Recreation and Park Commission Meeting – March 13, 2025
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Recreation and Park Commission Meeting – March 13, 2025
The Recreation and Park Commission of Alameda met on Thursday, March 13, 2025, at 7:00 PM in City Hall Council Chambers. The meeting included updates on skatepark improvements and pre‑K/youth programs, public comments on memorial benches, a proposed dog park, and baseball field safety, as well as staff and commissioner communications.
Consent Calendar
- Approve Minutes of February 13, 2025 – The commission unanimously approved the minutes from the previous regular meeting (motion by Commissioner Alexander, second by Commissioner Burney; roll call: 4‑0).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Jennifer Rakowski (in‑person) urged the commission and Director Long to support the installation of a permanent memorial bench for Mario Gonzalez at the park on Otis, stating that “the vast majority of these types of deaths do not result in law enforcement officers being dismissed” and that a bench could begin healing and restorative efforts.
- John Pexon (in‑person, East End resident and dog owner) provided an update on the planned off‑leash dog park at Tilton and Clement Street. He reported that soil testing showed significant lead and arsenic contamination, that $75,000 is budgeted for remediation, and that the state Department of Toxic Substances must approve a project plan, likely pushing completion to summer 2026. He offered to help with fundraising and thanked ARPD staff Matt Nolan and Justin [Long] for their assistance.
- Jay Garfunkel (via Zoom) raised safety concerns at Lincoln Park baseball diamond, noting that the bleachers lack foul‑ball protection (unlike the Little League field) and that cars in the parking lot are frequently hit by foul balls. He suggested adding a few feet of fence or netting and a baffle near the hitter’s box.
Discussion Items
- Staff Communications – Director Justin Long announced upcoming events: Alameda Restaurant Week (March 14‑23), Youth Career & Job Fair (March 26), Asian & Pacific Islander Cultural Arts Festival (April 26), Alameda Walks (May 17), Play for the Parks Golf Tournament (May 19), free concert (March 14), Spring Shindig (April 19), Starlight Movies (May 16 kickoff with Moana 2), Sandcastle Contest (June 21), July 4 Parade, summer activity guide registration, mobile recreation sites, spring break camps, aquatics programs, Tiny Tots camps, parks & playgrounds program (June 16‑August 8), teen programs, pickleball classes, and open gym. He reported 99 volunteers contributed over 1,080 hours in February, Mastic served 1,050 lunches, and the community garden produced 97 bags of produce. He also noted the passing of maintenance worker Drake Swanson (joined city September 2021).
- Commissioner Communications – Commissioner Alexander shared observations from park visits: full pickleball courts at Leidecker, Little League and girls’ softball at Cruzy, soccer at Rittler and Washington, basketball at Washington, lacrosse at Estuary, and the Warriors basketball camp at the base gym. She read positive Facebook comments about Franklin Park. Commissioner Burney thanked ARPD for winter park maintenance and encouraged youth to attend the job fair. Vice Chair Schwartz appreciated collaboration between ARPD and AUSD to resolve maintenance issues at the NCL Swim Center. Chair ADs highlighted youth development opportunities such as umpiring, teen volunteer programs, and Operation Green Sweep.
- 6‑A: Update on Skatepark Improvements – Assistant Parks & Rec Director Matt Nolan presented plans for renovation of the 1999 community‑built skatepark (15,500 sq ft) at the Navy base. Two design options were shown: Option 1 focuses on seating and minor features; Option 2 adds a mini‑ramp, twinkie, and more complex elements while retaining the volcano. Community engagement included an on‑site meeting (50 attendees) and two online surveys (349 and 146 respondents). The project has a $200,000 budget, with potential additional funding from Alameda Point Sports Complex. Next steps: finalize community input, complete cost estimate, obtain construction drawings and permits, issue RFP, with construction completion targeted by end of summer 2026. Public speaker Scott Ramos (skateboarder) expressed strong preference for Option 2, citing more features, and thanked ARPD for collaboration. He also suggested designating another skateboard space in town. Commissioner Alexander noted the skatepark’s cleanliness, graffiti concerns, and safety issues with pallet fires; she proposed a designated fire pit, mural wall, and garbage can decorating contests. She mentioned Friends of the Park holds $26,612 for the renovation. Commissioners discussed potential lighting (currently none) and encouraged advocates to engage the broader public.
