THIS BOARD EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING FOR THE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT ON WEDNESDAY,
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FEBRUARY 26TH, BEGINNING AT 11:15. DIRECTOR ECHOLS IS APPEARING REMOTELY.DIRECTOR ECHOLS ARE THERE ANY INDIVIDUALS 18 YEARS OF AGE WHO ARE OR WILL BE PRESENT IN THE ROOM AT YOUR LOCATION? NO. CAN SHE. CAN YOU SPEAK? DIRECTOR ECHOLS, I HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU.
CAN YOU HEAR ME? I SAID NO. OKAY. THANK YOU. NO, WE COULDN'T HEAR YOU.
YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO. I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO SPEAK UP. GOING TO HAVE TO SHOUT AGAIN. YEAH, I WILL. OKAY. THANK YOU. PLEASE LEAVE THE VIDEO ON WHILE WE'RE IN SESSION. WILL RECORDING CLERK DEBRA FULLER, PLEASE TAKE THE ROLL CALL.
[Roll Call]
YES. DIRECTOR SANWONG. HERE. DIRECTOR ECHOLS.HERE. CHAIR MERCURIO. HERE. PARK DISTRICT STAFF COORDINATORS IN THIS MEETING INCLUDE SABRINA LANDRETH, GENERAL MANAGER . HERE. LYNNE BOURGAULT, GENERAL COUNSEL.
HERE. TODAY'S MEETING IS BEING HELD PURSUANT TO THE BROWN ACT.
STAFF IS PROVIDING LIVE AUDIO AND VIDEO STREAMING.
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WISHING TO MAKE A PUBLIC COMMENT MAY DO SO BY JOINING LIVE VIA ZOOM WITH THE LINK PROVIDED ON THE AGENDA LOCATED ON THE DISTRICT WEBSITE. IF THERE ARE NO QUESTIONS ABOUT THE MEETING PROCEDURES, WE WILL BEGIN.
THANK YOU. NEXT ITEM IS MINUTES. WE HAVE NONE.
MOVING ON TO PUBLIC COMMENTS. DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS FOR ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA? ARE THERE ANY COMMENTS IN THE ZOOM ROOM? I SEE WE HAVE SOMEBODY ATTENDING.
PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. NO HAND IS RAISED. NO COMMENTS.
ALL RIGHT. NEXT ITEM IS ACTION ITEMS, WHICH WE HAVE NONE.
SO WE'RE MOVING ON TO OUR INFORMATIONAL ITEMS.
[Informational Items]
WE HAVE THREE OF THESE TODAY. THE FIRST OF WHICH IS THE 2024 YEAR END REPORT FROM THE REGIONAL PARKS FOUNDATION. AND THEY'RE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT .WE HAVE LAUREN HERE. HELLO. HELLO. LET ME JUST SHARE THE SCREEN.
HELLO. I'M LAUREN BERNSTEIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE REGIONAL PARKS FOUNDATION.
SO HAPPY TO BE HERE TO SHARE OUR 2024 YEAR IN REVIEW.
AND I ALSO HAVE WITH ME OUR BOARD MEMBER JOHN MARTIN, WHO WILL START US OFF.
GREAT. THANK YOU EVERYBODY. JOHN MARTIN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE FOUNDATION AND OWNER OF DRAKE'S BREWING COMPANY.
I'VE BEEN ON THE BOARD FOR ALMOST EIGHT YEARS NOW.
SO ANYWAY, I'VE GOT A QUICK JUST A COUPLE QUICK THINGS, MOSTLY JUST THANKS.
FIRST OF ALL, WE REALLY WANT TO THANK GIVE THANKS TO THE LEGACY OF ELLEN CORBETT.
ELLEN YOU KNOW, NOT ONLY SO MUCH FOR THE PARKS, BUT FOR CALIFORNIA ITSELF AND SAN LEANDRO, WHERE I HAVE MY BREWERY. IF I CAN INDULGE YOU IN A QUICK STORY ABOUT ELLEN.
LONG AGO, WE WERE A LITTLE BREWERY STILL. SHE CAME BY AS A SENATOR, AND WE HAPPENED TO BE TAPPING A WOODEN KEG THAT NIGHT FOR A BIG EVENT, AND I ASKED HER IF WE COULD TAP IT TOGETHER.
SO SHE SAID, SURE, THAT'D BE GREAT. SO I HAD THE WOODEN MALLET.
WELL, ACTUALLY, I GAVE THE MALLET TO HER. I HAD THE WOODEN TAP.
SHE TAPPED IT IN BUT MISSED. I THINK IT WAS MY FAULT, REALLY.
AND BEER WENT ALL OVER US, JUST COVERED BOTH OF US.
AND I THOUGHT, OH MY GOD, THIS IS THE LEADER OF THE SENATE.
AND SHE'S WEARING REALLY NICE CLOTHES, ALL THAT.
AND SHE JUST LAUGHED AND SAID IT WAS THE BEST EVENT SHE'D BEEN TO IN A LONG TIME.
BEST PUBLIC EVENT. SO ANYWAY, I REALLY ENJOYED WORKING WITH HER BACK THEN AND THROUGH THE FOUNDATION, AND WE REALLY MISS HER. SO I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT AND THE NEXT IS DIRECTOR ROSARIO.
BOY, HE WAS GREAT. HE AND I CAME ON ABOUT SIMILAR TIMES ABOUT A YEAR APART.
AND HE WAS SO GOOD TO ME AND TO THE FOUNDATION AS FAR AS BEING VERY OPEN AND EVERYWHERE YOU WENT.
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HE WAS THERE FIRST. SO WE WANTED TO THANK DIRECTOR ROSARIO FOR SURE.AND OF COURSE, DIRECTOR ECHOLS UP THERE SOMEWHERE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING OUR LIAISON IN THE LAST YEAR.
WE REALLY APPRECIATE THE FOUNDATION AND ENJOYED WORKING WITH YOU AND YOU GAVE SO MUCH.
SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND WE WANT TO WELCOME THE NEW DIRECTORS AS WELL.
THE FOUNDATION IS VERY EXCITED TO BE WORKING WITH THEM OVER THE NEXT MANY YEARS.
SO THAT'S REALLY ALL I HAVE. I JUST WANT TO SAY THANKS TO THE BOARD.
ALL RIGHT. AND I'M GOING TO GIVE IT BACK TO LAUREN.
THANKS, JOHN. THANK YOU JOHN. JOHN WILL BE HERE FOR QUESTIONS AFTER AS WELL.
SO TO CONTINUE WITH OUR REVIEW OF 2024, I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT PARK FEST.
JOHN GRACIOUSLY DONATED OUR ANNIVERSARY PARKFEST PILS, AND SO WE HAD A BEER GARDEN AT THE EVENT, AND IT WAS A LOT OF FUN. AND WE RAISED SOME MONEY FROM OUR BEER SALES AS WELL.
AND THEN, ALONG WITH THE 90TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DISTRICT OF 55TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDATION, WE ALSO DID A HALF MARATHON, 10 K AND 5K, AND WE REALLY APPRECIATE DIRECTOR WAESPI FOR PARTICIPATING IN THE RACE.
AND YEAH. AND JOSE AS WELL, YOU CAN SEE, AND THAT WAS A GREAT EVENT.
WE ALSO RAISED SPONSORSHIP DOLLARS FOR THAT. SO WE ALSO HAD A BOARD SUMMER SOCIAL WHERE WE INVITED THE REGIONAL PARKS FOUNDATION BOARD, THE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT BOARD, AND THEN THE EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP TEAM HAD A REALLY NICE BARBECUE IN THE REDWOODS AND HAD A CHANCE TO SOCIALIZE AND WITH EACH OTHER, WHICH WAS THE FIRST TIME WE'VE DONE THAT SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE.
SO THAT WAS NICE. AND THEN WE REALLY WANT TO EXPRESS APPRECIATION TO THE GENERAL MANAGER AND STAFF FOR PARTICIPATING IN A REALLY IMPORTANT WORKSHOP TO UNLOCK THE POTENTIAL OF OUR PARTNERSHIP AT THE BRAZILIAN ROOM AT OUR BOARD RETREAT IN NOVEMBER.
WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO TO KIND OF SEE WHAT COMES OUT OF THAT.
AND THEN WE ALSO HAD OUR HOLIDAY DINNER, SO WE WERE EXCITED TO MEET ONE OF THE NEW DIRECTORS AND SOME OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS, AMBER AND LES WERE ABLE TO ATTEND. AND THAT'S KIND OF A REVIEW OF ALL OF OUR EVENTS.
JUST TO UPDATE YOU ON OUR GOALS PROGRESS REPORT.
WE EXCEEDED AND WE'LL GET INTO THIS A LITTLE MORE LATER.
WE LAUNCHED OUR EBRPD PARTNERSHIP PROCESS WITH POTRERO GROUP, WHO'S A CONSULTING FIRM THAT'S AN EXPERT IN THE FIELD OF PARK PARTNERSHIPS, NONPROFIT AND PUBLIC LAND USE AGENCIES. WE IMPLEMENTED A DIGITAL FUNDRAISING PROGRAM.
WE COMPLETED SEVERAL MAJOR DATABASE IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS.
WE HAVE A DATABASE THAT'S COMPRISED OF OVER 100,000 CONSTITUENTS.
WE MOVED OUR ORGANIZATIONAL FILES ONLINE TO SHAREPOINT.
WE DIGITIZED OUR ANNUAL GRANT MAKING PROCESS, AND WE RECRUITED THREE NEW BOARD MEMBERS.
AND SO THOSE WERE KIND OF OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR 2024.
AND THEN TO GET INTO OUR FUNDRAISING SNAPSHOT, OUR MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM RAISED ABOUT $1.1 MILLION.
WE WERE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT OUR INDIVIDUAL GIVING THAT WENT UP ALMOST $100,000 LAST YEAR.
WE REALLY WERE ABLE TO RAISE A LOT MORE MONEY BY BEING MORE IN CONTACT WITH OUR DONORS AND MEMBERS DIGITALLY, WHICH IS REALLY EXCITING. OUR GRANTS AND CORPORATES WERE AT $451,000, AND THEN BEQUESTS AT 109,000.
SO IN TOTAL WE RAISED ABOUT $2.44 MILLION. THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE OUR ECCHC OR THE BOTANIC GARDEN.
THIS IS JUST WHAT WE FUNDRAISED FROM THE FOUNDATION WITH OUR FUNDRAISING EFFORTS.
THAT WAS 150% OF OUR GOAL. WE HAD OVER 16,000 GIFTS FROM OVER 12,000 DONORS.
SO WE JUST HAVE A REALLY BIG BASE AND WE'RE REALLY THANKFUL TO ALL OF OUR SUPPORTERS.
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I'VE ACTUALLY NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THAT. SO IT JUST SHOWS LIKE HOW MUCH PEOPLE REALLY LOVE THE PARKS, AND WE'RE EXCITED TO CELEBRATE WITH US WHEN THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY.FOR OUR MEMBERSHIP HIGHLIGHTS, WE HAVE 12,632 MEMBERS LAST YEAR.
WE HAVE THREE DIFFERENT LEVELS, RANGING FROM $250 TO $1200.
SO WE HAD AN INCREASE TO 545 OF THOSE MEMBERS.
AND YOU CAN ALSO GIVE A GIFT OF MEMBERSHIP TO SOMEONE.
