OLIVIA SANWONG: GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE. [00:00:01] I CALL TO ORDER THE MEETING OF THE BOARD EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT ON OCTOBER 21, 2026. THE MEETING IS HEREBY CALLED TO ORDER AT 10:31 AM. LET'S GO AHEAD AND DO ROLL CALL. KELLY CLANCY: THANK YOU. DIRECTOR COFFEY IS HERE. DIRECTOR MERCURIO? JOHN MERCURIO: HERE. KELLY CLANCY: THANK YOU. CHAIR SANWONG? OLIVIA SANWONG: HERE. KELLY CLANCY: NOTE ALL MEMBERS ARE PRESENT. OLIVIA SANWONG: ALL RIGHT. GREAT. [Approval of Minutes] AND SO NOW WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM TWO, OUR APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES. WE HAVE A AND B, AND I BELIEVE WE CAN LOOK AT THEM BOTH AT THE SAME TIME OR HAVE ONE VOTE FOR BOTH OF THEM. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS OR EDITS ON THE MINUTES FROM AUGUST 19 AND SEPTEMBER 16? I HAVE NONE, I DON'T HAVE ANY EITHER. COLIN? COLIN COFFEY: NO. OLIVIA SANWONG: ALL RIGHT. DO WE HAVE A MOTION FOR APPROVAL. JOHN MERCURIO: SO MOVED. OLIVIA SANWONG: OK. MOTION MADE BY DIRECTOR MERCURIO, SECONDED BY DIRECTOR COFFEY. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. BOARD MEMBERS: AYE. OLIVIA SANWONG: ANY OPPOSED? ANY ABSTENTIONS? THAT PASSES UNANIMOUSLY, 3-0. OK, SO LET'S MOVE ON TO ITEM 3 ON THE AGENDA, PUBLIC COMMENTS ON ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA. KELLY CLANCY: THERE IS NO PUBLIC COMMENT. OLIVIA SANWONG: ALL RIGHT. WE WILL CLOSE THE PUBLIC COMMENT AND MOVE ON TO 4A, [Action Items] ACTION ITEMS UPDATE AND DISCUSSION ON STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS. ALLISON BROOKS: GOOD MORNING. ALLISON BROOKS, ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER FOR EXTERNAL AFFAIRS. EXCITED TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON OUR STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS EFFORT TODAY. I THINK WE HAVE SOME FUN INFORMATION TO RUN BY YOU AS WE'RE DEVELOPING SOME KEY MESSAGES AND EVEN EXPLORING SOME POTENTIAL TAGLINES WE COULD USE. SO JUST AS A REMINDER, WE HIRED THE BODEWELL GROUP IN NOVEMBER OF 2024. THEY STARTED '25. THEY STARTED WORK AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR. AND WE'VE REALLY HIRED THEM TO HELP US AND THE COMMUNICATIONS TEAM ENHANCE OUR COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PRACTICES, FOCUSING ON REACHING HISTORICALLY UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES AND ALIGNING OUR INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS, LARGELY AROUND THE DISTRICT PLAN, ALTHOUGH WE'RE SHARING-- WE'LL SHARE WITH YOU AND WE PLAN TO SHARE WITH THE BOARD, AT OUR NEXT MEETING, PROGRESS THAT WE'VE MADE ON THE STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS. SO THE PURPOSE WAS TO IDENTIFY GAPS AND PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS. SO THEY'VE DEVELOPED AN AUDIT. THEY'VE DONE AN AUDIT OF OUR CURRENT PRACTICES. AND ANOTHER GOAL IS TO ELEVATE THE PARK DISTRICT'S VALUE. SO HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE TAPPING IN TO ALL EAST BAY RESIDENTS AND THAT THEY'RE UNDERSTANDING OUR VALUE AND WILL BE FUTURE CONSTITUENTS OF OURS? AND WE REALLY WANT THE PARK DISTRICT TO BE UNDERSTOOD AND APPRECIATED AS AN ESSENTIAL PUBLIC SERVICE, SO YOU'LL HEAR THAT IN SOME OF THE MESSAGES THAT WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT WITH YOU TODAY. SO I'LL PROVIDE SOME UPDATES ON OUR PROGRESS. WE'LL DELVE INTO THE KEY MESSAGES AND THEN THE TAGLINES. SO WE HAVE COMPLETED AN AUDIT THAT INCLUDED BOTH QUALITATIVE AND A QUANTITATIVE ASSESSMENT OF HOW WE'VE BEEN DOING IN OUR OUTREACH. WE'VE ENGAGED WITH YOU. WE'VE ENGAGED WITH STAFF. WE HAD A COUPLE MESSAGING WORKSHOPS, A VISUAL BRANDING REVIEW. THEY REVIEWED ALL OF OUR MATERIALS, AND DONE SOME RESEARCH ON HOW WE'VE BEEN COMMUNICATING THUS FAR THROUGH OUR COMMUNICATIONS PRACTICES. AND THAT'S ALL INFLUENCED-- SOME OF THESE THINGS-- SOME OF OUR ACTIVITIES WERE ALREADY IN MOTION. SO FOR EXAMPLE, THE BOARD SERVICES PROGRAM. YOU'RE WORKING WITH DAVE MASON. THIS WAS A WAY TO REALLY HELP YOU GET THE SUPPORT YOU NEED TO SERVE YOUR CENTRAL ROLE AS BOARD MEMBER. SO SOME OF THESE WERE IN MOTION. BUT I THINK THIS REALLY-- WORKING WITH BODEWELL HAS REALLY HELPED US COALESCE AROUND A SET OF STRATEGIES AND APPROACHES TO COMMUNICATIONS THAT WE'RE HOPING WILL ELEVATE OUR WORK MOVING AHEAD. SO THE GOALS OF THIS HAVE BEEN TO BUILD LASTING COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS, OPTIMIZE OUR STORYTELLING, INTEGRATE COMMUNICATIONS ACROSS ALL OUR TEAMS, STRENGTHEN OUR BRAND, AND EQUIP LEADERSHIP WITH TOOLS AROUND COMMUNICATING WITH CONFIDENCE. SO HOW WE'VE ACCOMPLISHED SOME OF THIS ALONG THE WAY-- WE'VE BEEN EXPANDING COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN DEVELOPING THESE LONG-TERM PARTNERSHIPS, SHARING MESSAGING TOOLS WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS. YOU HEARD FROM A COUPLE COMMUNITY PARTNERS YESTERDAY AT THE BOARD MEETING, WHO HELPED WITH THE DISTRICT [00:05:01] PLAN OUTREACH. SO THESE ARE THE TYPES OF RELATIONSHIPS, WORKING WITH THE OFFICE OF EQUITY AND ACROSS OUR DIVISIONS, THAT WE REALLY WANT TO BUILD THESE LONG-TERM PARTNERSHIPS WITH COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS AND OTHERS AS WE DO THIS WORK. WE HAVE BEEN-- ON THE OPTIMIZING OUR STORYTELLING-- I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE CAUGHT SOME OF OUR VIDEO STORYTELLING THAT OUR NEW SOCIAL MEDIA STAFF PERSON HAS BEEN DOING, EXPANDING OUR VIDEO CONTENT ACROSS SOCIAL MEDIA, TELLING SOME GREAT STORIES OF WORK THAT'S GOING ON ACROSS THE PARK. WE'RE WORKING ON IMPLEMENTING MAINTENANCE MONDAYS, WHERE WE'RE HIGHLIGHTING SOME OF THE MAINTENANCE WORK THAT'S GOING ON ACROSS THE PARK AND SHARING THAT WITH THE PUBLIC. WE'VE BEEN UPDATING THE RIN DISTRIBUTION TO EXPAND REACH TO MORE PEOPLE. SO THAT'S GOING TO GET UNDERWAY NEXT YEAR, REALLY FOCUSING MORE ON DIRECT MAILINGS AND GETTING THE RIN OUT IN PUBLIC VENUES LIKE LIBRARIES. SO MAKING SURE THAT IT'S AVAILABLE TO AS MANY-- GET IT IN THE HANDS OF AS MANY PEOPLE AS WE CAN. AND THEN WE'LL GO OVER THE DRAFT KEY MESSAGES IN JUST A MINUTE. WE'VE BEEN INTEGRATING COMMUNICATIONS ACROSS TEAMS, SO WE'VE BEEN CONVENING WHAT WE'RE CALLING A CREATIVE WORKING GROUP, WHICH BRINGS IN KEY STAFF FROM ACROSS DIVISIONS TO HELP GUIDE THE WORK WE'RE DOING AND INFORM IT SO WE'RE MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE TAPPED IN TO ALL THE COMMUNICATIONS NEEDS OF EVERY DEPARTMENT AND DIVISION ACROSS THE DISTRICT. WE'RE A BIG ORGANIZATION, SPREAD OUT ALL OVER ALAMEDA AND CONTRA COSTA COUNTY. IT CAN BE REALLY HARD TO CONNECT WITH ALL STAFF. SO WE'RE JUST TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN HEAR FROM EVERYBODY AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE AND MAKE IT VERY CLEAR, WHAT ARE THE PROTOCOLS AROUND COMMUNICATIONS? FOR EXAMPLE, WE'RE WORKING WITH BODEWELL TO DEVELOP A TRAINING MODULE THAT PEOPLE CAN TAP INTO ON OUR SUMMIT PROGRAM SO THEY CAN LEARN ENTRY LEVEL, OUR BRAND, HOW THEY CAN ACCESS KEY TEMPLATES AND INFORMATION AND SERVE AS SPOKESPEOPLE FOR THE PARK DISTRICT. AROUND THE BRAND, WE'VE COMPILED AND SHARED THAT BRAND STYLE GUIDE. WE'RE SHARING THAT ACROSS THE PARK DISTRICT. FINALIZED STANDARDS FOR PHOTOGRAPHY, COLLATERAL, AND PRINT. WE'LL PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OF THE TAGLINE OPTIONS AND EXPLAIN WHY THOSE CAN BE HELPFUL AS WE'RE DEPLOYING THOSE TAGLINES MOVING FORWARD. AND AS I MENTIONED, WE CREATED THE BOARD SERVICES PROGRAM. SO I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS LATER, BUT I'M GOING TO HAND IT OVER TO NATE FROM BODEWELL, WHO'S GOING TO WALK US THROUGH SOME KEY MESSAGES. NATE GALVAN: THANK YOU, ALLISON. IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU ALL AGAIN. AS ALLISON MENTIONED, WE WERE HERE IN JUNE EARLIER THIS YEAR, PROVIDING AN UPDATE ON OUR INITIAL RECOMMENDATIONS AND OUR INSIGHTS. AND I'M SUPER EXCITED TO BE BACK TO NOW PROVIDE A BIT OF A PROGRESS UPDATE ON SOME OF THAT WORK. LAST TIME I WAS HERE, I WORE A TIE, BUT I WAS TOLD THAT IT'S NOT AS NEEDED NOW, SO I LOST THE TIE, BUT I'M JUST AS EXCITED TO BE HERE TODAY. SO I'M ABOUT TO GO INTO OUR KEY MESSAGES. I'LL SAY AT THE TOP THAT THESE ARE ALL IN DRAFT FORM. NONE OF THESE ARE FINALIZED. AND I'LL START WITH A LITTLE BIT OF INFORMATION ON THE BACKGROUND OF THESE. SO WHY KEY MESSAGES MATTER FOR THE PARK DISTRICT. ESSENTIALLY, CLEAR, TESTED MESSAGING IS WHAT TURNS PUBLIC GOODWILL INTO PUBLIC SUPPORT. STRAIGHTFORWARD. SO THE PARK DISTRICT ALREADY ENJOYS STRONG FAVORABILITY. 82% OF ALL VOTERS HAVE A FAVORABLE VIEW OF THE PARK DISTRICT, WHICH IS A GREAT, GREAT STARTING POINT. SO REALLY, THE RIGHT WORDS DEEPEN THAT CONNECTION AND ENSURE CONSISTENCY ACROSS THE ORGANIZATION. MESSAGING GROUNDED IN RESEARCH REFLECTS WHAT THE COMMUNITY CARES ABOUT MOST. SO SUMMED UP, KEY MESSAGES ENSURE THE PARK DISTRICT SPEAKS WITH ONE VOICE AND CONVERTS BROAD FAVORABILITY INTO LASTING COMMUNITY SUPPORT. SO THAT'S OUR GOAL WITH THESE KEY MESSAGES. AND HOW WE BUILT THEM. SO WE DESIGNED A SET OF KEY MESSAGES THAT ARE MEANT TO ACT AS INTERNAL GUIDEPOSTS THAT CAN BE APPLIED TO REAL-WORLD SITUATIONS. SO CAMPAIGNS, SOCIAL MEDIA. AND AGAIN, THESE ARE ALL IN DRAFT FORM. SO WE'RE HAPPY TO INCORPORATE THE FEEDBACK WE GET HERE TODAY TO HELP MORPH THEM TO MAKE SURE THEY INCORPORATE ALL OF VARIOUS SOURCES OF FEEDBACK. SO TO THIS POINT, WE BUILT THESE BASED OFF OF THE MOST RECENT POLLING FROM EARLIER THIS YEAR, OUR CREATIVE WORKING GROUP MESSAGING WORKSHOP THAT WE DID EARLIER IN THE YEAR AS WELL. AS ALLISON MENTIONED, WE DID DO STAFF AND BOARD INTERVIEWS. AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE OUR ONGOING PARTNERSHIP [00:10:02] WITH EXTERNAL AFFAIRS, AND THEY HAVE SHARED THESE INITIAL MESSAGES INTERNALLY WITH DIFFERENT GROUPS AND LEADERSHIP FOLKS TO BE ABLE TO GET THEIR INPUT AND, AGAIN, MAKE SURE THAT THESE ARE MORPHED CORRECTLY. SO WHAT WE KNOW-- WHAT RESONATES MOST IS THE TOP OF OUR VOTER PRIORITIES, BASED ON THE MOST RECENT POLLING, ARE AS FOLLOWS, PREVENTING WILDFIRES, PROTECTING WATER QUALITY, PROTECTING WILDLIFE HABITATS, PROTECTING NATURAL AREAS, AND MAINTAINING EXISTING REGIONAL PARKS. SO ALL OF THOSE POLLED AT AT LEAST 83% FOR EXTREMELY IMPORTANT AND VERY IMPORTANT FROM VOTERS. AND PREVENTING WILDFIRES, I BELIEVE, POLLED IT 88%. SO THE PREVENTION PROTECTION IS WHAT POLLS THE HIGHEST WITH VOTERS FOR WHAT THEY SEE AS THE MOST VALUABLE ASSET OF THE PARK DISTRICT. AND THE STRONGEST THEMES FROM THAT POLLING WAS ALSO WILDFIRE AND YOUTH MESSAGES THAT RESONATE THE MOST AMONG VOTERS OVERALL. SO WITH THAT, I AM NOW GOING TO JUMP INTO OUR KEY MESSAGES. WE HAVE ABOUT EIGHT OR SO TO GET THROUGH. WHAT I ASK IS THAT-- I'LL RUN THROUGH THEM, AND THEN AT THE END, WE CAN GO INTO ANY OF THEM MORE SPECIFICALLY OR TALK THROUGH HOW WE LANDED ON THESE MESSAGES. SO THIS IS OUR TOP-LINE MESSAGE. THIS IS THE MESSAGE THAT WE WANT FOLKS TO-- IF THEY REMEMBER ONE THING ABOUT THE PARK DISTRICT, THIS IS IT. SO THE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT IS AN ESSENTIAL PUBLIC SERVICE, DELIVERING LASTING VALUE THAT STRENGTHENS THE COMMUNITIES-- OR THAT STRENGTHENS COMMUNITIES, SUPPORTS WELL-BEING, AND ENHANCES THE EAST BAY'S EXTRAORDINARY QUALITY OF LIFE. AS ALLISON MENTIONED AT THE TOP, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE TOOK AWAY FROM OUR CREATIVE WORKING GROUP WORKSHOP WAS THAT THE PARK DISTRICT SHOULD BE SEEN AS AN ESSENTIAL PUBLIC SERVICE, THE SAME AS POLICE, FIRES, SCHOOLS, LIBRARIES. THE PARK DISTRICT IS IN THAT GROUP, AND WE WANT VOTERS-- WE WANT RESIDENTS TO SEE US THAT WAY. AND THAT IS WHY WE SET THIS TOP-LINE MESSAGE AT THE VERY TOP, IF YOU WILL. WE WANT THAT TO BE THE MAIN TAKEAWAY. SO WITH THAT, THE NEXT ONE IS NOW WE THEN ESSENTIALLY BUCKETED THE REST OF THESE INTO SPECIFIC FOCUS AREAS. SO OUR FIRST ONE, NOT SURPRISINGLY, IS AROUND PROTECTION. SO THE PARK DISTRICT PROTECTS THE RIDGELINE, SHORELINES, AND OPEN SPACES THAT DEFINE OUR SENSE OF PLACE, PREVENTING WILDFIRES, PROTECTING WATER SOURCES, AND MAINTAINING THE WILDLIFE HABITAT THAT EAST BAY RESIDENTS RELY ON EVERY DAY. SO OBVIOUSLY, THIS POLLED THE HIGHEST, SO IT MADE THE MOST SENSE TO START OUR KEY MESSAGES AROUND PROTECTION. YOU COULD SEE HOW VOTERS, RESIDENTS-- THIS IS GOING TO RESONATE THE MOST WITH THEM BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT THEY SEE AS THE PARK DISTRICT'S ESSENTIAL SERVICE, IF YOU WILL. AND WE THINK THIS WILL CONNECT A LOT WITH 22 TO 40-YEAR-OLDS, WITH VOTERS, WITH RESIDENTS, WITH PARK USERS. THIS HAS A PRETTY BROAD BASE. AND THEN OUR NEXT ONE, ALSO NOT SURPRISINGLY, IS PRESERVATION. SO THE PARK DISTRICT BALANCES THE CONSERVATION OF HABITATS AND OPEN SPACE WITH OPPORTUNITIES FOR RECREATION, HEALTH, AND EXPLORATION, ENSURING PEOPLE CAN ENJOY NATURE TODAY WHILE PRESERVING IT FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS TO COME. SO THIS ONE-- OBVIOUSLY, PRESERVATION POLLED REALLY HIGH, SO IT MADE SENSE TO TIE THIS ONE IN AS WELL. WHAT SEPARATES THIS ONE A LITTLE BIT, TO ME, IS THIS PRESERVING IT FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. TO ME, THAT REALLY TIES IN WITH THE AUDIENCE OF NOT JUST CURRENT PARK USERS WHO THE PARK DISTRICT IS ALREADY CONNECTED WITH BUT ALSO THOSE YOUTH SEGMENTS WHO WE ARE TRYING TO FOSTER THAT CONNECTION WITH TODAY AND BUILD THAT EDUCATION AND LET-- REALLY ESTABLISH IN THEM THAT THE WORK TO PRESERVE THIS FOR THEM AND THEIR KIDS STARTS TODAY. AND I THINK THAT IS WHERE THIS MESSAGE DIFFERENTIATES ITSELF FROM THE PROTECTION ONE AND THE OTHER ONES THAT YOU'LL SEE. SO HAVING FUN, WHICH SOUNDS SIMPLE BUT IS REALLY IMPORTANT-- SO FROM WALKING WITH FRIENDS TO LAUGHING AROUND A PICNIC TABLE, THE PARK DISTRICT IS WHERE PEOPLE GO TO CONNECT AND HAVE FUN, AN OPEN INVITATION TO PLAY EVERY DAY. SO IT SEEMS SIMPLE, BUT I THINK IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT TO US THAT THERE WAS A MESSAGE AROUND