MINUTES
BOARD OF
DIRECTORS RETREAT
MONDAY, FEBRUARY
5, 2007
ROBERT
LIVERMORE COMMUNITY CENTER
4444 EAST
AVENUE, LIVERMORE, CALIFORNIA
6:30 P.M.
SYCAMORE
ROOM
Meeting facilitator Brent Ives of BHI Consulting
was hired by the General Manager to facilitate the Board Retreat. He introduced
himself and told about his background. He stated that his goal was to help the
Directors set goals for the next year and beyond. Through CSDA, he works in
promoting the organizational health of special districts in California. Mr.
Ives said that he has spent many hours with LARPD staff recently, through his
contract to provide supervisor training and aid in succession planning.
He stated the objectives of the retreat, as
listed in the agenda below.
He asked if there is one area where Directors
feel the District should focus on in the next year, and to think about that as
the evening progresses. He said a lot of the agenda items can be wrapped up in
the goal setting.
President Turner asked about Mr. Ives’
interactions with staff and how staff feels about the Board. Mr. Ives responded
that the LARPD staff has a very typical view of the Board. He said that the way
districts are organized and the way public agencies have to work offers a
difficult optic for the employees. They are always looking around the General
Manager, as the Board is also looking around the General Manager.
Mr. Ives asked the Directors if there were any
other thoughts about goals and priorities for 2007/2008. Director Kamena said
that he would like the District to acquire the school district-owned land next
to Robertson Park. Director Faltings said that she would like to see the
District re-staff, since it lost employees in the lay-offs a few years ago.
President Turner would like to see a reduction in the amount of ERAF money
taken from the District by the State of California. Director Furst said he
would like the completion of trail connections to be a priority.
1. Director Interaction with Staff
Mr. Ives asked for discussion starters and noted
that he had slides to assist the discussion. President Turner said that he was
one of the Directors who asked that this item be placed on the agenda. He said
that, in the 6 years that he has been on the Board, he feels the Directors and
the Board have become more sophisticated, and that Directors have become more
in touch with the staff. He said that he was always led to believe that it
would be wrong for him to speak with staff on items without first clearing it
with the General Manager. He said that the General Manager is hired by the
Directors to manage the District, so their focus should be on making sure that
the General Manager is clued in on everything that is going on in the District
with the staff. He said that he has had times that he has spoken to the General
Manager about an issue, and the General Manager was unaware of the issue
because Directors had gone directly to the staff and started the conversation.
He said he thinks this puts the staff member in a difficult position. Mr. Ives
asked if this is a consistent understanding among the Directors, and how they
felt about it. Director Kamena said that it used to be that Directors could go
directly to the Superintendent of Youth Services Barbara Kraybill or former
Superintendent of Parks and Planning Ken Craig but, if they wished to go below
that, they should talk either to the two above-mentioned staff or to the
General Manager. Now, he said, there is no Superintendent of Parks and
Planning. He said that he feels comfortable going directly to Jim, who will
talk to the General Manager, if needed, and to Ms. Kraybill, and to General
Manager Barry. He said he would not go
to anyone else without consulting the General Manager first, and that he does
not need to change that. He may talk to other staff for information, but will
not ask them to do something.
Director Furst stated that the previous General
Manager tried to educate him about the Board going through the General Manager
not directing staff. He said that he goes to staff for information and does not
see a problem with that. He said he tries to be very careful about telling them
what to do. He said he does not see that as the Board’s job, and he tries to
stay away from that. On the other hand, he said, he does not feel Directors
should be restricted from talking to staff.
General Manager Barry said that this is his
understanding of how we should be able to proceed, that the Board may ask
questions of staff and get information, but that giving direction is the
General Manager’s job.
Mr. Ives said that there are a number of things
to consider. He said that if there is difficulty between staff and the General
Manager, for example, and it could get dicey if a Director is too familiar with
the employees; the Director may not be able to sit on a grievance board, for
example, because he or she may have knowledge that the rest of the Board does
not. Also, he said, this can undercut the job that the General Manager is
expected to do, which is to manage the workforce. This is solely the General
Manager’s responsibility, said Mr. Ives. He said the role of the Board is to
set direction vision and priority, and to set policy, to make budget and to
manage the General Manager. He said that the Directors have to be careful that
conversations with staff do not lead to inappropriate things, such as an
employee complaining about the General Manager’s treatment of him. Mr. Ives
said that he advises all of his special districts and clients, as well as doing
so himself, calling the General Manager to see if it’s okay to talk to the
employee. He said most jurisdictions like to handle it this way. The General
Manager is the filter between the Board and staff. Directors need to allow the
General Manager to do his job, and part of this involves not allowing
cross-talk between staff and Directors. Cross-talk can diminish what the
General Manager does and make it more difficult for him to perform his job.
