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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Minutes 1997-04-07SRCC MINUTES (Regular) 4/7/97 Page 1 IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBER OF THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 1997 AT 8:00 PM Regular Meeting: Present: Albert J. Boro, Mayor San Rafael City Council Paul M. Cohen, Councilmember Barbara Heller, Councilmember Cyr N. Miller, Councilmember Absent: Gary O. Phillips, Councilmember Also Present: Rod Gould, City Manager Gus Guinan, Assistant City Attorney Jeanne M. Leoncini, City Clerk CLOSED SESSION - 7:00 PM: None. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS OF AN URGENCY NATURE: 8:00 PM HEIGHT LIMITATION OF FENCES, PLANTS AND TREES - File 10-2 x 10-6 Diane Neuhaus, resident of San Rafael, stated she would like to see another Ordinance regarding the height limitation of fences and plantings that might be an obstruction to neighbors of contiguous property, and might destroy views and property values. Ms. Neuhaus stated the City used to send out notices to the neighbors of properties where construction was being done, but this is no longer done. She noted she would like to see an Ordinance that calls for neighbors discussing such issues themselves. Mayor Boro assured Ms. Neuhaus that City Manager Rod Gould would inform Mr. Pendoley of her request, and ask him to contact her to discuss this issue. Mayor Boro informed Ms. Neuhaus that neighbors are noticed if anything is happening within the neighborhood that is outside the realm of what is permitted under current Ordinances, noting that if a variance is needed, the neighbors are notified. Mayor Boro stated staff would review the current Ordinance regarding fence height limitations; however, if someone is planning construction, and their plans require no variances or changes to existing Ordinances, the plans would be approved at the counter, and the neighbors would not be notified, because the plans are in compliance with the City's Ordinances. Ms. Neuhaus suggested the Ordinances be changed so neighbors could be notified if there were to be any obstruction to the view or change in property value to a contiguous neighbor. She stated she believed this would be in line, as sometimes it does affect a neighbor's property value, depending on what goes in. She stated she would also like the Ordinance to address trees, plantings, or anything that would affect the obstruction of a view. CONSENT CALENDAR: Councilmember Cohen moved and Councilmember Miller seconded, to approve the following Consent Calendar items: ITEM RECOMMENDED ACTION 1. Approval of Minutes of Special Meeting of Approved as submitted. Wednesday, February 19, 1997, and Regular Meeting of Monday, March 17, 1997 (CC) 2. Cultural Affairs Commission: (CC) - File 9-2-24 a. Appointment of Carol Levy, Currently as Alternate, to Fill an Unexpired Term of Erwin Williams, Who Passed Away on January 1997 (Term to Expire end of April, 1999) Approved staff recommendations: Serving a) Carol Levy appointed to fill an unexpired term of 6, Erwin Williams, (term to expire end of April, 1999). b. Call for Applications to Fill Three (3) b) 1) Called for applications Four -Year Terms on the Cultural Affairs to fill three (3) four-year Commission, Due to Expiration of Terms terms on the Cultural of Glenn David Mathews, Phyllis B. Thelen, Affairs Commission, to and Linda Spackman (Terms to Expire end expire the end of April, of April, 2001) 2001; 2) Set deadline for receipt of applications for Tuesday, April 29, 1997 at 12:00 Noon in the City Clerk's Office, Room 209, City Hall; 3) Set date for interviews of applicants at a Special Council Meeting to be held on Monday, May 5, 1997, commencing at 6:00 PM, Conference Room 201, City Hall. 3. Call for Applications to Fill Two Four -Year Approved staff recommendation: Terms on the Board of Library Trustees Due to a) Called for applications SRCC MINUTES (Regular) 4/7/97 Page 1 SRCC MINUTES (Regular) 4/7/97 Page 2 Expiration of Terms of Glena Coleman and to fill two (2) four-year Ivy Wellington (Terms to Expire end of terms to expire end of April, April, 2001) (CC) - File 9-2-3 2001; b) Set deadline for receipt of applications for Tuesday, April 29, 1997 at 12:00 Noon in the City Clerk's Office, Room 209, City Hall; c) Set date for interviews of applicants at a Special Council Meeting to be held on Monday, May 5, 1997 at 6:30 PM, Conference Room 201, City Hall. 4. Summary of Legislation Affecting Approved staff San Rafael (CM) - File 9-1 recommendations: AB 95 (Sweeny), ERAF, etc. Reversing the Shift: SUPPORT; AB 1362 (Mazzoni), Local Government Finance: SUPPORT; SB 303 (Burton), Limit allocations for funding of special education programs and require that any remaining ERAF funds be allocated among cities, counties and special districts: SUPPORT; SB 1310 (Johnson), Sales Tax Shift to Local Government: SUPPORT; S 392 (Feinstein), Welfare Reform. Frail, Elderly, Legal Immigrants: SUPPORT; SB 546 (Johannessen), Public Safety Officers - Interrogation: OPPOSE; SB 1156 (Costa), Multi -Family Rental Housing: OPPOSE; SB 1227 (O'Connell), School facilities: OPPOSE. 5. Resolution of Appreciation to Rochelle RESOLUTION NO. 9811 - Grechman-Dibley, Employee of the Year RESOLUTION OF APPRECIATION TO 1996 (CM) - File 102 x 9-3-65 x 7-4 ROCHELLE GRECHMAN-DIBLEY, CHILD CARE COORDINATOR, EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR 1996 6. Resolution of Appreciation to Greg Risling, RESOLUTION NO. 9812 - NewsPointer (CM) - File 102 RESOLUTION OF APPRECIATION TO GREG RISLING, NEWSPOINTER (who is leaving to become a reporter for the Tahoe Daily Tribune). 7. Resolution of Appreciation to Dennie Dyer (CM) RESOLUTION NO. 9813 - - File 102 x 9-2-48 x 235 RESOLUTION OF APPRECIATION TO DENNIE DYER (for participation in graffiti abatement efforts, the Budget Oversight Committee, and as former member of the Volunteer Program Advisory Committee) . 9. Resolution of Appreciation to Peacock Garden RESOLUTION NO. 9814 - Club - Arbor Day 1997 (for Tree Plantings at RESOLUTION OF APPRECIATION Maria B. Freitas Park, 4/14/97) (PW) TO PEACOCK GARDEN CLUB - ARBOR - File 109 x 102 57 Acres Located in Northeast San Rafael, in the INDUSTRIAL PARK WHICH HAVE Area of Old Redwood Highway, Mitchell Boulevard,HISTORIC TRIPS UNDER THE DAY 1997. CITY'S 1983-1986 TRAFFIC 10. Storm Water Pump Stations - Resolution to AcceptRESOLUTION NO. 9815 - Proposal From SCADA Solutions for the RESOLUTION TO ACCEPT PROPOSAL Implementation of Supervisory Control and FROM SCADA SOLUTIONS FOR THE Data Acquisition System for the Storm Water Pump IMPLEMENTATION OF SUPERVISORY Station Renovation Project and Authorize Director CONTROL AND DATA ACQUISITION of Public Works to Execute Agreement (PW) SYSTEM FOR THE STORM WATER - File 4-10-299 PUMP STATION RENOVATION PROJECT AND TO AUTHORIZE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS TO EXECUTE AGREEMENT. 11. Resolution Denying a General Plan Amendment RESOLUTION NO. 9816 - to Provide an Exemption to the General Plan RESOLUTION DENYING A GENERAL Floor Area Ratio of .30 for Redevelopment of PLAN AMENDMENT TO PROVIDE Parcels Within the Northgate Industrial Park AN EXEMPTION TO THE GENERAL Which Have Historic Trips Under the City's PLAN FLOOR AREA RATIO OF 1983-1986 Traffic Modeling System. The North- .30 FOR REDEVELOPMENT OF gate Industrial Park Consists of Approximately PARCELS WITHIN THE NORTHGATE 57 Acres Located in Northeast San Rafael, in the INDUSTRIAL PARK WHICH HAVE Area of Old Redwood Highway, Mitchell Boulevard,HISTORIC TRIPS UNDER THE Paul Drive, Mark Drive and San Carlos Court. CITY'S 1983-1986 TRAFFIC Semik Oungoulian, Applicant; Peter Brekhus, MODEL SYSTEM. THE NORTHGATE Attorney at Law, Representative (P1) INDUSTRIAL PARK CONSISTS OF - File 115 x 10-2 57 ACRES LOCATED IN NORTHEAST SAN RAFAEL IN THE AREA OF OLD REDWOOD HIGHWAY, MITCHELL BLVD., PAUL DRIVE, MARK DRIVE AND SAN CARLOS COURT. SEMIK OUNGOULIAN, APPLICANT; PETER BREKHUS, ATTORNEY AT LAW, REPRESENTATIVE. 