Pledge of Allegiance

Board Chair Sherry Sterrett led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Roll Call

Board Present: Donaghu, Hurd, Sterrett

Board Absent: Bonato, Shepard

Ex-Officio Present: Broomand

Berggren, Kubota, Spatz

Board Chair Sherry Sterrett introduced Jamiee Rizzotti. She is a student at San Francisco State University and is interested in a career in Recreation. She wanted to attend a board meeting.

Public Comment

KEN HOUSEFELD, Pleasant Hill resident – Spoke to the Board on the issue of smoking in our parks. Ken passed out District current regulations, dated 1986, regarding smoking in parks in the Pleasant Hill Recreation & Park District. Ken has been a resident of Pleasant Hill for 20 years. As far as he could tell, there are no signs posted in any park about these regulations. There is also no indication of our regulations on applications which people complete when they rent one of the district spaces. Housefeld said it is his opinion that the smoking regulations for our parks need to join this century. He commented that over 400 communities across the country have banned smoking in parks; second-hand smoke can kill. He continued to explain that The City of Concord has banned smoking in Todo Santos Plaza and a smoking ban in all state parks and beaches has passed the State Senate and is being considered by the State Assembly. He said it is expected to pass and the Governor has indicated that he will sign this into legislation. Housefeld commented that California will then become the first state in the nation to have such regulations. Last week, the City of Concord and the City of Pleasant Hill banned smoking at all outdoor events in front of all City buildings and any newly constructed multi-family dwelling and required that 50% of current multi-use dwellings be smoke-free within five years. Housefeld stated that it is time for the Recreation and Park District to modify its smoking policy and ban smoking in parks. He said if such a ban is approved, he will donate $100.00 to help with the fabrication and placement of signs in our parks.

Board Chair Sterrett said she spoke to Housefeld earlier and he did realize that in speaking under Public Comment, the Board can take no action on the item. Sterrett stated the Board is interested in receiving his materials and comments. This will now be turned over to the General Manager and at the appropriate time, he will notify Housefeld when this item will be placed on the agenda at a future meeting.

Consent Calendar

Upon motion of Donaghu/Hurd, the Board approved the warrants as presented and the minutes with changes suggested.

• To Approve Bills to be paid, warrants #13461 - #13505 in the amount of $219,191.33 dated March 25, 2010.
• To Approve Minutes of March 11, 2010.

Ex-Officio Member Report, Nasreen Broomand, CPHS

Ex-Officio Broomand reported that last Friday was a multi-cultural rally and teachers’ feedback was that it was absolutely fantastic. She reported that there were dances from many cultures. She said Spanish Moroccan was one of the dances performed, Asian Pop/American hip hop, which was fantastic. She said that the third dance was the belly dancing group she is part of and the fourth was the Latino dancers that were great. They performed all the different types of dance from various of the Hispanic countries – salsa, traditional Mexican dancing and more. Broomand said they wore different costumes for each dance. She said there was American tap dancing, an Indian dance group like Bollywood dance, and finally, the Filipino dancers finished the rally. She said all dance groups were student performers.

She mentioned the students put on the Teachers’ Appreciation Breakfast, which was a really big hit with the teachers. She said the teachers expressed their appreciation. Broomand said local stores donated food and coffee. She reported that tomorrow is Jr. Prom which will be held at Golden Gate Fields.

Broomand said the Every 15 Minutes program was held yesterday and the day before for College Park High School Juniors and Seniors. She said it simulated drunk driving accidents and its consequences (paralysis, death, DUI arrest, etc.) She said it was sad and an eye opener. She said a memorial service was held for the students that were involved in the program, which was pretty emotional, frightening and powerful. She stated that even though it was all re-enactments and simulated, it was so real and touched everyone. Board Member Donaghu also attended the program and has for many years. He suggested other Board Members to attend this program in the future. He said it occurs every other year.

Broomand stated that tomorrow is the middle school Neon Dance. She said they are hoping a lot of kids will attend the event. Broomand reported that the Teen Council is helping out with the Easter Egg Hunt face painting and they will also be helping out with StarQuest as ushers. She said five Teen Council members attended the CPRS District 4 YAC ATTACK Conference in Santa Clara, for Bay Area Youth Commissions and Councils. The Pleasant Hill Rotary Club gave a grant to the Teen Council for the members to attend.

