Commission Stiff-Arms Chairman On Skate Park

VEDDDY INTERESTING...
It was an interesting meeting of the Costa Mesa Parks and Recreation Commission last night, to say the very least.  You can read the entire staff report HERE.

TREE REMOVAL REQUESTS DENIED
The commission voted to deny all three of the tree removal requests presented to them, but not without some serious discussions and a botched vote that had to be re-done.

Item 9a, the tree removal request on Bismark Way, HERE, was rejected unanimously by the commission.

Item 10b, for the removal of a tree on Coolidge, HERE, was first passed on a 3-2 vote, then commissioner Bob Graham - apparently asleep at the switch - requested a re-vote and reversed his vote, which resulted in a denial of the removal request.

Item 10c, a request to remove a tree at the Orange County Model Engineer's facility in Fairview Park, HERE, was quickly denied unanimously.  Nobody from the OCME group was present to argue the case.

VOLCOM SKATE PARK

The hot item on the agenda, the discussion of the Volcom Skate Park, HERE, went about as expected.  The staff report presented three alternatives for the commission to consider and recommended Number 3 as the appropriate move at this time.  Here's what those plans looked like, summarized from the staff report: (click on image to enlarge)

STAFF PRESENTATION
Recreation Supervisor Lisa McPherson led the presentation and outlined each of the alternatives for the commission.  She was aided by Baron Bettenhausen of Jones & Mayer, our contract law firm.

SECURITY CAMERAS COMING

At one point during the discussion mention was made about security cameras being scheduled to be installed at Volcom Skate Park in the near future.  Each successive speaker and commission member thought that was a good idea.  (Those cameras are on the agenda for the City Council meeting on July 1st.)

PARK RANGER HARKEY
Park Ranger Ann Harkey, who is the tip of the enforcement spear for the Skate Park and who has born the brunt of the unpleasant behaviors that are driving this discussion, reported that not much has changed at the Park.  There continue to be a few people who act disruptively, both inside the park proper and around the perimeter.  She described incidents where she attempted to enforce the rules but the offenders scattered and laid low nearby until she left.  Not described last night was an incident where she was actually attacked by a skater.  She described drug use in and around the park and general disregard for the rules about using safety equipment.  She also indicated that many of those who make trouble are from out of town. 

CAMERAS, ALONE, NOT THE ANSWER
Harkey mentioned the security cameras, but indicated that she could not arrest someone just because the camera caught them apparently violating a rule - she had to personally witness it herself.  Mention was made of a recent injury at the park - a young man not wearing a helmet fell backwards onto the floor of the bowl and cracked his skull.  Later it was acknowledged that no claims have been made as a result of incidents at the skate park.

THE LEGEND SPEAKS

Jim Gray, a legend in the local skate world, spoke with passion about the issue. He thought the cameras were a great idea.  At one point he said, "You're not going to get the skaters to follow the rules by bullying them."  I understood what he meant.  The skate culture has a kind of "rebel" persona.  Gray thought less time should be spent making them wear safety equipment and more attention should be given to expanding the park - it's too small for the number of skaters and the mixture of skill levels.

FOLEY ADVOCATES COOPERATION

Newport Mesa Unified School District Trustee, former City Council member and President and founder of the National Interscholastic Skateboard League, Katrina Foley, spoke eloquently about the sport, the culture, the rules and the need for cooperation between the City and outside groups - like hers.  She used as a positive example a young man named Jesus Acevedo - valedictorian at Estancia High School and captain of his school's skate board team.  Because the use of required safety equipment was central to the discussion, she was asked what was the minimum safety equipment she thought skaters should be using.  She answered, "a helmet".  She said elbow and knee pads are hindrances, except in the case of knee pads where sliding down a bowl in the park happens.