Director Goodman said that in his professional
position he reports to a board. One of the things he was told was that operational,
personnel and day-to-day staff are things the Board should stay away from. He
said he agrees with what Mr. Ives has said. He said there are times that
occasional contact with staff occurs, where a Director might ask for
information.
Mr. Ives pointed out that the public views the
Board as the District, and as being responsible for moving the District ahead.
He said that the “how” is done by employees, and the “what” is defined by the
Board. He said the Board does not get involved in telling people how to do
things. The Board may tell the General Manager what it thinks needs doing, but
not the staff. He said the job of the General Manager is very difficult.
Director Furst said that the LARPD Board is very
active. He said he personally wants to know what’s going on throughout the
District. He said that if he went to the General Manager with every question he
has, assuming there is no cross-talk with staff, that the General Manager would
be so bogged down that he would not be able to get his job done. Director Furst
said he sees no problem with going directly to staff to ask what is going on
with something. He said that he will not tell staff what to do; he would go the
General Manager for that. Mr. Ives responded that this sort of thing may not be
a problem for the Director, but it could be a problem for the staff. He said
that, eventually it is going to get to the General Manager anyway. He said this
sort of thing puts the staff in a difficult position. Director Goodman said to
Director Furst that he should always tell the General Manager if he has a
concern. He said that staff might perceive a question from a Director as the
Director telling them what to do. Director Furst said that the Board is very
hands-on, down to the level of helping to pick out play equipment.
Mr. Ives responded that there can be a
collective “how,” as a Board, but not a unilateral “how,” as an individual
Director. He suggested that the Board come up with a statement of how it
intends to handle this kind of thing, what would be right for this particular
Board, what the Board will and will not do, for example.
Mr. Barry said that he thinks it is fine for
Directors to ask questions of staff. However, if the question is asked in such
a way that the staff person feels that he is being given direction, or gives
the impression that the Director is unhappy about the way that the District is
operating, it is a different dynamic, that should be directed only to the
General Manager. The Director’s evaluation of the situation should be taken to
the General Manager, he said. Mr. Ives asked the General Manager what he does
when a Director comes to him in such a situation. Mr. Barry responded that he
speaks to the staff and together they decide what they could or should do
differently, then he gets back to the Directors about it. Mr. Ives asked what
Mr. Barry tells the staff about responding to Board direction. Mr. Barry
responded that he asks the staff to respond to the Director that he/she will
talk to the General Manager, if it is a directive or perceived directive. Mr.
Ives asked if it is fair to say that, “Board members do not direct staff?” All
were in general agreement. Director Goodman said he feels it is important to
keep the General Manager in the loop, so that it does not appear that Directors
are going around the General Manager, via e-mail, for example.
Mr. Ives asked what Directors should, in general
terms, normally do. President Turner said he thinks Directors must be careful
not to appear to show favoritism to certain staff members. Mr. Ives summarized
that there seems to be general agreement that Directors may ask for information
from staff, but may not direct them, and that it is wise to keep the General
Manager apprised of any Director communication with staff regarding District
operations. Director Goodman said he hopes the General Manager will tell the
Directors if he feels they should have communicated something with him first,
before speaking with staff.
2. Goal Setting for the Year
Mr. Ives said that every goal of the District
should be rooted in, and support, the District’s mission statement. He noted
that it is important to consider all aspects of District operations when
engaging in goal-setting. It is important to find if any definitive thrust
areas exist for priorities. A thrust area is something that we know must be
dealt with in the next year. It is something that must take priority.
Mr. Ives displayed a Strategic Planning Model on
the screen and talked about how it might apply to LARPD in terms of actions,
goals and initiatives for 5-year goals. He talked about operational elements of
the District and asked the Directors to define a set of goals specific to
LARPD. Directors offered the following: parks, recreation, facilities, youth
services, finance, administration, programs, and resource protection. Mr. Ives
asked if one of these is a thrust area, requiring special attention, action and
funding during the next year. Director Goodman brought up the Friendship Center
relocation project. Mr. Ives stated that if all Directors were in agreement
about thrust areas, then they would charge staff with developing a plan that
Directors would endorse and expect to be a priority for the year, and
acknowledge that this particular thrust area might be all the District can
afford that year. The task is to define what is important.
