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Home My WebLink AboutPARKS AND RECREATION BOARD - MINUTES - 05/28/2025 Parks and Recreation Advisory Board REGULAR MEETING Page 1 April 23, 2025 – 6:00 PM Edora Pool and Ice Center 1801 Riverside Ave – EPIC Green Room, Fort Collins, CO 80525 1. CALLTO ORDER: 6:25 PM 2. ROLL CALL a. Board Members Present – • Nick Armstrong – Chair • Josh Durand – Secretary • Ken Christensen • Marcia Richards • Paul Baker • Lorena Falcon b. Board Members Absent – • Meghan Willis – Co-Chair • John Mola • Mike Novell c. Staff Members Present – • LeAnn Williams – Director of Recreation • Mike Calhoon – Director of Parks • Jill Wuertz – Sr Manager, Park Planning and Development • Kendra Benson – Executive Administrative Assistant • Scott Phelps – Sr. Manager, Parks • Valerie Van Ryn – Manager, Marketing d. Guest(s) – • None 3. AGENDA REVIEW a. Additions • Officer appointments b. Changes • SECC update will be moved to May due to the addition of Officer appointments c. Motion to approve by Ken, seconded by Paul, all approved at 6:29 4. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION - None 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – March 2025 a. Motion to approve by Lorena, seconded by Paul, all approved at 6:30 6. STAFF REPORTS a. Golf Pre-Season Touchpoint – Scott Phelps Parks and Recreation Advisory Board REGULAR MEETING Page 2 • Golf rounds have been increasing since 2020 • Dynamic pricing started September 2024 and is continuing. Much discussion over how these prices are assessed. • Items listed in green on slide 5 were completed in 2024, orange is 2025 projects • Autonomous ball-picker and mower will work together and will reduce the number of golf balls that are damaged by mowers and need to be replaced • Marketing around golf has continued to increase as well as social media presence. This helps to ensure engagement with the community. b. Communications and Marketing Update – Valerie Van Ryn • Current team of 3, in the process of hiring an additional Communications Specialist • Discussion around the future of the City website and ability to share information more easily on personal social media platforms • Next issue of the Recreator will be primarily released digitally with a limited number of copies printed to be distributed in City Facilities 7. UNFINISHED BUSINESS a. STP Support Letter Follow-Up – Nick Armstrong • One amendment made to include local and regional partnerships • Reviewed by the Board, motion to approve amended version made by Marcia, seconded by Paul, all approved at 8:07 b. Review of Recreator Article written by Meghan and Nick • Removal of Elva’s hopes for the SECC • More general plug for OurCity page and its uses • The Board is supportive of the changes made 8. NEW BUSINESS a. Officer Appointments • Current Slate (1) Chair: Nick Armstrong (2) Co-Chair: Meghan Willis (3) Secretary: Josh Durand • Current slate is nominated by Lorena, a motion to approve made by Marcia, seconded by Ken, all approved at 8:23 9. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS a. Lorena: Civic Assembly Committee • 2nd information meeting last week. Provided update on who the Civic Assembly wants to hear from again. Clear understanding of who they wanted to hear from • The Civic Assembly is very interested in the City’s opinion and what are the requirements for the Hughes property • Civic Assembly is open to the public b. Marcia: Parks and Recreation Advisory Board REGULAR MEETING Page 3 • Volunteer brunch at Club Tico last week for national Volunteer Week • Attended Super Issues meeting about Which Wheels go Where (1) Discussed what all micromobility devices need to be in the bike lane and which do not (2) There was a survey conducted that showed a lot of concern over speed and safety around use of trails • John sent in a report via email as he was not able to attend the meeting in person (1) Cyclists expressed the need for bike racks within parks rather than only along trails (2) They believe that having them on trails makes for a “quick getaway” for thieves, whereas being off the path and into the park a bit would be more comforting. • Meghan sent in a report via email as she was not able to attend the meeting in person (1) On Monday, April 21st, I attended the first Southeast Community Center Advisory/Engagement Group meeting. (2) The group includes community members from diverse backgrounds with ties to the Library District or city recreation, such as the Friends of the Library, Youth Advisory Council, and the neighboring mobile home park, and is tasked with advising the project team to ensure the new Southeast