The December 17, 2009 Board Meeting of the Pleasant Hill Recreation & Park District Board of Directors was called to order by Board Chair Sherry Sterrett at 7:00 p.m. in the Conference Room at the Administration Office.

Pledge of Allegiance

Recreation Supervisor Dave Peters led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Roll Call

Board Present: Bonato, Donaghu, Hurd, Shepard, Sterrett

Board Absent:

Berggren, Hunn, Jones, Kubota, Miller, Peters, J. Pitcher, T.Riley (intern), Sarvi, Spatz

Public Comment

MONIKA OLSEN, Concord resident - She stated she is an instructor for the Mt. Diablo Adult Education program, a Board Member of the Pleasant Hill Instructional Garden Group (PHIG) and a Contra Costa Master Gardener. She passed out a proposed Memorandum of Understanding to the Board which she is proposing and had sent to the General Manager, which includes a proposed easement. The issue is the District property boundary where the Instructional Garden is. She recently met with Park Superintendent Lynn Spatz and Park Supervisor Todd Smith to find a workable solution. She said discussions with Spatz have continued. Olsen said there are structures built on the District property and added she was informed of the boundary line after the structures were built. Olsen stated that she felt the purpose of PHIG falls in line with the District’s Mission Statement and wants to make sure the access to the garden is safe and easy. She feels that cooperation in working together is beneficial to the community. Board Chair Sterrett agreed and said the agenda item will be placed on a future Board Meeting Agenda for action when documents have been reviewed.

ALAN PARKMAN, Martinez resident – He stated that he is donating design expertise to assist the PHIG project and encourages the Board to collaborate with PHIG and the School District in providing a beautiful, economical and sustainable garden. He showed some of the conceptual designs of the plans. He mentioned it will include a water feature with a seep and at the lower part of the garden, a bog. Board Chair Sterrett thanked Parkman for his presentation.

MARILYN SPERLING, Pleasant Hill resident – She is the parent of the Eagle Scout that built the kiosk at the Instructional Garden as their Eagle Scout project. She said that he is at college and would like to have more time to be able to move the kiosk. She said her son is concerned.

ARTI KIRCH, Pleasant Hill resident – She said she is on the Steering Committee for the Pleasant Hill Instructional Garden and presented a statement from Cindy Segul, Pleasant Hill resident. Ms. Segul expressed her concerns about the Pleasant Hill Instructional Garden receiving a grant from the Pleasant Hill Community Foundation and having to move some of the structures. Kirch said she wanted to read two other statements from other PHIG members, Alan Bade and Wendy Galup. Board Chair Sterrett stated that the Board received emails from Alan and Wendy. Board Chair Sterrett thanked Kirch for her comments.

Ex-Officio Member Report, Nasreen Broomand, CPHS

Ex-Officio Member Broomand reported there was a meeting with all Club Presidents of College Park High School and it was decided that minutes will need to be turned in from the club meetings. The Associated Body funds are low and the start up now is $100 instead of the normal $200 start in past years. The Inter-Act Club donated chicken broth, cranberry sauce and fruit cocktail to the Monument Crisis Center. Board Chair Sterrett thanked Broomand for her report.

Consent Calendar

Board Member Bonato requested that item c – to consider resolution 2009-12-17B, two years additional service for Public Employee Retirement System (PERS) for qualified employees be removed from the consent calendar and action taken separately.

Board Member Bonato asked about item b on the consent calendar. The General Manager explained that it is regarding the senior care management program that has been established for many years. Some of the funding for the program is through the Contra Costa County Community Development Block Grant assisting seniors in need within the community.

Upon motion of Shepard/Donaghu, the Board approved items a and b of the consent calendar:

• To Approve Bills to be paid, warrants #13103 - #13147 in the amount of $350,921.53 dated December 17, 2009.
• To Approve Resolution 2009-12-17A, for the Contra Costa County Community Development Block Grant Funding to Continue the Senior Services Network Program at the Pleasant Hill Senior Center.
  

