were talking about with Jessica and Riley, was potential changes to the creek ordinance to improve these aspects and be more proactive.
Councilmember Gurney commented as follows:
• Grateful to hear you're sounding committed to that update on the creek ordinance. • Because it's not 1970 anymore and we need to deal with what is in front of us, be much more protective for future generations.
• Just wondering from Jessica's comment are we getting sense of interest, enthusiasm and potential compliance from upstream people? Are they joining the band here? Jessica Hall commented as follows:
• I think we have a real interest in the creek from upstream property owners, and interest in being a good steward of the creek.
• Jessica and I will produce a short report on how they can follow through on being a good steward. • So we've already visited them One-on-One, and talked about what they can do, which includes planting more trees along the stream corridor, getting stuff out of the way so it doesn't erode.
Riley commented as follows:
• Other comment in terms of water quality, one of the advantages of making the creek more accessible to young people in the park, you can start to bring in schools, and have the schools do water quality monitoring projects, and bring to the public do we have bacteria coliform in the creek we need to worry about, lack of oxygen or whatever.
• A school in Berkeley, Kamala Harris' old elementary school dug up a creek to be on the grounds and kids did water quality monitoring and discovered a sewage line break. • That forced the Mayor into realizing he needed to work with his public works department to stop the pollution problem.
• Having more public involvement, more eyes on the creek, it's really a good way to further the quality objectives.
Mayor Slayter commented as follows:
• We've discussed the ball field and possibility of it becoming optimized as part of the flood plain. • Can staff speak to opportunities for playground areas to be used as flood plain? Ms. Hall commented as follows:
• If we were to locate or collocate the playgrounds within the creek corridor, they could be floodable as well.
• Knowing that playgrounds are often covered in either mulch or a resilient surfacing of some kind, resilient surfacing might reduce infiltration ability of that flood plain. • There's also concern there might be leeching of chemical materials from the surfaces, made of recycled rubber and stuff like that and may not be desirable from that standpoint. • But with the mulch, if it's flooding, it might wash away and need to be replenished, becoming part of your maintenance regime.
• Depending on the elevation, it could flood frequently or infrequently and might be part of your calculus.
Mayor Slayter commented as follows:
• The mechanics of the materials and way that surface and layers of surface are designed with of course the caveat it needs to be 100% safe and approved for use by the little ones • Looking at updated Charrette, things can move around, we're at a very high level here. • There's the grove of much larger and to an untrained eye they appear much healthier redwoods at the Northwest corner adjacent to the Sebastopol fire department. • Schematically it looks like those remain, as well as the monument that's there, perhaps enhance that as picnic area.
• Is that envisioned as sort of staying grade-wise where it is? Deal with ADA access from that current location and current entrance?
Ms. Hall commented as follows:
• I was thinking it would be more or less at same gradient. • I'm actually trying to disturb as little of the existing context as possible. • It could be enhanced by how it interfaces with the creek.
Mayor Slayter commented as follows:
• We've talked about that entrance several times over the years at Council level, talking about upgrades to Ives Park and as soon as you touch anything you have to touch everything for accessibility, and planning the shrubberies is difficulty, that's my entrance to the park several times a week, I know that area quite well.
• The Southwest corner, at the big sweep, all those years ago when the Planning Commission was discussing the Ives Park master plan and approved it before it went to Council, I actually was the person who thought why don't we capture that pavement.
• That was my idea and understanding there are grade changes there that would need to be dealt with. • Looking at updated Charrette and location of the great lawn, we've got that grove of oak trees that's there near the picnic grounds right there.
• What would the opportunity be for growing the event space, the event lawn to the South towards Willow?
Ms. Hall commented are you thinking in terms of moving it towards that corner with the trees, and having that be a canopy over the event space?
Mayor Slayter commented as follows:
• Near the existing creek way, where the sewer pipe is visible, there are two groves of oak trees, South side and North side, and they're not right across the creek from each other. • Discussed the idea of optimizing the park
• If I look at option B and option C, it looks like one is optimized for one group of the population and other is optimized for a different group of the population.
• I'm wondering if there's a way that both groups can be optimized by growing the great lawn to the South and maybe make it a bit of a boomerang shape or something and put that to greater use in that way.
Ms. Hall commented as follows:
• I think we can explore that.
• I would say it's nice to have that vegetative buffer between your event space and the street, so that would be part of why I kept it that way.
• I'm not sure what the differences in elevations are that might also be a constraint for that edge, but I think there are some changing elevations in places.
Mayor Slayter commented as follows:
• By dropping the level of the park and leaving the street where it is, you're containing noise down in a bowl a little bit more, depends on the design and all that. • I did a calculation all those years ago on the number of square feet of additional potential park space, and that corner where the street swoops around, that is a significant increase in the square footage of the park as well as making that intersection at Jewell and willow significantly safer for everybody, pedestrians and people with dogs, and everybody.
Director Svanstrom commented as follows:
• That has come to Council in the past, a component with a couple of options. • I've been looking at those, talked to W-Trans and also Jessica about that intersection. • We know that can work as well.
Councilmember Gurney commented as follows:
• I just was thinking about what you were talking about expanding the great lawn area in I think option B. • Wondering if that would be more plausible to reach that goal of accommodating more of our population groups by reversing the location of the stage.
• Instead of looking uphill towards the street, you look downhill from that elevation • Use the slope to make kind of an amphitheater or step down staging venue.
Ms. Hall commented as follows:
• I think that's an exciting thought and similar to what we do in the stable plan form view where the actual pathway goes behind all of that.
• The event lawn actually connects to vegetative edge to the creek corridor. • That also makes the event space a little bit floodable, and that can be, again, increases resiliency of the stream in that way.
Mayor Slayter called for a break at 8:23 pm and reconvened the meeting at 8:33 pm.
Mayor Slayter opened for public comment.
The following public comment was received.
William Greenwood commented as follows:
• There's no entrance or exit to the park from Jewell Avenue south of Willow Street, this corner is lethal, and now, is the ideal opportunity to solve the problem. • The original diagrams appear to straighten out Willow into Jewell Avenue, it would expand the park by incorporating the lonely triangle, and eliminate Willow's speedway • It would reduce the danger and the city's liability. It would enable save pedestrian accesses to the park. • I think no one in their right mind would oppose this action and it should be adopted. • The technical consultants teach us that the channelized creek is not only high maintenance but dangerous and a realignment with a maximum number of meanders is the most natural condition and most reduces city liable.
• I understand you are elected officials and vulnerable to the political pressure of organized groups like Little League supporters, but our towns' environmental constituency, I submit is greater. • Planning Commission analysis shows that Little League is not the only way to achieve recreation and playground area for children, because the planned form option expands the playground area, it creates the most lawn for family and free play.
• It creates the largest space for community events.
• Moving the ball field would not run the Little League out of town. • We have five times as many ball fields per capita as the surrounding communities. • Agree that light pollution. It best questions the park. It's a greater thing for more families. • Thank you for the chance to voice these concerns.
A member of the public commented as follows:
• First of all, I'm calling in regard to the Little League park. • That is my major concern and I speak for behalf of the kids playing on the Little League field as well as the Sebastopol co-head softball that is using the field.
• I want to make sure that you do not discount the importance of the Little League field to the community and those benefiting from using it.
• I know the Sebastopol league starts in July and they play to November, which is five months. • When you look at 25-30 teams you have about 15 players on each team and then you are looking at about 450 people plus that come down there a week for five months to use that field. • Not only that, but for our team, we a lot of times go out to eat afterwards, so we are supporting the local community, there's people coming in from other cities and they are spending their money at Mary's and Roundtable and Sushi Tozai, and all the local restaurants. Which, it ends up, turning out to be many, many dollars and if we are not eating out that night, we are picking up food to take home. • We are still supporting the local businesses in the area and that carry as lot of weight. • The other thing is the lights, the lights are vital, they have tried to put them in, in other places and have been unsuccessful.
• Again, it's giving back to the community.
• I think that a value has to be put on monetarily as well as for the kids who get the ability to be able to play under lights.
Andrew Russell commented as follows:
• I’m a parent of a child who is in his 9th and final year of playing with Sebastopol Little League and over that time I have been volunteered as a coach, a coaching coordinator and now, currently serving as the league president.
• Sebastopol Little League is 100% volunteer run organization. • Every pen that I we receive in terms on donations or kids’ registration goes to getting kids out playing baseball.
• Our mission basically is to support child development through sport. • Every spring we get 300 plus kids out playing baseball which by our estimate, my estimate is about half of that age group demographic of our city.
• If you went, when I hear a comment of you know, the public doesn't get to use it, all those kids are the public.
• I think we need to keep that in mind when we think of how we make decisions of how we use city assets. • One of the things we do as an organization is we maintain three city owned assets. • Three baseball fields. At our expense. That is with money and volunteer labor. • Of the fields, two of them are the 60 foot Little League size field is Polley and one at the community center and the 90 foot diamond that we share with the high school. • Not all ball fields are the same. Every ball field that is proposed, the play there is heavily used in our season. There's no other place for us to play.
