Parks & Recreation 2025/06/25MINUTES
COMMISSIONERS PRESENT:
Carlotta Rhea Clark, Chair
Greg Martin, Vice Chair
Bill Couture
Tony Flores
Robert Ryan
COMMISSIONERS ABSENT:
Jim Cook
Fred Sigala, Jr.
PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION
BROOKHURST COMMUNITY CENTER
2271 CRESCENT AVE., ANAHEIM, CA 92801
June 25, 2025 — 6:00 p.m.
STAFF PRESENT:
Anaheim Sporn, Community Services Manager
JJ Jimenez, Parks Manager
Ana Straabe, Principal Project Planner
Kamila Rodriguez, Senior Secretary
AGENDA ACTION TAKEN
1. CALL TO ORDER: Chair Clark called the meeting to order at 6:01 p.m.
2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Commissioner Couture led the Pledge of Allegiance.
3. UNSCHEDULED PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: Mazatl Tepehyolotzin spoke to the Commission on the heritage
of the Gabriel ino/Tongva Nation and advocated for representation on the upcoming mural at Center Greens.
Shorlette Knighton addressed the Commission regarding the need for resurfacing the Olive Hills tennis courts.
Art Castillo, a former City Parks & Recreation employee, shared his appreciation for the improvements made to
Anaheim parks over the years and emphasized the importance of continued upgrades, improved communication
about project delays, and greater youth engagement in civic matters.
Oliver Olibas spoke to the Commission regarding the need for improvements such as resurfacing and tree
trimming at the Olive Hills tennis courts and highlighted the desire for an update on plans for park improvement.
4. SCHEDULED COMMUNICATION: None.
5. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES: Chair Clark presented the April 23, 2025 Minutes and the May 28, 2025
Minutes to the Commissioners for changes or corrections. Chair Clark made a motion to accept the April 23,
2025 Minutes, seconded by Vice Chair Martin. The motion was approved with 4 votes in favor and 1 abstention.
Commissioner Ryan motioned to approve the May 28, 2025 Minutes, seconded by Chair Clark. The motion was
approved with 5 votes in favor. Chair Clark accepted both the April and May minutes.
6. NEW BUSINESS: (Taken out of order)
a) Approval of Master Plan for La Palma Park: Parks Manager JJ Jimenez presented the proposal of the La
Palma Park Master Plan and requested Commission approval, noting $8 million in secured grants to offset
costs and the alignment with the 2018 Parks Plan and the City's Strategic Plan.
Principal Project Planner Anna Straabe provided an overview of the Master Plan and the included amenities,
along with a breakdown of the elements included in each phase of the project.
Questions were answered regarding the existing Martin Recreation Center, the future open-air arena, picnic
facilities, field lighting and planned usage, as well as strategies for incorporating community engagement into
the plan.
Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes
June 25, 2025
Page 2
Vice Chair Martin made a motion to approve the proposed La Palma Park Master Plan, seconded by
Commissioner Flores. The motion was approved with four votes in favor.
Chair Clark left the meeting.
REPORTS:
a) Park Ranger Report — May: Anaheim Sporn presented the report, noting the addition of e-bike tracking and
the consolidation of data from Center Greens and the Downtown Community Center. She highlighted a
significant drop in patrols during May 2024 but a spike in public contacts compared to May 2025, likely due to
increased staffing this year and improved training on what qualifies as a public contact. Anaheim noted that
patron numbers were higher than the previous month and are expected to continue rising through the
summer. Finally, she reported an increase in public assists, likely driven by heat -related incidents and
ongoing ranger support to police and park staff in addressing transient activity and enforcing curfews
b) Recreation, Human & Neighborhood Services Activity Report — April/May: Anaheim Sporn presented the
report, highlighting several key community events, including the Cinco de Mayo celebration at Center
Greens, popular programs at Oak Canyon Nature Center, and the Children's Festival at Pearson Park. She
also noted the annual Tiny Tots Academy graduation at Brookhurst Community Center and the Day of the
Child celebrations at our Family Resource Centers (FRCs) and Mobile FRC stops. Additionally, she
spotlighted the inaugural Anaheim Esports Championship Series, held in partnership with the Anaheim Union
High School District and Project S.A.Y., which successfully engaged high school youth in this growing field.
Finally, she reported that older adult programming remained strong, with popular Mother's Day celebrations
held at various centers throughout the City.
c) Parks Capital Project Progress Report: Ana Straabe presented the report and provided an update on the
Boysen Park Phase One improvements. She shared that staff attended the District 4 community meeting to
answer questions and provide updates on the skate park project, as well as potential funding sources for the
broader park improvement plan. Construction of the skate park is anticipated to begin in summer 2026. Ana
also updated the commission on the La Palma Park Improvement Project, which has secured $8 million in
funding to date, with additional grant applications underway to help meet the estimated $15 million project
cost. She then highlighted the grand opening of Little Pine Park on June 13th, now the City's 68th park.
Finally, she noted that final designs for the Maxwell Park KABOOM! project are complete, and planning
continues with school and community partners in preparation for the September build day.
8. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS: Anaheim Sporn highlighted upcoming summer programming, including the Pearson
Park Summer Nights series, concerts at Ponderosa Park, and the upcoming Concerts in the Canyon at Ronald
Reagan Park beginning in July. She promoted the annual Firecracker 5K/10K Run on July 4th at Canyon High
School and activity guides with full event details were made available for planning purposes.
JJ Jimenez reminded the Commission of the upcoming Center Greens Mural Design Workshop taking place
June 26, 2025 at the Downtown Anaheim Community Center.
Commissioner Couture commented on his positive experience attending a concert at Modjeska Park as well as
the Little Pine Park Grand Opening.
Vice Chair Martin requested that the discussion of the Olive Hills tennis courts be agendized for the next Parks &
Recreation Commission meeting.
9. ADJOURNMENT: Vice Chair Martin adjourned the meeting at 6:59 p.m.