12. Approval of Street recommendation. Parade and Street Dance 1997 (RA) - File 11-19 Closures for Classic Car on Saturday, May 24, Approved staff SRCC MINUTES (Regular) 4/7/97 Page 2 SRCC MINUTES (Regular) 4/7/97 Page 3 AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS: Cohen, Heller, Miller & Mayor Boro NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS: None ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: Phillips ABSTAINING: COUNCILMEMBERS: Cohen and Heller (from the minutes of the 2/19/97 only, due to absence from the meeting). The following item was removed from the Consent Calendar for further discussion: 8. RESOLUTION TO ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT FOR THE CONVERSION OF OVERHEAD UTILITY FACILITIES TO UNDERGROUND UTILITY FACILITIES FOR THE 112nd, 3rd, & 'A' STREETS UNDERGROUND UTILITY DISTRICT IMPROVEMENTS" WITH P.G. & E., PAC BELL, & TCI (PW) - File 4-1-488 x 6-53 Councilmember Heller asked for a brief update on this issue, asking when the City would begin the project, if the funds were set, what hours the crews will be working, and if this is the job which the Public Works Department currently has out to bid? Public Works Director David Bernardi stated this was the project currently out for bid. Ms. Heller asked that we be sure, when we are digging the trenches, that all the fiber optics are in the trenches before they are closed up again. Mr. Bernardi reported what would go in during this project were the pipes, which ultimately the wires and fiber optics go into. He noted what we are doing in the Agency's part of the trench is to install an extra four inch pipe, which can be used by either the City, or someone else who may want to lease the space from us. Mr. Bernardi stated the project itself has been designed and is currently out for bid, noting the bid opening is to be held Thursday, April 17th, and staff will bring this item to Council at the meeting of May 5th for award of contract. Mr. Bernardi reported the work would be completed by the end of this year, but the timeframe for the connections would be another couple of years down the road, to make sure everyone gets connected and converted. Ms. Heller asked if the work would be taking place during the day or at night? Mr. Bernardi stated most of the work would be done at night. Councilmember Heller moved and Councilmember Cohen seconded, to adopt the Resolution approving "Agreement for the Conversion of Overhead Utility Facilities to Underground Utility Facilities" between City, P.G.&E., Pacific Bell, and TCI. RESOLUTION NO. 9817 -RESOLUTION APPROVING "AGREEMENT FOR THE CONVERSION OF OVERHEAD UTILITY FACILITIES TO UNDERGROUND UTILITY FACILITIES" BETWEEN CITY, PG&E, PACIFIC BELL, AND TCI. AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS: Cohen, Heller, Miller & Mayor Boro NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS: None ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: Phillips SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS: 13. PRESENTATION OF RESOLUTION OF APPRECIATION TO GREG RISLING, NEWSPOINTER (CM) - File 102 Mayor Boro introduced Greg Risling who has been the reporter covering the City of San Rafael for the NewsPointer for the past two and a half years, and noted this was the first time the City had honored a reporter. Mayor Boro stated Mr. Risling was moving to Lake Tahoe, where he will be a reporter for the Tahoe Daily Tribune. Mayor Boro presented Mr. Risling with a Resolution of Appreciation, wishing Mr. Risling much success, and expressing the City's appreciation for Mr. Risling's fine coverage of San Rafael, which has been very thorough, thoughtful, and fair. Mr. Risling stated he was honored to be receiving a Resolution from the City, noting he never expected to be speaking at a public meeting he had covered so many times. Mr. Risling thanked the residents, City Council, Department Heads, and City employees, whom he felt had made his job easier, noting that as a one person staff, putting out a newspaper from end to end was very difficult. He stated people were very informed in San Rafael, they cared about the City, and they always got back to him in a timely manner, making his job much easier. Mr. Risling thanked the citizens of San Rafael, noting they had made his job an absolute pleasure. SRCC MINUTES (Regular) 4/7/97 Page 3 SRCC MINUTES (Regular) 4/7/97 Page 4 Mayor Boro pointed out that Rochelle Grechman-Dibley, Employee of the Year, was in the audience, noting a Resolution of Appreciation would be given to Ms. Dibley at the Annual Employees' Luncheon later in the month. 14. INTRODUCTION OF TWO NEW POLICE OFFICERS, MICHAEL J. MATHIS AND MARK M. PIOMBO (PD) - File 9-3-30 Police Chief Cam Sanchez introduced two new Police Officers, noting they were his first new hires. Chief Sanchez explained the San Rafael Police Department really did an extensive job of looking for top candidates, noting we do not take people just because there are vacancies, we take people because they are the best qualified, and are at the top of the list, and he was very honored to have them join our family of Police Officers. Chief Sanchez introduced Officer Michael Mathis, stating Officer Mathis was 24 years old, raised in Santa Rosa, graduated from Santa Rosa Junior College in 1995, and then put himself through the Police Academy, at his own expense. Chief Sanchez noted Officer Mathis had been a Reserve Community Services Officer for the Healdsburg Police Department. Chief Sanchez introduced Officer Mark Piombo, stating Officer Piombo was 25 years old, raised in Petaluma, graduated from Sonoma University in 1994, and also put himself through the Police Academy. Chief Sanchez noted Officer Piombo had worked for the Fairfax Police Department from October, 1994 to the present, and prior to that had spent six years in the Explorer program in San Anselmo, and was the adult advisor to that program. Chief Sanchez welcomed Officers Mathis and Piombo, thanking them for joining our Police Department, and noting he expected great things from them. He stated the San Rafael Police Department is held to a higher standard, and he looked forward to seeing them grow and develop within the Department. 15. INTRODUCTION OF INFORMATION SERVICES TEAM: (Admin. Svcs.) - File 9-3-20 Director of Administrative Services Kenneth Nordhoff introduced the members of the newly formed Information Services Division. Mr. Nordhoff noted that for many years the City has been contracting out for our Data Processing services, and has now had an opportunity to review this and move in a new direction, which Mr. Nordhoff felt was an exciting opportunity for the City. Mr. Nordhoff introduced Eusebio Joves, Information Services Manager, who began last week. He stated Mr. Joves has a BS in Business Management from the University of San Francisco, and had spent eighteen years with Hewlitt Packard, noting Mr. Joves designed and implemented that company's largest material database ever developed, and it is still in use. Mr. Nordhoff stated this spoke well of Mr. Joves' skills. Mr. Nordhoff reported Mr. Joves had also been a Director at Napa College for a period of five years, where he did a number of systems, conversions and installations, and recently spent a few months with the City and County of San Francisco. Mr. Nordhoff stated he felt very fortunate to have Mr. Joves onboard and running the City's Information Systems Division. Mr. Nordhoff introduced Jim Fletter, Programmer Analyst II, noting Mr. Fletter had been working for the City as a Project Engineer, and was very successful in implementing the City's Graphical Interface System (GIS), which has been widely successful, and something the City hopes to expand and make greater use of in the coming years. Mr. Nordhoff reported Mr. Fletter has a BS in Mechanical and Civil Engineering from Loyola Marymount, and has been working as the City' s Programmer Analyst II for the past two weeks, and is already getting a lot of things done for the City. Mr. Nordhoff introduced Wendy Schwartz, Programmer Analyst I, noting she was presently employed with the City's third -party consultant, but will begin as a City employee on July 1st. He reported Ms. Schwartz has spent seven years with the City, and is very familiar with our mainframe applications, noting that is very important for the Police Department, Fire Department, and a number of other City Departments. He explained Ms. Schwartz would be managing the City's mainframe applications. Mr. Nordhoff stated they were looking forward to a lot of new exciting opportunities and technology, noting this was a very energized group of people, and he felt they were going to do a fantastic job for the City. SRCC MINUTES (Regular) 4/7/97 Page 4 SRCC MINUTES (Regular) 4/7/97 Page 5 