Mr. Ives asked for other thrust areas. President
Turner brought up the goal of a sports park as a possibility. Director Kamena
brought up the Robertson Park and District Master Plans. Directors discussed
these different goals. Mr. Ives said
that if something is consuming, then that helps to define it as a thrust area. General
Manager reiterated the Robertson Park Master Plan. Directors agreed that the
Friendship Center is a thrust area. Mr. Ives said that he wished to offer
another idea. He said that he has worked a lot with the staff over the past few
months, and has discovered that there are areas imbalanced in LARPD staffing. He
said he gave the General Manager his opinion on succession planning and staffing.
He expressed concern about the Friendship Center adding more burden to the
staff, for example.
Directors talked at length about how
time-sensitive and important the Friendship Center project is, how this project
affects other areas of the District, details of what is going on with the
project and the next steps.
Mr. Ives asked about other thrust areas. General
Manager Barry brought up fiscal management and the ERAF issues. Directors discussed ERAF. President Turner
said he thought one of the problems is that the District does not call upon its
state elected officials to help it with anything. He said he feels Board time
should be spent on this. Directors discussed the efforts to reduce the amount
of District property taxes taken by ERAF. General Manager Barry said that he
thinks the District needs to put some resources toward legislative advocacy.
Mr. Ives talked about the importance of having clarity on what this goal of
reducing the District’s ERAF shift really means, and the need to plan the specific
steps needed to reach the goal. There are a lot of components to reaching this
goal, which require funding, time and resources, particularly staff time and
resources. Mr. Ives asked who will be the lead on this. Mr. Barry said that he
feels the District will need outside help on this, and that he would be the
point person. Director Faltings said she feels the Directors need to be
involved as well, but that logistics make it difficult to be involved. The
group discussed using lobbyists. Mr. Ives said that, in his experience, the
lobbyists for his public agency tell him and his colleagues when they need to
be present in Sacramento to meet and speak with legislators. He said there
needs to be someone to organize all of this, such as a lobbyist. He pointed out
that the Board must be aware that if the General Manager recommends a contract
with lobbyists, that it will cost the District money.
Director Faltings stated she felt the best thing
would be for the General Manager to have a Superintendent of Recreation and a
Superintendent of Parks and Planning so that he can be the General Manager, and
not have to perform the functions of these positions. This would give him time,
said Director Faltings, to meet and influence legislators and their staff in
Sacramento. Mr. Barry responded that he plans to propose to the Board engaging
the services of a lobbyist in the near future. Ms. Faltings said the General
Manager needs adequate support in running the District so that he can go to
Sacramento. Director Goodman pointed out how this has been difficult because of
the recent staff layoffs; he also noted that there are staff who will be
retiring soon, and that many of the keepers of the District’s history will be
gone. Director Goodman said that if the District does increase the staff, then
it must be acknowledged that it will not be able to do some other things. President
Turner said that he agrees that the General Manager should be able to go to
Sacramento to meet with legislators, but that it cannot be his primary job. He
said the District must hire lobbyists to get the job done. Mr. Ives suggested a
combination of these suggestions, with lobbyist, staff and Director efforts.
Mr. Ives asked for more thrust areas. Director
Kamena said that Robertson Park is a priority, mentioning the soccer complex
plan and the vacant school district property that the LARPD wishes to acquire. The
group discussed whether it is a thrust area or a goal, and how the time
sensitivity of some projects, such as acquiring this land while it is available,
serve to make some goals more urgent
priorities than they would otherwise be. General Manager Barry said he thought
the thrust here is to provide more fields for the community.
Mr. Ives listed different possible thrust areas:
Friendship Center, Robertson Park land acquisition, sports park, Denton
House/ranger station, doing something with the vacant District property on
Trevarno Road, succession plan.