THIS SIMPLE PIECE, WHICH IS THAT THE PARK DISTRICT IS-- PEOPLE GO TO THE PARK DISTRICT TO SIMPLY HAVE FUN AND CONNECT. AND, AGAIN, IT SOUNDS SIMPLE, BUT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO US TO GET THAT IN WRITING. I KNOW IT WAS TO ALLISON [INAUDIBLE] TO HAVE SOMETHING THAT JUST SPEAKS TO THAT JOY. WE KNOW THAT THIRD SPACES FOR YOUTH AND FOR PARENTS TO CONNECT WITH THEIR CHILDREN IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY AS AN ESSENTIAL PUBLIC SERVICE, LIKE A LIBRARY. AND WE KNOW THAT NEW RESEARCH SUGGESTS THAT TEENS WANT MORE TIME TOGETHER, IN PERSON, IN PLACES WHERE THEY FEEL LIKE THEY BELONG. AND IF WE'RE TALKING AND TRYING TO CONNECT WITH THOSE YOUTH SEGMENTS, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE THINK DIRECTLY [00:15:02] SPEAKS TO THAT AUDIENCE. NATURE NEARBY. AGAIN, ANOTHER REALLY IMPORTANT ONE. THE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT HELPS CONNECT COMMUNITIES TO A NATURAL BOUNTY OF TRAILS, FORESTS, OPEN SPACE, SHORELINES, AND WATERWAYS ACROSS THE REGION, YOURS TO EXPLORE. SO ANOTHER INSIGHT FROM OUR WORKSHOP AND OUR DEMOGRAPHIC TAKEAWAYS WAS THAT THIS IDEA OF NATURE IN YOUR BACKYARD IS SOMETHING THAT IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT. IT'S THE NUMBER ONE REASON THAT PEOPLE LIVE IN THE EAST BAY, IS THE PARKS, IS THE NATURE, IS THE ACCESS TO THESE RESOURCES. SO WE WANTED A MESSAGE THAT SPEAKS TO THAT PROXIMI SPECIFICALLY, NOT JUST FOR THE FAMILIES THAT ALREADY HAVE ACCESS TO SOME OF THIS BUT ALSO THE UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES WHO MAY NOT CURRENTLY FREQUENT THE PARKS. WE WANT THEM TO KNOW THAT, AGAIN, THESE ARE YOURS TO EXPLORE. VASTNESS AND IMPACT. THIS ONE IS SOMEWHAT SELF-EXPLANATORY. THE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT IS THE LARGEST REGIONAL PARK SYSTEM IN THE NATION, OVERSEEING A VAST URBAN TAPESTRY OF OPEN SPACES THAT INCLUDES 127,000 ACRES OF PARKLAND, 01,330 MILES OF TRAILS, AND MORE THAN 70 PARKS. SO THESE STATS I KNOW YOU ALL KNOW VERY WELL. WE KNOW THEM VERY WELL. AND OBVIOUSLY, THE DATA CAN CHANGE ON THESE IF NEEDED AS MORE PARK LAND IS ACQUIRED OR THINGS CHANGE. BUT REGARDLESS, WHETHER THE DATA CHANGES OR NOT AND GROWS, THE IDEA THAT THERE'S NOTHING ELSE LIKE THE PARK DISTRICT ANYWHERE? THAT SENTIMENT STAYS THE SAME, AND A LOT OF THAT IS BECAUSE OF THE VASTNESS, THE IMPACT, WHAT YOU BRING, THE RESOURCES THAT YOU PROVIDE, AND THAT WILL ALWAYS RESONATE, NO MATTER WHAT THE DATA IS. COMMUNITY CONNECTION. THE PARK DISTRICT BELIEVES IN THE POWER OF THE PARKS TO CONNECT PEOPLE TO NATURE, ONE ANOTHER, AND THE DIVERSE COMMUNITIES THAT MAKE THE EAST BAY UNIQUE, CREATING A SHARED SENSE OF BELONGING. SO OBVIOUSLY, ESTABLISHING TRUST AS A COMMUNITY PARTNER. THE PARK DISTRICT IS A REALLY TRUSTED RESOURCE IN THE COMMUNITY. PEOPLE TRUST THE PARK DISTRICT TO CONNECT THEM WITH RESOURCES, EDUCATION, WITH PEOPLE, WITH ORGANIZATIONS. AND TO US, THIS WAS, AGAIN, A REALLY IMPORTANT ONE. AGAIN, CONNECTING NEIGHBORS TO NATURE IS JUST, I THINK, SUPER IMPORTANT WHEN WE'RE TALKING TO COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS BUT ALSO WHEN WE'RE TALKING TO CURRENT PARK USERS, FAMILIES, ALL OF THOSE AUDIENCES. SO QUALITY OF LIFE-- ENHANCING THE EAST BAY'S QUALITY OF LIFE IS FUNDAMENTAL TO THE PARK DISTRICT, CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL RESIDENTS TO EXPERIENCE THE HEALTH, CONNECTION, COMMUNITY, AND WELL-BEING THAT PARKS, TRAILS AND OPEN SPACES PROVIDE. ANOTHER THING THAT WE GOT FROM OUR CONVERSATIONS WITH STAFF AND THROUGH OUR WORKSHOPS AND OUR TRAININGS IS THAT THIS IDEA OF QUALITY OF LIFE AND JOY IS JUST NATURALLY INHERENT WITH THE PARKS. AFFORDABILITY SURFACED AS AN UNDERUTILIZED ATTRIBUTE OF THE PARKS WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT QUALITY OF LIFE. AND THEN OBVIOUSLY, PARKS IS A HEALTH AND WELLNESS TOOL FOR ALL AGES. SO WE CAN COMBINE ALL OF THOSE. IT SPEAKS TO THIS QUALITY OF LIFE PIECE THAT, WHEN WE'RE TALKING TO UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES, TALKING TO FAMILIES, WE WANT TO CONVEY ALL OF THE, AGAIN, RESOURCES AND THINGS THAT THE PARKS PROVIDE THAT THEY CAN UTILIZE EVERY DAY TO BE ABLE TO ENHANCE THEIR EVERYDAY LIFE. AND OUR FINAL ONE HERE IS PLANNING AND STEWARDSHIP. SO THE PARK DISTRICT'S STRATEGIC PLAN BUILDS ON A PROUD LEGACY OF CARING FOR THE LAND AND SERVING THE PUBLIC FOR NEARLY A HUNDRED YEARS. IT SERVES AS A CRITICAL GUIDEPOST FOR HOW WE PROTECT NATURE AND THE EAST BAY'S CULTURAL HERITAGE, PRESERVE OPEN SPACES, AND MEET THE CHANGING NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITIES FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. THIS ONE IS A BIT OF A MOUTHFUL, I KNOW, BUT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO US THAT WE HAD SOMETHING THAT WAS, ONE, FORWARD-LOOKING. THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE ALSO TOOK AWAY FROM OUR CONVERSATIONS WITH STAFF, IS, WE NEED MORE THINGS THAT LOOK AT THE NEXT HUNDRED YEARS. WE NEED MORE TALKING POINTS THAT SPEAK TO THE FUTURE AND WHY WE'RE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT IT AND THINGS THAT ARE A LITTLE BIT LESS ANCHORED IN THE PAST. AND THEN WE ALSO WANTED TO TIE IN THE DISTRICT PLAN. WE KNOW FROM OUR POLLING THAT VOTERS ARE MORE LIKELY TO SUPPORT A FUNDING MEASURE, A POTENTIAL FUNDING MEASURE, IF THERE IS A DISTRICT PLAN IN PLACE AND THEY KNOW THAT IT IS WORKING WELL. SO IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT TO US THAT WE INCLUDED SOMETHING THAT TIED IN THOSE TWO PIECES TOGETHER WHEN WE'RE TALKING TO VOTERS, BUT ALSO POLICYMAKERS, TOO, AND, AGAIN, SPEAKING ABOUT THE VALUE OF THE PARK DISTRICT. SO THAT WAS A LOT. I'M KIND OUT OF BREATH. I'LL PAUSE THERE. AND IF YOU HAVE ANY IMMEDIATE THOUGHTS, WE CAN RUN THROUGH THEM NOW, OR WE CAN DO IT AT THE END OF THE PRESENTATION AS WELL. OLIVIA SANWONG: IT IS A LOT. MAYBE WE CAN TAKE A PAUSE AND JUST SEE IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON WHAT WE'VE SEEN SO FAR. I'LL LOOK TO MY COMMITTEE MEMBERS FIRST. COLIN COFFEY: I'LL WAIT TILL [INAUDIBLE]. OLIVIA SANWONG: YOU'LL WAIT TILL THE END? [00:20:02] JOHN MERCURIO: JUST KIND OF A QUESTION OF MECHANICS HERE, I GUESS, HOW THESE WOULD BE USED. NATE GALVAN: YEAH, TOTALLY. JOHN MERCURIO: WOULD WE POTENTIALLY USE ALL OF THOSE IN DIFFERENT PLACES, DIFFERENT PUBLICATIONS, DIFFERENT-- NATE GALVAN: YEAH, I THINK THAT THE REASON THAT THERE IS EIGHT OF THEM TO START IS THAT WE CAN USE DIFFERENT ONES FOR DIFFERENT AUDIENCES, FOR DIFFERENT OUTLETS. AND AGAIN, THESE ARE MEANT TO BE GUIDEPOSTS. THEY DO NOT NEED TO BE ALWAYS REITERATED WORD FOR WORD AND BE THIS LENGTHY. BUT THE IDEA BEING THAT THERE IS A STARTING POINT TO BASE OFF ALL OF OTHER MESSAGING AND ALL OTHER PROMOTIONAL WORK, MARKETING WORK, ALL OF THAT STUFF. YEAH. JOHN MERCURIO: SO WE MIGHT-- LET'S JUST TAKE THAT LAST ONE THERE AS AN EXAMPLE. WE MIGHT TAKE THAT AND BUILD A SOCIAL MEDIA POST OFF OF THAT-- NATE GALVAN: TOTALLY. JOHN MERCURIO: --WITH ALL KINDS OF GREAT IMAGES THAT WE HAVE IN OUR STOCK-- NATE GALVAN: YEAH. JOHN MERCURIO: --RIGHT? NATE GALVAN: I CAN CONFIDENTLY SAY THAT ALLISON [INAUDIBLE] THEIR TEAM IS ALREADY DOING SOME OF THAT WORK, THAT SOCIAL MEDIA WORK THAT SHE TALKED ABOUT, ABOUT THE IMPLEMENTING NEW VIDEO CONTENT AND NEW CAMPAIGNS. A LOT OF THAT-- THIS INITIAL MESSAGING IS ALREADY STARTED TO DEPLOY, A LITTLE BIT, IN SOME OF THOSE, TOO. YEAH. THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT IT'S FOR. JOHN MERCURIO: OK, GOOD. THAT'S ALL I HAVE AS FAR AS QUESTIONS. OLIVIA SANWONG: YEAH, SO YOU'RE COUNTING IT WHERE WE HAVE THE TOP-LINE MESSAGE AND THEN THE EIGHT SUPPORTING MESSAGES? NATE GALVAN: I THINK IT'S TOP-LINE, AND THEN THERE'S SEVEN OTHERS, I THINK-- OLIVIA SANWONG: BECAUSE I COUNTED NINE. NATE GALVAN: OK, YEAH. SORRY. THEN THERE YOU GO. SO IT'S TOP-LINE PLUS EIGHT. OLIVIA SANWONG: WITH THE TOP-LINE BEING ONE OF THE NINE. NATE GALVAN: YEAH. THERE YOU GO. OLIVIA SANWONG: BUT YES, IT A LOT. AND THEN I'M, RIGHT NOW, ON OUR MISSION AND VISION PAGE, BECAUSE I SPENT A LOT OF TIME LOOKING AT THIS. AND I'M JUST CURIOUS, IF WE THINK ABOUT A MATRIX, HOW THIS FITS INTO OUR MISSION AND VISION STATEMENT. AND THEN I GUESS I ALSO WANT TO UNDERSCORE THE POINT THAT I PERSONALLY DON'T BELIEVE WE NEED TO BE CHANGING OUR MISSION AND VISION STATEMENT AT THIS POINT. IT'S ONE THING TO DO THIS WORK, BUT I HOPE THAT THIS WORK ISN'T WORKING TOWARDS CHANGING THE MISSION AND VISION OF THE PARK DISTRICT. ALLISON BROOKS: NO. THIS IS REALLY A WAY FOR ALL OF US TO TAP INTO LANGUAGE THAT RESONATES, THAT WE'VE SEEN REALLY RESONATES WELL WITH THE PUBLIC. SO WE'RE NOT TOUCHING OUR VISION OR MISSION STATEMENT. I'LL GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE, AS WE'RE HELPING TO DRAFT THE BUDGET, FOR EXAMPLE. WHAT KIND OF LANGUAGE ARE WE USING TO CAPTURE THE THINGS THAT WE KNOW THE PUBLIC REALLY RESONATE WELL WITH THE PUBLIC AND WE THINK TELL OUR STORY? SO THAT'S REALLY WHERE THIS IS REALLY MEANT TO HELP ALL OF US TAP INTO LANGUAGE, AS DIRECTOR MERCURIO SAID, TAP INTO THAT LANGUAGE THAT WE UNDERSTAND REALLY RESONATES WELL WITH THE PUBLIC AND I THINK THAT WE THINK TELLS OUR STORY AND THE KIND OF STORY WE WANT PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT US, HOW WE'RE TELLING OUR STORY. MAX KORTEN: YEAH, I'D JUST ADD-- THAT'S RIGHT. THIS ISN'T INTENDED TO DIRECT POLICY OR DIRECT PROJECTS OR ACTIONS. IT'S MORE, HOW DO WE TAKE THE POLICY AND THE ACTIONS AND THE THINGS THAT YOUR BOARD AND OUR STAFF'S WORKING ON AND TELL THAT STORY IN A WAY THAT'S GOING TO BUILD SUPPORT FROM THE PUBLIC? AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT I THINK THIS WILL ENABLE US TO DO. AND IT'S JUST LIKE BUILDING ON-- I KNOW SOME OF YOU JOINED OUR MEDIA TRAINING. AND THIS REALLY SUPPORTS THAT WORK, WHICH IS HELPING TO TAKE CHALLENGING QUESTIONS AND TURN THEM INTO THE STORIES WE WANT TO TELL. AND SO THIS BACKS THAT UP. OLIVIA SANWONG: YEAH. I DIDN'T HEAR ABOUT WHEN WE WERE HAVING THE MEDIA TRAINING, AND I HAD SOME BOARD MEMBERS ASK ME ABOUT THAT. COLIN COFFEY: I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT IT. OLIVIA SANWONG: YEAH. SO I DON'T KNOW IF THE WHOLE BOARD WAS INCLUDED. MAX KORTEN: WE INVITED THE WHOLE BOARD TO IT. YEAH. OLIVIA SANWONG: REALLY? MAX KORTEN: YEAH. COLIN COFFEY: I JUST MISSED IT. ALLISON BROOKS: ABSOLUTELY, YEAH. OLIVIA SANWONG: OK, I'LL LOOK FOR IT BECAUSE I KNOW I HAD SOME PEOPLE ASKING ME ABOUT IT, AND I DIDN'T SEE ANY INFORMATION ABOUT IT. MAX KORTEN: WE INVITED YOU TO IT. OLIVIA SANWONG: ALL RIGHT. COLIN COFFEY: I'M SURE YOU DID, AND I JUST MISSED IT. I DO THAT. OLIVIA SANWONG: AND THEN I DO WANT TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT SOME OF THE-- BECAUSE I THINK WE'RE DEPENDING A LOT ON THAT SURVEY AND THAT POLLING FOR THIS, WHICH I THINK IS ONE DATA POINT. ANECDOTALLY, I CAN SHARE-- SO I DO TALK A LOT ABOUT OUR MISSION, AND IN OUR MISSION STATEMENT, WE DO MENTION ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND HOW AN ENVIRONMENTAL ETHIC GUIDES THE DISTRICT. AND I DON'T SEE THAT LANGUAGE IN HERE. I THINK IT'S SORT OF IN HERE, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT NATURE NEARBY AND THEN THE PLANNING AND STEWARDSHIP. BUT I GUESS ANECDOTALLY, I SHARE WHEN I TALK TO GROUPS OF PEOPLE AND I MENTION OUR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND THE WORK OF OUR VISITOR CENTERS AND INTERPRETIVE AND RECREATION GROUPS, AS WELL AS THE ENVIRONMENTAL ETHIC, IT REALLY RESONATES. AND I'M ALSO FINDING THAT WHEN I HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE, WHEN I START TALKING ABOUT HOW WE HAVE CALIFORNIA CONDORS NEAR DEL VALLE AND IN SUNOL AND ROUND VALLEY, THAT'S REALLY RESONATING. AND THEN THE OTHER DAY, I WAS TALKING ABOUT OUR SUNOL HERITAGE FESTIVAL AND HOW OUR SUNOL VISITOR CENTER NOW HAS THESE GREAT NEW PATCHES THAT THE CREATIVE DESIGN GROUP PUT TOGETHER WITH THE CALIFORNIA RED-LEGGED FROG ON IT. AND THAT REALLY RESONATED. [00:25:01] AND WHILE I THINK IT'S SORT OF IN HERE, IT'S ALSO KIND OF NOT, WHEREAS I SEE IT IN THE MISSION STATEMENT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL ETHIC. SO I WONDER IF SOMEHOW WHEN WE DID THE SURVEY, WE MIGHT'VE MISSED THAT ASPECT OF THE MISSION STATEMENT, AND I WOULDN'T WANT US TO LOSE THAT BECAUSE I DO THINK THAT THAT MESSAGING DOES SEEM TO RESONATE. AT LEAST I CAN SHARE ANECDOTALLY. NATE GALVAN: YEAH. I CAN I'LL LET ALLISON SPEAK, TOO. BUT I THINK, FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE, THE POLLING WAS A GREAT BASIS BECAUSE WE WANTED THE DATA. WE WANTED TO KNOW WHAT VOTERS THINK ABOUT, WHAT RESONATES MOST WITH THEM, WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT JUST THE CONNECTING WITH THEM AND POTENTIAL FUNDING MEASURES AND THAT TYPE OF THING. IT JUST MADE A LOT OF SENSE TO USE THE DATA THAT WAS AVAILABLE. WITH THAT BEING SAID, I DO KNOW THE EDUCATIONAL PIECE IS SOMETHING THAT OTHER STAFF MEMBERS HAVE BROUGHT UP AS WELL, ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT. SO WE CAN ALWAYS ADD SOMETHING THAT SPEAKS TO THAT SPECIFICALLY IF WE FEEL LIKE IT IS IMPORTANT. YEAH. THESE ARE MEANT TO BE A STARTING POINT FOR THAT. ALLISON BROOKS: YEAH, AND, AGAIN, AS NATE SAID, THESE ARE DRAFTS. AND ALSO, THAT'S SOMETHING WE HAVE HEARD FROM THE EDUCATION PIECE. SO WHEN WE DO ANOTHER VOTER SURVEY, WHICH WE PLAN TO DO IN EARLY '27, WE PLAN TO EXPLORE THAT TOPIC AS WELL WITHIN THE QUESTIONS. AND WE'LL HAVE MORE SURVEY DATA TO GO ON AROUND THAT. BUT, AGAIN, IF YOU HAVE MESSAGES THAT RESONATE-- I MEAN, THIS ISN'T MEANT TO LIMIT. THIS IS REALLY MEANT TO JUST PROVIDE SOME HELPFUL GUIDANCE ON LANGUAGE, REALLY. IT'S NOT MEANT TO LIMIT YOU AND WHAT YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT AND WHAT YOU FEEL RESONATES WITH YOUR CONSTITUENTS. YEAH. COLIN COFFEY: I DON'T KNOW WHETHER TO TALK NOW OR WAIT UNTIL YOU FOLKS ARE DONE, BECAUSE ONCE I START TALKING, I'M AT RISK OF NOT STOPPING IN A REASONABLE