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HomeMy WebLinkAboutParks And Recreation Board - Minutes - 08/23/2023Park and Recreation Board Meeting August 23, 2023 413 S Bryan 8/23/2023 – MINUTES Page 1 1.CALL TO ORDER Ken Christensen called to order at 5:34pm 2.ROLL CALL •List of Board Members Present Ken Christensen Nick Armstrong Bob Kingsbury Mike Novell Paul Baker Meghan Willis •List of Board Members Absent Josh Durand Marcia Richards •List of Staff Members Present Mike Calhoon – Director of Parks LeAnn Williams – Director of Recreation Jill Wuertz – Sr Manager, Park Planning & Development Katie Collins – Water Conservation Specialist Kendra Boot – Sr Manager, Forestry Kathryne Marko – Manager, Environmental Regulatory Affairs Rachel Eich – Business Support III •List of Guests Learn to Skate / Figure Skating Club Representatives 3.AGENDA REVIEW •Citizen participation moved to take place during the Learn to Skate unfinished business discussion. •Board discussed the resignation of Jon Corley o Group interviews will be held to replace the position (likely December or January) o The Golf Board will be merging with the PRAB; may impact the overall number of members. •Reminder to members who will be reaching the end of their terms to let Mike C know if they will be continuing their time on the board. Parks and Recreation Board TYPE OF MEETING – Hybrid Meeting 8/23/2023 – MINUTES Page 2 o Bob Kingsbury, Mike Novell, Josh Durand o Ad Hoc committee has made the recommendation to offer only two or four year terms. o Recruitment will take place in January with an appointment in March. 4. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION • Moved to Unfinished Business 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Ken Christensen moved to approve the August minutes as written at 5:42pm , Meghan Willis seconded, and all members approved. 6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS • Learn to Skate Program Follow-up, Update and Overview o Sara Mendez began the presentation. ▪ User Groups/Allocation of Time • Showed a snapshot of a typical week of users on ice at EPIC, largest allocation is freestyle figure skating for drop-in use (40-46 hours) ▪ Learn to Skate (Recreation Programming) • Learn to Skate and Learn to Swim programs align with other Recreation programs to provide entry level program opportunities for the community. • Participation numbers (last five years): 1,530 in 2018, 1,414 in 2019, 708 in 2020, 1,137 in 2021, and 1,439 in 2022 • The city uses the Learn to Skate organization to provide training and curriculum. ▪ Staffing Background • The department has been working on realignment and rebuilding full-time staff since long-time Sr Supervisor, Recreation (Ice) Paul Thibert, retired in 2021. • Due to increased and immediate safety and understaffing needs at Northside Aztlan Community Center (NACC), the vacant Sr Supervisor (Ice) position was moved from the Ice team to NACC as a facility supervisor. • Recreation team is currently in the process of hiring the position that will oversee two programmers and ice techs. o Decision to move the Sr Supervisor position from Ice to NACC was made to address safety and staffing concerns with the understanding that they would Parks and Recreation Board TYPE OF MEETING – Hybrid Meeting 8/23/2023 – MINUTES Page 3 come back to the City Manager’s Office and ask for the Ice position again. • The department will align with best practices in the industry when filling the vacant Sr Supervisor (Ice) position. o Will operate differently than a private facility with a focus on recreation (similar to Aquatics) o Guest Response/Community Input ▪ Ice skating club board of directors experienced challenges with communication and experienced a lack of information on who to talk to about problems occurring at EPIC. ▪ Learn to Skate representatives asked about the status of staffing for coaches at EPIC. • Staff expressed that the new Sr Supervisor (Ice) will be responsible for hiring coaches. • Private lesson instructors are different positions than Learn to Skate coach positions – still working on how coaching will be structured moving forward • The Recreation Department uses private lessons to teach basic skills. • Mike Novell expressed that the City operates entry points for recreation activites. • Community members expressed concern that guest coaching is not allowed. o Recreation policy states that an organization can hire their own coaches when ice is rented on their time. • If someone wants to coach for the City, they are required to teach a minimum of Learn to Skate time. ▪ Figure Skating Club member asked if they would be able to develop a regular ice time reservation for the Figure Skating Club. ▪ Figure Skating Club member asked for adjustments to the schedule of available freestyle ice time, would like to see more alignment with the PSD schedule. ▪ Club members and board members discussed the need to find a way that the club could interface with the City moving forward. o Ken made a motion at 6:45pm that the board recommends the ice staff look at ice allocation and scheduling (alignment with PSD), the qualifications to be a private lessons coach (alignment with published qualifications in the recreator), and the economics with all groups being served. The board also recommends that the Sr Supervisor Recreation (Ice) hiring process would give bias to individuals who have a background in figure skating, and the City would not give different treatment to Ice Parks and Recreation Board TYPE OF MEETING – Hybrid Meeting 8/23/2023 – MINUTES Page 4 than they do to other programs and organizations the City works with. Nick Armstrong seconded the motion, all in favor. • Sustainable Funding Update o Council has referred to the ballot two initiatives for Sustainable Funding (3-mill levy property tax, affordable housing; .5 -cent sales tax, split between Our Climate Future, Transit, and Parks and Recreation and Pools) o Letter from Davina Lau was distributed to the board regarding protocol now that the initiatives have been referred to the ballot. ▪ (see attached document) ▪ If people have any questions regarding the ballot measures, send them to the Our City webpage. o Ken discussed the board’s response if the sales tax ballot measure passes. ▪ If it passes, the board should prepare to go back to council with a formal thank you. ▪ Nick mentioned the desire to have a strategy in place for