PUBLIC HEARINGS: 16. PUBLIC HEARING - AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL TO ADD CHAPTER 8.35 TO THE SAN RAFAEL MUNICIPAL CODE PROHIBITING GRAFFITI AND THE POSSESSION OF GRAFFITI IMPLEMENTS, ESTABLISHING A PROCEDURE FOR GRAFFITI REMOVAL, AND PROVIDING PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS (CM) - File 13-9 x 9-3-16 a. RECOMMEND PASSING ORDINANCE NO. 1709 TO PRINT. b. ACCEPT STAFF REPORT. C. PRESENTATION OF RESOLUTION OF APPRECIATION TO DENNIE DYER. Mayor Boro declared the Public Hearing opened, and asked for the staff report. Assistant City Manager Suzanne Golt noted this Ordinance was the culmination of approximately three years of work on the issue of graffiti abatement and prevention. She stated the City Attorney's Office had drafted this Ordinance after reviewing a number of other related Ordinances from other jurisdictions, and noted we also had input from a number of local businesses, the local Chamber of Commerce, members of the community, and participation from the Federation of San Rafael Neighborhood's Graffiti Abatement Committee (GAP). Assistant City Attorney Gus Guinan noted this Ordinance was now before Council after several revisions. He stated the Ordinance had three basic elements: 1) Prohibition of certain graffiti related conduct, with associated penalties for that conduct, explaining this included the applying of graffiti to surfaces on public and private property within the City; the failure to remove graffiti upon notification; possession of graffiti implements, as defined in the Ordinance, with the intent to apply graffiti; and possession of graffiti implements by a minor. 2) Prohibition of the sale of graffiti implements, including paint sticks, large markers, and aerosol cans, to minors under the age of eighteen, and the requirement that businesses who sell such materials place warning signs at the check-out counters, informing such people that the sale of these sorts of materials is prohibited to minors by this Ordinance. 3) The responsible party's obligation to remove graffiti from their property. Mr. Guinan noted this section applied to three groups of individuals: the graffiti applier, if the person is caught; the responsible adult, if the graffiti applier is a minor; and the property owner. Mr. Guinan stated all three of these classes had the obligation to remove graffiti from the property to which it was applied, within ten business days of notification by the City or property owner. Mr. Guinan explained that in the event the person applying the graffiti or the responsible adult is unknown, then the property owner has the responsibility to remove the graffiti within the ten business day period. He noted the options for the action to be taken by the person receiving the notification are: 1) to remove the graffiti; 2) to appeal, where an individual may appeal within the ten day period, at which time the issue will transfer to the procedures under the City's Code Enforcement Ordinance, and the Administrative Hearing Officer would conduct a hearing and make a decision; 3) the property owner can post the fee for graffiti removal and sign an agreement with the City, and the City would then provide its Graffiti Abatement employee, David Bartleman, to go to the property and remove the graffiti. Mr. Guinan reported the cost was currently estimated to be $25 per hour, noting the agreement, prior to signature by the property owner, would include an estimate of the total cost that would be incurred by the property owner. Mr. Guinan stated the obligation under the Ordinance would be satisfied simply by posting the fees and the signature on the agreement. Councilmember Miller noted he understood that in order to remove graffiti and have it permanently out of the way, there were two issues, namely the timeliness of removing the graffiti, and the match when graffiti is repaired. Mr. Miller noted he was pleased to see that within the penalties, someone could be ordered to perform community service within the City, stating this was a far better behavioral change opportunity than a financial penalty would be. He stated he would like a more precise definition of the term, "remove the graffiti", asking if that just meant slapping paint over it, or going back to repair the areas? Mr. Guinan stated there was no specific definition of exactly what "removing" is. He noted this had been considered, but in order to provide the flexibility necessary for the timely removal of graffiti, staff felt these details could be worked out between the Public Works Department and their employee, Dave Bartleman, who is removing the graffiti, and the individual property owner. Mr. Guinan pointed out the details could be incorporated into the one page agreement that is signed; however, if that should prove to be unsatisfactory, or not to be a viable option, then the Ordinance can be amended and made more specific. SRCC MINUTES (Regular) 4/7/97 Page 5 SRCC MINUTES (Regular) 4/7/97 Page 6 Referring to Section 8.35.150 under "Appropriations", Mr. Miller noted graffiti is to be removed from either publicly or privately owned property. He stated there were a number of vehicles around town, including large trailers at construction sites, which were prime targets for graffiti, and asked if vehicles were also included in this Ordinance? Mr. Guinan stated the answer would be based on two issues: whether the definitions in the Ordinance are broad enough to cover vehicles; and whether or not the State Vehicle Code, which is a preemptive code, might, in effect, usurp the City's power to enact something with regard to vehicles and graffiti. Mr. Guinan stated he had done some research of the Vehicle Code, and did not find anything with regard to the prohibition of the City being able to enact such prohibitions for the application of graffiti to vehicles; therefore, at least with respect to the Vehicle Code prohibition, he did not feel there would be anything that would prevent the City from making this graffiti Ordinance apply to vehicles. Councilmember Miller asked if this would also apply to the large refuse boxes we have around town? Mr. Guinan stated these would apply even more so. Mr. Miller asked if the City could approach the proper authorities for the refuse boxes under this Ordinance? Mr. Guinan stated that was correct. Councilmember Miller noted the first notification requires the graffiti to be removed within ten days; however, with possible appeals and hearings, the timing is somewhat confusing. He asked Mr. Guinan to explain the various steps that could be taken, and their timeframes. Mr. Guinan explained the first thing to remember was that the period of ten business days does not begin to run until the City issues its Notice. Once the graffiti was made known to the proper City Official, Code Enforcement Official, or on the Graffiti Hotline, then there would be a request to send the Notice, which would be issued by the Code Enforcement Officer. Mr. Guinan stated he assumed that would go out in a timely manner, probably within three or four days of the request, and once the Notice is sent, the time period of ten business days begins running. Mr. Guinan pointed out there were then three categories; one is the applier, and if we know the person who did the graffiti, the Notice is sent to them, or in the case of a minor, if we know who the responsible adult is, the Notice is sent to them. However, the timeframe would be a little different in the case of the property owner. If neither the applier of the graffiti or the responsible adult are known, then the first Notice is sent directly to the property owner, and the ten day period begins to run. If the applier or the responsible adult is known, and a Notice is sent to them, and they fail to remove the graffiti within the ten day period, then the Notice is sent to the property owner. Therefore, the property owner does not need to take any action when the applier or the responsible party is known, until such time as there is a failure on the part of those responsible parties to take action. Then the property owner can be noticed, and the ten day period begins to run, and we would be looking at a minimum of twenty days, possibly a little more. Mr. Guinan stated if there was a request for an appeal, the hearing process would take place in approximately fifteen days from the date of the request, noting that would be