AND SO WE HAD 160 GIFTS OF MEMBERSHIP WHERE PEOPLE BOUGHT MEMBERSHIPS FOR THEIR FRIENDS AND FAMILY.
AND WE HAVE AN 83% MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL RATE, WHICH IS VERY HIGH.
THESE ARE SOME COMPANIES THAT GAVE TO US FOR GRANTS LAST YEAR.
WE RECEIVED DISTRIBUTIONS FROM FIVE BEQUESTS TOTALING $109,000.
THESE CAN RANGE FROM REALLY SMALL OR REALLY LARGE GIFTS.
AND THEN ANOTHER SERVICE THAT WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO PROVIDE TO THE PUBLIC ARE ESTATE PLANNING SEMINARS, WHICH ARE FREE SEMINARS AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC WHERE WE HAVE ESTATE PLANNING ATTORNEYS COME AND GIVE FREE INFORMATION.
I GUESS NOT TECHNICALLY LEGAL ADVICE, BUT FREE INFORMATION, WHICH IS A LITTLE BIT HARD TO ACCESS.
SO WE REALLY LIKE REDUCING BARRIERS TO THAT INFORMATION FOR FOLKS.
WE ALSO MANAGE THE ENDOWMENT FOR THE ECCHC. AND SO LAST YEAR THEIR FUND BALANCE WAS INCREASED BY 18% THROUGH BOTH THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS AND THEN TREMENDOUS INVESTMENT RETURNS. AND NOW WE'LL GET INTO OUR THE FUN PART OUR PROGRAMS AND IMPACT.
SO LAST YEAR WE WERE ABLE TO GIVE NEARLY $2.6 MILLION AWAY TO THE PARK DISTRICT .
AND THIS CHART BREAKS DOWN HOW WE DO THAT. SO WE HAVE AN UNRESTRICTED GRANT TO EBRPD FOR $660,000.
SPECIAL PROJECT SUPPORT THAT INCLUDES THINGS LIKE THE ROBERTS POOL, MILLION DOLLARS TO THE ROBERTS POOL, AND TO SPECIFIC RESTRICTED PARK EXPENSES. AND THEN OPERATING PROGRAM SUPPORT IS TO ALL THE PROGRAMS THAT WE FUND IN THE ANNUAL GRANT MAKING CYCLE. SO MOST OF IT GOES TO I&R AND STEWARDSHIP.
AND THEN WE GIVE SCHOLARSHIPS TO CAMP ARROYO ALSO.
AND THEN THIS IS JUST THE SAME NUMBER BROKEN DOWN IN DIFFERENT WAY INTO OUR STRATEGIC PILLARS OF HEALTH AND WELLNESS, UNIVERSAL ACCESS, YOUTH DEVELOPMENT, ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND ADVOCACY.
THE THE HIGHEST THAT YOU'LL SEE IS THE UNRESTRICTED SUPPORT TO EBRPD.
AND THEN THE SECOND HIGHEST IS USUALLY YOUTH DEVELOPMENT.
THE ONLY REASON THAT THIS CHART LOOKS A LITTLE SKEWED FROM LAST YEAR IS BECAUSE THE $1 MILLION FOR ROBERTS POOL WENT INTO HEALTH AND WELLNESS, SO NORMALLY OUR TOP CATEGORY IS YOUTH DEVELOPMENT.
SO I'M JUST GOING TO GO OVER EACH CATEGORY QUICKLY.
AND THIS YEAR I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT. AND THEN WE ALSO DID WE DO THINGS LIKE BIKE BELLS AND THEN UNIFORMS FOR THE VOLUNTEER TRAIL SAFETY PATROL FOR UNIVERSAL ACCESS. WE FUND PROGRAMS LIKE PARKS PRESCRIPTION PROGRAM, ALL ABILITIES DAYS, DELTA VETERANS, BACKPACKS TO PARKS. WE ALSO PROVIDE SCHOLARSHIPS.
A LOT OF THE PROGRAMS THAT EBRPD DOES IS ARE FREE.
SO THAT INCLUDES BAY ADVENTURE, JUNIOR LIFEGUARDS.
THERE'S SOME OTHER AQUA LIKE WE DO A LOT OF AQUATICS SCHOLARSHIPS AND THEN I&R SCHOLARSHIPS.
SO BOATING AND FISHING SCHOLARSHIPS AND THEN THE DAY CAMP.
AND THEN FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT WE FUND KHOC KIDS HEALTHY OUTDOOR CHALLENGE, THE LONGITUDINAL PROGRAMS, THE ADVENTURE CREW PROGRAMS. AND THEN ALSO WE CONTRIBUTED TO THE WATERSHED RESTORATION APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM WITH URBAN TILTH IN RICHMOND.
AND THEN WE ALSO DO THE WOLF SCHOOL AT CAMP ARROYO, WHICH IS A, I THINK A FOUR NIGHT OVERNIGHT CAMP DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR, OUTDOOR EDUCATION FOR SCHOOL CHILDREN. AND IN TERMS OF ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP, WE GAVE THIS YEAR TO THE WESTERN POND TURTLE MONITORING, MORE POND RESTORATIONS, LIZARD DIET, GENETIC STUDY.
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AND THEN WE WERE EXCITED TO HELP SUPPORT ALSO PROP 4 , THE PROP 4 CLIMATE BOND LAST YEAR AS WELL.IT DOESN'T HAPPEN EVERY YEAR, BUT IT OBVIOUSLY IT CAME UP LAST YEAR BECAUSE IT WAS AN ELECTION YEAR. AND THEN WE ALSO SPONSORED COMMUNITY EVENTS LIKE WORLD RANGER DAY, NATIONAL NIGHT OUT, PORT CHICAGO WEEKEND, AND INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE.
WE PUT OUT THE COMPASS MAGAZINE TWICE A YEAR, WHICH GOES OUT TO OUR MEMBERS DONORS.
IT'S A BENEFIT OF MEMBERSHIP. AND THEN IT ALSO GOES OUT TO A LOT OF DISTRICT CONTACTS AS WELL.
AND THEN WE HAVE AN IMPACT REPORT THAT WE ALSO PUBLISHED.
AND JUST REALLY WANT TO THANK THE REGIONAL PARKS FOUNDATION BOARD.
OBVIOUSLY, THE NUMBER ONE GOAL IS FUNDRAISING AND REVENUE GENERATION, SO WE'RE TARGETING $2.53 MILLION THIS YEAR IN TOTAL FUNDRAISING EARNED REVENUE AND ENDOWMENTS. AND THEN WE'RE WORKING ON OUR FUNDRAISING CAPACITY BUILDING AS WE GEAR UP TO RAISE A LOT MORE MONEY FOR THE DISTRICT AND INVEST IN HIGH PRIORITY PROJECTS.
SO THAT INCLUDES ENHANCING OUR SYSTEMS, STAFF CAPABILITIES AND DONOR ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES, AND THEN WORKING ON ORGANIZATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY.
SO GROWING THE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE PARK DISTRICT , STRENGTHENING OUR MOU, AND THEN OF COURSE, PROVIDING $2 MILLION OR MORE IN FUNDING SUPPORT BACK TO THE DISTRICT.
AND THIS IS OUR ROADMAP FOR THE NEXT, LET'S SAY, 4 OR 5 YEARS.
RIGHT NOW WITH A LITTLE HIKER WE'RE IN STEP ONE AGAIN.
YES. THIS IS A TRAIL MAP. GREAT. AND JUST REALLY AGAIN, WANT TO THANK THE GENERAL MANAGER FOR INVESTING IN THIS PARTNERSHIP, GIVING IT A LOOK, LETTING US KIND OF REDEFINE AND UNLOCK THE POTENTIAL OF WHAT'S POSSIBLE.
AND SO WE CONTRACTED WITH POTRERO GROUP, AND THAT CONTRACT IS ENDING IN APRIL.
PART OF THAT INCLUDES ON MY END INTERNALLY BUILDING THE SCAFFOLDING, MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE ENOUGH RESOURCES THAT OUR DIGITAL FUNDRAISING AND OUR DATABASE AND KIND OF THE BORING INTERNAL SYSTEMS ARE UP TO DATE AND GETTING US READY TO FUNDRAISE AT SCALE.
WE'RE GOING TO SOLIDIFY OUR LEGAL STRUCTURE. SO THE MOU, WHICH KIND OF COMES ALONG WITH DEFINING OUR LONG TERM VISION, AND THEN THE FOUNDATION BOARD WILL DEVELOP A THREE YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN, INCLUDING TARGETED FUNDRAISING GOALS AND INITIATIVES, AND THEN WE'LL REFRESH OUR BRAND MESSAGING, AND THEN WE'LL REALLY WORK ON SCALING OUR FUNDRAISING AND THEN EVALUATING OUR IMPACT AND STARTING THE PROCESS ALL OVER AGAIN.
WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT. ARE YOU GOING TO ARE YOU GOING TO SPEAK AGAIN OR.
JOHN, JUST ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. OKAY. ANSWER QUESTIONS.
OKAY. NO, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT BASED ON WHAT I'VE LEARNED AND WHAT I'VE OBSERVED.
YOU HAVE A PHENOMENAL BOARD WHICH KEEPS GETTING MORE AND MORE PHENOMENAL.
AND I CAN REALLY APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING RIGHT NOW, WHICH IS WORKING TOWARD LONG TERM SUCCESS, NOT JUST LIKE TAKING EACH YEAR AS AN ENTITY UNTO ITSELF, BUT BUT DOING SOMETHING THAT'S VERY, VERY LONG TERM AND WILL YIELD GREAT RESULTS. BUT IT'S GREAT BECAUSE YOU'RE DOING ALL THAT.
PLUS YOU'RE RAISING ALL THESE BUCKETS OF MONEY HERE. SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE YOU'RE WALKING AND CHEWING GUM AT THE SAME TIME. IT'S REALLY GOOD. YOU CAN PROBABLY SNAP YOUR FINGERS TOO WHILE YOU'RE WALKING AND CHEWING GUM, I BET. [LAUGHTER] SO ANYWAY, I DON'T WANT TO. I'D LIKE TO INVITE DIRECTOR ECHOLS TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS IF SHE HAS ANY.
WELL, JUST A FEW COMMENTS. ARE WE DOING QUESTIONS FIRST AND THEN COMMENTS OR ALL TOGETHER? YOU GO. GO AHEAD WITH THE COMMENTS. OKAY, SO I JUST WANTED TO REALLY SAY HOW MUCH I ENJOYED WORKING WITH YOU ALL ON T HE FOUNDATION BOARD LAST YEAR, AND JUST WHAT AN IMPRESSIVE GROUP YOU ARE AND SUCH AN IMPRESSIVE SO MANY IMPRESSIVE ACCOMPLISHMENTS. SO CONGRATULATIONS ON ONCE AGAIN KNOCKING YOUR REVENUE TARGETS OUT OF THE PARK.
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TERMS OF SUSTAINABILITY AND BUILDING THE LONGER TERM STRUCTURE FOR EVEN BIGGER FUNDRAISING.SO I'M YOU KNOW, I'M JUST SO GRATEFUL AND IMPRESSED.
AND I LOVE THE WAY YOU DESCRIBE THE WORK GOING FORWARD IN TERMS OF UNLOCKING THE POTENTIAL, BECAUSE THERE IS JUST SO MUCH MORE POTENTIAL.
