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16. Blackberry Farm I F CUPEIUINO Parks and Recreation Department CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT Agenda Item Number~ Agenda Date: January 16, 2007 SUBJECT AND ISSUES INTRODUCTION: Changing Blackberry Farm to a more environmentally sensitive park will require a number of operational changes. Most of these will be implemented by staff without the need for policy change. Those that require Council consideration will be brought forward incrementally as issues arise. Two issues that require your direction at this time are presented below. A. Consider allowing access to BBF for the next year (or until ground breaking). This issue was raised during the mid-year budget review. B. Consider BBQ catering by staff or by contract. This decision affects the type of BBQ facility designed, and should be made before the design team resumes work in a few months. P ARK CLOSURE THROUGH GROUNDBREAKING: Currently the park is closed as it has always been, from late September to early May. In the past, four full-time staff worked out of the retreat center year-round and kept an eye on the property. Neighbors have used, and continue to use the corridor for dog walking. The city has not actively enforced the closure, but has relied on it when problems occurred. On October 17, the Council approved the scope and schedule for the project and approved the park construction closure. Staff installed fencing to block access to the facility until renovation. Dog walkers continue to by-pass the fencing, and enforcement is done on an "as needed" basis as problems occur. Staff is aware that in May the need for enforcement will become an issue. Staff will be looking at contract security options. Up to 40% of the users of Blackberry Farm arrive without a reservation, and they come from out of the area. It is not possible to block entry to the park at the top of the drive because the private home is past the retreat center and shares a driveway with the retreat I (s -I center. There is also a fire hydrant at the bottom ofthe hill to serve the private residence and the park buildings. The closure must be beyond the fire hydrant. Beginning in May, it will be necessary to post a greeter (or bouncer) at San Fernando to turn away out of town picnickers before they drive into the park. A majority of the historical Blackberry customers are from out of town. Staff believes it will be necessary to strictly enforce the park closure during the regular season or risk impacting the surrounding residents in a significant way. If it is observed that pedestrians have access to the park, it is reasonable to assume that folks that have driven more than an hour to get to Cupertino will park in the neighborhood and also walk into the facility. Readying Blackberry for even minimal use will involve remedying a number of potential hazards. The City is currently involved in litigating a claim for an ankle injury allegedly resulting from an uneven surface on the Blackberry Farm basketball court. The claimant is requesting relief in the range of six-figures. Our insurance carrier has toured the site and recommends against reopening prior to renovation. As Council is aware, the Blackberry Farm facilities are fully depreciated. In an October 17 memo to the City Council, the Public Works Director and Parks and Recreation Director detailed the costs of a "maintenance only" project and could not recommend it. The Council also rejected the maintenance only option, as it would achieve none of the project goals and result in a loss of millions of dollars of grant funds. It is not recommended that the facility be opened until it is renovated and ready for use. To do so would send a message counter to the one we have been trying to communicate: that the new operation will be of high quality. However, if Council chooses to allow minimal use of the area during the coming summer, it will be necessary to address a number of significant deferred maintenance issues by May 1 (at this time unfunded) then provide a minimum level of maintenance for the 100-day operation. STAFFING: By attrition, there is no Blackberry staff remaining on payroll except for one maintenance worker assigned to the Public Works Department. The staffing reduction was made deliberately, to minimize city expense during the restoration project implementation. If we were to open in a reduced capacity (no catering or pool use), we would still need to provide the following level of service (we have city personnel in all city parks every day): . Opening and closing of restrooms, and their maintenance . Daily safety inspection of play and other equipment . Security for pools and buildings (assuming these would be closed) . Trash removal . Repairs . Fire pit cleaning/fire prevention lk -~ It is assumed that the basketball and softball area would not be open; there would be no maintenance of these areas COST: We would endeavor to staff the facility for $1 OOO/day (enough to cover trash removal, minimal maintenance, security and supplies) $100,000 for the 100 day season, if the Council chose to keep the park open. We do not have an accurate cost of how much we would need to spend between now and May 1 to make the facility ready. The window of time between now and May one is rapidly closing. Please know also, that we would be spending capital money for only a single season-until the renovation begins. Staff recommends retaining the current fencing in the off-season and actively enforcing the closure May 1 to September 30,2007. During the 2008 season, the facility will be under the control of the contractor. CATERING: STAFF OR CONTRACT SERVICE? When the Stevens Creek Corridor Park design team resumes work in April, they will need a full understanding of the future food service needs in the park so that the proper amenities are constructed. In the past, Blackberry Farm has offered catering for groups of 50 or larger. The food was purchased by seasonal city staff, and prepared on site. Currently, there is a 53 year-old catering kitchen located adjacent to the pool, and there are "soda shacks" and large barbecues in the various areas of the park. Renovating the picnic area will trigger a code compliance upgrade for the food preparation facilities. A review of current health department codes has revealed that the requirements for BBQ catering from a fixed place of business are significantly more stringent than they were 53 years ago. Furthermore, staff has been analyzing other options for providing catering service and feels that having an outside caterer bring the food to the park ready to barbecue, may be more efficient than using seasonal staff on site as cooks. For purposes of discussion we've estimated