TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Talyn Mirzakhanian, City Manager
FROM:
Mark Leyman, Parks and Recreation Director
Linda Robb, Senior Management Analyst
SUBJECT:Title
Consideration of a Girl Scout Silver Award Proposal (No Budget Impact) (Parks and Recreation Director Leyman).
APPROVE
Body
_________________________________________________________
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council approve the Girl Scout Silver Award project.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
There are no fiscal implications associated with this item. All costs for displays will be covered by the Silver Award project team. The proposed project utilizes pre-existing facilities.
BACKGROUND:
As part of the process for approval of youth group community projects involving parks or recreation facilities, proposals shall be reviewed by the Parks and Recreation Commission and approved by the City Council.
The Girl Scout Silver Award is the highest honor a Girl Scout Cadette (grades 6-8) can achieve. It recognizes girls who demonstrate leadership, organization, and dedication by identifying and addressing a community issue through a sustainable service project. Each project requires a minimum of 50 hours of work, though many participants contribute significantly more time. Projects must benefit the community, be girl-led, and create a lasting impact.
DISCUSSION:
Staff received a proposal for anti-littering storyboards in Polliwog Park from Scouts Melia Tsai, Aylee Baca, and Niamh Adamis. Storyboards with anti-littering messages on professionally printed pages or signs are proposed for Polliwog Park. The storyboards will highlight the local wildlife and the effects of litter on wildlife, the environment, and overall atmosphere of the park. The storyboard series consists of 12 pages of original content created by the Girl Scouts. Additional storylines with anti-littering messages are being developed so that new stories can be rotated throughout the year for a one-year period. It is requested that the signs be displayed as soon as possible to capture the higher summer traffic in the park for maximum impact.
The Scouts initially proposed placing plastic lawn-type signs displayed on the busy walkway near the restrooms and also considered placement in the existing StoryWalk trail on the west side of Polliwog Park. The StoryWalk is a Library Commission initiative that features children’s book pages along a trail to promote early literacy skills.
This project was reviewed at the June 23, 2025, Parks and Recreation Commission meeting. Commissioners voiced concerns about graffiti, durability against the weather, and visibility. Ultimately, the Parks and Recreation Commission recommended that the project be reviewed by staff and brought as a discussion item to the Library Commission, to consider the StoryWalk as an alternative to the initial proposal. The project was included on the July 7, 2025 agenda of the Library Commission meeting; however, this meeting was cancelled due to a lack of quorum.
Staff reviewed the request and met on site at Polliwog Park with Scouts Tsai, Baca and Adamis to discuss alternatives that would meet their timeline and address the concerns of the Parks and Recreation Commission.
At the on site meeting, staff identified an opportunity to better utilize the existing kiosks at Polliwog Park and refresh their use with updated content, program information and community information to make them a more engaging and a valuable resource for park visitors. The two, three-sided kiosk bulletin boards located near the restrooms and the pond provide high visibility and foot traffic and are enclosed, providing protection from the elements. By placing the storyboards in these existing kiosks, the scouts can highlight the anti-littering message to a wider audience due to the higher foot traffic, while ensuring that no additional sign clutter is created. This approach allows the StoryWalk to function as originally intended, featuring children’s books only. Library Commission review was no longer necessary, as integration with the StoryWalk was no longer an option that was being considered.
The Scouts are in favor of these locations and are willing to provide additional directional and informational signs printed on corrugated plastic to be displayed on A-frame sandwich boards located throughout the park. The A-frames would be supplemental and only deployed if deemed necessary during certain occasions.
The Scouts will provide a complete storyboard series to the Parks and Recreation Department for review and approval prior to printing. Staff will work with the Scouts to determine placement and layout within the kiosks.
CONCLUSION:
Staff recommends that the City Council approve the Silver Award project to place anti-littering message storyboards in the existing bulletin boards located near the restroom and pond in Polliwog Park.
PUBLIC OUTREACH:
This item was discussed at the June 23, 2025 Parks and Recreation Commission meeting and was agendized for the August 5, 2025 City Council meeting in accordance with all applicable laws.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
The City has reviewed the proposed project for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and has determined that the project qualifies for a Class 1 categorical exemption pursuant to Section 15301 (Existing Facilities) of the State CEQA Guidelines because it proposes to place new copy and images on existing signs/kiosks in a public park. Thus, no further environmental review is necessary.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney has reviewed this report and determined that no additional legal analysis is necessary.
ATTACHMENT:
1. Kiosk locations and display