AND WE'RE REALLY LUCKY TO BE PART OF THIS PARTNERSHIP.
THANK YOU. DIRECTOR ECHOLS. WELCOME. ALL RIGHT.
THANKS. DIRECTOR SANWONG. YEAH. THANKS SO MUCH FOR THIS PRESENTATION.
IT WAS GREAT. THANKS. I HAD A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS.
WHEN YOU HAVE THOSE ESTATE PLANNING SEMINARS ARE YOU ABLE TO DETECT THE SUCCESS OF THOSE? AND I'VE NEVER I'VE NEVER BEEN TO ONE OF THOSE, AND I DON'T REALLY KNOW EXACTLY HOW THEY WORK, ALTHOUGH I KNOW THERE ARE THERE ARE SUPER SMART AND GREAT TOOL TO UTILIZE.
YEAH. KIND OF THE LONG VIEW, SO TO SPEAK. YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, HALFWAY THROUGH THEIR LIVES HAVE COME TO THESE AND WE WON'T WE DON'T NECESSARILY SEE WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN FOR YEARS.
WE DON'T NECESSARILY KNOW WHAT THEY PUT IN THEIR WILLS OR TRUSTS OR THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT WE'VE BEEN SURPRISED EVERY YEAR AT THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT HAS COME IN IN THE LAST FEW YEARS. YEAH, WE'RE DEFINITELY PLANTING A SEED FOR IT'S PROBABLY A LOT LIKE PARK DISTRICT STAFF WHO DO SOME MAINTENANCE OR SOME WORK OR PLANT TREES, AND THEN YOU DON'T GET TO SEE THE FULL EFFECT.
AND THEY COME UP WITH EXAMPLES AND IT'S KIND OF LIKE AVOIDING PITFALLS.
SO THERE'S TWO DIFFERENT LEVELS OF SEMINARS. THERE ARE ABOUT AN HOUR EACH.
WE HAVE THIS AMAZING PLAN GIVING COMMITTEE OF ESTATE PLANNING ATTORNEYS THAT RUN THEM.
YEAH. AND THEN WE DO SEND FOLLOW UP AFTER, WHERE WE PROVIDE A NOTIFICATION FORM BECAUSE WE REALLY ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO NOTIFY US IF THEY HAVE LEFT US IN THEIR WILL. BECAUSE WE HAVE A LEGACY CIRCLE, THEY CAN JOIN, AND WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO INVITE THEM TO SPECIAL EVENTS DURING THEIR LIFETIME. SO AND THEN THE OTHER THING THAT WE DO IS WE'RE RECORDING FOLKS WHO DO COME TO THOSE.
AND SO I'M HOPING THAT THAT PRACTICE WILL HELP US TRACK IT A LITTLE BETTER.
BUT IT REALLY IS A LONG GAME. SO THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO KIND OF REPORT BACK TO YOU.
EXACTLY. WHAT THEIR THINKING IS. AND IF, YOU KNOW, IF YOU CONVINCED THEM OR NOT, YOU KNOW.
YEAH. IT'S A, REALLY IMPORTANT STRATEGY FOR NONPROFITS.
AND IT'S JUST A PUBLIC SERVICE IN GENERAL THAT WE REALLY LIKE TO DO.
I THINK IT'S PAYING OFF, BUT IT'S PRETTY HARD TO TRACK, LIKE YOU SAID.
YEAH, YEAH. NO, BUT I MEAN, THAT'S THAT'S YOU DO HAVE SOME FEEDBACK, IN OTHER WORDS.
YES. AND THAT'S, YOU KNOW, RELATIVELY TIMELY, YOU KNOW.
RIGHT. WE FOLLOW UP. YEAH. YEAH. THAT'S GREAT.
YEAH. THE OTHER QUESTION I HAD THE BUDGET GUY AND ME HAS THIS QUESTION THE UNRESTRICTED GRANT TO THE DISTRICT FOR $661,000. I THINK IT WAS. WHAT'S THE STRUCTURE OF THAT? HOW DOES THAT HOW DOES THAT ARRIVE AT? WHAT DOES IT MEAN? YOU KNOW. YEAH. HOW IS IT? YOU KNOW, IT IS IN OUR MOU.
AND SO WE JUST DO OUR OUR OVERHEAD COSTS AND DIVIDE IT BY TWO.
OKAY. AND THAT'S HOW THAT PARTICULAR NUMBER FROM LAST YEAR WAS CALCULATED.
AND IT'S BY FORMULA. YES. YEAH. OKAY. I DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS.
SO I GUESS AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH. NOT ONLY FOR THIS PRESENTATION, BUT FOR EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE, EVERYTHING YOU'RE DOING AND EVERYTHING YOU'RE GOING TO DO. YOU KNOW, IT'S ALL. I APPRECIATE IT ALL.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. THANKS. ALL RIGHT.
OUR NEXT INFORMATIONAL ITEM IS THE OVERVIEW OF THE CREATIVE DESIGN GROUP .
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OPERATIONS AND PROJECTS. CREATIVE DESIGN GROUP MANAGER. AND HE WILL BE UP HERE JUST TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON, WHICH WE WOULD.FIRST OF ALL, BRAVO TO THE FOUNDATION. I WANTED TO SAY THAT WAS A VERY EXCELLENT PRESENTATION.
AND MY NAME IS JORDAN TRAVERSO. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME HERE.
CHAIR MERCURIO AND THE REST OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD.
I AM THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS DIVISION LEAD, AND TODD HAS BEEN WORKING FOR ME FOR ABOUT A YEAR NOW.
AND THERE'S SOME REALLY EXCITING THINGS GOING ON IN CREATIVE DESIGN GROUP THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF YOU TO THANK FOR. SO HOPEFULLY YOU WILL SEE SOME OF THOSE THINGS IN THIS PRESENTATION. AND TODD, TAKE IT AWAY. ALL RIGHT.
THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING. SO CREATIVE DESIGN GROUP .
THE SIMPLEST WAY TO DESCRIBE WHAT WE DO IS WE PUT THE WORDS IN THE PARKS.
WE'RE A SMALL BUT MIGHTY TEAM OF EIGHT IF YOU INCLUDE ME.
AND WE'RE DIVIDED INTO THREE LITTLE SUBGROUPS OF GRAPHIC DESIGN, EXHIBIT DESIGN, AND SIGN DESIGN.
SO OUR KIND OF LITTLE GROUP MISSION IS TO IMPROVE THE VISITOR EXPERIENCE BY DESIGNING AND PRODUCING OFFICIAL SIGNAGE, DEVELOPING AND MAINTAINING ENGAGING VISITOR CENTERS AND EXHIBITS, AND BY PRESENTING A COHERENT AND WELCOMING BRAND PRESENCE ACROSS ALL OUR DIGITAL AND PRINTED COMMUNICATIONS MATERIALS. SO THAT'S WHO WE ARE.
I KIND OF ACT AS THE BACKUP GRAPHIC DESIGNER, BUT WE REALLY ONLY HAVE ONE GRAPHIC DESIGNER.
CAROL JUST STARTED. SO SHE'S IN HER FIRST MONTH, AND WE'RE VERY EXCITED TO HAVE HER.
EXHIBIT DESIGN IS A TEAM OF THREE. WE HAVE TEN VISITOR CENTERS ACROSS THE PARK SYSTEM.
AND SO THIS GROUP HAS A LOT OF LOGISTICAL CHALLENGES OF JUST GETTING TO WHERE THE STUFF IS.
WE ALSO HAVE ALL OF OUR INTERPRETIVE WAYSIDE PANELS THAT YOU SEE TRAIL SIDE.
WE HAVE 350 OF THOSE OUT IN THE PARKS. AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE INTERPRETIVE KIOSKS AND PAVILIONS THAT ARE KIND OF SMALLER THAN A VISITOR CENTER, BUT BIGGER THAN A WAYSIDE.
SIGN DESIGN IS ANOTHER GROUP OF THREE. AND WE DO THE ENTRY INFO PANELS, THE PARK SIGNAGE AND BANNERS, VEHICLE GRAPHICS, WAYFINDING, JUST LIKE TRAIL POSTS.
THAT GROUP ALSO SUPPORTS SIGNATURE EVENTS. YOU'LL SEE THEM OUT SETTING UP THE AV SYSTEM FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. GOING THROUGH EACH GROUP WITH A LITTLE MORE DETAIL, I HAVE PICTURES OF WHAT WE DO. SO THIS IS SIGN DESIGN.
WE'VE GOT OUR ROLL FED PRINTERS PRINTING UP INFO PANEL GRAPHIC.
LAST YEAR YOU APPROVED APPROXIMATELY $150,000 FOR A NEW PRINTER.
HERE IT IS. IT'S LIKE THE BIGGEST DESKTOP INKJET PRINTER YOU'VE EVER SEEN.
AND WE'RE VERY HAPPY TO HAVE IT. SO WE JUST FINISHED UP SOME SMOKEY THE BEAR SIGNS FOR LAKE CHABOT, AND THOSE CAME OFF THE PRINTER, AND THEN THEY NEEDED SOME ADDITIONAL FINISHING SO WE CAN CHANGE THE CONDITIONS EASILY.
BUT YOU CAN SEE THE LITTLE HASP FOR A LOCK SO THAT THEY'RE NOT CHANGED BY THE PUBLIC.
WE ALSO DECAL ALL OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY VEHICLES.
WE'RE WORKING ON SOME PROTOTYPE SIGNAGE FOR HCP PARKS THAT WILL COME ONLINE IN THE FUTURE.
AND BECAUSE THESE HAVE A DIFFERENT RULE SET FOR VISITORS, WE WANT TO HAVE AN ENGAGING EXPERIENCE THAT HELPS PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY NEED TO DO SO THAT WE CAN KEEP THOSE PARKS OPEN. WE HAVE C&C MACHINE THAT ROUTES OUT ALL OF THE WOOD TRAIL POSTS AND WE MAKE THE PARK ENTRY SIGNS ON THAT MACHINE.
HAVE A LITTLE VIDEO IF I CAN GET IT TO PLAY OF WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.
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IT IS. IT'S LIKE MAGIC. PAUL ALWAYS WORKS THIS FAST.YOU JUST RUINED MY FANTASY NOT MY FANTASY, OF MY PICTURE OF SOMEBODY WITH A WOOD CHISEL.
WELL, AS YOU WILL SEE, THERE IS STILL A LOT OF HANDWORK THAT GOES INTO THIS.
AND SO THAT'S HOW WE MAKE ONE OF THOSE. BUT THAT SAME PROCESS, LIKE, MAKES YOUR NAMEPLATES.
SO IT WE TOUCH A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS. AND WHEN I GO PLACES, I JUST SEE OUR STUFF.
IT'S LIKE, OH, WE DID THAT TOO. AMAZING. SO I HAD A LITTLE GLITCH ON A FONT REPLACEMENT.
I THOUGHT IT WAS. WE WORK ON MACINTOSH IN CREATIVE DESIGN.
I THOUGHT I WAS LIKE, I'M NOT GOING TO CHANGE THE DEFAULT FONT, I'LL JUST USE THAT.
