The Parks and Recreation Commission met in regular session in the Council Chambers, City Hall, 456 West Olive Avenue, Sunnyvale, California on July 9, 2003, at 7 p.m., with Chair Manfrey presiding.

Chair Manfrey called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

Chair Manfrey welcomed Commissioner Bob Lawson. Commissioner Lawson introduced himself noting he has lived in Sunnyvale since 1957and served on the Sunnyvale Planning Commission from 1960-1964. As a retired lawyer, he is active in the Rotary Club and is looking forward to working on the Parks and Recreation Commission.

Chair Manfrey opened the meeting for Public Appearances. There were none and the Public Appearances were closed.

1. Review of City of Sunnyvale Code of Ethics

Director Walker stated that the Code of Ethics is reviewed annually by all of the City’s Boards and Commissions. Each Commissioner verbally acknowledged reading and understanding the Code of Ethics. There were no further questions.

2. Commission Work Plan Calendar Review and Adoption for the remainder of 2003

Director Walker said the changes from July forward largely resulted from budget constraints. It was noted that September 10 and 24 are placeholders for study issues. Chair Manfrey pointed out the study session on September 10 was changed from 5:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. It was also noted the August 13 meeting will be held in the West Conference Room.

Director Walker responded to the Commission's inquiry that State and Federal level agencies drafted the language for the "July is Parks and Recreation Month" resolution.

Chair Manfrey announced that nominations were open for Chair and Vice Chair of the Parks and Recreation Commission for Fiscal Year 2003-04. Chair Manfrey nominated Vice Chair Arnett as Chair. Vice Chair Arnett accepted the nomination to serve as Chair and spoke briefly about his goals. There were no further nominations.

Director Walker stated that the Commission's Work Plan Calendar is  light for the remainder of this year and that 2004 could be light as well due to budget constraints, an unsecured State budget and staff reductions. The Commission might consider this an excellent opportunity to get out and look at how the Department functions. For example, the Commission's recent site tour gave them a better perspective on various issues and concerns. Alternatively, the Commission might wish to focus on Co-Sponsorship, the Recreation Fund, or recent concerns for levels of service in the Department. Director Walker stated this item might likely be addressed in a similar fashion to the Commission's study issue recommendation process:

• All ideas, topics and suggestions would be presented

• Each Commissioner would vote on the level of importance of the individual item presented

• Each item would be tallied and rated

• The Commission would entertain a motion to identify specifically rated items to be addressed as time permits.
  

Discussion followed. The Commission was very interested in learning how numbers are compiled to meet the Department's outcome measures. Commissioner Pole stated the Commission needed to be more familiar with the operational side of the Department and it would be even better for this to happen closer to orientation or very early in a Commissioner's term. Also, a Department organization chart would provide a thumbnail sketch of how the Department operates and knowing more about its functions would be beneficial in relating to how crucial the Parks and Recreation Department is to the City. Commissioner DeWolf was very much in favor of selecting topics for further consideration. Chair Manfrey stated becoming somewhat familiar with the parks would give the Commission a better idea of what the issues are and help the Commission make informed decisions and recommendations.

Director Walker added that this would be an excellent opportunity for the Commission to choose the subject matter and decide where to spend the time scheduled for meetings rather than following a direction normally recommended by staff.

Director Walker suggested the Commissioners forward their ideas and suggestions to staff before the next meeting in order to allow staff time to develop a form for prioritizing the topics.

Director Walker commented that this year's Fourth of July Celebration was very successful and that the Department recently completed the Yahoo! Connector to the Bay Trail. The Commission had no further questions on the Project/Issues Status Update report.

Communications

Chair Manfrey attended the ribbon cutting ceremony of the Yahoo! Bay Trail Connector.

Commissioner Lawson requested information on the Commission's involvement in several areas. Director Walker responded regarding the Commission's role pertaining to the Downtown Plaza project and the Sunnyvale Historical Society and Museum Association project.

Vice-Chair Arnett stated he will make every effort to attend the July 19 Grand Opening ceremony of the Senior Center and that he would be out of town for the August 27, 2003 Parks and Recreation Commission meeting.

Commissioner DeWolf shared her experience in touring a new senior center in Olympia, Washington and commented how much more she now appreciated Sunnyvale's new Senior Center. Commissioner DeWolf was very pleased to announce she would be part of the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the July 19^th Grand Opening of the new Sunnyvale Senior Center.

Commissioner Pole requested that packet items be labeled with a corresponding tab number for insertion into their binders to ensure that all the Commissioners' binders would be the same. Several commissioners commented that they had their own systems for organizing their packet materials. Staff clarified that the Commissioners' binders are currently tabbed to match the agenda order--Agenda, Approval of Minutes, General Business, Staff Report, Other Reports and Communications. The number tabs were provided under the General Business section, to separate multiple listed items in that section--the first item placed behind Tab 1, the second item behind Tab 2, etc.

Director Walker stated he looked forward to receiving the Commissioners' topics of interest pertaining to Departmental operations that will be explored in upcoming sessions.

Adjournment – 7:54 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Ilona Bell
Administrative Aide
Parks and Recreation Department

Respectfully submitted,
Robert Walker
Director
Parks and Recreation Department