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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Minutes - City Council - Meeting Date: 11/18/2008 (7) *PLEASE NOTE: Since the Glendale City Council does not take formal action at the Workshops, Workshop minutes are not approved by the City Council. MINUTES CITY OF GLENDALE CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP NOVEMBER 18, 2008 1:30 P.M. PRESENT: Mayor Elaine M. Scruggs, Vice Mayor Manuel D. Martinez, and Councilmembers Joyce V. Clark, Steven E. Frate, David M. Goulet, Yvonne J. Knaack, and H. Phillip Lieberman ALSO PRESENT: Ed Beasley, City Manager; Pam Kavanaugh, Assistant City Manager; Craig Tindall, City Attorney; and Darcie McCracken, Deputy City Clerk 1 . PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN UPDATE CITY STAFF PRESENTING THIS ITEM: Ms. Gloria Santiago-Espino, Deputy City Manager; Ms. Becky Benna, Parks and Recreation Director and Mr. Clyde Brown, Senior Management Assistant This is a request for the City Council to provide guidance regarding its priorities for updating the current Parks and Recreation Master Plan. The proposed Master Plan update will involve the community and leadership in providing direction for future parks and recreation services. The Master Plan update supports the Council's goal of ensuring high-quality services for citizens and promoting a city that is fiscally sound. The Master Plan update will review parks and recreation service levels, identify community priorities for those services, and the resources needed to meet those priorities. At the April 1, 2008 and April 22, 2008 City Council Workshop meetings, the Council requested that it provide strategic direction to staff regarding priorities that should be addressed in the upcoming Master Plan update process. During the April meetings, the Council also discussed concerns about the care of existing parks and facilities versus constructing and operating future parks and facilities. Due to the growth and changes in the community since the adoption of the current Master Plan, the review and update of the current master plan is needed to address the following areas: 1 • Review of the existing plan and status of its action strategies and accomplishments. • Identify Council, community and staff strategic priorities, action strategies, and action steps to focus on during the next five years following the adoption of the updated plan. • Develop estimated operating and capital costs, and service levels needed to accomplish the strategic priorities. Staff provided the Mayor and Council a report which provided information regarding the Master Plan update on November 4, 2008. The same report was attached to the council communication for this item. On February 26, 2002, the City Council adopted a Master Plan. The City of Glendale provides 89 parks and green spaces, various aquatics facilities, recreation centers, golf courses, and historical landmarks that encompass over 2,100 acres throughout the community. Parks and recreation services offer an array of opportunities for healthy living, providing safe places to play and developing positive life skills, protecting open space, and enhancing neighborhood pride and involvement throughout the community. The Master Plan update will identify emerging community needs related to parks and recreation, and involves the community and leadership in providing direction for future parks and recreation services. Staff is seeking guidance from the Council regarding its priorities for the Master Plan update. Ms. Becky Benne, Parks and Recreation Director, informed the Council that since 2002, the City has renovated eight parks, pools and recreation facilities and another four older parks will be renovated in 2009. Additionally, new major projects include 16 new parks, 5 recreation facilities and the next phase of the Western Area Regional Park to be completed in 2009. She added that the City was also responsible for the landscape maintenance and water service to 18 other city facilities and locations. Councilmember Clark asked what about the acreage of Thunderbird Park. Ms. Benne stated Thunderbird Park had 1,187 acres. Councilmember Clark asked what other 18 city facilities they managed. Ms. Benne explained that some were Fire Stations, Libraries, as well as many other operations centers. Mayor Scruggs inquired why it was the responsibility of Parks and Recreation to maintain those facilities. Ms. Benne explained this has been a past practice, and as city services have evolved, it still has the responsibility of the Parks and Recreation Department for that portion of the operation. She hopes to reevaluate that matter during the Master Plan review since the department is responsible, however, has little control. Mayor Scruggs asked if this was the procedure simply because it had evolved that way and previously had not been evaluated. Ms. Benno responded, yes. 2 Ms. Benna explained the Master Plan process and the direction for future Parks and Recreation services. She stated this would be approximately a ten month process. This will be done with the aid of a consultant to assist in the process. Councilmember Goulet inquired if there were any new components or amenities in new parks that have not been used for older parks, therefore, becoming a cost factor in the operation of future parks. Ms. Benna indicated that was part of the review process being worked on right now. Additionally, they were trying to find better ways to provide park services, such as using solar energy for lighting. Councilmember Goulet commented he was delighted to hear they were exploring using solar energy. Councilmember Frate commented on the renovation of older parks in comparison with adding new parks. He asked what