City Council — 2024-01-30

Right, if you could take a seat. Call the order. We have a quorum, could we have the roll call please Weston.

Welcome Mayor council staff community is placed your right or our American flag at the back of the room here, please place your right hand over your heart ready begin. I

Thank you so much Weston and before we begin if I could get quiet please? We'll wait for silence Thank you. I would just like to say welcome to our new city manager, we are so happy to have you and you started yesterday and here you are today. So welcome Ben Harvey.

Thank you ma'am glad to be here.

Really wonderful step for Ojai, so thank you. And before we begin I also want to say a big thank you to Rick Rain our Unhoused Service Coordinator who put together incredible activity on Saturday putting together some tents and some storage units for our unhoused population and it was such a beautiful example of different groups from our community coming together, working together for the common good. Thank you Carl Alameda for helping get that together, our Assistant City Manager and just I'm just going to read a list of all the groups that were there on Saturday morning helping out Ojai Presbyterian Church, Ojai Lions Club, Redemption Church Just served from the Church of Latter Day Saints, Cavalry Chapel of the Ojai Valley, Villanova Prep School was here.

Ojai Ceasefire now and then other volunteers from our community so it was really wonderful and we're so grateful for the help. And then before we begin our meeting today, let's all just take a deep breath and remember that we're all connected and that we're here because we love our town. And we care about the issues that affect Ojai. Let's also remember that City Council meetings are the city's board meetings and the time for us to do business and give direction to staff so that they can do their work. So thank you staff for being here.

We thus need to create and maintain an atmosphere at our meetings in which we can attend business productively, fairly, and civilly. I ask that we all strive to be our most gracious selves and focus on policies versus personalities. To that end please refrain from side conversations, clapping, snapping, and of course booing. Please turn off your phones if you need to talk please go outside If there are disruptions from individuals or groups, I will issue a warning. If the warning goes unheeded, the chief of police, thank you Chief Newman for being here, will escort the individual or group out of the meeting. We don't want to have to do this. I'm asking that each one of us practices self-control and respect for others and the process so that the meeting can be productive and efficient.

Everyone deserves to be heard, so thank you all for understanding and modeling the behavior that we want to see in the world.

Yes Mayor, Council Members. Thank you it's just going to be a very quick oral update and thank you for combining A and B because they are really very interrelated so with the arrival of a new City Manager and a new issue comes an opportunity and I believe that we have an opportunity here We have the good fortune of having our county supervisor here with us this evening. Thank you, Supervisor, which I think is very demonstrative of the forward progress we could make in really looking at Soule Park as a great potential future location for additional pickleball programming.

As council and the public is aware there was a start of a memoranda of understanding it doesn't necessarily need to be the document from which we work. In fact, I would probably recommend in the interest of trying to move forward expeditiously that we receive some direction uh to have the city manager negotiate with the county and probably in a more limited scale probably trying to work just simply towards pickleball facilities and programming at Soule Park not leaving behind The greater Soule Park and its potential for the future, but really maybe splitting up the effort so we first focus on trying to address the issue of where pickleball may go in the future. As you know, from being out at Soule Park it has tremendous opportunity I had the Good fortune to be able to tour it today with Ms.

Palmer, we discussed what is needed to bring it up to speed. I feel very confident from her expertise and from my own past experience that we could do it with county cooperation and approval of course in a segmented effort so that we could bring courts online And not hold up that waiting for the entire project to be complete. So, if you so desire I'm looking for direction from council this evening to work with the county.

To see what type of agreement we could reach for improvements over there with their participation and possibly contributions from the public as well. It's important that we consider on our end at the city side seed money contribution to the effort, I'm aware that we have some grant funds that we could use for this. So, you know, it doesn't necessarily have to be general fund money that you're expending.

And I would, if Council does provide direction come back at the next meeting or the following meeting with an update as to you know where we stand what what this effort looks like. What any impediments may be and a proposed timeline? I don't think with all that said that we're talking about a very long timeline this could be I know that the county is motivated to do this as well. And again, what more do you need to know that your supervisor's here for this very topic? So with that, I'm gonna conclude my staff report but I'm here to take questions and of course we have a whole complement of our team and also the county to answer questions that you may have. Thank you very much.