Mr. Ives asked whether the above items are
funded by the operations on capital budget. He said there is a lot of talk out
there by LARPD staff that the Board wants do to a lot of projects, but they are
forgetting about staff. Director Furst said that the workforce is not under the
Board’s purview in terms of setting District visions and priorities; he said
the General Manager needs to tell the Board when he needs more staff and needs
to restructure the District organizational chart and bring it to the Board for
consideration. Director Kamena agreed that he, as a Director, has no idea of
what specific staffing is needed to accomplish the District’s work. He said
that he is not forgetting staff, but that he does not know what is needed
unless the General Manager informs him. Director Furst said that there is a
communication problem if the staff thinks the Board is ignoring them in favor
of doing capital projects. He said it is not up to the Board to direct the
General Manager in how to administer his staff. Director Goodman said that a
goal would be to ask the General Manager to look at his staffing and come up
with recommendations.
Superintendent of Youth Services Kraybill said
that there have been staff recommendations to the Board not to take on projects
due to staffing manpower and other issues, such as the climbing wall, and the
Board has gone against staff recommendation. She said this is an instance where
staff is being stretched, and going to complain that they have yet another
thing to be involved with, where they have other strong priorities.
Director Kamena acknowledged that what Ms.
Kraybill said was true. However, he said that he saw this situation not as
staff recommending against the climbing wall, but the General Manager
recommending against it. Director Kamena said he saw staff at the Board meeting
at which this issue was addressed being permitted by the General Manager to
voice its support for LARPD taking over the climbing wall, though the General
Manager recommended against it. He said that he interpreted this as the General
Manager not being strongly against the prospect. Director Goodman said that he
would like it if the General Manager brought to the Directors, five different
projects, for example, but told them that the District can only handle three of
them. This way, he said, the Directors would see that a choice has to be made as
to whether more staff is needed or that, even if there is enough staff, the
General Manager cannot take on more than three projects right now. Director
Goodman said he thinks the General Manager has been reluctant to tell the Board
that the District needs more staff; he encouraged the General Manager to tell
the Board if and when he does. General Manager Barry responded that he does
need more staff, but that he is realistic with the budget that the District
has. He said we go through the budget process and select priorities and the
District was able to get some additional staff this year, but it was within the
framework of building up the District’s reserves, and so on. He said that he
feels that he does present the Board with what the District’s needs are, and
what it can afford. What the Board probably has not seen, he said, is what the
ideal organizational structure for everything that the District is doing.
Director Goodman said that he thinks the General
Manager is reluctant to tell the Directors things that they do not want to
hear.
Mr. Ives asked the Directors what they want the
General Manager to do, in light of the fact there is some contention that
staffing is inadequate. Director Faltings said that she would like the General
Manager to be able to tell the Directors what they do not want to hear. Director
Kamena said that the General Manager does many things, and does them very well.
He said that he thinks the General Manager views himself as a peacemaker
between the staff and Board, that he is very concerned about keeping staff
happy and keeping the Board happy. Mr. Kamena said that he feels like he asks
the General Manager for things, but that the General Manager does not ask him
for things. He said that his perception is that a General Manager or public
official should be able to approach his Board President, for example, and ask
for things, or ask for how to approach the Board on an issue. He said that he doesn’t know where the
General Manager is going, how to help him help himself.
General Manager Barry said he thought he lost a
part of that when he started having to wear so many hats at the District. He
said that he does not get the time to do forward planning and that sort of
thing. He said that he would really like to get to do that.
Mr. Ives noted that, in his succession planning
for the District, he had noted that there needs to be some help at the top for
the General Manager. He said maybe one of the first staffing needs to be
addressed should be a high level person to assist the General Manager. Director
Kamena said that the former General Manager had two Superintendents who took
care of District operations when he was away, which allowed him to focus on
more big picture concerns. He said he feels that Mr. Barry is probably torn in
a lot of different directions, and needs to be involved in so many things. Director
Goodman pointed out that the former General Manager did not have a community
center to manage.
Mr. Ives said that the General Manager needs to
be able to bring bad news to the Board. For example, he needs to be able to be
comfortable telling the Board that it will take, say, three years, to bring
staffing to the level it needs to be, and it is going to cost X amount of
money, which means that thus and such projects will not be able to be done. Mr.
Ives said that there needs to be clarity in how the Directors feel about this,
that if the Board acts differently here in the workshop than it does in a
formal Board meeting, then the General Manager is given mixed messages. He said
that the General Manager needs to know that he has the Directors’ endorsement
that he will bring items to them, such as increasing staffing, and they will
acknowledge that the District will have to give up some things in order to
achieve this goal.