OUTSIDERS THE MAIN PROBLEM

Rene' Prospero, a frequent skater at the park, agreed about the cameras.  He also thought the skaters themselves should be doing a better job of policing improper activity.  He did say that you will NOT find any photograph of any professional skater in any magazine wearing safety equipment - not even a helmet.  He thinks those stars are being emulated by younger skaters.  He blamed the problems at the park on a few bad apples who are spoiling it for everyone.

WHAT ARE OTHERS DOING?

Speaker Anna Vrska thought #1 was too expensive, suggested a few people are the problem and wondered what other jurisdictions are doing to solve this problem.

MOTION DIES...
Eventually Chairman Byron de Arakal attempted to cobble together a motion for the commission to consider using Alternate #2 as the foundation.  Take a look at that one up top again.  However, he also added an element of #1 - the need for a waiver to be signed BEFORE any skater could use the facility - a key card to permit entrance to the park would be issued once the waiver is signed.  After painstakingly trying to craft just the right verbiage his motion died for lack of a second.

PEDERSON'S PASSES
Vice Chair Kim Pederson offered another motion - to basically use #3 - the staff recommendation - but to include a proviso for the staff to collaborate with skate groups - like Foleys - to develop more programs for the park and require it to come back for a review in a year.  Commissioner Don Harper seconded, but asked that the review be in six months.  It passed, 4-1, with de Arakal voting No.

LOOMER ON SENIOR CENTER
Next up was Interim Parks and Community Services Manager Penny Loomer, who put on a smiley face and told us all how wonderfully things were going at the Costa Mesa Senior Center since the City Council voted two weeks ago to evict the current operator - the Costa Mesa Senior Corporation - and replace it with city staff members.  According to Loomer, everything is just dandy, with 496 new members signed up.  When asked how many members the Center had she couldn't answer because the Senior Corporation Board will not share the membership list, so the city staff is building a new one from scratch.

POWERPOINT PRESENTATION
Loomer used a PowerPoint presentation to tell the commission and all of us in the audience - me - about the progress being made and the plans for the future following the completion of the takeover on September 7th.  I'll provide you with the images of her slide show, which are self-explanatory.  If necessary, I'll inject a comment or two.

Loomer indicated that the first two on this image donated $750.00 each for the July 3rd event.  Here's the flyer about that event.  So far, 140 people have signed up for it and will be served food by members of the Costa Mesa Public Safety organizations.  The hours are 11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

ADJOURNED IN MEMORY OF KYLE JOHNSON
Chairman de Arakal, choking on a lump in his throat, adjourned the meeting in memory of Kyle Johnson, husband of Costa Mesa High School Cheer Coach Kori Johnson, who died tragically in a car accident almost two weeks ago.  He cited the outpouring of love and support for Kori and her family by the community as a perfect example of what a caring city this is.

Of Trees, Skate Park and Seniors

DE ARAKAL AND PEDERSON BACK AGAIN
The Costa Mesa Parks and Recreation Commission, under the leadership of Chairman Byron de Arakal - re-elected at the last meeting, along with Vice Chair Kim Pederson - will meet Thursday, June 26, 2014 beginning at 6:00 p.m. in City Council Chambers at City Hall.  You can read the entire agenda HERE.

TREE REMOVAL REQUESTS
Old Business 9a, HERE; New Business 10b HERE and 10C HERE all involve tree removal requests and, while important to the individuals involved and to the overall well-being of our urban forest, tend to be just a little bit dry.

VOLCOM SKATE PARK PROPOSALS
However, "dryness" is not a word I would associate with New Business 10a, the Volcom Skate Park Review, HERE.  No, sir... this one promises to produce some lively discussion and may include some very interested parties - skaters and others - to address the issues involved.  The first two of the three options that will be presented by Recreation Supervisor Lisa McPherson will certainly generate some controversy because they potentially tighten-up the management of the park - and cost more money.  If the commission chooses either of them the City Council will be required to consider and approve them.  Please read the staff report for more details.  The third is the Staff Recommendation.