Is the county going to do presentation or not?

No, we're here to field questions and we have no separate presentations this evening. Thank you.

Let's move on to public comment, but this is just on A or B. So if you filled out a card for C we will get to that afterwards first

question. Does this make sense? Or should we cover B now? Oh I'm just asking since public comments are going to be on A and B and the two are connected should we move to B first would you recommend it or not?

Council Member, my staff report I'm sorry it was not very clear. It actually encapsulated both A and B. I felt that they were really kind of part of the same topic and so

yeah

I'm sorry to not be clear on that but you're covered.

Okay

thank you. Sure. I have a couple of questions actually for the county. So what exactly would... What is needed to get the courts back up or up and running What kinds of construction are we talking about to get the courts to a place where they're playable and usable for pickleball play?

Thank you for the question, Council Member. And I should introduce Colter Chisholm who is our Deputy Director of the County General Services Agency and also director of the county parks. And i guess to answer your question it's dependent on on the player I mean they're playable now, they're not great. But they're playable. And I think if the city manager Mr Harvey is absolutely right. If the goal here is to move expeditiously.

I think there's a path forward outside of the larger discussions which were previously had with the prior city manager and the prior council, which are much more comprehensive than just pickleball, but I think if we cut those conversations out and limit it to pickleball there's I was able to see the presentation from members of the public. Mr. Pick I believe, Peter, Mr pick and it was a great presentation a great proposal.

And as I said to Mr pick and I would tell you that you know if we can keep the design to the current footprint of the courts. It will be a much more expeditious process so it'll probably be a ministerial zoning clearance, which is you know much quicker if we start enlarging the footprint expanding the current courts then we potentially might move into some more of a discretionary process. Obviously longer obviously more expensive so I think if we can get the design down and I'm happy to work with members of the public happy to work with you, to make sure that we move forward with the design that will move the quickest possible way through the county process and I'm here just to say I fully support it. I'm happy to champion it at the county level to get those courts open if it's the council's desire as quickly as possible.

Thank you Mr Chisholm did you have anything to add to that today?

Only that I agree and some additional elements for the administrative process. Donations over 10,000 do need the board approval. I would think everything would align pretty easily for those approvals but Board of Supervisors' approval is needed. Grants over 100,000 also need Board of Supervisors' approval. Those affect time frames but are you know this... It'd be no problem on an agenda And then for the planning approvals, parks department clearly not the planning department but zoning clearance is what I understood as well.

Generally favorable due to the distances from residential so they have approved some before that have gone back out for public comment after not planning commission but planning director approval I don't see that as a risk here, so that would be. A fairly streamlined process and then procurement anything between 20 and 200000 dollars needs 3 quotes and GSA has authority to execute construction contracts anything over 200000 is board supervisor approval and those are thresholds to understand for thinking about timeframes.

Can I ask a follow up question? Okay. So thank you for that clarity. So when we're talking about donations, I know there is really an active group that's wanting to help raise funds. Would donations be tax deductible if individuals or local organizations were making them like how would that process work?

The most common way that's done is a 501c3 nonprofit would accept the donations and then those donations are tax deductible. It's a little more complex when it is the county, I don't know that it's a donation directly to the county, I'm not sure of the answer on that.

Do we have a park foundation? I don''t know if we do

Unfortunately, we do not. We talk about it every six months but today we don't.

The easiest process would be to donate to a single non-profit and that nonprofit could contribute the funds to the county. And just to follow up on Mr. Chisholm's comment, we've been in touch with County Planning who without seeing a final design can't make any assurances but big picture we're looking at as I mentioned if we can keep it in the same footprint it should be in their view of a fairly simple process.

And from my understanding there, the plans that I have seen and that we were all sent in public comments include five pickleball courts, one paddle tennis court and one mixed use. Is that correct? So overall a total of six courts?

Yeah, my understanding from the design I saw was that it's the same footprint. You're basically painting maybe changing, repaving the courts and putting some different nets up all in the same footprint. So again should be a very simple

process.