• If we lose Polley, Sebastopol Little League will not be able to continue to get kids out playing baseball. • Be happy to answer any of Evert's questions, I think they are all good questions and I find it a bit unfortunate that we are being asked the questions for the first time with the threat of removing our field. • It would have been nice to get asked the questions before we had a gun to our head so to speak.
Loretta Castleberry commented as follows:
• I wrote concerns in the letter to the City Council I have a couple of new points when people talked earlier tonight about being citizens of Sebastopol, people need to learn the history of our city. • We have, I was born in Palm Drive hospital. 75 years in this town. • Mr. Ives donated the property and it's documented in a newspaper article for the youth of children's playground and children's recreational area.
• The Little League has spent thousands of dollars since 1957 of all, of hours of donated labor for 65 years to maintain and improve this ballpark.
• This has benefited our city and the city has put in no money. It's all by Little League. Little League pays the insurance on that property. Rotary has donated money for the lights and donated the money to redo the playground at the park.
• It would be a shame to take out the playground.
• Like the high school, there's no community input in this conversation until Little League was notified a week and half ago, in five days we have gathered 706 signatures, it's gone up since I sent the letter this afternoon on a petitions that said save Polley Field. That is from the citizens of the city. • The homeless parking on Morris Street denies the safety of the sidewalk or the bike lanes • During the pandemic, children have had undo stress from not being able to play outside and now you want to take away a ball field?
• I spoke with the gentleman that was on earlier Planning Commission that the approved plan was to improve the creek, build a new field and build additional bathrooms. He said there was never mention to remove the ball field.
• At that time, I guess there was no money to implement it • I hope you will think about our children.
Jean Paul Merlaud commented as follows:
• Ms. Loretta and Andy summed it up. A lot of the points that I wanted to make, I just want to mention that Sebastopol is the gateway to West County.
• Ives Park, Polley Field is serving the benefit of 7500 residents. The reality is, it's serving the benefit of closer to 30,000 residents and this is I think, a jewel • It's really a gem that we should cherish.
• This park was constructed in 1957. It's over 50 years ago and now, we are talking about, well let's just rip it out in favor of improving the creek.
• My point is, I think we all have designs
• We have different ideas and I think we all want to see improvements in different areas but we all have somewhat myopic views of how we want to get there and I just want to make sure that everyone is clear that you know that particular field, it means a lot to these children. • I have coached in the town for 20 years. I run in to adults with grown beards carrying their children that I coached 18, 19 years ago and, they bring up memories of playing at Polley and what have you. • It's engrained in us. It's not just a matter of we will just move the field. It's not that easy. • As Andy mentioned we don't have access to all of the fields that were described in that report. • There are different fields. Fields are like, the difference between a chess board and a checkers board. • They serve different needs and purposes.
• More thought has to be put in to what we are, what we need, what we are asking for to benefit our, the children in our community which is playing baseball.
• I just really think that, more thought needs to be invested before you know, any decisions are made.
Chris commented as follows:
• I would like to echo the facts that it's families. Don't drive the families out of the park. • This is absurd, I cannot believe we are considering getting rid of a ball field. A park that was made for a ball field.
• This is absurd, my wife and I moved to the community to raise our children in what we consider Maybury, it feels like Maybury, it feels safe, it feels like a place that we want to raise our children. • That's why we came here.
• We were attracted to this community because of the way they look at families. • To try and say that we are going to go and push the creek up against an existing grade that you have to then go And restabilize so that we can flood it.
• I'm a builder. It's going to cost more than you think to go and have to restabilize that entire grade along where the fire department is.
• We just got done doing pier 70 planned construction in San Francisco. We raised it for the fact that we have tidal rise. It's going to take a heck of a lot more to stabilize the existing grade. • Look at the socio-economic effect, a lot of us, it's not just us, it's our grandparents. It's the parents and friends that come and visit. They are a part of the community as well. • They are part of the community and they eat.
• Please don't do it.
• I highly recommend that you go for B.
Jim commented as follows:
• I have seen a lot of what is going on.
• Keep the ball field.
• It's a beautiful gem.
• Why would the City Council want to pick something that is so divisive in our society. • It's just, I don't know, keep the ball field.
• If you want to add ways that other people can use the ball field that are safe for the field and keep the lawn in-tact that would be great. I love the kid’s playground. • I don't get to see the kid’s playground, but I love walking through and seeing the kids on the swing sets. • That's a use of the park for me coming out and seeing the co-Ed softball. It's a beautiful thing. • The fences. That chain link fence is so ugly, updating it to a nice black fence that was well done would go a huge way without all the expensive stuff to do the creek. • If you get the money, did do the creek.
• Keep the entrances, I'm okay with expanding in to the lonely triangle if that's what it's called but don't make it a major entrance, it's just dangerous.
• I came across a picture from waterwheel, and it's called swings and a waterwheel in Ives Park that pumped money to seven houses.
• That would be cool to add in.
• I would love to see a promenade loop, so a deck that gets in to a creek. • The homeless use that park a lot.
• They cook on the little hibachi things there and they hang out on the tables, which is fine. • But that's a good use as far as I'm concerned.
• It's plan B, as your master plan, keep the ball field.
Lisa commented as follows:
• We are being asked to choose between three plans. All three of the options seem to throw the baby out with the bath water.
• The park would be demolished and rebuilt with most features moved to different locations. • All three of the plans would be really big construction projects. • It's easy to get swept up in the excitement of a new vision but then have second thoughts once the demolition gets going.
• The lowest impact version, the constrained creek, the playground which I think is now ideally located is moved from the parking lot which is great for parents.
• The small lawn is remote at the other end of the park. • This plan is not going to allow for the events that we are able to have at the park. • I think the main event area is not only the area by the stage, but it's also on both sides, over to Jewell, where the picnic tables are.
• We have plenty of spill-over within the main event area, where are food trucks, tents and port-a-potties, et cetera has a small main event area.
• I don't think the ball field should go.
• The main draw backs that I see are the ugly fencing the run down bathrooms. • The crook is not channelized we could remove all the fence. • Where it's needed and improve the landscaping and leave the upstream rock channel portion of the creek where it is and concentrate the resources and possibly extend the accessible naturalized area. • Our playground event fields would all stay in their present location. • The lower impact plan would save the city a bundle
• Is demolishing the park and building a new one the highest and best use of our funds.
Kyle commented as follows:
• I'm really happy to get a nice presentation that gives us the kind of lay-out of what a creek restoration might look like.
• What I would really would have hoped for is more of a kind of scientific presentation. • Focusing on the hydrology, it's great to hear that the consultant comes from Humboldt County • We must recognize that the regularity of significant weather events makes it likely that we have multi-day high levels of rain - Atmospheric rivers the assumption of climate change. It's more in the future. • What I would have liked to have seen in the presentation is what kinds of flood stage level we can reach. • How much of that park is going to be considered flooded, inaccessible for people to use during the time frames in which we are going through a significant weather event. • Secondly, how much does the maintenance of a restored creek through significant weather events, how much is that going to cost?
• We have had recent significant weather events. How much has the current infrastructure to the creek cost as a result of the recent significant weather event. • It's my hope that Council thinks through the decision and recognizes there's a lot of specifics regarding hydrology, that need to be considered before you make a change to the lay-out of what will no longer become a park. It will be a restored creek and the park will be a secondary afterthought.
Denny commented as follows:
• Thank you for your opportunity of comments and looking at our valuable park resources here in town. • Thank you for investing city resources in to efforts to make Ives Park a better place • we know it needs serious TLC
• I play adult league softball every year for the last ten years with 500 other people. • Folks have come out for dinner and beverage afterwards, we have a good time. • Our kids, our children have been coming for years.
• Option three is a nice academic planning exercise but I believe it's a total nonstarter with the loss of the only ball field in town.
• In the city was to make an unfortunate choice to go that route, you have hundreds of staff hours to work through all the different public outreach things you need to do to make an option like that viable. • Engaging the Little League and our softball league, engaging the boosters and the donors and the rotary and all the people that make the field a great place to be and also, finding out a way to have an alternative site replacement.
• Get the approvals and find the place you can have lights. The lights are a critical thing for our league. • We are adults, we work, we need the lights to play in the evening. • Thank you again for our version of central park here in Sebastopol, I Invite anyone on the Council to come down on a Tuesday night. My team plays Monday-Friday in the fall and come down and watch us.
William commented as follows:
• I agreed with all of his points I so I cannot add a lot to that. • I am sympathetic to the Little League.
• I feel the whole space is under-utilized.
• I live across the street on Willow.
• I appreciate, that, I appreciate Little League, my son was in Little League. • Someone said checker boards and chess boards are different, but they are identical, I want to point that out.
• Otherwise, I agree with Mr. Greenwood, the intersection of Willow needs to be addressed. • It's dangerous and it's a waste of space. I really approve of doing something about that.
