December 13, 2004

Heather Neighbors
c/o Robin Kennedy, Esq.
Miller, Starr & Regalia
300 Hamilton Avenue
Third Floor
Palo Alto, CA 94301

Re: Response to Letter Regarding Proposed Installation of Synthetic Turf and Field Lighting at Heather School

Dear Robin Kennedy and the Heather School Neighbors:

Your letter of concern regarding the Heather School Athletic Field was received on October 21, 2004 via email. Your input is valued.

In reviewing your letter, it contains some misunderstandings of the current process and some inaccurate statements. This letter will address these items and provide you with information on the Parks and Recreation Department’s focus, current practice, the current recommendation, the proposed structure of the committee, and clarification of other information.

1) Statement regarding Parks and Recreation’s goals(1):
“…the Park & Recreation Commission’s continued focus on the singular goal of increasing field capacity for soccer or baseball/softball players despite a recent mandate by the City Council on August 23, 2004 to conduct a broader study of community-wide recreational needs.”

First, it is inaccurate to say that the Parks and Recreation Commission has a singular goal of increasing field capacity for soccer or baseball/softball. The Parks and Recreation staff and Parks and Recreation Commission follow a state-wide adopted vision of community parks and recreation implementation. The outlined core values include diversity of experience, inclusivity, lifelong learning, environmental stewardship, and healthy lifestyles.

The San Carlos Parks and Recreation Department has consistently offered a variety of classes and programs for all ages, interests and abilities. Likewise, staff and the Commission explore and discuss diverse ideas and projects that reflect the community’s interests. Recent discussions by the Commission have included exploration of possible skate park sites, renovations at Hillcrest Circle Park and Arguello Park, and more efficient use of existing facilities.

Second, according to the minutes of the August 23, 2004 City Council Meeting, there was no “mandate” to pursue a community-wide recreation needs assessment. At that meeting, it was recommended that Council refer the matter back to staff. Staff was asked to make a recommendation regarding long-term Parks and Recreation needs in the City of San Carlos. Information gathered by the staff would be submitted to the Parks and Recreation Commission for determination on how best to proceed with the issue(2).

The Parks and Recreation staff would like to complete a comprehensive community-wide needs assessment with strategic action steps. It is with disappointment that the staff has recommended not to proceed at this time due to the cost of such a study and the lack of Parks funds to proceed with such a program. It should be noted that no new money is being committed to repairing and replacing the athletic fields at this time. The proposed Citizens Advisory Community Committee will evaluate the need for repairing and replacing the City’s athletic fields and how to finance such work if the need is determined.

The current staff recommendation, pending review by the City Council, is to create an expanded Citizens Advisory Community Committee for the Evaluation of Athletic Field Use Needs and Possible Solutions for all seven athletic field sites in San Carlos along with any potential sites. The goal is to make this a community-wide effort. That is why it is recommended that staff serve as technical advisory support to the committee rather than as members of the committee.

2) Statement regarding diversity of programs:
“…there is a need in San Carlos to ‘serve the entire community (other than soccer), including toddlers, adults and seniors.’ He (Council Member) suggested that further examination of community needs, such as swimming, tennis, gymnastics and other sports must also be evaluated.”

All available recreational resources in San Carlos are used to serve the entire community, not just soccer. The San Carlos Parks and Recreation program annually offers over 700 special interest classes for all age groups, with a special emphasis on classes for families with children and adults over age 55(3). In addition to offering youth soccer classes and adult softball leagues, the Parks and Recreation Department administers other athletic related programs such as: preschool gymnastics, youth and adult tennis lessons, youth basketball, youth volleyball, youth roller hockey, youth flag football, motor-skill development classes for preschoolers, adult basketball and adult volleyball. Parks and Recreation also supports community youth sports organizations including Amateur Athletic Union Basketball, American Youth Soccer Organization, Bayside Pop Warner Football, California Youth Soccer Association, Peninsula Juniors Volleyball, The Racqueteers Tennis Club, San Carlos Little League, San Carlos Pony/Colt League, San Carlos Joe DiMaggio Baseball, San Carlos Tennis Club, and San Carlos Youth Softball Association.

