City of Sunnyvale
Meeting Minutes - Draft
Parks and Recreation Commission
7:00 PM Online and Bay Conference Room, City
Hall, 456 W. Olive Ave., Sunnyvale, CA
94086
Wednesday, January 10, 2024
CALL TO ORDER
Chair Kesting called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
SALUTE TO THE FLAG
Chair Kesting led the salute to the United States flag.
ROLL CALL
Chair David Kesting
Commissioner Daniel Bremond
Commissioner Prakash Giri
Present: 3 -
Vice Chair Dona Mason
Commissioner Prashant Gattani
Absent: 2 -
Commissioner Mason (excused absence)
Commissioner Gattani (excused absence)
Council Liaison Mehlinger (present)
Damon Sparacino, Superintendent of Recreation Services, informed the Commission that Chair Kesting inadvertently violated the Brown Act by emailing other commissioners regarding ranking of the dogs off-leash hours study issue.
Staff printed copies of the email for the public to view (attachment 1). Staff will work with all commissioners to better understand the Brown Act.
Chair Kesting noted that because he sent the email individually to each commissioner, he did not realize he violated the Brown Act.
PRESENTATION
A 24-0137 Golf and Tennis Report
Attachment 2
January 10, 2024Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes - Draft Rodney Wilson, Golf Operations Manager, provided a presentation on Golf and Tennis. Highlights included: fiscal year revenue, number of golf rounds, current initiatives, top drivers for new players to start golfing, and the Las Palmas Tennis Center.
Chair Kesting opened for public comment.
Gregory D., noted that the community would like for the City to provide public pickleball courts, open for free-play.
Chair Kesting closed public comment.
Commissioners inquired and staff responded:
Does staff have a summary of revenue/expenses for tennis? Tennis is contracted to Lifetime Activities. They pay the City approximately $14,000 a month to operate the tennis facilities.
Can the City stipulate that Lifetime Activities allocate select pickleball courts for free play to the community? Current contract does not stipulate, but will be open for renewal in 2032. Amendment to the contract language will need Council approval.
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
Councilmember Mehlinger introduced himself to the Commission, and noted that he is a resource if there are any questions.
CONSENT CALENDAR
Commissioner Bremond moved and Commissioner Giri seconded the motion to Approve the Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes of December 13, 2023 as submitted.
The motion carries by the following vote:
Yes: Chair Kesting
Commissioner Bremond
Commissioner Giri
3 -
No: 0
Absent: Vice Chair Mason
Commissioner Gattani
2 -
Attachment 2
January 10, 2024Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes - Draft 1 24-0088 Approve the Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes of December 13, 2023
Approve the Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes of December 13, 2023 as submitted.
PUBLIC HEARINGS/GENERAL BUSINESS
2 24-0163 Rank 2024 Study Issues
Commissioners collectively discussed the study issues.
Chair Kesting opened for public comment.
Gary T., Othar H., Scott C., Renne J., and Mark B., voiced their support for dog off-leash hours.
Erik K. voiced his support for converting the PG&E lots facing Ramona Avenue, Lois Avenue and Dona Avenue into open green space for the community.
Chair Kesting closed public comment.
Chair Kesting read several email correspondence from the public that the Commission received in support for DPW 20-11 Evaluate Feasibility of Dog Off-Leash Hours in Select Sunnyvale Parks. Commissioner Bremond added that the Commission received 52 emails for the public in support of dog off-leash hours.
Staff conducted a random voice vote. See the study issue ranking results below:
1. DPW 20-11 Evaluate Feasibility of Dog Off-Leash Hours in Select Sunnyvale Parks
2. DPW 24-04 Evaluate Late Night Lights at Public Parks
3. DPW 20-03 Waste Reduction Initiative in Sunnyvale Parks
4. DPW 24-05 Explore Making the City-Owned Property at West Evelyn & Mathilda Place Open and Accessible to the Public with A Rehabilitation of the Existing Bus Terminal Sign Abandoned at that Location
5. DPW 24-06 Explore the Feasibility of Planting 2,025 New Trees in Sunnyvale by the Year 2025
6. ESD 22-02 Promotion and Assessment of Sustainable Landscaping Strategies
7. DPW 22-08 Evaluate the Council Policy for Naming City Parks with the Intention of Incorporating a More Diverse Cultural History in Parks Names Including South Asian Culture and Develop a Policy for Renaming Existing Parks
Attachment 2
January 10, 2024Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes - Draft
8. DPW 23-07 Evaluate the Feasibility of an Ordinance to Ban the Use of Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers and Other Small Two-Stroke Motors Within the City Limits of Sunnyvale
Commissioner Giri moved and Commissioner Bremond seconded the motion to adopt the ranking as provided. The motion carried by the following vote:
Yes: Chair Kesting
Commissioner Bremond
Commissioner Giri
3 -
No: 0
Absent: Vice Chair Mason
Commissioner Gattani
2 -
STANDING ITEM: CONSIDERATION OF POTENTIAL STUDY ISSUES
3 24-0172 Park Benches for Increased Senior Citizen Mobility Chair Kesting will agendize discussion at an upcoming meeting.
NON-AGENDA ITEMS & COMMENTS
-Commissioner Comments
None.
-Staff Comments
None.
INFORMATION ONLY REPORTS/ITEMS
4 24-0164 Parks and Recreation Commission Proposed Study Issues, Calendar Year: 2025
Standing item.
ADJOURNMENT
Chair Kesting adjourned the meeting at 8:19 p.m.
Attachment 2
1 Ricky Le
To:
Subject: RE: Tomorrow Night
From: David Kesting
Sent: Tuesday, January 9, 2024 1:53 PM
To:
Subject: Tomorrow Night
There has been
substantial support from the local communi
ty for Study Issue DPW20‐11 The Dogs Of Leash Areas in our parks, and I want to solicit your support to help rank the study issue highly tomorrow evening.
I think it's an easy win for our commission and will likely be picked up and implemented by the ci ty council.
I'm happy to chat with you about this if you wish and hope you would support the study. The reason why I like this study is that we consistently have support for it in the community who show up at our meetings to rally for it, and those individuals seem pretty organized and well mann
ered.
I feel like the program is already in place in other cities and there are enough compelling reasons what we should have one here: The liability issues if we dont, the socialization amongst the neighbors, the community building opportunities it presents, the ease of which to im
plement would all be enough for me to say this is good policy.
Well I hope you will support it, I will completely understand if you dont, and I look forward to seeing you tomorrow regardless.
‐‐
David Kesting
TheDrafts.Men
Licensed Architect State Of California
C‐39687
AIA Silicon Va
lley
Out of office on the following days:
Fri Jan 12 at noon ‐ Tues AM Jan 16
Fri Jan 26 at noon ‐ Mon AM Jan 29
Fri Feb 9 at noon ‐ Tues AM Feb
13 Fri Feb 16 at noon ‐ Tues AM Feb 19
All other times, including weekends I am available.
Attachment 1
Attachment 2