We should probably use our microphones so you can hear.

Can I ask a request?

And it's up to you if you want to do it or not.

But we have three people who applied for both committees.

And I was thinking we should make them say which one they would rather do.

I think that's great.

And our author, I think we're missing one of the people.

So we have then.

For logistics, I think.

Sorry to butt in.

For logistics, I think we can have the applicants when you're when you're up, come if you go up the ramp here and just sit in the in the chair in the middle, maybe just so you're a little closer, and then everyone can see and hear you as well.

Do we want to ask them which one they prefer before we have them come up or just ask them with the water?

Okay, perfect.

And are we just going in order as we interview?

The interviews are just done in the order that the applications were received.

So we will have to do start with the bicycle and pedestrian advisory committee.

So we'll just have you start by telling us a little bit about yourself and why you would like to be on this committee.

Thank you, Vice Mayor Laros.

Thank you, Councilman.

As I like to say, I've been an avid pedestrian since age one.

Uh literally on Main Street at the junction with the Vine Trail.

So it's been a great place to raise my sons and for them to be able to explore our neighborhood and beyond and take in a lot that uh Napa has to offer.

It's uh also been a great way to see firsthand experience firsthand the challenges as a pedestrian and as a cyclist.

Um, so that's sort of my motivation and part for uh serving on the on the B-Pack.

Uh, my professional life, I was uh for many years a community development director and city planner, so that's where the the perspective I bring and working with city staff and projects, trying to uh work collaboratively across planning, parks and rec, uh, public works, uh, elected officials such as yourselves to try to advance projects.

Uh, and since stepping away from full-time work a couple years ago, I've really immersed myself in advocacy for cycling and pedestrians, not just here on this commission, but I'm also the vice president of the Napa County Bicycle Coalition.

I've been on the working group for the Vision Zero group with NBTA, and uh it's now listed on my application, but I recently joined the um Napa River Line um nonprofit as a as a board member.

So that's my involvement, and uh I've really enjoyed the past two years.

I think we've done some good work, much with the support and enabling of of the council and staff.

Uh, I think there's some momentum that we can really build on, and I hope to continue doing that.

Go ahead and open it up to questions.

All right.

Well, thank you, Robert, for your application and for all of your work in the community.

Um I love that you're on the River Line project.

That's gonna be really cool.

Um I wanted to ask you, you said in your application um the general public, which, despite the best outreach efforts, are often absent from these discussions.

And that's something that is uh a priority of the council of focus area for us right now.

Do you know of or can you think of ways that we could be better about how we get people more involved in the conversation about what our community looks like?

Yeah, that's a that's a great question.

It's it's funny you mentioned it because we as the Riverline uh group, we just went over to Petaluma to meet with their nonprofit group for their park that they're trying to develop in the center of their town there and the outreach they did, and their message was very much meet people where they are.

So it's going to their schools, their churches, their locations, at times of their convenience and preference.

You know, a lot of times we we have our set schedules as commissions or council members, uh, you know, it's tough getting everybody together uh just on from an elected official standpoint or um a staff standpoint, but those times and venues often don't work for the people who will be affected by the project.

So I think not just doing the outreach, hey, there's a mean finding ways to actually go to them.

Um sometimes, like with our projects, it could be organizing walking tours before projects are implemented where you invite, say uh residents on a weekend to go tour, and then they can give you their perspective in the field.

I think that's something important for everybody, no matter who you are.

It's you know, we're we it's easy look on Google Maps or Street View and and it saves us trips, but it's not the same as being in the field.

So I think that that's one example I think that we could improve on.

Sure.

Mine's a two-part question.

Having served on the committee, what has been uh most exciting to you?

And then on the other side, what has been the biggest challenge is serving on the committee for you?

Well, there's a lot of excitement.

I mean, I think um one, I I think there's strong political will.

Again, I'm not trying to kiss up here, but I think having having a a strong consensus on the council to make roadway safety at one of its top priorities.

That's important.

Uh I think committing to the vision zero uh with other agencies and MVTA, that's important.

Having the resources through first measure T and now Measure U, and now Measure G.

I realize that there are lots of other hands in those pots, but those resources do uh improve our ability to implement things.

And then we've seen most recently the implementation on First Street in Browns Valley, uh, which I think is exciting.

Uh it's viewed by a lot of people as new.

It's not new in terms of concept, it's well proven in other places, but it's new for for Napa, and I think having a staff member like Farid, again, a new initiative, having a senior transportation engineer who's experiencing these things who can help make them happen, that's exciting.

But at the same time, it's a challenge.

You know, it's something new, people uh not sure what to make of it.

They don't like it.

So I think that's one of our our big challenges going forward is is that outreach to the community.

How do we hear them?

How do we also explain ourselves?

How do we find middle ground?

We've got some big implementations with IMOLA, Lincoln Avenue, hopefully down the road, Trancas, and Saskell, you know, our major corridors that are also our high incident networks, and you know, really trying to address those uh those safety concerns.

So that that's why I think will be our biggest challenges.

Any additional questions?

Any final comments you'd like to make?

Uh no, I just uh really appreciate it.

Obviously, you have a lot of interested parties.

