body,date,page,text,path
LibraryBoard,2012-01-11,1,"DE
Minutes of the
ALAMEDA FREE LIBRARY BOARD MEETING
JANUARY 11, 2012
The regular meeting of the Alameda Free Library Board was called to order at 6:05pm.
ROLL CALL
Present:
Catherine Atkin, President
Suzanne Whyte, Board Member
Michael Hartigan, Board Member
Gail Wetzork, Board Member
Absent:
Nancy Lewis, Vice President
Staff:
Jane Chisaki, Library Director
Christina Baines, Recording Secretary
CONSENT CALENDAR
An asterisk indicates items so enacted or adopted on the Consent Calendar.
*A. Report from the Library Director Highlighting Activities for the Month of December 2011.
*B. Draft Minutes of the Regular Library Board Meeting of November 9, 2011 (corrected) and December
14, 2011.
*C. Library Services Report for the Month of November 2011.
*D. Financial Report Reflecting FY12 Expenditures by Fund for December 2011.
*E. Bills for Ratification for the Month of December 2011.
Board Member Wetzork moved approval, seconded by Board Member Whyte, the items on the consent
calendar, the motion carried 4-0.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS",LibraryBoard/2012-01-11.pdf
LibraryBoard,2012-01-11,2,"Page 2 of 3
Minutes of the Alameda Free
Library Board Meeting
January 11, 2012
Library Strategic Plan/Update (J. Chisaki). The Board accepted the report; passed on appreciation to Sue
Mark for such detailed reporting. President Atkins requested Director Chisaki present the result of Ms.
Mark's report to the Library Foundation for their information.
NEW BUSINESS
Bi-monthly meeting schedules for City Boards & Commissions (J. Chisaki). The Board expressed
appreciation of the Library Director's explanation of the City's direction to change the monthly meeting of
board, commissions and committees to meet every other month instead of monthly.
Sunshine Ordinance Declaration (J. Chisaki). Library Director Chisaki mentioned that if the members
had read the ordinance they could sign the declaration. Additionally, she shared the scheduled training
times in the following week and encouraged members of the board to attend.
Alameda Free Library Foundation (J. Chisaki). Director Chisaki mentioned there were no meetings in
December, and to date 233 tickets to the concert have been sold, tickets are available tonight if you are
interested. The Bruzzone Trust, of which Don Bruzzone was a Library Board Member, made a $20.000
donation, and the Jane Felker Estate made a $23,000 donation to the Foundation. Additionally the
Foundation contacted the Alameda Community Foundation and they are going to contribute a $1500
Grant for Alameda Reads for books and materials.
Jan Green introduces herself as co-President of the Foundation and discussed the publicity for the
upcoming concert. She briefly discussed upcoming events and mentioned how excited the Foundation is
about future events and is looking forward to them.
Director Chisaki reported the Friends is looking at additional ways to make money in the Cafe, currently
they are not open enough hours. So, they are looking into that, and they are still looking for recipes for
their cookbook project.
Patron Suggestions/Comments (Speak-Outs) and Library Director's Response: ""Dwell is an excellent
home design magazine that I know many people would enjoy, including myself EL Decor is also very
good. Thanks!"" And the Reference Supervisor responded with: ""Thank you for recommending a
magazine title for purchase at the Alameda Fee Library. Unfortunately, our budget has been severely cut
this fiscal year, at this time we cannot add new titles and in fact, have recently cut titles. If the budget
improves over the few years I will reexamine this purchase.""
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS. NON-AGENDA (Public Comment):",LibraryBoard/2012-01-11.pdf
LibraryBoard,2012-01-11,3,"Page 3 of 3
Minutes of the Alameda Free
Library Board Meeting
January 11, 2012
Young lady in the audience stated it was a good experience to attend the meeting. It was more educational
than she had expected. For instance she was not aware that the Library offered the Adult Literacy
Program and suggested greater advertisement of the program, both for learners and for tutors.
LIBRARY BOARD COMMUNICATIONS
Board Member Hartigan reported the Library Historical DVD would only work for about the first 10
minutes and then it would pixilate, and return to the beginning. Director Chisaki said she would let
Supervising Librarian David Hall know there was a problem with the DVD.
