City of Culver City, California
Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission Agenda Item Report
Meeting Date: 01/06/08 Item Number: A-1
AGENDA ITEM: Update and Discussion on Plan-it Culver City: The Parks and
Recreation Master Plan.
Contact Person/Dept.: Bill Pointe,
Director of Parks, Recreation and
Community Services
Phone Number: (310) 253-6655
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [] No []
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [X] Attachments: []
Public Notification: PRCS Master Email Notification List (12/31/08).
Department Approval: Bill Pointe,
Director of Parks, Recreation and
Community Services (12/29/08)
City Attorney Approval: N/A
Chief Financial Officer Approval: N/A City Manager Approval: N/A
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission
hear any public comment related to the Master Plan process, discuss Plan-it Culver
City: The Parks and Recreation Master Plan and receive and file the report.
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION:
On March 6, 2007, the City of Culver City entered into a professional services
agreement with Moore, Iacofano, Goltsman, Inc. (MIG, Inc.) for consulting services
for the Parks and Recreation Master Plan. Below is a general overview of Master
Plan elements that are included in the City’s contract with MIG, Inc.:
Part I: Overview: Past, Present and Future of Parks & Recreation in Culver City
Part II: Master Plan Recommendations
A. Current Facility Conditions Assessment and Deferred Maintenance
B. Ordinances, Regulations and Policies
C. Park and Recreation Development and Planning: New, Renovated or
Expanded Facilities and Programs
D. Veterans Memorial Park Conceptual Plans
E. Funding Strategies
Part III: Implementation Strategies: Priorities and Charting the Next Steps
A Master Plan Subcommittee meeting of the Parks and Recreation Commission was
held on August 9, 2007. Chair Cooper, Commissioner Daly Redholtz and PRCS
Director Bill La Pointe met to discuss the process of the community meetings and
focus groups and potential candidates for the two, 20-person focus groups as well
as a possible schedule for the three upcoming community meetings. City of Culver City, California
Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission Agenda Item Report
Public Workshops
The first community meeting, or Parks and Recreation Master Plan Public
Workshop, was held on Thursday, October 27, 2007. The second Public Workshop
was held on Thursday, December 6, 2007. The third Public Workshop was held on
Saturday, January 26, 2008 from 9:30 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. at the Culver City Senior
Center. Staff expanded the publicity campaign for the third workshop in order to
continue to promote greater community participation. The third Public Workshop
was very well attended with approximately 70 residents. A power point presentation
was given by MIG, Inc. on the comments and accomplishments to date. Further
public comment was also taken by MIG, Inc.
Normally the third Public Workshop that MIG, Inc. holds is a “wrap-up” meeting that
includes the Focus Group findings. However, since the Focus Groups are taking
place after the third Public Workshop, and, since there was such good attendance
and comment at the third workshop, staff is considering scheduling an additional and
final “wrap-up” Public Workshop to be held in the near future.
Focus Groups
On October 15, 2007, the Parks and Recreation Commission participated in a joint
meeting with the City Council to discuss various items related to Parks, Recreation,
and Community Services, including (but not limited to) the ongoing Parks and
Recreation Master Plan process (including the discussion/approval of the selection
process for the Parks and Recreation Master Plan Focus Groups). At that meeting,
questions were raised as to the appropriateness and efficacy of focus groups as part
of the Parks and Recreation Master Plan process. City Council’s consensus was
that this item should return to the Commission for further discussion and that, after
discussion, the Commission should make a recommendation to Council as to the
best way forward.
At the November 6, 2007 Parks and Recreation Commission meeting, the
Commission took action to recommend to the City Council that City Council go
forward with the Focus Group option (as opposed to the Interview Option). The
Commission recommended that the City Council choose which
organizations/agencies should be represented in the two Focus Groups, while
allowing the members of the each selected organization/agency to determine for
themselves the individual that will be their Focus Group representative.