General Manager Barry said that there needs to
be a balance struck between being able to increase staffing and being able to
pay salary and benefits that are competitive, to keep increasing those so that
the District can rise to the level of its marketplace. He said that the
District continues to feel pressure that it lost ground, with two or three
years without raises. He noted that some school districts giving 7% raises in
order to gain ground that they lost during years that they were unable to give
raises. Director Goodman noted the difficulty the District has had in
recruiting employees. Director Faltings noted that the City of Roseville just
gave all of its employees an 8.5% raise. She noted that the impression that
capital project steal salary and benefits from jobs and employees is not
correct, because it is a different pot of money. Director Goodman pointed out
that the longer people are with the District, the bigger that pot gets and the
ability to manage it is affected. Ms. Faltings said that the District is
getting hit on two fronts: the ERAF shift impacts the General Fund from which
salaries and benefits come, and the City of Livermore is slow-growth, which
reduces the amount of capital money to the District. President Turner suggested
that staffing and budget should be put on the list of LARPD thrust items.
Director Goodman asked if there is value in having an independent party look at
the District and evaluate its staffing organization and funding. Mr. Ives said
that this would be helpful because if not, it is another thing for the General
Manager to do. He said that consultants can give another perspective and can
analyze not just staffing, but organizational inefficiencies. He stressed the
need, for example, to have some cross-over skills among employees, to avoid a
single point of failure. A strategic plan for the organization over several
years helps an organization to develop some continuity and direction. Part of a
strategy, for example, would be to put more resources into one thing the first
year, so that more resources can be devoted to other things in the second and
third year, while still dealing with other priorities. Director Goodman said he
thinks it would help staff to know that there is a plan for increasing support
in the future.
Mr. Ives reiterated that the General Manager
needs to know that he can ask the Board for additional executive staffing, for
example, if that’s what he feels the District needs. There was discussion about
the General Manager’s style of expressing his recommendations, etc., and the
Directors’ interpretation of such. Also discussed was the General Manager’s
ability to talk about agenda items with individual Directors prior to Board
meetings, and the preference of some Directors to get advance communication
from the General Manager on items that the General Manager feels are of
particular importance.
Director Faltings expressed her satisfaction
with the fact that General Manager Barry keeps the Board very well-informed
about what is going on in the District. She said that General Manager Barry is
every bit as good as any park district general manager that you will find in
the state.
Mr. Ives commented that this meeting is very
productive, with good interchange occurring between the Directors and the
General Manager. He said that this meeting will likely lead to improved
communication between the Directors and the General Manager, as some
expectations and preferences are being clarified tonight.
Mr. Ives returned to the 5 goals offered by
Directors. Mr. Barry said that he would like to add ongoing operational cost
estimates into budgeting for capital projects. Mr. Ives said that he thought it
would be a good idea for the General Manager to list the distinguishing
elements between capital and operating costs or projects.
Mr. Ives noted that the discussion tonight
touched on many things he heard from staff in his trainings with them, such as
the climbing wall, Scottish Games, and the equestrian arena cover. Director
Goodman stated that a different perspective is held by staff and Directors; for
instance, staff may not understand why a project is approved by the Board, and
the political implications of some such decisions. Mr. Ives said that the
message he got from staff was: ERAF shift, the community center, layoffs…………yet
the Board continues to want to do all of these things. This is how some of the
employees feel. He said they feel unsupported in some way because of some of
the decisions the Board has made, the perception being that the Board is
looking for new and glitzy, rather than supporting staff. He said staff would
like to see some deliberate, articulated intention by the Board to address and
improve some of the above items, such as restoring staffing positions that were
laid off.
Director Kamena stated that some of the items
discussed tonight may be put on a regular Board meeting agenda. He stated that
he was able to say what he wished to say at the meeting. He said that he feels
he will never serve on a better board than the LARPD Board, that has better
staff or facilities than this.
Director Kamena left at 8:40 p.m.
Senior Recreation Supervisor Brandenburg said
that he thinks most staff understands that funding for operational costs and
capital projects comes out of separate pots, but that they feel that more
funding needs to be put into the operational costs to help relieve overwhelmed
staff.