AND IT DID NOT COME OVER TO THE PC NICELY. SO YOU KNOW, OUR 2025 GOALS FOR THE SIGN SHOP ARE JUST SOLIDIFY THE PROCUREMENT OF INFO PANELS AND WORK ON THE BACKLOG OF PANELS THAT ARE ON ORDER.
PUT OUR NEW HP FLATBED PRINTER TO WORK, WHICH YOU SAW SOME OF ALREADY.
THAT WILL ENABLE US TO TEST SOME NEW PRINTING MATERIALS.
SO WE'RE INVESTIGATING SOME MATERIALS THAT ARE MORE RECYCLABLE OR COMPOSTABLE AT THEIR END OF LIFE FOR LIGHTWEIGHT PROJECTS THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU NEED THIS THING FOR TWO DAYS, LIKE PUTTING IT ON PLASTIC SEEMS WRONG.
PILOT TESTING, IMPROVEMENTS TO THE PRESENTATION OF PARK ENTRY SIGNAGE.
SO WE FABRICATED ALL THE SIGNS IN PLEASANTON.
SO WE HAVE VERY LITTLE CONTROL OF CURRENTLY WHAT SIGNS GO WHERE INSIDE THE PARK.
SO IT'S KIND OF BEEN LEFT TO OPERATION STAFF.
AND SO WHAT WE NOTICE WHEN WE GO TO PARKS IS SOME SIGNS ARE MEANT TO LIVE FOR A PERIOD LIKE COVID SIGNAGE SHOULD ALL BE DOWN NOW. BUT YOU CAN GO OUT TO THE PARKS AND YOU'LL STILL SEE COVID SIGNS UP, BECAUSE PEOPLE PUT UP SIGNS AND THEY DON'T FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE PERMISSION TO TAKE THEM DOWN.
SO WE'D LIKE TO DO IS KIND OF LOOK AT THOSE VISITOR HIGH TOUCH POINTS WHEN YOU'RE COMING INTO A PARK, AND HOW CAN WE MAKE THAT NICER AND NOT JUST HAVE, YOU KNOW, DON'T GIVE ME 40 SIGNS.
I'M LIKE I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THAT. BUT HOW CAN WE JUST IMPROVE THAT EXPERIENCE? AND THEN ONCE WE HAVE KIND OF A PILOT OF THAT DONE, MAYBE AT A SMALL PARK, WE WOULD BE ABLE TO SHOW BEFORE AND AFTER.
SO THIS IS KIND OF ALL THE PINS OF WHERE OUR MAJOR EXHIBIT LOCATIONS ARE.
AND THEN THERE IS A WHITE PIN FOR PROJECT HEADQUARTERS WHERE WE ARE TODAY, AND A WHITE PIN FOR CREATIVE DESIGN GROUP OUT IN PLEASANTON WHERE WE'RE LOCATED. SO EXHIBITS ARE REAL PHYSICAL THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO GO VISIT, AND WE'RE JUST JUGGLING GETTING TO ALL THE PLACES. THESE VISITOR CENTERS ARE HIGH TOUCH, YOU KNOW, REAL MUSEUM ENVIRONMENTS. THIS IS A SAND TABLE THAT WE HAVE OUT AT DEL VALLE.
AND THESE THINGS BREAK AND THEY NEED REPAIR OR YOU GET A BAD VISITOR EXPERIENCE.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE DOING WITH THREE PEOPLE RIGHT NOW.
HERE IS AN INTERPRETIVE PAVILION OUT AT SHADOW CLIFFS.
AND SO THIS SEEMS LIKE IT WOULDN'T NEED THAT MUCH ATTENTION.
BUT IT HAD ANIMAL MODELS THAT WERE DAMAGED AND HAD TO BE REPAIRED.
[00:35:05]
IT HAD THOSE COLORED INSERTS THAT YOU CAN SEE IN THE BACKGROUND.THE CONTRACTOR THAT BUILT THEM HAD NOT VERY DURABLE CORNERS.
[LAUGHTER] AND THEN OF COURSE, WAYSIDES ARE EVERYWHERE.
SO GOALS FOR EXHIBITS ARE CONTINUING WORK ON THE TILDEN ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER DESIGN DEVELOPMENT THAT IS WORKING ON SCHEDULING RIGHT NOW, BUT WE'LL BE WORKING ON THAT THIS YEAR.
COYOTE HILLS VISITOR CENTER REFURBISHMENT PLANNING THAT STARTS TODAY.
WE HAVE OUR PRE-DESIGN MEETING. SO WE'RE GOING TO LEAVE HERE AND GO THERE.
SUNOL VISITOR CENTER REPAIRS. WE HAD A AGAIN, A CONTRACTOR NOT FABRICATING THINGS APPROPRIATELY.
AND THEN WE HAD LEAKING TANKS AND REPAIRED THE BUILDING, AND WE HAD TO DEMOLISH THE OLD EXHIBIT TO MAKE ROOM FOR MAST TO COME IN AND FIX THE FLOOR. AND NOW WE HAVE TO GO RECONSTRUCT THOSE EXHIBITS BACK TO HOW THEY WERE.
TIDEWATER PARK HAS SOME INTERPRETIVE ELEMENTS TO THAT PROJECT THAT WE'RE WORKING ON.
AND SOUTH OF BAILEY ROAD AT THURGOOD MARSHALL HAS INTERPRETIVE WORK THAT WE'RE ASSISTING ON.
NOW SWITCHING OVER TO GRAPHIC DESIGN. WE DO REGIONAL IN NATURE.
WE SUPPORT PROGRAMS LIKE TRAILS CHALLENGE AND GETTING ALL THOSE ELEMENTS TO COORDINATE T SHIRTS, PINS, GUIDEBOOKS. THIS YEAR BANDANAS. AND THEN WE WORK ON THE CORE BRAND.
SO WE HAVE THESE MAJOR CORE BRAND TOUCH POINTS, WHICH IS LIKE LOGO AND GRAPHICS SIGNAGE THAT YOU'LL SEE AT, YOU KNOW, PARK ENTRIES INSIDE PARKS ON FREEWAYS.
AND THEN WE HAVE WHAT I CALL EXPERIENCES, WHICH ARE HOW YOU EXPERIENCE A PROGRAM FROM I&R OR EXHIBITS IN A VISITOR CENTER, OR JUST SEE HOW WE PRESENT OURSELVES IN OUR UNIFORMS. AND SO THOSE THINGS HAVE NOT BEEN IN TREMENDOUS SYNC OVER TIME.
AND WE ARE, YOU KNOW, OF COURSE, MOST IN CONTROL OF THE PRINTING COLLATERAL.
SO WE'RE JUST LOOKING AT, WELL, WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF WHAT'S HAPPENED WITH OUR LOGO OVER TIME.
AND WE GOT TO THE CURRENT STATE MOSTLY IN 2008, AND IT WAS TRYING TO KIND OF CLEAN UP THE MESS ON THE LEFT. AND THIS LETTERHEAD, THIS LITTLE SPECK AT THE BOTTOM IS THE LOGO. LIKE, THAT'S HOW SMALL IT HAD BEEN MADE.
SO I THINK PEOPLE ARE FRUSTRATED AND THEY STARTED OVER.
OUR CLOTHING AND UNIFORMS NEVER REALLY CAME INTO THE SAME UNIFORMITY.
SO WE HAVE THESE, WHAT I CALL FLAME LOGOS. ON THE LEFT, WE HAVE THICK LOGOS.
WE HAVE THESE RIBBONS THAT ARE AROUND THE LOGO THAT AREN'T REALLY IN ANY OF OUR DESIGN STYLE GUIDES.
THEY JUST APPEARED AT SOME POINT AND CONTINUED, BECAUSE THAT'S HOW WE USED TO DO IT.
[LAUGHTER] SO FOR 2025, WE'RE KIND OF ASSESSING OUR CURRENT LOGO USAGE DISTRICTWIDE.
AND WE'RE STARTING TO DRAFT A USAGE STYLE GUIDE COINCIDING WITH THE DISTRICT PLAN.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE PUT OUR LOGO ON THINGS, AND IF WE WERE DISTRIBUTING THOSE IN THE PARKS AND SOMEBODY DROPS IT, OR A KID THROWS IT IN THE CREEK, LIKE, I WANT THOSE THINGS TO BE BIODEGRADABLE AND NOT PLASTIC.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE WORKING ON, RIGHT THIS WEEK.
[00:40:03]
STRATEGIC ENHANCEMENT OF THE VISITOR EXPERIENCE.WE HAVE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE THAT LOVE OUR PARKS AND HOW CAN WE BETTER ENGAGE WITH OUR SUPERFANS? THAT'S SOMETHING WE THINK ABOUT. AND THEN WE JUST WANT TO PRIORITIZE OUR STAFF WORK FOR THE MAXIMUM BENEFIT IN THE COMMUNITY OVER PROJECTS WITH LESS REACH AND BENEFIT. SO, YOU KNOW, WITH ONE PERSON, I'M JUST TRYING TO MAKE SURE SHE'S WORKING ON THE MOST VALUABLE STUFF. AND SO WE DON'T WANT TO DO EVERY LITTLE TINY PROJECT THAT SOMEBODY CAN DREAM UP.
SO WE'RE GOING TO SAY, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING TO WORK ON THIS BIGGER THING FIRST.
AND IF WE HAVE TIME, WE'LL DO MORE THINGS. SO BACK TO HERE.
THAT'S OUR WHOLE GROUP. AND I CAN TAKE QUESTIONS.
ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS. YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN ON THE BOARD FOR TWO YEARS, AND, YOU KNOW, I TO BE HONEST, I DIDN'T KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT YOUR GROUP, AND I DIDN'T FEEL LIKE I REALLY THERE WAS MORE THAT I WANTED TO KNOW.
AND YOU JUST, YOU KNOW, IN ONE SWELL FOOP FILLED US IN, YOU KNOW, IT'S REALLY GREAT.
AND IT'S REALLY GREAT TO BE INTRODUCED TO YOUR TO ALL THE INDIVIDUALS ON YOUR TEAM WITH ALL THEIR FACES THERE, YOU KNOW, AND NAMES. YOU KNOW, PUTS A FACE ON IT.
IT'S NOT YOU KNOW, THAT MACHINE IS GREAT, BUT THAT'S NOT TAKES A PERSON TO RUN THAT MACHINE, YOU KNOW. SO WE I'M SURE WE WE APPRECIATE THAT.
SO DIRECTOR ECHOLS, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS AND OR COMMENTS? SURE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.
VERY INFORMATIVE. AND REALLY, YOU NAILED IT WHEN YOU SAID YOU HAVE A SMALL BUT MIGHTY TEAM, BECAUSE THAT IS A LOT FOR THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT YOU HAVE.
YOU MENTIONED THE EEC DESIGN DEVELOPMENT. I'M INTERESTED TO KNOW, ARE YOU REFERRING TO THE FUTURE EEC? BECAUSE AS YOU KNOW, THERE'S DOING A WHOLE REDESIGN REBUILD FOR THE FUTURE.
AND I KNOW THERE'S A CONSULTANT THAT'S WORKING ON THAT.
I'M JUST WONDERING, ARE YOU ALL INVOLVED IN THAT AS WELL? YES. SO IF YOU THINK ABOUT HOW WE'RE STAFFED AND HOW BIG A PROJECT LIKE TILDEN EEC IS, LIKE, THAT'S A PEAK KIND OF PROJECT AND YOU COULD NEVER STAFF FOR THAT.
