{"body": "RecreationandParkCommission", "date": "2019-12-12", "page": 1, "text": "apd\nALAMEDA RECREATION AND PARK COMMISSION\nMINUTES FOR REGULAR MEETING\nDATE:\nThursday, December 12, 2019\nTIME:\n7:03 p.m. Called to Order\nPLACE:\nCity Hall Council Chambers\nA video recording of the meeting may be viewed at https:llalameda.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx\nThe following are action minutes in keeping with the Sunshine Ordinance 2-91.17.\nROLL CALL\nPresent: Chair Alexander, Vice Chair Robbins, Commissioner Limoges, Commissioner Barnes and\nCommissioner Navarro\nStaff: Alameda Recreation and Park Department (ARPD) Director Amy Wooldridge\nAPPROVAL OF MINUTES\nChair Alexander moved to accept the minutes of November 14, 2019 Regular Meeting as presented.\nM/S Commissioner Limoges / Vice Chair Robbins. All in favor with 5 ayes.\nWRITTEN AND ORAL COMUNICATIONS\nWritten Communication\nOral Communication\nSpeaker Richard Bangert: Submitted a comment letter and asked it be posted online as\npublic comment on the website. It was not posted online as is the custom with City\nCouncil and Planning Board. Public needs to know all of the input. Director Amy\nWooldridge will follow up with the procedure in accordance to the Sunshine Ordinance.\nREPORTS FROM THE RECREATION AND PARK DIRECTOR\nARPD Director Amy Wooldridge gave the report. See Exhibit 1.\nREPORTS FROM COMMISSIONERS\nVice Chair Robbins: Would like to participate in the Fourth of July steering committee. Loves the\nconcrete ARPD signs. Talked to Wood Middle P.E. teacher who would like to support ARPD and will\npost signs at all schools. Interested in being a liaison for AUSD. Happy about the picnic table at\nCityview Skate Park.\nCommissioner Barnes: There was a meeting of the Climate Action team where the documents for a\ntwo year plan, including looking at the city tree plan were reviewed. The next steps are on the City of\nAlameda's website.\nCommissioner Navarro: Received ARPD winter activity guide. A lot of parents at the schools aren't\naware of all of the ARPD camps. Would like to find other ways to do outreach with the schools to\npromote the camps. Checked out Encinal Boat Launch and was impressed with the facility. Spent\ntime at Jackson Park in anticipation of discussion.\n1", "path": "RecreationandParkCommission/2019-12-12.pdf"}
{"body": "RecreationandParkCommission", "date": "2019-12-12", "page": 2, "text": "Chair Alexander: Went to Tree Lighting Festival and said it was a great event. Took a Mastick Senior\nCenter trip to San Francisco to see the holiday lights which was a well-organized trip. Also walked\nthrough Jackson Park and went to the Encinal Boat Launch. Went to 37th Annual Krusi Park\nGeneration Bowl who's participants have played there every year since they were kids. Interested in\nhelping work on outreach at schools.\nNEW BUSINESS\n6-A Approve Tree and Asphalt Replacement Plan for Jackson Park\nARPD Director Amy Wooldridge gave the presentation which included the tree and asphalt plan and\nrecommendation from the West Coast arborists about choices of appropriate trees and their\nmaintenance. See Exhibit 2 for written correspondence from the public.\nSpeakers\nSpeaker Jim Lott, 1193 Park Avenue: Jackson Park is about trees and way they were thought\nout and planned. Symmetrical design and intentionally planted. Think about overall design in\nplanting plan. Do it slowly with intention. Read letter from Lisa Kloffkorn\nSpeaker Betsy Mathieson, 1185 Park Avenue: Great to see plans progressing. Put magnolia\ntree so it is symmetrical with an existing single magnolia. Keep meandering pathways.\nSpeaker Irene Dieter: Trees evoke emotion. Would like to take a high look at trees around the\nCity. Trees across City are being over pruned and it's only a matter of time until they are\nhurting and die. Canopies are being removed and they are being pruned like \"brooms.\" Glad\nparks will be included in upcoming Master Tree Plan.\nSpeaker Mary Manning, 1167 Park Avenue: Advocate for a not very shady tree behind the\nbench. It's one of the areas to enjoy the sun and get warm. Overhanging branches can create\na mess on the bench. Kids jump off back of bench and may try to jump into a tree if it were\nplanted nearby. Middle asphalt pathways are where picnic benches are and where people\nhave birthday parties and people in wheelchairs use it and kids on bikes use it because it's\nsafer.\nSpeaker Christopher Buckley: A City planner with some arboreal knowledge and was involved\nin past Master Street Tree Plan. Needs to be more discussion of tree plan and species. This\nis a very historical park and symmetry and history of species should be preserved. It's a very\ndistinctive feature and contributes to attractive nature of the park. Use existing species,\nincluding London Planes (sycamores). Many parks have had soil compaction problems and\nthe Batchelder report has mitigation measures to assist existing trees. Consider cabling and\nbracing landmark trees like magnolias to prevent branches from breaking off.\nSpeaker Karen Larsen: The middle path in north side of the park is heavily used by kids on\nbikes, grandparents, toddlers and gives access to picnic benches.\nMOTIONS\n2", "path": "RecreationandParkCommission/2019-12-12.pdf"}