The latest I've seen was six pickleball courts and two paddle ball courts.

Okay, Council Member Francine.

I just wanted to tell the public that we posted um well the plan that we're discussing right now it's online with other public comments it's you'll see it's in color help us build a permanent Ojai home for pickleball at Soule Park. It's with the public comments.

Mayor.

Let's see

Sorry to interrupt. I just want to be clear to the council and the public, there is no approved plan this is all conceptual we're looking for council direction tonight that direction could be working with the community group and the county to incorporate elements into that however I view this as best a public project and it would be terrific to have donations funneled through a 501c3 but the process would be a public capital improvement project and it would follow the normal path that you would see. So I want to be very clear to everybody there is no plan that we're approving tonight, this is all just a concept and while what was submitted in public comment may end up coloring what is decided to be done ultimately that will be a decision made by decision makers like yourself and the county board of supervisors so let's just be very clear about that

Thank you. Thank you, Supervisor Lugar. Appreciate that and we can encourage people to look at the plan and give feedback for sure.

Sorry again, I want to avoid using the word

plan. This

is a concept.

We can look at the concept. Look at the concept and give feedback. Okay thank you training us already appreciate that okay well we will move on to public comment for items A and B and just a reminder this is about the MOU in Soule Park so first we have Bill Miley and then we have Bill Miley

Mayor, I just need some clarification. If members of the public wanted to speak on A or B they could also speak on C is that correct?

Yes right now we just have two cards on A and B and we have many on C

Okay, so if members of the public do want to speak on A or B now would be the time to fill out a card. If you are happy to speak on C that is also great but it's a little you know I understand it's a little confusing um the breaking up the merging of A and B and then the breaking out of C and that kind of thing so I just wanted to clarify thank you.

And just reminder you can speak on AB and C in one comment too. All right, first we have Bill Miley on AIM. Thank you Mr. Miley. Really?

Good evening Bill Miley I'm confused. I'm prepared to speak on A and D and then C later on. That was my

question

okay I don't know. This is an outdated option, which seems to have died with the last city council meeting in 2023 Since then, the community has organized to take leadership as the Soil Park Pickleball Project and it's come along with the last year and produced what Council Member Suzy just showed us. It provided leadership in the community which I believe is the way we should go, to give them a principal direction.

The city best support them. There was a part though that the city should seriously consider through its recreation department having the right to program several of the courts throughout the year if the city doesn't get that legally involved They're going to have to compete with the public schedule courts. And that's not what the recreation department should be doing. It should have an ongoing part and be able to manage one or two courts during the year. Thank you.

Thank you, Bill Weston any comments on a

Thank you Mayor. Those attending on Zoom, if you did not hear the announcement we are taking public comment on items 1A and 1B. We currently have no raised hands. We'll give a last call for raised hands for Zoom participants and we'll move on Mayor.

Okay thank you and Mr. Miley just to confirm that was A and B? Okay good thank you All right, well we will move on to C and Council will get back to A, B and C for discussion after we've heard all public comments. So we have a presentation on C? Thank you.

Thank you, Mary. I'll be presenting on item C. So tonight item C is related to the existing pickleball courts on the City Hall campus that have been in use for pickleball. So tonight staff's recommendation is to consider extending play on those courts for the use of pickleball past the January 31st date And in doing so, implementing a set of reduced days and hours that would be available for play over what's available now. And also mandating the use of the newly introduced owl paddle which is the quietest paddle now available on the market and also the quietest balls as recommended per the sound study that the city did earlier this year.

As you're well aware at the December 12th meeting, the City Council discussed this item and voted to close the courts effective Wednesday January 31st. At the end of play at 6pm. Since that meeting is, you're also probably aware the new owl paddle has come into use and been demonstrated to both city staff and a number of the city council members. And the reason that we are discussing this tonight is the request to return for a special meeting to really focus on just this topic was requested by three of the council members to return.

Since it was when it was taken up on the 12th, there were a number of items on the agenda and it was fairly late in the evening when this matter was taken up So in consideration of bringing on new courts, potentially at Soule Park which looks like it could be a reality moving forward. Staff's recommendation is leaving the city hall courts intact until that time that those courts either come on in part or in full.