somewhat subject to scheduling problems, with the anticipation of the Administrative Hearing Officer being here two days per month; however, the issue would probably be heard within fifteen days, with a written decision within three or four days after that. Therefore, if there is an appeal process, Mr. Guinan stated we would be looking at an additional three weeks after the initial ten day period. Mayor Boro asked if the applier or responsible adult were known and are noticed, and they refuse to perform, did the City then notify the property owner? Mr. Guinan stated that was included as an option, noting there was a provision dealing with abatement which applied to all three responsible parties, and the City could go after any and all of them. However, if the applier and responsible adults are known, and it is clear there is going to be no action taken by them, or if they have no property by which the City can assess them costs and fees, then the City is still left with the problem of what we are going to do, noting this presents the City with a choice, in terms of enforcement. He stated if the City wanted to proceed and go in and do it ourselves, we would have that option under the provision which allows the City to do this upon consent of the property owner. Mayor Boro stated it did not seem fair that if the City knows who the responsible person is, and the City has acknowledged this, but the responsible person refuses to comply, that the City would then go to the property owner and tell them they would either have to fix it, or we will fix it for them and bill them, or lien their property. He stated there should be some way we could get to the offender if we know them, go ahead and remove the graffiti, and not penalize SRCC MINUTES (Regular) 4/7/97 Page 6 SRCC MINUTES (Regular) 4/7/97 Page 7 the property owner. Mr. Guinan stated in terms of actual enforcement procedure, that would be the avenue chosen, noting the Ordinance was written to provide for the maximum amount of flexibility to achieve the goal, which is the removal of graffiti; however, it would probably be the rare exception that this would occur if the applier or responsible adult is known. Councilmember Heller asked who would physically be doing the paperwork and the noticing? Mr. Guinan stated this had not yet been worked out, noting that if it got to the point of receiving a Notice of Appeal, and making sure the hearing in front of the Hearing Officer was noticed, it would probably be the Code Enforcement Officer, to make sure the process was followed correctly. However, it could be that the initial notices could be handled by other members of City staff, noting this would basically be a very simple form. Councilmember Heller asked if the City knows the applier, and if that person is being asked to remove the graffiti, who physically oversees that we are going to have the graffiti removed properly? Mr. Guinan stated this detail was not specifically laid out within the Ordinance, noting it had been left to the discretion of the staff to make sure that it gets done. He noted he would assume it would be the City's graffiti removal person, Dave Bartleman, or one of his associates, who would make sure this was done properly. Councilmember Cohen referred to the sign that will be required to be posted by the retail sellers of aerosol containers and other graffiti implements, noting the definition in the Ordinance was fairly clear; however, one could argue that the sign might be visible, but not something they could easily read. He asked if perhaps the Ordinance should specify the sign be of a certain type size? Mr. Guinan agreed that it should. Mr. Cohen asked Assistant City Manager Golt if the signs might be something the City could make available as a convenience to retailers in the City? Ms. Golt stated whatever the City could do to help would be a great idea, and she felt it would be very easy to make something like this available to the retailers. Mayor Boro invited members of the audience to speak on this item. Tom Obletz, President of the Federation of San Rafael Neighborhoods, stated he had been working in graffiti abatement under the direction of Dennie Dyer, noting this legislation was important, and the fact that a Public Hearing was being held to deal with graffiti had real value. Mr. Obletz stated he was pleased to see the City had moved ahead and hired Dave Bartleman as the City's official "graffiti buster", noting Mr. Bartleman was putting in a lot of hours working for the City, and was doing a great job. Mr. Obletz noted the issue of graffiti prevention had been mentioned, as well as removal; however, education goes part and parcel with the prevention aspect of graffiti. He believed the City had an Ordinance that was going to work, noting he was disappointed to see the Chamber of Commerce was not present to support it, and pointing out the Chamber was very important as a player in the community, and noted the Business Improvement District was also very interested in what the City was doing. Mr. Obletz stated this has been a collaborative effort on the part of City staff, expressing particular appreciation to Assistant City Manager Golt, and noting Public Works Director Bernardi had been very helpful with respect to replacing signs that have been damaged by graffiti, and had also shifted some of his Department's budget to get new signs in place. Mr. Obletz also thanked City Attorney Guinan and the City Attorney's Office staff, who had been doing a great job in this area, noting the City was certainly moving in the right direction. Mr. Obletz noted a number of people in the audience had been involved in Federation sponsored and City Volunteer sponsored Clean-up Days, and hoped they would participate in the event coming up next month. Mr. Obletz reported the Graffiti Hotline (485-5826) continued to be the primary source of information for the employees at the Corporation Yard. He noted the retailers also play an important part, and reported there were four retailers in the City who had responded to the Federation's request to provide discounts to their customers for any products related to graffiti removal, including Jackson's Hardware, Marin Color, Empire Paint, and Yardbird Is. He reported anyone going into one of these stores and asking for products related to removing graffiti will be given a 10% discount, noting this was a real collaborative effort on the part of the Federation and SRCC MINUTES (Regular) 4/7/97 Page 7 SRCC MINUTES (Regular) 4/7/97 Page 8 the local retailers. Mr. Obletz stated a number of retailers have also worked hard to train their staff to ask questions, and be preemptive with respect to controlling access to the devices used for graffiti, noting Jackson's Hardware has really taken the lead in that respect. Mr. Obletz stated he still believed there was an opportunity for greater education, and the issue of prevention, and hopefully with community policing and other aspects of our new Community Services Department, we will be able to work on that. Dennie Dyer, 70 Irwin Street, expressed his support for the Ordinance, and thanked the City for an excellent job in bringing graffiti abatement to this point. He felt the most important step being taken was that graffiti vandals were being put on notice that graffiti is no longer tolerated in the City of San Rafael. Mr. Dyer thanked Mayor Boro and Assistant City Manager Golt for the many early morning meetings where they discussed these problems, and Dave Bartleman and Parks Maintenance Supervisor Tom Rothenberger for going out and removing the graffiti, noting his one suggestion would be to continue the dialogue, and suggested these meetings be held once each quarter for the next year or two. Mr. Dyer pointed out there had been a definite improvement on Fourth Street, noting the street lights look terrific and the graffiti is gone, and thanked the Council and staff for their efforts. He stated the City now had to work out from Fourth Street to the City limits, creating a graffiti free zone. Al Barr, Member of the Steering Committee of the Federation of San Rafael Neighborhoods, distributed photographs of graffiti around town, stating he felt that in many instances, a simple notice to the property owner would do the trick. Mr. Barr called attention to photographs of graffiti on several businesses, pointing out the owners were responsible citizens, and