Chris commented as follows:
• Essentially right now, it is a large space, it's private in nature. It's 1/3 of the park. • I feel that option C is simply the best for the creek and best for the community as well as best for the environment overall.
• It's time to move on from a space that is exclusive and make the park useable. • Make it more inclusive for those of us who don't participate in Little League or don't have children who do.
Molly commented as follows:
• First of all, I want to say thanks so much to Jessica for presenting the alternatives that are being evaluated.
• I think that I understand neither option would be set in stone and there's room for planning within each option.
• I'm so excited about the city of Sebastopol is planning to restore the Calder Creek. • I'm a vegetation ecologist.
• I have two young sons and I live on Willow Street.
• I live here two years and I use the park every day.
• I'm excited for the next phase of the park to come with as much natural habitat as possible. • I love the idea of us being able to access the creek as well. • To keep the ball field, I'm hoping that it can be considered that, that is available to us. • Sometimes we like to use it and practice tee ball or play on the lawn there and it's locked.
Linda Berg commented as follows:
• The one thing that needs to be recognized that is not, is the amount of wireless radiation that the people are subjected to
• That park Is absolutely unavailable to me.
• I'm electro sensitive, I have hundreds of dollars’ worth of shielding on right now as I speak • The downtown is unavailable to me, a disabled person, with electro-sensitivity, what you should be doing is move in the other direction and reducing wireless radiation throughout the town and especially the parks where we need to have sanctuary, for us not being cooked alive. • If you are not going to do that the least that should be done is need to post signs saying you are entering a high radiation area.
Iliana commented as follows:
• It's very exciting. I live across from the street on the park from Willow Avenue. • I have two sons and neither have been baseball players. • The parks are healing and beneficial to all people.
• The children, you know, can find salamanders and frogs and it stunning and wonderful. • The baseball field shines radio it in my house. It's really loud. • I know there are other fields and I'm not an expert and I cannot imagine fields being all that different from each other.
• Having the playground and event area together is so, such a great idea because otherwise, as a parent, I know you are either choosing the playground to watch your kids or abandoning your kids to be at the event.
• I's really a pain or you are splitting up from your partner, one watches the kid, one goes to the other event. Having them together is brilliant.
• I appreciate that this is being talked about, and I'm for plan C, and thank you so much.
• I hope that whether the field stays or not this dream gets to be more wild and free. I think it would be great to everyone.
Amber commented as follows:
• Thank you for your time, I'm speaking on behalf of the co-Ed softball league. • There's six other females that play on our team. There's hundreds of other females that play on the league.
• It's a family league. We need the lights. We have to play in the evenings. It would be tough to move them.
• The issues that people are bringing up about the noise, and light pollution. It will happen anywhere, the swim meets make noise if you have the peace town festivals, they make noise. I don't see them as issues. • I love the idea of naturalizing the creek, so I would please ask you to choose a plan B, where it keeps the ballpark.
• The Little League fields the adults that play on it. The females that get to play on it. I mean, it's tough being an adult female to find a sport that you can play and be active and we play every Tuesday night. • It's really important to us, if we have had to move to a Santa Rosa league, they are more competitive. • The beauty of Sebastopol, it's a fun league.
• We play with safer rules.
• There's people in their 50s and 60s playing and the kids come to the games and run the bases and I hope to someday play with our kids on the team.
• Thank you for all the insights and the information and I, the giving us the ability to speak here, and I really hope that we can keep the ballpark.
• It's really important. I love our Tuesday nights. It's such a highlight of my year • There's six of us from the team that are on the meeting tonight, so it's important to us. • I hope you guys are able to keep it.
Lynn commented as follows:
• I would like to say a lot of people that are supporting the park and creek and plan B • People did not hear about it until the very last minute and I am sorry about that. • But, the park is a great under-utilized resource that our community has and plan C would make the best of it and really create a beautiful, beautiful park.
• But I think the Little League is a great organization. I understand why the Little League wants to keep the field it's well kept, it's got lights.
• It has a beautiful location there. But, it crowds the park. It does take up 1/3 of the park. It's closed most of the time.
• Sebastopol has more surrounding baseball fields than any other town in the county. • It averages five times the baseball fields per capita as the other towns that, our little town has 11 other fields that they can use and they are not all used to their fullest extent. • Plus, they have the three dedicated fields. No other town has anywhere close to that. • It's, we only have one year round creek, they have a lot of choices. • You can't please everyone. So, please make the decisions based on the relative need and opportunities that these two factions have.
Michelle commented as follows:
• I want to thank everyone for their time today.
• I just want to start by saying long-time Sebastopol resident. My husband's family has lived here for generations.
• All growing up playing at Polley Field, it's a lovely park, it's a lovely baseball field. • I did review the minutes from the Planning Commission. I went through the public comments. • I wanted to understand where this was coming from.
• It's the first I heard of this as many have. I want to say a lot of the commenters are the same. • The field is a lighted field, it's sized appropriately for our AAA and majors’ teams. • There's no other fields in the cities that accommodate those size teams. This is the only field that we have of this size, with the lights.
• It's a very important consideration. I am all for improving our park. I would love to see the park improved. If we have of the money to do so.
• I think that we have a number of other issues at hand that need to be addressed. • I would love to see a beautiful park there.
• I'm opposed to plan C, I want to keep the field. I understand it's 30% of the field, but it maintains itself. • It's iconic and historical here and plays adult games and Little League, it's hundreds of people in the community.
• We are pushing out families in Sebastopol, people, we are not attracting people with children to come here. Hundreds of children. We coach. We play. We are here to live and play and dine in our community.
• You heard a lot about events. I have heard about a couple of events that happen throughout the year. • Baseball goes from March until November.
Mark commented as follows:
• I am talking on behalf of myself and my family.
• A little history, so my father played in Little League in 1958 through the late 50s and early 60s. • My Uncle played in 1957. He was in one of the first teams to play in Sebastopol Little League. • Currently we have my two boys that are in third generation playing in Sebastopol Little League and my family has been in the county for five years.
• Just to kind of go on some of the things there's a lot of emotions around all this and I think with option B there's enhancements around.
• I think one point to bring up is there's a financial aspect to all this I am definite in support of keeping that ball field there at 100%.
• I realize there should be improvements and enhancements to the creek and all and enhancements to the community as well.
• When you see back in 2020, COVID happened and we didn't play the falling year last year and winter and spring. To see the pure enjoyment that all of the kids had. They were able to come out and play. It was unbelievable. It was priceless, it was.
• That has been something that my father has had lifelong friendships, I have I see them cultivate with my two boys.
• A note on the field being locked. I don't want to speak out of this. • They play for the maintenance and they it is trying to keep that in realm, right? • Sometimes in the past, I have showed up to the field, the fences have been cut and vandalized. • There's two sides to every story.
• I hear that kind of being brought up tonight. I think that's a point that is worth bringing up. • We have it down to three options. Option B works for the community and the enhancement for the creek and ball field.
Len commented as follows:
• I planned to umpire this year the games
• Polley Field is a special field as it's only one of two fields in Sonoma County that has lights. • I hit the first home run. I watched my brother play
• Please do not take away our Little League
Amanda commented as follows:
• I want to voice my support for option B, removing Polley Field would be detrimental to Sebastopol Little League, it would cause a shortage of fields to practice and play on. • Despite what people believe, not all fields are created equal. • The Little League is a program that teaches our youth, team work and sportsmanship and keeps them active when we want them to have health, safe opportunities to participate in. • You talk about families, and how you want this space to be used for everybody. • There's children who don't have good, excuse me, good family dynamics and the Little League provides them a place to have mentors.
• In addition, I like to echo that it would negatively impact the small businesses as many of the families eat out.
Rick commented as follows:
• I wanted to thank the Planning Commissioners and Jessica for bringing forward the alternatives. • It took a lot of work and a lot of serious and I think, careful thought on how to put things together. • I think also, the comments that I heard from the public here. Is really a credit to Sebastopol. • Thoughtful comments, well measured, delivered respectfully, wonderful town you have. • I'm executive director of forest unlimited. We have many, many members in Sebastopol. • I'm really heartened to see that both of the alternatives preserve the mature redwoods and the oaks. • Those trees are important for storing carbon from the atmosphere and they do so much better the older trees do, than newly planted trees do.
• So keeping them there is important.
• Thank you so much for bringing this forward and I'm sure there will be many more opportunities for the public to give input.
Honora commented as follows:
• This is a really fantastic discussion. I appreciate all the different sides. • I want to speak up to keep Polley as a parent, as a mom, in a very baseball-y family and I was not, I'm not a huge baseball fan. I will just admit it.
• But after going through T-ball and watching my kids look at gophers and pick dandelions for a while, it was amazing getting to Polley Field, it's a unique field. • It's the excitement of the kids is palpable, thinking I'm going to play under the lights. • They talk about it. It got me excited. To go and watch a game at Polley Field, where the kids are stealing bases and they are pitching to each other.