SO WE HAVE AN OUTSIDE CONSULTANT, ALDRICHPEARS, WHO WE HAD SOME INFLUENCE IN CHOOSING, AND WE STILL HAVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE EXHIBITS AND EVEN THE BUILDING ITSELF ARE DESIGNED WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE STEEPED IN KNOWLEDGE OF THE PARKS, AND ALSO OUR NEEDS TO MAINTAIN THESE EXHIBITS AFTER THEY'RE TURNED OVER TO US.
SO LIKE, WE NEED THINGS BUILT WITH FASTENERS BECAUSE WE'RE HERE FOREVER.
AND IF IT'S JUST GLUED TO ALL THE OTHER PANELS, THEN WE HAVE TO DEMOLISH THE WHOLE THING.
SO JUST BEING PRESENT IN THE PROCESS TO INJECT THOSE KINDS OF NEEDS TO THE CONTRACT DESIGNER WAS EXTREMELY HELPFUL. AND IT'S AN EXCITING PROJECT THAT IS KIND OF OUR FLAGSHIP.
YOU KNOW, IT'S OUR LEGACY. SO EVERYBODY IS EXCITED TO CONTRIBUTE.
GREAT. WELL, YES, I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE PROJECT AS WELL AND GLAD THAT YOU ALL ARE INVOLVED.
THANK YOU. THANKS FOR THE REPORT. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU.
DIRECTOR ECHOLS. DIRECTOR SANWONG. YEAH. T HANK YOU AGAIN.
THIS IS SO INFORMATIVE AND IT'S SO GREAT TO HEAR THIS OVERVIEW.
I'M CURIOUS ABOUT DIFFERENT LANGUAGES AND SOME OF THE DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW, CONVERSATIONS YOU MIGHT BE HAVING ABOUT YOU KNOW, PRODUCING SIGNAGE AND PRODUCING MATERIAL OR, YOU KNOW, SOME OF OUR EVEN THINKING ABOUT, LIKE, OUR REGIONAL AND NATURE PUBLICATION AND HAVING DIFFERENT LANGUAGES AND, MORE SPECIFICALLY I KNOW WE HAVE A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS ABOUT HAVING SPANISH LANGUAGE TRANSLATIONS, BUT I'M ALSO VERY CURIOUS ABOUT CHARACTERS, WHETHER IT'S, YOU KNOW, MANDARIN, CANTONESE OR, YOU KNOW NON-LATIN CHARACTERS.
AND I'M JUST CURIOUS ABOUT SOME OF THE CONVERSATIONS AND HOW THAT'S BEING INTEGRATED INTO.
YEAH, SO THAT'S AN IMPORTANT INITIATIVE FOR US GLOBALLY.
[00:45:04]
WE PRODUCED THE TRAIL CHALLENGE GUIDEBOOK IN SPANISH FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS YEAR.SO THAT'S IN PROCESS RIGHT NOW. IF I DIDN'T CALL ATTENTION TO IT.
BUT IF YOU GO BACK TO THE SLIDE FOR THE HCP STUFF, WE'VE TRIED TO FIGURE OUT, WELL, HOW DO WE HAVE AN ICON THAT HAS ENGLISH AND SPANISH? AND SO WE'RE DOING ENGLISH ON ONE SIDE AND SPANISH ON THE OTHER SIDE, BECAUSE WE KNOW WE'RE TRENDING MORE SPANISH OVER TIME.
AND PART OF THAT IS HAVING IT IN YOUR LANGUAGE.
SO WE'VE, YOU KNOW, BEEN WORKING EVEN IN THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS WITH THE OHLONE TRIBES AND TALKING ABOUT HOW TO HOW DO WE GET OHLONE LANGUAGE INTO THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING AT COYOTE HILLS.
SO IT'S DEFINITELY FOREFRONT FOR US. I CAN ADD SOME TO THAT, TOO.
THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION. I APPRECIATE IT, TOO. AND THIS ACTUALLY GETS TO LARGER THAN SIGNAGE IN PARKS, TOO. IT GETS TO EVERYTHING, THE WEBSITE AND ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE PUBLIC AFFAIRS.
AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT COMES UP ALL THE TIME.
I THINK A LOT OF WHAT THE HISTORY HAS BEEN IS THOSE WHO ASK FOR IT GET IT.
SO WE HAVE SOME THINGS AND NOT OTHER THINGS, BUT WE ARE WORKING WITH THE OFFICE OF EQUITY, AND WE'RE GOING TO LOOK FORWARD TO A LOT MORE MOVEMENT IN THIS, HOPEFULLY REALLY LOOKING AT OTHER LANGUAGES AS, YOU KNOW, AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE AND ALSO BUT REALLY WITH LIKE A THOUGHT PROCESS TOWARD WHO NEEDS THEM QUICKEST, FASTEST, WHO ARE WE? WHO ARE WE ALREADY ENGAGING WITH AND GIVING THEM WHAT THEY NEED? AND WHO ARE WE MISSING BECAUSE WE'RE NOT? SO SOMETHING THAT'S ON OUR MINDS VERY MUCH.
AND THANKS FOR THE QUESTION. YEAH. AND I GUESS THE FOLLOW UP, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE CAN EVEN THINK ABOUT THAT, YOU KNOW, FROM THE LEADERSHIP PERSPECTIVE. I KNOW I HAD THIS THOUGHT AT ONE POINT, YOU KNOW, I GUESS AS SOMEONE OF MIXED HERITAGE, BUT MY LAST NAME ACTUALLY IS IN CHARACTERS.
SO YOU KNOW, HOW WE WRITE IT IN THE LATIN ALPHABET IS A TRANSLATION AND APPROXIMATION.
AND I'VE ALWAYS THOUGHT ABOUT THAT. YOU KNOW, WHAT? IF I WANTED TO HAVE MY LAST NAME IN CHARACTERS WHEN IT'S ON PRINTED MATERIAL, IS THAT AN OPTION? IS THAT SOMETHING TO BE EXPLORED? AND THIS IS MORE OF A RHETORICAL QUESTION, BUT SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT BECAUSE I KNOW THAT THAT DOES HELP, YOU KNOW, SHOW THAT HERE AT EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT'S, WE ARE TRYING TO BE MORE INCLUSIVE OF SO MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF PEOPLE.
ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. YEAH, I HAVE A FEW A FEW QUESTIONS.
AND I THINK I'LL START WITH QR CODES BECAUSE I THINK IT TIES INTO WHAT DIRECTOR SANWONG JUST SAID.
FIRST OF ALL, YOU KNOW, I'M TRYING TO THINK. I THINK WE DO USE QR CODES AT SOME POINT IN OUR PANELS THAT WE PRODUCE. THE QR CODES ARE IN USE AT THE DISTRICT.
I WOULD SAY THERE ISN'T A GLOBAL QR CODE POLICY THAT WE'RE FOLLOWING.
QR CODES GENERALLY, THE WAY I THINK ABOUT THEM IS IT'S JUST A MACHINE READABLE URL.
SO WE HAVE A TON OF THEM IN REGIONAL NATURE, SO YOU CAN GET EASY ACCESS TO THOSE PROGRAMS THAT WERE TRYING TO PROMOTE RIGHT NOW. THOSE HAVE A LIFESPAN OF TWO MONTHS.
RIGHT. BUT I WORRY ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE PUT UP THE SIGN WITH A QR CODE ON IT.
THE SIGN IS MADE OUT OF ALUMINUM. IT HAS A LIFESPAN OF 20 YEARS.
WILL THE WEB PAGE STILL BE VALID IN 20 YEARS, AND WILL WE BE ABLE TO TRACK THAT? WE HAVE THIS QR CODE OUT IN THE WORLD, AND IT'S EXPECTING TO CATCH USERS TRYING TO GO SOMEWHERE? ARE WE GOING TO CATCH THAT? I THINK IT'S INCUMBENT ON US TO HAVE A PROCESS THAT DOES ALLOW THAT TO HAPPEN, AND I THINK WE'RE GOOD FOR IT. I THINK WE CAN DO THAT.
YOU HAVE, YOU KNOW, THE ONES THAT ARE MOST COMMON, AND THEN YOU KIND OF THROTTLING BACK, YOU KNOW,
[00:50:01]
TO ANY NUMBER. YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT WOULD BE REALLY GREAT TO DO THAT.I WENT TO WHEN I WAS ATTENDING A NATIONAL TRAILS, NOT TRAILS NATIONAL PARK CONFERENCE, A PARK CONFERENCE THAT WAS NATIONAL IN SCOPE, [LAUGHTER] PUT IT THAT WAY. WALKING THROUGH THE EXHIBIT HALL AND TALKING WITH SOMEONE WHO WAS REPRESENTING A COMPANY THAT PRODUCES QR CODES, USES QR CODES ON SIGNS. AND HIS THING WAS THEY WERE FOR PARK COURSE KIND OF THINGS, EXERCISE STATIONS. AND THE GREAT THING ABOUT IT WAS THAT IT ACTUALLY CHANGES EVERY SO MANY, LIKE EVERY DAY OR EVERY SO MANY DAYS, THE EXERCISES THAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO DO THAT YOU CAN DO THERE CHANGE.
SO, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING LIKE THAT WOULD IF WE COULD, YOU KNOW, UTILIZE THAT ASPECT OF IT.
MAYBE IT'S SEASONAL YOU KNOW, INFORMATION, YOU KNOW, MIGHT BE SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT.
YEAH. THOSE ARE WE THERE'S SO MUCH POTENTIAL OF DOING NEW STUFF.
I THINK WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT ACCESS. SO DO WE HAVE COVERAGE IN ALL THE AREAS THAT WE WANT TO PUT THE QR CODES? BECAUSE IF YOU HAVE NO SIGNAL YOU HAVE NO FUNCTIONING QR CODE.
RIGHT. SO THAT'S TRUE. WE'RE WORKING WITH [INAUDIBLE] ON THAT AND JUST SAYING, HEY, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO DO COOL STUFF IN OUR VISITOR CENTERS, LIKE, BUT THERE'S NO WI-FI.
SO THE TELECOM COMPANIES DON'T HAVE A REASON TO PUT LOTS OF SERVICE IN DEL VALLE VISITOR CENTER.
AND I FOUND THAT JUST MY PHONE COULD TRANSLATE FOR ME, AND IT WASN'T ANYTHING THAT THE MUSEUM DID, IT WAS JUST THAT I HAD INTERNET CONNECTION, AND I COULD JUST TAP ON THE PHOTO, AND IT RECOGNIZED THE TEXT.
WHAT IS THIS THING? YEAH. SO A LOT OF IT CAN JUST BE, YOU KNOW, IF WE ALLOW PEOPLE'S POCKET TECHNOLOGY TO EVOLVE NATURALLY AND WE'RE SUPPORTING THAT, THEY'LL GET BENEFITS THAT WE DIDN'T EVEN HAVE TO ACTIVELY WORK ON.
WE JUST MADE SURE THAT THERE WAS A WAY TO CONNECT TO THE WORLD.
YEAH. OH, SO. SO DO I HAVE IT CORRECT THAT THAT YOUR GROUP ACTUALLY PRODUCES THOSE SIGNS THAT THOSE BIG BROWN SIGNS ON THE FREEWAY TOO.