he believed they would take care of the problem, but noting it was important to get a process in place. Mr. Barr highlighted another problem, which was graffiti on the IJ newspaper racks, noting the people at the IJ had been unresponsive and relatively uncooperative to the efforts of graffiti removal. He then pointed out photographs of graffiti on the side of a truck, reporting there were two prominent trucks which are always parked in San Rafael, one in the Gerstle Park area, and another belonging to the Farmer's Market, noting he had spoken to the owners of these vehicles a year ago. Mr. Barr felt the City looked pretty good, stating you really had to look for graffiti now to find it; nevertheless, it still persists. He stated this Ordinance would go a long way toward making San Rafael a graffiti free zone, and he hoped it would be passed. Mr. Barr recognized some of the people who had been working on this problem for the past couple of years: Dick Sadler, a member of the Federation, who raised their consciousness about graffiti a couple of years ago; Tom Obletz, who has done a tremendous job in organizing a group of kids to remove graffiti during Clean-up Day; and Hillary Horton, a painting contractor who has been working on graffiti removal on his own time for over a year, enabling them to get a real handle on this problem. Mr. Barr felt these people should really be complimented on their efforts, and urged the Council to pass this Ordinance. Dick Sadler, long time resident of San Rafael, distributed photographs showing graffiti, and noted this was a subject he had been involved with for the past three years. He stated graffiti was a terrible blight on the aesthetic beauty we all enjoy in San Rafael and Marin County, and he is pleased to see the direction the City is taking in this regard. He reported he had been deeply involved with the Federation in graffiti abatement, and with Officer Jeff Franzini, who had a team comprised of wards of the State, assigned by the Court, who worked at removing graffiti. Mr. Sadler noted that when the grant supporting those activities ended, Officer Franzini was transferred to another assignment, and San Rafael's abatement activities disappeared as well. Mr. Sadler distributed photographs to the Council, and stated he had attended a staff meeting a year ago at which the original Ordinance was discussed. He pointed out that when looking at the three issues being discussed, the perpetrator, the responsible adult, and the businesses, he felt that in 99.9% of the cases the City would not know the first two, and noted this Ordinance was really addressed to the business community. Mr. Sadler stated if this Ordinance had been brought up a year ago, he did not believe the City would have had the support of the business community, because the City of San Rafael has to take the lead. Based on the photographs taken last weekend, he felt the City had done a very good job of SRCC MINUTES (Regular) 4/7/97 Page 8 SRCC MINUTES (Regular) 4/7/97 Page 9 doing that, and could now ask for the support of the business community, because San Rafael has now taken the lead. Regarding the Ordinance itself, Mr. Sadler reported the Federation had information about graffiti removal from areas all over the United States, and noted the paramount, underlying clause in all of it was rapid removal. He stated as soon as graffiti is seen it must be removed, noting that would do more for graffiti abatement than any Ordinance. Therefore, he would like to see the Ordinance changed to require removal in 5 days, noting with the lead San Rafael has taken, the business community would support the City. Mr. Sadler stated another area he felt was really important was education, pointing out there was a wealth of information in the Police Department, noting they were working with the kids to continue that activity. Referring to the photographs he distributed, he pointed out that one of them, the Rafael Theater on Fourth Street, was going to become a signature location for the City of San Rafael. He noted efforts to raise money for that activity were still underway, and he felt this should be a priority location for the removal of graffiti, as it detracts from efforts to raise money for the theater when there are graffiti tags on the marquee. Ralph Merloff, member of the North San Rafael Coalition of Residence, encouraged the City to adopt this Ordinance, stating the residents "north of the hill" supported the City very strongly. There being no further public comment, Mayor Boro closed the Public Hearing. Mayor Boro noted the Ordinance would be amended to include and define the issue of type size for the signage required of the businesses. Mr. Guinan stated he would verify the appropriate type size and include that in the Ordinance, and would also indicate that the City could prepare and make photocopies of the sign available to the businesses. Councilmember Heller asked if the Ordinance would also include glass etching? Mr. Guinan stated that it would. Ms. Heller asked if the Ordinance would cover other government entities and businesses? She also pointed out that some businesses, such as the Marin Independent Journal, had many different site locations, and asked if we would notify each specific site, or how we would handle that? Mr. Guinan stated the specifics of how that would be handled had not been worked out, but clearly, the Marin Independent Journal is the owner of personal property, and if there is graffiti, they would be subject to the Ordinance. Ms. Heller asked about other governmental entities, such as the United States Post Office? Mr. Guinan stated he would review that issue, but did not feel the City would be able to make them remove graffiti if they did not want to; however, at the same time, if Dave Bartleman was there and willing to do something, then perhaps we could arrange to actually get done what needs to get done. Assistant City Manager Golt stated she would comment on this issue during her report later in the meeting, noting she and Public Works Director Bernardi were meeting with representatives of some of the very places Ms. Heller had mentioned. Councilmember Cohen expressed appreciation for the support the City has received from members of the community, and acknowledged that in graffiti abatement, as well as other endeavors, such as fire prevention and hazardous removal, the City has to take the lead and keep its own house in order before asking others to do it, and telling them we will charge them if they do not do it themselves. He felt this was also the case in regard to rapid removal of graffiti, noting he would have to know that in every instance the City was also complying with this. He believed, from all the comments made, that the City has been doing a very good job, and he thanked Dave Bartleman for all his work on this. However, he did not know if the City could confidently say that every time graffiti appears on City property it is gone within 10 days, let alone within 5 days. Mr. Cohen stated the City would also need to wait and see how this played out in terms of implementation, and requested staff to report back to Council in six months with an update, as there were still some details that would have to be worked out. Councilmember Miller stated he was still concerned with the timeline, noting the faster the graffiti is removed, the faster it is effective. He stated he liked the idea of the seven days, but was not certain the business community would tolerate that, and acknowledged he could agree to and understand the ten days. Mr. Miller stated he saw this as a great opening for our Community Policing. Mayor Boro asked Assistant City Manager Golt to comment on the 7 days versus 10 days. Ms. Golt recalled that when staff last brought a draft Ordinance to the Council a year ago, some members of the business community had objections to various aspects of the draft, and one of the things discussed in her meetings with SRCC MINUTES (Regular) 4/7/97 Page 9 SRCC MINUTES (Regular) 4/7/97 Page 10 representatives of these businesses was not only the restraints they would have been under to lock up graffiti implements, which had been looked at before, but also the timeline, noting the business owners wanted a little more time involved. She felt the business community was comfortable with the ten days, and they have not raised any objections to that; therefore, her