Board Member Wetzork seconded what the young lady from the pubic comment stated and that was to do
all that is possible to help educate the young students.
DIRECTOR'S COMMENTS
Library Director Chisaki reported the City has both a new City Attorney Janet Kern and a new Human
Resources Director Holly Brock-Cohen. Circulation Supervisor Laura Klatt will be out on maternity
leave until July. The weather station has been installed and is up and operating. The elevator is working
lawlessly since the software install.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business, President Atkin adjourned the meeting at 6:54pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Janichanta
Yane Chisaki, Library Director and
Secretary to the Alameda Free Library Board",LibraryBoard/2012-01-11.pdf
RecreationandParkCommission,2012-01-11,1,"ALAMEDA RECREATION AND PARK COMMISSION
MINUTES FOR REGULAR MEETING
DATE:
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
TIME:
7:00 p.m.
PLACE:
City Hall Council Chambers
1.
ROLL CALL
Present:
Chair Joe Restagno, Vice Chair Lola Brown, Commissioners Bill Delaney, Bill
Sonneman and Ann Cooke
Absent:
None.
Staff:
Dale Lillard, ARPD Director
Chair Restagno took a moment to introduce new member Ann Cooke, welcoming her to the
Recreation Commission.
2.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Approve Minutes of December 8, 2011 Recreation & Park Commission Regular Meeting
M/S/C
SONNEMAN/BROWN (unanimously approved)
""That the minutes of the December 8, 2011 Recreation & Park Commission Regular
Meeting are approved.""
Approved (5):
Restagno, Brown, Delaney, Sonneman, Cooke
3.
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS, AGENDA
Chair Restagno announced that he had received an e-mail from the Mayor's office saying that
in February, they will be looking to reduce the number of Recreation Commission members
from 7 down to 5. This would mean that if 3 members were in attendance at a meeting it
would constitute a quorum.
4.
WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS
None.
5.
NEW BUSINESS
A.
City of Alameda Paratransit Taxi Service Modification (Information Item)
Director Lillard noted that this item was placed on the agenda at the request of the
Public Works Department. Lillard introduced Transportation Coordinator, Gail Payne,
who gave the Commission a presentation on the Paratransit program's recommended
modifications to one of their taxi programs called MRTIP (Medical Return Trip
Improvement Program).
Recreation & Park Commission Mtg.
Minutes - Wednesday, January 11, 2012
- 1-",RecreationandParkCommission/2012-01-11.pdf
RecreationandParkCommission,2012-01-11,2,"The Public Works Department manages this program in conjunction with the Mastick
Senior Center. The program's funding is run at the County level with the 1/2 cent sales
tax for transportation they collect. The basic services of the Alameda program are the
Paratransit Shuttle, two taxi programs, group trips and a scholarship program.
The MRTIP program is available to eligible individuals who receive 5 vouchers per
month to use to get a ride home from medical appointments. These vouchers are
currently free, but due to budget issues, the Public Works department is proposing that
a fee of $2.50 per voucher be instated. Ms. Payne asked the Commission if there were
any questions she could answer regarding the program and the proposed change.
Commissioner Delaney had reviewed the documentation and had seen that current
users surveyed responded that they would pay $3.00 for this program. He also noted
that other Cities surveyed were charging more. He wondered if Alameda's program
foresaw rates rising in the future, and would it be feasible to begin by charging $3.00
now instead of the $2.50 proposed. Ms. Payne responded that she does expect to
come back next year, still faced with budget issues, and raise the cost a little more.
Commissioner Cooke asked if there had been any abuse of the program, i.e., people
using these vouchers who were not eligible. Ms. Payne responded that they do have
restrictions and checks in place, and really don't experience problems of that kind.
Commissioner Brown asked if someone received or purchased more vouchers than
they ended up needing for the month, whether those vouchers could still be used at a
later date. Ms. Payne said that the vouchers expire within a year of issuance, so do
have a limitation in that respect.
Chair Restagno saw that about 80 trips were averaged in a month, which would equal
approximately $3,000, and wondered if that was the shortfall they were looking to make
up. Ms. Payne said usage is very stable right now, but if everyone in the program
starting using it all the time, there would definitely be a budgetary issue. By instituting
this fee, they would keep the usage down to a manageable level.