The General Manager stated that the two years additional service program for eligible employees has to have a two week period in between from when it was approved by the Board until the signing and approval of the resolution. The General Manager explained that qualified employees are being given from January 1, 2010 – June 30, 2010 to designate interest in taking part in this program. If this item is delayed, it gives the employee a shorter period of time to decide. If no employee takes advantage of the program, then the District moves on. Board Member Hurd said that the District would be saving if even one qualified employee takes advantage of the program. Board Member Shepard said she would like more time to research the program. Board Member Bonato is not convinced and wants to go back and see how much savings there was from taking advantage of this program the last time it was offered. Board Chair Sterrett tabled this item until the January 14, 2010 Board Meeting.

To Announce Board Committee Assignments for 2010

Board Chair Sterrett announced the following committee assignments:

Committee:

Bond Projects: Shepard, Chair; Bonato, Member

Budget & Finance: Bonato, Chair; Hurd, Member

Land/Facility Development: Hurd, Chair; Shepard, Member

Personnel: Sterrett, Chair; Donaghu, Member

Program: Donaghu, Chair; Bonato, Member

City/District Liaison: Sherry Sterrett/Cecile Shepard

Chamber Representative: Dennis Donaghu/Sherry Sterrett

Flood Zone Task Force: Joe Hurd

CSDA Representative: Sherry Sterrett

CAPRI Representative: Bob Berggren, General Manager

To Consider Schedule and Timeline for District Bond Projects (ACTION)

The General Manager reviewed the schedule and timeline of the District Bond Projects. He introduced the District Interim Project Manager Hamid Sarvi and the Senior Center and Teen Center Architect Steve Harriman. The General Manager mentioned that we will have to have temporary space for existing programs, such as preschool and all other classes during construction. When speaking of combining the Senior Center and Teen Center as one project, Sunseri Construction gave an estimate of about $200,000 - $300,000 in savings. He said they indicated with general conditions, there would also be a half percent of savings to contractor savings of about $50,000.

Interim Project Manager Hamid Sarvi stated the path to go with the Senior Center and Teen Center for the first project and then the Community Center and the other projects following was collectively decided to be the best path to start with because of how far along the plans are. He clarified the color coding and specified the red triangles indicate important milestones that need to be met; the blue bars are design tasks. He thanked Steve Harriman for meeting with him about a month ago to review all the design tasks and for working with him on the timeline and schedule which is aggressive, but responsible at the same time. He said there are concurrent tasks. He said the green tabs will be the review period. He said the goal is to work closely with the City and Staff and expressed the importance of staying on schedule and following the timeline of the projects. He continued explaining the schedule.

Board Member Bonato asked about the various design steps that are taken. Currently, the designs are exterior, floor plans and nothing related to the interior design. Architect Steve Harriman said the process of submitting plans to the City, initially it will be 30% of the design submittal. As they refine the building design and details for construction, the plans are resubmitted. The City Design Engineer will make any changes or suggestions. A structural engineer and mechanical engineer will be involved at this stage and about 60% of the design will be submitted and eventually 100% of the design. Once that is complete, there will be another submittal to the Board and Project Manager that will be evaluated by engineers. Board Member Shepard asked how the District will know if they are on track financially and staying within budget. Harriman said a little before the submittal points, the finances will be reviewed. There should not be significant changes from what is budgeted. The Project Manager will be given the costs and will manage the finances of the projects.

PUBLIC COMMENT:

JACK PROSEC, Pleasant Hill Resident – He spoke about only having two periods represented and thinks there needs to be three periods. In each period there should be about 2-3 weeks duration to get feedback and input from representatives from the Senior Center as well as Staff and Board. Sarvi expressed that the District will have feedback from the community when the plans are reviewed at meetings where the community and public can attend. Harriman stated the plans will be presented to the Board at the 30%, 60% and 100% submittal points. He said in addition to these presentations, meetings will be on-going.

Board Member Donaghu said at the company where he works, there were several projects completed recently and agrees that the proposed timeline is doable and likes the schedule and timeline of the District bond projects. Board Member Hurd agreed with the schedule and timeline as well and said it was well thought out. Board Member Bonato stated that her concern is the combining of the Senior Center and Teen Center projects and feels the attention needs to be put on the Community Center. She is concerned about the condition of the Community Center and waiting two years may be too long. Safety is number one. She said she does not have enough information to only have one approach with starting with the Senior Center and Teen Center as the first project and then the Community Center second. She would like to see the design work on the Community Center start now while the work is going on with the Senior Center and Teen Center. She would hold off on the building of the Teen Center and save on construction costs to put towards the Community Center. She said if the District “puts pedal to the metal”, the Community Center project may break ground in 16 months. She feels that housing some of the programs will be an issue, but there may be other areas in the community that may be able to house some of the programs temporarily while the construction of the Community Center is taking place. Interim Project Manager Hamid Sarvi clarified that the 16 months is not from today, but from when there is an architect on board and the plans have been further developed similar to where the Senior Center plans are now. He said there are a few more months or so to get us to that point, so 20 – 24 months from now would be more accurate.