• For any community members who feel like they are not able to access that space. • I would invite you to come and watch a game. It is a wonderful night out. • I guess, as a mom who is, I love my kids. But baseball is not my thing so. But It's fun. You go and get a burger. Joan will make you a burger, she brings out the grill. • I have a younger child, I can send her to go practice her independence and go and swing while I watch the game with my older child.
• It's really as you have heard it by different community members.
• It's a unique field in size and how the volunteers get out there and weed by hand and put their blood, sweat and tears in to taking care of that particular grassy space To make it a really, are really good quality field
John commented as follows:
• Huge appreciation to our city government.
• I would like to share kind of a relatively unique perspective: I'm support in keeping Polley Field, it's a 12 year volunteer, parent and coach.
• One thing I've noticed overwhelmingly is there's a consistent trend in park activities. • Although, with the best intentions, fully naturalized options are initiated with, again, really great intentions and they represent sometimes a privileged few and do not include the perspective of communities that use team sport and I say again, team sport focused spaces as a part of multigenerational activities, celebrations and recreation and the process will not be inclusive enough of all of the important voices in the community.
• I'm fired up with the design team on this and Riley is a rockstar in my world and I'm so excited that this along with Jessica is leading the charge.
• Hearing the updated design provides tons of substantial ecological benefits for the creek and keeping our field a Polley Field was wonderful to hear.
• I'm a restoration ecologist, so let's include all the voices that we need to represent all the communities in the way we like to rep it in Sebastopol.
Christian commented as follows:
• I coach baseball for Sebastopol Little League, lucky enough to do so. • We love Polley Field, and I actually have one of the 300 spring players this year that wanted to speak and I thought we should give him the opportunity. We support Option B Sebastian commented as follows:
• I really enjoy Polley Field. I really had fun and a lot of good memories playing in the game • I played for Angels, and Yankees and Giants and had a fun time doing so • I really would appreciate if you kept it, because I really enjoy it, I like that field.
Geoffrey commented as follows:
• I want to put in my support for any enhancements that we can create for Calder Creek, it's great to see all the energy and the work being done after so many years of conversations and work, previous work on improvements that we can make to the park and the creek, as one of the earlier speakers noted, Calder Creek is the only perennial creek in town, and it gives children and families a chance to interact with the creek.
• I do very much support any improvements we can make to the Willow/Jewell intersection. • It's a great opportunity to address that and enhance that corner of the park. • So thank you to everyone who is involved with this. I'm excited to see it going forward.
A member of the public commented as follows:
• I was one of the neighbors that met with the ladies in October or September, and my only question to that at that point in time was the water quality.
• I wanted to know what was the primary source of the water for the creek? • I wanted to know how many septic tanks are above the creek level that could feed pollution into the creek, and I wanted to know whether or not they were going to be able to do a water test on the creek to
see the pollution levels, the fecal levels and if they were going to address mosquitos, if there was a way to create anything with the new design.
• My concern is there is a pig farm up there on Leyland Avenue that is very close to the creek, and the ladies said they could check that out.
• I have not heard anyone address the issue.
Oliver commented as follows:
• I'm for plan B and I put in a written comment on this as well. • I have to say, the park for me, first, second and third is the children, and adults, talking about nostalgia, I think one of the comments said it's nostalgic, the field, the lights, • I'm not interested in baseball, but I go and watch games there because you see the joy on kids' faces. • Started working with disadvantaged kids so I'm acutely aware how team games are. • I didn't realize the park was actually explicitly dedicated for the use of baseball, and the Little League is playing for the upkeep of the field, which is why it's finished off. • The rotary club put in the lights. I know you can't move the lights to the community center. • Is so I'm strongly in favor of keeping the baseball field. • I think it's great that enhancements are made for the park, and I'm sure that is where grants will be granted if it happens.
• Just one point, which I questioned, really, I put in, the written public comment. • The El Nino years, the creek was in danger of overthrowing, and we are in just a high water table. • We are not used to high rain at the moment.
• Every chance that if we surface the creek, we might have major flooding issues around town and not just the park.
Jordan commented as follows:
• My comments involve the socioeconomic factors and the cost of everything. • I'm 30 years old. I lived in Sebastopol my entire life. 20 years, I spent tons of time down there. We had family reunions down there, birthdays there. I was in the creek when the creek was thriving. • Geese and ducks and crawdads. So now when guy down there, and I see the creek, I mean, it's a bummer.
• I want to see it restored but there is no way you can remove the ball field. • As someone who played Little League there, it's such a special place. As an 8 or 9-year-Old, the feeling you get when you're about to play at Polley Field under the lights, it makes you feel like you're in the big league, you feel on top of the world.
• To take that away from children would be terrible. Not all kids play baseball. Not everyone plays soft ball. They have a choice
• There's such a wide range of demographic, it would be terrible to take out the field, and I think option B is great.
• I think Mayor Slayter, the drawing of expanding the Southwestern portion of the park and making it sort of like amphitheater, I think that is a fantastic idea.
Brady commented as follows:
• I want to touch base in support of option B. I'm a 15 year transplant. • Some of the draws to the area, I think we're all touches on. The sense of inclusivity and community. • Some of my first experiences in this town's neighborhood came through those very opportunities with Sebastopol Little League.
• I have three boys, all of which have participated in various levels in the Little League and I had the lucky experience of coaching them for the past eight years.
• My wife has been a board member for the same amount of time. Maybe longer, and she has had the fortunate experience of operating the snack shed at Polley Field. • Some of our most cherished memories have been watching our boys play, but we get to share in the embracing the community.
• Watching people, as we heard attest to, that have no affiliation to the league, no children, but come down to join what we love about Sebastopol, and that is community. • Watching other kids share the joy on the field, come down because they love the burgers served at the snack shack.
• The students for engagement are endless here.
• As a first year board member tries to fill empty seats for the league, I would disheartened to hear what we were notified of some of the possibilities of losing field in a last minute sense, and I want to just thank you for the opportunity to try to stress some of our personal feelings in what the field and what this community and what this park means to us.
• I hope we can reach a common goal of bringing the park to its fullest potential and embracing all aspects of the community.
Heather commented as follows:
• I am for plan B. I'm a Sebastopol mom of three baseball players but an ecologist and I have a masters in city planning.
• I support the work of the city to make the creek beautiful, accessible and to prepare for the major flooding events that are sure to come.
• However, I urge you to make it work to preserve the ball field. • My kids have played baseball there for years and I cannot understand the ballpark, that the user are an elite group that is in opposition to the rest of the field of Sebastopol. • The people who use the ball field are the good people of Sebastopol, your neighbors. • It's not a preppy society. The biggest concern I hear is that it's locked too often so what conversation can we have about allowing the ball field to be accessed by non-Little League families on some kind of schedule.
• Maybe there are slots that the Little League can help make it accessible to families that want to have a family reunion or something.
• All families can call to use the ball field for parties, families, reunions at Ragle Park • Can we do that at Polley.
• Socioeconomics - the vast majority of the kids that play, this is the only opportunity to play sports. • If there is a need for a greater flood plain, I support the idea that the elevation be lowered so the field can be a part of the solution there and successful family parks support each other. • A ballpark is synergistic with the high school, the playground. They can take their kids to the pool, the playground and walk on the creek.
• There is no reason to pit the ball fields as the enemy Mario commented as follows:
• I'm a current resident in Sebastopol. I lived here for roughly 25 years and the current head coach of the basketball head coach for girls’ basketball at the high school. • I just learned about this a week and a half ago and I was disappointed to see the option of removing Polley Field.
• The field as has been stated before, it's been in Sebastopol many years.
• I also played on this field, in the softball league.
• I umpire on a night that the solve ball league was planned a few other nights. • The co-Ed solve ball league has been around years and it helped Sebastopol Little League by playing for fees for the use of the field.
• The lights are also an important key as mentioned before. • As a kid playing under the lights, it's pretty phenomenal feeling when you're out there. • In addition, Sebastopol, plays under the lights as most adults work in the day, and locals, walking through and asking about the league
• They are just sitting down and watching a game, even though they don't know anyone playing. • With that being said, I do oppose the removal of Polley Field. • Obviously, the creek redirection, that could take a fishing game code 16.02 for approval. • I don't agree with the possible flooding of Polley Field because it could destroy the field. • I do agree there could be a compromise with keeping the field open to the public and I'm running out of time, and also the traffic from Jewell and Willow needs to be addressed.
Jenny commented as follows:
• A current board member of the Sebastopol Little League. • I want to address a tiny bit why the field is locked. • My husband mentioned his family has been here a long time. • His father played in the late '50s and '60s.
• Back then, the field was not locked.
• Unfortunately, we do lock the field because of vandalism. • The field is fully paid for by Sebastopol Little League. • We pay for the landscaping, electricity, and the fence repairs, and all the vandalism has increased as we have a transient population.
