Alameda Recreation and Park Commission Meeting - September 10, 2026
Alameda Recreation and Park Commission Meeting - September 10, 2026
The Recreation and Park Commission held its regular meeting on September 10, 2026, at 7:00 PM in City Hall. The meeting included the swearing-in of two new commissioners (Eric Bell and Rhonda Sorensen), staff and commissioner communications, approval of the July 9, 2026 minutes, a comprehensive Summer 2026 Recreation Division recap, and a preliminary overview of potential user fee adjustments for calendar year 2027. No votes were taken on agenda items; the meeting was informational.
Consent Calendar
- Item 5-A (Minutes of July 9, 2026): Approved unanimously with new commissioners abstaining. Motion by Commissioner Bernie, seconded by Vice Chair Schwartz. Roll call: Bernie – Approved, Schwartz – Yes, Chair ADES – Approved.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Adrian Alexander (non-agenda): Welcomed the two new commissioners and thanked them for volunteering. Offered advice on preparing for meetings, communicating with staff, visiting parks, and promoting parks in a potential bond measure. Emphasized that parks are vital infrastructure needing maintenance.
- Mark Klein (non-agenda): Spoke about long-term field planning and shortages. Cited a 2012 parks improvement plan showing a deficiency of six baseball/softball diamonds and six rectangular fields. Noted that only Estuary Park (one diamond, one soccer field) has been added since, while fields at the Point are planned for removal. Urged the commission to advocate for long-term field availability, especially given Wood Middle School field loss. No public comments were made on the summer recap or fee preview items.
Discussion Items
- Staff Communications (Director Justin Long): Announced upcoming events: Coastal Cleanup (Sept. 19), Alameda Walk Series (Sept. 12 & 26), Starlight Movies (Jurassic Park at Gene Sweeney on Sept. 18), Blues Brews & Barbecue (Sept. 20), Filipino Island Fest (Oct. 3), Pride in the Park (Oct. 10). Provided program updates: Leisure Club baseball game, adult basketball leagues starting Sept. 21, teen haunted house planning, Tiny Tots fall registration, recreation after-school program availability, new Teen Underground Center After Dark program, roller skating, tennis lessons, senior programs at Mastic, fall swim lessons at NCL Swim Center. Recognized Essie DeVille and Ashley Canadis for summer teen volunteer program (118 volunteers) and Park Supervisor Oscar Ledezma for acceptance to Alameda County Local Government Leadership Academy. Project updates: Franklin Park basketball court renovation completed, Longfellow Recreation Center painted, Godfrey Park playground prepared, Lidecker Park playground replacement underway, AUSD joint use agreement and aquatic center construction updates. Confirmed ARPD will begin operating the new Emma Hood pool in January 2027, with a separate joint use agreement for the pool and a later broader agreement.
- Commissioner Communications: New commissioners introduced themselves: Eric Bell (15-year resident, professor and CPA, interested in fiscal decisions and parks) and Rhonda Sorensen (lifelong resident, former park director, recreation degree, interests in tennis/pickleball, line dancing). Commissioner Bernie welcomed them. Commissioner Schwartz gave a shout-out to lifeguard Hero Short. Chair ADES reported visiting all 41 city parks and facilities over the break, highlighting Marina Village Park as a hidden gem.
- Regular Agenda Item 6-A: Recreation Division Summer Recap 2026 (Patrick Russian, Recreation Manager): Presented a detailed overview of summer 2026 programs under the theme “Totally Rad Wreck Summer.” Key statistics: 280 part-time summer employees; preschool programs: We Play (165 kids), Tiny Tots (49 kids), Tenderfoot camp (94 kids); specialty classes (1,700 participants in dance, STEAM, cooking, etc.); World of Wonder (WoW) program (1,216 participants across 5 sites); Day Camp program (73-year tradition) with Trailblazer overnight (45 participants); Teen programs (356 individuals at free Underground Teen Center); Community Recreation (973 drop-in participants); Sports programs (1,500 campers, plus tennis, roller skating); Aquatics (over 1,000 swim lessons, new flexible swim program, partnership with Stacked Adventures, dive-in movie with 95 attendees, lifeguard spirit award). Community events: Sand Castle Contest (58th year, 95 entries, 492 participants, 2,000 spectators), Starlight Movies (5 events, 800 participants), 4th of July Parade (49th year, 185 entrants, ~60,000 spectators), Rhythmix cultural series. Discussed challenges: TK program impact, marketing (department’s website inefficiency, need for better outreach), competition from other providers, and retaining part-time staff. Highlighted volunteer program (118 teen volunteers) and aquatic intern program as feeders for future staff. Scholarships: $20,000 set aside annually, with $12,000-$13,000 used in summer. Russian noted two programs needing attention: Tiny Tots (due to TK changes) and Day Camp (lower participation; marketing and busing costs are issues). Commissioners asked about capacity (not at full capacity), marketing strategies, and partnerships with youth sports leagues (e.g., Little League, AYB). Commissioner Schwartz praised the flexible swim program. Chair ADES requested year-over-year trend data in future reports.