THE BIG BROWN SIGNS ON THE FREEWAY ARE A THING THAT WE HAVE INVESTIGATED.
AND CALTRANS HAS A PROCESS AND IT IS VERY, YOU KNOW, PAPERWORK HEAVY.
SO I THINK WE NEED TO DO SOME WORK TO ASSESS HOW DO WE FIGURE OUT WHAT OUR FULL INVENTORY OF THOSE THINGS IS, BECAUSE PEOPLE DO LOOK AT THOSE AND SAY, OH, WELL, THAT THE SIGN SHOP IS DOING THAT.
BUT LIKE YOU LOOK AT THE WHOLE PIE OF WHAT THAT WORK IS.
THE SIGN SHOP IS A TINY WEDGE OF IT, AND SOME OF THOSE SIGNS ARE NOT EVEN.
WELL, NONE OF THEM ARE REALLY ON DISTRICT PROPERTY.
SOME OF THEM AREN'T EVEN IN, YOU KNOW, THERE'S ONES ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CARQUINEZ STRAIT AS YOU'RE COMING BACK THAT YOU'LL SEE. SO THEY'RE CALTRANS RIGHT OF WAY.
AND IT'S A PROCESS THAT WE NEED TO WORK ON IT.
DO WE DO DO WE HAVE TO PAY THEM FOR THOSE? I DO BELIEVE THEY WANT MONEY.
THEY'RE NOT BROWN ANYMORE. THEY'RE VERY BARELY READABLE.
SO I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THAT. BECAUSE YOU'RE DRIVING EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE BIG, YOU'RE DRIVING BY IT.
SOME PEOPLE ARE DRIVING BY AT 70 MILES AN HOUR AND THEY'RE DIFFICULT TO READ.
AND THEN THE FOLLOW UP TO THE FOLLOW UP IS WHO'S CHECKING? I MEAN, IS IT UP TO ME TO REPORT ALL THE ONES THAT I SEE, OR IS THERE SOME LIFE CYCLE DATABASE THING THAT SAYS EVERY 20 YEARS,
[00:55:01]
GO LOOK AT THE SIGN. YOU KNOW, AND I'D BE INTERESTED IN THERE BEING SOME KIND OF A PROCESS WHERE EVERY SO MANY YEARS THERE'S SOME KIND OF AN EVALUATION MADE OF THE LEGIBILITY OF THOSE THINGS, BECAUSE THEY'RE THE BIGGEST THING THAT WE HAVE GOING OUT THERE REALLY, LITERALLY. YEAH, I'LL JUMP IN ON THIS. AND I THINK THIS KIND OF JUST SPEAKS TO JUST OVERALL WITH THE NUMBER OF SIGNS THAT ARE OUT THERE. AND AS WE ALLUDED TO HERE, JUST EVEN GETTING AN INVENTORY OF THIS HAS BEEN A CHALLENGE.WE'RE WORKING ON IT, GETTING THEM AT LEAST INTO THE DATABASE, GETTING THEM MAPPED.
YOU KNOW, I MEAN, IT'S I THINK WE STARTED WITH OUR LANDS.
SO WE HAVE THAT NOW. AND SO ALSO LOOKING AT OUR SIGNAGE, SO THE HIGHWAY MAPS OR I'M SORRY, HIGHWAY SIGNS ARE PART OF THAT EXERCISE. SOMETHING THAT I HAVE ON JORDAN'S WORK PLAN IS EXACTLY THAT, WHICH IS YOU KNOW, REALLY HAVING AN ANNUAL PROCESS OF THE REAL SIGNAGE REPLACEMENT AND ASSESSMENT PROTOCOL.
SO WE'RE TOTALLY ALIGNED WITH YOU WORKING ON IT.
IT IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT I HEAR IF YOU DO KIND OF TO YOUR POINT OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT DOES IT REQUIRE? IT SHOULD NOT REQUIRE A DIRECTOR, YOU KNOW, WHO HAS TO THAT BE THE ONLY WAY THAT WE GET NOTIFIED.
SO WE'RE GETTING THERE. HOWEVER, I WOULD SAY WE WELCOME IT.
IF YOU ARE OUT AND ABOUT LIKE I AM, I'LL SEND THEM A TEXT AND SAY, THAT SIGN LOOKS REALLY CRAPPY.
AND THEY'LL PUT IT INTO THE QUEUE OF THINGS THAT WE NEED TO WORK ON.
SO, YOU KNOW, THAT'S DEFINITELY ON OUR WORK PLAN AND WELCOME FEEDBACK THAT WE GET.
THERE'S ALSO THERE ARE SO IT'S NOT JUST THE CONDITION OF SIGNS, BUT THERE ALSO ARE MISSING SIGNS THAT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE INCORPORATE WHEN WE OPEN A NEW PARK, THAT THAT'S PART OF THE CHECKLIST OF THINGS THAT WE ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING, WHICH IS HAVING THE HIGHWAY SIGNAGE OUT THERE TOO.
SO YEAH, NO, THAT'S ENCOURAGING. I APPRECIATE THAT.
YOU KNOW, I ACTUALLY WENT ON GOOGLE STREET VIEW AND, AND LOOKED AT ONE PARTICULAR LOCATION AND I TRACED IT BACK IN TIME TO WHERE IT USED TO BE BROWN. AND YOU CAN JUST SEE THAT THEY GO ABOUT EVERY YEAR, EVERY EVERY COUPLE OF YEARS.
AND THEN YOU CAN JUST SEE IT FADING AS YOU COME INTO THE PRESENT, YOU KNOW.
AND SO, I DON'T KNOW, I KIND OF TEND TO THINK THAT THE ONE I WAS LOOKING AT WAS DEFECTIVE, BECAUSE IT'S NOT THAT IT'S NOT 20 YEARS. SO SOME OF THEM I KNOW THAT I'VE SEEN THAT I'VE REPORTED THEY ARE SITTING IN THE SUN.
WELL, THEY'RE FACING THE ONES. IT'S FACING WEST. YEAH. SO THEY'RE GETTING A LOT OF SUN DAMAGE.
SO EVEN MORE REASON WHY WE JUST NEED TO HAVE THEM ON THE REFRESHMENT PROGRAM.
OKAY. GOOD. THANK YOU. AND THEY WEREN'T THEY WEREN'T CONSISTENTLY DONE EITHER. BUT THAT'S I THINK I APPRECIATE THE GM'S COMMENTS. I WANTED TO JUST UNDERSCORE THIS ENTIRE PRESENTATION, NOT ABOUT NECESSARILY, YOU KNOW, ONE THING OR ANOTHER THING, BUT THAT EACH ONE OF THESE THINGS, WHETHER IT BE THE QR CODES, WHETHER IT BE THE LANGUAGES, WHETHER IT BE THE SIGNS ON THE FREEWAY, THE IDEA IS THAT THEY EACH TAKE A DIFFERENT LEVEL OF PLANNING AND THOUGHT PROCESS TO GET THEM DONE.
AND SO ALTHOUGH IT'S REALLY EASY TO LOOK AT THAT VIDEO AND SEE A SIGN BEING CUT, THAT'S ALSO THE END RESULT OF A LOT OF THOUGHT PROCESS THAT'S GONE INTO WHAT SHOULD WE HAVE HERE FOR LONG TERM, WHAT SHOULD WE HAVE HERE FOR SHORT TERM? AND ALL OF THAT STUFF KIND OF COMES INTO ALL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS WORK.
SO I JUST WANTED TO UNDERSCORE THAT. YEAH, YEAH.
THANK YOU. I WANT I'M LOOKING FOR SOME REASSURANCE THAT THE OAK LEAF IS NOT DRASTICALLY CHANGING.
YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT REDOING LOGOS AND STUFF OR WHATEVER, AND I CAN TELL YOU THAT I CAN UNDERSTAND MAYBE CLEANING IT UP AND, YOU KNOW, AND I CAN SEE THE VERY, VERY SUBTLE.
IT'S KIND OF HARD TO EVEN TELL THOSE DIFFERENT VARIATIONS THAT YOU HAD.
THERE IS A DIFFERENCE. BUT I HOPE THAT YOUR NEXT TWEAK IS NOT VERY DRASTIC.
YEAH. REFRESH NOT REDESIGN. YEAH. YEAH. BECAUSE IT'S A BELOVED SYMBOL AND IT GOES BACK A VERY, VERY LONG WAY. PROBABLY MAJORITY OF THE PARK USERS.
THAT'S ALL THEY'VE EVER THEY IT'S OLDER THAN THEM YOU KNOW.
YEAH. SO WE DEFINITELY WANT TO PRESERVE THE BRAND EQUITY.
YEAH. AND GO INTO THE FUTURE. OKAY. CONSISTENCY I THINK IS THE NUMBER ONE GOAL.
RIGHT, RIGHT. YEAH. YEAH I GET THAT. I SEE THAT.
YOU'LL SEE A PERSON WEARING THREE DIFFERENT LOGOS.
YEAH. AND THEY'RE NOT. YEAH. RIGHT IN LINE WITH EACH OTHER ON THE SAME PERSON.
BUT WE'RE ALIGNED WITH YOU ON WHAT WE CALL THE POWER OF THE LEAF.
YES, ABSOLUTELY. VERY SENSITIVE TO THAT. YEAH, RIGHT.
DON'T BLOW THE LEAF, YOU KNOW. YEAH. SO THE OTHER THING IS I MADE A NOTE.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT MEANS, BUT I'LL SKIP THAT ONE.
SO THERE ARE. I'LL JUST. I'LL JUST TAKE ONE PARK AS AN EXAMPLE, BRIONES THAT'S PART OF.
[01:00:01]
IT'S PART OF. IT'S IN MY WARD. BUT THAT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER.THAT PARK SEEMS TO HAVE SIGNAGE THAT I HAVEN'T SEEN IN A REALLY LONG TIME ANYWHERE ELSE.
AND IT'S. THERE'S A LOT OF MISSING STUFF. DO WE GO AND DO, LIKE, WHOLE PARK REFRESHES OR SOMETHING OR REPLACEMENTS OR WHATEVER? BECAUSE THERE'S TALK ABOUT MISSING SIGNS AND, AND DETERIORATED SIGNS.
DO WE, DO WE DO THAT? I MEAN, I GUESS THAT'S MAYBE THAT'S FOR YOU, SABRINA.
IS NOT, AS YOU CAN GUESS, GUESS NOT TOTALLY STRATEGIC.
SO IT COMES IN FROM MAYBE, YOU KNOW, A PARK SUPERVISOR WHO MIGHT REPORT THESE THINGS.
BUT ABSOLUTELY, AS PART OF THIS AND THIS GOES REALLY TO A LOT OF WORK THAT WE'RE DOING WITH LISA GOORJIAN AND WITH PARK OPERATIONS IS SO GOES BEYOND THE SIGNAGE ISSUES. BUT JUST EVEN THINGS LIKE REFRESHES OF BENCHES AND ALL OF THE, YOU KNOW, THINGS THAT WE NEED TO DO IN PARKS, REALLY TRYING TO DO A PARK BY PARK EVALUATION OF WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE THERE.
SO THAT'S ACTUALLY WE'RE UNDERGOING THAT RIGHT NOW.