• If the city would like to help in that situation, we would be open to keeping it open to the community. • I want to address that Little League is incredibly inclusive. Anyone is welcome to join. • Those who can afford to pay registration do. Those that can't, we offer scholarships. It's not un-inclusive at all. We include everyone.
• When the field isn't in use by us or the softball field, I have had e-mails for birthday parties and to use the field and we have let them.
• People that are confused about it being an inclusive group, please reach out to the board. • I grew up playing basketball. I love the Little League board. I love what it does for hundreds of kids and the joy on their faces and getting out there in the community, with their friends. • My Father-in-Law comes and watch.
• My parents come, people come from all over to our city to watch our kids, they go to restaurants after and they support the community and local businesses and I think it's important to keep the field. • I support option B.
Dani commented as follows:
• I'm the mother of two school-aged children and I have a son that has played in Sebastopol Little League for five years. Little League brings our community together year after year. • It builds confidence and lifelong friendships with the children involved and brings happiness to the community.
• This decision needs to be made on what will be best for the community, not a small group of people. • I'm in favor of plan B, which takes the community as a whole.
• Do not take away the baseball field.
Christina commented as follows:
• There is a lot of great points about keeping the field, I don't want to keep going over the same things. • It is a very special place.
• I have grown up in Sebastopol my whole life, my parents have been here their whole life. • My mom has played co-Ed softball since her 20s.
• So before I was born, I was at Polley Field.
• Playing in the creek and keeping the field and going with plan B, it just accommodates the entire community.
• It's a compromise.
• We don't want to lose something that is so special to us. • So hope that the City Council looks that and will pick plan B.
Kim commented as follows:
• I would like to address concerns coming from my 20 year experience. • Fields are not the same.
• They offer different experiences for different age groups including adults, children, and families. • One field does not fit all.
• It's proposed that other fields are used and this is not feasible. • Laguna is dedicated to kids of baseball, but no lights are available there, and the saving of owls makes lights not Available at night. The lights of Polley Field turn off in the city curfew time limit. • One person spoke of no accessibility to the field. There are other events such as Apple Blossom. • Sebastopol community is a community within a community. • It consists of Friday night family get-togethers, Saturday and Sunday games and tournaments with adults and families and instills the most of our community.
• It covers generations and volunteer service. Two generations in my family and community service. • A sit back and look at Councilmembers on the board that may have been a part of Sebastopol Little League.
• Their kids have played at Polley and have been coached by my husband. • I am hopeful they support this inclusion with me.
• Please accept plan B to assist the creek and keeping our community a community including the park field and play.
Tamara commented as follows:
• I am a baseball mom. I want to see plan B, that it's inclusive for creek and baseball lovers. • But Polley Field with the lights is like going to Disney land or leave it to beaver. It's a very safe place to go. • I also agree as many people have said that you can go play baseball and your other kids can play in the park or go in the pool.
• It's inclusive for everybody, and that is what I would like to say. I would like inclusive for the outdoor creek experience, along with the sporting of baseball.
• There is an aspect of the physical and mental health of our kids. • It a special of having families be together at the same time and participating in baseball or the park or the creek, baseball is very diversified.
• I'm concerned about our school as we lose some population, they are closing schools now, the fact we don't have enough baseball parks.
• I have been on that end, not being able to play baseball because there is not a field open. • So I would like to see that not happen.
• There is also lifelong friendships for our children.
• I'm a San Francisco to Sebastopol. I have been here for the past probably 35, 40 years. So I wasn't raised here. But I love Sebastopol.
• I support B.
• That is inclusive for all of our community.
Michelle commented as follows:
• I was a board member for ten years while my kids were growing up, and Polley Field is so very special. • To my kids. To numerous kids here.
• Not only is it a baseball field but it's where kids bond, where kids lost family members and they were able to support each other on the field.
• You take away Polley Field, you will take away something special from Sebastopol Little League, and they're not going to have that.
• It's not true that we have enough fields. Laguna Field is only high school, and the freshman and JV teams use that field. So we only can use that for a limited time, and the other field that is adjacent to that is smaller is actually a different sized field.
• So that's a larger field for older kids. Polley Field is just for that 9, 10, 11 and 12-year-Olds that play there. • Having the lights there, they can play two games for night instead of just one game. You need the lights to have as many games as you can play. So when you go to the all-star games they get better. • They had enough games go to qualify. My son was one of the 12-year-Olds that won the district tournament and the only team that has ever done that, and Jason Lane played -- Jason lane's dad played on the very first Little League team out there.
• A lot of families that were on the first team back in 1957. Now their grand kids play there. • So it's very, very special to the community and it's very historical.
Mayor Slayter responded to public comments.
Flooding:
• The amount of damage or money that was required to fix damage. • The Planning Director stated that the significant impacts due to storms earlier this raining season were down at the trail head area of down, and Ives Park did not suffer, a branch or two being cleared but it was largely unaffected.
• Impacts of the potential revisions and if the water ways are roughly the same length, I think the amount and sheer quantity of water will be the same regardless of direction it goes. • So what sort of hydro information can you share?
Director Svanstrom commented as follows:
• Just so the Council committee is aware, there were a couple questions about that. • We have to look at the options so that we will understood. The particulars of that, so that is part of the process.
• We're not there yet with the numbers. But we are starting to look at that. • The space of depth so storm waters that is part of the process we're going through right now. • So basically, the numbers will get crunched for reel. • All three of the options that were presented in the Planning Commission for that first test already.
Mayor Slayter questioned if that analysis will extend in areas beyond the parks?
Director Svanstrom commented that is correct, and actually, the public works supervisor, did an initial work through to get GHG started through Lions Park all the way to the town homes Water Quality
A couple questions about water quality in the future and currently.
What sort of testing has been done.
Jeremy, GHD, commented as follows:
• The water quality aspect, we're actually not going to be focusing directly on that. • Our study will be really focused on the capacity of the creek and looking at the hydrology and hydraulics upstream and downstream, and the connectivity between the reaches. • As Riley and Jessica alluded to, they have been out and working with upstream land owners in the upper water shed and bringing forward awareness to water quality and land uses and the variety of sources of various land practices that could impact water quality. • That is going to be part of their work and the documents they are adopting and the work.
Mayor Slayter commented as follows:
• We don't have the data now.
• That is on to the list for the future.
Park Regulations:
Regulations surrounding camping in our parks.
The park hours do not allow camping in parks unless there is a permit event that is granted.
Potential Vector:
Mosquitos and other vectors.
Are there any issues with the design proposals in regard to that? Ms. Hall commented as follows:
• When you have flowing water, you tend not to have mosquito habitat. • It's when the water's not moving that that's happening. • Designing this creek to restore its natural channel configuration, we should be seeing flowing water. • We should not be seeing impoundments of water.
• here are vectors, things that are considerations.
• But if you're creating a healthy ecosystem, it should be balancing itself out.
League Operations:
Mayor Slayter commented as follows:
• Input about the way the league operates, which is not what this item is. • About access to the field, which is not what this item is. • All of that, of course, is the umbrella over the top of the discussion. • What the Council is here to do is provide direction for staff and consultants to start to develop the future of our double jewel.
City Council Discussion and/or Deliberations:
Councilmember Rich commented as follows:
• Having listened to the many members of the public and considered all of the e-mails and also considered the comments of our staff and Planning Commissioner Everett Fernandez who is part of the process, I have to put out the idea here that perhaps what we should do is actually consider a way to take in more public comment before we make a choice regarding the referred options, which appear to be B and C. • I don't know how that would work or whether it would cause problems for the process for the wonderful consultants.
• That is just my initial thought. Maybe there needs to be further investigation in the various issues that have been raised before we as a City Council can be prepared to say go with B or C.
Vice Mayor Hinton commented as follows:
• I have been trying to get my thoughts together after listening to public tonight. • As you stated, it's not really about our agreements with Little league. Although we do have agreements with the pool and other city properties as we have with Little League, and Ives. • What I know about this is first we have to get a plan to apply for grants. • I'm really excited to see a plan discussed and moving forward. I'm clearly in the B option. • As many of my colleagues know, I have served on open space for five years and in my time as official, I have been all over the park plan to try to get the creek restored and try to find a way to get that. • Santa Rosa Creek has applied for grants in the open space. • They have done it in sections as they were able to match the money, and I'm really excited about opening up the creek, but I guess not at the expense of our ball field. • I do believe that a park should serve a wide variety of people who use it, and I believe that Ives is a great example of that where you have ball fields and walking paths and the ability to have events. • I'm clearly in the B camp. I'm not an elected official who doesn't listen to the community but I think the community is coming out loud and strong in this one.
Councilmember Gurney commented as follows:
• Thank you for our 40 or more speakers tonight, and all the people who e-mailed the Council. • Looking an issue from so many sides. I'm impressed by the speaker tonight and I appreciate their reasonable and conciliatory tone that many people have taken. Being respectful to other was a differing point of view.