Given the existing conditions there are likely some that could be brought on fairly quickly with some very minor improvements At that time we could further ratchet back both the days and hours available at City Hall courts. And then once the project is completed, we could look at closing the city all courts in perpetuity once Soule Park is fully realized. So again, just to repeat staff's recommendation would be to allow play to continue with the changes on the days is taking away any use on Sundays moving forward. And so starting February 1st Sunday would not be available as a day And then the other six days, reducing the time of usage by 30 minutes at the conclusion of each day.

Right now there's two sets of hours winter and summer so the stop time would be 30 minutes earlier as currently prescribed. And then also making the quieter equipment a mandate as well for use. Yeah I could answer any questions that council might have?

Thank you, Carl. Any questions from Council?

I'm going to wait until I hear the public comments. Okay.

All right, wonderful! All right we will go ahead and move on to public comment and just a reminder to everyone about public comments are three minutes at the end of the three minutes you will hear a chime as a gentle reminder in the spirit of equity so that everyone gets equal time the mic will be deactivated after the chime goes off There's no giving away of time to another speaker. And if you're in agreement with the previous speaker, please also say ditto. We do encourage speakers to state their names and addresses before speaking. So let's begin with Ron McRae and then Brenda Kraut and then Tim Kraut.

Okay, then. Thank you. My name is Ron McCray. I live in this neighborhood. I've lived in this neighborhood for over 40 years and it's a nice quiet demonstration park. And first of all, I'd like to thank the three council members that closed this court finally yesterday after we've been struggling with this for three years or more It's been over three years ago, the pickleball people moved in.

In my opinion like a virus disturbing quiet and peaceful neighborhood with their loud noises and yellings and their pickleball courts it was not a good thing for the neighborhoods For the day, from the day one that they moved in and started playing at that there were complaints from all the neighbors around. Three years we've been there. They play every day. They don't stop it. They just keep playing and yelling and it's not good for this small area, neighborhood.

We, the citizens of the Sound Pickleball policies have attended many of these and hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars that we've stopped this intrusion of our neighborhood. Most of the people at Ojai are passionate to other people that are in their neighborhoods and their communities. It's like the concern we have for the homeless people over where we take care of them It's the humane society. We get together when there's ever something wrong going on, this community gets together and they take care of it but this pickleball court could care less about our neighborhood. They can't care less about it all they do is they say it's just so much fun we want to have them so much fun just throw the neighborhood under the bus at this many of us has suffered this Depression, anxiety, health problems and hours and hours of sleep.

It's nice trying to figure out what we can do about the virus that has taken over the neighborhood. Yeah, I'm going to

ask everyone here to refrain from any comments including laughter and let's show respect to every single speaker regardless of if you agree or

not. Very concerned about the worry about the future of the neighborhood, the peace, the common area that they used to have They just don't care. They're still willing to throw us under the bus so they continue playing their game. It's all about you, the hell with the neighborhood. You could care less. And by the way, the new paddles and balls make little or no difference to the neighborhood. Ask them, ask anybody that lives down there. Please do not reopen that pickleball court ever again. Thank you.

Thank you Ron. Next we have Brenda Kraut and then Tim Kraut and then Mary Wargo.

Hi Council and staff, I'm Brenda Kraut and I'm a member of the Pickleball Group. As many members of our Pickleball Group have told you at past meetings for over this past several years about the physical and social benefits they have derived from being a part of the local Pickleball Group Well, now a highly respected medical professional, the Surgeon General of the United States. And I think all of you have this. This is the cover of the latest Pickleball magazine and he's on the front cover with holding up a paddle.

On that front cover, he is the most trusted advisor in our account in our country on public health. And he is making a priority to deal with what he calls an epidemic and it's an epidemic of loneliness. He says that in this society dominated by digital Interactions, the US is grappling with an unexpected crisis loneliness. We need time and connection with others to thrive just as we need food and water. He believes pickleball can be part of the answer he is making this a priority shouldn't wait.