To Consider Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Pleasant Hill and Pleasant Hill Recreation & Park District for Emergency Preparedness

General Manager Bob Berggren reported the MOU with the City of Pleasant Hill and contract with the Police Chief Pete Dunbar was actually started last fall. The District has participated in the emergency operation center in the past and the City of Pleasant Hill wanted to formalize the MOU as they were going through their own new emergency operation plan. It was agreed that it would be good to have a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the District and the City regarding operation, specifically use of District staff and facilities. Berggren said that Park Maintenance personnel can be assigned to various operations during an emergency and whether we need to open up a shelter. We have made some changes to the MOU that Attorney Mark Cornelius has recommended. The General Manager mentioned that it is the District’s duty during an emergency and District Park Maintenance staff as well as Recreation Staff will be assisting in the field and with the shelter if one is needed.

Board Member Hurd had some questions where it references a 2000 agreement and 2002, but the General Manager stated it is referencing the public services agreement. Donaghu noticed like Hurd that it mentions under Item C, where it refers to public service center and the agreement of 2002. The General Manager said this was an introductory that attorney Mark Cornelius put together defining the City and District and was used as an example of what the two agencies have worked together on and it really doesn’t pertain to the MOU. Because of the confusion, Chair Sterrett suggested to remove the section.

Sterrett also wanted clarification on Item 2 under “Participation by the Park and Rec District”, it says when the EOC is activated and the Director of Emergency Services deems the resources of the district. She was wondering who is the Director of Emergency Services? Sterrett stated that maybe it should be clarified to say, “the City EOC is activated and the City Director of Emergency Services.” Sterrett continued and stated that since the MOU is like an agreement under Item No. 4 under Signatures, where it states “unless repealed by the City Council”, it should say “by the Pleasant Hill City Council”, or “the Board”, it should say “the Pleasant Hill Recreation & Park District Board of Directors”. Sterrett said that these minor changes do not change the intent, but will clarify for all concerned. She asked that the General Manager and Attorney look over these changes.

Upon motion of Hurd/Donaghu, the Board approved the Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Pleasant Hill and Pleasant Hill Recreation & Park District for emergency preparedness.

To Approve Resolution 2010-03-25A, Nominating the Pleasant Hill Recreation & Park District to California Special Districts Association (CSDA) Board (ACTION)

The General Manager stated that Board Chair Sterrett is up for election to serve on the CSDA Board for another 3 years. He recommended approving the resolution nominating Sterrett for the CSDA Board of Directors.

Upon motion of Donaghu/Hurd, the Board unanimously approved the nomination of Sherry Sterrett for the CSDA Board.

To Consider Agreement with Critical Solutions, Inc. for Project and Construction Management Services (ACTION)

Board Chair Sterrett stated that because of conflicts with two of the Board Members not being able to attend this board meeting, this item has been tabled and will be rescheduled for a Special Board Meeting on April 1. The record will show that April 1 is a Special Meeting, not a regular Board Meeting. The General Manager stated that a Critical Solutions, Inc. representative Ron Johnson will be at the Bond Oversight Committee Meeting on Monday, March 29.

To Approve Resolution 2010-03-25B, Authorizing the Amendment and Restatement of its Existing Money Purchase Pension Plan, Authorizing the Adoption of the PARS Alternate Retirement System as the Successor Plan to the Money Purchase Pension Plan, Appointing Union Bank for Trustee Services for the Successor Plan; and Appointing PARS as Trust Administrator for the Successor Plan (ACTION)

The General Manager stated that this is the final step of transferring the funds from the old CRDEB plan, along with the District’s matching amount and transferring this to the new plan with PARS as the trust administrator. The Board is recommending the approval of this resolution. There is some paperwork that needs to be submitted as well. The amount from the plan the District will receive is $172,000.

Board Chair Sterrett explained the history and efforts of the Board and Staff to come to a closure with this situation. The Board several years back decided to make the employees whole as best they could and save some funds from some very tight budget years. She said the final amount along with the contributions from the District will be approximately $434,560. She reported that there were seven other recreation and park districts that were involved. The Genreal Manager commented that everything was reviewed with PARS and with Chang, Ruthenberg and Long and Jack Cantwell. He said the employees involved will be notified and at some point, when there is no response, the money will be returned to the State as unclaimed.