procedure or time frame was used to know when to renovate older parks. Ms. Benna explained that staff has completed an inventory and assessment of park amenities for each park. She noted this assessment will be compiled into a database, which will help examine what is needed. She added an important factor was demand and use of the facilities. Councilmember Frate commented that his constituents always want additional shade. He noted he would like to see older parks upgraded and maintained before they start building new parks. Mayor Scruggs commented on the many different areas that have replacement funds for upgrading equipment. She stated she had given this matter a lot of thought and found they had run into the same problem regarding repairing old streets verses adding new ones and not having enough funds for maintaining them. She suggested examining the benefit of developing a designated fee for programs and activities in order to help recover some cost for the facilities as a replacement fund. She explained they needed to look at other mechanisms, rather than just relying on the budget process. Mayor Scruggs discussed identifying recreational needs for citizens in the 2002 plan. She stated that some of those items were selected for other than what was intended. She explained she would like the Master Plan examined thoroughly to scrutinize what is really needed and to ask the tough questions. She stated it was crucial that the City provide the best and most comprehensive status for the future. Mayor Scruggs questioned the City's role in the private sector. She wondered if the City should continue to offer recreational classes and where it crosses the line. She explained they should question all items and go back and examine the core. She questioned adding the latest and greatest trends unless it was cost neutral. She noted she was concerned that the more they added on, the less able they were to do what they were suppose to be doing. She added she was glad they were looking seriously at the operating cost because the last thing the City wants to do is decrease services anywhere. Mayor Scruggs inquired as to the neighborhoods centers. Ms. Benna stated an example of a neighborhood center was the Glendale Community Center. She noted current service levels are levels that had been established in the current Master Plan, which will be reviewed again and possibly modified. Ms. Benna stated we need to think outside the box to keep providing services to the community efficiently. Additionally, funding must be available, whether it is from a public-private partnership or other resources in order to do so. 3 Mayor Scruggs reiterated her thoughts on being thorough when looking at the Master Plan and examining what is really needed and how they can maximize what they already have. Vice Mayor Martinez asked if staff has addressed the previous parks identified for renovation. Ms. Benna replied they were on a cycle which allows for continuous renovation. Vice Mayor Martinez inquired as to the membership of the Glendale Adult Center. Ms. Benna stated membership was good and they have been able to accommodate the needs of the public. She noted every year staff conducts a utilization analysis of the facility. Vice Mayor Martinez asked if there had been any discussion on expanding the second floor of the Adult Center. Ms. Benna stated that it is part of the yearly analysis to see if it is needed and can be funded. Councilmember Clark asked Ms. Benna if they were able to capture data for neighborhood parks. Ms. Benna replied that currently, they did not because it was very difficult to do physically counting users in the parks; however, they could possibly do spot checks. Councilmember Clark compared O'Neil, Bicentennial and Discovery Parks and their different levels of uses. She inquired as to the determining factor when it came to how much each was used. She would like to examine how neighborhood parks are planned and used by the community. She indicated she liked Mayor Scruggs idea of possibly adding a fee to address funding for maintenance. Councilmember Clark discussed the Operation and Maintenance budget for 2008/09. She asked what the total Parks and Recreation budget was. Ms. Benna stated it was approximately $15 million. Councilmember Clark indicated that 30% of the Department's budget goes to Operation and Maintenance. Councilmember Clark stated if they want to enhance O&M, they need to find a way to allocate more resources. Ms. Benna agreed. Councilmember Clark questioned the 18 facilities they were responsible for and suggested funding of those facilities should go back to the facilities themselves. She stated it was important to come up with a mission for goals and strategies in order to meet the overall objective. She suggested public input as they go through the Parks and Recreation Master Plan process. She recommended asking the public what they like to see in a park, instead of asking them to choose from different facilities. Councilmember Clark referred to page two. She discussed the bullet points which she believed were very important. The categories were to locate and design facilities to enhance growth, make efforts to maintain older neighborhoods, provide equitable distribution of park amenities and plan for ample park and recreational facilities in new developing areas. She noted she looks forward to seeing the updated Master Plan. She commented the original plan was part of the 2025 plan. Therefore, she asked, if they do an update, did it require a citizen vote. Mr. Craig Tindall, City Attorney, stated it would probably require one; however, it also depends on the impact it has on planning and zoning. Councilmember Goulet commented on Mayor Scruggs' thoughts regarding possibly not offering everything to everyone because of the continued increase in cost. However, he agrees with Councilmember Clark that in some areas, those opportunities are needed because of low income families. He asked Ms. Benna about the business opportunities being researched to help consolidate some areas. Ms. Benna explained they had several intergovernmental agreements with a variety of schools and would like to expand and create new partnerships. Councilmember Goulet noted the city was doing a good job in making activities and entertainment very diverse. 