City of Culver City, California
Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission Agenda Item Report
Meeting Date: 05/05/09 Item Number: A-1
AGENDA ITEM: Approval and Adoption of the Parks and Recreation Master Plan
and Consideration of a Recommendation that the City Council Approve and Adopt
the Plan.
Contact Person/Dept: Bill La Pointe,
PRCS Director
Phone Number: (310) 253-6655
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [] No []
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [X] Attachments: [X]
Public Notification: PRCS Master Email Notification List and Distribution Lists (04/30/09).
Culver City Website Posting (04/30/09).
Department Approval: Bill La Pointe,
PRCS Director (04/29/09)
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 a presentation from MIG, Inc. outlining the Culver City Parks and Recreation
Master Plan, approve and adopt the Plan and consider recommending that the City
Council approve and adopt Plan-it Culver City.
BACKGROUND:
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, potential candidates for the two, 20-person focus groups and 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. A summary of the public notification
done for the Master Plan Public Workshops is provided in Attachment A.
Typically, the third Public Workshop that MIG, Inc. holds is a “wrap-up” meeting that
includes the Focus Group findings. However, since the Focus Groups were taking
place after the third Public Workshop, and since there was such good attendance
and comment at the third workshop, staff considered scheduling an additional and
final “wrap-up” Public Workshop to be held in the future. However after further
consideration, it was determined that the PRCS Commission meetings would
provide a public forum in which this “wrap-up” of the Master Plan could be
presented.
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 City of Culver City, California
Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission Agenda Item Report
Recreation Master Plan Focus Groups. An excerpt of the meeting minutes on this
topic is provided below:
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 Linwood Howe PTA
El Rincon PTA Middle School PTA
Farragut 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. has done to gain ideas and information from the
community, staff developed 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 La Pointe visited City of Culver City, California
Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission Agenda Item Report
various parks on December 17 and 19, 2007 and administered a survey to a
convenience sample of parks users.
Staff also increased the scope of services to MIG for the purpose of having “as-built”
drawings developed of Veterans’ Memorial Park and the adjacent area along Culver
Boulevard (between Coombs and Elenda) so that the Veterans’ Memorial Park
Conceptual Plan element of the Master Plan would be able to 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, the 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 Manager Thomas Gorham and management-level 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.
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
specific conversation regarding our parks and recreation facilities that would both
promote public participation and inform the Master Planning process. The logo was City of Culver City, California
Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission Agenda Item Report
first used in a small announcement in the Fall 2008 edition of Culver City Living
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 have since been used for
publicity related to the Master Planning process, any related meetings, reports and
community events and when referring to the Master Plan document itself.
Veterans’ Memorial Park Conceptual Plans
The Veterans’ Memorial Park Conceptual Plans 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. The Conceptual Plans are
intended to provide potential options for the future redevelopment of Veterans’
Memorial Park to support long-range program planning efforts by the City. Should
opportunities and/or resources become available to support the redevelopment of
Veterans’ Memorial Park, the City would continue to work with the community to
refine the Conceptual Plans to create a vision for the future of the park.
Three Community Meetings were held to facilitate the Veterans’ Memorial Park
Conceptual Planning Process; a short synopsis of each meeting is presented below.
A summary of the public notification done for the Veterans’ Memorial Park
Conceptual Plan Community Meetings is provided in Attachment A.
The first Veterans’ Park Conceptual Plan Community Meeting was held on Saturday,
October 25, 2008 at 9:30 a.m. 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.
The second Veterans’ Park Conceptual Plan Community Meeting was held on
Saturday, November 15, 2008 at 9:30 a.m. at the Culver City Senior Center.
Approximately 50 community members viewed the two Conceptual Plans that had City of Culver City, California
Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission Agenda Item Report
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.
In December, PRCS staff met with MIG staff to review Conceptual Plans #1 and #2
in order to design a third conceptual plan that would incorporate the community
comments brought out during the second community meeting on November 15,
2008. MIG then developed Conceptual Plan #3 and presented it in a third
community meeting. The third Veterans’ Memorial Park Conceptual Plan
Community Meeting was held on Wednesday, March 11, 2009 at 6:00 p.m. at the
Veterans’ Memorial Building. Approximately 50 representatives of community
groups and individual citizens attended, over half of which were first-time
participants in the Master Plan process. Representatives of the Boy Scouts, Rock
and Mineral Club and AmVets expressed particular concern with the replacement of
the buildings that they currently rent along Culver Boulevard with a single rental
facility. Many of those present agreed that minor improvements and maintenance
were preferred over significant redevelopment and redesign of the Park.
Conceptual Plan #3, along with Conceptual Plans #1 and #2 were placed on display
in the Veterans’ Memorial Building and made available on the City website beginning
March 17, 2009. On March 31, 2009, the PRCS Commission Comprehensive Plan
Subcommittee (Vice Chair Daly Redholtz, Commissioner Kim) and PRCS Director
La Pointe met to review the third Conceptual Plan and some of the primary concerns
raised during the community meeting of March 17, 2009. Subsequently, on April 1,
2009 the PRCS Director held a meeting with representatives of the Boy Scouts,
Rock and Mineral Club and AmVets. PRCS Commission Comprehensive Plan
Subcommittee member Vice Chair Daly Redholtz and Recreation Manager Pam
Robinson also attended the meeting. At that meeting, participants representing the
three community organizations stated their concerns about the Conceptual Plans
and their needs and desires regarding the future of Veterans’ Memorial Park,
especially with relation to the area along Culver Boulevard between Coombs and
Elenda Avenues.