I think that speaks to the the strong interest and the seriousness of what we handle.

We are not just bikes and peds, we are really about the complete street, the entire environment.

Uh, when we make an improvement for one user, whether it's a motorist, a pedestrian, a cyclist, or somebody else, we're improving the safety for all.

So that's what I hope to be able to continue working on.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right.

Next, we have Julianne Reta.

Is Julia in here?

Sorry, I was just messaging with Emily.

Um Emily left uh tried to call her and leave a message, and um it just went through there was no um voicemail.

So we've we've tried to reach out, but I guess we could move on.

Okay.

We'll hold we can check at the end too at the exactly.

All right.

The next we're uh looking for Clay Newton.

Hi there, and thanks for your time tonight.

You go ahead and introduce yourself and tell us why you're interested in being in the committee.

My name is Clay Newton.

I actually was on the list for the um parks, wreck and trees commission, not the bicycle one, um, but happy to talk about uh parks and trees at this moment.

Um Clay Newton, I grew up in Napa, moved out, came back, been here about 20 years as an adult and loving it here, loved raising my daughter here.

Took a lot of advantage of beautiful parks that we have in the area.

Um I've been involved with um you know nature and tree work since I was a child.

Um I spent a lot of time as a gardener working on large trees and learning a lot about the native ecology and the wonderful trees and plants that we have in this area that that we can see all over the place.

I also, you know, I'm very fond of exotic plants as well.

They're great to have, but I'm at my heart really tied to the native plants as much as we can bring them.

I think that they're really great from an ecological perspective.

They support the natural wildlife as well as um being a really central place for us to teach our children and make part of our cultural relevance.

Um that's something that I was blessed with as a child.

I was um around a bunch of docents.

My grandfather was very fond of native history, and um learning those things centered me around this place and gave me an understanding of the importance of our ecology.

So I think it's a really key thing for us to continue forward with as much as possible and also create environments that are highly livable, both for animals and for humans.

And just to clarify, we have you interested in both the committees.

Are you only interested in the parks, wreck, and trees?

That's the one I'm most interested in.

That's your most interesting.

Okay.

Okay.

All right, we will move to questions.

Should I go first this time or do you want to?

Okay, well, we'll go back and forth.

I'll go first this time.

Tell me uh what this, and this is in reference to bicycle and pedestrian.

So we will have you back up for the next one.

Uh, what would most excite you about being on the bicycle and pedestrian advisory commission?

Well, I think um creating safe corridors for pedestrians and bicyclists is really key to making a space more livable.

Um, I lament all the time walking around and biking around in town, um, the struggles of trying to connect between you know the the railway line as well as all of the different bike corridors that we have and trying to skip across to another, you end up in some very sketchy situations.

Um you had mentioned earlier Trancis.

I I often use Tranchis, and it's one of the most scary places to ride a bike in the world.

I've ridden bikes lots of places, and I always feel like you know, I end up going on the sidewalk in those places, and that's not something good for pedestrians, and it's not right for us as bicyclists either.

So finding ways that we can stitch together the networks that we do have to me is an exciting concept, and tying those two um our beautiful parks in this area and making those more of a central part of how we connect, I think is a wonderful opportunity that I'd love to explore.

Thank you.

Clay, thank you so much for your applications.

Um I was reading through your application, and um you know obviously we're looking at these two commissions specifically.

You're qualified for either of them.

You could be a good addition to either of them.

Um but looking at your resume, I mean, you're a design director, you're a practicing artist, you have a bachelor's of studio art.

I mean, everything about your application to me screamed public art steering committee.

I feel like that would be if I for that as well.

Okay so if I may say so I think that that would be you'd be so good.

I got goosebumps you'd be so good on that commission and I know we have an opening for that right now not today.

We're not looking at it today but there is one now available.

So just something to think about.

Chalk me up not a question so much as just a something for us all to consider that I think you'd be really good on that commission.

Thank you.

I would love it.

And any final comments you want to leave us with I'm just excited to be a part of this process and looking forward to hearing how things move forward.

Thank you so much for your time thank you.

No I need to and then we have uh Virginia Hill.

Hello good evening.

Thank you Vice Mayor and Councilman.

Thank you for joining us today.

If you want to just start with introducing yourself and tell us why you're interested in joining this Virginia Hill um and I have been in Napa for about five years and I did leadership Napa Valley in 2023 and have been basically involved in the city and the county ever since I did time with uh Vine Trail.

So I got to spend actually boots on the ground with a lot of the organizations that are involved in the decision making whether it's around vision zero I know vision Measure T and you have been discussed.

I've been at a lot of those.

When it comes to the political component of this Mike Thompson is a dear friend.

There's a lot of events that I get to attend where we're putting on miles through Napa Valley itself.

So rock the ride is something that I'm grateful for that we have.

I know the bike caucus extends into Washington and that's something that I can be proud of.

Myself I ride bikes.

I've popped so many tires on the roads riding my fixed gear.

It's not a place to write a fixed gear bike.

And I've been a part of the cycling network that has received news that someone's been hit whether it's a person in town or whether it's a tourist but the moment we hear someone there's been an accident it's a it's a network and it's it's a part of where we live and it's something that we need to talk about.