4 Mayor Scruggs explained that she understands not everyone can afford to pay and was glad to hear they were exploring partnership opportunities. She stated her concerns on equity regarding a high school program, which was only offered at one school at great expense to the city. She also explained while examining the map, past decisions were made to develop various parks in neighborhoods; however, that trend had declined with time. Councilmember Knaack commented that because of the current economic climate, the Master Plan needs to be reviewed annually. She reiterated her stand on renovating and maintaining older parks before developing new facilities. She stated she was glad to hear staff was exploring opportunities with public private partnerships. She echoed everyone's sentiments that they alone can not be everything to everyone. She stated Glendale has one of the best park systems and would like to keep it that way, while keeping the basic services they have. Councilmember Knaack inquired as to the Sahuaro Ranch park ramada pavilion and the responsibility for maintenance. Ms. Benna stated ramada maintenance will also be analyzed in the Master Plan update. Councilmember Lieberman inquired as to the Foothills Recreation and Aquatic Multi- Generational Center and what had been done to have operations come closer to paying its own way. Ms. Benna stated they were able to hit their designated target, which was the 78% cost recovery. Councilmember Lieberman stated that although it was a great start, he would like to see an 85% cost recovery. Mayor Scruggs explained that the Council had adopted what was developed by Parks and Recreation as a realistic business plan, which was a 78% cost recovery. Additionally, it is 78% more in cost recovery than most of the facilities in the Parks and Recreation Department. She added that most recover zero percent. She noted she was surprised they had hit their goal. Councilmember Lieberman wondered if it was possible to see a 78% recovery cost for Rose Lane Pool or facilities such as the Adult Center. He stated he wanted to see a comparison of the 78% to see if it was reasonable to expect that from other facilities. He commented on the many improvements made to the parks, as well as the heavy investments that have been made to serve the citizens. He added Glendale had done it very well. Vice Mayor Martinez related how even before he was appointed to the Council, there had been a need to build a Multi-Generational Center in the northern region. He explained how the Foothills Center had been delayed for many years because of operation and maintenance cost. He provided details on a business plan that would pay 78%, which would help meet both the public and the city's needs. He indicated he believed were it not for this plan, the facility would not have been built. He stated the facility had proven to be a great asset to the community. Councilmember Frate indicated he occasionally receives calls for special needs programs for children. He would like a focus on providing a variety of programs for special needs children. He suggested possibly partnering with a private organization and seeing what can be developed. Ms. Benna indicated that because of community involvement, they now have a Citizens Adaptive Recreation Advisory Committee. This committee is charged to work with staff and look for potential partnerships, knowing that the city had limited resources. She added they were also looking to expand programs 5 for special needs. Councilmember Frate stated it would be helpful to advertise these programs and make the public aware of them. Mayor Scruggs announced that on December 4th, a kid's musical will be held at the Adult Center at 6:30pm. She acknowledged both Ms. Benna and Ms. Santiago-Espino for this wonderful event. Councilmember Knaack stated she wanted to remind everyone that the Adult Center was not a Senior Center. She stated the center is used for all ages and all sorts of projects. Councilmember Lieberman commented on the second floor of the Adult Center Facility. He noted he has received numerous requests to complete it. Councilmember Frate stated this was a perfect example of a building that has not been completed while others are slated to be built. Councilmember Clark made the observation that they need to follow the principle of balance and equity and be sensitive to both the old and the new. Mayor Scruggs stated her appreciation for the quality and content of the reports that are provided to Council in order to keep them informed and up-to-date on any new developments. She thanked staff for the tremendous work, projects and improvements that have been made to Parks and Recreation. 