San Carlos does not have enough playable hours on the City’s seven athletic field sites to meet community demand(4). If more facilities were available and/or playable hours increased at current facilities, then more diverse athletic opportunities could be explored for both youth and adults. Due to a lack of field space and availability, requests for rugby, lacrosse, field hockey, flag football, Ultimate Frisbee, and grass volleyball in San Carlos have gone unfulfilled.

3) Statements regarding proposed committee composition:
a)“… The structure of the committee . . . is weighted heavily in favor of those persons who will focus solely on the needs of the soccer and baseball/softball community and to the exclusion of the recreational needs of other tax-paying residents.”

The goal of the proposal submitted at the October 6, 2004 Parks and Recreation Commission meeting was to create a well-balanced committee. Of the 23 recommended committee members only 4 were identified as representing sports groups. The remaining members included City Council members, Parks and Recreation Commissioners (one of whom voted against the original proposal) representatives from neighborhoods and schools, as well as youth and adult community members at large.

b) “It (the proposed committee) consists of 23 members, many of whom represent the singular view of the Parks & Recreation Department and the soccer and softball/baseball communities.”

As previously discussed, the Parks and Recreation Department does not have a singular focus, but instead represents the diverse interests in San Carlos and provides a variety of programs and recreational experiences from prenatal classes to activities for adults 55 and older. It is false to suggest that Parks and Recreation or the Parks and Recreation Commission has a singular focus. Second, only four of the 23 (less than 20%) recommended committee members represent soccer and baseball/softball user groups. This representation is proportionately less than the overall number of field-users in San Carlos(5).

The proposed committee recommendation provides one member to represent the Heather Neighbors (a group quoted in the October 21 letter as having approximately 200 people). It recommends that youth soccer, youth softball, youth baseball, and adult softball be represented by one member each. The ratio of these sports representatives per number of users in their sports would be 1:2,205 for soccer, 1:1,271 for youth baseball, 1:400 for youth softball, and 1:1,440 for adult softball. The additional “members at large” positions included in the proposed committee structure should represent a balanced committee of San Carlos residents with varied interests. Again, the goal is for the broad-based committee to consider views from all sides of the issue and craft a recommendation that is best for the community.

4) Statements regarding the proposed committee:
a) “…the Committee should issue recommendations only and it should not be vested with voting power.”

Contrary to the implications of the above statement, the proposed committee is advisory. Any recommendation it makes, either by vote or other method, will be referred to the Parks and Recreation Commission for review and the City Council for action.

The proposed Community Committee Structure for Evaluation of Field Needs states that “The committee shall prepare a recommendation(s) within a three month period.” The assumption is that the committee will need to reach consensus in order to prepare a recommendation. The proposed committee’s recommendation(s) will be presented to the Parks and Recreation Commission for its review and subsequent comments. The committee will consider Commission input and present its final recommendation to the City Council. At this point the committee and its work will be ended. Staff will participate in an advisory capacity and will not vote on any committee actions. Staff may prepare and submit an additional independent recommendation, following the same process, to the Parks and Recreation Commission and the City Council.

b) “The Committee should also include a neutral member to evaluate light, traffic and noise concerns.”

The proposed committee includes a Planning Commissioner to provide unbiased input for such concerns. The proposal also suggests that the technical advisory staff include a representative from the Police Department. In addition to serving as a resource on youth crime and other safety issues, the Police Department representative could provide insight on traffic patterns. Again, the goal of the proposed committee is to provide community input and develop a recommendation. The committee will make a recommendation, not a final decision on any proposal. Any recommendation will be discussed at a Parks and Recreation Commission meeting, a Planning Commission meeting if warranted, and finally, a City Council meeting.

c) “…the proposed time frame of 3 months be extended to 6 to 12 months to accommodate a broader examination of community needs…”

In October of 2001, after a comprehensive analysis of San Carlos athletic field resources and use patterns, Mark M. Mahady & Associates, Inc. highly recommended that the wear tolerance of existing athletic field sites be improved by converting one or two fields in San Carlos to synthetic turf. The need to expand field resources in San Carlos has been formally acknowledged for more than three years.