Commissioner Sonneman asked Ms. Payne if the $2.50 would cover the shortfall and
she responded that it would for this coming fiscal year. Sonneman asked if she would
consider charging the $3.00 now, and she said most definitely.
Director Lillard asked if there needed to be a formal motion from the Commission in
support of the fee, or was this more just an information gathering exercise. Ms. Payne
was interested in getting the opinion of the Commission as a whole, and each member
agreed that the fee should be instituted at $3.00.
B.
Friends of the Parks Proposal to Fundraise Money to Put Exercise Equipment in
all the Parks (Discussion/Action Item)
Shelley Russi gave a presentation opening with her goal for the night, which was to get
an endorsement from the Commission for a project to make Alameda either the ""most fit
city in the nation"" or the ""first fit city in the nation"". This is a new designation that was
created by an equipment manufacturer who is currently having Halifax, Nova Scotia
designated as the most fit city in Canada. The manufacturer reached out to Alameda
when he found out about their interest in purchasing exercise equipment for the parks.
Recreation & Park Commission Mtg.
Minutes - Wednesday, January 11, 2012
2-",RecreationandParkCommission/2012-01-11.pdf
RecreationandParkCommission,2012-01-11,3,"The overall goal is to have 13-15 parks within the City equipped. Director Lillard asked
for more clarification on how this works, how it will be funded, and how the equipment
itself will be maintained over time. Ms. Russi stated that the Friends of the Parks would
like to lead this initiative, and through private donations, raise approximately $400,000.
The initial amount would cover equipment purchasing, shipping and installation, with
$50,000 of that total going towards maintenance. The cost per park is approximately
$25-30,000. The equipment manufacturer has committed to contributing some pieces
of equipment at no cost to help them accomplish their goal.
Knowing Ms. Russi had talked to the hospital and other businesses, Chair Restagno
asked what their level of enthusiasm was for the project. Ms. Russi stated that nobody
has been negative about the proposition. Everyone from volunteer organizations who
might want to do programming around this, to businesses that might want to contribute
to the effort financially is very enthusiastic. As to how they will raise the money, the
Friends are still in the process of determining what the best avenues to do this would
be. They would like to start initially with Lincoln and Washington Parks. They are
probably the most used parks in the city, with one on the East End and one on the West
End. By installing at these parks initially, they hope to build enthusiasm in residents and
businesses for equipment to be placed in other parks.
Restagno then asked about people who might contribute to this effort. Would they be
able to advertise ""this equipment sponsored by"" their organization or business?
Director Lillard said that they do have ways of doing this, such as where you can apply
a small sticker to an apparatus and people can use an android or i-phone app to read it.
Sponsors could also be listed in Recreation's activity guide.
Director Lillard advised that procedurally what Ms. Russi needs in order to take this to
the Council, is a formal motion from the Commission endorsing the program.
Commissioner Sonneman made a motion to highly endorse moving forward with
fundraising efforts to get exercise equipment put in the parks. Commissioner Cooke
seconded the motion which was unanimously approved.
M/S/C
SONNEMAN/COOKE (unanimously approved)
""That the Friends of the Park move forward with fund-raising efforts to put
exercise equipment in the parks.""
Approved (5):
Restagno, Brown, Delaney, Sonneman, Cooke
6.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
A.
Krusi Park Batting Cage Proposal (Discussion/Action Item)
Director Lillard stated that at the last Commission meeting, the AGSA (Alameda Girls
Softball Association) submitted a formal plan which included a permanent location near
the tennis courts for a batting cage in Krusi Park. It was reviewed and recommended
that they seek an alternative site. The newly proposed location is along the Otis Drive
side of the park. Lillard's professional opinion is that the batting cage does not belong
at Krusi because it would be a single use facility in a multi-use park.
Recreation & Park Commission Mtg.
