Meeting colors

OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Alameda Recreation and Park Commission Meeting – September 11, 2025

City Council — Thursday, September 11, 2025

BodyAlameda, California

SessionCity Council

DateThursday, September 11, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:34:52

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

1:44

Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the September 11th, 2025 Alameda Recreation and Park Commission meeting.

1:54

May we have a roll call, please to start?

1:56

Sure.

1:57

Commissioner Schwartz.

1:59

Present.

2:01

Present.

2:05

Present.

2:06

Thank you.

2:07

The first item on our agenda this evening, excuse me, this evening is non-agenda public comment.

2:12

Members of the public may speak for three minutes regarding any matter not on our agenda.

2:16

Commissioners will not respond to comments or answer questions.

2:19

The city welcomes speakers providing public comment, but please be advised that this is a limited public forum.

2:25

As such, speakers must stay on topic if speaking to a particular agenda item.

2:29

And if speaking during non-agenda public comment, they must address matters within the subject matter jurisdiction of the city.

2:36

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.

2:42

Do we have any non-agenda public speakers this evening?

2:48

Thank you.

2:49

In that case, we'll move forward.

2:56

Director Long.

3:12

The monthly coastal cleanup is taking place Saturday, September 13th at 10 AM at Seaplane Lagoon.

3:18

Bring Gloves in a bucket.

3:20

This is sponsored by Casa and Door Marine.

3:23

The international coastal cleanup Saturday, September twentieth, taking place again at Seaplane Lagoon, sponsored by Opera Meridian, Casa and Door Marine.

3:33

And then the Island Running Festival takes place Sunday, September twenty first at 7 30 AM at Faction Brewing.

3:46

The eighth annual Blues Brews and Barbecue will take place Saturday.

3:51

Sorry, Sunday, September 21st at Washington Park at twelve PM.

3:56

Enjoy blues music, local breweries, and barbecue.

3:59

The family fun ride around Alameda is taking place on Saturday, September 27th at 9 a.m.

4:07

The everyone will meet at Light Ecker Park.

4:10

There's uh info available for everyone at Alameda Parks dot org to sign up.

4:15

This benefits our Parks Department.

4:18

That's a good fundraiser for our friends of Alameda Parks.

4:25

It takes place Saturday, October 4th at 11 AM at 2151, Ferry Point.

4:32

This is the the runway just past the radium area on the base next to Seaplane Lagoon.

4:38

The fourth annual Alameda Pride is taking place on October 11th.

4:43

Everyone is welcome.

4:44

There will be a 5K uh fun run and walk starting at nine a.m.

4:49

to 11 a.m.

4:50

at the Elks Lodge.

4:51

And then from twelve until five, we'll have Pride in the Park at Checheneo Park with family-friendly entertainment and music.

4:58

And then from 6 p.m.

5:00

till 9 p.m.

5:01

There'll be a block party at Alameda Ave with again more music and dancing.

5:07

You can go to Alamedapride.org to donate or to find out more information.

5:13

We have our own department's upcoming events and activities that are in this month.

5:19

So we have the Alameda Walk Series.

5:21

This is Saturdays at 9 a.m.

5:23

The first the next one will be taking place on September 20th at Cruzy Park at the intersection of Otis and High Street.

5:30

And then the following week at September 27th, it'll be taking place at Chochenio Park at the intersection of Ensignel and Park Ave.

5:40

And then we have our Starlit Movies and the Park series.

5:43

This is the last movie of the season.

5:45

It's going to be Sonic the Hedgehog 3, and it takes place Friday, September 26th at 6 30 p.m.

5:51

at Light Ecker Field.

5:54

Want to give you a little update on some department projects that we have ongoing.

5:59

First up is the Aquatic Center.

6:01

So we receive the 100% drawings in early August or sorry, mid-August.

6:06

They've been submitted to our permit office, and so we're waiting for basically some comments, and then we'll be able to move once we receive our permits, move into bidding and contract award, with hopefully construction starting in January.

6:21

And then we have estuary park phase two.

6:24

This has been a long time coming.

6:26

It's a five acre addition to the existing estuary park.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Parks and Recreation████████████████████████████████████████40%

Arts And Culture███████████████████19%

LGBTQ Equity███████████11%

Community Engagement████████8%

Youth Programs███████7%

Procedural██████6%

LGBTQ Inclusion█████5%

Fiscal Sustainability██2%

Personnel Matters█1%

Summary of Proceedings

Alameda Recreation and Park Commission Meeting – September 11, 2025

The Alameda Recreation and Park Commission met on September 11, 2025, to review department updates, community programs, an LGBTQ action plan, and public art initiatives. Commissioners discussed summer program successes, ongoing capital projects, and provided feedback on proposals to enhance recreation and inclusivity.