SENIOR CENTER UPDATE
Also, under item #13, Parks and Community Services Manager's Report, I'm told that Interim Manager Penny Loomer may provide the commission with an update on the Costa Mesa Senior Center and the activities that have taken place there since the City Staff inserted itself into the operations following the eviction notice given to the Senior Corporation by the City Council earlier this month.  My understanding is that there has been a very large sign-up for membership and another very large sign-up for participation in the Independence Day celebration on July 3rd.

ATTEND OR WATCH LIVE
I'll attend and report later Thursday night.  You can attend, too, if you wish or watch it live on Costa Mesa TV - Channel 3 on Time Warner Cable or Channel 99 on ATT UVerse - or watch it streamed live on your computer at the City website.

Senior Center Update

 OK, I WENT...
Today, after a week of folks yapping at me because I chose not to immerse myself personally in the drama that is the Costa Mesa Senior Center, I decided to drive across town and visit the building to see, first hand, just what was going on.

TRANQUILITY
I arrived in the early afternoon and found peace, quiet and apparent contentment among the handful of seniors visiting the Center.  As I walked past the counter just inside the door I saw Executive Director Aviva Goelman visiting with the attendant.  I know Aviva casually because a neighbor is her good friend, so I see her around my neighborhood occasionally.  We have a cordial and friendly relationship.

"THE LIST"... KIND OF...
I told Aviva I was there to snatch up one of those free memberships, so she pointed me across the room to the library where members of the City staff were set up.  I approached the first young woman I encountered, told her my mission and she promptly signed me up - took my name, address and telephone number for "the list".  When I asked her if that meant I was now signed up as a member of the Senior Center she, surprisingly, told me no.  I was now on the list the City was accumulating for when they took over operations of the Center on September 7th.  I was told that the Senior Center staff refused to share the membership list with the City staff, so they had to build a data base from scratch.  That seemed curious to me.

GOOD TO GO?  MAYBE...
I asked if I was now eligible to take part in Senior Center activities this summer, during the transition.  I was told I'd have to check with the Senior Center Staff, but I was invited to join the festivities on July 3rd, when the City staff would be hosting the annual celebration.  Another curious fact.

MEMBERSHIP LIST A QUANDARY
So, I wandered back to the counter and asked Aviva about the membership issue.  She told me that they couldn't share the membership list because it had personal information on it.  I wondered, but didn't ask, if that was not a problem that could be easily remedied by redacting personal information.

ALL PRICES THE SAME NOW
I was also told that there was no longer split pricing on events and activities.  No longer do "members" pay less than non-members.  All the prices are the same - the member price.  And, Aviva told me that all members who had renewed their memberships in April or later would have those fees refunded to them.  That seemed like a good idea.

THE NEW (INTERIM) BOSS...
As I stood there chatting the new Interim Manager, Eloisa Espinoza, walked past, returning from her lunch break.  Aviva pointed her out, so I set out in hot pursuit to chat with her about the Center, her assignment and the transition.

CONFIDENT AND COMPETENT
I followed in her wake to her workspace in the library - the City staff has carved out temporary work space in that room for the time being.  I found her to be a lovely woman with many years experience operating a similar facility in Fullerton.  She confirmed that my "new" membership was NOT a membership to the Senior Center.  I was just on a list of folks that will become the core of the City's membership roster in September.

TENSION...
We talked about the transition, which certainly appears to be marked with tension on both sides.  I could almost taste it as I spoke with staff members on both sides.  Both sides continue to tell me they only want what's best for the seniors, but, in my opinion, for that to happen there needs to be immediate interaction by them to facilitate that transition.

MY ANGER HAS NOT SUBSIDED
Let me state here that I'm still angry about the way this has been handled, and where the City thinks it has the authority to take over the Senior Center, but it's becoming more clear each day that this change IS GOING TO HAPPEN, so all parties need to attempt to make it work - and soon.