Upon motion of Hurd/Donaghu, the Board voted unanimously to approve authorizing the amendment and restatement of its existing money purchase pension plan, authorizing the adoption of the PARS alternate retirement system as the successor plan to the money purchase pension plan, appointing union bank for trustee services for the successor plan; and appointing PARS as trust administrator for the successor plan.

Bond Project Updates

The General Manager reported that the first oversight committee meeting will be on Monday, March 29, 2010. He said the first draft of the CEQA initial study is being reviewed. He mentioned the noise analysis part of the study has been conducted, but the write-up has not been completed yet. He said samples were taken at the Senior Center and at Pleasant Oaks Park. The General Manager said the Teen Center parking analysis is also close to being completed, but the arborist and biological analysis is already complete along with the traffic analysis, the hazardous asbestos and lead surveys, and the air quality and greenhouse analysis.

The General Manager said the biggest accomplishment was the bond sale. He passed out copies of the statement. He said that Craig Hill and Lisa Siemsen from Northcross, Hill and Ach (District financial advisors) informed him that on March 17, sale was opened at 9:00 a.m. and closed at approximately 9:30 a.m., companies bid on these and Morgan Stanley was the company that purchased the $20 million series of bonds. They were projecting around 5%, so the 4.736% was even better and helps our tax rate and assessed evaluation, bringing it down from $21.00 to $20.91 per $100,000 assessed value of the tax payer’s home. He said the other bidders were listed as UBS, Robert Behr & Company and Stone & Younger. The General Manager stated that the process was all conducted through the Internet, throughout the country. He commented the District is very pleased and will generate net bond receipts of $19,982,064.00. He did state that the bond sale was delayed by a week and it proved to be very good timing and decision. The District has authority to sell $8 million more of the bonds at a later date if needed. He said the money from this first bond sale will be received April 1, 2010.

The General Manager remarked that the soil geotechnical proposals for the Community Center have been received and will be presented to the Board at a future Board Meeting. He said that the project/construction management services agreement with Ron Johnson and Critical Solutions, Inc. will be on the April 8th Board Meeting agenda. He had some good talks and negotiations with Karl Danielson with the Dahlin Group and hopes to have results at the April 8th Board Meeting. He commented that a tentative date of April 27 was set for the City of Pleasant Hill Planning Commission meeting date. The Architectural Review Commission is on May 6 and will concentrate on the Teen Center. The General Manager will confirm the dates.

Board Announcements And Requests To Staff

Board Member Donaghu also attended the Every 15 Minutes and had been for the last eight years. He commented that this one was a little harsher than the previous ones and it was that way to get people’s attention. He said when this program first started, there was a fatality every 15 minutes from an alcohol-related accident and now over the years, with the attention to this program and other efforts, it’s now every 45 minutes. He commented that you can see how this program has had a dramatic affect. He said many public service entities were enlisted to help participate. Donaghu expanded on his experience with this event and thought it was the best of the four he has seen.

Board Member Hurd will miss the first board meeting in May. Board Member Donaghu said he will also miss the first May meeting.

Staff Announcements

The General Manager made the following announcements:

• At the April 19 Contra Costa Special District Association quarterly meeting, the District is going to be honored as the district of the quarter. A presentation is being put together about the District’s history and accomplishments. This will be held at the Community Center.
• The District received the District of Distinction from the Special District Leadership Foundation (SDLF) and will be honored with the Award at the California Association of Recreation and Park Districts (CARPD) on May 15 at the annual conference. The Pleasant Hill Recreation & Park District is the first recreation and park district to receive this award. A press release from SDLF was passed out to the Board.
• April Pools Day will be on April 3 from Noon – 4pm at the Pleasant Hill Aquatic Park Pool after the Eggciting Egg Hunt. The April Pools Day is a joint effort of the Contra Costa Fire District, AMR, and other emergency agencies, so there will be a helicopter, fire service and police service personnel in the park. This is a free event to the community to educate them about pool safety.

Adjournment

Board Chair Sterrett adjourned the meeting at 5:04 p.m.