HomeMy WebLinkAboutWRITTEN COMMENTS PART I 12/2/14December 2, 2014, PB&R Consent Calendar
Comments
Comments on Newport Beach Parks, Beaches and Recreation Commission agenda submitted by:
Jim Mosher ( jimmosher@yahoo.com ), 2210 Private Road, Newport Beach 92660 (949-548-6229)
Item (4)A. Minutes of the September 2, 2014 meeting
The following corrections are suggested:
1. Page 4, paragraph 10: “Arts Commissioner Smith reported that City Council has retained
Arts OC to develop an Art Arts & Culture Master Plan for the City.”
2. Page 4, paragraph 11: “Library Services Director Hetherton noted that there is an
inventory of all City art pieces and that a photographic study of all of the City's new
public art pieces that was recently acquired.” [?]
3. Page 4, Item C, paragraph 3: “Chair Cole stated that the process tonight is to hear from
the public and have discussion among the Commission; …” [?]
4. Page 5, last paragraph, sentence 2: “He reported that the HOA Committee hasn't had a
lot of time to review it this report.”
5. Page 6, paragraph 3: “Bob Shelton stated that he finds it troubling that the work that of
the HOA Tree Committee had not been included in the discussions or report with
regards to a portion of the landscaping in Corona del Mar.”
6. Page 6, paragraph 3 from end: “Acting Co-Director Pisani stated that ideally that staff
and the Committee would like to return again in November for the Commission review.”
7. Page 7, paragraph 2: “He noted that the goal of the Ad Hoc Committee was to
predominantly to devise a street tree designation list into a more appropriate format.”
8. Page 7, paragraph 3 from end: “He reported thought that it was going to change from
ten (10) feet to five (5) feet but that it is not shown in the report.”
9. Page 9, paragraph 1: “She reported on a presentation made by the City Manager's office
about the Balboa Theater to City Council. Staff worked with the City Manager's office to
discuss what could be done with the facility.”
10. Page 9, paragraph 3: “Acting C0 Co-Director Pisani indicated he is glad the summer is
over …”
11. Page 9, Item 7, paragraph 3: “Arts Commissioner Robert Shelton Smith complimented
the Commission for its decision on the bridge.” [?: since both Robert Smith and Robert
Shelton are mentioned earlier in these minutes, it would be wise to check who made
these comments. I think it’s unlikely it was Shelton, but if it was then he should not be
referred to as an Arts Commissioner.]
December 2, 2014, PB&R comments by Jim Mosher Page 2 of 2
Item (4)B. Parks & Operations Division Activity Report
The signatures on the last page suggest some internal changes in staff structure have occurred
in the last year, with the “Parks and Trees Division Superintendent” becoming the “Landscape
Manager” – a position that does not yet appear in the City budget.
Although PB&R no longer reviews the budget, it would seem helpful for PB&R to understand the
staffing, including contractors, that maintains the City’s parks, beaches and recreation activities,
and what such positions as “Landscape Manager” do. As an example of the difficulty of
understanding the current structure, in searching for the Landscape Manager position I was
surprised to learn that although “Parks and Trees” is listed as a single division in the City’s
Performance Plan, it is two separate divisions with separate budgets in the Budget Detail – one
division for “Parks” and one, with a single employee, for “Street Trees.”
Likewise, the title line of the report refers to a “Beach Maintenance Division” although the
Performance Plan suggests that beach maintenance is an activity within the “Operations
Support” division of MOD, and the report is signed by the manager of the “Field Maintenance”
division, which is a separate division that deals mostly with streets and sidewalks. Apparently
there is a great deal of overlap between the various MOD functions and the same is likely true
of the Recreation and Senior Services Department.