Commissioners Present: Susan Rhie, Oscar Valadez, Erik Wehn, Angela Lindstrom, Jozef Maldonado

Absent: Adrian Meza, Doug McKendry

Chair Lindstrom began with a request for the nomination of a third member to join Commissioners Lindstrom and Maldonado on a newly formed Ad Hoc Committee. It will meet for three months, and its purpose is to add clearer structure and purpose to the commission, to suggest priorities for future consideration, to provide support to Parks and Rec staff, and to connect with other cities to gain ideas for best practices.  Commissioner Rhie was voted in as the third member of the committee.

Department Updates

Due to the recent heat wave, staff have been extending hours at the local spray pools at Lemon Park and the Downtown Plaza. They are open daily from 12-5 pm to help residents beat the heat. In addition, the Fullerton Community Center has been available as a cooling center from 12-6 pm on extreme heat days. Commissioner Lindstrom wondered how many people were coming in to escape the heat and how the resource was being communicated to the public. A CERT monitor is on the premises, and an estimated 10 people a day come for heat protection while the rest use the facility for programming. Social media is being used to publicize the service, and further outreach is recommended.

Fullerton Pop Warner League celebrated its 65th anniversary season with an elaborate opening ceremony on August 24th at Lions Field.

New windscreens have been installed on all courts at the Fullerton Tennis Center to help reduce wind impact, provide consistent airflow, and create a uniform background that helps visibility for players.

The City is in the process of identifying fields to rename in honor of Tommy La Sorda. Currently, the Richman, Chapman, Adlena, and Bastanchury parks, as well as the Fullerton Sports Complex, are under consideration. The La Sorda family will help make the final decision.  Valadez asked if Amerige had been considered, and the staff explained that it had already been named after Duane Winthers.  

Restoration of the murals on the Lemon Street bridge is being funded in part by a T-shirt fundraiser. The staff has partnered with the ESQUE collective to design “The Town I Live In” T-shirts. So far $3,200 has been raised through sales at the street market and they can still be purchased at Friday Night Live Concerts throughout September.

There will be a community meeting for input on the redesign of Independence Park on Wed, September 25, at 6 pm, with the location available on the city website.

Richman Outdoor Grant Excursions have begun and are funded by Cal State Fullerton and Parks and Rec. The grant is designed to enhance the health and wellness of children in residential areas lacking access to outdoor environments and natural settings. Most recently, 40 students participated in an event to teach about good water quality. Each received a kit for testing water from the grant.  Future excursions are planned to Fullerton Arboretum, the LA Arboretum, and Carbon Canyon Park.

The Little Learners program will start soon, serving preschoolers with educational activities. Kid’s Night Out events give kids ages 6-13 pm an evening of fun on a Friday night with 20-25 children typically participating.

A wide variety of Senior Programs are ongoing, with some special events coming up, including a Tea and Big Hats Social Party on September 25 from 12-1 pm, the Fullerton Senior Follies talent show on September 26 from 2-5 pm, and a Halloween Bash Social October 24 starting at 3 pm.

Crafty Kids will give children a chance to explore arts and crafts during their Fall break before Thanksgiving at the Red Cross Building in Hillcrest Park on Nov. 25-27 from 9 am to 12 pm.  

Recruitment is ongoing for a Youth Advisory Committee for the City of Fullerton, which advises staff about programming and activities for young residents. It will have 17 members, and the first meeting will be held the week of October 28th. Commissioner Lindstrom urged consulting with the council about their actual use of the skate park and proposed changes to it.

The Senior Advisory Commission has four participants and is still accepting applications. The Senior Advisors will give input on transportation services, offer technology guidance, improve communication with seniors, and provide better collaboration with the City.  The Senior Advisory Committee had its first meeting in August. It still needs three more members.

The FSDX Hunt is an adventure camp co-sponsored with the Fullerton School District, which provides after-school play and activities on non-school days. The next camp is scheduled for Wednesday, September 25, 2024.

Special Events

The Downtown Fullerton Farmers Market ran every Thursday from April to August, occasionally expanding to include the Walk on Wilshire, and there will be pop-up seasonal markets downtown during the holidays.

There was a sold-out Pickleball Tournament on August 30, with many spectators and prizes for the best players.

Friday Night Live concerts around the City are scheduled for September, from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm at various venues, including Bastanchury Park, the Fullerton Sports Complex, Hunt Branch Library, Independence Park, and Amerige Stadium.  