Director Goodman said that he thinks staff would
probably like to feel that they are being heard. He said he wishes there was a
way to do that for staff. President Turner said that he thinks one of the ways
staff is heard by being at the staff table at Board meetings and being
permitted to say how they feel. Mr. Brandenburg said that there are capital
projects that he would love to see the District undertake, such as a sports
park and the overhaul of Robertson Park; however, he said that it can be hard
to support such projects because, though they may have capital funding, he
knows that the funds to cover operational and maintenance costs are
insufficient. Director Goodman agreed, saying the District might consider
looking at a hotel tax or some sort of developer fee that would fund
maintenance expenses. Director Goodman said he would like it if the District
could fund some positions now, even if it’s not enough, and show staff that the
Board is concerned about the employees. General Manager Barry pointed out that
the Directors put staffing on the goals list being compiled tonight. Mr.
Brandenburg said he thinks it would really help if staff sees the Board
considers staffing a priority.
Mr. Ives suggested that the Board may want to
ask employees for their feedback, perhaps conduct some sort of employee survey.
He said that an inclusive process is very effective. He said that the younger the employee base is, the more inclusive
they expect the process to be.
Director Furst said that he thinks the goals
brought up tonight should be listed in two separate categories: operational and
capital.
Director Goodman said that he attended the
recent LARPD Rummage Sale on a Saturday and also went to the LARPD Superbowl
Party the next day; he said he saw some of the same staff working both days,
which means they probably worked seven days in a row. He said he thinks that
sort of thing should be acknowledged. Director Faltings said that the District
lives on the backs of the part-time staff and needs to acknowledge the
contribution of these staff. She said she would like to see the summer staff
picnic brought back, so that staff and Board can meet and mingle. Director
Goodman said he thought the Board should ask the staff how they would like to
be appreciated. General Manager Barry said he’s formed an Employee Resource
Committee, which discusses employee events, morale, etc. He said he’s gathered
that many staff feel isolated, working out in the field, etc.; the Committee is
trying to create opportunities for staff to feel more included. Director
Goodman said he thinks that if Directors attend employee events, the employees
will see that they are interested. Mr. Barry stated that it has seemed, in the
past, that staff did not want Directors to attend some employee events, but
that perhaps that has changed.
Mr. Ives said that the next supervisor training
he’ll conduct at LARPD will deal with optimizing work teams, and they will deal
with some of these issues of Board and staff. He said it is important that
social occasions attended by Board and staff remain just that, social
occasions, and that staff appreciate seeing Directors at social occasions. He
commented that he thinks the RLCC is fabulous but that, organizationally, it
has spread people apart. Mr. Brandenburg agreed that the fact that the District
has gotten so big makes it feel less family-like. He said that one of the nicest
things the District does is the Employee Recognition Breakfast, and it’s
amazing how many employees don’t know one another.
Mr. Ives asked what the Directors expect from
the General Manager and staff on each of the goals listed tonight. Are they
expecting a staff report on the options? President Turner said that the Denton
House and the Trevarno Road properties were addressed already, which are on
track already. For the sports park, Director Goodman said he thinks the
District needs to look at options, whether it is to hire a firm to gauge public
interest, to look at the viability of a bond measure, and also identify
maintenance. He said that a simple report would be acceptable. Mr. Ives said
that it cannot be a simple report. Mr. Goodman responded that he would like
something that says what the District may need to do to get a sports park. Mr.
Ives pointed out that it is like the Friendship Center in that there are
incremental steps that must be identified. He said that at some point the
Directors will need a recommendation from LARPD’s professional staff in order
to make a decision. Mr. Ives said that it would be helpful if the Board were to
say when it would like to be able to make a decision on this project, which
would allow the General Manager to create a timeline. If the Board does not
take a deliberate step, said Mr. Ives, it makes it difficult for staff to
prioritize working on a project. President Turner said he likes simple reports.
For example, he said, he would like the General Manager to say that the
Trevarno Road properties are not in the District’s plans, we are never going to
use them, so the District should sell them. Or, he said, he would like to hear
that the properties are in the
District’s plans and we expect to use the buildings for thus and such purposes.
A use analysis, in effect, is what he would like to see. It was noted that the
Trevarno Road properties cannot be decided upon until the Friendship Center
relocation project is decided upon, by mid-summer perhaps. Mr. Ives asked about
the Denton House/ranger station. President Turner said he believes that issue
is resolved.
Mr. Ives said that the sports park issue is
something that must be dealt with, that is not going to go away. President
Turner said it has been an issue in Livermore since 1989. He stated that a bond
issue might be the best thing, and that Livermore is competing with Pleasanton.
Mr. Ives asked what the Directors would like to happen, and by when; what
should the first step be, and when would Directors like to see it happen?