{"body": "RecreationandParkCommission", "date": "2019-12-12", "page": 3, "text": "Motion by Vice-chair Robbins to purchase and plant 3 palm trees around the bandstand and plant the\nfourth when funding is available.\nM/S Vice Chair Robbins / Commissioner Barnes\nMotion carried by the following 3 to 1 voice vote: Ayes: Vice Chair Robbins, Chair Alexander and\nCommissioner Barnes. Commissioner Navarro - abstain. Noes: Commissioner Limoges.\nMotion by Commissioner Barnes to approve asphalt replacement plan as presented by staff.\nM/S / Commissioner Barnes / Vice Chair Robbins\nMotion carried by a 5 - 0 voice vote: All in favor.\n6-B Review and Recommend Park and Recreation Facilities Project Priorities.\nARPD Director Amy Wooldridge gave the presentation which included an outline of the \"Life of a Park\nProject\", current and pending projects and park projects constructed by developers and maintained\nby ARPD. See Exhibit 3 for written correspondence from the public.\nSpeakers\nSpeaker Linda Carloni, Golden Gate Audubon: Support De-Pave Park. Important for carbon\nsequestration. Climate change is an urgent priority and time to build this park which sequesters\ncarbon instead of releasing more.\nSpeaker Majorie Powell, Friends of the Alameda Wildlife Reserve: Support De-Pave Park. Vitally\nimportant, supports birds. Many depend on Seaplane Lagoon and area out there. City needs to\nfocus on climate change and rising sea level. People are interested to volunteer and move the\nproject forward.\nSpeaker Richard Bangert: Support prioritizing De-Pave Park. In favor of all of the parks but there's a\ndifference with De-Pave Park because it involves a complete re-engineering of the shoreline. Not a\ntraditional park. Main goal is rising sea level adaptation. Directly adjacent is an existing wetland on\nfederal property. Would greatly enhance the whole wetland ecosystem there. Also supports\nNorthwest Territories but difference is East Bay Regional Park District already has $6.4 million to start\nplanning and implementing. Do master plan for De-Pave Park and then start looking for grants.\nFunding for De-Pave Park is not in competition with other parks like Sweeney Park. Would seek\nfunding from Coastal Commission and SF Bay Restoration Authority.\nSpeaker Irene Dieter: Obvious that this body needs to request more funding from City Council for\nparks and recreation. Director needs an assistant working with her to accomplish these tasks. Keep\nin mind that Council passed an emergency climate action resolution.\nSpeaker Pat Potter, Community Action for Sustainable Alameda: Believes in the importance of De-\nPave Park and focusing on climate realities. Vision of Enterprise Park is less of a recreational park\nand more of a learning and research park. Importance of bay restoration. Kids from Encinal High\nSchool could learn the science of climate change. Have greenhouse to grow tree seedlings. Shift\nwhat this park could be with an emphasis on research and education.\n3", "path": "RecreationandParkCommission/2019-12-12.pdf"}
{"body": "RecreationandParkCommission", "date": "2019-12-12", "page": 4, "text": "Speaker Pat Lanborn, Alameda resident, Sierra Club member: Requests De-Pave first and Enterprise\nsecond as we need to focus on the climate action resiliency plan and is willing to put in the time and\neffort to support the cause.\nSpeaker Mary Spicer, Stand up paddler, outrigger and dragon boater: Organizes on-water clean ups.\nPartners with BayKeeper. Received sponsorships for clean ups. Supports De-Pave Park. Wildlife in\nthis area is so unique and precious because of the rock wall. Seal population is growing. Important\nto bring more nature back to this area. Concern about getting too many people on the water in front\nof Enterprise Park that will impact the feeding of animals.\nMOTION\nVice Chair Robbins motion to complete Fernside & Eastshore pathway project and Towata Park\nkayak launch in conjunction with that; followed by De-Pave Park and then Enterprise Park with the\nRegional Sports Complex as last priority. Director to follow up to provide staffing and funding needs\nfor all of these.\nM/S Vice Chair Robbins / Commissioner Limoges.\nMotion carried by a 5 - 0 voice vote: All in favor.\nITEMS FOR NEXT AGENDA:\nField Fee Analysis\nAnnual Paratransit program\nReview and Comment on General Plan - Open Space, Recreation & Parks Element\nStaffing and resources for project management\nSET NEXT MEETING DATE: Thursday, January 9, 2020.\nADJOURNMENT\nM/S Commissioner Limoges / Commissioner Barnes\nMotion carried by the following voice vote: All in favor with a 5 - 0.\nChair Alexander adjourned the meeting at 9:40 PM.\n4", "path": "RecreationandParkCommission/2019-12-12.pdf"}
{"body": "RecreationandParkCommission", "date": "2019-12-12", "page": 5, "text": "EXHIBIT 1\n12/12/19 ARPD Director's Report - Presented by Recreation and Park Director Amy\nWooldridge\nMastick Senior Center\nNovember letter appeal has raised $13,350; our members are very generous!\nWe received a gift of $12,532.63 from an estate. These types of memorial donations are\nheld in a Legacy Fund and generally used for one-time expenditures.\nOver $700 was raised in a four hour lobby jewelry sale yesterday\nMembership is now over 2,800 which is higher than normal and more than appropriate for\nmid-year.