And so I'm grateful that this exists so that we can I have the time and I have the passion.

I'm out there regardless doing work within Napa County in the city.

And I would love to be a part of the dialogue that can get some of these things done in town.

I did apply of my own volition.

Currently I'm doing a lot of work with nonprofits especially in the mental health and recovery spaces.

So for example mentists I get to help on their development committee.

Um with the Saglin family and so it's a different angle but for me um trail systems and access are what allow people to be healthy and engage with their community.

Thank you.

Well I have a couple questions for you.

Jenny thank you so much for applying for I love to hear leadership Napa Valley graduates who are putting it to use.

So I did want to ask you just really quickly um are you still the business development manager for the Vine Trail?

Not presently okay thank you that was that was going to be my big question is just is that a conflict?

But that's perfect.

And then I wanted to ask you what are the two biggest issues facing the city of Napa when it comes to this particular commission.

Oh my goodness any amount of anything on the streets that gets done I think is massive I think the advocacy has already been mentioned and that's a part that I can absolutely help and bring things forward.

The education and conversation with the community is how we make it all work in my mind and so being able to hold space, um, talk with people, educate on why it's being done, it doesn't matter if you like it or not, it's done and it's beautiful.

So, how do we adapt to it and how do we make it better for us as we live here.

And I guess that's where I'd stop with that.

Yeah.

Just uh adding on to that, uh, I think a lot of the issues is people don't see things before they're right in front of them.

How can we do a better job of doing outreach to projects ahead of time so that uh people are educated before it gets to the point where this is happening?

My goodness.

Um, that is a difficulty regardless.

I know at the Vine Trail we would post maintenance, um, and it wouldn't, you know, we'd be dead in the center of it, and there'd be people who'd be trying to get on there.

Um obviously posting um loudly up front and communicating it is uh unequivocally important.

Um what we find often is like people who are present in a space have an impact.

Um so I think the advocacy is one of them.

The other part is the number of people being involved.

Um, and that's like people like TC Holsey who absolutely volunteers all of his time.

Um, and it's just connecting those right people in Napa to the opportunities.

Um there's a huge network of individuals in Napa that I see um who are older who don't necessarily plug into the outdoor rec.

Um, and that is a wish and a want for a lot of folks.

Um, and there's other things like Special Olympics.

Um, I know there's a school here, like there's a multitude of schools in our our town and our county um that for adaptive sports um and things like that.

And so having the conversation and inviting people in, I think is the biggest part, but being able to hold space um is the key, uh listening, answering questions.

Any additional questions?

All right, any other comments or uh anything you want to leave with us with?

No, thank you for the opportunity, um, and I look forward to experiencing the process.

Thank you so much.

Appreciate your time.

All right, next we have Brendan Baker.

Thank you, Brendan.

Welcome.

Uh, if you'd like to start by introducing yourself and telling us why you would like to be on this commission.

All right, well, my name is Brendan Baker.

I have lived in Napa for 41 years, so I think I have most of the room probably collectively beat.

Um, not to put anyone down.

Just uh that brings me to the point of I have a long-living memory of Napa.

What it used to be, what has changed, what has been improved, what has not been improved and what is lacking, and seeing things begin to improve again.

Both committees I have interest in because they are very intertwined, and I'll explain why right now.

As a pedestrian, I see a lot of areas that are unwalkable.

My mother uses a walker, would not be able to walk down many streets that I do.

They're too beat up, they're too uh cracked.

Sometimes it crosses through those little pockets of county land where there is no sidewalk.

As far as trees go, we have decimated so many of our trees in our areas, to the fact point that there are still stumps years later, not ground out, and these are street trees.

These are not private property trees, these are you go down Pueblo, street stumps, empty areas, you walk down our main corridors.

I live off Saw School near Central between Central and Pueblo.

Central, that little crossing there is the most dangerous crossing.

I never use it.

It's there.

We painted a couple extra lines and said, you know, wait here for pedestrians.

No one going forty miles an hour is going to stop and say, I'll let this guy go.

Without any kind of crossing, without anything there, there's no way to safely make that crossing.

When I was a child, three seconds was the difference between me being a red stain on saw school because a car barreled through behind a line of cars that were blocking view.

So there are parts of this town where we want to walk.

And to prove that I walked here today, just to make sure I wasn't out of my head.

Saw school, a horrible walk.

Lincoln, a horrible walk.

No shade, no blocks, no trees.

The new breaking ground this year, redo of Lincoln.

I am so excited for it.

I want to be a part of the groups that help steer those things for this community to help replant, to help expand, to help give more options for people to get around.

That's why I'm here to be a part of either of these committees.

Either to help get trees going again, get the blight gone, and from a personal aspect, not take 18 months to replace the trees on my street when they took them all out, but uh that's an entirely different thing than just being on a steering committee.

But so it's just my personal interest in being here.

And then just to clarify, so both are even as far as your personality.

Both are even.

I I feel that they are intertwined.

Uh, for instance, the the Lincoln uh redo right now, nowhere near the brochures, nowhere in the website, nothing talks about trees.

