Parks and Recreation Commission Regular Meeting - May 7, 2025
Parks and Recreation Commission Regular Meeting - May 7, 2025
The Belmont Parks and Recreation Commission held a regular meeting on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, at 7:00 PM in City Council Chambers. The meeting covered updates on the Creek Bank Restoration Project, adult and senior services programming, the Belmont Centennial Celebration, a sense of belonging initiative, and the summer meeting schedule. Public comments were received, and the commission approved the consent calendar and voted on the summer meeting schedule.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the April 2, 2025 draft minutes (motion carried 5-0).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Lizal, president of the Belmont Community Foundation, announced the "Imagine Together" event on August 9, 2025, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the Barrett Community Center, aimed at envisioning the future of the center. She encouraged community participation and volunteer support.
- Annabel, a student from Nuneva, expressed appreciation for the parks department's work and emphasized the importance of parks as green spaces for social connection and environmental benefits (air quality, stormwater runoff reduction). She urged continued investment in accessible parks.
Discussion Items
- Creek Bank Restoration Project Update (Public Works): Sean Rose presented the project update. The project covers 500 linear feet of Belmont Creek in Twin Pines Park, using natural stabilization methods (grading banks, raising channel invert with riffles, logs, root wads, boulders). Tree removal was completed early to avoid nesting bird season. The contractor, Hanford ARC, will begin construction on June 15, 2025, with in-creek work required by October 31, 2025. The playground and creek access will be maintained; a temporary construction access road from Ralston Avenue will minimize park disruption. The project aims to reduce sediment transport downstream, lessening flooding and dredging needs. Monitoring and replanting (48 native trees, thousands of plants) will follow. Commissioners praised the project's design and public outreach signage.
- Adult and Senior Services Programming Update: Recreation Supervisor Corey Furman reported a weekly attendance increase of about 100 people at the senior center, which is now open Monday–Friday. Programs include drop-in activities (table games, arts, language groups, movies, fitness classes like pickleball and music/movement), educational seminars, social events, day trips, and a volunteer-led lunch program averaging 33–37 meals daily. The van service provided 161 rides in April. The city is developing an Age-Friendly Action Plan (via the Center for Age-Friendly Excellence), with a survey receiving over 200 responses and a town hall. Commissioners discussed outreach strategies, including engaging faith communities and leveraging the library partnership. Two centenarians (Emily and Norma) were celebrated.
- Belmont Centennial Celebration Update: Staff presented plans for Belmont's 100th anniversary in 2026. A steering committee and branding (logo featuring 100 years with local imagery) have been developed. A signature event is planned for fall 2026 (possibly indoor gala). The city will incorporate centennial branding into existing events (Earth Day, egg hunt, movie nights, etc.) and host community-led events through a grant application process. Partnership opportunities and sponsorship tiers (Emmett, Cipriani, Ralston, Centennial levels) were outlined. Next steps include launching sponsorship efforts and the community-led event grant process. Commissioners suggested adding a parade and engaging Carlmont High School youth.
- Creating a Sense of Belonging in Belmont's Parks Update: Staff provided a brief update on the chatty bench concept, noting that budget constraints may require grant funding or using leftover logs from the creek restoration project. The commission acknowledged ongoing efforts (e.g., senior center activities) and discussed outreach to communities of faith and volunteer opportunities.
- Parks and Recreation Commission Summer Meeting Schedule: Staff proposed postponing the July meeting to July 16, 23, or 30, and canceling the August meeting. After discussion, the commission voted to set the summer meeting on July 16, 2025 (motion carried 5-0).
Key Outcomes
- Approved the April 2, 2025 minutes (5-0).
- Set the summer meeting for July 16, 2025 (5-0), effectively combining July and August meetings.
- No formal action taken on other items; presentations and updates were received.
- The commission expressed support for the centennial celebration, including a parade, and encouraged community involvement.
- Staff will continue seeking funding for the belonging initiative and explore grant opportunities.
Other Business/Updates
- Department updates included installation of new AEDs at Barrett and the sports complex, successful events (wedding fair, youth police forum, adaptive egg hunt, egg adventure hunt with 18,000 eggs, 3-on-3 basketball tournament, garden workshop, Arbor Day tree planting, lodge maintenance). The "Your Voice, Your Belmont" survey is ongoing, with a focus on community priorities and the need for a new community center. Upcoming events: community hikes (May 14), Belmont Blooms (May 31), and pickleball tournament (June 2).
Meeting Transcript
Hello and welcome to the Parks and Recreation Commission regular meeting for Wednesday, May 7th, 2025. We are here in City Council Chambers at one Twin Pines Lane in Belmont, California. For meeting participation, the meeting will be broadcast live to Belmont residents on Comcast Cable 27, streamed live via the city's website at www.belmont.gov and streamed live on Zoom. The public may also attend the meeting in the City Council Chambers and address the Commission from the chambers. Members of the public may provide comments by joining the meeting via Zoom at Belmont-gov.zoom.us, select join and enter meeting ID 924 831 93757. Use the hand raise feature to request to speak for a particular agenda item. You may rename your profile if you wish to remain anonymous. For dialing comments, call star 67 1 669 900 6833. Your phone number will appear on the live broadcast if star 67 is not dialed prior to the phone number. Enter meeting ID 924 831 93757 and press star nine to request to speak for a particular agenda item. All public comments are subject to a three minute time limit limit unless otherwise determined by the Commission chair. If you wish to submit a written public comment, you may send an email to PRCcom at Belmont.gov before the Commission considers the item. Please indicate the agenda item topic or agenda item number you wish to comment on in your email subject line. Any public comment regarding agenda items that are received from the publication of the agenda through the meeting date will be made part of the meeting record, but will not be read during the commission meeting. Item one roll call. Commissioner Cunha. Here, Commissioner Lee. Here. Commissioner Whitmore. Here. Commissioner Lieford. Here. Chair Emkin. Here. Youth Commissioner Perez here. Commissioners Michaels and Hill and Youth Commissioner Ben Kontesh are absent. Okay. Let's stand for the Pledge of Lease. I pledge of the Special of the United States of America. And to the Republic or which it stands. Underground. Indivisible. Item three, community forum. This portion of the meeting is reserved for persons wishing to address the commission on any city matter within the purview of the commission, which is not on the agenda. The period for public comment at this point in the agenda is limited to a maximum of three minutes per speaker. Do we have any speaker slips or hands raised? Yes, we have one speaker slip. Lizal, you can come on up. Good evening, Commissioners. Thank you for having me here. I'm a four, former commissioner, currently the president of Belmont Community Foundation. And I just wanted to let you know about an event that we are putting together in partnership with the City of Belmont. We are calling it Imagine Together. It will be on August 9th at the Barrett Community Center. And the idea is to bring everyone in Belmont to the community center to see the current state of affairs there and also to imagine together what the vision is for what it could be in the future. And so this is going to be a festival-style event. Lots of different things to do. We are still pulling together all of the details with all of our partners. And we look forward to sharing more information with you in the future. We are looking forward to having you help spread the word on this.
openpublica.com