Minutes - Wednesday, January 11, 2012
-3-",RecreationandParkCommission/2012-01-11.pdf
RecreationandParkCommission,2012-01-11,4,"However, should this be approved, there will be a list of conditions that come with the
approval. AGSA would have to agree to assume all the costs of construction and obtain
all applicable City permits. Any on-going repairs and maintenance would have to be
assumed by AGSA as well. The proposed location is very near the EBMUD pump
station, so a meeting would have to be held with them to ensure there would be no
issues with the proximity of the batting cage. Also, any construction that would occur
would have to be carefully done so as not to damage any existing underground EBMUD
equipment. The cage will be locked when not in use. AGSA would have use of the
cage when in the softball season, but ARPD would like it to be available to other groups
in the off-season. This would provide use opportunities for the entire community instead
of just one group. There would be a written agreement as to the hours of use, and of
course, AGSA would have priority use of the cage. If the batting cage would ever have
to be relocated, AGSA would have to bear the cost.
Commissioner Sonneman stated that he really appreciated AGSA making the change
because the original plan had the batting cage next to the tennis courts. The new
location along Otis Drive is much more unobtrusive. He believes that AGSA would
adhere to the guidelines that Lillard had laid out, and is comfortable with the proposal.
Lillard said that the neighborhood areas had been noticed about the meeting so if
anyone had concerns they could come and voice them. There was one person in
attendance, and Lillard explained the batting cage location and that there would be no
associated lighting as it would be a daytime use only facility. Commissioner Delaney
said his biggest concern was the possible noise and the neighbors being disturbed by it.
Commissioner Brown asked if the AGSA knew of the stipulations laid out and how they
feel about them. AGSA said they were fine with what they had heard and didn't see any
reason why they could not abide by the requirements. The batting cage would be
constructed of black cyclone fencing just like what is on the fields there now. It would
be daytime use only, so no lighting would be involved.
Commissioner Delaney made a motion to allow the AGSA to install a batting cage at
Krusi Park as defined in Director Lillard's memo and in AGSA's plan. Commissioner
Brown seconded the motion which was unanimously approved.
M/S/C
DELANEY/BROWN (unanimously approved)
""That AGSA be allowed to install a batting cage at Krusi Park as defined in
Director Lillard's memo and in AGSA's plan.""
Approved (5):
Restagno, Brown, Delaney, Sonneman, Cooke
B.
Provide Direction to Staff on the Issue of Non-Profit Field Rates for Adult (18-22
year olds) Use (Discussion/Action Item)
Director Lillard explained that this was an item from the previous meeting that needed
further clarification. The existing field rate structure is more focused on school and non-
profit group use. There are a number of teams that have evolved over the years that
are comprised of 18-22 year-olds which don't fit into any existing category. Surveys of
other cities were performed, and a sliding scale type fee is being proposed. The rate is
fair and based on residency, and fees can be paid either by cash or for services in-lieu-
of payment. For instance, Little League buys a lot of dirt for the field, so they never pay
any cash.
Recreation & Park Commission Mtg.
Minutes - Wednesday, January 11, 2012
4-",RecreationandParkCommission/2012-01-11.pdf
RecreationandParkCommission,2012-01-11,5,"Commissioner Delaney had a comment to do with the value of being a resident of
Alameda. Delaney believes that the charge for non-Alameda residents may not be high
enough. He proposed that the $10 an hour rate be charged for resident teams (teams
consisting of 75-100% residents), move the second group (teams with 50-74%
residents) to $20 an hour, and the third group (49% or less being residents) to $25 an
hour. This would not only bring in a little more money, but it would also let the people of
Alameda know that the Commission is doing well by them. Director Lillard said that it
would not be a problem to administer the fees that way.
Chair Restagno was in agreement with the direction Delaney was going, and proposed
a $10, $20 and $30 fee respectively. Director Lillard said that since this was a brand
new policy, they didn't want to make it too much or too little, but was amenable to
making the fee one the Commission was comfortable with.
Audience member Erik Schuler, Senior League GM with Alameda Babe Ruth, came
forward to speak on the fee issue. His youth teams are about 75-85% Alameda
residents, and he runs the 13-year olds all the way up to the collegiate team which is
endorsed and under the umbrella of Alameda Babe Ruth. When you get to the college
level teams, the resident rate is actually lower. Even with the fees what they are now at
the lower rate, Alameda Babe Ruth is over budget by $10,000. Currently they charge
$500 for a season (much less than in other cities), and if the field fees increase, there
are still other fees such as equipment, umpires, travel expenses, etc. to consider.