FRAME. AND MAYBE I'LL WAIT TILL YOU'RE DONE. BUT THE REASON I'M HESITANT AND MIGHT GO ON IS I THINK YOU HAVE AT LEAST TWO OF US HERE WHO ARE DEALING WITH, WHAT IS SUCCESSFUL COMMUNICATION, AND WHAT IS NOT, AIMED TOWARD NOVEMBER 3. I MEAN, AN ADVANTAGE OF HAVING AN ELECTED BOARD IS EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, WE HAVE OPPONENTS, AND WE GO OUT THERE, AND WE ARE TESTING EVERYTHING YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT EVERY SINGLE DAY. AND I HAVE A LOT OF FEEDBACK THAT I CAN GIVE. AND IT CAN BE TODAY. IT CAN BE LATER AND AFTER THE ELECTION. BUT THERE IS STUFF THAT I HAVE LEARNED, BY REASON OF SIMPLY HAVING TO PUT MYSELF OUT THERE AND TALK ABOUT THIS DISTRICT. AND SHE AND I ARE BOTH-- THIS GUY OVER HERE-- NO OPPONENT, SO HE'S NOT EXPERIENCING THIS ON THE SAME LEVEL THAT THE TWO OF US ARE. AND I'VE REALLY LEARNED A LOT ABOUT WHAT RESONATES WITH PEOPLE AND WHAT DOES NOT OVER THE LAST MONTH IN PARTICULAR, JUST BEING OUT THERE AND GREETING TOTAL STRANGERS AND INTRODUCING MYSELF AND TELLING THEM WHAT THERE IS. AND WHAT RESONATES WITH PEOPLE, CLEARLY, IS WHEN WE TOUCH THEM, WHEN WE TOUCH THEIR LIVES. AND THE STRONGEST COMMUNICATIONS WE HAVE ARE DIRECTLY RELATED TO HOW CLOSELY WE TOUCH PEOPLE'S LIVES. DO WE HAVE A PARK THAT GOES DIRECTLY INTO THAT TOWN? WHERE WE DON'T HAVE A PARK TOUCHING THAT TOWN, THAT TOWN DOESN'T JUST HAVE THE SAME VIBE THAT THE TOWNS THAT ARE SURROUNDED BY OUR PARKS. BRENTWOOD IS A LOT DIFFERENT VIBE THAN MARTINEZ, FOR INSTANCE. AND WE'RE POPULAR IN BOTH. BUT WE DON'T HAVE A PARK THAT GOES INTO BRENTWOOD, AND THERE'S JUST NOT THAT SAME RESONANCE THAT THERE IS IN MARTINEZ, FOR INSTANCE. WHERE WE FAIL TO SERVE IS THE WORST FORM OF COMMUNICATION. BEST FORM OF COMMUNICATION IS HAVING PARKS OR TRAILS THAT GO INTO A COMMUNITY AND TOUCH THAT COMMUNITY. THE WORST FORM OF COMMUNICATION THAT WE HAVE IS WHEN A SERVICE EITHER DOESN'T EXIST OR IT FAILS. WE HAVE TERRIBLE COMMUNICATION GOING ON WITH ANTIOCH RIGHT NOW BECAUSE THAT LAGOON HAS BEEN CLOSED FOR SO LONG AND BECAUSE OUR MINE FEATURES ARE OPEN AND SHUT AND NOT OPERATING AS THEY SHOULD BE. [00:30:03] AND OUR BIGGEST FANS IN ANTIOCH KNOW BOTH OF THOSE THINGS. AND WE'RE HAVING A TERRIBLE TIME THERE RIGHT NOW. THAT IS A FORM OF COMMUNICATION, NOT SERVING PEOPLE WITH STUFF THEY WANT. AND THIS IS WHAT WE LEARN JUST BY BEING OUT THERE AND FINDING OUT WHAT WORKS AND WHAT DOESN'T WORK AS WE, FRANKLY, CAMPAIGN. AND THAT'S JUST AN INTRODUCTION TO WHAT I'M LEARNING AND I'M SHARING. NATE GALVAN: YEAH. WELL, I WILL JUST SAY AT THE TOP-- I MEAN, YOUR FEEDBACK IS DEFINITELY VALUED IN THESE. SO WHETHER IT'S AT THIS MEETING OR WHETHER IT'S AFTER, IF WE CAN-- I DEFINITELY WOULD VALUE HAVING THAT SPECIFIC-- THOSE SPECIFIC NOTES ON THESE MESSAGES AND WHAT ELSE IS MISSING AND WHAT WE NEED TO FOCUS ON. I THINK THAT'S SUPER IMPORTANT. AND I THINK-- AGAIN, THE IDEA WITH THESE MESSAGES IS TO BE ADDITIVE. IT'S TO NOT ADD CONSTRAINTS, BUT TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THE PARK DISTRICT SPEAKING FROM ONE VOICE SO EVEN WHEN WE'RE TRYING TO TALK ABOUT ADDING COMMUNICATIONS TO CERTAIN COMMUNITIES, WE HAVE A GOOD STARTING POINT, AND WE CAN ALWAYS MORPH IT TO FIT THAT COMMUNITY. SO I GUESS, AGAIN, THE GOAL WITH THESE IS TO HAVE THEM BE A BASELINE FOR US, WHERE WE CAN ONLY ADD TO THEM AND GROW THEM AND STRENGTHEN THEM AS WE KNOW MORE ABOUT OUR [INAUDIBLE]. COLIN COFFEY: I THINK THE POINT I'M MAKING AND I'M GOING TO BE MAKING-- AND I USED TO DO THIS DURING OUR CAPITAL PRIORITIZATION SESSIONS. REMEMBER WHEN I USED TO TALK ABOUT-- WELL, MY PRIORITY SYSTEM, IN PART, IS MY ROTARY TEST. WHAT DO I WANT TO GO AND SPEAK ABOUT TO THE ROTARY CLUB? AND WHAT DO WE HAVE, OPERATIONALLY, TO FILL THAT NEED OF WHAT I WANT TO SAY TO THE ROTARY CLUB? SO WHAT I'M SAYING IS SOMETIMES IT'S NOT ABOUT WHAT YOU FOLKS DO FOR US, WHAT WE HIRE YOU FOLKS TO DO FOR US, OR WHAT OUR WONDERFUL PUBLIC AFFAIRS GROUP DOES IN EXTERNAL AFFAIRS, ALL THAT COMMUNICATION AND THE NEED TO ENHANCE IT AND MAKE IT ALL BETTER. I THINK WHAT I'M LEARNING IS THAT IT'S NOT JUST MESSAGING. IT'S ACTUALLY DOING. IT'S OPERATIONAL. IT DEPENDS MORE ON WHAT LISA GOORJIAN IS DOING THAN WHAT EXTERNAL AFFAIRS IS DOING. THAT'S WHAT I'M LEARNING. NATE GALVAN: I MEAN, I THINK THAT'S A REALLY FAIR POINT. IT'S LIKE YOU CAN'T TALK THE TALK IF YOU CAN'T WALK THE WALK. SO I THINK THAT'S MOST OF WHAT-- MOST OF WHAT WE'RE ALL ABOUT IS DOING THE WORK. THIS IS SPECIFICALLY A STRATEGY ABOUT HOW DO WE TELL OUR STORY AS WELL AS WE CAN. BUT TO YOUR POINT, IF WE'RE NOT DOING THE WORK AND WE'RE NOT SERVING THE COMMUNITY, THE STORY'S GOING TO FALL FLAT EVERY TIME. I'M SUPER PROUD OF THE WORK OUR TEAM'S DOING, AND I THINK THEY WORK HARD TO PROVIDE THAT SERVICE. AND THIS REALLY IS MEANT TO COMPLEMENT THAT. BUT TO YOUR POINT, IT'S ONLY AS GOOD AS WHAT WE HAVE TO OFFER. OLIVIA SANWONG: AND I'LL JUST BUILD UPON THAT, IN TERMS OF TALKING ABOUT OUR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION. THE COMMUNITIES THAT I TALK TO THE MOST REALLY CARE ABOUT EDUCATION, PARTICULARLY K THROUGH 12 EDUCATION AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS HERE IN THE EAST BAY. AND WE HAVE AN INCREDIBLE STORY TO TELL AROUND THAT. AND IT REALLY RESONATES AS WELL BECAUSE THERE'S A HIGH VALUE. AND I THINK YOU SEE SOME OF THIS IN HERE WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT YOUNG PEOPLE AND YOUTH, IN TERMS OF RESONATING FROM THE SURVEY DATA. BUT I WOULD EVEN UNDERSCORE AND EMPHASIZE THAT, JUST BASED ON, AGAIN, THE ANECDOTAL EXPERIENCES THAT I'VE BEEN HAVING OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF MONTHS. BUT THEN ALSO, I CAN PERSONALLY RELATE TO IT. WHEN I WAS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, I WENT TO COYOTE HILLS AND ARDENWOOD ON SCHOOL FIELD TRIPS. AND I TALK ABOUT THAT BECAUSE IT WAS A VERY MEMORABLE MOMENT FOR ME IN MY LIFE, GOING TO THOSE TWO PARKS AND HAVING THE EXPERIENCES THAT I HAD AS A YOUNG PERSON AND WHAT IT MEANS TO ME NOW TODAY AS AN ADULT. AND SO I THINK THAT THERE'S THIS MULTIGENERATIONAL STORY WE GET TO TELL ABOUT THESE FIELD TRIPS AND THESE SCHOOL PROGRAMS. AND I KNOW WE WORK REALLY HARD. AND I FIND-- I DO SPEND A LOT OF TIME AT COYOTE HILLS, AND ALMOST EVERY OTHER TIME I'M THERE ON A WEEKDAY, THERE'S SOME SCHOOL GROUP THAT'S VISITING COYOTE HILLS, AND THAT'S INCREDIBLE. COLIN COFFEY: SO THIS IS SOMETHING I'VE LEARNED AS WELL THAT I WILL SHARE BECAUSE YOU JUST TRIGGERED IT-- THE THOUGHT. THAT POLL AND DEALING WITH PEOPLE, COMPLETE STRANGERS AND JUST TALKING ABOUT THE PARKS AND THE PARK DISTRICT OUT THERE-- I'VE LEARNED A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT THAT POLL MISSED. AND ONE OF THEM IS IT DIDN'T-- FOR WHATEVER REASON, THE QUESTIONING DID NOT EMPHASIZE THE NEED FOR PEOPLE TO FEEL SAFE IN PARKS. SO PUBLIC SAFETY IS NOT IN THOSE TOP LISTS OF THINGS [00:35:04] THAT THE POLL IDENTIFIED. PUBLIC SAFETY IS-- JUST DOESN'T SHOW VERY MUCH IN THIS POLL. IT HAS IN PRIOR SURVEYS. BUT WHAT I'M LEARNING OUT THERE IS THE TREMENDOUS POPULARITY OF THE FACT THAT WE HAVE PARKS WHERE PEOPLE SEE PARK RANGERS OUT THERE, DOING THEIR WORK, INTERACTING WITH PARK RANGERS. THEY SEE POLICE IN THE PARKING LOTS. AND THEY REALLY, REALLY, REALLY WANT TO SEE POLICE ON TRAILS BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE'RE HEARING THE MOST ABOUT THESE DAYS, IS THE MOTORCYCLES ON TRAILS ARE DRIVING PEOPLE NUTS. WE NEED TO GET POLICE OUT THERE. THAT'S WHAT I'M LEARNING JUST FROM BEING OUT THERE, AND THAT DOESN'T SHOW UP IN THE POLL. THE OTHER THING THAT DOESN'T SHOW UP IN THE POLL IS THE VISITOR CENTERS. IN FACT, WHEN THEY POLLED, WOULD YOU SUPPORT MORE VISITOR CENTERS, IT GOT MORE THAN 50%, BUT IT WASN'T UP THERE LIKE THE 80% LEVEL. AND YET WHAT I HEAR OUT THERE WHEN I'M TALKING TO PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY PARENTS, IS, OH, MY GOODNESS. WE SO MUCH ENJOY WHAT YOUR NATURALISTS DO. AND OF COURSE, OUR NATURALISTS-- THAT'S THE EDUCATION ELEMENT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. AND THEY'RE ALL TIED TO VISITOR CENTERS. AND SO I THINK THE POLL SOMEHOW MISSES THE IMPORTANCE OF VISITOR CENTERS AND THE PROGRAMS TIED WITH THE VISITOR CENTERS AND HOW POPULAR THOSE PROGRAMS ARE. SO TWO THINGS I'VE LEARNED JUST IN THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS BEING OUT THERE. ALLISON BROOKS: GREAT. THANK YOU. GREAT INPUT. WE ARE GOING TO DO ANOTHER POLL SO WE CAN TEST THIS OUT. I THINK THE ONE GOOD THING-- THAT THE POLL DOES INDICATE ACROSS THE BOARD THAT THERE IS OVERWHELMING SUPPORT FOR THE PARK DISTRICT ACROSS ALAMEDA AND CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, SO THAT IS A POSITIVE. SO WE'RE GOING TO GO INTO THE NEXT FUN EXERCISE. WE APPRECIATE-- NO, NO, NO. IT'S ALL GOOD. WE'RE GOING TO GO INTO TAGLINES. SO AGAIN, THESE-- YEAH. OLIVIA SANWONG: CAN WE JUST PAUSE FOR A MOMENT? I THINK JOHN HAD A-- ALLISON BROOKS: OH, SORRY. YEAH. JOHN MERCURIO: I WAS WAITING FOR MY COMMENT AFTER MY QUESTION. SO I HAVE A COUPLE OF WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT, I GUESS, FOR YOU. ALLISON BROOKS: OH, GREAT. OK. JOHN MERCURIO: I REALLY, REALLY LIKE-- SO KEY MESSAGE-- I LIKE THE QUALITY OF LIFE ONE. AND WHEN I THINK OF THAT, I'M ACTUALLY ZEROING IN ON THE PEOPLE QUALITY OF LIFE. BUT THERE'S ALSO THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR THE FLORA AND FAUNA THAT ARE IN OUR PARKS, TOO. BUT, I MEAN, THEY'RE NOT RESPONDING TO THE POLL, SO IT'S OK, IN THIS CASE, TO FOCUS ON THE PEOPLE PART. AND I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THAT A LOT LATELY, IS THAT QUALITY OF LIFE IS A GREAT, JUST GIGANTIC UMBRELLA THAT GOES OVER EVERYTHING THAT WE DO. IT'S MEANT TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF THE RESIDENTS OF NOT ONLY THE TWO COUNTIES BUT EVERYBODY WHO COMES OUR WAY. SO I THINK THAT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT ONE THAT I WOULD LOVE TO SEE EMPHASIZED OUT THERE. AND QUALITY OF LIFE-- THERE'S INTANGIBLES. IT'S JUST LIKE, AH, I FEEL BETTER. THERE'S ALSO ECONOMIC BENEFITS, TOO, WHERE IF PEOPLE PERCEIVE THIS AREA WHERE THE PARK DISTRICT DOES ITS WORK AS A PLACE WITH A HIGH QUALITY OF LIFE, WHICH THEY PROBABLY-- MOST PEOPLE DO-- IT'S GOOD FOR EVERYBODY. IT'S GOOD FOR BUSINESS. IT'S GOOD FOR THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE. IT'S GOOD FOR EVERYTHING. SO I WANT TO DO THAT. AND THEN WHILE I'M-- DIRECTOR COFFEY MENTIONED SAFETY AND WE NEED TO GET THE MESSAGE OUT THERE, AT A MINIMUM, THAT WE FIND SAFETY TO BE IMPORTANT. AND THEN AFTER THAT, CLOSELY BEHIND THAT IS, WHAT ARE WE DOING ABOUT IT? AND I KNOW WE ARE DOING MORE THAN WE HAVE DONE IN THE PAST TO ADDRESS THAT ISSUE. AND I THINK, FROM MY EXPERIENCE IN MY WARD, WHERE THE IRON HORSE TRAIL IS, MOST OF IT, THAT THAT'S AN ISSUE THAT COMES UP A LOT. SO WE MUSTN'T-- WE MUST MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE TRAIL-- THAT REGIONAL TRAILS THAT GO FOR 30 MILES THROUGH THE PARK DISTRICT. SO THAT'S SOMETHING TO ALWAYS KEEP IN MIND. AND THERE WAS ONE OTHER-- NATURE NEARBY. KEY MESSAGE, NATURE NEARBY. I WROTE DOWN, NEAR YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, BECAUSE I KNOW THERE ARE SOME PLACES THAT AREN'T SERVED BY IT, BUT I DON'T KNOW. SOMEHOW IF WE CAN UTILIZE THIS WHERE WE ARE NEAR A LOT OF-- WHERE A LOT OF RESIDENCES ARE. AND IF YOU-- FROM THIS POINT HERE, [00:40:02] ABOVE US IS WHERE THE PARKS ARE. THE OTHER WAY, DOWNHILL, TOWARD THE BAY IS WHERE THE SHORELINE IS. IF YOU DREW A LINE-- THE MIDDLE, NORTH, SOUTH DOWN THERE, IT'S NOT THAT FAR FROM EITHER A REGIONAL TRAIL ALONG THE SHORELINE OR THE PARKS UP IN THE HILLS. SO ALL THOSE FOLKS ARE PRETTY CLOSE, CERTAINLY WITHIN BICYCLE-RIDING DISTANCE. SO THAT'S JUST SOMETHING TO KEEP IN MIND. IF YOU CAN WORK IN THERE, WHEREVER IT WORKS, NEAR YOUR-- AND I PUT IT IN CAPITAL, YOUR, YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD-- I THINK THAT KIND OF RESONATES WITH PEOPLE, TOO, IF WE COULD DO THAT. OTHER THAN THAT, I REALLY LIKE ALL THOSE THINGS. OH, ONE OTHER ONE KEY MESSAGE, PROTECTION. CAN YOU GO TO THAT ONE? ALLISON BROOKS: SURE. YEAH. JOHN MERCURIO: SO THERE'S A PHRASE THERE. I'M VERY, VERY FAMILIAR WITH IT BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN A PLANNING COMMISSIONER IN THE PAST. AND THIS PHRASE IS PRESENT VERY OFTEN WHEN PROJECTS GET PROPOSED. AND THAT'S THE PHRASE, SENSE OF PLACE. THAT'S A PLANNING PHRASE THAT'S USED A LOT. IT'S NOT NECESSARILY SOMETHING THAT THE AVERAGE PERSON KNOWS WHAT IT MEANS. I LOVE IT. I MEAN, I USE IT ALL THE TIME. IT'S LIKE, WOW, I REALLY FEEL LIKE I'M BEING GIVEN A SENSE OF PLACE AT THIS THING, WHERE I AM. SO I DON'T KNOW. MAYBE IF WE COULD FIND SOME OTHER WORDING FOR THAT THAT'S MORE INFORMAL. AND I'M SORRY. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT WOULD BE. AND IF YOU CAN'T FIND ANYTHING ELSE, THAT'S FINE, I GUESS. BUT I THINK IT COULD BE BETTER IF IT WAS MORE REGULAR LANGUAGE FOR PEOPLE. ALLISON BROOKS: YEAH, WE CAN WORK ON THAT. SURE. NATE GALVAN: I THINK THIS IS GREAT FEEDBACK. AND I THINK, TO YOUR POINT ABOUT TELLING THE STORY ABOUT THE E-BIKE SAFETY FOR THE-- EMOTO SAFETY, FOR EXAMPLE-- THAT'S TOTALLY THE PURPOSE OF THIS, IS THIS GIVES US THE BIGGER-- WE CARE ABOUT X, Y, Z, AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE DOING THIS WORK AROUND E-BIKE SAFETY ON THE TRAILS, OR THAT'S WHY WE'RE DOING THIS SPECIFIC THING. THAT'S HOW WE UTILIZE THESE. AND I THINK IF YOU LIKE THAT, YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE THIS NEXT PART, WHICH IS-- ALLISON BROOKS: OK. MOVE US ALONG. NATE GALVAN: TAKING A STEP FURTHER. ALLISON BROOKS: YES. BECAUSE YEAH, THE NEXT PART-- THE TAGLINE. SO THIS IS A MEATY TOPIC, SO I'M GOING TO HAND IT OVER TO STEPHANIE. AND AGAIN, THESE ARE ALL IN DRAFT-- THESE ARE ALL DRAFTS. NATE GALVAN: YEAH, WE'RE LOOKING FOR YOUR INPUT BECAUSE WE WANT TO BRING THIS TO THE BOARD, BUT WE WANT YOUR INPUT. STEPHANIE DELL: OK. HI EVERYONE. I'M STEPHANIE DELL, AND I'M PLEASED TO BE HERE WITH YOU TODAY TO TALK ABOUT THE TAGLINES WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON. ALL RIGHT. SO WHY A TAGLINE? WELL, WHILE THE PARK DISTRICT ALREADY HAS A VERY HIGHLY RECOGNIZED NAME THROUGHOUT THE EAST BAY, THE TEAM FELT THAT IT WOULD REALLY BENEFIT FROM A TAGLINE THAT COMMUNICATES WHAT THE CORE VALUE OF THE PARK DISTRICT IS AND BRINGS TO THE EAST BAY. IN ITS SIMPLEST FORM, A TAGLINE IS A REPEATABLE STATEMENT. IT'S CLEAR. IT'S CONCISE. AND IT CONVEYS THE IDENTITY OF THE PARK DISTRICT, ITS IMAGE, ITS VALUE, AND ITS MISSION. CREATING A TAGLINE IS NOT ABOUT CHANGING THE PARK DISTRICT'S IDENTITY. IT'S ABOUT HELPING TELL THE STORY THAT SITS BEHIND ITS IDENTITY. AND THEN, ONCE ADOPTED, THE TAGLINE CAN BE USED ACROSS A VARIETY OF YOUR COMMUNICATIONS CHANNELS. IT CAN BE USED ON SOCIAL AND DIGITAL MEDIA, THROUGH YOUR PRINT MATERIALS. IT CAN BE INCORPORATED INTO SIGNAGE. IT CAN BE USED ON LEGISLATIVE AND BALLOT MEASURE-RELATED MATERIALS. AND IT CAN BE INCLUDED AS A LOCKUP FOR YOUR LOGO, PAIRED WITH THE PARK DISTRICT LEAF. ULTIMATELY, OUR TEAM WANTED TO COME UP WITH A TAGLINE THAT IS REALLY SIMPLE AND MEMORABLE AND THAT HELPED TELL THE PARK DISTRICT'S STORY ACROSS A WIDE RANGE OF COMMUNICATIONS CHANNELS. AND SO WITH THAT GOAL IN MIND, I'M GOING TO WALK YOU THROUGH THE PROCESS THAT WE WENT THROUGH WITH THE STAFF TO COME UP WITH THE RECOMMENDATIONS WE'LL BE SHARING WITH YOU. SO HOW WE GOT HERE. SO STARTING BACK IN APRIL, WE CONDUCTED A BRANDING AND MESSAGING WORKSHOP WITH PARK DISTRICT STAFF. AND AS PART OF THAT WORKSHOP, WE WENT THROUGH A NUMBER OF EXERCISES TO HELP IDENTIFY WHAT ARE SOME OF THE KEY IDEAS AND THEMES THAT WE WANT TO INCLUDE WITHIN A TAGLINE. AFTER THAT, WE PRESENTED SOME INITIAL TAGLINE OPTIONS TO THE EXTERNAL AFFAIRS TEAM, AND BASED ON THOSE IDEAS, WE REFINED THEM SOME MORE. AND THEN WE LAUNCHED A STAFF SURVEY IN MAY OF THIS YEAR THAT INCLUDED THOSE INITIAL OPTIONS AND THEN ALSO INCLUDED AN OPPORTUNITY FOR STAFF TO SUGGEST THEIR OWN TAGLINE OPTIONS. THEN, FOLLOWING THAT, WE CONTINUED REFINING THEM. THEN WE WENT BACK TO THE STAFF WORKING GROUP, PRESENTED THOSE INITIAL OPTIONS TO THEM, [00:45:03] AND INCLUDED WITHIN THAT THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT CAME OUT OF THE STAFF SURVEY AS AN OPTION AS WELL. AND THEN LATER THIS SUMMER, WE PRESENTED A VERY SHORT LIST THAT WE HAD WHITTLED IT DOWN TO OF TAGLINE OPTIONS TO EXECUTIVE STAFF. SO THIS WAS A VERY THOUGHTFUL AND COLLABORATIVE PROCESS. THERE WAS A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY ALONG THE WAY TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK, PARTICIPATE IN THE PROCESS, AND IS ULTIMATELY BRINGING US TO THE FOUR AND A HALF RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE'RE GOING TO SHARE WITH YOU TODAY. AND JUST A REMINDER-- THESE ARE STILL IN DRAFT FORM, AS ALLISON MENTIONED. THESE ARE NOT FINAL. YOU MIGHT START TO SEE THEM BEING TESTED AND ROLLED OUT BY STAFF TO SEE WHICH ONES RESONATE WELL WITH DIFFERENT AUDIENCES, BUT THEY'RE NOT FINALIZED YET. ALL RIGHT. OUR FIRST TAGLINE OPTION-- JOHN MERCURIO: JUST BEFORE WE GET INTO THIS, IT'S A SIMILAR QUESTION TO WHAT I HAD BEFORE. ARE THESE MEANT TO BE USED, LIKE MANY OF THEM, USED IN DIFFERENT PLACES, IN DIFFERENT APPLICATIONS, OR ARE WE LOOKING FOR ONE BIG, GRAND ONE? STEPHANIE DELL: SO ULTIMATELY, WE'D LIKE TO GET DOWN TO ONE TAGLINE OPTION THAT WOULD BE USED FOR-- THROUGHOUT OUR MATERIALS IN OUR PARK DISTRICT. BUT I THINK STAFF IS ALREADY USING A FEW OF THEM NOW. NATE GALVAN: AND THIS IS WHERE WE COULD REALLY USE YOUR BOARD'S GUIDANCE. SO I THINK THE IDEA, REALLY, IS WE'RE BRINGING THIS TODAY TO GET-- IF YOUR BOARD IS LIKE, HEY, WE HAVE A RECOMMENDATION; THIS ONE IS REALLY TELLING OUR STORY. AND THEN WHEN WE BRING THIS TO THE FULL BOARD, WE CAN SAY, HEY, WE BROUGHT THIS TO THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE REALLY LIKED THIS ONE. WE WOULD LOVE THE FULL BOARD'S DIRECTION ON-- ONE OF THESE OR TWO OF THESE REALLY RESONATE BETTER. I MEAN, WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO USE MORE, BUT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IS A QUICK WAY TO TELL OUR STORY, POTENTIALLY. SO ANYWAY, THIS IS SOMETHING WE REALLY COULD USE YOUR HELP WITH. STEPHANIE DELL: ALL RIGHT. SO OPTION ONE IS PROTECTING THE IRREPLACEABLE. SO THIS SENTIMENT EMERGED DIRECTLY FROM THE STAFF WORKING GROUP THAT WAS CONDUCTED. WE DID AN EXERCISE WHERE WE ASKED PARTICIPANTS WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF YOU WOKE UP ONE DAY AND ALL OF THE PARKS WERE GONE IN THE EAST BAY. AND WHAT EMERGED WAS A VERY VISCERAL AND IMMEDIATE REACTION FROM PARTICIPANTS. THEY FELT LIKE PROPERTY VALUES WOULD BE DIMINISHED, THAT MENTAL HEALTH WOULD SUFFER IN THE EAST BAY. PEOPLE WOULDN'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO GET OUT AND CONNECT WITH NATURE, THERE WOULD BE A LOSS OF COMMUNITY UNIQUENESS AND A REALLY DIMINISHED SENSE OF PLACE. AND WHAT EMERGED OUT OF THAT WAS THE WORD, IRREPLACEABLE. THE PARKS IN THE EAST BAY ARE IRREPLACEABLE. AND SO THAT BECAME THE REALLY HONEST ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION AND LED TO THIS TAGLINE, PROTECTING THE IRREPLACEABLE. THIS ALSO MOST CLOSELY ALIGNS WITH THE MESSAGING THAT NATE SHARED. THAT BROADER THEME OF PRESERVATION AND PROTECTION CONSISTENTLY EMERGES IN THIS TAGLINE DEVELOPMENT. SO OPTION ONE, PROTECTING THE IRREPLACEABLE. OPTION 1A IS A SLIGHT VARIATION OF THE FIRST OPTION. THIS IS PROTECTING THE IRREPLACEABLE, ENRICHING THE EVERYDAY. SO ORIGINALLY, WE PRESENTED THIS LONGER VERSION, AND THERE WAS SOME CONCERNS ABOUT HOW IT WOULD BE USED, THE LENGTH OF IT MIGHT BE TOO MUCH. AND SO WE WANTED TO SEPARATE THEM OUT, BUT NOT LOSE THIS ONE ENTIRELY BECAUSE THE SECOND PHRASE IN THIS TAGLINE IS DOING A LOT OF HEAVY LIFTING. IT'S CONNECTING THE MULTIPLE PILLARS IN THE KEY MESSAGING PLATFORM, FROM PROTECTION TO QUALITY OF LIFE. AND IT GIVES RESIDENTS THAT PERSONAL REASON TO CARE BEYOND JUST THE CIVIC ARGUMENT. SO THE TWO HALVES WORK TOGETHER, PROTECTING THE IRREPLACEABLE AND ENRICHING THE EVERYDAY, TO DEMONSTRATE THE PARK'S DUAL MANDATE, WHICH IS STEWARDSHIP OF THE LAND AND SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY. SO OPTION 1A, PROTECTING THE IRREPLACEABLE, ENRICHING THE EVERYDAY. AND THEN TO GIVE YOU A SENSE OF WHAT THIS MIGHT LOOK LIKE IN USE, WE HAD THE TEAM MOCK UP TWO JUST SAMPLE IMAGES HERE. THESE ARE JUST FOR ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSES. ON THE LEFT, YOU HAVE PROTECTING THE IRREPLACEABLE, ENRICHING THE EVERYDAY, THE LONGER FORM VERSION, DROPPED ONTO A PRINT MATERIAL. AND THEN ON THE RIGHT, YOU HAVE THE SHORTER FORM AS WELL. THE SHORTER FORM IS CERTAINLY MORE CONCISE AND IMPACTFUL, BUT THE LONGER VERSION PROVIDES A MORE COMPLETE PICTURE OF SOME OF THE BROADER ROLES THAT THE PARK DISTRICT SERVES. ALL RIGHT. OPTION 2 IS NATURE PRESERVE, JOY SERVED. SO THIS TAGLINE CONNECTS TWO ESSENTIAL VALUES. YOU HAVE ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP AND HUMAN ENRICHMENT. THE FIRST PHRASE, NATURE PRESERVED, ANCHORS THE RATIONAL CASE. THE PARK DISTRICT IS PROTECTING OPEN SPACE, WHICH CANNOT BE RECOVERED IF IT'S EVER LOST. AND THEN THE SECOND PHRASE, JOY SERVED, [00:50:02] DELIVERS ON THAT EMOTIONAL PAYOFF. IT'S DEMONSTRATING WHAT THAT PROTECTION TRANSLATES FOR TO RESIDENTS. SO IT'S SOMETHING THAT THEY FEEL EVERY TIME THEY STEP OUTSIDE. AND THEN THE STRUCTURE OF THIS TAGLINE AND THE RHYTHM OF IT GIVE IT A QUALITY THAT NONE OF THE OTHER TAGLINES ARE GOING TO POSSESS. IT HAS THAT RHYMING STRUCTURE. IT'S MEMORABLE. AND IT'S SOMEWHAT SATISFYING TO SAY, WHICH MATTERS FOR A BRAND THAT DEPENDS ON PUBLIC SUPPORT. IT'S ALSO PROBABLY THE MOST IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZABLE AND APPROACHABLE TAGLINE. IT SPEAKS REALLY DIRECTLY TO WHAT SOMEONE FEELS WHEN THEY'RE EXPERIENCING THE PARKS. SO OPTION 3-- SORRY. OPTION 2, NATURE PRESERVED, JOY SERVED. AND THEN OPTION 3 IS NATURE CLOSE TO HOME. SO ON THIS ONE, WE'RE SPEAKING DIRECTLY TO ACCESSIBILITY, COMMUNICATING THAT NATURE ISN'T FAR OFF. IT'S NOT SOME FAR-OFF DESTINATION. IT DOESN'T REQUIRE A LONG TRIP TO GET TO IT. IT SHOULD BE SOMETHING THAT'S IN REACH OF EVERY EAST BAY RESIDENT. SO WHEREVER YOU LIVE, NATURE'S NEARBY. IT'S EASY TO GET TO. IT'S PART OF WHAT MAKES LIFE IN THE EAST BAY SO SPECIAL. IT'S ALSO SOMETHING THAT CAME STRONGLY OUT OF THAT WORKSHOP THAT WE HELD WITH STAFF WAS THAT CONCEPT THAT PARKS ARE ONE OF THE PRIMARY REASONS FOLKS LIVE, OR CHOOSE TO LIVE IN THE EAST BAY. AND SO WE WANTED A TAGLINE THAT REALLY POSITIONED THE PARK DISTRICT AS A STEWARD OF THE LANDS THAT KEEP NATURE WITHIN EVERYONE'S REACH. SO OPTION 3 IS NATURE CLOSE TO HOME. AND THEN OUR LAST TAGLINE OPTION IS PROTECT, EXPLORE, CONNECT. AND IT IS SIMILAR TO A TAGLINE THAT WAS SUGGESTED BY A PARK EMPLOYEE DURING THE SURVEY THAT WE CONDUCTED, WHICH WAS PROTECT, EXPLORE, BELONG. THE TAGLINE CAPTURES THREE DIMENSIONS OF THE PARK DISTRICT'S MISSION IN A COMPRESSED, VERB-DRIVEN FORMAT. PROTECT, NAMES THE PARK DISTRICT'S CORE MANDATE. EXPLORE, SPEAKS TO THE ACTIVE, EXPERIENTIAL RELATIONSHIP THAT PARK USERS HAVE WHEN THEY'RE VISITING A PARK. AND THEN CONNECT SPEAKS TO THAT HUMAN-TO-NATURE AND HUMAN-TO-COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIP THAT THE PARK DISTRICT WORKS SO HARD TO FOSTER THROUGHOUT THE MANY EVENTS THAT IT HOLDS, EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS ACROSS THE EAST BAY. SO TOGETHER, THOSE THREE VERBS POSITION THE PARK DISTRICT AS AN INVITATION TO ACTION. SO PROTECT, EXPLORE, CONNECT IS OUR FOURTH TAGLINE. AND SO I'M GOING TO PAUSE HERE. I'LL GO BACK UP TO THE TOP, OR THE FIRST ONE HERE. AND AS MENTIONED EARLIER, THIS IS REALLY AN OPPORTUNITY TO COLLECT FEEDBACK FROM YOU. WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR IF YOU HAVE STRONG REACTION TO ANY OF THEM, IF THERE'S A PARTICULAR ONE THAT RESONATES WELL WITH YOU, AND WE CAN ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE ABOUT THE PROCESS. OLIVIA SANWONG: GREAT. THANK YOU. YES. SO ONE THING THAT STRIKES ME WHEN I LOOK AT THIS-- I'M LOOKING AT THIS FROM THE LENS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT TAGLINES IN ENGLISH, WHEREAS IN THE EAST BAY, I KNOW WE HAVE MANY OTHER PEOPLE THAT SPEAK MANY OTHER LANGUAGES. AND TO BE CONSCIOUS OF THAT, I ALWAYS LIKE TO SAY, ALAMEDA AND CONTRA COSTA COUNTIES MAY BE TWO OF THE MOST DIVERSE COUNTIES IN THE UNITED STATES. AND I THINK WHEN WE'RE THINKING ABOUT AND WE'RE EVALUATING THE TAGLINES IN ENGLISH, JUST TO THINK OF SOMETHING THAT CAN BE UNIVERSAL AND NOT COMPLICATED BECAUSE THERE MIGHT BE SOME FOLKS WHO LIVE HERE IN THE EAST BAY OR SOME FOLKS THAT WE'RE REACHING OUT TO WHO-- MAYBE ENGLISH IS A SECOND LANGUAGE OR A THIRD LANGUAGE OR A FOURTH LANGUAGE FOR THEM. AND SO JUST TO HAVE SOMETHING THAT'S VERY, AS MUCH AS WE CAN, UNIVERSAL AND NOT COMPLICATED. AND SO JUST WITH THE FIRST ONE, IRREPLACEABLE-- I THINK THAT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A MOUTHFUL. AND I'M NOT SURE HOW WELL THAT MIGHT TRACK WITH PEOPLE WHO AREN'T AS-- WHO, LIKE I SAID, MIGHT HAVE ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE, THIRD LANGUAGE, FOURTH LANGUAGE, FIFTH LANGUAGE. SO THAT'S JUST SOMETHING TO CONSIDER AS WE'RE GOING THROUGH EACH OF THESE OPTIONS THAT I'M THINKING ABOUT. STEPHANIE DELL: THAT'S A REALLY GREAT POINT. IT'S COME UP BEFORE ALREADY, THAT IT IS A BIT OF A MOUTHFUL. SO GOOD POINT. AND SOMETHING TO KEEP IN MIND, DEFINITELY, IS THE LANGUAGE ASPECT AS WELL. JOHN MERCURIO: YEAH, OK. THANK YOU. SO THE SECOND ONE-- NO, WAIT. LET'S SEE. NO. OK. SO THE ONE THAT SHOWS THE TWO IMAGES WITH THE TAGLINE-- I HAD AN EMOTIONAL REACTION TO THOSE BECAUSE THOSE-- THE IMAGES THAT YOU'VE CHOSEN THERE ARE SO PERFECT FOR EACH ONE OF THOSE TWO THINGS. I MEAN, LOOK AT THAT, THOSE REDWOODS. OLIVIA SANWONG: IT'S GREAT. JOHN MERCURIO: THEY ACTUALLY-- LET'S NOT TELL ANYBODY, BUT THEY ARE REPLACEABLE BECAUSE THEY WERE ALL CUT DOWN, AND NOW THEY GREW BACK. BUT WE WON'T REALLY-- YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING? [00:55:03] THAT'S SECOND GROWTH OUT THERE, ALL OF IT. THERE'S, LIKE, ONE TREE LEFT. COLIN COFFEY: SAME GENETIC MATERIAL. JOHN MERCURIO: YEAH. SAME GENETIC MATERIAL. SO ANYWAY. IT'S, FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES, IRREPLACEABLE. AND THEN ENRICHING THE EVERYDAY IS THE HUMAN ONE. AND THAT'S A GREAT IMAGE THERE OF SHOWING HOW WE INTERACT WITH A YOUNG PERSON. THAT'S GREAT. SO I'M NOT REALLY SAYING WHICH ONE OF THOSE OPTION 1 OR 1A IS BETTER OR NOT. SOMETIMES SHORTER'S BETTER. BUT I LIKE THAT. AND THEN, AS WHAT DIRECTOR SANWONG SAID, IRREPLACEABLE'S A MAJOR WORD THAT MAY NOT TRACK ACROSS CULTURES. I DON'T KNOW. SO THAT'S SOMETHING TO KEEP IN MIND, TOO, TO MAKE IT EVEN MORE COMPLICATED. ALLISON BROOKS: HARD TO SPELL. JOHN MERCURIO: OPTION 3-- ALLISON BROOKS: IT'S HARD TO SPELL, TOO, FRANKLY. JOHN MERCURIO: YEAH. I KNOW. WELL, THAT'S THE CHALLENGE FOR PEOPLE TO OVERCOME, AND YOU GROW. OPTION 3 RESONATES WITH ME BECAUSE OF WHAT I SAID A LITTLE EARLIER ABOUT BEING CLOSE TO HOME. I WAS REALLY PLEASED TO SEE THAT THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT CAME OUT AND PEOPLE RECOGNIZED THAT THAT'S IMPORTANT, THAT IT BE CLOSE TO HOME. SO ME, GROWING UP HERE IN CONCORD IN THE '60S, NATURE WASN'T CLOSE TO HOME. YOU COULDN'T GO IN THE BAY. I MEAN, YOU'D HURT YOURSELF IF YOU WENT IN THERE. MOUNT DIABLO WAS A STATE PARK-- WAS A POSTAGE STAMP RIGHT ON TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN. THAT'S ALL. CONTRA COSTA COUNTY WASN'T EVEN IN THE PARK DISTRICT WHEN WE FIRST MOVED TO CONCORD. SO YOU WENT TO TAHOE. YOU WENT TO DONNER. YOU WENT TO YOSEMITE. MAYBE YOU WENT TO BIG SUR. IF YOU WANTED TO GO TO THE BEACH, YOU HAD TO GO ALL THE WAY OVER TO THE OCEAN. SO I DIDN'T GROW UP WITH-- NATURE WASN'T CLOSE TO HOME. YOU HAD TO GO SOMEWHERE ELSE, GO CAMPING SOMEWHERE ELSE. NOW, THESE MANY YEARS, 60 YEARS LATER OR WHATEVER, IT IS. I MEAN, IT'S ACCESSIBLE TO US, NOT JUST BY US BUT BY THE STATE AND OTHER AGENCIES WHO ARE PROVIDING EXPERIENCES FOR US. AND I THINK THAT'S A-- I THINK THAT IDEA COULD BEAR A LOT OF FRUIT IN TERMS OF AWARENESS. IT'S LIKE, OH, I DIDN'T REALIZE-- SOMEBODY MIGHT NOT REALIZE THAT IT IS CLOSE TO HOME AND YOU CAN TAKE TRANSIT TO GET THERE. SO THOSE ARE-- ALLISON BROOKS: I WOULD JUST-- SORRY TO INTERRUPT, BUT I WOULD JUST SAY-- JOHN MERCURIO: NO, I'M JUST-- THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT I REACTED TO THE MOST, YEAH, POSITIVELY. ALLISON BROOKS: THANK YOU. AND I WOULD JUST SAY, WITH THESE IMAGES, WE CAN FIND OTHER IMAGES TO GO WITH DIFFERENT TAGLINES THAT I THINK WOULD HAVE THE SAME KIND OF IMPACT. WITH NATURE CLOSE TO HOME, WE COULD DO SOMETHING WITH THAT, TOO. JOHN MERCURIO: YEAH, NO, THAT'S GREAT. ALLISON BROOKS: I GUESS IN TERMS OF GUIDANCE, IF YOU HAD YOUR TOP THREE OR ANY RECOMMENDATIONS, HOW YOU WOULD-- WHAT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO BRING TO THE BOARD? BECAUSE WE'RE COMING TO THE FULL BOARD ON NOVEMBER 3 WITH SOME OVERVIEW OF SOME OF THIS WORK. SO I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANT-- IF YOU FEEL COMPELLED TO NARROW IT DOWN, WE CAN-- THIS IS JUST-- IT'S UP TO YOU. JOHN MERCURIO: YEAH, I CAN DO THAT. I GUESS 1-- 01, 2, AND 3. BUT THEY'RE ALL GOOD. [LAUGHS] THAT'S REALLY HARD. IT'S LIKE CHOOSING YOUR FAVORITE CHILD. YOU DON'T DO IT. ALLISON BROOKS: THAT'S SUPER HELPFUL, THOUGH, BECAUSE I-- YEAH, I AGREE WITH YOU, ACTUALLY, ON THOSE THREE CHOICES. [LAUGHS] COLIN COFFEY: I JUST WENT THROUGH THIS EXERCISE IN MY ROLE AS A MEMBER OF THE DELTA HERITAGE AREA ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO THE DELTA PROTECTION COMMISSION BECAUSE THE DELTA PROTECTION COMMISSION HAS BEEN ENGAGED THIS YEAR IN BRANDING THE CALIFORNIA DELTA BECAUSE IT WAS FELT THAT THERE ISN'T ENOUGH OF A SENSE OF PLACE IN THE COMMUNITIES THAT COMPRISE THE CALIFORNIA DELTA, AND THEY'RE WORKING TO REMEDY THAT. AND SO IT INVOLVED BRANDING. AND THEY HIRED A FIRM THAT SPECIALIZED IN BRANDING. AND THE FIRST STEP WAS TO COME UP WITH A LOGO. AND HAPPILY, WE ALREADY HAVE ONE THAT I THINK MOST PEOPLE THINK IS JUST FINE. BUT THEN COMING UP WITH A LOGO IN ITSELF WAS AN ENDEAVOR AND THEN THE TAGLINE. AND WHAT I LEARNED IS IF YOU PUT A ROOM OF 20 PEOPLE, [01:00:03] YOU'RE GOING TO GET 20 DIFFERENT OPINIONS AS TO THE BEST LOGO. IT SHOULD HAVE A BIRD IN IT. THE RIVER LOOKS FUNNY. AND IT'S JUST-- THE LOGO ITSELF IS REALLY HARD TO ARRIVE AT. BUT THEN THE TAGLINE-- EVERYONE WAS ALL OVER THE PLACE. SO GOOD LUCK. [LAUGHS] IT'S A DIFFICULT THING TO DO. I LIKE THEM ALL. I'M A LITTLE CONCERNED ABOUT CLOSE TO NATURE BECAUSE I KNOW THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO DON'T-- IT WAS WHAT I WAS SAYING EARLIER. THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO WE DON'T REALLY TOUCH WELL, AND IT MIGHT RESONATE WITH THEM AS, WELL, NO, I'M NOT VERY CLOSE TO NATURE-- I DON'T FEEL THAT CLOSENESS TO NATURE. THEY MIGHT ENJOY THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD PARK, BUT IF THIS IS COMING FROM US, WELL, THEY DON'T TOUCH-- IT'S FEW IT'S NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE. I MEAN, THAT'S WHAT WE LEARNED BOTH FROM POLLING AND FROM BEING OUT THERE IS MOST PEOPLE-- WE DO TOUCH MOST PEOPLE, AND IT GIVES US THE ADVANTAGE AS PUBLIC OFFICIALS OF BEING ABLE TO INTRODUCE OURSELVES. HI. I'M WITH EAST BAY PARKS. AND THERE'S AN IMMEDIATE CONNECTION. I'M NO LONGER A STRANGER. AND THAT'S A HUGE ADVANTAGE IF YOU'RE OUT THERE TRYING TO MEET PEOPLE AND MAKE A CONNECTION. AND WHAT I'VE LEARNED IS THE FIRST THING OUT OF MY MOUTH SHOULD BE, I'M WITH EAST BAY REGIONAL PARKS, TO A TOTAL STRANGER, AND I'M NO LONGER A STRANGER, AND IT'S GREAT. AND I'M WITH THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS. OH, WOW. IT'S JUST-- IT'S A GREAT EXPERIENCE TO DO OUT THERE. SO I AM A LITTLE CONCERNED, THOUGH, BECAUSE THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO DON'T FEEL NECESSARILY CLOSE TO US BASED ON THE COMMUNITY THEY'RE IN. AND OUR DEMOGRAPHIC SURVEY SHOWS THAT, THAT WHAT-- AGAIN, REPEATING WHAT I SAID EARLIER, WHERE WE DON'T HAVE A PARK THAT TOUCHES A COMMUNITY, OUR DEMOGRAPHIC-- THE ONE THAT SHOWS WHERE PEOPLE GO-- I FORGET WHICH SLIDE THAT OR MAP THAT IS THAT WE HAVE IN THE DISTRICT PLAN MATERIALS. BUT IT SHOWS THAT PEOPLE IN PITTSBURG AND PEOPLE IN BRENTWOOD UNDER-UTILIZE US, AND IN BOTH CASES, CLICKS WITH ME RIGHT AWAY. WE DON'T HAVE A PARK THAT GOES INTO THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS. WE'RE WORKING ON REMEDYING BOTH. AND I'M EXCITED ABOUT THE PROSPECTS OF BOTH OPENING PARKS AND ACQUIRING LAND THAT WOULD REMEDY THAT SITUATION, PARTICULARLY IN PITTSBURG. AND BRENTWOOD'S ON THE WAY BECAUSE THE GOLF COURSE IS RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM A MAIN ARTERY OF BRENTWOOD'S BALFOUR. SO THAT'S GOING TO HELP. BUT THAT'S MY CONCERN ABOUT THE TAGLINE, IS THAT IT MIGHT NOT-- THE REST ARE GREAT. AND THEY SHOULD-- I GUESS IT WOULD ALWAYS BE ASSOCIATED WITH OUR LOGO, EAST BAY PARKS AND THE LEAF? ALLISON BROOKS: YEAH. THAT'S ONE OPTION, IS WE COULD LOCK IT IN WITH OUR LOGO. NOT ALL THE TIME. THAT'S A CHOICE. THAT'S SOMETHING WE WOULD HAVE TO DECIDE IF WE WANTED TO DO THAT. COLIN COFFEY: THAT'S WHAT, IN TERMS OF BRANDING-- THE CALIFORNIA DELTA-- THERE WAS A VERY DISTINCT LOGO AND THAT TAGLINE RIGHT INCORPORATED WITH IT, WHICH IS SOMETHING LIKE, START ANYWHERE. IT'S THIS CONCEPT THAT YOU COULDN'T DIRECT PEOPLE. AND OH, THAT'S A QUESTION I HAD. WHO'S THE AUDIENCE HERE? IT WAS AN IMPORTANT QUESTION WITH THE CALIFORNIA DELTA BECAUSE THE QUESTION THAT KEPT COMING UP, WITH THIS BRANDING AND THIS TAGLINE, WHO'S OUR AUDIENCE? IS IT THE DELTA COMMUNITIES THEMSELVES, OR ARE WE TRYING TO ATTRACT TOURISTS FROM SAN FRANCISCO? AND IT TURNED OUT BOTH. WE'RE TRYING TO DO BOTH. SO I GUESS HERE THE AUDIENCE IS OUR RESIDENTS. SO-- FOR US. ALLISON BROOKS: YEAH. OLIVIA SANWONG: SO I'LL JUST SHARE. ENGLISH WAS MY FATHER'S FOURTH LANGUAGE. SO I DO TEND TO LOOK AT SOME OF THIS THROUGH THAT PERSPECTIVE, ALTHOUGH IT'S NOT MY FIRSTHAND PERSPECTIVE. AND SO I THINK OPTION 1 AND 1A WOULD POTENTIALLY BE CHALLENGING FOR SOME FOLKS IF WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO THINK ABOUT ALL THE COMMUNITIES THAT LIVE IN THE EAST BAY. [01:05:02] AND THEN I WANT TO JUMP TO OPTION 3, NATURE CLOSE TO HOME. I KNOW WE HAVE NATURE NEARBY. IN OUR VISION STATEMENT. AND I THINK, TO BUILD UPON WHAT DIRECTOR COFFEY WAS SAYING, I KNOW LAST SUMMER, I HAD A SITUATION OVER ON PLEASANTON RIDGE WITH THE KILKARE WOODS GATE THAT WAS CLOSED. AND THAT NATURE NEARBY WAS USED IN A SNARKY WAY, LIKE, OH, HERE'S EAST BAY PARKS MAKING IT SO THAT NATURE IS NO LONGER NEARBY TO US WHO LIVE HERE IN THE KILKARE WOODS AREA. BUT THEN ALSO, IF THERE'S PROJECTS WHERE WE'RE PROMISING TO CONNECT SOME NEIGHBORHOODS TO PLACES LIKE THE PLEASANTON RIDGE, WE DON'T PROVIDE DIRECT ACCESS TO PLEASANTON RIDGE WITHIN THE CITY OF PLEASANTON. I COULD SEE, IF WE GO FOR A TAGLINE, NATURE NEARBY OR NATURE CLOSE TO HOME, THAT COULD ALSO BE USED IN A SNARKY WAY, LIKE, OH, EAST BAY PARKS HAS PROMISED THIS CONNECTION, BUT WE STILL DON'T HAVE NATURE NEARBY OR NATURE CLOSE TO HOME. I THINK HOME CAN BE A VERY LOADED WORD WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HOUSING AND HOUSING POLICY. BUT THEN ALSO, I JUST THINK ABOUT MY OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. I CONSIDER THE TOWN THAT I CURRENTLY LIVE IN, THAT I MOVED TO AT THE AGE OF TWO, TO BE MY HOME. BUT I'VE BEEN ON THE RECEIVING END, TOLD TO GO BACK TO WHERE I CAME FROM. AND SO THERE'S SOME IN MY COMMUNITY WHO DON'T VIEW THAT MY HOME IS THE COMMUNITY THAT I MOVED TO WHEN I WAS TWO BECAUSE I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF XENOPHOBIA AND A LOT OF RACISM THAT EXISTS. AND SO I THINK IT CAN BE A VERY LOADED TERM FOR SOME COMMUNITIES THAT I KNOW I'VE PERSONALLY EXPERIENCED. SO I THINK I WOULD REPLACE IT WITH NATURE NEARBY FROM OUR VISION STATEMENT, INSTEAD OF NATURE CLOSE TO HOME. BUT THEN WITH NATURE NEARBY, LIKE I SAID, I'VE SEEN THAT ALSO USED IN A SNARKY WAY. SO TO BE CAREFUL WITH THAT BECAUSE WE DO HAVE A LOT OF PROJECTS IN THE PIPELINE, BUT THEN IT'S A MATTER OF US ACTUALLY DELIVERING THOSE PROJECTS. I ACTUALLY REALLY LIKE OPTION 44, PROTECT, EXPLORE, AND CONNECT, BECAUSE I THINK IT IS UNIVERSAL. I THINK THAT IT IS SOMETHING THAT'S-- SOMETHING THAT I THINK PEOPLE CAN RELATE TO. I ACTUALLY REALLY CONNECT BECAUSE IT CAN MEAN MANY DIFFERENT THINGS. AND I THINK PROTECT SURFACED, IN TERMS OF THE POLLING, AS AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE. AND THEN I THINK EXPLORE FITS THE PARK DISTRICT SO WELL. SO I'D SAY THAT THAT'S ACTUALLY PROBABLY MY FAVORITE. I REALLY DO LIKE NATURE CLOSE TO HOME OR NATURE NEARBY FROM THE VISION STATEMENT, BUT I THINK I WOULD BE CAREFUL WITH THAT FOR ALL THE REASONS THAT I'VE ALREADY EXPLAINED. AND THEN WITH THE OTHER TWO, THEY JUST BOTH-- EVEN NATURE PRESERVED FEELS A LITTLE BIT LIKE A MOUTHFUL-- I REALLY LIKE IT BECAUSE I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT, AND THE JOY SERVED, BUT I THINK IT MIGHT BE VIEWED A LITTLE BIT MORE AS MAYBE NOT AS-- A LITTLE BIT MORE COMPLICATED. SO THAT'S WHY I ACTUALLY REALLY LIKE OPTION 4. BUT I THINK-- CONTINUE TO WORK THROUGH THIS. I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO GET-- IF YOU ASK THREE PEOPLE, YOU'RE GOING TO GET THREE DIFFERENT ANSWERS. SO IF YOU ASK A HUNDRED PEOPLE, YOU MIGHT GET A HUNDRED DIFFERENT ANSWERS. SO AT THE END OF THE DAY, I DON'T KNOW HOW THAT GETS PRIORITIZED AND CHOSEN. BUT I GUESS JUST TRY A LOT OF DIFFERENT AUDIENCES, TOO. ALLISON BROOKS: WELL, IN ANY CASE, THAT FEEDBACK WAS REALLY, REALLY HELPFUL. I APPRECIATE YOUR PERSPECTIVE, FOR SURE, PRESIDENT SAMWONG. AND GREAT. THIS WAS SUPER HELPFUL. IT REALLY WAS. SO THANK YOU. WE'LL FIGURE OUT NEXT STEPS. ONE COMMENT I WOULD SAY ON NATURE NEARBY. I THINK WE LIKED THAT ONE, BUT IT'S AFFILIATED-- I THINK THE SIERRA CLUB HAS USED IT. SO THAT WAS AN ISSUE, BECAUSE OTHERWISE WE WOULD'VE PUT THAT FORWARD, BUT SOMEBODY ELSE HAS USED IT ALREADY. SO WE WILL TAKE ALL OF THAT INTO CONSIDERATION. REALLY APPRECIATE THE FEEDBACK. AND WE'LL FIGURE OUT IF WE GO WITH ALL FOUR TO THE BOARD OR NARROW IT DOWN. BUT YOU PROVIDED GOOD FEEDBACK ON NUMBER 4, SO THANK YOU. AND THANKS TO STEPHANIE AND NATE FOR THE PRESENTATIONS TODAY. THANKS. COLIN COFFEY: CAN-- OLIVIA SANWONG: [INAUDIBLE] COLIN COFFEY: HAVE WE GONE ON TOO LONG, OR-- OLIVIA SANWONG: NO. GO AHEAD. SAY SOMETHING. AND THEN WE HAVE TO DO PUBLIC COMMENT, TOO. COLIN COFFEY: OH. LET'S DO THAT THEN. KELLY CLANCY: THERE IS NO PUBLIC COMMENT. OLIVIA SANWONG: ALL RIGHT. WE'LL CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT. COLIN COFFEY: SO CLOSING THOUGHT. AND THAT IS ALL THE OUTREACH THAT'S BEEN DONE STILL WILL BE DONE ON THE DISTRICT PLAN. AND I'M REALLY IMPRESSED BY THE-- I THINK WE'VE HAD FOUR PRESENTATIONS SO FAR FROM GROUPS THAT WE'VE BASICALLY ENGAGED TO BRING PEOPLE IN THAT AREN'T HISTORICALLY CONNECTED TO US. I'M REALLY IMPRESSED WITH THAT EFFORT. AND I THINK, AS MANAGEMENT HAS HEARD FROM A NUMBER OF US, [01:10:01] WE WERE ALL VERY SUPPORTIVE OF THE OUTREACH THAT MONA KOH DID THAT RESULTED IN THESE WELLNESS WALKS, THE SAME IDEA OF REACHING OUT TO COMMUNITIES OF SPECIFIC CULTURES AND BRINGING THEM INTO THE PARKS AND SHARING THAT CULTURE. I REALLY ENJOYED THOSE WHEN THEY WERE UNDERWAY. AND THAT OUTREACH THAT YOU FOLKS WERE DOING, IN CONNECTION WITH THE PLAN, REALLY IMPRESSED ME. AND WHAT I'VE BEEN NOTICING IS THAT-- AND THIS IS NATURAL BECAUSE WE'RE TARGETING PEOPLE WHO-- BOTH THE GROUP THAT WE'RE ENGAGED WITH AND THE PEOPLE THEY BRING TO US AS NOT BEING THAT CLOSELY TOUCHED BY THE PARK DISTRICT. AND WHAT WE'VE HEARD SO FAR FROM ALL OF THEM IS THAT THOSE FOLKS DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHO WE ARE. AND THAT KEEPS COMING UP AS WE'RE GETTING THOSE SLIDES WITH WHAT KIND OF FEEDBACK THAT'S DOING. SO THIS ISN'T NECESSARILY A MESSAGING ISSUE AS MUCH AS HOW DO WE ADDRESS THAT. AND I'M JUST RAISING IT AS A QUESTION THAT, AS WE HEAR FROM THAT KIND OF OUTREACH AND THE RESULTS OF IT AND WE PROGRESS THROUGH THE DISTRICT PLAN, ONE OF THE THINGS WE NEED TO ADDRESS IS-- I THINK, AGAIN, WE HAVE A GREAT REPUTATION OUT THERE. WE'RE VERY WELL-KNOWN AND VERY WELL-LIKED. BUT THERE ARE THESE POCKETS OF PEOPLE THAT WE HAVEN'T REACHED. AND SO HOW ARE WE GOING TO DO THAT? SO THAT'S OUT THERE. OLIVIA SANWONG: YEAH, NO, THAT'S GOOD. NATE GALVAN: I THINK THAT'S PERFECTLY ALIGNED WITH THE SAME-- SOME OF THE WORK THAT OUR STAFF IS WORKING ON. WE'VE-- SUPER INTERESTED IN THAT, AND THAT'S CONNECTED TO, LIKE YOU SAID, THE OUTREACH AROUND THE DISTRICT PLAN, THE COMMUNITY GRANTS PROGRAM, OUR APPROACH ON CONTRA LOMA AND SOME OF THESE THINGS OF ENGAGING COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS. AND WE EVEN HAVE AN OUTREACH WORKING GROUP AMONG DIFFERENT STAFF FROM DIFFERENT TEAMS. SO I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU HIGHLIGHTING THAT BECAUSE I TOTALLY AGREE THAT THAT'S REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT. COLIN COFFEY: SO ONE THING I'M GOING TO BRING FROM THIS RECENT EXPERIENCE I'M HAVING WITH DEMOCRACY IS THAT THE PARK DISTRICT SHOULD BE TABLING MORE, WHAT THE AMBASSADOR PROGRAM WAS ALL ABOUT. AND YOU'VE HEARD THIS FROM ME OVER AND OVER AGAIN. I REALLY LIKE THAT PROGRAM. BUT THE CONCEPT OF TABLING AT ALL THE FARMERS MARKETS IN THESE TWO COUNTIES IS SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD DO AND REACH PEOPLE THAT DON'T NECESSARILY KNOW US. JUST ONE IDEA, THAT-- AFTER NOVEMBER 3, I'LL HAVE LOTS OF IDEAS. [LAUGHS] OLIVIA SANWONG: AND THEN REAL QUICK, I SEE THIS IS LISTED AS AN ACTION ITEM. WAS IT MOSTLY JUST TO GIVE THE FEEDBACK THAT WE JUST GAVE? WE DON'T NEED TO MAKE ANY SORT OF RECOMMENDATION VOTE OR ANYTHING ALONG THOSE LINES. NATE GALVAN: YEAH. I THINK IT WAS TO GIVE THE OPTION IF YOU WERE LIKE, WE WANT TO VOTE ON 1 OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. BUT ALSO, UNDERSTAND THAT YOU CAN JUST GIVE, INDIVIDUALLY, INPUT, AND THEN WE CAN BRING THAT-- CAPTURE THAT AS WE BRING IT TO THE BOARD. OLIVIA SANWONG: PERFECT. SO I THINK WE'RE GOOD THEN. I MEAN, I BELIEVE WE COULD PROBABLY GO ANOTHER HOUR. THIS IS A REALLY GOOD TOPIC. SO I DON'T WANT TO ALSO LOSE THAT SPIRIT. BUT I REALLY APPRECIATE THIS, AND IT'S REALLY GREAT TO HAVE THE CONVERSATION. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR PUTTING ALL THIS TOGETHER. CLEARLY, IT WAS A VERY INTERESTING AND ENGAGING TOPIC. SO I LOOK FORWARD-- ALLISON BROOKS: THOUGHT IT WOULD BE, SO, YEAH, THAT'S GREAT. OLIVIA SANWONG: AND TIMELY. ALLISON BROOKS: YEAH. AND WE ARE COMING FORWARD TO THE FULL BOARD ON NOVEMBER 3, SO-- OLIVIA SANWONG: OK. SO WE'LL SEE YOU AGAIN SOON. ALLISON BROOKS: YEAH. YOU'LL SEE US AGAIN SOON. OLIVIA SANWONG: WONDERFUL. ALLISON BROOKS: THANK YOU. OLIVIA SANWONG: SO WHAT I'D LIKE TO SUGGEST IS THAT WE CONTINUE ON INSTEAD OF TAKING A BREAK. BUT I WANT TO JUST CHECK WITH MY COLLEAGUES IF YOU'RE OK TO CONTINUE. JOHN MERCURIO: GO AHEAD, BUT I'M GOING TO STEP OUT [INAUDIBLE]. OLIVIA SANWONG: OK. THAT'S FINE, TOO. ALL RIGHT. [Informational Items] SO WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE, THEN, ON TO OUR NEXT AGENDA ITEM, 5A, THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION DEPARTMENT DESIGN UNIT UPDATE. REN BATES: THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING-- I GUESS ALMOST AFTERNOON. REN BATES, DIVISION LEAD OF DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION. JUST GOING TO GIVE A BRIEF INTRODUCTION. THIS IS IN THE SAKE OF COMMUNICATION TO THE BOARD ABOUT WHAT PROJECTS WE'RE DOING AND THEN THE WORK THAT WE'RE ACTUALLY GETTING DONE OUT THERE. WE'VE STARTED TO HAVE OUR INDIVIDUAL UNITS COME TO THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE TO PRESENT, FROM DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION, WHAT THEY'RE WORKING ON. SO LAST MONTH, WE HAD CHRIS FROM RESTORATION UNIT PRESENT. THIS MONTH, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE DESIGN UNIT. SO I'LL INTRODUCE CLAY SIMMONS, WHO'S OUR DESIGN UNIT MANAGER, TO GIVE A PRESENTATION ON THE DESIGN UNIT. THANKS. [01:15:01] CLAY SIMMONS: GOOD MORNING, PRESIDENT SANWONG AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. MY NAME IS CLAY SIMMONS. I'M THE DESIGN UNIT MANAGER. AND I WAS HERE A FEW MONTHS AGO PRESENTING ON THE DETAILS AND SOME OF THE BUDGET ISSUES THAT WE WERE HAVING WITH THE ANTHONY CHABOT SEWER REPLACEMENT PROJECT. AND I ALSO PRESENTED, NOT VERY LONG AGO, AT THE CAPITAL PROJECTS WORKSHOP. AND THIS PRESENTATION IS SIMILAR TO THAT. THERE'S NO ACTION ITEMS HERE. SO SIT BACK AND RELAX. IF I CAN JUST GO OUTSIDE OF MY LANE FOR A SECOND-- I KNOW WE'RE SHORT ON TIME, BUT MY MIND WAS GOING AS I WAS GETTING READY FOR THIS PRESENTATION, SITTING HERE RIGHT NOW. AND I NOTICE, BEFORE I PRESENT, I GET A SHORTNESS OF BREATH, AND FOR A TAGLINE FOR THE PARK DISTRICT, BREATHE. BREATHE. IT'S A LOT EASIER FOR ME TO BREATHE DEEPLY IN THE PARKS THAN IN FRONT OF THE BOARD. AND WHEN I VISIT THE PARKS, THAT'S ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT HAPPENS. MY BREATHING SLOWS DOWN, I BREATHE DEEPLY. IT ALSO TRANSLATES VERY WELL, EASILY, INTO OTHER LANGUAGES. [SPANISH] SO, OK, BACK INTO MY LANE HERE. SO THE DESIGN UNIT IS-- I'M THE DESIGN UNIT MANAGER, AND WE HAVE TWO CIVIL ENGINEERS, TWO CIVIL ENGINEERING TECHNICIANS. THEY'RE THE ONES WHO DO THE DRAFTING, ONE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT AND A PROJECT COORDINATOR. AND THE FOCUS THAT WE HAVE IS IN-HOUSE DESIGN. SO THE WAY DECO IS ORGANIZED-- IT'S NOT BY DISCIPLINE. IT'S BY PROJECT DELIVERY METHOD. AND SO WE HAVE-- AS REN SAID, CHRIS BARTON FOCUSES ON RESTORATION-ORIENTED PROJECTS. CARMEN ERASMUS IS THE CAPITAL PROJECTS OR PROJECT MANAGER, SO SHE FOCUSES ON MORE OF THE LARGER PROJECTS THAT UTILIZE OUTSIDE CONSULTANTS MORE. THE DESIGN UNIT IS MORE IN-HOUSE-ORIENTED. SO OUR FOCUS IS ON THE PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE THE SKILL SET TO DO IN-HOUSE. I'M A CIVIL ENGINEER BY PROFESSION, WORKED AS A CIVIL ENGINEER HERE AT THE DISTRICT FOR ABOUT SEVEN YEARS BEFORE I GOT THIS DESIGN MANAGER POSITION. SO AS WE GO THROUGH THESE PROJECTS, I'M GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT-- I'LL BE HIGHLIGHTING THOSE PROJECTS THAT WE DID COMPLETE IN-HOUSE DESIGN FOR. I'M REALLY PROUD OF THOSE PROJECTS THAT WE'RE ABLE TO DO WITHOUT HIRING EXPENSIVE OUTSIDE CONSULTANTS AND CONTRACTORS. WHEN WE'RE ABLE TO BUILD THEM IN-HOUSE, IT'S GREAT TO BE ABLE TO STRETCH OUR DOLLARS AS A DISTRICT THAT WAY. SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE DESIGN UNIT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR IS MAINTAINING THE DISTRICT STANDARD PLANS. SO THIS IS A PUBLIC WEBSITE THAT IS SIMILAR TO OTHER JURISDICTIONS. YOU CAN GO TO CITY OF CONCORD, AND THERE'S STANDARD DETAILS THAT THEY USE FOR A LOT OF THEIR PROJECTS. YOU CAN GO TO THIS WEBSITE AND FIND THINGS LIKE DETAILS FOR PARK BENCHES AND RETAINING WALLS, PICNIC TABLES, FISH CLEANING STATIONS. SO THIS IS-- WE MEET ON A QUARTERLY BASIS TO REVIEW THESE DETAILS. WE HAVE A PARK STANDARDS COMMITTEE. WE'RE ACTUALLY MEETING AT 1 O'CLOCK TODAY. SO THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO. I ALSO WANTED TO JUST START OUT BY TALKING ABOUT-- YOU'LL HEAR THESE TERMS USED INTERCHANGEABLY A LOT IN PRESENTATIONS. AND IF YOU HAVEN'T MADE THE CONNECTION-- IT TOOK ME A WHILE AFTER I CAME TO THE DISTRICT. YOU'LL HEAR TRAILS, CREEKS, AND PONDS PROGRAM, OR TCP FOR SHORT. YOU'LL HEAR REGIONAL GENERAL PERMIT PROJECTS, RGP PROJECTS. AND YOU'LL HEAR THE TERM, ROUTINE MAINTENANCE, USED. AND THESE ARE JURISDICTIONAL PROJECTS. SO THEY'RE THERE WITHIN CREEKS CLOSE TO WATERWAYS THAT HAVE JURISDICTION BY REGIONAL WATER QUALITY CONTROL BOARD, CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE, CDFW, ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS. ALL OF THESE PROJECTS REQUIRE SPECIAL REGULATORY PERMITTING FOR US TO DO ANY WORK. AS A PARK DISTRICT, WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK IN THESE JURISDICTIONAL AREAS. SO YOU'LL HEAR THIS TERM THROWN OUT. OH, THIS IS A TCP PROJECT, OR, THIS IS AN RGP PROJECT, OR THIS IS A ROUTINE MAINTENANCE PROJECT. AND JUST FOR EVERYONE'S EDIFICATION, IF YOU HAVEN'T-- IF YOU'VE HEARD THOSE TERMS THROWN OUT, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE SAME THING WHEN WE USE THOSE TERMS. [01:20:05] THE DESIGN UNIT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR VISITING ALL OF THESE TCP PROJECTS. WE TEND TO FOCUS ON SITE VISITS IN THE SPRINGTIME, AFTER ALL OF THE WINTER STORMS HAVE COME. AND WE ASSESS THE DAMAGE THAT WE'VE HAD, A LOT OF LANDSLIDES, CULVERTS HAVE BEEN WASHED OUT. AND WE DO A HYDROLOGIC AND HYDRAULIC ANALYSIS OF THOSE PARTS OF OUR DISTRICT'S INFRASTRUCTURE. AND WE RESIZE THE CULVERTS APPROPRIATELY USING ENGINEERING ANALYSIS TOOLS THAT IS AT THE SAME LEVEL OR BETTER THAN THAT USED AT CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, ALAMEDA COUNTY. I'VE BEEN ON THE PHONE WITH HYDROLOGISTS THERE, AND WE'RE DOING A VERY THOUGHTFUL JOB WITH REPLACING THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT IS DAMAGED EACH WINTER. SO WE'LL NOW JUST LOOK AT SOME OF THE PROJECTS THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO COMPLETE RECENTLY. THIS IS A PROJECT. AGAIN, I'M GOING TO TOOT OUR HORN HERE FOR IN-HOUSE DESIGN AND IN-HOUSE CONSTRUCTION. WE USED NO OUTSIDE HELP HERE. WE PAID FOR THE MATERIAL. EVERYTHING ELSE WAS DONE BY PARK DISTRICT STAFF. THIS IS A BRIDGE OUT AT LAUREL CANYON IN TILDEN. IT'S A FIRST OF ITS KIND IN THAT, BECAUSE THIS WAS SUCH A REMOTE SITE, DIFFICULT TO ACCESS FOR LARGE EQUIPMENT, WE USED THREE SECTIONS OF STEEL. SO YOU SEE THE STEEL STRINGER THAT SPANS FROM ONE ABUTMENT TO THE OTHER. THAT'S ACTUALLY THREE INDIVIDUAL SECTIONS OF STEEL THAT ARE BOLTED TOGETHER WITH A PLATE AND-- WITH PLATES. AND THAT ALLOWS OUR SMALL TRAILS CREW TO EASILY TRANSPORT THOSE SMALLER PIECES OF STEEL INTO THIS REMOTE LOCATION. AND WHAT OUR SMALL TRAILS CREW DOES IS AMAZING. THEY USE THESE FLY LINES. THEY TIE LINES TO TREES, WHATEVER THEY CAN. AND THEY FLY THIS MATERIAL IN TO THESE REMOTE SITES THAT-- YOU ASK YOUR AVERAGE CONTRACTOR IN OUR AREA, AND THEY'D BE LIKE, WE DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO THIS. BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE IN OUR SMALL TRAILS CREW HAVE BACKGROUNDS IN THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, STATE PARKS, AND THEY COME WITH THIS REALLY SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE THAT'S CONDUCIVE TO GETTING PROJECTS LIKE THIS DONE FOR THE DISTRICT. SO IF YOU'RE AT TILDEN, CHECK OUT THIS PROJECT. HERE'S ANOTHER PROJECT THAT IS GOING ON RIGHT NOW. THIS WALL WAS COMPLETED JUST A COUPLE WEEKS AGO. THIS IS ON STREAM TRAIL IN REDWOOD REGIONAL PARK. THEY'RE WORKING ON ANOTHER SITE JUST SOUTH OF THE OLD CHURCH SITE ON STREAM TRAIL. THIS IS A PROJECT THAT USED IN-HOUSE DESIGN, BUT WE DID USE AN OUTSIDE CONTRACTOR FOR IT. I HOPE IT'S NOT TMI, BUT WE'VE PAID WAY MORE THAN WE SHOULD'VE FOR THIS. AND WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT IN THE FUTURE, WE'LL BE ABLE TO DO THESE KINDS OF CRIB WALL PROJECTS IN-HOUSE. WE'VE TALKED WITH OUR SMALL TRAILS CREW. WE HAVE A NEW SMALL TRAILS CREW LEADER, RUDY GUSTAFSON, WHO COMES FROM NATIONAL PARKS. HE'S BUILT A LOT OF CRIB WALLS AT MUIR NATIONAL MONUMENT AND JUST HAS A LOT OF EXPERIENCE AND KNOW-HOW. AND WE HOPE TO BE ABLE TO COMPLETE TWO VERY SIMILAR WALLS TO THIS ALONG STREAM TRAIL NEXT YEAR. AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE SOME AT LAKE CHABOT ON THE WEST SHORE AND EAST SHORE TRAIL THAT I'LL SHOW SOME PHOTOS OF THAT WE ALSO HOPE TO BE ABLE TO USE THIS TECHNOLOGY ON. MAX KORTEN: CAN I BUTT IN FOR TWO SECONDS JUST TO APPRECIATE YOU, CLAY? I THINK-- AND REN AND CHRIS, THIS WHOLE TEAM-- ONE THING THAT'S REALLY COOL, TO TAKE A STEP BACK, A COUPLE SLIDES, IS THAT I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH, IN THE PAST, WE WERE ENGINEERING THE SIZE OF OUR CULVERTS. LIKE, I HEARD YOU GUYS PRESENTING TO OUR INTERNAL TEAM ABOUT HOW WHEN THERE'S A CULVERT THAT BLOWS OUT, IN THE PAST, WE MIGHT'VE JUST SIZED IT UP JUST SLIGHTLY BIGGER AND PUT IT BACK IN. BUT NOW THIS TEAM IS REALLY CALCULATING WHAT THE WATERSHED NEEDS IN TERMS OF A CULVERT AND TRYING TO BUILD OPEN-BOTTOM CULVERTS AND THINGS THAT ARE LIGHTER ON THE LAND. AND THEN THE OTHER THING, WITH THE STEEL STRINGERS AND CONCRETE ABUTMENTS-- THESE ARE ENGINEERED BRIDGES FOR-- [01:25:03] THEY'RE GOING TO LAST A LONG TIME, AND THEY'RE GOING TO TAKE-- BE ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH A LOT MORE. SO THIS TEAM IS REALLY DOING A LOT MORE THAN WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO IN THE PAST. AND I JUST-- BECAUSE OF THE LEADERSHIP OF SOME OF THE FOLKS HERE, AND THAT AS WE BUILD THE CAPACITY ON THIS DESIGN END TO SUPPORT OUR INTERNAL TEAM AND THEN WE BUILD THE CAPACITY ON OUR PRODUCTION END, WE JUST KEEP BEING ABLE TO DO MORE AND MORE. SO ANYWAY, I JUST WANT TO APPRECIATE CLAY AND HIS LEADERSHIP. CLAY SIMMONS: THANK YOU. YEAH. AND I THINK THAT'S ALSO ANOTHER GOOD REASON FOR THE RECENT MERGING OF MAINTENANCE AND SKILLED TRADES AND DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION. SO WE'RE NOW IN A FACILITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE DIVISION, WORKING TOGETHER. AND THERE'S SO MUCH OF OUR WORK THAT OVERLAPS. SO IT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE THAT WE'RE ABLE TO DESIGN AND BUILD THINGS IN-HOUSE AS MUCH AS WE CAN. I SHOW THIS PHOTO HERE OF DOG RUN TRAIL. THIS IS A PROJECT THAT HAS BEEN IN OUR WORK PLAN FOR SEVERAL YEARS, AND WE HAVE SOME FUNDING ISSUES WITH THIS. WE THINK THAT A PRECAST CONCRETE CRIB WALL WOULD BE A GOOD TECHNOLOGY FOR THIS LOCATION. IF YOU'RE EVER OUT ON LAKE DEL VALLE AND YOU LOOK TOWARDS THIS SHORELINE, YOU CAN SEE, SINCE THE '60S, SIX OR SEVEN OR EIGHT DIFFERENT RETAINING WALL TECHNOLOGIES ALONG THE LENGTH OF THIS TRAIL. IT DOESN'T LOOK GOOD. IT'S JUST A HODGEPODGE OF, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE. THIS IS WHAT WE'RE DOING THERE. 