It's we're adding lane, we're taking down lanes, adding more parking, adding green zones, fixing some sidewalks, but nowhere does it say we are also planting trees to provide shade and noise barriers and a pleasant walk.

So if that is part of the project, it's not being stated.

So as part of an advisory committee, it would be part of the you need to let people know about this.

Thank you.

Um having been a long time resident of Napa, and you said you've seen uh improvement decline and now start of improvement.

How do we keep the momentum going for improvement while including the entire community?

You keep putting out this brought to you by measure G, this brought to you by measure B.

Those have had a great impact of saying you voted for this.

Well, okay, great, I voted for that.

Where's the money gone?

What is doing?

Drive down Pueblo every day, seeing McPherson School, have its roof redone, everything taken care of.

Seeing everything measure G, this is now your new smooth road, this is your new crosswalks, keep putting it in front of people's faces.

This is what you paid for.

This is what you're getting.

So if you keep that in people's front of their face, is how you get people to realize I will vote for that again because it made an improvement.

Thank you, Brendan.

I enjoy I appreciate hearing that because we are definitely working hard to make sure that that message gets out there.

Um so thank you for your application.

Um you said you have a long memory of Napa.

So in your long memory of Napa, what's the best improvement that we've made, and what's the worst improvement that we've made?

So the best improvements have been the river trails.

Uh I live next to the river trail that runs between Trenkis to Lincoln.

Um, it's then everything to do with the flood control project, that has all been spectacular.

These public spaces, open spaces, green spaces that are encouraging the people and have more utility than just drive here, park your car, get out, walk along, throw the ball and get back in the car and leave.

These are walk here, bike here, become part of this, sit down, lay on the grass.

That has just been such a powerful change after a lot of urbanization.

Uh, for those who haven't been here, all that development behind um knob Hill, Saskill, old Saskell Way, used to be orchards full of von Ulett ranch orchards, all gone, built up, and then all that greenery taken.

So, anything that we're doing to make these trails work, great.

The trail that used to be behind my house was a dirt path.

Now it's bikeable, walkable, runnable.

So uh anything involving that has been a great boon.

Uh, as far as the worst improvement, I would just have to say Saskell at the end of South End of Town.

It has been made into a wasteland.

Um, I gas the gas you're building, the empty lots.

That's not something the city can necessarily control.

But when we had beautiful corridors coming into town and everything getting wiped clean and left with giant open holes in the side of the ground.

Nothing has been done.

I understand there's utilities.

I understand it's you have to come to issues with the state because of the state route.

You have to go Caltrance, everyone.

But if we're trying to say whether it was world destination, and your first entry in the town is fenced off lots and the parking lot of cars dealerships, not exactly a great enjoyable place to walk or be.

I have to add, um, I appreciate hearing that because that's something that we do have in the works.

We're planning on improving that.

We recognize that is a really important gateway to the city.

So you're thinking the same way we're thinking.

I know it's long-term thing, and I know that you know you've put it the artwork in the center strip has come along.

It is improving.

I'm not saying that I I understand the things take forever.

I do trust me.

I've been in policy.

I I know it's not just oh step your fingers at the time.

So yeah, I just want to make that clear.

Any other comments you want to leave with us?

Um other than to address everyone here.

You're going to watch and listen, everyone come up here and say why they're here, what they're trying to do and what's important to them.

Whoever is elected to this represents all of us.

You are us, our voices, these people who came here today.

Remember what was said.

Remember what's important.

The because we are all behind you, whoever gets this.

So, thank you so much.

I just want to make sure Julianne did not join us while I was not paying attention.

Nope.

Okay.

I think we're ready for the first vote on this.

Correct.

So just um to be to be open and transparent, the um uh both vice mayor and council um member will be voting on a a ranked.

It's hard when there's two members, because it's very easy to get to ties.

So, if usually for nomination committee, we use kind of a um a ranked voting well, where they all rate the applicants on a weighted scale of one through five, with five being the most qualified.

And then after the the first round, I tally the scores, I announced how they vote.

The vote is part of this public record because it's a brown act meeting.

Um, and then if it's if there's clear um two leaders, we discuss and and they make sure that those are the two names that they'd like to move forward.

As part of this process, the nomination committee um is a subcommittee of council, and the the f final appointment does come from council.

So what is recommended this this afternoon will go to the council in there once they bless it so to speak, then that will become your official um the official appointment.

So all memb this does go to full council.

Um, but this recommendation is um very important to them and and it usually goes the same way.

There's rarely a charely if ever a change.

They trust their nomination committee, but that is um the process we we follow.

So are you back for it?

You did one to five, five being the most qualified.

Yes.

Oh, that's yeah.

Technically, Julianne could still be considered, but yeah.

Um, okay, perfect.

It either way, it's equal equal voting power.

Now it just takes me a minute to do the the math in my head.

So uh wow.

These are i exactly aligned, which is really impressive.

Um let me just double check the math again, because I'm adding thank goodness there's not fifteen candidates.

So we are okay.

So we have.

With a score, a vote of uh 10, the recommended appointment of um Robert Reber, and then with a score of eight, Virginia Hill.

And then Brendan received a score of, or sorry, click yeah, Brendan received a score of six, and Clay a score of four.