\nParks Maintenance\nProjects being funded by new capital Park Maintenance Fund:\nThe projects are as followed:\nFY 2019-20\nJackson Park asphalt\nShoreline Park asphalt\nDrinking fountains at, Skate Park, Washington, Lincoln, Franklin, Tillman, Leydecker, Godfrey\nWashington Park chain-link\nRemoval of old chain-link at Rock Wall [completed]\nLincoln and Godfrey concrete pathway replacement\nBike racks at Sweeney, and picnic areas\nRenovate horse shoe pits at Washington [completed]\nReplace basketball standards at McKinley and Lincoln\nFY 2020-21 (to be finalized)\nShoreline Park asphalt\nLeydecker and Tillman concrete pathway replacement\nReplace the 6 remaining wood park signs with concrete Park signs\nReplace aluminum parks signs\nIrrigation controllers at Leydecker\nReplace barbeques at Washington and Tillman\nOngoing maintenance projects completed recently include:\nA 48\" box magnolia tree at Longfellow Park was installed and staff is currently completing\ninstallation of a deep water irrigation system to lessen stress on the tree during droughts.\nInstalled a new drinking fountain at Washington Park\nInstalled donated picnic table and new drinking fountain at the Cityview Skate Park\nTagged an unhealthy tree at Jackson Park and will be removing soon", "path": "RecreationandParkCommission/2019-12-12.pdf"}
{"body": "RecreationandParkCommission", "date": "2019-12-12", "page": 6, "text": "Installation of the Woodstock Park playground rebuild began last month and is anticipated to\nbe completed by mid-January, pending weather.\nRecreation Services\nAlameda Youth Committee (youth leadership group) donated 10 turkeys to the Alameda\nFood Bank and did a fundraiser at the Mayor's Tree Lighting Festival for the American Red\nCross - Fire Disaster Relief.\nVoting is now open for the 2020 Starlight in the Park movies. You can vote on Facebook,\nInstagram or at the Recreation office and centers.\nARPD is gearing up for summer hiring, which will begin in January 2020.\nJuly 4th Parade - Staff is presenting options for event coordination to City Council on January\n7, 2020.", "path": "RecreationandParkCommission/2019-12-12.pdf"}
{"body": "RecreationandParkCommission", "date": "2019-12-12", "page": 7, "text": "6-A\nExhibit Z\nFrom:\nGary Cates\nTo:\nAmy Wooldridge\nCc:\nbmathieson@aol.com\nSubject:\nParks and Recreation Commission Meeting, Dec 12, 2019\nDate:\nTuesday, December 10, 2019 6:09:49 PM\n*** CAUTION: This email message is coming from a non-City email address. Do not\nclick links or open attachments unless you trust the sender and know the content is\nsafe. Please contact the Help Desk with any questions. ***\nDear Ms. Wooldridge,\nWe will not be able to attend the next commission meeting where the Jackson Park improvement plan is on\nthe agenda. However, we would like to express our preference for items contained in Exbit 1 of the Staff\nReport.\n1. That the landscape play area, if approved, be located in the southern most spot indicated in the report.\nFor your reference this would be directly across from 1236 Park Ave.\nWe believe the northern spot is too close to Encinal Ave and would expose children to health hazards\nassociated with automobile noise, traffic and pollution.\n2. That a redwood or palm tree be considered for one of those circles that previously had trees as two\nmature magnolia trees already exist near Encinal Ave.\nWould you please share these thoughts with members of the commission?\nThank you for your consideration.\nGary can Mary Ann Cates\n1250 Park Ave", "path": "RecreationandParkCommission/2019-12-12.pdf"}
{"body": "RecreationandParkCommission", "date": "2019-12-12", "page": 8, "text": "6-A\nExhibit 2\nFrom:\nAmy LaThanh\nTo:\nAmy Wooldridge\nCc:\nRobert LaThanh; Misha David Chellam; J.J. Navarro\nSubject:\nRe: Jackson Park tree and asphalt maintenance plan on Rec and Parks Commission meeting tonight\nDate:\nThursday, December 12, 2019 11:33:23 AM\nCAUTION: This email message is coming from a non-City email address. Do not\nclick links or open attachments unless you trust the sender and know the content is\nsafe. Please contact the Help Desk with any questions.\n***\nHi Amy,\nThanks for sending the agenda and plans over. I have a few comments that I'd like to make\nsure are included in the discussion tonight since I won't be able to attend in person.\nRegarding the asphalt:\nI am excited that this is happening! Yay!\nI would like to mention though that all of the asphalt around the 1100 block of the park\nis really bad - so much so that it's not really safe for kids to ride their bikes. I would\nadvocate for the entrity of it to be replaced if possible.\nI would also advocate for not removing the asphalt near the Dumb Friends bench --\nmany folks use those ramps to get to the other side of the street. If it's a safety concern,\nperhaps simply adding crosswalks there to slow traffic might be good (and cheaper)?\nRegarding the landscape playground location:\nThe two options suggested are good. I would also suggest looking at the far end of the\npark by the Dumb Friends bench. Reason being is that there are a bunch of apartment\nbuildings right there, many with children residents (and therefore it will be less likely\nthat people will be offended by the location)\nIn order of placement, my preference would be:\n1. In front of the KFC near Encinal; dead area anyways, closer to business district\noverflow, can't be worse than a KFC\n2. In front of the Dumb Friends bench; many apartments with children\n3. Middle of the park in front of 1232/1236; fine but doesn't need to be center piece\nof the park\nThanks so much for all of the city's work on this! I'm excited we'll soon have more to offer at\nJackson Park!\nCheers,\nAmy\nOn Thu, Dec 12, 2019 at 9:34 AM Amy Wooldridge <AWooldridge@alamedaca.gov> wrote:\nHello Jackson Park neighbors,", "path": "RecreationandParkCommission/2019-12-12.pdf"}