recommendation would be that we give the 10 days a try and see how it works, evaluating it at the end of six months. Councilmember Cohen felt Council should look not just at whether or not it is a problem to specify 10 days, but also once the program is underway and the business community understands it, and once we have worked out providing resources to the businesses in terms of the City's ability to assist them in dealing with it quickly, then he would be open to looking at a timeline shorter than the ten days. The title of the Ordinance was read: "AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL TO ADD CHAPTER 8.35 TO THE SAN RAFAEL MUNICIPAL CODE PROHIBITING GRAFFITI, ESTABLISHING A PROCEDURE FOR GRAFFITI REMOVAL, AND PROVIDING PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS" Councilmember Cohen moved and Councilmember Miller seconded, to dispense with the reading of the Ordinance in its entirety and refer to it by title only and pass Charter Ordinance No. 1708 to print, as amended, by the following vote, to wit: AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS: Cohen, Heller, Miller & Mayor Boro NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS: None ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: Phillips Assistant City Manager Golt noted the second part of this report was to provide Council with a variety of different graffiti abatement components that fit into our overall effort. Referring to graffiti removal from City property, Ms. Golt reported this was where Dave "the Graffiti Guy" Bartleman came in. Ms. Golt introduced Mr. Bartleman to the Council, reporting he has been an employee of the Public Works Department since December, 1996, and stating she had invited him to attend this meeting to give the Council an overview of what his work entails, and how he approaches graffiti abatement, which she noted was with great zeal. Dave Bartleman stated he was proud to be a citizen of San Rafael, and part of such a cohesive unit, noting the first thing he does each day is check the Graffiti Hotline reports and keep the citizens happy, and then he usually begins by touring Fourth Street, from the freeway out to the city limits near San Anselmo. He has gone from Terra Linda to the landfill, Pickleweed Park, and even some of the paths further out. Mr. Bartleman stated he was very aware, and as a citizen touring the City every day, he often beats the Hotline reports, which he was very proud of. He reported public property was pretty much stable and taken care of, noting he has only approximately five or six items a day on public property. He stated he was very pleased this Ordinance was going to be adopted so that he could go to other areas of graffiti which have become real eyesores. Mayor Boro noted that when Councilmember Heller brought up her question about the Post Office, he recalled at one point when the Committee had been meeting they talked about pursuing this, and meeting with the local Postmaster to discuss the importance of the image for the Post Office and their mail boxes. Mayor Boro stated if this was something that needed to be done, he was willing to go and meet with them. Mayor Boro told Mr. Bartleman the City was very glad he was working for them, and thanked him for his great work. Ms. Golt stated Mr. Obletz had a presentation to make to Mr. Bartleman. In recognition of all the work he has done for the City, Mr. Obletz presented Mr. Bartleman with two City work vests, one for summer and one for winter, noting the Federation had paid for the lettering. Assistant City Manager Golt noted Mr. Bartleman had been hired to remove graffiti from City property, and she displayed photographs of some of the graffiti he has removed, pointing out examples on park benches, cement abutments, and trees. She stated Mr. Bartleman had done an excellent job of abating the graffiti on City property. Ms. Golt reported another component of the graffiti program relates to graffiti removal from private property. She stated she and Public Works Director Bernardi were trying to work with some of the larger employers, governmental, and SRCC MINUTES (Regular) 4/7/97 Page 10 SRCC MINUTES (Regular) 4/7/97 Page 11 quasi -governmental agencies, such as P.G.&E., the Post Office, CalTrans, and the Marin Independent Journal, to see what they can do to encourage them to be active participants in graffiti abatement. She noted some of those agencies have a lot of graffiti on their facilities, so they will be meeting with them and telling them about the possibility of having the City's graffiti abatement person remove the graffiti, for a fee; however, she stated the City would like them to be responsible and more active, and remove the graffiti in a timely fashion, suggesting perhaps they could establish a Graffiti Hotline, noting many places have done this in other parts of the State. Ms. Golt pointed out the graffiti removal by Mr. Bartleman for a $25 fee would also tie-in very well with the Graffiti Hotline, reporting the Hotline had been established almost three years ago through the efforts of the Federation of San Rafael Neighborhoods, and still continues today. Mr. Golt stated the Graffiti Abatement Committee really offers a chance to keep the dialogue going, to communicate with people who are not necessarily in the field, but people from business and residential areas, as well as governmental agencies, and she agreed with the recommendation for quarterly meetings. Ms. Golt stated they were very encouraged to see graffiti going down significantly, and they will keep at it. Mayor Boro noted there would be a Citywide Clean -Up Day on May 3rd. Ms. Golt stated that was correct, and graffiti abatement would be a big part of that, noting there had also been a newspaper article on the City's graffiti efforts, with Mr. Bartleman prominently featured on the front page eradicating graffiti. Mayor Boro again introduced Dennie Dyer, stating he had done a lot of things for the City of San Rafael during the past several years, not only being very active in the area of graffiti abatement, but also as a Charter Member of the Budget Oversight Committee, and working on the Advisory Board for the Volunteer Program. Mayor Boro stated Mr. Dyer had become a very good friend and supporter of the City of San Rafael, noting he was sorry Mr. Dyer was moving to Southern California, and hoped one day he would come back. Mayor Boro then presented Mr. Dyer with a Resolution of Appreciation, and a paper weight star which states, "Dennie Dyer, Graffiti Buster". Mr. Dyer stated he and his wife had moved to San Rafael in 1988, and soon fell in love with the Bret Harte area and the City. He noted their eight years in San Rafael has seemed like a vacation, and when they do have a vacation, they are coming right back to San Rafael, stating San Rafael was a very special City, and all of the citizens had made it that way. Mr. Obletz reported the Federation of San Rafael Neighborhoods had established an endowment in Mr. Dyer's name, with an award that will be known as "The Dennie". 17. PUBLIC HEARING - AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL AMENDING SECTION 6 . 10 . 