So I believe the recommendation I will take back to council with your head nods are to um reappoint Robert and appoint new uh applicant uh Virginia or Jinny.

Yeah, okay.

Fabulous.

Okay.

Now so anyone who is not also applying to parks and rec is free.

Oh, I'm I may the the agenda for the seventh is publishing Thursday.

So I may see how quickly I can make this happen with the approval process.

If I can get it um through staff approvals in time, it will go to the seventh, go on the um meeting of the seventh.

If not, it would go to the 21st.

But I will confirm when I know and I'll let you know.

Um I'll shoot for the seventh.

If that all latest, it would be the 21st.

But um I will be in touch.

And it is it is presented to council on their consent calendar, which is a fairly routine, it's a routine item.

Um you can certainly um attend uh you wouldn't have to uh do a formal interview or appear, but council members would likely acknowledge you real quick in the audience.

So I'll remind you of that when it is finalized too.

So yeah, congratulations.

Yeah.

Okay.

All right.

Moving forward to the uh applicants for the parks recreation and trees advisory committee.

We'll start with Joe String.

Yeah.

Thank you for being here, Joe.

Uh, thank you very much for giving me the opportunity.

Tell us why you'd like to return to the committee.

Absolutely.

Um Joe Strang uh moved to Napa three years ago from Pleasanton and uh was pretty much born and raised in Pleasanton.

Uh but during my time in Pleasanton, I served on the Park and Rick Commission there, uh served as chair for a couple of years, also served on the bike pedestrian uh subcommittee as well.

Um, and really got a passion for public service, ran for city council unsuccessfully, but uh was really uh grateful for that experience.

So when we moved to Napa three years ago, um I immediately started looking for ways to get involved, and um the the first way was to join the Napa Park and Rec Foundation board.

Um joined that within I think six to nine months of moving here, and after uh one or maybe even two tries, I was uh appointed to the park rec and trees commission.

Uh that was two years ago.

I've really enjoyed the experience, and I'm looking forward to continue to serve.

Thank you.

Thank you for applying again.

We appreciate it.

Um I just have a a kind of a technical question for you.

You serve as the board president for the Napa Parks and Rec Foundation.

Yes.

Is there any conflict in you doing that with this board?

Can you expand on that a little bit?

No, there's no conflict.

As a matter of fact, it's it's actually recommended.

It's it's a good idea to have somebody who's both serving on the commission and on the board.

Because the board, of course, or the foundation can serve as a fundraising arm, and uh you know, secures grants and passes through funding for Napa park and rec programs.

I'll give you an example.

Um, you know, we fundraise and we provide scholarships uh for swim lessons.

Um by being on the commission, I also get insights into what the city's priorities are, where uh you know the foundation could perhaps put some assets where the city doesn't necessarily have the funding in place.

And we've provided some things through the foundation like uh an enhancement to a play structure uh and a few other uh a few other funds to um just improve and enhance our parks and uh recreation programs.

So um we actually think it makes a lot of sense.

Uh Kevin Hansen previously served on the Park and Rec Commission.

He also served as the president of the foundation.

Apparently that's my role now.

So I'm I'm happy to serve both.

It um it really works very well.

Uh having served on the committee, what are you most proud of during your time and what has been the biggest challenge?

Um, you know, most proud of uh the engagement with the community.

Um just over the past few meetings, um, you know, we've heard uh reports from uh the BMX uh group from uh from the Little League group.

I mean, just getting input from them on how uh the commission and how the city could support their endeavors has been really valuable.

Um I've been really proud of my own personal contributions to things like uh providing some guidance on the development of Fuller Park.

Uh we were part of that uh discussion and uh I was able to actually sort of guide the conversation to uh to help everybody land on the design uh that we currently selected that's currently being worked on.

Um, you know, I would also say um getting input, I think I've already sort of referenced this, but getting input from the community on things that matter the most to them.

We had parents come in talking about making our play structures more accessible.

Um we've had a lot of talk about how we can provide more shade on our parks, whether it's through structures or through trees, um, you know, replacing equipment um that is clearly dated.

Um prioritization, I think for us has been a central focus, especially now that we have some assets through Measure G.

And I've just been really proud to be part of those conversations and say, you know, based on what we're hearing from the community, based on our experience, based on my work on the foundation.

Here are some things that we feel could be the greatest benefit.

So that's that's and and in terms of challenges, um, you know, prioritization is always the biggest challenge.

Um, even with Measure G funding and other funding sources, um, there's always more need than there are resources.

So that's something we struggle with all the time.

Yeah, exactly.

That's sort of sort of why we're all in these roles, right?

Any other questions?

Any other comments or anything you want to leave with us?

No, uh, just that uh, you know, I'm really enjoying uh this service, and uh, you know, I I do feel it's important to have somebody who is engaged on both the foundation, the nonprofit side, and on the commission side.

I love serving that role.

Um, and uh thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to continue to serve.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

I think next we have Kimberly with the video.

Yes.

Hi, my name's Kim Alkowski.

I live in Old Town, sitting outside my house.

Instruction going on, so you may hear a bang bang from time to time.

Um my husband and I moved to Napa in 2018.

