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rooms at Taft and Fair Oaks School to increase the opportunity for more gym activities. He said the County also offered to explore the use of its CDBG funds for playing fields and tennis courts. Vice Mayor Ruskin said that the County, in offering to spend funds to enlarge the multi-purpose facilities, asked that other groups in the community join in the effort. He said that he and Council Member Hartnett gladly joined the committee to see how the City "might partner with the County in this regard." Vice Mayor Ruskin said that the Redwood City School District has offered to pay for the maintenance of the enlarged gyms. He said that he and Council Member Hartnett, with the help of staff, endeavored to find a recommendation they could bring to Council for approval that would assist this effort. Vice Mayor Ruskin said they offered to coordinate all the outside use of the gym facilities at Taft School which is in Redwood City, continue to coordinate the usage of school ball fields by outside sports organizations, work to develop an after school program at Taft to ensure the gym would be fully utilized, adjust some of the regular playground programs to occur on the school site, and work with the District to secure grants to further expand recreational programming. Vice Mayor Ruskin said they offered to "explore doing contract work of the same nature for (Fair Oaks which is outside Redwood City) as we do now for Garfield in order to ensure thorough use of the gymnasium." He said the final partner, Redwood City 2000 represented by Jack Greenalch at the meetings, offered "to make up the small financial support, the difference that would be required for some programming at the Fair Oaks site. In addition... the County, the City and the Schools are looking into how playing fields can also be addressed." Mayor Ruskin said the County was looking into field renovations, but it was very expensive, and the City was looking into renovating one of the current fields. Council Member Hartnett said, "The funds that the County is proposing be used for the expansion of the multi-purpose rooms to make them as playable gyms, is money that would not be available until the fiscal year 1999/2000... They have not proposed at this time any money for fields. We were attempting to work with them to see where we might be able to recommend to the Council that the City cooperate in these mutual endeavors." Council Member Hartnett said it was the Committee's intent to bring more specific, formal recommendations to the entire Council a later date, and this update was to elicit Council input. Vice Mayor Ruskin said, "the consensus of the group was that if the Council approved this, that agreement was reached, the County was satisfied with the participation of all the other partnerships, and everyone in the group felt that the four-way partnership was fine and would accomplish what was needed in order for the County to utilize its CDBG funds, those four partners being the County, the Schools, the City and Redwood City 2000." Council Member Claire asked that a member of the Redwood City Park and Recreation Commission be a member of that larger group, and Vice Mayor Ruskin agreed and said the Commission would be invited to participate. Council Member Claire advised that renovated fields need good and constant maintenance to remain playable. MEMO 5/19/98 REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MINUTE BOOK NO. 56 MAY \8, \998 MINUTES Page No. 484 PAGE 6