Community Center reflects community needs and desires. (3) At the first meeting, the group reviewed conceptual slides, offered initial feedback on the space’s overall goals and feel, and brainstormed community groups for further engagement. (4) The group will meet monthly, and I’ll provide updates as we go 10. ARTICLES IN THE RECREATOR a. 2025 Fall/Winter Articles due May 23rd b. Nick and Meghan will finalize article and send it to Kendra for publication 11. UPDATES a. Recreation Update – LeAnn Williams • Seasonal hiring is “on fire” with all positional almost filled. • Revenue for the first quarter is in and is trending positively. There has been some increased revenue from EPIC due to maximizing ice usage schedule and a bump in fees. b. Park Planning Update – Jill Wuertz • Rachel Eich delivered her baby last month! Congratulations! • Still in conversation about expanding capital expansion fee. Currently doing all the internal work to then get this to Council Finance and then City Council • Partnership with Streets at Greenbriar parking lot and had Streets train on how to repave a parking lot • Rolland Moore has their open house tomorrow at the Senior Center about the future of the Tennis complex and playgrounds • Willox Farm development – still working on utility alignment through Soft Gold Park. • Trails (1) Reviewing environmental policy as refining next steps of STP Parks and Recreation Advisory Board REGULAR MEETING Page 4 (2) Anticipating May 20th for adoption but may push to a later date to ensure that it is as polished as possible • Siphon Overpass work is advancing • The Phemister Trail is going in between CSU through the Horticulture Center to the Spring Creek Trail • Schoolside park is underway and under construction • In the middle of purchasing water for Mosaic Park, we are working with three different water providers to get water for the park. • Veterans Plaza sign dedication event on April 12th • Katie Donahue and Jill both were at the Civic Assembly for Hughes to provide knowledge and insights where needed • Bike Park Feasibility is still being discussed and the different possible sites for the park. Specifics on sites outside of Hughes cannot be disclosed at this point yet. These sites are still being evaluated. The Bike Park has not been funded yet. c. Parks Update – Mike Calhoon • Every spring the Parks Team participate in regional maintenance event in Greeley for Colorado Parks and Recreation Association and two employees that specialize in playground inspection hosted a training session and it was well received • Baseball is being played at CSU home field • Pickleball sound blankets are up at City Park this week • Holiday lights are completely down and all of the living material was repurposed into other areas of the city • 7 additional staff became certified pool operators. This is needed for water features throughout the parks • Evergreens from holiday decorations were planted at Carnegie Center • Carnegie also needed some additional smaller rocks around the base of the cabins to help with splashing from rain. Parks upcycled some rocks from the old base for the city park train to help with this • 2 new rangers are halfway through the academy, and they are being trained out in the field some as well • Last week was Mulch Day and thanks to skilled operators and a loaned scraper they were about to get 483 cars mulch. Still have plenty left over to assist Park Planning with their needs • Golf is working on aerating • Warren Lake Dam repairs – state engineer came back in and put no restriction on the fill of Warren Lake over the next 4 weeks • Strategic Trail Plan survey closed yesterday • Friday is the Arboretum at City Park and celebration of the Urban Forest Strategic Plan • Cresent Park update (1) When built there was an arrangement with the HOA about water in spring and fall when Parks is not able to get water from the ditch (2) Set up an arrangement with the HOA there to work off of their pump in those seasons Parks and Recreation Advisory Board REGULAR MEETING Page 5 and they would charge us for the water. (3) Listed as a short-term agreement and this will expire at the end of next year (4) There is potential that they could cancel or renegotiate the contract (5) The Parks Team talked with HOA chair and board and educated them on the risks to the aesthetics of the park (6) Parks wants to ensure that they are being a good neighbor and working with the HOA in a way that is beneficial to both. 12. SIX MONTH CALENDAR REVIEW https://www.fcgov.com/cityclerk/files/six-month-planning-calendar.pdf?1677855905 13. ADJOURNMENT: 9:03 PM Minutes approved on 05/28/2025