050 OF THE SAN RAFAEL MUNICIPAL CODE CONCERNING PENALTIES FOR ANIMAL CONTROL VIOLATIONS (PD) - File 4-13-54 x 9-3-30 Mayor Boro declared the Public Hearing opened, and asked for the staff report. Police Captain Walt Costa stated staff had been working on this issue for quite some time, and had found San Rafael was not in agreement with most of the other cities in the County. He stated staff believed it was appropriate to make everything equal throughout the County, noting there were two particular areas of importance. The first issue refers to owners allowing their animals to chase deer on public property, noting staff believed this was important enough to be changed to a misdemeanor, both because of the actual problem, as well as the public feeling on the matter. The second issue staff was asking be changed was that upon a third citation within a year for a barking dog violation, the violation would become a misdemeanor. He noted this issue had been brought to their attention because there had been a problem with a particular dog owner during the past year who received a third citation, and the owner felt it was not a problem to just continue to pay the fine for an infraction instead of resolving the problem. Councilmember Miller asked if establishing a third violation for a barking dog as a misdemeanor was uniform throughout the County, and Captain Costa stated it was. Mayor Boro invited members of the public to address this issue. There being no public comment, Mayor Boro closed the Public Hearing. The title of the Ordinance was read: SRCC MINUTES (Regular) 4/7/97 Page 11 SRCC MINUTES (Regular) 4/7/97 Page 12 "AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL AMENDING SECTION 6.10.050 OF THE SAN RAFAEL MUNICIPAL CODE CONCERNING PENALTIES FOR ANIMAL CONTROL VIOLATIONS" Councilmember Miller moved and Councilmember Heller seconded, to dispense with the reading of the Ordinance in its entirety and refer to it by title only and pass Charter Ordinance No. 1709 to print, by the following vote, to wit: AYES: COUNCIL ERS: Cohen, Heller, Miller & Mayor Boro NOES: COUNCIL ERS: None ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: Phillips MONTHLY REPORTS: 18. CITY WORK PLAN REVIEW (CM) - File 237 Assistant City Manager Golt presented the Monthly Work Plan Review, which she noted gave a very good overview of all the things which tie-in with the eight major goals Council established in August, 1996. Councilmember Miller referred to the Macy's Re -use Project, and asked if the City had an agreement with the developer? City Manager Gould reported we did not have the actual DDA (Development and Disposition Agreement) as yet, but would be working on those issues in the coming months. He stated the first issue would be the design, noting the City would soon be announcing a series of public meetings to get the public's input on the design. Councilmember Miller and Mayor Boro reported the meetings would be held on April 26th and May 10th. Mayor Boro thanked Ms. Golt and Mr. Gould for the report, and for keeping the Council' s objectives alive. Councilmember Heller noted several new items have been added to the report, pointing out it was easy to forget all that has already been accomplished. She asked if a six-month or annual report could be presented, highlighting all of the achievements? Ms. Golt stated such a report would be presented to Council, and Mr. Gould noted it would come before Council in July. Councilmember Cohen referred to the issue of the Corporation Yard, and asked for a status report. Public Works Director Bernardi reported staff had spoken with representatives of the Marin Municipal Water District a few times, and they are amenable to sitting down and working out the details of occupying their site on Pelican Way with them, as well as with the School District. Mr. Bernardi stated one issue is whether or not the City wants to purchase the property, or enter into a long-term lease. He noted the School District is a partner in that, as well as the Water District, and the current plan is for the City and the School District to occupy approximately five acres, leaving two acres for the Water District for their pipe storage facilities. Mr. Bernardi stated staff felt there could be an economy of scale, whereby a fuel station could be utilized by the Water District vehicles, as well as the City's and the School District's, and having other areas that could be used for the storage of base -rock and sand, which would be used for various construction activities each of them becomes involved with. Mr. Bernardi stated they believed they could combine some of the activities, and so far that seemed to be the direction they were heading. Referring to the timing, Mr. Bernardi stated it would probably take at least six months to work out the deal with the Water District for presentation to the Council, and then once that was done, it would probably take another six to ten months to put the plans together and have the architects do the actual designs. However, Mr. Bernardi noted this project would be completed before the City had to vacate the current site for Fair, Isaac. Councilmember Cohen referred to the issue of Social Problems, stating the City really needed to see some progress on the relocation of the St. Vincent de Paul Dining Hall from the Downtown. He noted the City had made some real commitments to the community, and had real momentum going, with a lot of very positive public relations about the new direction St. Vincent de Paul Society was taking. However, that needed to translate into some kind of action in the very near future, and he hoped St. Vincent de Paul really understood that. City Manager Gould stated that as a significant milestone along the way to achieving that goal, he expected to bring Council a set of site selections at the next Council meeting. He also reported there would be a meeting of the Board of Directors of the St. Vincent de Paul Dining Hall tomorrow afternoon, to consider and approve this criteria. SRCC MINUTES (Regular) 4/7/97 Page 12 SRCC MINUTES (Regular) 4/7/97 Page 13 19. DEPARTMENT REPORT - RECREATION DEPARTMENT (Rec) - File 237 x 9-3-65 Recreation Director Sharon McNamee and her staff gave a slide presentation, highlighting the Recreation Department's accomplishments during the past year. Ms. McNamee introduced Child Care Coordinator Rochelle Grechman-Dibley, who discussed the Child Care programs. Ms. Grechman-Dibley noted this had been a very exciting year, reporting a new State Pre-school had been opened in the Canal, serving twenty-four children. She showed a slide of the children participating in "circle time", noting this was a very important part of the day, with half of the circle time being done in English and part in Spanish, working toward the goal of preparing the children for English speaking Kindergarten classes. Ms. Grechman-Dibley noted the Recreation Department was also very proud to have two new classrooms, one at Dixie School and one at Mary Silveira School, allowing them to accommodate more children, and better serve the population. Gary Burns, Coordinator of Adult Athletics, addressed the Council on behalf of Don Streeper, Supervisor at Terra Linda Recreation Center. Mr. Burns reported several classes were held at the Terra Linda Recreation Center, from ceramics to exercise classes. He showed a slide of one of their newer computer classes, noting this class was unique in that the Instructor actually brings the computers with him, so there is no storage on the part of the City for the equipment, and the students just come to class and find everything already set-up for them. Mr. Burns stated this has been a very successful class, and one they hope to continue. Mr. Burns stated another unique aspect of the Terra Linda Recreation Center was the pool, noting it is used by two different groups: the ORCA Swim Club, which has approximately 190 members this summer; and it is also open to the public for swimming, for both lap swim and regular public swim time. Mr. Burns reported another series of classes at Terra Linda are the Developmentally Disabled programs, which include movement and singing, noting there are also other aspects Terra Linda is trying to become involved with. He stated the classes had been very successful, and something he did not believe was being offered in many other places. Ms. Grechman-Dibley reported on a popular new program, stating the Recreation Department had recently taken over Jumping Jacks and purchased their equipment. She stated this is available to children two days a week, and is also rented out by the Recreation Department for private birthday parties. Ms. Grechman-Dibley showed slides of the Young Performers Theater for children between eight and fourteen years of age. She reported each year the Young Performers Theater presents a play, noting there were forty-one children in the play this year, with four performances, and over 700 people in attendance. Ms. Grechman-Dibley reported Carol Jacobs-Courtz was responsible for the Goldenaires program, which was a huge program. She showed a slide of one of their Bingo games, reporting this was their biggest fundraising activity, with all of the money going toward the operation of the Goldenaires' Club. She noted they hold the Bingo games four or five times per month, with approximately 150 people in attendance each time. Ms. Grechman-Dibley reported last year they raised approximately $35,000. Other popular Goldenaires activities were the two exercise classes, which offer low impact dance and stretching exercises twice a week, attended by approximately 30-40 seniors