We've retired, like many of our neighbors, in fact, from San Francisco.

Um we have really come to enjoy living here, and we very much appreciate um the fine public servants that we've encountered at Napa from the city management people to park and rec people, especially the urban forestry people who were very involved with us a couple of years ago when we had a redwood tree um fall, and fortunately not harm any humans but harm the house.

Um I have a little, not a lot of experience in this area.

Um many years ago when we first moved to California in the 90s.

I worked as a docent or volunteered as a docent at the San Francisco Botanical Gardens.

Um I guess my reason for doing that was to practice a transition to a career in teaching, which I later went on to do.

Um previously I'd been in business and banking, commercial banking.

Um, after the docenting, um I took a um certificate course at City College in San Francisco in horticulture, and really got to know Western plants as a as a Western replanted person myself.

I was interested in knowing what lives around here and what thrives and how to make it thrive.

I taught middle school for several years, taught uh combination of math and English and even a brief teaching of biology or you know, life sciences.

I when I finished teaching, my last teaching job was with a um private school.

They asked me to sit on the board.

I had been a teacher rep and they asked me to be an outside director.

There I got involved in the real estate committee.

I ended up chairing the real estate committee, which oversaw our playgrounds.

We had uh three different campuses with three different playgrounds for little kids, older kids, and uh in between.

I got to know a little bit about um what makes a good playground and the concerns that lawyers have about what might make a good playground when it comes to the insurance company, um, and when it came to pleasing parents, which the board found itself very much in need of being responsive to.

I would very much welcome getting involved a little more in Napa.

This would be my first major volunteering effort.

Um I have done some literacy coaching at the library, but this would be the first thing that I would do that would be of a a little bit more than a a little more of a policy thing rather than a one-on-one kind of thing.

I'm especially interested in some of the new playground projects.

I'm interested in the tree inventory that's been taken of all of the Napa trees.

I was really impressed with the open house that was held on the Coombe Street project, got to know some of the new people working in public works, as well as the people I'd already gotten to meet in the street tree effort.

Uh I do travel since we're retired, so I may not make a hundred percent of the meetings in person, but if you have Zoom options, um I would be, I should be able to have 100% attendance.

I am sending in this video now because my husband and I are leaving on a uh month-long trip on Monday tomorrow, and uh I will be in Ireland I think at the timing of this video.

So thank you very much for listening to my um intro about myself, um, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you very much.

All right, next we'll uh ask Mary Ann Glenn to join us.

Welcome, thank you for being here today.

If you could introduce yourself and tell us why you're interested in uh joining the commission.

Thank you.

Good afternoon.

My name is Marion Glynn, and as it applies for the position, I am a full-time resident and registered voter of the city of Napa, whose life has been positively impacted by the thoughtful work of the parks and recreation services team and the trees and urban forestry team.

I regularly hike in our city parks.

I have uh relied on uh the youth sports program and camps to teach my family members a range of skills, including and ranging from tennis to lifeguarding.

Um, and I delight at home in the beauty of our maturing street tree, as well as the heat mitigating shade and the diverse bird life that it supports.

Recently, Napa Parks and Rec renovated several neighborhood playgrounds.

My family frequents.

This drew my attention to the current and the planned work of the department as well as the development of the urban forest management plan.

And I appreciate the efforts that you all are making to solicit community engagement in the planning process and hope to be a part of those.

So the City of Napa boards commissions and committees program is a wonderful opportunity for residents to volunteer in our community.

Given my gratitude for the thoughtful work of the Parks and Rec department, I'm interested in serving on this Parks Rec and Trees Advisory Commission.

I've applied for an open seat, which does not require demonstrated experience in a related field.

That said, I am a biologist by training and practice, and I have a notable personal interest in horticulture and arboriculture.

It would be my pleasure to leverage this knowledge and my experience living in the city as a member of the commission to advise the parks and rec services director on matters affecting the acquisition and the maintenance of the parks, public recreation, development of public landscaped areas, and particularly our trees and related ordinances and their revision.

It's been a pleasure to be here today and to hear from other members of the community who are interested.

I'm glad you have a range of individuals who come forward to serve in this community.

And it looks like you rarely have long-standing open vacancies, and that's a wonderful testament to the program and also to the members of the community.

I have not been on a commission or a committee previously.

This would be my first time engaging in this way, but would be happy to do so.

Thank you so much.

What do you see as the two major issues currently impacting parks, wreck, and trees in the city of Napa?

From my personal experience perspective, one issue that I think is a great challenge is engagement of a diverse age profile in community activities.

I was delighted to hear some of the dialogue earlier this year.

I think it was the February meeting around these park renovations to engage older youth in using the parks, and was happy to hear how the planning team incorporated some of that feedback to adjust designs and to do that.

We live near a park that has a playground that can engage multiple ages and a broad open space where youth sport activities are held, but it is the absolute hub of the adult community with their diverse dogs, and in that area.

So I think finding ways to connect our community members that aren't always based on alcohol, is really important in building our sense of community, and it's a great challenge that we have.

Secondarily, or as a second point of challenge specific just to the trees component.