• I think it's really important that we come to a resolution, that embraces as many people as possible, and one speaker said, don't do something that is going to divide the community. • I think we really do want to be together and make sure that we can be together in this park. • I thought it was important to hear from people because the emotions really come through in person, and the stories get embellished a little more with the tone of voice and all that goes with it. • I can say, moving here 40 years ago when we were renters and barely had jobs and had no idea, we went down to Polley Field and watched games and had some great entertainment there. • We went on to have a family and our son pitched on the mound at Polley Field, and what people say is really genuine and authentic.
• Those are feelings that I shared also. I go back in time, having worked with the original group, the stewards of the creek.
• That are citizens that originated a concern about cleaning up the creek, daylighting it, looking after it in a way that it had been untended.
• I think we have to look at the request from Katherine Ives and consider that recreation for children was her intent.
• Given all the concerns, like Vice Mayor Hinton said, I'm interested in option B and interested in pursuing some of the issues that Evert Fernandez said.
• If we had a blank slate here without history, maybe we would haven't a ball field. • But that's not our life here, and our history is deeply attached to the land, the trees, the creek, and I like the idea of keeping as much of our community engaged and enjoying the park as much as possible and I see option B as the beginning of that discussion and would encourage us to look into the design elements more like the amphitheater seating, making the group area more effective. • I would like to do that work next.
Councilmember Glass commented as follows:
• It's been really interesting listening to everybody's perspectives, and I actually am very impressed by everybody's restraint and working to be respectful of others' points of view. • I feel like this is a microcosm of what happens in our community. • It's the team sports people versus the eco nuts. It kind of has that tone to it, and as one of the eco nuts, like, I'm not a team sports person. I never played team sports. My parents were immigrants. They don't understand anything about baseball. I never played it. I was a girl scout. I went camping and hiking. I played in creeks.
• What we need to do Is accommodate lots of different people in the community. • I think lots of people like to get out there with baseball. It's an important part of the community. • Let's listen to each other and accommodate everybody, and as many people as possible and bring our community together.
• The one thing that I was struck by, over this past week with the very large number of e-mails I have gotten with comments over the last several years is a need for playing fields. • It's not only baseball. It's also all the different varying sports fields and places to play. • That we're lacking in that, and when I go and look at my Google Earth view of Sebastopol, and I look for big places where we might put things, a lot of the big places are actually school yards. • This outpouring of people feeling like they need places got me thinking about, like, we need to get all of the different jurisdictions together that have places to play. • So we need to get the Sebastopol Union district and the City of Sebastopol and we need to get the County of Sonoma and West County Newman High School and probably the community center together to talk about what can we do to collaborate on figuring out the timing? • We hold all these resources separately. How can we facilitate everyone has more access to the facilities in the various fields that are owned by different jurisdictions. • I think it would be a good idea to get the jurisdictions together to talk to each other about how we can optimize the resources we have.
• I totally support keeping Polley Field but it's a wake-up call, listening to everybody say I can't get a court. • I can't get a place to play basketball. Is no place for my kids to play softball. We need to get all the kids together, all the administrators of the various facilities so that everybody is talking to each other, and perhaps we can have joint scheduling mechanism so that we can all be working together on optimizing our resources.
• I love to hike. I'm glad other people like baseball. Let's all work together.
Mayor Slayter commented as follows:
• My take on this is that the greatest number of community members will have access to facilities of the park that are useful with plan B.
• I think that is what it comes down to.
• As I just called a crown jewel in our little downtown. It needs to be buffed. • I think the plan B offers the greatest opportunities to provide a facilitator the greatest number of humans. • I also would very, very much like see the ball field more integrated with the park.
• It's on a bit of a podium, and the recent removal of some of the plywood panels on the fence is a wonderful change to be able to actually see the field from the passage way as someone walks past. • That is something that for me, I have pitched for, for years and now that it's just more visually open for pedestrians, it's an improvement for the park for non-ballpark users, and I think it needs to be used that way.
• I know they are advertising panels that are important for businesses that support the leagues. • Let's work on a solution that isn't, I don't want to say one sided but something that works for a greater number of people and ingratiating the field in the park, I think is something we can work on. • I don't know why we can't do that.
• The other thing is the grade changes and the opportunity to use the field as a flood plain. • We just heard from our consultant with the hydrological data is being worked on, and where slopes occur and where areas that get flooded, that can all be engineers. • So if it's a once a decade flood of the ball field, that feels like a pretty good compromise, and an offer that was made by folks who use the field regularly that is something they were willing to work on with the city. • It all comes down data and design and I think that B gets us to where we want to be. So that's where I am with this.
• The sentiment that came up in some of the public comments, I feel like I need to address a little bit of it. • We're not just springing this on you. This is a discussion. All we have here are ideas on paper. The city did not put them out there to offend anybody. We put them out there to discuss. • So I appreciate that we have been able to have this discussion, and so I think that I have counted at least up to four, that are firmly in favor of option B.
Councilmember Rich commented as follow:
• I just want to make a couple comments that I think would be worthwhile. • One is that I would be interested in hearing some suggestions on how the Little League field could be shared.
• The locked gate question that was raised by some in the comments. • I understand the coast and quality is there.
• If we would not lotion track of the comment from the Planning Commissioner Fernandez regarding the lack of information that the Planning Commission has received that made it difficult for them to meet their goal of overseeing our recs activities.
• Maybe an annual report will be useful and I do like the idea of expanding that event space in plan B. • I think that that was a suggestion from you, Mayor Slayter, and I want to emphasis what you just said. • We have heard from a lot of voices here. I'm comfortable we have been presented with all the voices and with the comments, in mind, I would be supportive of plan B also.
Councilmember Gurney commented as follows:
• I was following Councilmember Rich with points of information that I think would be helpful. • The City Manager hasn't revealed details from the lease and the reporting requirement, so that the Planning Commission, the parks and rec are up to speed so that we have everything in public, and whatever the commitments are to the contract.
• Let's do that, and it's going to keep the relationship current so we don't kind of slide out of communication and then people feel like we're surprising them with an idea.
MOTION:
Mayor Slayter moved and Councilmember Rich seconded the motion to approve moving forward with Option B:
Option B: “Updated Charrette” – This concept is based on an alignment and layout developed with the Ives Park Subcommittee/staff in an online charrette. The stream in this alternative has an appropriate level of channel length and sinuosity that makes it a dynamically stable channel. This means minimal “hard” engineering would be needed to maintain public safety. The meanders in the channel create opportunities for activity nooks such as picnic areas, and art walk installations, and also help to create larger space for a great lawn. The is a low maintenance stream alignment that moves the creek away from the redwood trees.
Impact to Ives Park Master Plan:
The biggest change in Option B would be the elimination of the second gathering lawn east of the pool/south of the existing playground. It would instead retain the playground area in the general current location (with a possible expansion). The event space in the southwest portion of the park would need to be a slightly smaller event space created by the creek channel, which would curve further north toward the ball field; this option would potentially retain some of the redwood trees within the lawn/event space as well. The Commission felt this option had potential to enhance the creek’s health; create creek-side spaces and opportunities to interact with the creek; and, retain all the major components of the Master Plan, and recommended this to Council for consideration.
Discussion:
Councilmember Gurney commented as follows:
• I would like to know what are the next steps we are telling them to do. • If they can outline the steps so the Council know where the direction is going to take us in terms of next work up, the next meeting, when is it going to come back, what is the time frame.
Director Svanstrom commented as follow:
• Jessica has a time line of finishing this summer for her fellowship. • What she will be doing is proceeding to develop option B, for the Planning Commission’s review. • I will note, she is also working on the concepts for the creek east of the park as well as upstream, and she and I already met. We also need to loop in our traffic consultant and engineering regarding a couple options for Jewell/Willow intersection. That is something everyone recognizes it's far different than it needs to be.
• So we will work on the concepts and bring it back to the Planning Commission, and for the input on that, and with any plan and revision, back to Council.
• So this a major step forward to get the work done.
• We will need to look at the process for revising the master plan as needed. I see that as different process with its own timeline.
Planning Commissioner Fernandez commented I just want to encourage what ideas you keep in mind, the possibility of grants.
Director Svanstrom commented as follows:
• As we conclude the process, that may be part of the presentation. • It does take a significant amount of staff to apply for a grant. • Which makes the most sense such as the Open Space grant • Staff will have conversations about that.
MOTION:
City Council Action: Approved moving forward with Plan B.
Minute Order Number: 2022-042
Mayor Slayter requested Item Number 12 be heard next.
REGULAR CALENDAR AGENDA ITEMS (DISCUSSION AND/OR ACTION) CONTINUED:
12. Discussion and Consideration of Adoption of Resolution Approving the Mid-Year Budget adjustments to the City of Sebastopol Budget for 2021-2022 and Acceptance of Quarterly Financial Informational Report (Responsible Department: Administrative Services)
Administrative Services Director Kwong presented the agenda item recommending the City Council Approve Adoption of Resolution Approving the Mid-Year Budget adjustments to the City of Sebastopol Budget for 2021- 2022 and Acceptance of Quarterly Financial Informational Report.