MEETING PLANNED
I was told that Ms. Espinosa and Penny Loomer - also an interim manager in the Recreation Division - will meet early next week with Aviva to begin this process in earnest.  This is good news.

THE BOARD NEEDS TO TIGHTEN ITS FOCUS
Later I learned that, although there are extremely critical and time-sensitive issues to be addressed by the current Senior Corporation Board dealing with the transition and possible dissolution of the corporation, there is NO MEETING PLANNED until August!  In my view, that's unacceptable.  There is so much going on that needs Executive direction - including the retention of programs; integration of new ones; the future of the staff; the transition to the new organization and the future of the corporation - that the Board should be meeting MORE often, not less, for goodness sake.

SECURITY IN PLACE
As I left I spoke with the new contract security guard, who works five days a week at the Center.  I asked him if he'd had to bust any heads of rowdy seniors since he started to work.  He smiled and said he had not, but he had called the police a couple times when transients refused to move away from the facility.  In recent months the facility has become a destination for more than a few homeless folks, which caused safety issues for the senior center members.  The presence of a full-time security presence seems like a good idea.

BOARD PRESIDENT
Later I contacted Senior Corporation Board President Judy Lindsay and told her of my visit.  She'd already had a report.  She's fully immersed in proceeding with plans to access if, and how, the Senior Corporation Board should be dissolved and has formed an ad hoc committee to work on that issue.  The Board is still working on their strained relationship with the City leadership, establishing ground rules and trying to set aside the animosity that exists and make this transition as smooth as possible.

MY OPINION...
I also spoke on a conference call with CEO Tom Hatch and his assistant CEO, Tammy Letourneau.  I told them of my visit and gave them my opinions - for what they are worth.  Since this change is going to take place, both sides need to make it work smoothly so the seniors can get some peace of mind and the programs can continue uninterrupted.  There are financial and administrative issues that MUST be addressed - contract transfers, employee departures, etc.  Hopefully, those can begin at that meeting next week.  Both affirmed their commitment to the well-being of the seniors of this city.

RENEWED INTEREST
According to Letourneau, 416 individuals have been signed up on the City list so far.  And, 115 have signed up for the July 3rd Independence Day event that the City salvaged from the scrap heap during the turmoil about the takeover of the Center.  Both of those numbers are good news and probably give a good indication of the renewed interest and confidence in this change.

OK - IT HAPPENED - LET'S MAKE IT WORK!
The sad part about this drama is that it probably didn't have to happen this way.  The ham-handed, unilateral way the decision was made by the City to take over the Senior Center - yes, Wendy, it IS a hostile takeover - has exacerbated an already tense situation.  The staff of the Senior Center all know they will be losing their jobs, so many of them are actively looking for other full-time employment.  This is, at least, a distraction to providing services.  That being said, in my opinion, they - starting with and guided by the leadership of Aviva Goelman - need to work hard with the new City staff to blend programs.  And the Senior Corporation Board needs to focus on the important issues facing them - both fiscal and administrative - and hold whatever number of meetings are necessary to make this transition work.  To do less will violate their fiduciary responsibility and certainly contribute to the apprehension by senior center members and the staff on both sides of the equation.

CONSIDER THE DRAFT AGREEMENT
I doubt it's possible, but the Draft Agreement, HERE, attached to the staff report for the meeting on June 10th seemed - with the exception of the controversial request for indemnification - to be an excellent transition document.  I don't know if that's on the table or not, but even if it's not, the procedures outlined in it could make for a clear road map for the transition.  Both sides should consider the process defined in it, whether codified or not.

Wisdom Prevails - Flyers Extended 5 Years

A GOOD MOVE...
At the meeting of the Costa Mesa Parks and Recreation Commission Thursday night wisdom prevailed as the commission voted to extend the agreement between the City and the Harbor Soaring Society (HSS) 5 years, not the one-year originally proposed.