Pickleball is not a frivolous sport, it is a lifeline to community and health for the hundreds of players who benefited from here at the City Hall courts. An estimated 50 million people nationwide are playing this game. That's 15% of the entire U.S. population. Pickleball is not going away. If you go forward with closing the courts after tomorrow, that leaves hundreds of people in Ojai with absolutely no place to play which is really unconscionable.

Most of these people can't afford to join the athletic club and the current courts at Soule Park as was discussed are not really playable right now so all of these people will just have to stop playing If that, is that okay with you? Does the council not feel some responsibility to provide these facilities? Please keep our courts open for the benefit of the community. Thank you.

Thank you, Brenda. Next we have once again excuse me no clapping so this is a warning if you want to leave the meeting please leave if you want to stay please do not clap thank you next we have Tim kraut then we have Mary Wargo and then we have Denise Keon Skippy

Thank you. I'm Tim Kraut, 63 year old resident of Ojai. I am the USA Pickleball Association Ambassador for Ojai and President of the non-profit Ojai Valley Pickleball Inc. Thank you Council, thank you staff for having this meeting for us to voice our concerns. Sousa, you are in my district, District 4 and I hope that you can come up with a decision that will affect all of us positively. I also want to thank all the players who have from the beginning supported growing Pickleball in Ojai.

Your support of this grassroots effort has made it possible for hundreds of people, young and old including families, to benefit from the physical and social benefits of pickleball. To play pickleball, certain shoes are not required or a brand. Specific clothing is not required nor an issue. Lessons are not required. Your individual skill rating isn't important. We'll play with you. Accepting and encouraging people on the sidelines to join in the game to experience the joy and community of playing together has always been our overall emphasis.

The governing body of pickleball, USA Pickleball Association has recently stepped up to address the noise issue associated with the game. Establishing standards for quiet equipment. The first of its kind, the Quiet Paddle, the owl that meets this standard is the first and only recognized quiet paddle now available Only recently, we as the group became associated with this paddle.

We are now being using exclusively this paddle and the quietest ball at the courts. The construction of this paddle has reduced the pop-pop sound lowering the sound by two octaves and with a 50% reduction of sound being 500 hertz or less at impact. This is just the start in reducing the sound. It's going to take off, it's going to get even better. Given this new science I plead with you to reconsider the closing of the City Hall courts and to establish an acceptable DB level for all activities on the campus. I urge you to have the city manager to conduct a sound study using our own previous equipment balls and paddles And then going exclusively to the Owl and the Monarch paddles, and to establish a baseline once and for all. Thank you.

Thank you Tim. Next we have Mary Wargo then Skippy and then Linda Wilson

Hi, my name is Mary Wargo. I live across the street. I listen to this, I can hear it all day, all the time. The owl paddles, I can still hear at my house. It penetrates in there. A lot of it depends on if there's only a few people out there playing which is not bad but you don't have just a few people. It's usually like what 16 people screaming and yelling and the property...I have not noticed that big of a difference When I'm on the property, I can still hear it really very loudly out there. If I open a window, if I open the door, I haven't noticed that huge of a difference in the sound especially when there's a full court. All courts are full and no one here is disputing the fact that it's a healthy fun sport where no one here says it's not.

It's the disturbance it causes And I'm afraid it's just going to keep getting delayed and delayed and delayed, and it's never going to end. I mean, it's never going to change. So I'm for closing them obviously kind of tired of hearing it. So

that's my view. Thank you Mary. Next we have Skippy then Linda Wilson and then Jessica McCray.

Good evening. I'm, it's cow and I know that's why everybody calls me Skippy they can't pronounce my name so no worries. Have you ever asked yourself why do we need public parks are pickleball courts or a public park. These are some statements from the National Recreation and Parks Association. Number one, parks promote health and awareness. People who live near parks are both physically and mentally healthier.

Parks encourage physical activity. Inadequate physical activity leads to greater healthcare costs. I know i'm getting older. People who live near parks live longer and healthier lives. Participating in outdoor recreation bolsters resilience to such things as COVID. Parks encounter social isolation by connecting people to each other. Parks and recreation are critical to childhood development, Children with access to parks show decreased prevalence of obesity.