Mayor Slayter asked for questions of staff and/or presenter.
Councilmember Rich commented as follows:
• Fabulous report. Very concise and detailed.
• My question has to do with the net effect on the expenditure piece, before administrative services. • The net effect is a $36,000 increase, yet the additional expenses that you describe to us includes a total of 144,000.
• I'm wondering was there a decrease in some of your expenses that resulted in a net impact of $36,000? Director Kwong commented as follows:
• No, this is just a general fund portion.
• Discussed the water fund
Councilmember Glass commented as follows:
• I was just wondering why the money that's going towards the community center, including the remodel of their kitchen, why it's coming out of general found and not out of CIP. • The funding from that project is coming from the general fund.
Director Kwong commented as follows:
• It's a CIP project.
• The expenditure will be housed as a project.
Councilmember Glass commented where would the funding come from? Director Kwong commented as follows:
• It has to be general funding that pays for it.
• There isn't a grant
• There is not any CIP funding available
Mayor Slayter commented as follows:
• I actually had a question about the same item.
• What about buildings and infrastructure?
Director Kwong commented as follows:
• We could tap that.
• I just didn't want to make a decision to go in reserve for building a maintenance fund.
Mayor Slayter questioned the balance of that account.
Director Kwong commented the line item for the community center is just shy of $100,000 and is housed in this account and stated the senior center, the community center and Ives are located in that fund.
Mayor Slayter commented the requested amount is $85,000.
Councilmember Gurney commented as follows:
• Just in my simple way of looking at this, it looks like these are just straight up adjustments we have to make.
• Based upon our departments reporting in about things that weren't really an option. So we're just making the adjustments.
• I'm asking the budget committee, is that an accurate perception or are there things that we may not need to do?
Vice Mayor Hinton commented as follows:
• I'm happy to address that.
• At the end, there are other things asked for by the department. One item was Director Svanstrom bringing the request from the sub committee
• The committee went through item by item and basically, recommending funding for items that are exactly that, carryover, overages.
• Anything that could be new we pushed for a full budget discussion. • These are adjustments we have to make at this point.
Mayor Slayter opened for public comment:
The following public comment was received.
Steve Pierce commented as follows:
• I'm talking to you about something I talked to before. A need in our budget for a grant writing services. • Our city departments can make use of the services, as we heard from the planning director this evening, it takes quite a bit of staff time to go after and apply for grants. • Our city of Sebastopol climate action committee unanimously endorsed the city going after funding, grant writing services.
• I understand this is a bit different from the way it's normally done, where you have a department that requests grant writing services. But we feel this will make a difference on not only climate action but all of our departments that need this type of assistance and securing grants. • We just heard about the creek grants that are needed and I also want to go into a little bit we're about to the launch the relaunch of Sebastopol, and part of that is grant writing. • The consultant will not have enough time to go after grant writing, and also, there's $10 billion for the clean, EV, electric car services and I passed on to the planning director, the city of San Bruno for securing this kind of funding for grant writing and they prioritized fire, police, community services, and we would hopefully prioritize climate action too.
• I think there's a great opportunity to do this. They spent $60,000. They're just now hiring their consultant.
Kyle commented as follows:
• Discussed the increases proposed tonight described as just unforeseen things. Things like this come along during the process
• Discussed further investigation into the budget
• The amount of money that you're talking about today is a significant portion of the annual budget. • I would like to you reflect on how that process is happening historically, if this amount of money is what we see annually, and how it compares to other jurisdictions. • Discussed the budget process
Kenna Lee commented as follows:
• I want to lend a second voice in support of Steve’s points. • A granter in the city of Sebastopol would as if we are really in a climate emergency. • I'm not just stating it and putting it in the books that we made a resolution, but actually behaving as if we are in a search, which we are in, so anything we can do to reach speed and scale, grants will help us do that, and the speed with which we keep it going will make a difference huge.
Courtney commented as follows:
• Hello, my name is Courtney and I work in the city of Sebastopol. • I wanted to support what Steve was saying about hiring a grant writer. • I think that would be a wonderful investment, easy specially for climate action • I used to be involved in some of the community activities in the city of Sebastopol, and that is quite a dedicated group and I'm impressed with the work they are doing even though I am no longer involved.
Rick Geggie commented as follows:
• First thing I want to say to all the Councilmembers is I don't know how you do it. You guys are master jugglers.
• I hate numbers like that, and we have inflation and people are saying, it's more, it's more, it's more. • So my two cents is I agree about grant writing.
• If there's something out there, give somebody the job, and by the way, on Morris Street, there are a couple highly experienced grant writers who are unemployed. • The other thing is, I want to tell you I'm endeavoring to raise money for your guys, and I'm starting to start Sebastopol homeless society, and I think there's talent and good stories in there, we can get people to send money just to support Sebastopol and to support the homeless people. • So you will see more about it. I want to thank you for being such good jugglers.
City Council Discussion and/or deliberations:
Vice Mayor Hinton commented as follows:
• I wanted to agree the communities by the public for the we will look at all new initiatives across the board and find it once as a consistent direction that time to make one over another request. • So we look and decided not to recommend those to the Council tonight.
Councilmember Glass commented as follows:
• I notice there was a list of what we are paying for.
• I thought I saw that it can be used as grant writing.
• Was that the total amount of money we're going to get, is that the entire total of ARPA money we are ever going to get? Can we get anymore?
Director Kwong commented as follow:
• The list that I have here is just that I items during the budget committee discussion, and based on the criteria, what the city can allocation expenses that we incur so far due to COVID and what calls in the category listed as a staff report.
• I can actual it up and see what they are. These are the expenses that we can allocate for using that fund. • It comes so far to a total of 1 million dollars.
• Now the funding for that is $1.8. The other half is coming next year.
Mayor Slayter commented as follows:
• I just looked up ARPA, I'm not seeing grant writers
• It's not a bullet point but there may be a way to say yes. • I think that creating a grant writing Is assisting with the development. • That is a point I would like to make. I would like to say, we might consider using the ARPA money for that.
Councilmember Gurney commented as follows:
• We're not far away from cranking up the budget machines. • I don't say that we now do it at this minute. But I'm saying I think that could be something to consider when the committee gets the incredible pleasure of spending all that time looking over the budget over the next few months.
Councilmember Rich commented as follows:
• State a cautionary note. Not considering new suggestions. There with a number of them. • I'm the climate committee. It's more than a new project that needs to be considered in light of other new projects.
Mayor Slayter commented as follows:
• On the mid-year budget adjustment, it looks like our red ink is slightly less than it was before, given the increases in revenue, which are surprising and welcome honestly, in particular, the sales tax bounce the way did it.
• That is good to see.
MOTION:
Vice Mayor Hinton moved and Councilmember Rich seconded the motion to approve Adoption of Resolution Approving the Mid-Year Budget adjustments to the City of Sebastopol Budget for 2021-2022 and Acceptance of Quarterly Financial Informational Report.
Discussion:
Mayor Slayter commented as follows:
• I'm going to thank staff
• There was an awful lot that went on behind the curtain to simply fly the adjustment, and being been through adjustments in the past, this was different from a full budget. • I really appreciate the streamlining of this, and I know you worked diligently with the department needs to streamline it.
Mayor Slayter called for a roll call vote. City staff conducted a roll call vote.
VOTE:
Ayes: Councilmembers Glass, Gurney, Rich, Vice Mayor Hinton and Mayor Slayter Noes: None
Absent: None
Abstain: None
City Council Action: Approved Adoption of Resolution Approving the Mid-Year Budget adjustments to the City of Sebastopol Budget for 2021-2022 and Acceptance of Quarterly Financial Informational Report.
Minute Order Number: 2022-044
Resolution Number: 6401-2022
PUBLIC HEARING(s):
11. Public Hearing:
a) Introduction, First Reading and consideration of Amendment to Ordinance –Planning Commission (Responsible Department: Planning Department). This item was continued from the December 21, 2021 and January 18, 2022 City Council Meetings.; and b) Direction to Staff on Recruitment for Planning Commission (Planning) i. Vacant seat of Luke Lindenbusch (Fill term to December 31, 2023) Due to Resignation ii. Vacant seat of Zac Douch (Fill term to December 31, 2022) Due to Resignation No applications were received after recruitment and extension of recruitment.
This item was continued to a future City Council meeting.
City Council Action: This item was continued to a future City Council meeting.
Minute Order Number: 2022-043
REGULAR CALENDAR AGENDA ITEMS (DISCUSSION AND/OR ACTION) CONTINUED:
13. Discussion and Consideration of Recommendations from the Committee for Unhoused (Requestor:
Council liaison) - This item was continued from the January 18, 2022 City Council Meeting.
The Council did not discuss the report but received the written report.