{"body": "RecreationandParkCommission", "date": "2019-12-12", "page": 9, "text": "Attached is the agenda for the Recreation and Parks Commission meeting tonight, Dec. 12th,\nat 7:00pm at City Hall, 3rd Floor. The first item is an update on Jackson Park and its\nexisting trees and their overall condition, plans to plant more trees as well as showing where\nARPD will replace more than half of the asphalt pathways in the park. If you open the\nagenda, then click on the blue links this will send you to the staff report (#2019-7546) and\nthe exhibits.\nMy apologies for the late email on this item. The agenda was posted per noticing\nrequirements last Thursday. If you have any questions or comments, please let me know. If\nyou are interested in this item and cannot attend the meeting, you can email me your\ncomments and I'll provide them to the Commissioners and will include it as part of the\ndiscussion.\nThank you,\nAmy\nAmy Wooldridge\nRecreation and Parks Director, City of Alameda\n(510) 747-7570\nawooldridge@alamedaca.gov\nwww.alamedaca.gov/recreation\nFind us on Facebook at PlayARPD", "path": "RecreationandParkCommission/2019-12-12.pdf"}
{"body": "RecreationandParkCommission", "date": "2019-12-12", "page": 10, "text": "6-A\nExhibit 2\n12-12-2019\nComment on staff report from Ani Dimusheva, anidimusheva@gmail.com, 510-387-\n4084\nPlease include in public record and on the city's website. Comments in red font below.\nApprove Tree and Asphalt Replacement Plan for Jackson Park\nTo: Honorable Chair and Members of the Recreation and Park Commission\nFrom: Amy Wooldridge, Recreation and Parks Director\nRe: Approve Tree and Asphalt Replacement Plan for Jackson Park\nBACKGROUND\nOn September, 12, 2019, the Recreation and Parks Commission discussed a play area at\nJackson Park and also directed staff to bring back a maintenance plan for Jackson Park that\naddressed the asphalt pathways and trees.\nThis report provides information and location of the existing trees, a plan and options for replacing\ntrees and the proposed areas of asphalt pathway to be replaced in 2020 (Exhibit 1).\nThere is no specific plan and options for replacing trees in the staff report. For example, if you\nremove all sycamores around the perimeter of the park, what species will replace them? The\ndiscussion is general and premature considering the upcoming MSTP update. See below.\nDISCUSSION\nPathway Asphalt Replacement\nThe Alameda Recreation and Parks Department (ARPD) is allocating $80,000 toward asphalt\nreplacement this fiscal year for Jackson Park. The areas noted in red on Exhibit 1 highlight which\npathway locations will be replaced with this funding allocation. The asphalt replacement will occur\nin 2020 and specific locations may vary slightly based on field conditions. The areas being\nreplaced are the most degraded areas and pose the highest safety risk. It includes a large portion\nof the asphalt pathways on the southern portion of the park and approximately half of the\npathways in the northern half between San Jose Avenue and Encinal Avenue. ARPD will allocate\nadditional funding in the next two fiscal years to complete the asphalt replacement at Jackson\nPark.\nTrees\nThe sycamore trees along the streets where there are no sidewalks are under Public Works'\nresponsibility. Any trees either within the park or located on the park side of sidewalk/pathway\nare ARPD's responsibility. The ARPD Parks Foreperson met with an arborist from West Coast\nArborists, the City's tree management company, who stated that all of the sycamores at Jackson\nPark are declining due to the following factors:", "path": "RecreationandParkCommission/2019-12-12.pdf"}
{"body": "RecreationandParkCommission", "date": "2019-12-12", "page": 11, "text": "WCA opinion constitutes conflict of interest as the same company removes trees. Any opinion\nand recommendations from WCA should be discarded. An independent certified arborist who is\nnot familiar with WCA's recommendations and not associated with the company should provide\nan opinion on the health and condition of trees. This report should be attached to the staff report.\nThe planting locations between street and pathway were a poor choice because it\ndoes not provide enough space for the roots to grow due to the adjacent concrete. See\nExhibit 2 which shows that these large trees are within inches of the concrete gutter.\nThis is the case with just about every street tree in Alameda. The situation is not unusual or\nunique, and the spacing may even be better than many street strips.\nThe sycamores are also not an appropriate species for Alameda because there is\ntoo much salt from our shallow water table. The same problem is seen on Bay Farm\nIsland.\nThis discussion should be part the update on the Master Street Tree Plan in July 2020. The\nPark commissioners should not be asked to accept this as a fact prior to the MSTP update\nand a thorough analysis. Currently, sycamores are included in the plan and continue to be\nplanted throughout the island.\nThe pruning practice in decades past was done poorly with large branches cut and\nthat practice can create decay in limbs and the trunk during regrowth. This type of pruning\nof large branches is no longer done unless there is a dead/decaying branch or it is\nsignificantly weighing down the tree and the entire tree will benefit from that weight\nreduction.\nAmy Wooldridge clarified in an email she is referring to the practice of \"pollarding.'\nThe pollarding was done many years ago, possibly decades, as evidenced by the size of the\nbranches above the pollarding cuts. The question is not whether the practice can create decay\nbut whether the trees currently have decay and how decay can be addressed with minimal\nintervention.