At the December 10, 2007 City Council meeting, the Council considered Agenda
Item A-6: Discussion and Consideration of a Recommendation by the Parks and
Recreation Commission Regarding the Selection Process for the Parks and
Recreation Master Plan Focus Groups. An excerpt of the meeting minutes on this
topic is provided below:
City of Culver City, California
Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission Agenda Item Report
Councilmember Malsin proposed the following motion: That focus groups be
selected and to widen the survey to include certain people and organizations
including senior recreation leaders; principals of schools who have joint-use parks;
families with young children; members of the Senior Center Board; environmental
organizations; the Disability Advisory Committee; Veterans Complex users; non-park
users; and the PTA from each school in regards to the parks and recreation master
plan.
In response to this direction from the City Council, invitations to the Focus Groups
were sent to:
PTA & PTA Equivalent Groups, including
Culver City Council PTA (umbrella organization)
El Marino PTA La Ballona PTA
El Rincon PTA Linwood Howe PTA
Farragut PTA Middle School PTA
High School PTA
Principals of Schools that have Joint Use agreements with us:
El Marino principal El Rincon principal
Other Groups
CC Senior Citizen Association Disability Advisory Committee
VMC non-profit clients VMC for-profit clients
Culver City Moms Club-East Culver City Moms Club-West
Environmentally-oriented groups and/or individuals
Senior Recreation Leaders
Unfortunately, contact information for those who do not use the parks was not
available for inclusion on the mailing list. The first of two focus groups of
approximately 20 invitees met on Tuesday, February 26, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. at the
Senior Center to discuss “Parks and Facilities.” The second Focus Group was held
on March 15, 2008 from 8:30 - 10:00 a.m. at the Senior Center to discuss “Leisure
Programs.” The purpose of the Focus Groups was to discuss and provide comment
on these two main issues, which arose during the course of the three Public
Workshops. Although attendance at the second meeting was somewhat lower than
at the first Focus Group, participants were articulate and engaged and
representatives of MIG, Inc. were very pleased with the level of the discussion and
the quality of the input that was given.
Previous Developments in the Master Planning Process
In addition to what MIG, Inc. is doing to gain ideas and information from the
community, staff has developed some additional ways for the public to become
involved in the Culver City Parks and Recreation Master Plan. As part of this
expanded outreach effort, Parks, Recreation and Community Services Director Bill City of Culver City, California
Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission Agenda Item Report
La Pointe visited various parks on Monday, December 17
th
and Wednesday,
December 19
th
and administered a survey to a convenience sample of parks users.
Also, staff has increased the scope of services to MIG for the purpose of having “as-
built” drawings developed of Veterans Park and the adjacent area along Culver
Boulevard (between Coombs and Elenda) so that the Veterans Park Conceptual
Plan element of the Master Plan will be able to now commence in the Fall of 2008.
On January 14, 2008 the Facility Assessment and Deferred Maintenance Plan
Element of the Master Plan was completed and submitted by MIG, Inc. to the City.
This plan, via CD, was distributed to City Council, Parks and Recreation
Commission and specific City Staff on, or about, February 4, 2008. While this Plan
is quite thorough, it should not be considered exhaustive in scope, but rather, should
serve as a good foundation upon which to expand and clarify the deferred
maintenance needs of the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department
facilities in the coming years.
On or about August 5, 2008 a CD was distributed to the Parks and Recreation
Commissioners, Planning Commissioners, Thomas Gorham (Planning Director), and
certain Parks, Recreation and Community Services Staff. This CD contained the
following information regarding the Parks and Recreation Master Plan:
• Request for Proposal Document
• MIG, Inc Project Proposal
• Facility Assessment Report
• Deferred Maintenance Plan
• Synopses of the Three Community
Workshops
• Synopses of the Two Focus Group
Meetings
• Phone Survey and Results
• PowerPoint Presentation Synopsis
of the 3 Community Meetings
given by MIG, Inc.
As more information and elements of the Master Plan become available or are
completed, it will be conveyed to the above-noted persons via e-mail so they might
add the new information to their compilation CD.