City Council Action: The Council did not discuss the report but received the written report Minute Order Number: 2022-045
14. Direction to Staff on Recruitments/lack of applications for Openings as follows:
a. Vacancies on the Design Review Board (Responsible Department: Planning/Engineering/City Administration)
Term Ending Dates: December 31, 2021
Lars Langberg Category A
Christine Level Category C
Vacant (Formerly Ron Hari) Category C
Two applications received for three openings:
Christine Level – Category C
Lars Langberg – Category A
b. Openings for Recruitment on Zero Waste Committee (Engineering) Commercial Entity Representative
Citizen Representative
Youth Alternate
Two applications received for three openings (applications are for citizen representative seat only) Deborah Klein – Citizen Rep
Christina Warren – Citizen Rep
c. Openings for Recruitment on Climate Action Committee (Planning) Youth Representative (ages 17-23) (One Position)
Environmental justice representative (One Position)
No applications received
This item was continued to a future City Council meeting.
City Council Action: This item was continued to a future City Council meeting.
Minute Order Number: 2022-046
The Council was in consensus to move forward with Items 15 and 16.
15. Consideration of Amendment to City Council / City Staff Committee Assignments:
1. Correction to Health Action Council Committee Liaison (Requestor: Councilmember Glass)
2. Creation of City Council Ad Hoc Committee for Relaunch Sebastopol (Requestor: City Administration);
(Requestor: City Administration)
City Administration presented the agenda item recommending the City Council:
1.Re-appoint Councilmember Glass to the Health Action Council.
2.Create an Ad Hoc Committee of Two Councilmembers for Relaunch Sebastopol Mayor Slayter asked for questions of staff and/or presenter.
Councilmember Rich commented as follows:
• Regarding the committee to support the relaunch program. • I would like to know what the lifetime of this ad hoc committee produced to exist. • How long does staff feel they have need to have the ad hoc committee in place? Staff commented as follows:
• The contract is one year only.
• It's an ad hoc committee to be no longer than one year to work the length of the contract.
Councilmember Rich commented as follows:
• It would expire within a year, it would be February 1 or something like that of 2023. • It would be no longer than a year.
Staff stated that is correct.
Mayor Slayter opened for public comment.
Linda Berg commented as follows:
• Discussed Tick Tock Lyme disease program
• Over four years and having had over 1300 attendees
• Discussed being able to identify all sources of wireless radiation in town. • So on way, I am unclear but I hope that whatever the committee, they take into consideration and all the people who have cancer and other ailments and live around and or use a lot of cell phones and wireless devices.
• It could be very simple and cheap just to collect data • It's my deep, deep desire that whoever the health community does, they can incorporate the idea of identifying and introducing wireless foundation.
Oliver commented as follows:
• Discussed relaunching Sebastopol
• Not sure the crisis is over
City Council Discussion and/or deliberations:
Councilmember Glass commented as follows:
• Discussed the Health Action Council and they are disbanding and no longer an arm of the county government.
• Will attend the last meeting. Happy to do that
MOTION:
Councilmember Gurney moved and Vice Mayor Hinton seconded the motion to approve the following action:
1.Re-appoint Councilmember Glass to the Health Action Council.
Mayor Slayter called for a roll call vote. City staff conducted a roll call vote.
VOTE:
Ayes: Councilmembers Glass, Gurney, Rich, Vice Mayor Hinton and Mayor Slayter Noes: None
Absent: None
Abstain: None
City Council Action: Approved the following action:
Re-appoint Councilmember Glass to the Health Action Council.
Minute Order Number: 2022-047(a)
The Council discussed appointment to the Relaunch Sebastopol Ad Hoc Committee.
Mayor Slayter, Vice Mayor Slayter and Councilmember Gurney expressed interest in serving on the ad hoc committee.
Councilmember Rich stated she was not interested in serving on the committee but requested getting reports back to the City Council more recently than quarterly and that the reports be monthly or bi monthly.
Vice Mayor Hinton commented as follows:
• I would like to add my name to the people entrusted in serving on the committee. • I'm the one Councilmember who doesn't have a committee assignment with other Councilmembers. • Like unhoused or fire committees
• I'm actually available and I have a history, like Patrick, getting over the issue. • Mayor Slayter and I share area years of discussion about how to define it.
Vice Mayor Hinton commented as follows:
• I would just point out that I was in the mayor in 2020 when I got everybody together and get them moving forward in one direction, which is really what the relaunch prom is about. • I have a lot of other experience that leads me up to this, including being a board member, and I think my availability makes me a very come petting asked for this appointment.
Councilmember Glass commented as follows:
• I just wanted to also not throw my cat in the room and say thank you, thank you, because those who do want to.
• I would love to do it. I just don't have time. I think this is a fun committee. • I think it's a great project.
Councilmember Rich commented as follows:
• I look at these three very well qualified Council people who are interested in working on the relaunch community and I have to say, with nothing personal, Councilmember or Vice Mayor, I'm thinking the best matchup in the particular case is likely our Mayor Slayter with our Councilmember Sara Gurney. • So that's the direction I'm going.
• I think that is where I would get the best results.
Vice Mayor Hinton commented as follows:
• I'm going to weigh in and pull my hat out of the ring. • I do feel like I in arm twisted oi budget committee.
• So I'm fine to go ahead and go with the two Councilmembers that have also shown interest.
Staff clarified the consultant is required to provide bi-monthly report out to City Council at each Council Meeting.
MOTION:
Mayor Slayter moved and Councilmember Glass seconded the motion to approve the following:
2.Create an Ad Hoc Committee of Two Councilmembers for Relaunch Sebastopol and appointed Mayor Slayter and Councilmember Gurney to the Ad Hoc Committee
Mayor Slayter called for a roll call vote. City staff conducted a roll call vote.
VOTE:
Ayes: Councilmembers Glass, Gurney, Rich, Vice Mayor Hinton and Mayor Slayter Noes: None
Absent: None
Abstain: None
City Council Action: Approved the following:
Create an Ad Hoc Committee of Two Councilmembers for Relaunch Sebastopol and appointed Mayor Slayter and Councilmember Gurney to the Ad Hoc Committee
Minute Order Number: 2022-047(b)
16. Consideration and Direction to Mayor or his/her Designated Representative for Voting for Various Boards and Committee Vacancies at the February 10, 2022 City Selection Committee and Sonoma County Mayors and Councilmembers Association Meeting (Responsible Department: City Administration) City Administration presented the agenda item recommending the City Council Provide Direction to the Mayor or Voting Representative for Voting at the City Selection Committee Meeting and the Mayors and Councilmembers Board of Directors Meeting of February 10, 2022. It is also recommended that if late nominations are received,
that the City Council authorize the Mayor or Designated Voting Representative the authority to vote on these late nominations or recommendations at the City Selection Committee and Sonoma County Mayors and Councilmembers Board of Directors Association Meetings.
Mayor Slayter asked for questions of staff and/or presenter. There was none.
Mayor Slayter opened for public comment. There was no public comment.
City Council Discussion and/or deliberations:
Mayor Slayter commented as follows:
• Discussed the unofficial policy that nominations from the floor will not be acted on by the voting member.
• I'm willing to go with that.
The Council discussed the history of voting for the City at the meetings.
MOTION:
Mayor Slayter moved and Councilmember Glass seconded the motion to approve Direction to the Mayor or Voting Representative for Voting at the City Selection Committee Meeting and the Mayors and Councilmembers Board of Directors Meeting of February 10, 2022 to support Ozzie Jimenez.
Mayor Slayter called for a roll call vote. City staff conducted a roll call vote.
VOTE:
Ayes: Councilmembers Glass, Gurney, Rich, Vice Mayor Hinton and Mayor Slayter Noes: None
Absent: None
Abstain: None
City Council Action: Provided direction to the Mayor.
Minute Order Number: 2022-048
The following items were not heard due to the late hour.
CITY COUNCIL REPORTS:
17. City Manager-Attorney/City Clerk Reports:
18. City Council Reports/Committee/Sub-Committee Meeting Reports: (Reports by Mayor/City Councilmembers Regarding Various Agency Meetings/Committee Meetings/Sub-Committee Meeting /Conferences Attended and Possible Direction to its Representatives (If Needed) on Pending issues before such Boards)
19. Council Communications Received
20. Future City Meeting Dates/Events (Informational Only): (See City Web Site for Up-to-Date Meeting Dates/Times)
ADJOURNMENT OF CITY COUNCIL MEETING
February 1, 2022 City Council Regular Meeting will be adjourned to the February 2, 2022 Special City Council Meeting, 10:30 am (CLOSED SESSION), Zoom Virtual Meeting Format February 2, 2022 Special City Council Meeting, 10:30 am (CLOSED SESSION) adjourned to the February 15, 2022 City Council Regular Meeting, 6:00 pm, Zoom Virtual Meeting Format Mayor Slayter adjourned the City Council meeting at 11:30 pm.
Respectfully Submitted:
Mary C. Gourley
Assistant City Manager/City Clerk, MMC