how to direct future CCIP initiatives to include trails and trail expansion work. 7. NEW BUSINESS • Junior Park Ranger Program – Nick Armstrong o Modeled after the Junior Ranger Programs at many National Parks o Program could operate as a way to reduce vandalism in City parks, creating buy-in with the youth community in the City. o Nick Peterson (Community and Business Outreach Program) has expressed interest in the program. o Meghan mentioned Sue Schafer (NextGen & Volunteer Services Program Manager) as a contact for how to approach a youth centered program. o Mike Calhoon expressed how this would align with the board’s workplan. ▪ Promote environmental stewardship practices that promote natural resources. ▪ Encourage continued dialogue regarding public safety concerns in parks. ▪ Implement ways to regularly share the story of Parks and Recreation in the community. o Nick is requesting the board to review the plan and make changes; Staff asked to bring forward what is needed to make this viable. o Ken made a motion at 7:10pm that the Parks and Rec board fully support the concept of a Fort Collins Junior Ranger program and would like to Parks and Recreation Board TYPE OF MEETING – Hybrid Meeting 8/23/2023 – MINUTES Page 5 consider the program as an addition to the portfolio. Meghan Willis seconded, all in favor. • Land Use Code Updates o Presentation began ▪ ERA, Water Conservation and Forestry working on three priority areas: soil, xeriscape, and trees. ▪ Desire to promote healthy and resilient landscape throughout the City; proposing changes to municipal and land use code ▪ Presenter’s main questions: • What general feedback do you have? • Do you support the proposed draft changes? ▪ Soil Amendment Policies and Compliance • Key changes o Code updates that include best practices for soil and soil health o Clarified thresholds in the Code. o Implement comprehensive field inspection program. ▪ Xeriscape – increase rebates and education • Key changes o Landscape and irrigation standards for new residential and nonresidential development or significant redevelopment ▪ Forestry • Key changes o Improve mitigation standards incentivizing tree preservation o Create a clear timeframe for who is responsible for tree replacement in development (increase tree survivability) o Timeline: ▪ Planning to go back to Planning & Zoning hearing in November ▪ Will go to Council work session with feedback minutes from boards on October 10th – First reading will be November 21st • Tree policy will be implemented in 2024 • Xeriscape and soil codes will implement their policies in January 2025 o Feedback/Questions ▪ Nick would like to see water wise considerations to update irrigation timers, education for water salinity, and a City certification program regarding tree damage to empower HOAs o Nick made a motion at 7:38pm that the board approve and support the Parks and Recreation Board TYPE OF MEETING – Hybrid Meeting 8/23/2023 – MINUTES Page 6 Land Use Code updates for Xeriscaping, Soil Amendments, and Urban Forestry as presented by City staff. Paul seconded, all in favor. 8. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS No new board member reports. 9. RECREATOR ARTICLE SCHEDULE • Spring 2024 article due October 6th • Article will focus on the kickoff and potential engagement opportunities for the Urban Forestry Strategic Plan and the Strategic Trails Plan. • Kendra Boot and DK (Dave Kemp) mentioned as staff members to coordinate with for the article. • Nick Armstrong and Bob Kingsbury to work on the article together. 10. OTHER BUSINESS • Recreation Update – LeAnn Williams o Department has been working through multiple hiring processes ▪ Sr Supervisor, Sports ▪ Fulltime preschool teacher ▪ Sr Coordinator and Sr Supervisor, Ice ▪ Sr Coordinator, Facilities o The department quarterly meeting took place on August 23rd, included a biking scavenger and walking scavenger hunt downtown. o Summer programming is wrapping up, Softball ran late due to rain o Northside project is moving forward - on schedule to be done by the end of November • Park Planning & Development Update – Jill Wuertz o Working on hiring process for two positions ▪ Landscape Architect ▪ Technical Project Manager o Working on several development review projects ▪ Willox Farm developer is proposing underground utilities through Soft Gold Park o 9/11 Memorial construction documents are out to bid, minor groundbreaking ceremony planned for September 11th. o Mail Creek Trail, 90% drawings being reviewed. o Poudre Trail Connection received the ‘ok’ from the Floodplain department; the team can now move forward with designs and plans. o Dovetail Park, sod and other landscape being installed. Opening ceremony/ribbon cutting plans are in progress. Parks and Recreation Board TYPE OF MEETING – Hybrid Meeting 8/23/2023 – MINUTES Page 7 o Buckingham Park, new basketball court painted to include lines for pickleball. o Bacon Park, internal meeting to start Bacon Park kick off to take place in September. • Parks Update – Mike Calhoon o Coloradoan article regarding a significant fish kill event that occurred at Sheldon Lake (City Park) ▪ Parks has been in contact with Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) and the Environmental Regulatory Affairs group. ▪ Event occurred due to high temperatures, shallow waters, and low dissolved oxygen – first summer fish kill event since aerators were put in in 2010. o Marketing push in progress for the horticulture program ▪ Recreation department participated in a downtown tour that will mock the tour that will be offered to Council. ▪ Parks will hope to do this on an annual basis to discuss the financial impacts, resources used, changes made, etc. o Successfully hired a fourth Park Ranger ▪ Utilized a Natural Areas process to hire an individual on their eligibility list. o Completed the 3rd year of EAB (Emerald Ash Borer) treatment ▪ Part of the strategy was to phase the treatment and decline of tree inventory – will eventually be down to 600-700 Ash trees that will be protected long term. o Community Canopy Program is underway. ▪ Tree pick up will take place on September 9th • 6-month Planning Calendar https://www.fcgov.com/cityclerk/files/six-month-planning- calendar.pdf?1677855905 o Additional funds for encampment clean-up o Recommendations from Ad Hoc Committee o Oil and gas well setbacks 11. ADJOURNMENT Ken Christensen adjourned the meeting at 8:13pm.