2. REPORT ON ASSESSMENT OF POLICE BASIC TRAINING NEEDS CITY STAFF PRESENTING THIS ITEM: Mr. Steven Conrad, Chief of Police This is a request for the City Council to review the report on Police Basic Training Needs prepared by the Glendale Police Department, as requested in the April 1, 2008 Budget Workshop. The Council set a goal to make public safety a priority in the city. This goal is served by the professional training provided to city police. The Council raised the issue and requested a study of whether there is an imminent need to implement Phase Two of the Glendale Regional Public Safety Training Center capital plan and about the availability of training slots at the academy. Police priorities for the training facility were scheduled in Phase Two because of the use of Arizona Law Enforcement Academy (ALEA). Council requested information about the ALEA and whether the city should continue to rely on ALEA to meet its basic police training needs. On November 4, 2008, the report "Assessment of Police Basic Training Needs" was delivered to the Mayor and each Councilmember. The same report was attached to the council communication for this item. 6 At the Council Workshop held on April 1, 2008, the City Council discussed the Glendale Regional Public Safety Training Center and the issue of providing police recruit training at that location. The report recommends an action plan and requests the Council to review and provide guidance as to future strategy. Mayor Scruggs informed the Council she would be leaving early, however, would like to acknowledge the comprehensive, detailed and in-depth report on this item. Chief Conrad stated that Mr. Bruce Kline had been the author of this report and had truly been invaluable to the department on this issue. Chief Conrad provided an overview of the report. He indicated that Council had raised the issue and requested a study of whether there is an imminent need to implement Phase Two of the Glendale Regional Public Safety Training Center, as well as the availability of training slots at the academy. Based on the analysis, they concluded there was more than enough capacity in the state's system to meet not only their need, but the needs of all other agencies in the state for the foreseeable future. He explained the chart comparison and how it was based on the assumptions that the population of this state will continue to grow at the rate given by the Department of Economic Security and that the current ratio of officers to citizens would remain constant as the population grows. Chief Conrad reported on Council's request for information about ALEA and whether the city should continue to rely on ALEA to meet its basic police training needs. He explained that most west valley agencies use this academy for their basic training because of its proximity. Based on their analysis, the demand at ALEA will not reach capacity until the year 2020. This is the only academy in the state where they found that the need would overtake the capacity. He explained the assumptions include a 3% growth in ALEA. He stated that based on the analysis and in his professional opinion, they should continue to use ALEA for basic training. He noted that at this time it continues to be the most cost effective approach, given the present economic climate today. He added he was very satisfied with the product coming out of ALEA, which has produced effective and efficient officers to serve in the community. Councilmember Lieberman commented he had been thoroughly convinced by the methodical report. He noted Chief Conrad had proven his point. However, he did want to know why the Glendale Community College System was using our facility for training officers instead of using ALEA for less money. Chief Conrad explained the Glendale Community College System is a partner at their training center and is also part of IGA. He stated the college was rearranging some of the classes they offered. He explained this allowed them to start a full-time academy within their 3,200 hours of usage. He noted the Police Department was looking at this as an opportunity to do some early experimentation in what it took to run an academy should the need arise in the future. Councilmember Lieberman asked if this would lead to full scale training of our officers through Glendale Community College's particular classroom endeavors. Chief Conrad replied there were no plans at this time. 7 Councilmember Knaack commented on the great report which left no doubts the correct system was being used for training police officers. Councilmember Clark also commented on the clarity and thoroughness of the report. She explained they were in excellent shape for Phase II, which is slated for 2014/2018. She reiterated she felt very confident in the report. Councilmember Frate stated the report was excellent. He commented that this proves they should be wise with taxpayer money. He explained it would be nice to build a new facility, however, if it is not necessary, why build it. He said it should only be built when necessary. Councilmember Goulet thanked Mr. Kline for a clear and concise report. He asked if this report could be put online and be assessable to the public. He explained this report answers many assumptions and questions from the public on how things are managed by the city. Vice Mayor Martinez stated he agreed with everything that has been said regarding the report and its findings. He explained how early on he had been disappointed in finding out the facility was not being used for basic training. However, after reading this report, it really explains and clarifies many of the questions and concerns he had before. He thanked Mr. Kline and Chief Conrad for their work on this report. Vice Mayor Martinez read a short statement from Mayor Scruggs. In it she states "The report is exceptionally well prepared and I learned a lot. I understand and respect the interrelationship among Glendale, the Arizona Police Officers Standards and Training Board, ALEA and other departments. I support staffs rational in determining the best time to expand the Glendale Public Safety Training Center." As no further business was presented, Vice Mayor Martinez adjourned the meeting. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 3:15 p.m. 8