April 7, 2009 Commission Meeting
At the April 7, 2009 PRCS Commission meeting, the three Veterans’ Memorial Park
Conceptual Plans prepared by MIG, Inc., based on public input from the three
Conceptual Plan public meetings, were presented to the Commission for their review
and comment. The Commission received and filed public comments made via email
regarding the Conceptual Plans. In addition, residents of the Veterans’ Memorial
Park neighborhood, representatives of the Boy Scouts, Rock and Mineral Club and
AmVets and other interested parties entered comments into the record at the
meeting. A coalition of Veterans’ Park neighbors, referring to themselves as City of Culver City, California
Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission Agenda Item Report
“Directly Impacted Neighbors,” or D.I.N, submitted a fourth Conceptual Plan for
Commission consideration. As noted in the draft April 7
th
meeting minutes on the
Consent Calendar, the Commission unanimously took action to include this fourth
Conceptual Plan along with the three that had been prepared by MIG, Inc. in the
appendices of the Master Plan document.
DISCUSSION:
The proposed Parks and Recreation Master Plan (with Appendix), was provided
under separate cover to the PRCS Commission at the April 7, 2009 meeting. The
primary document (without Appendix) was made available to the public on the City’s
website at www.culvercity.org on April 30, 2009.
The Parks and Recreation Master Plan is an analysis of existing conditions and
existing and future needs for recreation programs and facilities within Culver City
and will serve as the guiding document for future park and recreation programs and
facilities maintenance, renovation and development. In addition, the plan will further
be used in updating the City’s General Plan including the Open Space, Recreation
and Land Use Elements. The update of the City’s General Plan is currently in the
Planning Division’s work program of fiscal year 2009/10. The General Plan update
is anticipated to be a 3-4 year process. The Master Plan will not be adopted as a
stand alone General Plan Element but rather be used to inform and guide the
updates to the General Plan elements noted above.
The procedure for adopting the Parks and Recreation Master Plan is as follows:
1. A review and discussion of the Parks and Recreation Master Plan is held at this
evening’s PRCS Commission meeting. The PRCS Commission considers
approving and adopting the document and recommends that the City Council
approve and adopt the document.
2. The City Council holds a Public Hearing to review and discuss the Parks and
Recreation Master Plan, and after the public vetting process, considers
approving and adopting the document.
If the PRCS Commission takes action at this evening’s meeting to approve and
adopt the Master Plan and recommends the Master Plan be approved and adopted
by the City Council, the document will be presented to the Council for a Public
Hearing at a future meeting.
FISCAL ANALYSIS:
There is no fiscal impact associated with the discussion of this agenda item.
City of Culver City, California
Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission Agenda Item Report
ATTACHMENTS:
A. Summary of Public Notification done for Plan-it Culver City Meetings
MOTIONS:
That the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission:
1. Approve and adopt the Parks and Recreation Master Plan and recommend that
the City Council approve and adopt the Parks and Recreation Master Plan;
or
2. Approve and adopt the Parks and Recreation Master Plan and recommend that
the City Council approve and adopt the Parks and Recreation Master Plan under
the condition that the document be presented to the City Council with any
corrections, additions or deletions agreed upon by the Commission at this
evening’s meeting.
MEETING DATE: May 5, 2009
AGENDA ITEM: Approval and Adoption of Plan-it Culver City, the
Proposed Parks and Recreation Master Plan,
prepared by MIG, Inc.; and Consideration of a
Recommendation that the City Council Approve and
Adopt Plan-it Culver City.
ATTACHMENTS
Pages
A. Summary of Public Notification done for Plan-it Culver
City Meetings.
1
SUMMARY OF PUBLIC NOTIFICATION FOR PLAN-IT CULVER CITY MEETINGS
MASTER PLAN
WORKSHOP #1
MASTER PLAN
WORKSHOP #2
MASTER PLAN
WORKSHOP #3
VETS
CONCEPTUAL
PLAN #1
VETS
CONCEPTUAL
PLAN #2
VETS
CONCEPTUAL
PLAN #3
MEETING DATE 10/25/2007 12/6/2007 1/26/2008 10/25/2008 11/15/2008 3/11/2009
Standard GovDelivery
Email Notification
All 3 Workshops
noticed
Workshops #1 &
#2 noticed YES YES
Channel 35 Cable Crawler
All 3 Workshops
noticed
Workshops #1 &
#2 noticed YES NO
Article/Ad on City's
Website
All 3 Workshops
noticed
Workshops #1 &
#2 noticed YES YES
Newspaper Press Releases
All 3 Workshops
noticed
Workshops #1 &
#2 noticed YES NO
Email Blasts to PRCS
Distribution Lists
All 3 Workshops
noticed
Workshops #1 &
#2 noticed
YES - also Fire
Dept. contacts YES
Postcard Mailing - Specific
Audience / 500 foot radius NO NO NO NO
Telephone Calls NO NO NO YES
Flyer Distribution at PRCS
Parks & Facilities
All 3 Workshops
noticed
Workshops #1 &
#2 noticed YES YES
Posted Notices at PRCS
Parks & Facilities
All 3 Workshops
noticed
Workshops #1 &
#2 noticed YES
Park Signs used
instead (see
below)
Stand Alone Park Signs -
All Parks Not yet available Not yet available Not yet available YES
Article/Ad - CC Living NO NO
Paid Display Ads in Local
Paper(s)
CC News - 1
week
CC News & Blue
Pacific - 1 week
CC News - 1
week
CC News - 1
week
Banners in 3 Locations NO NO YES NO
CC News - 2 weeks
NO
Armory; AMVETS; Boy Scouts
YES
Vets Park proper and the "spur,"
Senior Center & seven Culver City
Parks.
Not yet available
YES - These 2 meetings were
noticed together NO
YES - These 2 meetings were
noticed together
YES
YES
YES
YES
500 ft. @ Vets Park; 16 Community
Garden Plot Renters; Neighborhood
Associations
ATTACHMENT A
Page 1