Parks unite people and strengthen communities. Close proximity to parks boost home values. After retiring from teaching physical education for 35 years, I miss my students. Now I enjoy playing pickleball with all my new friends. Please keep our beautiful courts open.

Thank you. Thank you, Skippy. Next we have Linda Wilson, then Jessica McRae and then William Bradford Widely.

Good evening and thank you Mayor and Council Members for reconsidering keeping our courts open here at City Hall. My name is Linda Wilson, I live on Loma Drive in Ojai, here in town. Please have an open mind tonight to the facts that have and will be given We're going to hear, you're going to hear hundreds of pickleball players say please keep our courts open and you're not going to hear the two neighbors agree with that. Their mind is made up so we're asking you to please keep an open mind on this.

The pickleball community has made major changes as you've heard with the new quiet owl paddles That and quiet balls that have just come out. We have compromised, we've been compliant with the two or three neighbors that have somehow been able to dictate the hours of play at a city park The piece of property was gifted as a use for a park and you're hearing the joy it has brought to the valley.

The city courts have a beautiful bike path close by that many of the locals and visitors in our cities use, and many from the Ojai Valley Inn also. One day hopefully there'll be a bike path all the way out to Soule Park. The City Council should be proud of these courts that you approved to have built there. They've provided exercise and joy for many families and seniors, not to mention all the visitors from out-of-town.

Yes, the courts at Seoul will be great. I'm 100% behind them. There's going to be a cost and time involved in getting them Get everything approved and getting them built to equal, if not better quality than the courts that we now have. And we definitely do need more courts here in the valley. My concern is that it's going to take much longer than just a few months to raise the money and have the courts completed.

Thank you so much for reconsidering of keeping their courts open. Thank you.

Thank you, Linda. Next we have Jessica McRae then William Bradford Weidlich and then Tisha Morris.

Hi Jessica McRae, Ojai Valley. Pickleball is a sport that is fun, adaptive for any age or physicality and it's a great social way to get exercise. The issue though is the noise the sport causes. The noise issue has become a national problem not just an Ojai problem Even though with the state of the art sound mitigating paddles that only beginners would want to play with, the sound is extremely maddening for those who have the misfortune of moving 600 feet away from a pickleball court.

People put their time, money, heart and soul into their homes. There should be an expectation of enjoyment and comfort in your home however the current attitude of pickleball players is that their sport is more important than your home Before knowing what harm pickleball could bring to the city neighborhood, the City Council approved the use of the City Tenants Court for Pickleball.

For three years then neighbors have been tortured. The City Council has corrected this mistake by voting to cease pickleball play January 31st. Please stay with that decision. I full heartedly believe that Ojai should embrace and encourage pickleball play however it has to be where it is compatible with the community as a whole A group of people trying to find an alternative place for, to play pickleball in the Ojai Valley took the time to ask neighbors of prospective courts if they'd be okay having a pickleball court in their neighborhood.

Not one neighbor wanted to have the pickleball court in their neighborhood. It is not just about a few neighbors. The majority of people do not want this in their neighborhoods. This leaves us with only one logical place to embrace pickleball which is Soule Park It is big enough to expand and grow as the number of pickleball players grow. The nearest neighbor is over 600 feet from the courts, the County of Ventura wants pickleball play at Soule Park for all of those that love the sport of pickleball please get behind the Soule Park pickleball project be kind to the community as a whole and embrace the sport in a way that works for everyone thank you

Thank you, Jessica. Next we have Brad Weidlich then Tisha Morris and then Allison Leslie.

In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet the beleaguered Prince of Verona screams to the entitled citizens all are punished The message reverberates to the bloodstained teens, the grieving parents and the world. Why kill your neighbor? Why push us to the wall? Pickleball is a return to innocence, a return to trust, a return to nature, a return to recreation. Why are we turning our back on the young athletes who dance, laugh and play under the beautiful oak trees?

Closing access to a generational sport. Limiting space for teens to get their faces out of their phones and choose to be part of something athletic, something joyous, something free. Is this the message we want to teach our most prized possession? The prince was right. All are punishing.

