At the Monday, May 6 meeting, Oakdale City Council members approved The Oakdale Baseball Softball Association’s (OBSA) request to manage year-round access to Kerr Park to curb unsanctioned dog access that damages equipment and the fields.
Despite numerous signs prohibiting dogs from being allowed in the park, people have witnessed Kerr Park being used as a dog park.
“Unfortunately, we’ve struggled with individuals not following the rules,” City Manager Bryan Whitemyer said of the decision.
According to city documents, the Oakdale Baseball Softball Association provides recreational baseball and softball leagues for over 800 children. Each year, OBSA invests money and significant volunteer time to prepare and keep the fields at Kerr Park usable for the sports leagues in which it operates. The Kerr Park softball fields are currently fenced and gated, but access to the fields is not managed, and they are open all the time.
Some members of the public’s actions have damaged or created situations that are problematic for the children using the fields for game play, said officials.
At the April 15 City Council meeting, the council approved an arrangement that would manage access to the Kerr Park Baseball/Softball Fields from March 1 to June 1 each year.
At that meeting, members of the OBSA Board asked if the City Council would consider allowing this managed access arrangement to occur year-round.
OBSA requested that the Kerr Park softball fields be locked by combination locks from March 1 to June 1 each year to protect them from unauthorized use and damage. The City and OBSA would coordinate access for other groups, such as Broncos Baseball and the men’s softball league. The goal is to protect the fields from damage and keep them safe for game play for the groups that currently and regularly use them during the March/June season.
Downtown Parking Discussion
Seeing as parking issues are a common complaint for the downtown area, the City Council on Monday night approved the hiring of Dixon Resources Unlimited (Dixon) for $44,322 for a two-phase project to determine the best route to mitigating the current issues facing businesses and patrons.
“This is not just developing a short-term parking plan, it’s looking long term of what we’re going to do in the downtown area,” Whitemyer said.
According to city documents, Dixon is recognized across the United States as an expert in developing municipal parking programs. Dixon’s partial client list includes Alameda, Anaheim, Livermore, Modesto, Napa, Paso Robles, and San Leandro.
The City of Oakdale has seen increased business activity downtown, creating more traffic and parking needs.
Generally, downtown parking spaces are designated into two categories: Two-Hour parking and Long-Term parking.
Significant community discussion on social media regarding parking downtown and how it is managed has some believing that shorter parking times should be allowed, while others believe longer parking times should be adopted. Additionally, some employees and customers of local businesses have complained of receiving multiple parking citations for not adhering to the two-hour time limit.
City staff has held meetings with local businesses over the last several months to understand the parking needs of those businesses better.
As reported to the council, city staff believes “it would be prudent to have an industry-recognized parking consultant conduct a comprehensive review of our downtown parking area” and assist the community in developing a comprehensive Parking Action Plan that will enable more efficient management of the limited parking spaces.
Phase 1 of the project would include:
· ·An operational needs assessment
· ·Public engagement and stakeholder input
· ·Parking study and Rapid LPR tool
Phase 2 of the project would include:
· ·Financial modeling
· ·Municipal code update
· ·Parking action plan
“To do this right, it’s going to take time,” Whitemyer said. “What we’re trying to do is have a substantial plan that helps us move forward in a positive way.”
Councilmember Bob Amaral asked, “Are parking meters a possibility?”
Whitemyer admitted, “Yes, but it’s not necessarily a parking meter, but an app on your phone or a pay box on the corner.”
However, Whitemyer reminded council members that until the study is complete, it’s hard to say which route will be best for the future downtown parking plans.
Developer Rich Murdoch expressed his support for hiring the consultant and suggested that converting two-thirds of Wood Park to more parking would serve the community more efficiently, as it’s currently just a patch of grass to look at.