\nRedwood and oak trees are recommended by the arborist to be planted in Jackson Park and they\nthrive in environments closer to the ocean. ARPD will be considering and consulting on other\nspecies as well. ARPD also has a magnolia in stock that it plans to plant in one of the circles near\nEncinal Avenue that previously had trees. The final location will be dependent upon the approved\nlocation for the landscape play area. Two potential locations for the play area are indicated on\nExhibit 1.\nThe arborist recommends planting 50 or more trees over the next several years with a minimum\nof 20 feet between each tree. There is enough space available in open areas as well as declining\ntree replacement for the next 3-5 years.\nSince the WCA report identified all sycamores as \"declining\", does that mean all of them will be\nremoved and replaced in the next 3-5 years?\nThis fiscal year, ARPD will be planting the magnolia tree and additional trees throughout the\npark. We have also has allocated $10,000 to purchase palm trees. This can fund either three", "path": "RecreationandParkCommission/2019-12-12.pdf"}
{"body": "RecreationandParkCommission", "date": "2019-12-12", "page": 12, "text": "palm trees that are 20 - 25 feet (approximately half the size of existing trees) or 4 - 5 smaller palm\ntrees that are 10 - 15 feet tall. ARPD recommends planting the three taller trees in the circle\naround the bandstand due to the historical nature of that area. The palm tree that fell down,\nbehind the Isabelle Clark memorial bench could be replaced with another palm tree in the coming\nyears, however ARPD staff recommends a different species that provides shade for the bench\nsuch as an oak tree. Palm trees are being discouraged for planting in Alameda because the\nfronds are not compostable and do not contribute much to carbon sequestration since they do not\nhave a broad leaf canopy. These replacement palm trees will be a slightly different species than\nthe existing palm trees but will look similar. The current species is not recommended anymore\nbecause when they get diseased, it creates a light dust that easily spreads to the other palms.\nI agree that palm trees do little for carbon sequestration, insect and bird populations, and do not\nprovide adequate shade. They are also not native. They may have some limited historical value.\nStaff is seeking input and direction from the Commission on this tree and asphalt replacement\nplan.\nFINANCIAL IMPACT\nARPD is allocating at least $90,000 in FY 2019/20 from the Park Maintenance Replacement\nCapital Improvement Fund, which totals $175,000.\nRECOMMENDATION\nReview, discuss and approve a plan to replace trees and pathway asphalt at Jackson Park.\nRespectfully submitted,\nAmy Wooldridge, Recreation and Parks Director\nExhibits:\n1.\nJackson Park Tree and Asphalt Replacement Plan\n2.\nTree Photo Examples", "path": "RecreationandParkCommission/2019-12-12.pdf"}
{"body": "RecreationandParkCommission", "date": "2019-12-12", "page": 13, "text": "6-B\nExhibit -\nFrom:\njohnsen cyndy\nTo:\nAmy Wooldridge\nSubject:\nComment on Item 6-B for Park Commission Meeting Tonight\nDate:\nThursday, December 12, 2019 9:58:06 AM\nCAUTION: This email message is coming from a non-City email address. Do not\nclick links or open attachments unless you trust the sender and know the content is\nsafe. Please contact the Help Desk with any questions. ***\nRE: 6-B - Review and Recommend Park and Recreation Facilities Project Priorities\nDear Commissioners,\nIn your discussion tonight around prioritizing parks, I hope that priority is given to\nparks that can do the most for Alameda's various goals - not only to provide access,\nrecreation, and learning opportunities for people to connect with nature, but also, if\npossible, to help our unique island environment by addressing key environmental\ngoals. Chief among those goals is confronting the critical threat of sea level rise\nthrough design. From what I understand, DePave Park seeks to do that. Therefore,\nI\nhope you support the next steps for that project, and apply that kind of thinking to all\nparks being considered. If there's a matrix of factors, design for future sea level rise\nand habitat protection seem like good points to include.\nThanks for your consideration,\n-Cyndy Johnsen\nP.S. Please post this under the \"Correspondence\" exhibit for public consumption.", "path": "RecreationandParkCommission/2019-12-12.pdf"}
{"body": "RecreationandParkCommission", "date": "2019-12-12", "page": 14, "text": "6-B\nExhibit 3\nFrom:\nPatricia Lamborn\nTo:\nAmy Wooldridge\nSubject:\nDec. 12, 2019 Item 6 B Park Priorities\nDate:\nWednesday, December 11, 2019 8:11:45 AM\nCAUTION: This email message is coming from a non-City email address. Do not\nclick links or open attachments unless you trust the sender and know the content is\nsafe. Please contact the Help Desk with any questions.\nDear Ms. Wooldridge and Recreation and Parks Commissioners,\nAs some of you know I am passionate about defending Shoreline Parks and maintaining open space and\nnatural habitats for wildlife, public access on the Bay, and resiliancy in the face of sea level rise. I write in\nsupport of focusing on our Shoreline Parks: DePave and Enterprise-- as we face the challenge of climate\nadaptation.