Thank you, Brad. Next we have Tisha Morris then Allison Leslie and then Leslie Clark.

Good evening Council Tisha Morris and. Please

turn the microphone on.

Thanks, but I'm coming here today more as a resident of Ojai and to discuss something that I don't think has been really thought through as much as it should be. Now first about the Sol Park Courts. I think that's a no-brainer regardless of what happens in the city courts that needs to go forward There's plenty, there's enough of a pickleball population in Ojai City and County to where even if the regardless of the city courts. There's enough people who would use the sole courts as they currently are, they do need to be resurfaced.

They are subject will subject the city or county to liability because of a large crack through the center of several of them just as an FYI. So that should go forward regardless now as far as the city courts, I know we're here to talk about to close or not to close, but I want to discuss If and before they are to close, what those city courts are to become needs to be prepared and voted on in a plan because otherwise I'm afraid that we're trading one problem for another. So there's what's called the law of vacuum and that says that nature abhors a vacuum and that will make sure the empty space is filled.

And so in other words, if the city doesn't fill that space something else will. And I think you can look around to the city property and take a guess of what that is most likely going to be being that they are city property, the city will not be able to do anything if homeless encampments begin to use that property. So there needs to be a very thought-out plan of what that property is to be used. Right now it's a gem, it's a gorgeous park City of Ojai so I'm concerned about the preservation of this city property.

Again I know the residents, the neighbors have had it but it needs to be thought out of what is going to go there otherwise who knows? I mean before The pickleball courts, from my understanding it was overgrown weeds and this was before a homeless situation in this area. So just keep that in mind if and before they become closed. So the point is unless there is a concrete plan in place, no pun intended I'm afraid you'll be exchanging one problem for another if there's not more of a holistic plan in place.

Thanks.

Thank you, Tisha. Next we have Allison Leslie then Leslie Clark and then Renee Roth.

Thank you. I'm reading this on behalf of Bob McFaul. Is that going to? Okay, I'm reading this on behalf of Bob McFaul. Is it on? The green light's on. I think I have a loud enough voice that everybody could hear me. So I'm reading this on behalf of Bob McFaul. He couldn't be here tonight. Why did you ignore the recommendations contained in the $10,000 plus sound study that you paid for? That did provide alternatives to make the existing courts Sound compliant. Yes, everyone would have to compromise a bit but that seems reasonable. It makes it appear that you never intended to objectively consider the report recommendations.

Relying solely on Soule Park for the future of Pickleball in Ojai shows this council is abdicating responsibility to provide facilities that fall in your jurisdiction for the constituents. This is not how an elected body typically responds to the needs of the community. Do you not feel any level of responsibility to provide facilities for this large group or citizens?

Or are you okay with leaving it up to other agencies to provide? At a minimum, the existing court should remain open until alternative facilities are made available That seems only responsible and right, particularly in the light of the fact that the pickleball community in good faith made a sizable monetary and physical investment in the courts based on an agreement with the previous City Council anticipating their continued availability.

If you are truly confident that the courts at Soule Park will be ready and available for play very quickly wouldn't it be reasonable to allow play to continue at City Hall until the new courts are available. You also need to ensure that the new courts are totally available to the public and that a small group of people doesn't control their use, consequently, the city will need to acquire from the county the management of these courts.

Thank

you. Thank you, Allison. Next we have Leslie Clark then Renee Roth and then Randy Roth.

Good evening, Mayor and City Council. And thank you so much for this special meeting. My name is Leslie Clark and I'm a fourth generation Ojai resident. And I think pickleball is really fun that we mostly a lot of us seem to agree on that in this room. But it's not just frivolous play. It's a lifeline to good health and connecting with people, especially for seniors.

Even the surgeon general thinks it's important All of you, come out and try it. It's really fun! We're a friendly, inclusive family. Somebody usually brings muffins or fruit or produce from their gardens. We are a family. The Smiths-Hobson family gave this property to the city. My great uncle Tom and John Hobson were business partners. Tom was county supervisor and donated the property that is now the museum.