AND SIGNAGE IS PART OF THAT. SO THAT ACTUALLY TIES INTO ANOTHER QUESTION I HAD THAT WOULD INCLUDE ANY PANELS THAT WE HAVE THAT ARE HAVE BEEN THERE FOR A DECADE OR TWO OR WHATEVER, AND THEY'RE KIND OF LONG IN THE TOOTH, YOU KNOW.
ABSOLUTELY. THERE ARE SOME THAT ARE JUST SO OUTDATED, THEY'RE FADED.
THE YOU KNOW, THE FONT MIGHT BE WRONG, BUT THE INFORMATION COULD BE WRONG TOO.
AND OUTDATED. AND THEN ANOTHER, ANOTHER THING THAT WE'RE DOING IS ALSO LOOKING AT THERE'S, THERE IS A LOT OF SIGN POLLUTION. WHERE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD DIFFERENT POLICIES THAT HAVE CHANGED OVER THE YEARS.
I'VE GOT ONE AT THE ENTRANCE OVER AT PLEASANTON RIDGE.
IT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITES. AND YOU THINK AND IT'S YOU WALK IN AND IT'S NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO.
PROBABLY ABOUT TEN, 15 SIGNS THAT SOMEBODY IS ENTERING A PARK.
WELL THAT'S NOT ALL THAT WELCOMING. SO YES, ABSOLUTELY.
THERE'S A MASSIVE NEED. AND THIS IS NOT I JUST WANT TO MANAGE EXPECTATIONS.
THIS WAS NOT A ONE YEAR EFFORT. I MEAN THIS IS GOING TO TAKE US A WHILE TO GET THROUGH ALL OF IT, BUT WE'RE TRYING TO AT LEAST PUT A PROCESS IN PLACE AND STANDARDIZE IT.
SO THOSE PANELS, THOUGH, IT'S UP TO THE PARK SUPERVISOR TO IDENTIFY THOSE.
AND RIGHT NOW THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS JUST THAT HAVE BEEN IN THE QUEUE THAT THESE YOU KNOW, WE ARE SHORT, OUR SMALL BUT MIGHTY STAFF. THEY'RE DOING WHAT THEY CAN TO GET THROUGH IT.
SO AND THEN WE ALSO JUST WILL BUMP THINGS UP IN THE QUEUE IF WE KNOW LIKE, YOU KNOW, HEY, THIS THING REALLY IS OUTDATED AND LOOKS TERRIBLE.
I KNOW I JUST FIGURED OUT WHAT I WROTE HERE. IT WAS A COMMENT AND IT WAS A THANK YOU FOR THE, UPDATING OF THE SIGNAGE STYLE. YOU KNOW, I COULD SEE IN SOME OF THOSE IMAGES THEY'RE VERY MODERN AND VERY AND VERY CRISP AND INFORMATIVE AND COLORFUL. SO, YOU KNOW, THOSE POSTS THAT YOU HAD THERE, IT'S TO ME IT'S LIKE TOP NOTCH.
YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T SEE I DON'T THINK YOU SEE THAT NOBODY DOES IT BETTER THAN WHAT YOU SHOWED US.
AND SO WE DON'T REALLY HAVE PEERS TO LOOK TO.
YEAH, THAT'S OUR GOAL. AND THE OTHER THING FINALLY I THINK IN TERMS OF THE LANGUAGES THAT WE SHOULD APPROPRIATELY BE RECOGNIZING, I WOULD LOOK FORWARD TO WHEN WE'RE GOING OUT AND WORKING ON THE DISTRICT PLAN THAT THAT COMES OUT IN THE PROCESS THAT WE PROBE FOR THAT ACTUALLY BECAUSE THAT'S GOING TO BE THE GREATEST OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO INTERACT WITH A WHOLE BUNCH OF USER GROUPS AND PEOPLE AND DEMOGRAPHICS AND EVERYTHING, YOU KNOW.
SO YOU KNOW, I HOPE THAT'S PROGRAMED INTO WHAT WE'RE DOING THAT THAT'S HOW WE CAN FIGURE OUT WHO WANTS US TO COMMUNICATE WITH THEM. RIGHT. YEAH. AND WE ARE ALSO ABLE TO COLLECT RIGHT NOW WITH SOME OF OUR, I BELIEVE THE VISITOR DATA THAT WE ARE PINGING OFF OF CELL PHONES TO BE ABLE TO GATHER SOME OF THAT INFORMATION AS WELL ABOUT WHO'S ACTUALLY CURRENTLY VISITING.
BUT THEN TO JORDAN'S AND TODD'S POINT, WHO'S NOT CURRENTLY VISITING.
THERE'S OVER 100 LANGUAGES SPOKEN HERE. I THINK IT'S ACTUALLY CLOSER TO 150 LANGUAGES SPOKEN HERE.
YEAH. SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT TALKING. YES. YOU CAN KIND OF, YOU KNOW, NAME THE TOP, YOU KNOW,
[01:05:04]
3 OR 4. BUT WE REALLY WANT TO BE WELCOMING TO EVERYBODY.SO, ABSOLUTELY, AS PART OF THE DISTRICT PLAN, REALLY HEARING FROM ALL MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HOW DO THEY WANT TO GET INFORMATION? ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. I THINK THAT'S IT. AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE INVOLVED AND ESPECIALLY TO YOU.
AND THANKS FOR HAVING ME. YEAH. DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM, ANY OF THESE? IS THERE ANYBODY IN THE ZOOM ROOM THAT'S INTERESTED IN THE PUBLIC COMMENT? PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
NO PUBLIC COMMENT. OKAY. WELL, THANK YOU FOR THAT.
AND WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON NOW TO THE LAST OF OUR INFORMATIONAL ITEMS, WHICH IS THE OVERVIEW OF CURRENT PUBLIC AFFAIRS, PUBLICATIONS AND MEDIA. THANK YOU AGAIN. JORDAN TRAVERSO, PUBLIC AFFAIRS DIVISION LEAD.
I'M GOING TO BE INTRODUCING YOU NOW TO KENDRA STREY. KENDRA HAS BEEN WITH US SINCE EARLY DECEMBER, SO SHE'S BEEN HERE JUST ABOUT TWO AND A HALF MONTHS.
SOME OF THEM HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR QUITE A BIT OF TIME.
SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, KENDRA. THANK YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON.
COMMITTEE. HELLO. SO AS JORDAN MENTIONED, I'M STILL VERY, VERY NEW TO THE DISTRICT AND VERY MUCH IN A LEARNING PHASE. BUT I HAVE HAD, YOU KNOW, AMPLE OPPORTUNITY GETTING TO KNOW MY TEAM AND THE WORK THAT WE'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR. SO THERE ARE MANY DAY TO DAY ACTIVITIES THAT ARE PERHAPS A LITTLE TOO GRANULAR FOR THIS MEETING. BUT I DID WANT TO JUST MENTION THEM BRIEFLY.
THESE ARE THINGS LIKE RESPONDING TO MEDIA INQUIRIES, WHICH IS ALMOST A DAILY OCCURRENCE.
AND IN SOME CASES OUR STAFF WILL ATTEND INTERVIEWS OR PRESS CONFERENCES OR EVENTS, JUST SORT OF DEPENDING ON THE NATURE OF THE TOPIC. WE ALSO ASSIST IN VARYING LEVELS OF INVOLVEMENT WITH BOARD MEMBERS SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS, AND WE ALSO SIT ON A NUMBER OF A GROWING NUMBER OF INTERNAL PROJECT COMMITTEES.
YOU MAY BE FAMILIAR WITH OUR PARK EXPLORER E-BLAST.
THIS IS AN ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER THAT GOES OUT TO A LITTLE OVER 67,000 OPT IN SUBSCRIBERS.
THERE 'S A SECTION OF THOSE THAT ARE PART OF THE ALL EMPLOYEE DISTRIBUTION LIST AS WELL.
BUT AND THEN AN ADDITIONAL 5000 PEOPLE WHO COME IN VIA OPT IN THROUGH OUR EVENT DATABASE.
THERE'S ALSO AN EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER, WHICH DOES SHARE A LITTLE BIT OF PERTINENT CONTENT, BUT IT'S MORE ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON, YOU KNOW, AS IT RELATES TO THE STAFF HERE AT THE PARK DISTRICT.
AND THOSE WOULD BE A COMBINATION OF PRINT, BROADCAST AND ONLINE MEDIA RESOURCES AS WELL AS SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS IN THE OUTDOOR LIFESTYLE SPACE. MAPS AND BROCHURES IS ALWAYS A BIG PROJECT.
WE HAVE 75 CURRENT MAP BROCHURES, WHICH IS A SEPARATE BEAST THAN THE INTERPRETIVE BROCHURES.
THOSE BOTH CATEGORIES HAVE BEEN UNDERGOING AN AESTHETIC DESIGN UPGRADE OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, AS THE INVENTORY OF THE CURRENT DESIGN RUNS OUT.
FOR THE MAPS, 31 OF THOSE 75 ARE COMPLETE. ANOTHER EIGHT ARE IN PROCESS. FOR THE INTERPRETIVE BROCHURES 34 ARE COMPLETE SO FAR.
AND THEN THE TEAM HANDLES AN ADDITIONAL 20 PLUS OTHER BROCHURES AND MAPS UPON SPECIAL REQUEST FROM INTERNAL GROUPS LIKE THE GOVERNMENT, LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT, PUBLIC SAFETY, AND SOME OF OUR PARTNER AGENCIES.
[01:10:03]
THE ANNUAL WALL CALENDARS OVER 21,000 OF THOSE WERE PRINTED FOR 2025.15,000 AND CHANGE WERE MAILED, AND ANOTHER ALMOST 6,000 WERE DISTRIBUTED BY OTHER MEANS, INCLUDING SHARING WITH PUBLIC FACILITIES LIKE LIBRARIES, THE LINDSAY WILDLIFE NATURE CENTER, AND FULFILLING BOARD MEMBER REQUESTS.
AND THEN THERE ARE A HANDFUL OF OTHER MISCELLANEOUS SMALLER PUBLICATIONS THAT ARE AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH, AND THOSE ARE JUST REPRINTED AS NEEDED. IT'S VERY SMALL IN COMPARISON TO THE MAP BROCHURES.
I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT A COUPLE OF OUR SPECIAL PROJECTS.
TRAILS CHALLENGE BEING A BIG ONE. WE PRINTED 6000 GUIDEBOOKS IN ENGLISH, AND WE ARE ALMOST OUT THE DOOR WITH OUR SPANISH EDITION. A THOUSAND OF THOSE SO WE'LL BE PUBLICIZING THE AVAILABILITY OF THE SPANISH EDITION MAYBE BY THE END OF THIS MONTH. IF NOT, THEN IN EARLY MARCH. AND TO BOLSTER OUTREACH OF THE PROGRAM, WE ADDED SOME ADDITIONAL PARTICIPATION PRIZES THIS YEAR, IN ADDITION TO THE GUIDEBOOK ITSELF AND THE T SHIRTS, THERE'S A MONTHLY DRAWING FROM A POOL OF CHALLENGE COMPLETERS WITH SMALLER AWARDS LIKE BANDANAS AND PARTICIPANT PATCHES AND THINGS THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO SORT OF INCREASE PARTICIPATION AND AWARENESS OF THE EVENT AND TO BUILD EXCITEMENT.
AS OF THIS MORNING, I GOT A COUPLE OF STATS ON PROGRAM PARTICIPATION.
