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10/13 |
Transparency in Permitting for Field Use at Local Parks |
Current permitting or reservations for athletic field use at local parks is an opaque process where the public does not know who is using our fields, when the fields are reserved, or if the reservations are being made by; individuals, not for profits, or for profit entities. To better serve the public we should have a transparent permitting/field reservation system, where the public can see how, when, who, & for what use our athletic fields are reserved. This online portal would allow the public to see what fields are available, who is currently using our fields, the size of these groups, & the typical duration of these reservations. In addition to informing the public of field use, the portal would allow the public to observe trends on what sports are growing in our city. This data could then be used to forecast what types of parks we should be building. |
Commissioner Kesting is proposing that staff explore the use of an on-line field reservation portal (software) to host information that will be available for public view. This portal (software) will also enable staff and the public to observe trends and analyze data that can be used to plan future park development/renovation projects. |
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10/13 |
Feasibility Study for Hitting Cages at Baseball, Softball and Cricket Fields in Sunnyvale |
With three local little leagues in Sunnyvale serving 1000 kids annually, a girls softball league for 200 kids, a local cricket league, & mens/womens softball leagues, we see a large contingent of players using local clay fields. The recent study for Cricket only use batting cages in Sunnyvale has highlighted a need for multi-use hitting cages. Currently De Anza & Serra Park have batting cages, though they are 20+ years old, and aren't a shared facility. This study would be to produce hitting cages for additional parks in Sunnyvale such as: Fair Oaks, Washington, Columbia, Lakewood, Las Palmes, Ortega & Raynor Parks. In addition the study would look at the current condition of existing cages to determine if they need to be upgraded. Hitting cages would be for use in all sports that occur at these field which have a need for a safe practice environment for hitters. Cages could be reservable with a permit issued by the parks department, and open for free play when not reserved. |
This study would look at the possibility of adding additional hitting/batting cages throughout the City. If approved, this study would consider all possible user groups without a focus on any one group. The consultant would evaluate needs of all current user groups and available resources to ascertain what needs exist for batting cages across the spectrum participants in the various sports and at various park sites. The study would also evaluate the existing conditions of the batting cages at Serra Park and De Anza Park which are currently maintained by Little League for their exclusive use. The potential for permitting the cages for use would be looked at, as would other ideas to allow for equal resident access to the facilities. |