Plan-it Culver City: The Parks and Recreation Master Plan
The “Plan-it Culver City” concept (see logo) was developed to
publicize the series of Parks and Recreation Commission and
community meetings that would focus on specific parks and
recreation facilities and programs. As conceptualized by staff,
this would be a public outreach campaign developed in order to
encourage those who either live near or frequent specific Culver
City parks to share their thoughts and dreams as to what they would like to see in
the next 20 years with regard to parks, programs and facilities within their own
sphere of living and activity. Since general discussions had already been held
regarding the future of parks and recreation in Culver City through both Public
Workshops and Focus Groups as facilitated by MIG, Inc., it seemed important to
gain park-specific insights from those who are stakeholders in our parks and
recreation facilities. It was thought that this would be a good path to take for a more City of Culver City, California
Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission Agenda Item Report
specific conversation regarding our parks and recreation facilities that would both
promote public participation and inform the Master Planning process. The logo was
first used in a small announcement in the upcoming edition of Culver City Living (Fall
2008) telling people to watch for announcements of upcoming opportunities to
participate in these types of discussions.
Results of August 5, 2008 Commission Meeting
At the August 5, 2008 meeting, Commissioners discussed the above item of this
report (Plan-It Culver City: The Parks and Recreation Master Plan) and gave general
recommendation that they were satisfied with the processes already in place and
were not necessarily interested in pursuing additional meetings until the “Draft”
results of the Master Planning process were complete, thus giving the public
something more concrete to consider during any future community meetings. Until
such time, the consensus of the Commission was that they would like to continue to
hear from the community through public input at regularly scheduled Commission
meetings. The “Plan-it Culver City” tag line and logo will be used for publicity for the
Master Planning process, any related meetings, reports and community events and
when referring to the Master Plan document itself.
Update on the Status of Plan-it Culver City
Staff has reviewed the first draft of the Parks and Recreation Master Plan for
accuracy and completeness. After staff’s revisions to the first draft of the document
have been incorporated, the Comprehensive Plan Subcommittee will receive a copy
of the draft document for their review and comment, after which the full Commission
will receive the final “Draft” for consideration.
Veterans’ Memorial Park Conceptual Plan
The Veterans’ Memorial Park Conceptual Plan and the related meetings on this topic
with the community, staff and the PRCS Commission are included in MIG, Inc.’s,
scope of service for the Master Planning process. Two Community Meetings were
held to facilitate the Veterans’ Park Conceptual Planning Process and a short
synopsis of each meeting is presented below.
The first Veterans’ Park Conceptual Plan Community Meeting was held on Saturday,
October 25, 2008 at 9:30 a.m. in Room C71-C75 at the Culver City Senior Center.
This meeting was well attended by a variety of community special interest groups as
well as individual citizens. There was much discussion regarding the possible
amenities and redesign considerations for Veterans’ Memorial Park. Three primary
suggestions were made during this discussion: (1) group active recreation spaces
separately from the passive recreation spaces; (2) re-do the playground area for
ages 2-12 years; and, (3) be cognizant of how the design will impact the
neighborhood.
City of Culver City, California
Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission Agenda Item Report
The second Veterans’ Park Conceptual Plan Community Meeting was held on
Saturday, November 15, 2008 at 9:30 a.m. in Room C75-C77 at the Culver City
Senior Center. Approximately 50 community members viewed the two Conceptual
Plans that had been developed by MIG, Inc. based on previous public comment.
One interesting aspect of the discussion was that most of those present expressed
positive views regarding Veterans’ Memorial Park’s current layout and amenities.
The thrust of the discussion was that the public would like to see minor
improvements of what is already in place at the Park as opposed to having plans
developed that involve major changes to the area.
FISCAL ANALYSIS:
There is no fiscal impact associated with the discussion of this agenda item.
ATTACHMENTS:
None.
MOTIONS:
That the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission:
1. Hear any public comment related to the Master Plan process;
2. Discuss Plan-it Culver City: The Parks and Recreation Master Plan; and,
3. Receive and file the report.