\nI appreciate the incredible job our Recreation and Parks Department does in maintaining our historic\nparks, and building parks such as Jean Sweeney. The programs run by ARPD are terrific, I am so\ngrateful for the work you all do. The Priority List you present tonite reflects the difficult choices you\nwill\nhave to make in serving the complex needs of our island city.\nI am writing to ask that you recommend moving forward with the steps to make DePave Park and\nEnterprise Park a reality. On March 26, the City Council of Alameda voted 5-0 to pass a historic\nresolution declaring a climate emergency. Our City also spent thousands of dollars and time on\nconsultants to develop the Climate Action and Resiliancy Plan. (CARP)\nNow it's time for action.\nOne definite recommended action from the CARP has been taken ---- the passage of the stormwater\ndrain parcel tax- a smart step to fund the infrastructure needed to deal with flooding and sea level rise\ndue to climate change. DePave Park is an accepted smart action, already a part of the City's plan. It\nshould be next in line to achieve climate change adaptation-- restore wetlands where it is possible.\nI appreciate that the Recreation and Parks Department and Commission are facing a long list of priorities\nfor parks to develop and are seeking a reality check --- there is not enough time nor money to do them all.\nIt may seem controversial to put DePave Park in front of playgrounds and recreation areas, but we are\nrunning out of time- and resolutions aren't enough. Alameda residents will support a smart plan which I\nbelieve can be developed if we put the time and thought into preparing a Request For Proposals for\nDePave Park. I also support a Community Advisory Committee to review the recent survey on Enterprise\nPark.\nYears from now, residents will be grateful we spent money on natural resiliancy and saved them the cost\nof building sea walls and levees.\nI am confident that if you step up and make Shoreline Parks a priority, the people of Alameda will support\nyou.\nSincerely,\nPatricia Lamborn\n3226 Encinal Ave. Alameda\npatricia.lamborn@aol.com", "path": "RecreationandParkCommission/2019-12-12.pdf"}
{"body": "RecreationandParkCommission", "date": "2019-12-12", "page": 15, "text": "wetlands confer an immense benefit for wildlife by providing habitat for aquatic, amphibian, terrestrial, and\navian species alike. Coastal wetlands are also notoriously efficient mechanisms for carbon sequestration and\nstorm water filtration, thereby mitigating anthropic environmental impacts on a local and global scale.\nIn addition to the environmental benefits DePave Park can provide, constructing a shoreline wetland can\nestablish critical ecosystem-based adaptations that would augment Alameda's resilience to global climate\nchange. As one of the largest low-lying regions in the Bay Area, Alameda must prepare for the impending\neffects of sea level rise. Wetlands function as natural sponges that trap and slowly release surface water,\nrain, groundwater, and flood waters and distribute these waters more slowly over the floodplain, thereby\nlowering flood heights and dissipating storm surges. DePave Park can serve as a buffer between Alameda\nand the Bay to mitigate gradual and storm surge inundation to populated areas. The additional benefit of\nreplacing the impermeable land cover currently at Alameda Point with a porous ecosystem will create\nimmediately observable improvements.\nThe proposed park is an investment towards Alameda's future resilience in the face of climate change and\nrising sea levels as well as its ecological role in the Bay. More importantly, the park will restore a sense of\nplace and community that has been lost from this corner of the island. Therefore, Baykeeper strongly\nrecommends that the Alameda Department of Recreation and Parks prioritize DePave Park for development.\nThank you for your consideration. You may feel free to reach me at 510-735-9700 x114 or\ncole@baykeer.org if you have any questions.\nWarmly,\nCBB\nCole Burchiel\nField Investigator and Science Associate\n1736 Franklin Street, Suite 800\nPollution hotline: 1 800 KEEP BAY\nOakland, CA 94612\nWATERKEEFER'ALLIANCE\nFOUNDING MEMEBER\nwww.baykeeper.org\n(510) 735-9700", "path": "RecreationandParkCommission/2019-12-12.pdf"}
{"body": "RecreationandParkCommission", "date": "2019-12-12", "page": 16, "text": "6 -B -\nExhibit 3\na.s\nGreat Blue Heron gathering nesting\nmaterial on west side of Seaplane Lagoon\nwhere ecological park is proposed.\nBlusger:\nTo: Alameda Recreation and Parks Commission\nItem 6-B, Review and Recommend Park and Recreation Facilities Project Priorities\nCommission meeting date: December 12, 2019\nMembers of the Commission:\nI urge you to place DePave Park at the top of your priority list. DePave Park is unlike other\nparks projects in that its primary goal is adapting a portion of the Alameda Point shoreline for\nrising sea level. While there will be a recreational component in the form of public access on\ntrails, its standout feature will be restoration of a tidal ecosystem. It is ideally suited for\nconversion to a wetland ecology, since it is directly adjacent to an existing wetland on federal\nproperty and will create a synergistic upscaling of this wetland zone on the Bay. Furthermore,\nthe vision for DePave Park includes floating wetlands in the Seaplane Lagoon. Floating\nwetlands will make this project a leading edge adaptation project on San Francisco Bay.\nWhile all of the projects on the list are worthy of support, the DePave Park project, as a shoreline\nrestoration project, will not be competing against other City projects on the list for funding. And\nfunding is always the big hurdle for parks projects. For DePave Park, there are many potential\nsources of funding to conduct the planning and permitting process, as well as the construction\nphase. Below is a list of potential sources of funding for DePave Park.\nBase Reuse Fund - City of Alameda\nFunds accumulated in the Base Reuse Fund from the sale and lease of property at Alameda Point\ncan be utilized for project planning purposes at Alameda Point.", "path": "RecreationandParkCommission/2019-12-12.pdf"}