- Regular Agenda Item 6-B: Introduction and Preliminary Overview of Potential Recreation and Park User Fee Adjustments for Calendar Year 2027 (Director Justin Long): Provided context for the upcoming fee review process. Explained that ARPD is a general fund department with a cost recovery of about 50-55% of actual costs. Revenue (~$5.5M) covers only part of total expenses (~$16-17M). Outlined the fee structure: low fees for broad community benefit (e.g., group swim lessons, park rentals) and higher fees for individual/small group benefits (e.g., private tennis lessons). Fee setting considers market comparisons, inflation (3-5% annual increase needed to maintain service), and impact on user groups. Process: staff will review programs, conduct market research, draft recommendations, share with user groups, hold a workshop at the October 8 commission meeting for public and commissioner feedback, bring final proposal in November for commission recommendation to City Council in December. Also discussed scholarship program, importance of keeping programs affordable, and the subsidy for aquatics (~$750K-$800K) and athletic fields (~$430K subsidy based on revenue vs cost). Director Long emphasized that fee increases are incremental to avoid large shocks. Commissioners asked about timing, fee structures for for-profit vs. nonprofit, cost recovery calculation methods, and the importance of aligning fees with community values. Chair ADES suggested targeted outreach to affected groups before the October workshop.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar Approved: Minutes of July 9, 2026 were approved unanimously.
- No Formal Action on Summer Recap: Informational item; commissioners expressed appreciation and requested year-over-year trends in future reports.
- No Formal Action on Fee Preview: Informational item; process outlined. The October 8, 2026 meeting will include a workshop on fee proposals.
- Next Meeting Date: October 8, 2026. Proposed agenda items: user fee workshop, park tour (special meeting), election of chair/vice chair, and possible sports field allocation report.
- Adjournment: Motion by Commissioner Bernie, seconded by Vice Chair Schwartz; roll call all in favor. Meeting adjourned.
Meeting Transcript
Okay, well, good evening and welcome to the September tenth, twenty twenty-six Alameda Recreation and Park Commission meeting. It is wonderful to be back together again after our recess and to be welcoming fresh ideas and perspectives uh this evening. Could we uh begin with a roll call but uh excuse me, a roll call, please. Commissioner Sorensen. Commissioner Bell. Here Commissioner Bernie. Here. Vice Chair Schwartz. Here. Chair ADES. President, thank you. The first item on our agenda 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 an answer questions. The city welcomes speakers providing public comment, but please be advised that this is a limited public forum, and 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 tonight? We have two speakers in person. The first speaker is Adrian Alexander. Welcome, Speaker Alexander. Good evening. Um I came tonight to welcome our two new um commissioners and to thank you for volunteering to keep our parks in great shape and take good care of them. I'm also here so you have somebody to talk to tonight. My very first meeting, there was a lovely lady, Dorothy Freeman, who came and said, I just want you to have somebody to talk to and not a chair. So that's why I'm here. Um I also wanted to give you um just some tips that I've learned through this process. Um it's a great idea to familiar yourself, familiarize yourself with the agenda before tonight. Um sometimes you have questions in there that you will write down and maybe questions you want to talk to Director Long about. So if you kind of do that in advance, it's really helpful. Um staff is very open to call them, talk to them anytime. Um you're in great hands. Um and if you have a real specific question, call Director Long and talk to him about it. You may not agree with him, but you can have an open discussion with him about uh what you need to do. Um another thing I like to do ask you to do is go up to the office and introduce yourself to staff. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, I think, are the best days to go up there. Introduce yourself to the staff. You may know some of the people already, but they're a wonderful group of people, and it's just amazing what 14 full-time people can do in this city. Make sure you go to some park events, go to a movie night, go to an aquatics event. Um, go to the base and look at the homeschooling programs they have. Um greet the park maintenance staff if you're at a park, introduce yourself to them, tell them what how great the park looks. They love that, and they're a great group too. Um, I'm sure that director long and uh chair radies will come up with a tour of all the parks so you know where they are. There was a few after I've lived in this city all my life that I didn't really know where parks are where they were, so I hope that will happen. Um and I want to re uh just say this that parks are part of the infrastructure of the city and the pathways into the park, through the park, our buildings. Our buildings are old. They need a lot of work. They need roofs, they need gutters, they need interior maintenance. And I just want to say that if the bond issue passes, I hope that you will promote the parks to try to get a small piece of that money to do some of the work that we need to do. Um that's all I have to say. So and good luck, and thank you again.
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