Foster City parks staff outline community center timeline, master plan and goose‑management program

Parks and Recreation staff presented an operational overview to Foster City’s Parks and Recreation Committee, described the city’s recently adopted parks master plan and outlined the new Canada goose management program.

"We offer a lot of educational, creative and fun programs and events for all ages," said Tiffany Orrin, recreation manager, summarizing the department’s programming and staffing levels. She told the committee the department operates three recreation facilities, maintains 24 community parks and runs about 300 summer classes during peak season.

Frank, who described parks maintenance and recent projects, walked members through asset inventories and recent work. He said the city completed a major Boulevard landscaping upgrade — converting spray irrigation to underground point‑source emitters to save water — and installed community‑designed utility‑box artwork after a 23‑submission contest that produced four installed pieces.

The presentation also highlighted the park system master plan, a roughly 18‑month effort led by consultants (WRT) and community engagement. Frank said the plan compiles public input and consultant assessments to guide long‑term investments, from adding benches and trees to longer‑term ideas for waterfront activation.

A major operational item the committee discussed was the Canada Goose Management Plan recently adopted by the council. Frank described the implementation contract with Wildlife Innovations and a suite of hazing tools now in use: a trained hazing dog named Rocky, remote hazards such as a radio‑controlled device the staff called a "Gooseinator," drone use to locate nests, GPS banding of birds and habitat modification to make parks less attractive to geese.

"We just got our dog — his name is Rocky — and he started last week," Frank said, describing how two biologists, a handler and Rocky will work across parks to haze birds from multiple directions. Staff said initial banding data already shows geese spend some nights outside Foster City and that GPS tracking will help measure whether hazing reduces nuisance concentrations.

The committee also heard a schedule update on the new community center: construction began in September 2024 and staff said the building is expected to be completed this summer, with programming likely starting in the fall. Questions from members covered concessions and cafe plans, whether the ceramic studio will return and how the center’s outdoor spaces will integrate with the lagoon and waterfront plans.

Staff said the department will follow up with presentations on specific topics — for example, hazing techniques with before‑and‑after footage, concession procedures, and joint‑use agreements with the San Mateo‑Foster City School District — as the committee requested.

The presentation closed with staff asking committee members to help share department communications and serve as ambassadors for parks and events.