Board Chair Sterrett said it is not an issue of priority of the projects, but an issue of strategizing when you can get them in the market place, when the programs can be moved around and get the design and review of plans complete. She votes to have the Senior Center first, and now from more research, she agrees to have the Senior Center and Teen Center project combined, especially if the District can save $200,000. She said the Teen Center was not on the radar, but after the survey was completed the community said they wanted a new Teen Center and Senior Center. The Teen Center was added as a project due to the outcome of the request of the community. She said if the Community Center is wisely used and closely monitored, she feels that the schedule and timeline proposal will work. Board Member Donaghu said to start with the Senior Center and Teen Center as combined projects and also advance with design plans for the Community Center with an overlap of planning while the Senior Center and Teen Center projects are still going on. Board Member Shepard is in support of the recommended schedule and timeline. She said if some of the buildings are completed, then some of the programs at the Community Center can move to the new Senior Center and Teen Center instead of renting or buying portables.

Upon motion of Hurd/Donaghu, the Board approved the recommended schedule and timeline of bond projects as presented with an amended motion to include moving forward on the design phase of the Community Center as quickly as safety allows.

To Consider Selection of California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Consultant (ACTION)

The General Manager, along with the selection committee consisting of Board Members Cecile Shepard and Sherry Sterrett, Park Superintendent Lynn Spatz and Interim Project Manager Hamid Sarvi interviewed two CEQA Consultants. Both consultants interviewed well and received many high recommendations from their references. Jerry Haag had good insight and was very informative and knowledgeable. Haag’s proposal included the biological consultant which is a requirement of the City. Board Member Shepard commented that she learned more about the District and the District’s needs from Haag.

Upon motion of Shepard/Donaghu, the Board approved Jerry Haag as the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Consultant.

To Consider Administrative Leave for Exempt Employees (Second Reading/ACTION)

The General Manager said the language was changed from requests made by the Board at the first reading of this policy. He commented that the administrative leave cannot be carried over and cannot be paid out in the event of retirement or any other separation of employment with the District. Board Member Bonato had a concern about the employee taking the administrative leave along with vacation time and feels there should be a clause which states the employee can only take up to two day increments. Board Chair Sterrett had a suggestion to change the word to may instead of “will”. Board Member Hurd said it is at the approval of the General Manager and the final determination of the employee’s administrative leave request is made by the General Manager. The General Manager said it is much in line with other agencies that were surveyed. He said all the exempt employees work many additional hours and would not take advantage of the policy. He would not want to limit the days an employee can take at a time.

The General Manager said he wanted to have consistency for the exempt employees. He explained that the recreation field is different and seasonal. Board Member Sterrett said some employees go above and beyond and this is a way of giving back some time to employees that are working long hours. Bonato feels that the employee accepts a job knowing it is a salaried position and there is no comp time for an exempt employee. Board Member Donaghu said he comes from the public sector and there are workers that are exempt and they do not have comp time for their employees, but there are times when an employee works 24 hours straight and it is a safety issue, so the employee would be asked to take some comp time off so they can go home and rest up to come back to work. He feels that the employees in this District are diligent and will not abuse the policy. Board Member Hurd suggested having the policy as two paragraphs and make it clear that the General Manager approves the first 40 hours of administrative leave and for an additional 40 hours, that would have to be approved by the General Manager as well.

Board Chair Sterrett asked the General Manager to change the verbiage on the policy and make the suggested changes to bring back to the Board at the January 14, 2010 Board Meeting.