I think that we have a challenge in helping people feel content and right about their choices in balancing the gifts that trees can provide and what their responsibility is for taking care of trees against their sense of responsibility for water conservation.

And I think that there can be a lot of messaging that really helps to see the multifaceted outcomes that can come through weighing all of those considerations.

In my application, I noted specifically my interest in in hearing interest in projects in street trees.

As as when I walk the community, I see so many with half of their trunks sunburned, where those trees are so weakened.

And the cost to the city or to the the homeowner or the resident may to to remove the tree may outweigh that that would have been involved in watering the tree in the first place.

So I think that there are opportunities that perhaps people are planning to address to work with the resources we have through educating our community members on how to inform choices that enable their success.

If we decide that she's qualified can we completely okay.

Thank you.

So my question for you then is what do you think should be the most important short-term and long-term goals in in making a quality well-rounded Parks and rec commission.

You're interested to know some short-term and long-term goals for the commission or to make a quality yeah for a for a quality well-rounded commission what should we be focused on?

Well it's my understanding that one of the functions of a commission um is to bring voices of residents to the table for those who are who are planning and executing on behalf of the community.

So it would be ideal if those voices were representative of the diversity of the city of Napa.

I was excited to see that you have a high school student position that's available that can help speak to some of the youth voice that's engaging you know that leaves a large pool of adults.

So ideally ideally representatives who speak to the to the diversity of culture of education of engagement of benefit of address and regions in different parts I think gives the best opportunity if there is not that diversity stepping forward to volunteer then to encourage the commission members to take on responsibility to represent some of those voices that may not be present in their own individual experience but to help engage a broader diversity.

Any other comments or anything you would like to leave us with today.

It's very exciting to see your work it's it's exciting to see the dedication and the interest of the other members of the community and it would be um a valued opportunity to help contribute to that either now or sometime in the future.

Next we have Clay Newton I know you already gave us your introduction.

Anything else you want to give us as way of introduction as we move into this commission?

No.

I think I covered the basis earlier.

Well, I still feel still feel like you should be on the public art and steering committee.

So that's that I'm just putting that out there.

Um I'll ask you the same question that I just asked Marion.

Um, what do you think should be the most important short-term and long-range goals uh for a quality well-rounded commission?

Short-term, I think that um I think the comment about uh the diversity of the populace is really important to take into consideration.

I think that's both a short and a long-term goal, but I would say that's more of a long-term strategy that should be something that is a through line through the work of the commission over time.

So I think that is definitely an important aspect.

When it comes to short term, I think that uh generating greater awareness and engagement of the broader population is a good way to do it.

Um myself, I have a lot of experience, as you can see in my resume, uh, with uh user experience research, whereby we actually speak to people that are users of a product or service to try to understand the ways that they need that to perform and what they actually have as gaps, so that you can build the right thing rather than building something and then finding out that it isn't what you need.

And I think the same thing is true in the ways that people engage around parks wrecking trees.

Um I think there's a lot of great engagement for people with younger children.

Um and they're they're highly vocal, and they're a part of the community that is really, really active.

And then as soon as somebody becomes like a you know senior in high school leaving off to college, it's like they drop out of the pool of people that are engaged.

And so, how do we get people that are the kind of young adults and the seniors involved at the same time to understand how best to shape the direction of the committee?

And I think that can be done in the short term and will lead to that long-term success.

What most excites you about what's going on in parks and recreation and trees in the city of Napa right now?

I'm seeing a lot of really great things happening with um, I felt like there were like moats before, like little areas where you could go and experience nature and engage in activities that were you know helpful and um involved nature in in different ways, whether it's fishing or sports or hiking, the but they all lived off in their separate areas, and I'm starting to see more of those get connected.

To me, those connections are the key.

Because if you're living in a community that has either no sidewalks or bad sidewalks, or you have to cross some major intersections to get to a park, kids are not going to do it.

Um people who do it might get run over or or even just feel fear for their safety as they're going and finding ways that we can connect those.

I think the Vine Trail's done an amazing job of that.

The River Project's done a huge service to that, but there still are these like corridors that are not addressed, and so how can we create green spaces, public spaces that can draw people to them, can be used by the broader community and connect those different moats into one broader network so that it all feels vital and alive.

Anything else you would like to leave us with today?

No, thank you so much.

Thank you.

Well, welcome back up Brendan Baker, please.

Anything you'd like to add to your introduction as we move into this committee?

Uh I just want to say I think I kind of misunderstood the assignment on the first one.

I talked too much about both committees since I thought I just had one shot at the mic, so I will more focus this time.

Yeah, that's all.

Um what do you see as the biggest need in recreation parks and trees for city of Napa right now?

Right now, the biggest need is the abil um and it's being worked on, but the biggest need is interconnectivity between all of our trails.

Right now, for instance, if you take the Napa River Trail from Trenkis to Lincoln, you are let out on Lincoln and nowhere to go.

You are uh you have no crossings, no passageways.

So uh to get anywhere from there, you have to go half a mile in either direction.

You don't have a link to the vine trail.

Uh the vine trail is great.