10 YEARS AGO, WE DID A SHOTCRETE WALL THAT HAS NOT HELD UP WELL, AND WE DON'T WANT TO CONTINUE THAT. SO WE WANT TO USE-- WE WANT TO BE MORE THOUGHTFUL HERE AND USE THE RIGHT TECHNOLOGY AND ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM MORE GLOBALLY. BUT WE DO HAVE SOME BUDGET SHORTFALL ON THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT. WE HAVE MONEY FOR THE MARINA PROJECT, ABOUT $2.5 MILLION. AND WE'RE WORKING ON THE DESIGN FOR THIS RIGHT NOW. THAT LITTLE BOATHOUSE THAT YOU SEE ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT WAS DAMAGED IN THE '22, '23 FEMA STORM EVENT. AND THE ADJACENT DOCK. SO THAT'S IN DESIGN RIGHT NOW. LAKE CHABOT-- WE HAVE SEVEN DOCKS THAT NEED TO BE REPLACED. TWO OF THOSE SEVEN ARE FEMA-RELATED. THOSE ARE OUR HIGHEST PRIORITY. ONE'S AT RACCOON POINT. I'VE BEEN OUT THERE AND HAVE HEARD THE PUBLIC COMPLAIN WHILE WE'RE OUT THERE, HOW LONG IS THIS-- HOW MUCH LONGER IS THIS GOING TO TAKE. BUT THIS IS A PROJECT THAT WE'RE NOT FULLY FUNDED FOR. WE NEED MORE MONEY TO REPLACE THESE DOCKS. THOSE TWO FEMA PROJECTS-- WE'RE GOING TO BE REIMBURSED. SO NOT AS BIG OF A CONCERN. WE'LL USE THE MONEY THAT WE HAVE TO GET THOSE ONES DONE. BUT WE DO NEED MONEY TO GET THESE OTHER FIVE FISHING DOCKS AT LAKE CHABOT REPAIRED. HERE ARE SOME OF THE LANDSLIDE ISSUES THAT WE'VE HAD OUT AT WEST SHARE AND EAST SHORE TRAIL, AROUND LAKE CHABOT. WE INTEND TO USE [INAUDIBLE] TECHNOLOGY HERE. THIS IS IN DESIGN RIGHT NOW. WE HAVE BUDGET SHORTFALLS ON THIS AS WELL. OUR ENGINEERING ESTIMATE ON THIS IS SOMEWHERE BETWEEN $1.2 AND $2 MILLION. WE DON'T HAVE NEARLY ENOUGH TO GET THIS WORK DONE. THIS IS A TCP PROJECT OUT AT TEJON CANYON THAT LOOKS A LOT BETTER NOW. I COULDN'T CHANGE THE PRESENTATION. I HAD TO SUBMIT A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, BUT WE DO HAVE UPDATED PHOTOS OF THIS. IT'S DONE. IT LOOKS REALLY GOOD. THIS WAS AN IMPORTANT PROJECT BECAUSE THERE WAS A PRIVATE PROPERTY THAT RELIED ON THIS CROSSING. IT WAS GROSSLY UNDERSIZED. I THINK WHAT WE HAD THERE ORIGINALLY WAS A 48-INCH CULVERT. I THINK BEFORE THAT, IT WAS ACTUALLY A 36-INCH. AND THEN WE REPLACED IT WITH A 48-INCH UNDER SOME EMERGENCY REPAIR A FEW YEARS AGO. AND AFTER WE DID THE HYDROLOGIC ANALYSIS, IT REQUIRED A 72-INCH CULVERT, SO THAT'S WHAT'S THERE NOW. LEONA CANYON-- ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF A PROJECT THAT HAS BEEN IN THE WORKS FOR QUITE A WHILE. IT WAS ORIGINALLY A 48-INCH CULVERT. AFTER THE HYDROLOGIC, HYDRAULIC ANALYSIS, WE DETERMINED THAT A 72-INCH CULVERT WAS REQUIRED THERE. THIS WORK IS COMPLETE. IT LOOKS GREAT. I WISH I COULD SHOW YOU, AGAIN, UPDATED CONSTRUCTION PHOTOS, BUT IT WAS JUST COMPLETED WITHIN THE LAST FEW WEEKS. SO BRANDON TRAIL REROUTE-- THIS IS OUT OF ANTHONY CHABOT. THE BOTTOM GRAPHICS JUST SHOW SOME OF THE CIVIL ENGINEERING WORK, PLAN AND PROFILE, VIEWS OF THIS CULVERT REPLACEMENT [01:30:01] PROJECT, AND TRAIL REALIGNMENT THAT WE'RE DOING. WE'RE MOVING THIS TRAIL IN A LITTLE BIT. I SEE MAURICE IS HERE. WE'VE BEEN OUT AND LOOKED AT THIS TOGETHER. A COUPLE PROJECTS OUT AT BLACK DIAMOND MINES THAT REQUIRE BOTTOMLESS ARCH CULVERTS. THIS WAS DESIGNED IN-HOUSE. SHOULD BE BUILT NEXT YEAR. OLD HOMESTEAD LOOP FORWARD CROSSING. ANOTHER PROJECT THAT WAS DESIGNED IN-HOUSE. SHOULD BE BUILT NEXT YEAR. OUR SMALL TRAILS CREWS GOT MORE WORK DONE THIS YEAR THAN THEY EVER HAVE. AND THEY KEEP GETTING MORE AND MORE EFFICIENT, BUT THEY CAN'T DO ALL OF THE WORK THAT WE NEED TO GET DONE. SO THOSE WERE PROJECTS THAT THEY JUST DIDN'T HAVE THE CAPACITY FOR THIS YEAR. THIS IS THE LAFAYETTE CREEK BRIDGE REPLACEMENT PROJECT. CLOSE TO DOWNTOWN LAFAYETTE, THERE'S A 100-FOOT GLULAM BRIDGE, THE TOP PHOTO, THAT WAS BUILT SOMETIME IN THE LATE '70S, EARLY '80S. WE HAVE 14 OR 15 OF THESE GLULAM BRIDGES THAT WERE BUILT AROUND THE SAME TIME PERIOD, SPREAD ALL OVER THE DISTRICT. AND THEY USED DOUGLAS FIR LAMS, LAMINATIONS, GLUED TOGETHER. DOUGLAS FIR IS NOT A NATURALLY ROT-RESISTANT SPECIES. IT REQUIRED ONGOING MAINTENANCE THAT UNFORTUNATELY THEY DIDN'T GET. SO THESE BRIDGES ARE ALL REACHING THE END OF THEIR DESIGN LIFE. AND THIS LAFAYETTE CREEK BRIDGE IS ONE THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE REPLACING WITH A CORTEN STEEL TRUSS BRIDGE THAT YOU SEE IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT-HAND CORNER. WE HAVE A CREEKS COMMITTEE MEETING TONIGHT IN LAFAYETTE WHERE WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT THIS. VERY SIMILAR BRIDGE LOCATED IN MORAGA. THE SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH AND SCHOOL STREET. SO VERY SIMILAR PROJECT. WE'RE HAVING ISSUES GETTING OUR ANCHORAGE CALCULATIONS TO WORK BECAUSE WE REUSE THE EXISTING FOUNDATIONS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE ON THESE BRIDGE REPLACEMENT PROJECTS. THIS IS A PROJECT THAT I BELIEVE IS DONE, OUT AT TILDEN, NEAR THE NATURE AREA, WILDCAT VIEW GROUP CAMPSITE. THIS WAS A 200-FOOT-LONG CULVERT THAT WAS CLOGGED AND UNDERSIZED, AND WHEN WE LOOKED AT THIS WITH OPERATIONS, DECIDED THAT WE WOULD OPEN UP A LOT OF THE LENGTH OF THIS CREEK, AS YOU CAN SEE IN THE UPPER PLAN VIEW DRAWING. SO OUR STEWARDSHIP DEPARTMENT IS GETTING MITIGATION CREDIT FOR THIS PROJECT. WE'RE REPLANTING WITH A LOT OF NATIVE SPECIES AND ENHANCING THE STREAM IN THIS AREA WHILE ALLOWING FOR THE CROSSING WHERE THE CULVERT IS LOCATED TO ALLOW VEHICLES AT THIS GROUP CAMPSITE TO DRIVE OVER AND HAVE ADEQUATE PARKING AREA. THIS IS IN CONSTRUCTION STARTING, I THINK, THE 27TH OR 28TH. IT SAYS, TARGET COMPLETION, 10/31. THAT WAS AMBITIOUS. THEY'RE GOING TO BE WORKING THROUGH NOVEMBER ON THIS ONE. BUT THIS IS OUT AT MARTINEZ SHORELINE. AGAIN, THIS IS A PROJECT THAT WAS DESIGNED 100% IN-HOUSE AND BUILT 100% IN-HOUSE. NO OUTSIDE CONSULTANTS OR CONTRACTORS. I JUST SHOW THIS SLIDE. THIS IS WHAT WE FOCUSED ON AT THE LAST BOARD EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING. WE HAD SHOWN YOU ONE OF OUR CIVIL ENGINEERS WHO PRESENTED ON THE DIRE SITUATION THAT WE HAVE OUT HERE AT ANTHONY CHABOT, WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO REALIGN A SEWER THAT IS CURRENTLY SUSPENDED FROM THIS BRIDGE ON THE EAST SHORE, EAST PART OF LAKE CHABOT. AND WHEN EAST BAY MUD RELEASES WATER FROM UPPER SAN LEANDRO RESERVOIR, WHICH THEY DID IN '22, '2, DEFINITELY BACK IN 2017-- THEY MAY, AGAIN, THIS WINTER-- THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS TO THE BRIDGE. IT GETS COMPLETELY INUNDATED. SO WE HAVE A SEWER LINE THAT'S SUSPENDED FROM THAT BRIDGE THAT IS UNDER PRESSURE. IT'S A SIPHON SEWER LINE. AND IF WE HAVE A LARGE LOG THAT FLOATS DOWN THERE AND BREAKS THAT SEWER LINE, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE AN ENVIRONMENTAL CATASTROPHE AT LAKE CHABOT. WE'RE HOPING THAT WE CAN GET THE MONEY THAT WE NEED TO COMPLETE THIS PROJECT. THIS IS ONE THAT WE TRIED TO GET MONEY FOR LAST YEAR FROM THE MEASURE WW MONEY THAT WAS SLATED FOR ACQUISITION. BUT AGAIN, I BRING THIS UP BECAUSE THIS IS A PROJECT THAT'S CURRENTLY ON PAUSE, AND WE REALLY WANT TO GET IT MOVING FORWARD. WE HAVE OUR DESIGN AT 90% RIGHT NOW. [01:35:02] AND WE JUST DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO COMPLETE CONSTRUCTION OF THE PROJECT, SO WE CAN'T GO OUT TO BID. MCKAY AVENUE UTILITIES PROJECT, OUT AT CROWN BEACH. THIS IS GOING TO BE STARTING CONSTRUCTION ON THE 28TH OF OCTOBER, AND THE PROJECT WILL GO FOR ABOUT SIX MONTHS. THIS IS ANOTHER PROJECT THAT'S BEEN A LONG TIME COMING. THIS WAS NOT DESIGNED-- NO, NO, NO. I'M SORRY. IT WAS DESIGNED IN-HOUSE. SHUN YU WAS THE ENGINEER OF RECORD FOR THIS PROJECT. AND IT WILL BE CONSTRUCTED BY WESTROCK ENGINEERING. WE PRESENTED TO THE BOARD BACK IN AUGUST AND GOT THIS CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT APPROVED FOR $1.4 MILLION. ENGINEERING ESTIMATE WAS $2. WE HAD SOME ESTIMATES AS HIGH AS $2.7. SO WE THINK WE'RE GETTING A GOOD DEAL ON THIS PROJECT. COGSWELL BRIDGES PROJECT, OUT OF HAYWARD SHORELINE, IS SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETE. WE ACCEPTED IT LAST WEEK, I WANT TO SAY? EARLY LAST WEEK, WE ACCEPTED THIS. THERE ARE A COUPLE PUNCH LIST ITEMS, ONE OF WHICH BEING PIER JACKETING ON ONE OF THESE PIERS THAT'S SUPPORTING THE CROSS BEAM THAT SUPPORTS THE BRIDGE. THIS IS A VERY SALINE, CORROSIVE ENVIRONMENT. SO ALL THE STEEL HARDWARE OUT HERE RUSTS THROUGH VERY QUICKLY. SO IT'S ALL STAINLESS STEEL-- NEW STAINLESS STEEL HARDWARE. AGAIN, I WISH I HAD AN UPDATED PHOTO TO SHOW YOU WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE NOW, BUT WE'RE HOPING TO GET THAT PIER JACKETED IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS. THIS IS A PROJECT THAT'S GOING TO BE COMPLETED SOMETIME THIS WINTER, HOPEFULLY BEFORE JANUARY 31, THE END OF OUR SHORELINE PROJECTS WORK WINDOW, WHERE WE'RE REPLACING A FISH SCREEN THAT IS USED TO KEEP FISH FROM GETTING PUMPED UP INTO THE MILLER KNOX LAGOON. THE LAGOON IS 7 TO 10 FEET HIGHER IN ELEVATION THAN THE OCEAN AT THIS LOCATION, AND WHEN THE FISH SCREEN IS NOT THERE, FISH GET A ONE-WAY TRIP TO THE LAGOON, AND THERE'S NO WAY OF GETTING BACK, SO. I'LL JUST GO THROUGH THESE QUICKLY. THIS IS A PROJECT THAT'S OUT FOR CIP REVIEW RIGHT NOW, 30% DESIGN. STILL TRYING TO GET THE SCOPE, EXACTLY, OF WHAT WE WANT TO DO OUT AT SUNOL BRIONES. WE'RE WORKING ON A COUPLE GROUP CAMPGROUND PROJECTS AT MAUD WHALEN AND [INAUDIBLE]. A BIG AMPHITHEATER THEATER PROJECT. THIS IS ONE OF THE 10 PROJECTS THAT WE DID RECEIVE FUNDING FOR LAST YEAR FROM MEASURE WW, SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. WE'VE HAD A COUPLE DESIGN INPUT MEETINGS ON THIS. MUNDO MURGUIA. ONE OF OUR PROFESSIONAL LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS IS THE PROJECT MANAGER FOR THIS. AND WE'RE EXPECTING THIS TO BE A REALLY, REALLY GREAT PROJECT. WE'RE WELL-FUNDED FOR THIS. BEAR CREEK STAGING AREA IS OUT FOR CIP REVIEW, 60%. LAKE ANZA DAM. WE HAD SOME WORK OUT THERE OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS, TRYING TO OPERATE A SLIDE-GATE VALVE THAT IS USED TO LET WATER OUT OF LAKE ANZA TO LOWER THE LEVEL. AND THAT DSOD, THE DAM SAFETY DIVISION FOR THE STATE, REQUIRES US TO OPERATE THAT VALVE ON AN ANNUAL BASIS. AND DURING COVID, WE GOT BEHIND ON THAT SCHEDULE, AND THERE WERE CONCERNS THAT SEDIMENT WAS KEEPING THE GATE FROM CLOSING. AND NO ONE IN OPS WANTED TO OPERATE IT AND NOT BE ABLE TO CLOSE IT AND LOSE LAKE ANZA. SO WE DO HAVE A BACKUP VALVE ON THE DOWNSTREAM FACE OF THE DAM AS WELL. BUT WE JUST FOUND A LOT OF CORROSION ON THE VALVE STEM THAT RUNS FROM THE CREST OF THE DAM DOWN TO THE SLIDE-GATE STRUCTURE, AND WE'RE GOING TO NEED TO DO SOME DESIGN WORK ON THAT, PROBABLY WITH AN OUTSIDE CONSULTANT. AND UNFORTUNATELY, WE WERE NOT ABLE TO OPERATE THAT VALVE AS WE HOPE TO BE ABLE TO. SO THAT PROJECT IS ONGOING. OYSTER BAY. WE HAVE ACCESS AND PICNIC AREA PROJECT THAT SHOULD BE IN CONSTRUCTION NEXT SUMMER. LLAMA LANE TRAIL. THIS WAS A SPUR OF THE BAY AREA RIDGE TRAIL, OUT NEAR-- BETWEEN DON CASTRO AND GARIN PARK ON FIVE CANYONS PARKWAY IN CASTRO VALLEY. THIS IS A PROJECT THAT WAS DESIGNED COMPLETELY IN-HOUSE. [01:40:02] AND THE PLAN IS TO GO OUT TO BID, BUT WE ARE CURRENTLY UNDERFUNDED BY ABOUT $1 MILLION ON THIS RIGHT NOW. SO SOME OF THESE PROJECTS YOU'LL HEAR MORE ABOUT IN TIMES TO COME. BUT LIKE I SAID, THERE'S NO ACTION ITEMS HERE. THIS IS JUST AN INFORMATIONAL MEETING TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON IN THE DESIGN UNIT. SO THANKS FOR YOUR TIME. OLIVIA SANWONG: GREAT. THANK YOU. THAT'S A LOT OF PROJECTS, AND YOU GOT THROUGH THEM PRETTY QUICKLY. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH THE BRIEF OVERVIEW OF EACH PROJECT. I KNOW PERSONALLY, I REALLY APPRECIATE SEEING THE DRAWINGS, SO THANKS FOR INCORPORATING THOSE AT ONE POINT. SO I ACTUALLY STARTED MY CAREER IN ENGINEERING CALCULATION SOFTWARE, AND I DID WORK FOR AUTODESK, AND I DID LEAD SOME OF THE MARKET AND COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS OF 2D DRAWINGS. SO SEEING THESE IS KIND OF EXCITING FOR ME TO SEE THAT WORKFLOW FULL CIRCLE, IN TERMS OF HOW THAT'S USED. SO I APPRECIATE THAT THAT'S INCORPORATED. AND PERHAPS, IF I'M STILL WITH EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT IN 2027, I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO MAYBE MEET WITH YOUR GROUP AND JUST LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE SOFTWARE AND HOW YOU'RE USING IT. AND I EVEN SEE A 3D RENDERING ON THE LAST SLIDE, WHICH I APPRECIATE. I THINK THAT THERE'S SOME INTERESTING INFORMATION IN REGARDS TO HOW WE'RE USING THE, I GUESS, DESIGN SOFTWARE. CLAY SIMMONS: THAT'S CIVIL 3D-- VERY POWERFUL. WHEN I STARTED MY CAREER, WE USED LAND DEVELOPMENT DESKTOP, LDD. AND, YEAH, THINGS HAVE PROGRESSED A LOT. OLIVIA SANWONG: YEAH. SO I THINK IT'D BE INTERESTING TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION AT SOME POINT, MAYBE IN 2027. I JUST HAVE A FEW COMMENTS. SO ONE WITH THE ANTHONY CHABOT CAMPGROUND SEWER. WE REVIEWED IT HERE AT EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AT SOME POINT, AND THEN WE WERE AT THE BOARD SITE TOUR IN AUGUST. AND I THINK ONE THING THAT COULD HELP IN TERMS OF THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS WOULD BE TO UNDERSTAND THE VOLUME OF WHAT'S SHOWER WATER VERSUS SEWAGE AND TO UNDERSTAND THAT DYNAMIC AND IF THERE ARE SOME OPTIONS WITH SHOWER WATER IN TERMS OF GREYWATER SYSTEMS. I KNOW IT'S NOT PART OF THE CURRENT DESIGN, BUT THAT WAS ONE QUESTION THAT SOMEONE HAD BROUGHT UP TO ME WHEN WE WERE THERE AT ANTHONY CHABOT, AND I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE TO ARTICULATE THAT AT THIS MOMENT. AND THEN I THINK, JUST IN GENERAL, I'LL SHARE THE FEEDBACK. I THINK IT'S GREAT THAT WE'RE DOING THESE UPDATES. AND I'D LIKE TO THINK ABOUT HOW WE CAN UTILIZE THESE UPDATES TO HELP KEEP THE CONVERSATION MOVING FORWARD BETWEEN YOUR GROUP AND US. BUT THIS IS A REALLY GREAT START, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE SEEING IT ALL ORGANIZED THIS WAY, SO THANK YOU. DO ANY OF MY COLLEAGUES HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? AND THEN WE'LL OPEN UP TO PUBLIC COMMENT AFTER YOU GUYS-- DO YOU WANT TO GO AHEAD, COLIN? COLIN COFFEY: OK. THANK YOU, CLAY. YEAH, THIS IS REALLY USEFUL BECAUSE IT JUST REINFORCES THOUGHTS AND IDEAS AND STATUSES THAT ARE OUT THERE AND MAYBE I HAVEN'T THOUGHT ABOUT IN A WHILE. A FEW QUESTIONS IN TERMS OF THE WHOLE PROGRAM AND THEN SOME SPECIFICS. AND BY REASON OF HAVING YOU FOLKS IN THE ROOM MEANS I CAN GET TO SOME SPECIFICS THAT ARE PERHAPS UNIQUELY MINE BECAUSE OF MY WARD. SO I'M SORRY FOR THAT, BUT YOU'RE HERE. A QUESTION MORE FOR MAX. WHEN WE HAVE PROJECTS WITH FEMA MONEY, EITHER WE KNOW THERE'S FEMA MONEY OR WE THINK FEMA IS GOING TO COVER THE COSTS OF REPAIR. DO WE ALWAYS-- WELL, WHICH END SHOULD I START WITH? DO WE GO AHEAD AND DO PROJECTS, KNOWING FEMA MONEY'S COMING IN THE FUTURE? OR DO WE, AT TIMES, WAIT UNTIL WE ACTUALLY HAVE THE FEMA MONEY BEFORE WE DO A PROJECT? AND I'M FAMILIAR WITH THIS AT A MUNICIPAL LEVEL BECAUSE I HEAR HOW THE CITIES DEAL WITH THIS ALL THE TIME, IS THEY WILL NOT SPEND THEIR OWN MONEY TO DO A PROJECT. THEY WILL WAIT UNTIL FEMA REIMBURSES THEM. SO ALL THE CITIES I'M FAMILIAR WITH-- THEY CAN HAVE PROJECTS SITTING AROUND FOR YEARS BECAUSE THEY CAN'T DO IT UNLESS FEMA HAS FUNDED THEM. SO WHERE ARE WE AT IN THAT? MAX KORTEN: THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION. YOU'VE GOT A GOOD TEAM HERE OF FOLKS, BETWEEN CLAY, CHRIS, AND TIFFANY, WHO CAN HELP ANSWER THAT QUESTION. MY SENSE IS THAT-- AND I THINK YOU PUT IT A GOOD WAY, COLIN, [01:45:01] WHICH IS CITIES MIGHT WAIT TO DO A PROJECT IF THEY DON'T HAVE ANOTHER WAY TO ACCOMPLISH IT WITHOUT THE FEMA MONEY. SO THERE'S A WHOLE BUNCH OF DIFFERENT WAYS THAT WE CAN APPROACH WORK, WHETHER WE DO IT AND GET REIMBURSED FOR IT OR IF WE DON'T HAVE A WAY OF DOING IT IN THE SHORT TERM AND WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE THAT FEMA MONEY. TIFFANY, DO YOU WANT TO DESCRIBE-- AND I CAN FOLLOW UP AND ADD MORE. TIFFANY MARGULICI: SURE, ABSOLUTELY. THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. HELLO, I'M TIFFANY MARGULICI. I'M THE ACTING ASSISTANT FINANCE OFFICER. AND REGARDING FEMA FUNDING, THE PARK DISTRICT GENERALLY WILL OBLIGATE OR BUDGET THE FUNDS WHEN WE GET THE FEDERAL OBLIGATION. IT'S KIND OF LIKE THE APPROVAL. SOMETIMES BASED ON AN OPERATIONAL NEED. IF THE PROJECT IS REALLY IMPEDING OPERATIONS OR SAFETY, THE PARK DISTRICT WOULD DECIDE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH A PROJECT IN ADVANCE OF THE FEMA APPROVAL. AND WHEN WE DO THAT, FINANCE AND MANAGEMENT SERVICES WILL PARTNER WITH THE PROJECT TEAM TO ENSURE THAT THEY GET ALL OF THE DOCUMENTATION LINED UP THAT WOULD BE NEEDED IN CASE FEMA DOES APPROVE THE PROJECT. AND SO WE WOULD BE WELL-POSITIONED TO GET REIMBURSEMENT. SO IT'S REALLY ON A PROJECT-BY-PROJECT BASIS. SOMETIMES THERE'S JUST PROJECTS THAT WE KNOW NEED TO MOVE FORWARD BECAUSE THEY'RE REALLY IMPEDING EMERGENCY ACCESS OR OPERATIONS. COLIN COFFEY: SO THE ANSWER IS, SOMETIMES THIS, SOMETIMES THAT IS WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. SO IF THERE ISN'T A PROJECT THAT PRESENTS AN IMMEDIATE NEED FOR REPAIR, SO IT'S NOT IMPEDING ANY PARK OPERATIONS, FOR INSTANCE, YOU MIGHT HAVE IT-- PREPARE FOR DOING IT BUT WAIT FOR FEMA MONEY? AND OTHERWISE, IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT IS GOING TO BE A NUISANCE OR A DANGER OR SOME MORE URGENT NEED, WE WILL GO AHEAD AND DO THE PROJECT, BANKING ON FUTURE FEMA REIMBURSEMENT FOR WHAT IT COST US. MAX KORTEN: YEAH. AND, I MEAN, I THINK PART OF IT IS KNOWING THAT WE'RE NOT ASSURED OF GETTING FEMA REIMBURSEMENT. SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE USING OUR DISTRICT FUNDS ON THE REPAIR AND REPLACEMENT OF FACILITIES IN A WAY THAT'S PRIORITIZING THE HIGHEST-NEED PROJECTS AS WELL. I'D SAY ONE OF THE THINGS THAT OUR TEAM, BOTH CHRIS'S TEAM AND FACILITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE, OPERATIONS TEAM, AND OUR STEWARDSHIP TEAM HAVE BEEN WORKING TOGETHER ON IS TRYING TO DO MORE EMERGENCY REPAIRS QUICKLY, GETTING EMERGENCY PERMITS FROM THE RESOURCE AGENCIES AND DOING THINGS IN A SHORTER TURNAROUND MANNER. AND THAT WAY WE CAN REALLY-- SOMETIMES THERE'S FACILITIES WHERE IF WE DON'T ACT QUICKLY, WE'RE GOING TO COMPLETELY LOSE THE FACILITY. AT CROWN BEACH, WITH THE BAY TRAIL AND COASTAL EROSION, WE WERE FACED WITH THAT LAST TWO WINTERS. SO WE WENT IN, AND OUR CREWS-- SHUN FROM CLAY'S TEAM, DID A QUICK DESIGN FOR A RIPRAP WALL. WE GOT EMERGENCY PERMIT. THE STEWARDSHIP TEAM GOT EMERGENCY PERMITS. AND OUR ROAD AND TRAIL CREW WENT OUT AND BUILT THAT WALL WITHIN DAYS. SO I THINK WE'RE TRYING TO PUT ASIDE SOME MONEY SO THAT WE CAN DO THAT, ESPECIALLY THIS WINTER. COLIN COFFEY: YEAH. I'M PRETTY SURE, FROM BOARD MEMBERS' PERSPECTIVES, WE'D LIKE TO SEE PROJECTS DONE, JUST IN GENERAL. CLAY WAS FREQUENTLY REFERRING TO BUDGET SHORTFALLS. AND SO MY CONCERN WAS, WERE THOSE BUDGET SHORTFALLS-- ARE BECAUSE WE'RE WAITING FOR FEMA MONEY? THEN FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, I'D RATHER THAT THE DISTRICT USE ITS CASH RESOURCES AND GET THOSE KIND OF PROJECTS DONE RATHER THAN WAIT AROUND FOR FEMA MONEY AND BANK ON THE FEMA MONEY. MAX KORTEN: YEAH, AGREED. AND I THINK THAT'S SOME OF THE WORK THAT I KNOW THAT CHRIS IS WORKING ON WITH OUR FINANCE TEAM AND OTHERS IS JUST WITH HOW WE PRIORITIZE PROJECTS, IF THERE'S A WAY OF MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE FUNDING AND COMPLETING SOME OF THESE MAINTENANCE AND REPLACEMENT PROJECTS IN A TIMELY MANNER AND JUST UTILIZING THE FUNDING THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE TO GET THAT DONE. THAT'S OBVIOUSLY A PRIORITY, AND I'M HEARING IT'S HELPFUL FROM YOUR COMMITTEE TO HEAR THE SUPPORT FOR THAT WORK. SO I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT-- WE SHARE THAT DESIRE. COLIN COFFEY: AND WHEN YOU HAVE AN UNEXPECTED REPAIR, LIKE THE CHABOT SEWER SYSTEM, PERSONALLY, I [01:50:02] WOULDN'T BE SHY ABOUT USING RESERVES FOR PROJECTS LIKE THAT. JUST A THOUGHT. I DON'T WANT TO NECESSARILY TALK ABOUT THAT AT THIS LEVEL. BUT THAT IS AN UNEXPECTED CAPITAL COST THAT IS RATHER URGENT, AND WE WOULD LIKE TO THINK THERE ARE OUTSIDE FUNDING SOURCES FOR IT. BUT FROM THE DISASTER THAT WE'VE BEEN DESCRIBED WAITING TO HAPPEN, I JUST-- PERSONALLY, I WOULDN'T BE AGAINST LOOKING TO OUR VERY SUBSTANTIAL RESERVES, KNOWING WE CAN REPLENISH THEM. THAT'S JUST A THOUGHT. YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO THERE. [LAUGHS] THE BEAR CREEK PROJECT-- DOES THAT INCLUDE REPLACING THE CHEM TOILETS? IT'S JUST SOMETHING I'VE BEEN ADVOCATING FOR-- IT DOES. THANK GOODNESS. GOOD. THOSE ARE AWFUL. CLAY SIMMONS: AND ONE THING-- IF I CAN JUST ADD ON THE-- SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT WE HAVE SOMETIMES WITH THESE FEMA PROJECTS IS THAT WE'RE ALLOWED TO DO A CERTAIN REPAIR. BUT WHAT WE REALLY WANT TO DO OR NEED TO DO IS GREATER THAN THE DAMAGE THAT WAS INCURRED. SO THE DOG RUN TRAIL PROJECT IS AN EXAMPLE OF THAT, WHERE WE SUBMITTED A PW THAT ENTAILS REPAIR OF A SMALL PART OF THE LANDSLIDE, VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT WE DID 10 YEARS AGO, A LITTLE [INAUDIBLE] PATCH. BUT WHAT WE REALLY NEED TO DO IS ADDRESS THE PROBLEM MORE GLOBALLY. AND SO IT'S ABOVE AND BEYOND WHAT FEMA-- COLIN COFFEY: FEMA WOULD DO. CLAY SIMMONS: YEAH, WOULD COVER. YEAH. COLIN COFFEY: OK. THAT'S HELPFUL. LASTLY, THERE'S BEEN A PROJECT-- I ASKED THIS OF REN, PROBABLY, ANNUALLY FOR A YEAR OR TWO, IS A PROJECT THAT USED TO BE HERE THAT WAS ACTIVE WAS THE ECKLEY'S PIER PROJECT IN CROCKETT THAT ENTAILED IMPROVEMENTS TO THE PICNIC AREA THERE AND A KAYAK LAUNCH, IMPROVEMENTS TO THE GRADE CROSSING OF THE RAILROAD. AND AT SOME POINT, THAT DROPPED OFF, AND AT THE TIME-- OFF THIS LIST OF THINGS WE'RE DOING. AND I THINK I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WERE ISSUES WITH KINDER MORGAN OR THE PIPELINE THERE. AND SO FOR SOME REASON, IT FELL OFF. REN BATES: REN BATES, DIVISION LEAD, DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION. WE'RE WORKING ON THAT, DIRECTOR COFFEY. UPR IS THE RAILROAD. WE HAVE A RAILROAD CROSSING, SO THEY HAVE TO DO ALL THE WORK ON THAT. THE BOARD APPROVED AN AGREEMENT WITH THE RAILROAD FOR C&M, FOR CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE OF THAT, IN JUNE. AND SO WE'RE PROCEEDING WITH THAT. SO THEY'LL HAVE TO DO THEIR IMPROVEMENTS FIRST. IT'S STILL THERE. I THINK, IN THIS NEXT BUDGET BOOK, IT WILL APPEAR AGAIN IN THAT REGARD. SO WE ARE WORKING ON THAT. AND THE LAST THING WOULD BE, AFTER THAT'S DONE-- IS TO BUILD A RAMP DOWN FOR THE PERSONAL SIZE WATERCRAFT THAT THE SF BAY WATER TRAIL FOLKS-- IN WHAT WE'RE PROVIDING. COLIN COFFEY: THANK YOU, REN. REN BATES: SURE. JOHN MERCURIO: SO I'M REALLY APPRECIATING THIS. JUST SO WE KNOW, IF PEOPLE ASK US, WHAT ARE WE DOING, WE TEND TO GRAVITATE TOWARD, WELL, WE GOT GOLDEN GATE FIELDS. WE GOT POINT-- BUT THERE'S ALL THESE OTHER-- AND THAT'S OBVIOUS. AND THEY ALREADY KNOW THAT. WELL, HERE'S SOME THINGS WE CAN SAY. WELL, WHAT PARK DO YOU LIKE TO GO TO? WELL, I LIKE TO GO TO TILDEN. WELL, WE'RE BUILDING THIS-- WE BUILT THIS GREAT BRIDGE AND ALL THIS OTHER STUFF. SO IT REALLY HELPS US A LOT. AND I HAVE TO DO A PRESENTATION IN SAN RAMON COMING UP HERE PRETTY SOON, EXCEPT IT DOESN'T-- ANYWAY. IT'S BETTER WHEN THERE'S A PICTURE, BUT THIS ONE WON'T HAVE ANY PICTURES. I'M NOT ALLOWED TO DO THAT ON THIS ONE. BUT IT'S NICE TO HAVE THESE PICTURES TO BE ABLE TO SHOW THE FOLKS, WELL, WHAT ARE WE REALLY DOING OUT THERE. THERE'S STUFF HAPPENING. AND WE'RE NOT ONLY BUYING LAND, AND WE'RE NOT ONLY DOING PROGRAMS, BUT WE'RE ALSO BUILDING STUFF OUT THERE THAT'S BETTER THAN IT WAS BEFORE. SO THAT'S REALLY GREAT. AND I LIKE THE ENTHUSIASM THAT I HEAR FOR YOUR WORK. THAT'S VERY ENCOURAGING TO ME. AND ALSO, YOUR OBVIOUS INTEREST AND DESIRE TO KEEP AS MUCH STUFF IN-HOUSE AS POSSIBLE. I MADE A COMMENT ABOUT THAT IN ANOTHER BOARD MEETING RECENTLY. AND I FEEL PRETTY CONFIDENT THAT WE'RE GOING ALONG THOSE LINES [01:55:02] AS MUCH AS IS PRACTICAL AND SAFE AND COST-EFFECTIVE AND ALL THAT STUFF. SO THANK YOU FOR HAVING THAT INTEREST IN DOING IT THAT WAY. YEAH. OLIVIA SANWONG: LET'S GO AHEAD AND SEE IF WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT FOR THIS ITEM. KELLY CLANCY: WE DO HAVE ONE PUBLIC COMMENT ONLINE FOR THIS ITEM. KELLY, YOU MAY UNMUTE YOURSELF. AUDIENCE: YEAH. I'VE BEEN FOLLOWING THE LLAMA LANE THING FOR SEVERAL YEARS. AND WHAT HAPPENED WAS THERE WAS A DIRT ROAD THERE AND PEOPLE WERE WALKING ON IT. THEN IT WAS BLOCKED OFF ILLEGALLY WITH NO TRESPASSING SIGNS. AND THEN THE PARK DISTRICT SUED. AND AT THE TIME OF THE LAWSUIT, THE PARK DISTRICT THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD ONLY COST A MILLION DOLLARS TO MOVE THE TRAIL AND BUILD A WHOLE NEW TRAIL, UPHILL IN THE MIDDLE OF A STEEP SLOPE. SO NOW WE'RE FINDING OUT THAT THE MILLION DOLLARS WASN'T ENOUGH. AND THEY GOT THE MILLION DOLLARS FROM THE PROPERTY OWNER AS A RESULT-- AS A SETTLEMENT FROM THE LAWSUIT. SO NOW WE'RE FINDING OUT THE MILLION DOLLARS WASN'T ENOUGH. WE NEED $2 MILLION TO BUILD ON A STEEP SLOPE. SO THIS IS-- WHEN WE MAKE THESE KIND OF DEALS, SOMETIMES WE'RE SURPRISED BY HOW EXPENSIVE THE CONSTRUCTION IS. AND MAYBE WE'D HAVE BEEN BETTER OFF WITH THAT DIRT ROAD IN THE FIRST PLACE. ALSO, CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT, AS I SAID YESTERDAY, IS A BIG ISSUE. THERE'S A $100 MILLION PROJECT ACROSS THE STREET FROM YOUR HEADQUARTERS ON PERALTA OAKS. AND THAT THING, ON YOUR WEBSITE, AS OF YESTERDAY, WAS SCHEDULED TO END LAST MONTH. AND I BET YOU THAT IF YOU JUST LOOK AT THE CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY THERE, YOU'LL FIGURE OUT IMMEDIATELY, IF YOU TAKE ONE LOOK AT IT, THAT CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY IS NOWHERE NEAR COMPLETION. SO THAT'S ALSO A COMMUNICATIONS ISSUE, LIKE WHAT-- YOUR COMMUNICATIONS PEOPLE-- COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY PEOPLE NEED TO BE UPDATING YOUR WEBSITE, AND TELL US WHAT THE PROJECT STATUS IS, AND DON'T PRETEND LIKE YOU'RE GOING TO FINISH IT LAST MONTH BECAUSE IT'S NOWHERE NEAR GOING TO BE FINISHED. AND THESE KIND OF MAJOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS-- THE DELAYS AND THE BUDGET OVERRUNS ARE FAMOUS IN EVERY GOVERNMENT AGENCY, ALWAYS, ALWAYS. IT'S LIKE THE RULE, NOT THE EXCEPTION, THAT GOVERNMENT PROJECTS, LARGE PROJECTS, ARE VASTLY OVER-BUDGET AND VASTLY OVER-SCHEDULE. CITY OF PLEASANTON, A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, JUST PUT OUT A WHOLE BUNCH OF REPORTS. AND THEY SAID-- THEY LOOKED AT ALL THEIR CAPITAL PROJECTS. AND THEY WERE MANAGED THROUGH A VERY SOPHISTICATED PR PROCESS TO SAY THAT THEY COULD REDUCE THEIR CAPITAL MAINTENANCE SPENDING FROM $900 MILLION THAT WAS SCHEDULED TO BE SPENT DOWN TO $60 MILLION. AND THEY HAVE ALL KINDS OF GOOD EXCUSES ABOUT WHY THEY DON'T NEED TO DO THE WORK IMMEDIATELY AND WHY THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE MAINTAINING. SO I URGE YOU TO PLEASE TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT THE CITY OF PLEASANTON IS DOING, BECAUSE ALL THE GOVERNMENT AGENCIES-- NOBODY'S KEEPING UP WITH THEIR MAINTENANCE. AND PLEASANTON HAS THIS VERY SOPHISTICATED STRATEGY FOR HOW TO COMMUNICATE THAT AND HOW TO PRETEND LIKE THAT'S A GOOD THING AND HOW THEY'RE SAVING MONEY BY NOT DOING ANY MAINTENANCE. THANKS. KELLY CLANCY: THANK YOU. THERE IS NO MORE PUBLIC COMMENT. OLIVIA SANWONG: OK, GREAT. SO THIS IS AN INFORMATIONAL ITEM. BUT IF WE HAVE ANY FINAL COMMENTS ON THIS, NOW'S THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT. OTHERWISE, WE'LL CONTINUE ON. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THIS WAS GREAT. I REALLY ENJOY THESE UPDATES, AND I'M REALLY GLAD THAT WE'RE INTEGRATING THEM. OH, YES. PLEASE GO AHEAD. CHRIS WYCKOFF: YEAH, THIS IS CHRIS WYCKOFF, ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER FOR FACILITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE. I JUST-- I APPRECIATE ALL THE COMMENTS AND REALLY GLAD TO HEAR YOU ALL ARE ALSO APPRECIATING THE INFORMATION. THAT'S REALLY THE POINT HERE IS TO GET SOME ENGAGEMENT. I WANTED TO LET YOU ALL KNOW, TOO, THAT WE'LL ALSO BE SENDING OUT THE PRESENTATION FROM TODAY TO THE REST OF THE BOARD, SO THEY'LL ALSO HAVE THAT INFORMATION. AND AGAIN, AS REN SAID EARLIER, THE INTENTION HERE IS TO KEEP COMING BACK TO YOU ALL WITH THESE UPDATES FROM EACH GROUP THAT'S IN FACILITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE. AND ALSO, I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT, WITH MAX, AS HE POINTED OUT, THAT THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING IS TO ADDRESS THE CONCERNS ON FUNDING FOR PROJECTS, PRIORITIZATION FOR PROJECTS, HOW THESE PROJECTS ARE GETTING DONE AND HOW YOU'RE INTERACTING WITH THEM. SO HOPEFULLY, YOU'RE FEELING THAT AT THE MOST BASIC LEVEL RIGHT NOW, WHICH IS AWARENESS AND ENGAGEMENT ON THESE THINGS, AND WE'LL KEEP COMING BACK AND BRINGING THAT TO YOU. SO I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT ALL OF THAT. OLIVIA SANWONG: GREAT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. SO WE'LL MOVE ON. ON THE AGENDA, DO WE HAVE ANY PROPOSED FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS? OK. ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS? ALL RIGHT. WE ARE ADJOURNED. THANK YOU, EVERYONE. COLIN COFFEY: THANK YOU. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.