Director Faltings noted that, if the District goes with a bond issue, then that
is a set process. The group discussed that first steps might be approaching the
school district and the City of Livermore. Mr. Barry said that some discussion
has occurred with these entities. The Directors agreed that they would like to
be able to make a decision on this by the end of fiscal year 2007/08. General
Manager Barry said that he can present information to the Board. He said that a
consultant study would be necessary to see what the public’s tolerance is for a
local bond measure for a sports park. Director Goodman said it is time that we
try this, see what happens, and go from there, but this has been an ongoing
issue which the District must address. Mr. Barry said that the first step is to
see if the District has agency partners with a bond measure. Mr. Barry said
that maintenance costs must be addressed with this project. Director Goodman
agreed that funding mechanisms need to be identified. He noted that arts groups
are getting funds, for example from the Altamont Landfill and the hotel tax.
Mr. Ives asked about what the Board wants to be
done about the Robertson Park land. Director Furst responded that LARPD is
waiting to hear back from the school district, that LARPD has sent a letter of
interest. This means that the General Manager will report back to the Board
when he hears from the school district and then move to the next level, said
Mr. Ives. General Manager Barry talked about fencing that was recently put
around the property and why the school district did this, and recent plans the
school district may have for putting sports fields on the property.
Mr. Ives asked for any more ideas for goals. Mr.
Barry said he would like to add the development of a strategic plan for next
year. He asked the Directors if they would like to work on a strategic plan
that would develop a framework for working on goal setting for the District
each year. This would give employees, Directors and the public input into the
direction the District is going. Mr. Ives explained what a strategic plan would
involve, defining goals and action items and delineating the steps to reaching
objectives; the plan would cover five years, and every year the strategy would
be revisited, revised if needed, and pushed out another year. It is a very practical
tool, he said.
Director Furst expressed concern about a
strategic plan. He said his professional experience has been that a lot of time
is spent coming up with strategic plans that are not carried out. He said that
he cannot participate in creating a strategic plan unless everyone commits to
carrying it out and making it part of the District’s operational plan. Mr. Ives
stated that the 7 or 8 districts that he has helped to develop strategic plans
have integrated it made it their annual planning method. He agrees that it is
useless to develop a strategic plan unless the Board is committed to seeing it
through, in which case it is an extremely practical, useful tool. Mr. Ives said
he follows up on the agencies he’s worked with to ensure that they use their
strategic plans. He explained some of the elements in developing a strategic
plan.
Director Faltings said she has always felt that
master plans should not be done in-house, that an outside set of eyes is
better.
3. Bond Issue for Sports Park
This item discussed under Agenda
Item 2.
4.
2008 Bond Issue for East
Bay Regional Park District
Mr. Barry said that this is related to the
sports park bond issue. He said that EBRPD would like to put a financing
instrument on the November 2008 for East Alameda County that provides money for
capital projects. He said that EBRPD would like to work with LARPD so that our
District’s capital needs would be reflected in the bond measure and LARPD would
receive a portion of the money. Mr. Barry said that, depending on the type of
measure it is, it could also include maintenance expenses. He said there are
several options. He said that staff asked EBRPD to include LARPD in its survey
when it surveys the public about its interest in such a measure. We will get
the results of that, which will be a catalyst for LARPD to discuss it. He said
that EBRPD needs to know if LARPD will be on board with this; if so, LARPD
would need to produce a list of projects to be funded. He said that he would
need to know what share of the funding the District would get from a bond
measure, so that he can relate that information to the Board. Mr. Barry noted
that an EBRPD measure may conflict with a measure that LARPD may want to put on
the ballot separately.
5. How Board Committees Communicate With
Each Other
Director Furst stated that he asked that this
item be placed on the agenda. He suggested that it may be more appropriate to
discuss this at another time, as it is 9:15 p.m. right now. Directors and Mr.
Barry determined that staff special workshop can be scheduled prior to a
regular Board meeting, in order to allow ample time for a discussion on this
topic.
6. Grants
·
Status of Grant Writer
·
Priority for Projects
Mr. Barry stated that staff can prepare a report
for the Board on current status of grant writer. He said that there is a grant
writer that staff would like to hire.
7.
Adjournment
Meeting adjourned at 9:25 p.m. Mr. Ives said
that he will prepare a summary of the meeting.
APPROVED,
_______________________________
Dale
Turner
President, Board of
Directors
ATTEST:
__________________________
General
Manager and ex-officio
Clerk
to the Board of Director