{"body": "RecreationandParkCommission", "date": "2019-12-12", "page": 17, "text": "San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority\nThe SF Bay Restoration Authority disburses funding through an annual grant awards program\nfunded by the taxpayers of the nine-county Bay Area who approved Measure AA. In August of\n2019, another $67 million was awarded to five projects. The deadline for grant applications for\nRound 3 is tomorrow, December 13, 2019. Thus, another year has passed without Alameda\nsubmitting an application for funding to conduct the planning process for DePave Park, even\nthough this project fits squarely within the goals of the restoration authority.\nMeasure AA grants seek to fund projects that:\nImprove Bay water quality;\nRestore, monitor and maintain habitat for fish, birds and wildlife;\nUse natural habitats to protect communities from floods;\nIncrease shoreline access and encourage public participation in protecting the Bay's\nhealth.'\nCalifornia State Coastal Conservancy\nIn 2019, the Coastal Conservancy granted $14 million to the San Francisco Bay Area\nConservancy Program - Climate Adaptation. In addition, the Coastal Conservancy granted $20\nmillion to the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority for its grant programs, which already\nreceives funding under the voter-approved Measure AA.\nBased on the priorities for state Proposition 68 SF Bay Climate Funds listed below, DePave Park\nwill be an excellent candidate for both funding of the planning process and funding of the\nconstruction. Emphasis has been added.\nProject Priorities - Prop 68 SF Bay Climate Funds\nThe priorities for the Prop 68 SF Bay Climate Funds will be to support projects to advance the\ngoals of the San Francisco Bay Area Conservancy Program:\n1) improving public access;\n2) conserving and enhancing habitat and open space resources of regional importance;\n3) implementing policies of the Coastal Act, San Francisco Bay Plan, and other adopted\nplans; and\n4) providing recreational and educational opportunities in open space and natural areas\naccessible to urban populations.\nProjects also need to achieve one or more of the purposes of the Climate Ready Program:\nImprove a community's ability to adapt to the unavoidable impacts of climate change,\nincluding sea level rise, extreme heat, wildfire, drought and flooding.\nUse nature-based climate adaptation that provide co-benefits for people, wildlife, and the\neconomy.", "path": "RecreationandParkCommission/2019-12-12.pdf"}
{"body": "RecreationandParkCommission", "date": "2019-12-12", "page": 18, "text": "Address the needs of low-income and other underserved coastal populations that will be highly\nimpacted by climate change.\nPromote on-the-ground demonstration projects that implement innovative approaches or\nenhance understanding of effective coastal management strategies and will potentially lead to\nbroader change to policies, regulations, or to duplicating the effort elsewhere.\nPromote collaboration among various stakeholders and multiple sectors. Establish and expand\nnon-traditional alliances to accelerate effective problem-solving between and among public and\nprivate resource managers, scientists, and decision-makers.\nReduce GHG emissions or enhance the ability of natural systems to sequester greenhouse\ngases.\nIncorporate outreach or educational component.\nOne of the innovative approaches envisioned at DePave Park is floating wetlands in the Seaplane\nLagoon.\nCalifornia Department of Fish and Wildlife\nCDFW awards funding for wetland restoration and greenhouse gas reduction every year. On\nDecember 10, 2019, for example, it awarded $11.35 million to seven projects.\nThe Wetlands Restoration for Greenhouse Gas Reduction Program (Program) restores or\nenhances wetlands and watershed ecosystems to provide essential services to California's people,\nwildlife, and fish. Wetlands have high carbon sequestration rates that can sequester carbon for\ndecades. There is tremendous opportunity to restore or enhance large areas of mountain meadow,\ncoastal tidal, inland seasonal, and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta wetlands that do not currently\nprovide the full potential of carbon storage or other benefits due to historical land use.\nThe Program is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide program that puts billions of\nCap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing GHG emissions, strengthening the economy, and\nimproving public health and the environment.\nIn conclusion, funds for the implementation of DePave Park are out there for the asking. All we\nneed is the commitment to bring DePave Park into being. It will be of benefit to the\nenvironment, to the character and attractiveness of Alameda Point, and to the community as a\nwhole, as we demonstrate with action our dedication to the goals embodied in the Climate Action\nand Resiliency Plan, of which DePave Park is a part.\nThank you,\nRichard Bangert\nPhoto site: https://www.flickr.com/photos/63740093@N03/\nBlog: https://alamedapointenviro.com/", "path": "RecreationandParkCommission/2019-12-12.pdf"}