- 6‑B: Update on Pre‑K and Youth Programs – Recreation Supervisor Christina Bailey presented an overview of ARPD’s early childhood and school‑age programs. WePlay drop‑in (ages 6 months‑5 years) has seen 1,500 visits since September 2025. The school‑year preschool program serves about 80 children at three sites; spring registration starts March 27. After‑school “RAP” programs operate at seven sites serving nine schools with over 200 students enrolled (sites range from 16 to 50 students). Non‑school day programs serve 50 students each. Summer “World of Wonder” (WOW) all‑day care will be at five sites, including a site for TK‑1st grade only, and a “WOW X” option pairing specialty camps with before/after care. Day camps (Hidden Cove, Trails End, Trailblazers) and summer field trips are also offered. Parks & Playgrounds program returns at four parks (June 16‑August 8). Special events include Family Dance Party (150 attendees), Breakfast with Santa (150), and Santa’s home/virtual visits (24 in‑person, 10 virtual in 2024). Bailey noted staffing turnover as a primary challenge, especially during the school year. Commissioners asked about before‑school care (not currently feasible), and inquired about transitions for graduating 5th graders; Bailey introduced plans for teen center open houses to ease the shift to older youth programs. Chair ADs reminded families of available scholarships and donation opportunities.
Key Outcomes
- Approved minutes of February 13, 2025 (unanimous).
- No formal motions were made on the skatepark or pre‑K updates (informational only).
- The commission will next meet on April 10, 2025; Director Long will be absent.
- At the April meeting, staff will provide updates on other recreation programs and a preliminary overview of the city’s biennial budget proposal (city council approval expected in June).
- The meeting adjourned at approximately 8:35 PM.
Meeting Transcript
2025 Alameda Recreation and Park Commission meeting. Could we start with a roll call, please? Commissioner Alexander there. Commissioner Burney. Here. Vice Chair Swartz? Here. Chair ADs. Here. Thank you. The first item on our agenda tonight is non-agenda public comment. Members of the public may speak for three minutes regarding any matter not on tonight's agenda. Commissioners will not respond to comments or answer questions. The city welcomes speakers providing public comment, but please be advised that this is a limited public forum. And as such, speakers may must stay on topic if speaking to a particular agenda item and if speaking during non-agenda public comment, they must address matters within the subject matter jurisdiction of the city. If speakers fail to follow these rules, they'll be warned, and if they continue to disregard the rules, their opportunity to speak will be ended. Do we have any non-agenda public speakers this evening? We have two in-person speakers. The per first speaker is Jennifer Rakowski. Welcome, Speaker Rakowski. Thank you. And it is overdue for the city to recognize that. The vast majority of these types of deaths do not result in the law enforcement officers being dismissed. So none of these regions should justify not allowing a memorial bench and beginning some healing and community restorative efforts. I urge Director Long and the Park and Rec Commission to support what the family has asked for, which is the establishment of a permanent memorial bench for Mario Gonzalez at the park on Otis. Thank you. Next speaker is John Pexon. Welcome, Speaker Pexon. Thank you. My name is John Pexon. I am a resident on the East End and a dog owner. And I was here in January to talk about the planned off leash dog park at Tilton and Clement Street. Since that time, Gail Payne, the project manager of the infrastructure project was nice enough to allow us to do a Zoom meeting with the state of California to see the findings of the toxic uh materials, mainly lead and arsenic in the soil at the planned dog park. Several members of the community attended that meeting and they discussed what needed to be done in the dog park as far as remediation. And the results show there's a significant amount of lead and arsic that need to be removed, and a remediation project needs to be done. Our understanding is that there's $75,000 budgeted for that, and a lot of people that are dog owners on the East End and Bay Farm want to know well, what's the project gonna cost? How's it going along? I do want to mention that Justin was nice enough to send me some information that he did meet with Gail Payne about the project, and that is ongoing. Um, one of the issues that comes up is that the state of California Department of Toxic Substances, they have to go through a project plan that gets needs to get approved, and then they have to go through the remediation. So that basically brings us, I believe, out to 2026, summer of 2026. So I'm here actually to represent and give a voice to a lot of the dog owners, off leash dog owners on the East End and Bay Farm as to help keep track of this dog park. And if there's anything that we could do as dog owners to help this, either by doing some fundraising, like uh there's a uh Starbucks there, there's a uh pet store there to raise additional money to help this get along. We're willing to do this, okay, so that this dog park gets done in a timely manner. So that's basically what I wanted to touch bases with you guys to um make sure that this gets through. And then uh a special thank you to Matt Nolan too for providing some help to me and guidance from ARPD. Thank you. We have uh another speaker via Zoom. That's Jay Garfunkel. Welcome, Speaker Garfunkel. Garfinkel, that's okay.
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