the future catering demand to be 20,000 meals per season. Please note: We are changing the operation of Blackberry Farm to be more environmentally friendly, and the philosophy will need to extend to food service within the park. We will use plates, cups and utensils that are fully compostable, change the access into the BBQ area over a bridge and ban the use of charcoal lighter fluid. Dogs will not be allowed on the west side. We will need to ensure that our guests comply if our environmental goals are to be met. At a future time, we will bring forward recommendations for changes to the Municipal Code that will strengthen enforcement. l& -3 CATERING OPTIONS: Please Note: All of these options assume that 25% of the total number ofBBQ meals will be catered. For the food brought from home it will be necessary to provide compostable plates, cups and utensils, so that all park users are in compliance. Option A. No catering service provided: With this option, the customer would have to purchase and cook food or recruit a caterer. Staff would provide the guidelines for cooking/serving within the park, and would then monitor to insure compliance. The city would receive no income for food service from this option although we would receive the park entry fees. Option B. City staff continues to provide a catered barbecue to groups of more than 50 people: This is the status quo option, and would continue the tradition of meals being prepared and served by Blackberry Farm staff. To continue this service, it will be necessary to hire a full-time staff person for at least six months per year, that is a certified food handler, and recruit and train catering staff prior to each season. In the past, Blackberry Farm earned approximately ten percent on catered food. A popular menu included BBQ chicken, ribs and burgers with chili beans, potato salad, fruit salad, green salad, garlic bread soda and ice cream. This meal was priced at $27.95/adult. The health department requirements for operating a commercial barbeque from a fixed place of business have changed and will require, among other things, more extensive development on the west bank. After considering the capital investment needed and the operational inefficiencies inherent in recruiting and training seasonal staff each year, staff began to look and other service alternatives. Option C. Barbecue service available from a list of approved caterers on a percent of gross revenue basis: Caterers interested in working at Blackberry Farm would respond to an RFQ that would specifically detail the operational/environmental requirements for working at BBF. Approved caterers would then enter into a contract with the city, agreeing to operate in the manner dictated by Blackberry Farm and paying the city a percentage of gross revenue. Caterers would be required to be self-contained to provide food service. The customer would have the option of negotiating for price and menu with any of the approved vendors. An advantage of this option is that the customer has more than one vendor to choose from. With this option, it is likely that more than one caterer would be working in the park on any given day, and staff would need to manage the comings and goings of multiple operators. Using percentage of gross is a common way to collect payment for food contracts, however, unless the city is actually booking the caterings, it may require an audit of the caterer's books to insure the city is receiving a fair percentage. (&,- l( Option D. Barbecue service is available from a list of approved caterers: Catering contractors pay the City a flat fee per each meal served: Caterers interested in working at Blackberry Farm would respond to an RFQ that would specifically detail the operational/environmental requirements for working at BBF. Approved caterers would then enter into a contract with the city, agreeing to pay the city a flat fee on a per meal basis. This option is similar to the one above, but simplifies the accounting for payment due the city. Staff can easily check the caterer's numbers by tracking the number of people attending the event. Option E. Exclusive barbecue catering contractor: Contractor would be selected from a competitive process and have access to all on-site catering facilities. Customers would have the option of self catering or using the exclusive caterer. With this option, staff would work closely with a single vendor, which would simplify management, particularly when more than one customer is ordering catering on a given day. The City would expect a higher percentage rate of gross revenue from an exclusive agreement; for our discussion (see attached chart), we figured $10,000/year more on revenue. However, if a customer is not happy with the menu or pricing of the exclusive caterer, they may choose to take their BBQ to another park. DISCUSSION Staff believes that it's important to provide a catering service for the larger groups. Staffing it in-house is the least efficient option, given the seasonal operation of the facility . The Parks and Recreation Commission discussed Blackberry Farm catering at their Regular Meeting of January 4,2007, and recommended that catering contractors be awarded to multiple caterers. The attached chart shows the options relative to their operational efficiency, earning potential, ease of oversight and convenience to the user. While having an exclusive contract generates greater revenue with less management oversight, it does result in fewer options for the consumer. Staff did not try to quantify what the lack of choice would mean with respect to attracting customers. RECOMMENDATIONS A. Park Closure: Retain the current fencing in the off-season and actively enforce the Blackberry Farm closure May 1,2007 to September 30, 2007. B. Catering: Adopt the recommendation of the Parks and Recreation Commission to use multiple contracts for catering at Blackberry Farm. (6 - <) Respectfully submitted: ~~ Therese mbrosI SmIth, Duector Parks and Recreation Department Approved for submission to City Council: / /ztd7 t6f-u/ifVCY David W. Knapp, City Manager ((P -{~ H' gh L I Low Level Type of Operation Self-service City service - Seasonal staff rovides BBQ Approved caterer 0..10 of gross - City pre- ualifies vendors. Approved caterer - flat rate. City pre- ualifies vendors. Exclusive catering contract Catering Options Comparison Note: Assumes 20,000 catered meals from a maximum of 80,000 picnickers/season ~ \ -3 User Convenience Operational Efficiency Earning Potential Compliance wi Eco-friendly Park o eration High - Customer has choice of approved caterer's/menus. High- Customer has a choice of approved caterers/menus. High- Single business to monitor. Would hope an exclusive contract would yield $50,000/ .