A Swiftie Paint Party was held in collaboration with DeMilo Events at the Hunt Branch Library, with a total of 55 attendees who created canvas designs inspired by Taylor Swift’s albums.  

Upcoming Events

There will be a “Puptoberfest” on Saturday, October 5th, at the Hunt Branch Library from 12-4 pm, with dog races, food, and a German band.

In partnership with Fullerton Museum Center, an Octoboofest will be held in the Downtown Plaza on the evening of October 24, 2024, featuring music, games, magic shows, and a costume parade. In addition, a Peanuts Spooktacular will be at Laguna Lake Park in October.  And finally, the long-standing Night in Fullerton is scheduled to return in April 2025.

• Water Quality Experiment: The Richmond Outdoor Grant program is funded by the California State Parks. It helps improve the health and Wellness of the youth through fun outdoor activities. Recently, the Fullerton Community Center (FCC) hosted a water quality experiment at the Center for Healthy Neighborhoods. About 40 students learned about the water quality, saw demonstrations on how to clean dirty water, and tested tap water using kits funded by the grant. Future trips this month will include visits to the local Arboretum, LA Arboretum, and Carbon Canyon, where they will learn more about nature.

• Little Learners is aged for potty-trained kids from ages three to five. It’s a program for four weeks. That’s Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, with a morning session and an afternoon session.

• Kids Night Out is a very popular program that happens bimonthly. The next one is happening on Friday, September 20th from 5 to 9pm at FCC. There are games indoors and outdoors, pizza and snacks are available, and then a movie towards the end of the night to wind down.

• Senior program Tea and Big Hats Social party is going to happen on September 25th from 12 to 1pm. • Fullerton Senior Follies is a seniors talent show happening on Thursday, September 26 from 2 to 5pm. All Seniors are welcome to participate. • Halloween Bash presented by the senior club on October 24 from 3 to 6pm.

• Crafty Kids Fall Break Camp, which happens the week of the fall closures for schools Monday through Wednesday at the Red Cross building from 9am to 12pm. Kids will be doing a different art activity each day that they can take home. The City of Fullerton has a partnership with the Fullerton School District for the after-school program. 140 students will be bussed to the Hunt branch. In October, the City will launch the regular after school program happening every Monday and Friday at the Hunt Branch Library.

• Adventure Day Camp from 9am to 5:30pm at the Hunt. It costs $50 for ages 6 to 12. The first one is Wednesday, September 25th.

• Downtown Fullerton Thursday Night Market ended in August and there was a really good outing as it expanded the last two weeks of the market over on the Walk on Wilshire side. Partnering with additional vendors and it was very successful. It was well received and will be back in October.

• Friday Night Live Outdoor Concerts saw 130°F, but it was 80s All Stars at best. All concerts start at 6:30pm, but there are food trucks at each concert and they’re ready to serve by 5pm and there are multiple sponsors on site and different activities

• Pup-tober Fest at Home Branch Library on Saturday, October 5, from 12 to 4pm. There are five different categories of small, medium, large, puppy, and senior dogs that are $10 per racer. There will be a beer garden, a food truck that is selling beers, margaritas, and different cocktails, a German food truck, some Kona ice, and a variety of kids activities. Inside of Hunt a German band will play. I am here on October 24th warehousing our Octoberfest event at the market.

• Youth Advisory Committee is a 17-member group of students from Grades 7 through 12 and Fullerton Area schools. The committee will advise city staff on youth projects, events, and initiatives, helping ensure that the perspectives of the local youth are considered in Future city planning and activities. Members will also participate in community events such as Youth and Government Day, hoping to foster civic engagement. The week of October 28th will be the first meeting.

Adopt-a-Park Policy

Commissioners inquired about the status of the Adopt-a-Park program, which allows community groups to take charge of the clean-up and maintenance of one of the City’s many parks and trails.  Lindstrom wondered how it was being publicized.  Staff says that information is available through social media and that there is an online application.  Groups are asked for a one-year commitment; participants must be at least 18.   Since 2021, 12 out of 53 parks have been adopted. This community service saves staff hours every month.

Commissioners urged creating a volunteer page on the website and inviting folks to contribute talents other than cleaning, including planting, tending birds, beautification, or art installation.

Although the City has an approved process for public memorials around town, the opportunity is underutilized and could be promoted and encouraged more robustly.

Staff were publicly commended for the revitalization of citywide recreational events and their recent successes.   

The next Parks & Recreation Commission meeting is on October 14, 2024 at 6:30 PM. Please check the City’s website for more information closer to the date: https://fullerton.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx