Current commissioners present were Jesus Silva, Kathy Lira, Adrian Meza, Erik Wehn, and Damion Lloyd See full video here.

Department Updates:

• New Senior programs at Fullerton Community Center include Chair Volleyball; Music Sessions including Ukelele tunes, Singalongs, and Drum Circles; and Trivia utilizing iPads donated by the Office on Aging.
• Youth sports leagues have started their fall seasons.
• Acacia Park playground equipment is ready to ship, and a pre-construction meeting will soon be held before the final installation.
• Emory Park concept design phase is finished.
• The Union Pacific Park has been cleaned up for use, and a final design for the premises will soon go to the council.
• Higher netting has been installed in Amerige Park for safety as well.

Summer Highlights: Twenty-two Fullerton Street Markets were held between April and August, with many vendors, live music, and a popular Kid’s Korner. Special market nights included themes such as Star Wars, Superheroes, Pride Night, Dogs of Summer, and CSUF Titan Night. Camp Hillcrest served 484 children between June and August, featuring martial arts, music, arts and crafts, swimming, and excursions to places such as the LA Zoo. Family nights debuted in June with a screening of “Puss in Boots”, followed in July by “Twilight at the Lake.” Summer Concerts continued during September at the Fullerton Sports Complex, featuring an 80’s Tribute Band, Blues, Country, and a Selena Tribute Band on Friday evenings. Along with the concert, a special Tommy LaSorda night on Friday, September 22nd. The Fullerton Tennis Center served 3,000 players in August and was host to week-long summer camps for Servite and Rosary Schools. Staff expressed appreciation to the organizations currently maintaining city parks and trails through the city’s Adopt-a-Park program.

Regular Business: Julio Jacobo, Certified Arborist for Public Works, gave a thorough presentation on Urban Forest Pruning Management. He explained that tree pruning reduces overall risk to the public, improves the health of trees, helps develop the desired structure of each tree, and helps prevent interference with the built environment in town. The City of Fullerton does two kinds of pruning. Grid pruning removes diseased, decayed, dead, and broken branches. It is done by certified tree workers every 4 years, causing minimal stress to trees. Large-scale pruning is necessary for the city’s Chinese elms, as they are prone to sudden limb failure. This kind of proactive pruning for risk mitigation has been very successful, as the number of call-outs for broken limbs to the city has dropped 95% since 2017. It is best to perform this routine in early summer because it is the most common time of year for limb failure. Chinese elms are no longer included on the tree palate for future plantings as the city will continue to use more California native trees.

Public Comments: Curtis Gamble confirmed the importance of tree trimming for public safety, based on his experience as an OCTA bus driver, noting that tree branches can be hazardous to drivers’ vision and damage to vehicles.

Christina Garner, Parks and Rec Volunteer, spoke about her experience updating and maintaining neglected trail kiosks and suggested that unused kiosks that are currently collecting dust could instead be used for permanent public art pieces, such as murals or mosaics.

Staff Communications: A written report on grant funding for the playground at Independence Park was requested by Jesus Silva. Adrian Meza suggested that the idea of kiosk art be considered by the Cultural Arts Subcommittee. Staff reports that the Hunt Library will soon re-open, as 99% of the construction is complete, and a ribbon cutting is planned for October. Other site improvements, including re-striping of the parking lot, will be done in March. Finally, it was announced that Parks and Rec staff member Aimee Aul was selected to receive the Dr. James Young Legacy Award this year in a ceremony at the Muckenthaler for her longstanding contributions to art education in Fullerton.