To Consider Procedures for Establishment of Oversight Committee for District Bond Projects (ACTION)

The General Manager said there needs to be a bond oversight committee established and is recommending a five member committee. He researched some other agencies and it ranged from 5 up to 11 member committees. He said the oversight committee should be operated for the duration of the conception phase of the specific projects and financial advisor Craig Hill said we should come up with the expenditure policy, the committee composition and the roles and responsibilities of the oversight committee. An application and an open recruitment flyer were reviewed by the Board. The General Manager said earlier Board Member Bonato asked about the Measure E Expenditure Policy and if the projects listed are the only facilities that the bond funds can be used for. He said if there are funds remaining after all the major projects listed are completed, they can be used for other District facilities.

He emphasized that the committee is a Bond Oversight Committee and they will not be involved with the design of the facilities. He said they are making sure the expenditures are being utilized for the bond projects. Board Chair Sterrett said it would be like an audit. The Committee would be auditing the expenditures of the bond projects. The Board would approve a budget and the budget is given to the committee to review. Board Chair Sterrett requested to have a 9 member committee. After some discussion, it was decided to have a 7 member committee and the Board decided on having a selection committee to conduct the interviews of the applicants. The selection committee would consist of members Sherry Sterrett and Sandy Bonato. The interviews will be conducted on Monday, January 25 from 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Upon motion of Bonato/Shepard, the Board approved the procedures for establishment of a Bond Oversight Committee consisting of 7 members, which will be selected and approved by the Board of Directors at the January 28, 2010 Board Meeting.

To Set a Date for Annual Board Study Session

After some discussion, the Board decided on Wednesday, January 27 for the Annual Board Study Session from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. The location will be determined, but it may be at Rodgers Ranch.

Board Announcements And Requests To Staff

Board Member Bonato said she was wondering about the KIDSTOP agreement. The General Manager said the Mt. Diablo Unified School District has the agreement and he will follow up with them. Bonato was also wondering about the Friends of Rodgers Ranch and the District’s use of Rodgers Ranch and about restoring the barn. She attended the Holiday Festival and said it is a wonderful gift from staff to the Community. She also attended the Chamber Mixer at the Kensington Place and enjoyed it.

Board Member Donaghu attended the Chamber Mixer at the Kensington Place and said it was a nice event. He also attended the Chamber Board Meeting and he gave an update on Bond Measure E. He mentioned there are 70 new Chamber members, but they lost about 80 – 85 members. The next Chamber Mixer will be at Hyatt Summerfield Suites in January. The Mayor’s Breakfast is on Friday, January 29 at 7:30 a.m. His wife, Faye, does the Spotlight Cover for the District, but she creates the recreation booklet for the City of Fremont. She has tried to have them take their own photographs, like Pleasant Hill Recreation & Park District, and now they will have Faye change their covers to reflect their own residents on their covers as well.

Board Chair Sterrett said she attended the Friends Abroad Christmas Party on Sunday night. She thanked Staff for the Holiday Festival and for the Employee Holiday Party/Employee Service Award event. She wanted to thank the Morale and Spirit Committee for their efforts. She will attend the CCSDA Quarterly Meeting on Monday, January 25.

Staff Announcements

The General Manager made the following announcements:

• Rodgers Ranch will have their Holiday Open House & Boutique on December 20.
• Park Superintendent Lynn Spatz said a recycled water line was hooked up to an irrigation line in Pleasant Hill Park. She said that she is working with Central Sanitary District and Contra Costa Water District on identifying the water lines and making recommendations based on the reconfiguration. She said that Central Sanitary District will pay to have the work done to get us on board for the recycled water program. Spatz said they have committed to doing the design work.
• Hamid Sarvi said there are rebates from PG & E for the buildings that will be built, for new and retrofit buildings. He said they hire a consultant and a rebate check will be mailed after the projects are complete. He said it will have to begin early on with a project.
• The General Manager showed the new board member indoctrinization folder that Intern Todd Riley has been working on. He said Riley has also worked on a green survey from the California Association of Recreation and Park Districts (CARPD). He thanked Riley for all his work.
• CSDA has their Special Legislative Days in May.
• The Teen Council had a Holiday Helper program. The teens went to three senior homes to assist in putting up holiday decorations and after the holidays, they helped put the decorations away. He passed out some pictures from the program.
  

Adjournment

Board Chair Sterrett adjourned the meeting at 10:25 p.m.