A significant amount of research has already been completed. Information has been gathered from professionals, doctors, users in other cities and various vendors. A subcommittee examined the issue closely for over a year and a small interest group met for another two months. Three months of regular meetings is a realistic timeline for the proposed function of the recommended committee.

Additionally, a comprehensive packet of information would be provided to each committee member at their first meeting to facilitate their work. The information packet would include information on field usage and projected usage, the current condition of each of the City’s seven athletic field sites and an estimated date when these fields would need renovation or replacement, natural turf and synthetic turf fields with advantages and disadvantages of each, ball field lighting, work done by the previously convened small group to study the issue, neighbors concerns and cost estimates including opportunity costs. The committee may request any additional information it feels would be useful.

5) Statement Regarding Facilities:
“…continue to have expressed needs for facilities such as a swimming pool go unheard”

Other facility needs, such as the community’s desire for a swimming pool, are not unheard. Many related ideas have been a subject of focus for the Quality of Life Committee as well. Along with synthetic turf, the Parks and Recreation Commission’s State of the Parks list of future desirable facilities includes a swimming pool, trail improvements for Eaton Park, skatepark elements, and other proposed projects. Ideally, all of these interests will be explored in the future when the City’s financial condition improves.

6) Statement Referencing Community Input:
“As you know, citizens other than Heather Neighbors have expressed their outrage at what has appeared to be an attempt to either bypass community input or railroad this project through in spite of wide spread objection.”

The proposal to review the condition of the City’s seven athletic field sites and explore the option of installing synthetic turf is not being “railroaded through.” Great effort has been extended to including the community in proposals to maintain and improve the quality of athletic fields in San Carlos.

Community members have been included in the discussion for the past three years and will continue to be included. Community meetings have been held at Highlands Park and Heather School. Discussions have been held at the open public meetings of the Athletic Sites Advisory Council, the Parks and Recreation Commission, and the City Council. Since September 2003 the Parks and Recreation Department has mailed out and e-mailed 13 letters and posted 10 web updates regarding synthetic turf proposals. The total number of letters mailed has reached 8,982 and e-mails sent to interested parties have exceeded 3,887.

In summary, it is unfortunate that despite efforts to disseminate information about the state of athletic fields in San Carlos and proposals that will upgrade the condition of these fields and lessen the gap between field resource supply and demand, much misinformation has been spread. Hopefully, this response will help clarify some concerns expressed by the Heather Neighbors.

The proposed Citizens Advisory Committee for the Evaluation of Athletic Field Needs and Possible Solutions is another avenue to gather community input on an important topic. The goal is to set biases aside, reach compromises when opinions differ, and develop a plan of action that is in the best interest of the community. Input from all community members, as well as from neighbors of athletic field sites will continue to be welcomed. As you might imagine, different people have different viewpoints. For example, at the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting of October 6, 2004 some people wanted the committee smaller and some wanted it larger. The committee and/or needs assessment process will proceed with any decision the City Council makes and direction they provide.

It is understandable that the neighbors of Heather School are interested in any proposed improvements and desire their input to be heard. Staff will continue to reach out to provide information and to solicit input from throughout the community. Thank you for expressing your interest and concerns.

Sincerely,

Barry E. Weiss
Director

Cc: San Carlos City Council
Michael P. Garvey, City Manager
Robert Lanzone, City Attorney
San Carlos School District Board of Education
Patricia Wool, Ed D, Superintendent
Liz Cullinan, Planning Director
Kristina D. Lawson, Esq.