HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - April 15, 2015 SMLODI CITY COUNCIL
SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING
CARNEGIE FORUM, 305 WEST PINE STREET
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015
A. Call to Order / Roll Call
The Special Joint Meeting of the City Council and the Recreation Commission of April 15, 2015,
was called to order by Mayor Johnson at 8:44 p.m.
Present: Council Member Kuehne, Council Member Mounce, Council Member Nakanishi,
Mayor Pro Tempore Chandler, and Mayor Johnson
Absent: None
Also Present: City Manager Schwabauer, City Attorney Magdich, and City Clerk Ferraiolo
Also in attendance from the Recreation Commission were Commissioners David Akin, Larry
Long, and Jeffrey Palmquist.
B. Topic(s)
B-1 Receive Presentation on Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services Department's Strategic
Plan Survey Findings (PRCS)
Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services Director Jeff Hood reported that staff worked with PROS
Consulting for a year to formulate a Strategic Plan to better meet the needs of the community.
The process included public workshops, assessment of sites, and website information. Mr. Hood
stated that a community -wide survey regarding recreational needs had not been completed in
more than 20 years. Members of the Recreation Commission were also present to answer
questions and receive Council direction.
Neelay Bhatt, Vice President, PROS Consulting, Inc., provided a PowerPoint presentation
regarding the strategic plan survey findings. Specific topics of discussion included: agenda; flat -
lined population; aging population trend; diverse race/ethnicity; lower comparative income levels;
survey results; visitation; parks usage; facility usage; most frequently used facilities; frequency of
use; rating of facilities; program participation; current participation; reasons for participation; rating
of programs and activities; organizations used; ways residents learn about programs and
activities; facilities' needs; need for facilities; how well Parks and Recreation facilities meet
household needs; most important facilities; program needs; need for programs; how well
recreation and cultural arts programs meet household needs; most important programs; current
participation; aquatic features; potential features; most important features; indoor programming
spaces; potential usage; spaces households would use the most; reasons preventing use;
importance of actions Lodi can take; actions residents are the most willing to fund with tax dollars;
maximum of additional funds; how respondents would vote in an election; level of satisfaction;
demographics; next steps; questions; number of programs participated; organizations children
ages 0 to 17 use the most; and organizations adults ages 18 and older use the most.
In response to Council Member Nakanishi, Mr. Bhatt stated that the survey was a random
sampling conducted by an independent firm.
In response to Mayor Johnson, Mr. Bhatt stated that, out of the 2,000 surveys, a 10 percent
response was received, which is a decent result.
In response to Council Member Kuehne, Mr. Bhatt stated that only the top two or three ranked
parks were listed on the PowerPoint, adding that some parks produced a zero percent
calculation because they were not mentioned in the survey results.
In response to Mayor Pro Tempore Chandler, Mr. Bhatt stated that the World of Wonders
Museum was not included in the survey.
In response to Council Member Mounce, Mr. Bhatt explained the sport of pickle ball, stating it is
one of the fastest growing activities in the 55 -plus age group over the last ten years.
In response to Mayor Johnson, Mr. Bhatt stated that, for community recreational needs, aquatics
features are much more important than competition pools, adding that it would be difficult to
justify an Olympic -sized pool in any community. Mr. Bhatt stated that, with the growing water
problem, features that use less water are becoming more common.
In response to Mayor Pro Tempore Chandler, Mr. Bhatt defined a gathering space as an indoor
community or recreation space that could include features such as an indoor walking/jogging
track; gym; multi -use space for art, dance, and crafts; an indoor aquatics feature; and meeting
spaces.
In response to Mayor Johnson, Mr. Bhatt stated that it is conceivable to have multiple, smaller all-
inclusive community spaces to fit a community's footprint, assuming there is no division of
services that could, for example, have seniors in one center and youth in another. The facility
should still offer a variety of activities, and Mr. Bhatt provided the illustration of a mother utilizing a
walking track while her child attends a recreational activity in the same center. In further
response, Mr. Bhatt stated that, from the public meetings, it appears there is some lack of equity
among the various cultures and ethnicities; however, the goal is not to create equal facilities and
activities for each side of town but to make uses available for the entire community.
In response to Council Member Mounce, Mr. Bhatt replied that the survey did not consider a
location for an all-inclusive facility and a feasibility study would be necessary to determine a site,
whether existing or vacant, and to design the facility with the needs in mind.
Council Member Mounce stated there is square footage of land available at Legion Park, and
Mr. Schwabauer stated that the City previously considered the land near the railroad tracks
across from the parking garage as a potential location for an indoor sports complex.
In response to Council Member Nakanishi, Mr. Bhatt stated that the random sampling for the
survey can be broken down into categories and different subsections to get a read on how each
group answered the questions.
In response to Mayor Johnson, Mr. Bhatt stated that the goal is to complete the draft report in
August and receive Council direction. Over the next three months, he will conduct vision sessions
with staff, make recommendations, and share the plan with the community via outreach and the
website.
Maria Rufino expressed concern that most of the meetings, phone calls, and information were in
English, not Spanish, and stated she did not receive a survey. Mr. Bhatt explained that the survey
was random and could not be controlled as to who would receive one and that the phone calls
that went out today were to inform citizens of this meeting to receive the survey results.
Council Member Nakanishi commended Mr. Hood on putting forth a balanced budget and stated
that he would be opposed to increasing taxes to pay for parks and recreation services and
features unless the public wanted it. He questioned why this survey was brought forward, to
which Mr. Hood replied that he was seeking a fresh look at what the community wanted from the
department, especially since the department is heavily funded with taxpayer dollars, and to
ensure the department was using those dollars responsibly. Once the process is complete, staff
will prioritize and allocate funding to address the needs identified in this process. In further
response, Mr. Hood stated that the benefit of paying off the departmental debt is that it now has
dollars to invest in parks, such as the lighting at Salas Park, and increasing the money for capital
and other purposes.
In response to Council Member Mounce, City Clerk Ferraiolo confirmed that all agendas and
notices from the City Clerk's Office are currently posted at Worknet; City Council agendas are not
translated into Spanish; and only certain public hearing notices are translated. Council Member
Mounce stressed that all City Council agendas should be translated into Spanish and posted at
the Worknet office and further encouraged all involved with the Strategic Plan effort to ensure
that, when contacting Hispanic citizens either in writing or on the phone, it be in their language.
Maria Rufino made comments regarding homeless individuals living in parks and on the streets,
to which Mayor Johnson informed her that the Homelessness Summit would be held the next day
on April 16, 2015, at the Lodi Grape Festival grounds.
Dan Arbuckle applauded the City and Parks and Recreation Department for reaching out to the
community and encouraged everyone to get involved to have a say in the future of Lodi's parks.
Mayor Johnson, Mayor Pro Tempore Chandler, and Council Member Kuehne thanked
Mr. Arbuckle and Headwaters for utilizing Lodi Lake, creating a culture around kayaking, and
providing an excellent service.
C. Adjournment
There being no further business to come before the City Council, the meeting was adjourned at
9:45 p.m.
ATTEST:
Jennifer M. Ferraiolo
City Clerk