SO 43 PEOPLE HAVE SUBMITTED THEIR LOGS IN THE MONTH OF JANUARY.
21 OF THOSE PEOPLE WERE FIRST TIME FINISHERS IN THE PROGRAM.
FOUR OF THE PEOPLE WERE WHAT WE CALL THE ALL 20 CLUB, MEANING INSTEAD OF JUST DOING THE FIVE THAT ARE ASKED OF THE PROGRAM, THEY DID ALL 20 TRAILS. VERY AMBITIOUS. WAS THAT JOHN MERCURIO? [LAUGHTER] THE TEAM IS WORKING WITH OPEN ROAD PROGRAM ON NBC BAY AREA FOR A SPECIAL EPISODE THAT WILL HIGHLIGHT DIFFERENT THINGS GOING ON IN THE DISTRICT.
IN SHORT I'M TALKING ABOUT THE THURGOOD MARSHALL OPEN SPACE, HAVING A SNEAK PEAK OF THE COYOTE HILLS RESTORATION AND PUBLIC ACCESS PROJECT. THERE IS A SHORT SEGMENT WITH OUR GENERAL MANAGER TALKING ABOUT OUR RECENT 90TH ANNIVERSARY AND HOW WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD OR LOOKING AHEAD TO THE DISTRICT PLAN PROCESS.
THERE IS SOME COMMENTARY BY THE SHOW HOST AND A SMALL SEGMENT ABOUT THE TRAILS CHALLENGE ITSELF AND HOW PEOPLE CAN GET INVOLVED, AND THEN A SMALL SEGMENT ABOUT THE DISTRICT'S WILDFIRE MITIGATION EFFORTS, WHICH IS A GOOD SEGUE INTO MY NEXT BULLET POINT.
IN LIGHT OF THE RECENT WILDFIRE DEVASTATION DOWN IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, IT WAS A GOOD TIME TO REVISIT WITH THE PUBLIC ALL OF THE WORK THAT THE DISTRICT DOES IN OUR AREA. SO WE HAD A MEDIA CAMPAIGN, A VERY TARGETED MEDIA CAMPAIGN THAT WE WORKED ON IN JANUARY TO SHOWCASE THE PARK DISTRICT 'S ROBUST APPROACH TO WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS AND MITIGATION MEASURES.
THE PITCH INCLUDED SPOTLIGHTING OUR FUELS MANAGEMENT TEAM AND CURRENT FUEL BREAK PROJECTS, THE INCREASE IN NUMBER OF FIRE PERSONNEL, THE CARBONIZER, ANIMAL GRAZING AND WILDLAND FIREFIGHTING EQUIPMENT.
THERE'S BEEN ONE THAT'S BEEN RELEASED SO FAR WITH JAVON LAW, WHO OVERSEES OUR COORDINATES, OUR FUEL MITIGATION, OUR FUELS PROGRAM. SO FAR WE HAVE HAD TWO
[01:15:05]
NICE SEGMENTS IN THE BROADCAST SPACE FOR ABC AND FOX NEWS.THE EAST BAY TIMES RAN A COMPREHENSIVE ARTICLE ON THE FRONT PAGE AS WELL AS IN THEIR ONLINE EDITION.
AND THEN WE HAVE A VARIETY OF PICKUPS FROM THE SMALLER, MORE FOCUSED LOCAL NEWSPAPERS.
THAT'S MY OVERVIEW FOR YOU. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? WELL, THANK YOU FOR THAT. IT'S NICE TO TO HAVE IT ALL SUMMED UP IN ONE PLACE FOR US HERE TODAY.
DIRECTOR SANWONG ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? YEAH, THIS IS A GREAT OVERVIEW AND SUMMARY AND WELCOME.
I KNOW YOU'RE STILL, YOU KNOW, GETTING UP TO SPEED HERE.
AND I THINK THAT THIS ALL LOOKS VERY PROMISING.
OH SORRY DIRECTOR ECHOLS. WELL, WELCOME AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE REPORT.
I'M PARTICULARLY HAPPY TO SEE THE MEDIA OUTREACH REGARDING THE FIRE MITIGATION EFFORTS BECAUSE ONE, I THINK WE'RE DOING A GREAT JOB AND I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT IT.
BUT TWO THERE'S I GET SO MANY QUESTIONS OUT THERE.
AND YOU KNOW, BOTH CHIEF THIELE AND ACTING CHIEF KHARI HAVE DONE A REALLY GOOD JOB OF SUPPLYING ME WITH TALKING POINTS AND OTHER THINGS, BUT IT WOULD BE GREAT TO SEE IF THERE'S YOU KNOW, MORE TARGETED SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS.
LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, I SPOKE WELL, I INTRODUCED THE CHIEF AND THE ACTING CHIEF AND GAVE A LITTLE SOME HIGHLIGHTS AT BOTH THE ALAMEDA COUNTY MAYOR'S CONFERENCE AND THE CONTRA COSTA COUNTY MAYOR'S CONFERENCE LAST YEAR.
IT WAS VERY WELL RECEIVED. BUT I'M WONDERING ALSO IF THERE ARE OTHER SORT OF BROADER TOWN HALLS, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, THIS IS A HUGE DISTRICT. WE CAN'T GO EVERYWHERE.
SO CERTAINLY, YOU KNOW, MAYOR'S CONFERENCE IS A GREAT PLACE TO BE. BUT IF THERE ARE OTHER PLACES THAT THAT WE COULD REACH MORE CONSTITUENTS OR MAYBE DO SOMETHING ONLINE, BECAUSE IT IS, I THINK THE PUBLIC AS A WHOLE JUST THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT WE'RE DOING.
AND YOU KNOW, BECAUSE IT'S REALLY NORMAL FOR PEOPLE TO BE REALLY NERVOUS, ESPECIALLY, ESPECIALLY NOW, YOU KNOW, ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING AND WHAT WE'RE DOING OR NOT DOING.
THANKS, DIRECTOR ECHOLS, I WHAT I HEARD WAS THAT YOU HAD TAKEN THE CHIEF AND ASSISTANT CHIEF TO THE ALAMEDA MAYOR'S CONFERENCE AND INTRODUCED THEM THERE, AND THAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR THINGS LIKE THAT IN THE FUTURE.
YEAH, WELL, I, I DIDN'T TAKE THEM THERE. OH, OKAY.
BUT I'M LOOKING FOR MORE, YOU KNOW, SORT OF A BROADER OUTREACH TO ELECTEDS AND TO CONSTITUENTS ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY PEOPLE WHO WHO ARE IN CITIES THAT ARE ALONG THAT WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE AND WHO ARE VERY NERVOUS. YOU KNOW, IT'S PROBABLY THE NUMBER ONE QUESTION I GET FROM PEOPLE WHEN I'M JUST OUT AND ABOUT.
YOU KNOW, PEOPLE SEE TREES AND THEY'RE LIKE, WHY AREN'T YOU DOING SOMETHING ABOUT THIS? AND IT'S A LEGITIMATE QUESTION, BUT IT'S HELPFUL FOR THEM TO REALLY KNOW, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'RE DOING AND WHY.
YEAH. AND I CAN CERTAINLY BRING THIS UP WITH OUR GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS TEAM IN ORDER TO GET THAT INTO THE HANDS OF ELECTED OFFICIALS AND, YOU KNOW, OTHER COMMUNITY MEMBERS. WE DO HAVE THIS ON OUR WEBSITE FOR WILDFIRE MITIGATION.
BASICALLY, ALL THE INFORMATION THAT WE'VE PROVIDED TO THE MEDIA WITH THIS CAMPAIGN IS AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE, AS WELL AS WE DO A POSTCARD EVERY YEAR. SO WE ARE MAKING EFFORTS TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS AND KNOWS ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING, AND THERE'S ALWAYS ROOM FOR CONTINUED IMPROVEMENT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE, YOU KNOW, CONTINUING TO BANG THAT DRUM AND HAVE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT WE'RE LEADING THE NATION IN THIS. SO. THANKS. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU.
SO IT'S GREAT TO SEE THE OPEN ROADS THING KIND OF HAPPENING.
[01:20:02]
THERE TO WHO WE ARE. AND THEN ALSO, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE A LITTLE COMMENT ABOUT THE REDESIGN OF THE MAP. THE PARK MAP BROCHURES. I REALLY THINK THAT.WELL, I'LL BACK UP FOR A SECOND. I'VE GOT I COLLECT MAPS.
I'LL ADMIT THAT I'VE GOT SOME FROM LIKE THE EARLY 1980S THAT ARE JUST, YOU KNOW, BLACK AND WHITE.
AND THEY WERE COOL AT THE TIME. BUT I'VE ALSO NOTICED STEADY IMPROVEMENT OVER TIME OF WHAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO PRESENT TO THE PARK USERS WHERE MAYBE A LITTLE MORE INFORMATION, MAYBE EASIER TO READ, THE USE OF COLOR SHARPER YOU KNOW, REPRODUCTION OF THEM. SO I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT THEY ARE REALLY, REALLY APPRECIATED. AND THEY LOOK GREAT. AND IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE ALMOST HALF DONE DOING ALL THOSE.
WHENEVER, I GO TO PICK UP ONE FROM THE RACK OUT THERE AND I SEE THAT NEW DESIGN ON IT, I GO, YAY! THE ONE I WANT IS ONE OF THE NEW ONES, YOU KNOW.
SO THANK YOU. I'LL SHARE THAT WITH THE TEAM. YEAH.
NO IT'S GREAT. AND YOU KNOW, YOU'LL GET THERE AND THEY'LL ALL BE REDONE.
AND THAT'S IT'S REALLY GREAT. SO THAT IS, IS ALL VERY MUCH APPRECIATED.
I ALSO WOULD BE INTERESTED, I DON'T THINK I RECEIVED ALL OF THOSE DIFFERENT EMAIL THINGS THAT YOU SENT OUT. OKAY. I'LL LOOK INTO IT. AND I THINK IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE FOR THE DIRECTORS.
I MEAN, WE CAN CHOOSE TO READ IT OR NOT, BUT I MEAN, IT DOESN'T COST ANY MORE OR ANYTHING.
NO, IT'S NOT HARD. IT'S EASY TO DO. I THINK WE ALL SHOULD WE SHOULD BE GETTING ALL OF THOSE JUST TO GIVE US AS MANY DIFFERENT WINDOWS ONTO WHAT'S GOING ON AS THERE IS AVAILABLE. YEAH, I APPRECIATE THAT.
AND THAT'S SPECIFIC TO PRESS RELEASES THAT. I KNOW, I KNOW, I GET, I GET, I GET A NUMBER OF THEM, BUT I SAW SOME UP THERE THAT WEREN'T FAMILIAR TO ME, SO.
OKAY. THAT'S ALL. I MEAN, WE'LL MAKE SURE OF IT.
SEEN IN AN EMAIL, I'D REALLY LIKE YOU TO KNOW ABOUT IT FIRST.
SO YEAH, IT'S ALL ABOUT EDUCATION, YOU KNOW. SO.
OKAY. WELL, DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM? NO PUBLIC COMMENT. WE DON'T. ALL RIGHT. SO THAT GETS US THROUGH HERE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND DO WE HAVE ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS? WE DO NOT. SO WE ARE ADJOURNED AT 12:37. THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO ALL.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.