There is a concern that they might have to start charging an exorbitant amount for kids
to play baseball if the fees go up any higher.
Commissioner Delaney clarified with Mr. Schuler that currently, Alameda Babe Ruth is
not charging enough in fees to cover their costs. Chair Restagno asked what amount of
field hours would be used in a typical season. Schuler replied that each game is 21/2-3
hours long. Restagno verified that even though they might not meet the 75% rule, they
would always have more than 50% of the players be Alameda residents. Restagno
then asked how many games and how many practices would there be within a season.
Schuler responded on average, about 50 games are played a season and 50-65%
of
these games are played away. In looking at a number of about 25 home games that
would be a total of about 75 field hours. The cost per season for field rental would be
around $750-$1,500. Director Lillard said that you need to take into account that when
you first start looking at the fee structure, it really doesn't matter if you are a resident or
non-resident. The amount of wear and tear on the field, the amount of water it takes to
keep the field in good condition, maintenance staff time, etc. are all taken into account.
The monies Recreation is looking to re-coup from the fees would be to help cover these
costs as about 60% of the General Fund budget is directly related to field costs.
After more discussion, Commissioner Delaney made a motion to adopt the 18-22 year
old field rate fees as: $10 for teams comprised of 75-100% Alameda residents, $15 for
teams comprised of 50-74% Alameda residents, and $30 for teams with less than 49%
Alameda residents. Commissioner Sonneman seconded the motion which was
unanimously approved.
M/S/C
DELANEYISONNEMAN (unanimously approved)
""That the Recreation Commission adopt 18-22 year old field rates of $10 for
teams comprised of 75-100% Alameda residents, $15 for teams comprised of 50-
74% Alameda residents, and $30 for teams with less than 49% Alameda
residents.""
Approved (5):
Restagno, Brown, Delaney, Sonneman, Cooke
Recreation & Park Commission Mtg.
Minutes - Wednesday, January 11, 2012
- 5-",RecreationandParkCommission/2012-01-11.pdf
RecreationandParkCommission,2012-01-11,6,"7.
REPORTS FROM RECREATION COMMISSION AND RECREATION AND PARK
DIRECTOR
A.
Park Division
B.
Recreation Division
C.
Mastick Senior Center
D.
Other Reports and Announcements
Director Lillard noted that the activity reports were in each member's folder. All the holiday
programs were big successes. Breakfast with Santa had 150 participants and most of the
camps were full. The Elks Hoop Shoot was held the previous Friday night at the Alameda
Point Gym. Junior Warriors basketball will be starting up the following week, also at the gym.
The gym is in constant use this time of the year from 3 pm-10 pm almost every day, and on
weekends all the time. All the revenue generated there goes back into upkeep of the facility.
The floors and restrooms have been re-done in the last couple years, so it's slowly coming
around. There was a problem at Krusi Park when someone drove through the fence on
Christmas Eve, drove around inside the park for awhile, then somehow got out.
Commissioner Brown made a brief comment about the work at the Mastick Senior Center.
The offices have just been renovated through funds raised by their Bingo program and sales in
their thrift shop. The thrift shop is doing phenomenally well, and Bingo, which used to be the
leader, is now the follower. They have been able to raise enough money to refurbish the front
lobby, and the entire facility as well as the office is beautiful. Brown thanked Jackie Krause,
Senior Center Manager. Director Lillard mentioned that Mastick did just receive a large
bequest from William ""Bill"" Whittier, but none of that was used towards the renovations.
Chair Restagno asked what the status was of recruiting to fill Director Lillard's position. Lillard
responded that they have not yet started the hiring process.
Commissioner Brown gave a final thank-you to Patrick Russi, Recreation Services Supervisor.
She said the programs that were put on by his staff in the department over the holidays were
incredibly well-done.
8.
STATUS REPORT ON ONGOING PROJECTS
9.
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS, GENERAL
10.
ITEMS FOR NEXT AGENDA:
2012 Fee Schedule Review and Approval, Final Park Master
Plan Review and Approval
11.
SET NEXT MEETING DATE:
Thursday, February 9, 2012
12.
ADJOURNMENT
Recreation & Park Commission Mtg.
Minutes - Wednesday, January 11, 2012
-6-",RecreationandParkCommission/2012-01-11.pdf