Consent Calendar

The commission unanimously approved the minutes from the July 10, 2025 meeting.

Public Comments & Testimony

No members of the public spoke during non-agenda public comment.

Discussion Items

Director's Report: Director Long provided updates on upcoming events, including coastal cleanups and the Alameda Pride celebration. Project updates included the Aquatic Center (awaiting permits, construction planned for January), Estuary Park Phase 2 (bids received, contract award expected in October), and a survey for Lidecker playground replacement. Summer program statistics showed high enrollment across various camps and activities.
Commissioner Communications: Commissioners shared observations from park visits, praised staff for maintaining parks, and discussed concerns. Commissioner Schwartz expressed concern about decreasing parking at the Aquatic Center, suggesting creative solutions to address city council's sustainability goals without frustrating patrons. Commissioner Robbins highlighted the need for art in lesser-used parks rather than Washington Park.
Community Recreation and Special Interest Classes Update: Darren Iberg presented on the programs, highlighting accessibility and variety. Commissioners asked about age flexibility, outreach to schools, and class offerings. Staff expressed willingness to adapt based on community feedback.
LGBTQ Action Plan Review: Amy Woldridge presented the plan, outlining existing city efforts and opportunities for enhancement. Commissioners supported initiatives like gender-neutral restrooms, improved website resources, and collaboration with the school district. Suggestions included extending policies to organizations renting city facilities.
Physical Public Art in Washington Park: Jackie Kalii Ah updated on the public art project, explaining the site selection process and timeline. Commissioner Robbins opposed the choice, arguing that art should be placed in parks that need more visitation. Commissioner Alexander volunteered to serve on the selection panel.

Key Outcomes

Approved minutes from July 10, 2025 meeting.
Commissioner Alexander volunteered to represent the commission on the public art selection panel for Washington Park.
Directed staff to include updates on team programs and budget overview in the October meeting agenda.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the September 11th, 2025 Alameda Recreation and Park Commission meeting. May we have a roll call, please to start? Sure. Commissioner Schwartz. Present. Present. Present. Thank you. The first item on our agenda this evening, excuse me, this evening is non-agenda public comment. Members of the public may speak for three minutes regarding any matter not on our 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. As such, speakers 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? Thank you. In that case, we'll move forward. Director Long. The monthly coastal cleanup is taking place Saturday, September 13th at 10 AM at Seaplane Lagoon. Bring Gloves in a bucket. This is sponsored by Casa and Door Marine. The international coastal cleanup Saturday, September twentieth, taking place again at Seaplane Lagoon, sponsored by Opera Meridian, Casa and Door Marine. And then the Island Running Festival takes place Sunday, September twenty first at 7 30 AM at Faction Brewing. The eighth annual Blues Brews and Barbecue will take place Saturday. Sorry, Sunday, September 21st at Washington Park at twelve PM. Enjoy blues music, local breweries, and barbecue. The family fun ride around Alameda is taking place on Saturday, September 27th at 9 a.m. The everyone will meet at Light Ecker Park. There's uh info available for everyone at Alameda Parks dot org to sign up. This benefits our Parks Department. That's a good fundraiser for our friends of Alameda Parks. It takes place Saturday, October 4th at 11 AM at 2151, Ferry Point. This is the the runway just past the radium area on the base next to Seaplane Lagoon. The fourth annual Alameda Pride is taking place on October 11th. Everyone is welcome. There will be a 5K uh fun run and walk starting at nine a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Elks Lodge. And then from twelve until five, we'll have Pride in the Park at Checheneo Park with family-friendly entertainment and music. And then from 6 p.m. till 9 p.m. There'll be a block party at Alameda Ave with again more music and dancing. You can go to Alamedapride.org to donate or to find out more information. We have our own department's upcoming events and activities that are in this month. So we have the Alameda Walk Series. This is Saturdays at 9 a.m. The first the next one will be taking place on September 20th at Cruzy Park at the intersection of Otis and High Street. And then the following week at September 27th, it'll be taking place at Chochenio Park at the intersection of Ensignel and Park Ave. And then we have our Starlit Movies and the Park series.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI

TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com