SANITY PREVAILS

Following a step-by-step description of the proposed changes in the language of the agreement, HERE, by Parks Project Manager Bart Mejia, and brief presentations by members of the HSS, a discussion was held on the controversial language apparently added to the agreement by the City Attorney that imposed the responsibility on the HSS to enforce rules on ALL flyers at the park, not just their members.  After a short discussion, which included the possibility of bringing the issue back again once the questionable segments were further vetted by the City Attorney, Chairman Byron de Arakal took charge and made a motion to extend the agreement for 5 years and without the controversial language mentioned above.  The motion passed unanimously.  It was nice to see sanity prevail.

FIELD USE
Next up was the new Athletic Field Use and Allocation Policy recommendations, HERE.  Recreation Supervisor Lisa McPherson led the discussion of the changes, which can be seen in an easy-to-understand redline version, Attachment 1, in the staff report.

CHANGES....
As you might have expected, this one took a lot more conversation and presentations and opinions by representatives of several user groups.  Many of the changes were purely cosmetic, updating the titles of departments and positions within the departments, but some were quite controversial and took some serious fleshing out.

WAIT, WHAT?
For example, on page two, under section II, DEFINITION OF TERMS AND FEES, in the section defining Resident Status, there appeared this new sentence:
Special residency status is assigned for Group 1's that have any students attending any school (private or public) within the boundaries of the Newport Mesa Unified School District.

TIGHTENED DEFINITION
After examining that statement, including with user group representatives like Mark Arblaster (shown) it became very clear that it was quite problematic and had the potential to permit a user group with only 1 participant attending ANY school within the NMUSD to qualify as a Group 1 user.  This certainly was not the intent, so - after several discussions with user group representatives - the language will be modified to narrow-down the definition to mean only youth baseball - Little League and Pony League.

LIGHTED FIELDS TO BE EXPANDED
The other VERY significant change that was made during the meeting was the modification of the fields to be potentially lighted.  This has been a HUGE sticking point for de Arakal ever since he took his seat and he and others in the community have been working hard to find fields that could be lighted for youth soccer practice.  AYSO 97 representative Brett Eckles was among those participating in this discussion.  The upshot of the meeting last night was that several schools were added to the roster of fields to potentially be lighted - Woodland Elementary, Lindbergh School, Kaiser School and Back Bay High School.  In addition, Harper School - which has been lighted recently - was removed from the roster.  It is de Arakal's plan to develop some kind of a rotation program for lighted fields - a kind of "share the pain" program, as described by Commissioner Dean Abernathy.

COMPENSATION
You can read the summary in the staff report for the remainder of the issues addressed, including the exclusion from Group 1 status those that compensate local executive staff and/or board members.  Friday Night Lights representative Scott Mahaffey had been the center of that controversy and addressed  it last night.

TREES
The proposal to remove four trees from property adjacent to a Swan Drive home was approved.  The tree request for Princeton Drive was denied.

THINGS ARE LOOKING UP
The Maintenance Services Manager's Report by Bruce Hartley was interesting to the three of us left in the auditorium.  He mentioned that, for the first time in many years, his group is nearly fully staffed.  Five new employees have recently been hired and only one vacancy exists.  This has permitted the organization to move more briskly with projects that had stalled because of staffing issues.  He mentioned completing more than 33 park and facility improvement projects and that the proposed Fiscal Year 2014/2015 budget will include $294,000 for "small" parks/facility projects.

KNAPP REPLACEMENT RECRUITMENT
Interim Parks and Community Services Manager Penny Loomer reported that the recruitment for a permanent replacement for the departed Bob Knapp is moving forward.  Interviews will be conducted on May 14th and it is hoped to have a new person in place by July 1st.

ACKNOWLEDGING LYTTLE
Before closing the meeting de Arakal mentioned that Park Ranger Lorna Lyttle has recently deployed to Afghanistan, and is one of many members of the city staff who also serve in military reserve units.  He praised her citizenship and wished her well during her anticipated 11 month absence.