per class. She reported the Goldenaires also have a Bocce Group, which has open play on Tuesdays and Fridays with approximately twenty people. She showed a slide of a new fence at the Bocce Courts which is being installed with funds raised by the Bocce Federation. Ms. Grechman-Dibley showed a slide of the new carpeting at the San Rafael Community Center, noting those who rent or use the Center regularly are really pleased with the new look. She also pointed out the tennis courts at the Community Center had been resurfaced in 1996, and now have keyed entry. She reported people have responded very well to this, and were very supportive of buying keys and taking advantage of the newly surfaced courts. Bob Hess, Supervisor at Pickleweed Community Center, stated a number of new programs were begun at Pickleweed Park this year, including summer and winter carnivals, noting last summer they had connected with the Mega Circus program, which comes to the Park and actually takes children from the crowd to participate. He pointed out that last year this event was sponsored by the Marin Community Foundation, and Mega Circus had such a good time with it, they got AutoDesk to provide the funding for the event this year. He stated this was a very well attended event. SRCC MINUTES (Regular) 4/7/97 Page 13 SRCC MINUTES (Regular) 4/7/97 Page 14 Mr. Hess reported another activity at Pickleweed Park, as well as throughout the various school facilities, is the Marin Juniors Volleyball Program, noting there are nine teams this year, with each team comprised of approximately ten to twelve young ladies from fifth grade through Juniors and Seniors in High School. Referring to another new program which began this year, Mr. Hess described the Canal Arts Program, which takes place on Saturday mornings at Pickleweed Community Center. He explained the classes were ongoing, and included such things as drawing and painting, multi -cultural folk arts, modern dance, Mexican Folkloric dance, ceramics, chorus, and storytelling. Mr. Hess noted the Canal Arts Program also supports local special events throughout the City, and involves Canal youth in the Italian Street Painting Festival, the Marin County Fair, the Christmas Las Posadas Celebration and the Canal Festival. Mr. Hess reported Pickleweed Community Center was also one of the sites to host a welcoming reception for San Rafael's new Police Chief, Cam Sanchez, which was quite an exciting evening. Reporting on some of the Youth Services Programs, Mr. Hess noted the Cyber Creek Program was new this year at Davidson Middle School. He reported this was a science program funded through a technology grant from the Bill Gates Foundation. He stated the Foundation approached the school, noting the school was working with a community based organization, the City. He explained the grant includes money to purchase hardware, and connection to the Internet. Mr. Hess reported the program combines studying the ecology of Davidson Creek, along with current software, noting eventually they will create their own WEB site. Mr. Hess stated there were a number of after school programs, and showed a slide of the After School Academy at Mary Silveira School. He pointed out the Junior High School gymnastics program, which is an after school program at Davidson Middle School, had over 175 youth participating this Spring. He stated the school's Physical Education staff helps conduct the program, along with hired employees, noting this program was a great example of the Recreation Department working with School District staff to form a great ongoing program. Mr. Hess reported King Roy's Outdoor Adventure Camps operate during school vacation times, and some of the activities campers particularly enjoy are fishing, trips to the beach, and Oakland A's and San Francisco Giant's baseball games. He noted this program served children in Second through Fifth grades. Cessa Sullivan, Pickleweed Kids Club Director, showed slides of some of the activities underway at the Pickleweed Kids Club, an after school program offered from 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM on weekdays at Pickleweed Park Community Center. She reported one of the components of this program involves tutoring offered to the children, especially to those who have English as a second language, and whose parents are unable to assist them. In addition, she noted they have sports, arts and crafts, and an Annual World Cup Soccer Tournament, to which the community is invited. Staffing at Pickleweed Park Kids Club includes the Marin YMCA Pride Program, the Marin Conservation Corps AmeriCorps members, and High School Seniors from the County Youth Employment Program and Amigos High School Volunteers. Ms. Sullivan noted one of their special activities this year was provided by Country Club Bowl, where the Pickleweed Kids Club was given free games for those children who participated in the Pride Program, which is a violence prevention program for older children. She stated they keep the kids so busy, they have no time for graffiti. Recreation Director McNamee showed slides of the San Francisco Seals baseball team playing at Albert Park, noting the Seals would be back this summer, with the opening game scheduled for the night of June 6th, and twenty-five home games to be played at Albert Park. Ms. McNamee reported the Seals had helped form a new California League comprised of eight teams up and down the State, so they will be playing representing San Rafael all over California. Ms. McNamee pointed out the new playground equipment to be placed at Boyd Park, which her Department purchased on sale last month at a vendors show. She noted the model had been installed in the front window of the old Macy's building, and staff is very excited about the "castle" bringing some magic back to Boyd Park. Ms. McNamee showed slides of Employee of the Year -1996 Rochelle Grechman-Dibley, along with fellow Recreation Department Employees Karen Limb, and Lindsay Martin, both previously recognized as Employees of the Year, noting Recreation was very proud and honored that their employees had been chosen for recognition. SRCC MINUTES (Regular) 4/7/97 Page 14 SRCC MINUTES (Regular) 4/7/97 Page 15 Mayor Boro stated the Council was very proud of her Department and staff, noting she certainly presents a very diversified program, and serves the entire community. 20. CITY COUNCIL REPORTS: a. COUNTY -WIDE COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE/POLICE RADIO REPORT - File 9-3-30 x 9-3-31 x 9-3-40 (Verbal) Councilmember Heller reported on what would internally be called the San Rafael Police Radio Committee, but which is now becoming a broader committee. and will become a part of the County -wide Communications Committee. She reported they have been talking in several different meetings to everyone in the Police Department, and updating them on what is happening with communications, and where the County is in the process. She noted the City Manager is also attending these meetings, along with Police Chief Sanchez. She stated that in order to keep our radio system active and working, we have added cellular phones, and are looking at changing the location of the radios from the trunk to the inside the cars, as well as perhaps obtaining better antennas for the low band radios. Ms. Heller reported that quite soon they would be working toward getting an entire County -wide system put together, and she will continue to update the Council as they move forward on this issue. b. TRAIN SERVICE TO MARIN COUNTY FAIR - File 170 (Verbal) Mayor Boro reported he attended an informal meeting to discuss the possibility of establishing a train which would service the Marin County Fair July 2nd - 5th. He stated the train would originate in Novato and terminate at the Civic Center, giving people in Marin County the opportunity to see a train in action, and at the same time give those attending the County Fair an opportunity to ride the train. Mayor Boro stated there was a lot of enthusiasm about this, acknowledging there was a very short time frame, but noting he was hopeful things could be pulled together. There being no further business to come before the Council, the meeting was adjourned at 9:50 PM JEANNE M. LEONCINI, City Clerk APPROVED THIS DAY OF 1997 MAYOR OF THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL SRCC MINUTES (Regular) 4/7/97 Page 15