It takes place along a natural corridor that's been cut out for hundreds of years, you know, a hundred years because the the rail line, it's great to be on, but it has a lack of feeders, so for getting our parks and trails to combine and join up so that you could walk along the river, cross maybe one major road or two at a safe passageway and be in greenery the entire way, just experiencing trees, wildlife, nature, things that are not always accessible living in an urban environment and not having to worry about am I gonna get hit by a car?

Is there allowed construction?

Is there something taking us out of this?

Something that just brings all these networked spots together, and it's being worked on.

We just need to make sure the public knows about it.

We need to make sure that people are engaged with it, we need to make sure people are voting to say, hey, let's pass this measure and get this done.

Thank you.

Thank you again for applying.

Um so switching gears for a minute.

We talk a lot about parks and we talk a lot about trees.

Um, looking specifically at recreation and the kind of recreation um programs and activities that we provide.

Do you think that there are um some that we should be implementing that we're not, or there or are there ones we could be improving on?

I think there is a great effort being made from the city.

There's engagement, there's attempts.

Problem is it's not everybody knows about it.

Not everybody is capable of taking active participation in it.

Usually it's a matter of finding out through a flyer that you didn't open in time.

Yeah, you know, one thing that is remarkable about the city is that everyone has garbage, so everyone gets a flyer.

A lot of people probably throw the flyers out, but there is a lot of active engagement through those flyers saying, Here's what's coming up, here's where you need to go, here's what we're providing you.

So, as far as the city outreach, that is something that they are doing well.

Whether or not people are receptive to it or can receive it, that's the issue.

So identifying the corridors which would get people more involved in a program, they might say, Oh, I've been looking for something like that.

That's more, I think, the way we need to be focused.

Not saying that, well, we're doing this one well, or we're not doing this, or we need to bring in more of this.

We just need to get more engagement and more knowledge base to help guide: are we too heavy in this department, or should we back off some of these events and add more youth events?

Should we add more middle-age events?

Should we add more, you know, dog events, you know, c come on with your puppy and run around together until we have that engagement, you're basically just throwing darts at a board and saying, is this one gonna stick?

So I think the city is doing fine in what it's offering.

It's just the engagement, which is so difficult to do.

Additional questions?

Any other comments you'd like to leave us with today?

No, uh, that's it.

Thank you so much for your time.

Appreciate it.

So similar to just to continue on the process similar to with um the bike um and pedestrian advisory commission.

Members will be voting on a weighted scale, um, this time on a scale of one through six, since there were six applicants.

Um, and then there will be nominating three individuals to serve two year terms on the parks, recreation and trees, trees advisory commission.

Um two of which um hopefully would be we would be able to identify individuals to fill that capacity as member with demonstrated experience.

I know applicants um Kimberly Bolkowski, Clay Newton, and um Mary Ann has also been identified as a potential applicant to fulfill that.

Um just members FYI um Jeffrey Richard, who is currently on the commission, could also potentially fill that spot if we if we needed to uh shift the designation to him as an option, but if there's any anything you need for me, otherwise call her when you're ready.

Chris is ready.

I know.

Now I have to math, was it this was closer.

I'm gonna do my math again just to make sure.

Okay, I'm I think the easiest thing for me to do is just go down the the list of who scored highest and just just go down, um, and then I can uh they they didn't score exactly the same this time, so I will read just so it's in the record of how each member voted.

Um actually I'll start there and then I'll do the final tallies.

Um councilmember Dina Tale uh scored uh Joe String with a six, Julianne, we'll get a default a one, not a just uh a one.

Kimberly Bolkowski, a two, Marianne Glenn five, Clay Newton three, Brendan Baker four.

Uh Vice Mayor Luros, Joe Strang six, Julianne uh Aretta one, Kimberly Bolkowski two, Mary Ann Glenn, four, Clay Newton five, Brendan Baker three.

So if I did my math correctly, that gives Joe Strang a score of twelve.

Marianne Glenn nine, Clay Newton eight, Brendan Baker seven, and Kimberly Balkowski, four with Julianne uh two.

So that leaves the three highest are Joe with 12, Mary Ann with nine, uh, and then Clay with eight, and Brendan close behind with a seven, so am I is that my hearing um are we good to go with that?

Yeah, so Joe, Marion and Clay.

And then we need to have two design or just two um designated experience.

So Marian and Clay.

Yeah.

Okay.

Okay, well, congratulations.

Similarly, we will move these nominations to council.

Um TBD October 7th or 21st.

If I can get it through the approval process in time, I will let you know.

Um, and then if you have any other questions, feel free to reach out.

And thank you everybody for applying.

We really appreciate it.

Appreciate you taking the time to come out and do this.

Thank you very much.

Yes, and as uh when I first applied, I didn't get appointed.

So if you didn't, please keep coming back.

There's plenty of areas to serve.

Uh, and it's been great being on this committee to see how much talent we have in Napa.

So it's been great to see what great applicants we have.

So thank you very much for your time.

And we do keep your applications on file.

So if there are typically every year an opening on on the uh on the commissions, but also that are unscheduled vacancies that pop up as well.

So we do reach out to folks who have recently applied to see if you do want to reapply.

So if you forget about us, we won't forget about you.

And thank you so much.

With that, I guess we can adjourn this meeting of the uh recommendation committee.

Thank you.