{"body": "RecreationandParkCommission", "date": "2019-12-12", "page": 19, "text": "6-B -\nExhibit 3\nDecember 11, 2019\nHonorable Chair and Members of the Recreation and Parks Commission\nDear Chair and Members: of the Recreation and Parks Commission.\nOn December 12 your Commission will make an important decision regarding the future of DePave Park\nI\nstrongly encourage you to prioritize moving forward and asking the City to start the process. De-Pave\nPark calls for removing concrete along the western shore of Seaplane Lagoon for a natural shoreline and\nwetlands development. This concept was included in the 2014 Alameda Point Town and Waterfront\nPrecise Plan and is highlighted in Alameda's 2019 Climate Action Plan. However, the plan won't move\nforward unless the City sends out a Request for Proposal to find out the costs and details of creating this\nshoreline park.\nIn addition to providing a wonderful waterfront park for all to enjoy, this newly created marsh will\ncreate habitat for the wildlife who make their home there and depend on it for their very survival It also\nfits into the city's climate action plan because wetlands and marshes can help mitigate rising ocean\nlevels by helping to absorb and contain rising water.\nPlease do the right thing and ask the city to give this issue the highest priority.\nThank you.\nPatricia M. Gannon\n1019 Tobago Lane\nAlameda, CA 94502\nPg3187@gmail.com", "path": "RecreationandParkCommission/2019-12-12.pdf"}
{"body": "RecreationandParkCommission", "date": "2019-12-12", "page": 20, "text": "6-B\nCOLOEN and\n100\nExhibit 3\nears\nTo:\nHonorable Chair and Members of the Alameda Recreation and Park Commission\nRE:\nRecreation and Parks Commission Meeting, December 12, 2019, Item 6B\nDate: December 10, 2019\nLadies and Gentlemen:\nWe are writing to request that the Commission assign the highest priority to the planning and\ndevelopment of the proposed Shoreline Ecological Park on the west side of Seaplane Lagoon at\nAlameda Point, commonly known as De-Pave Park.\nWe believe that it's time, in fact past time, to move forward on De-Pave Park. The park concept\nwas included in the 2014 Alameda Point Town and Waterfront Precise Plan and is highlighted as\n\"A Case Study in Adaptive Land Use and Shoreline Management\" in Alameda's 2019 Climate\nAction Plan (pages 124 and 125). But De-Pave Park can't give us any of its critical projected\nbenefits while it is still only on paper.\nSeaplane Lagoon and its surrounding area around provides rare and precious habitat for\nwildlife, including a nesting pair of Ospreys, as well as nesting herons and other resident and\nmigrating shore and water birds. As the city increases the commercial and transportation uses\nat Alameda Point, it is critical to consider the needs of the wildlife that are being compromised\nby that development. The additional wildlife area planned in De-Pave Park will be particularly\nvaluable because it will enhance and support the Veteran's Administration's adjacent wildlife\narea. Many birds such as the Great Blue Herons, Least Terns, Caspian Terns and more that nest\non the VA properties rely on the protected waters of the Seaplane Lagoon to forage. It is\nespecially important during storms creating high winds and rough waters on the open SF Bay.\nIn addition, tidal marsh reduces a major cause of climate change, carbon dioxide, and mitigates\nthe effects of sea level rise by buffering waves and absorbing storm surges. Marshes operate as\n\"carbon sinks\" because of the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed through photosynthesis by\nthe prolific wetland vegetation. These sinks are especially important in highly urbanized areas,\nlike the San Francisco Bay Area.\nDe-Pave Park ranks high on the suggested prioritization factors:\nWhile the project is not yet funded, there are excellent opportunities for funding habitat\nrestoration projects, most significantly Measure AA. (East Bay Regional Parks has previously\nbeen awarded Measure AA funds for restoration of and access to Encinal Dunes.)\nThe Bayshore access, wildlife habitat and climate change benefits from De-Pave Park would\nbenefit the entire community of Alameda.\nGOLDEN GATE AUDUBON SOCIETY\n2530 San Pablo Avenue, Suite G, Berkeley, CA 94702\nphone 510.843.2222 web www.goldengateaudubon.org\nemail ggas@goldengateaudubon.org", "path": "RecreationandParkCommission/2019-12-12.pdf"}
{"body": "RecreationandParkCommission", "date": "2019-12-12", "page": 21, "text": "191210 Alameda De-Pave Park Support\nAs described above, the project would have a significant impact on climate change.\nEvery year that goes by without increasing our wetlands contributes to climate change and\nposes more risks to wildlife and people while raising the price tag of doing what is needed. We\nurge the Commission to recommend to the Council that the planning and development of De-\nPave Park be given the highest priority.\nGOLDEN GATE AUDUBON SOCIETY\nLeora Feeney\nLinda Carloni\nLeora Feeney\nLinda Carloni\nCo-Chair, Friends of the Alameda Wildlife Reserve\nPresident, Board of Directors\nGOLDEN GATE AUDUBON SOCIETY\n2530 San Pablo Avenue, Suite G, Berkeley, CA 94702\nphone 510.843.2222 web www.goldengateaudubon.org\nemail ggas@goldengateaudubon.org", "path": "RecreationandParkCommission/2019-12-12.pdf"}