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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPARKS AND RECREATION BOARD - MINUTES - 06/25/2025 Parks and Recreation Advisory Board REGULAR MEETING Page 1 June 25, 2025 – 5:30 PM 413 S Bryan St – Large Conference Room 1. CALL TO ORDER: 5:45 PM 2. ROLL CALL a. Board Members Present – • Nick Armstrong – Chair • Meghan Willis – Co-Chair • Ken Christensen • Marcia Richards • Mike Novell (virtual) • John Mola b. Board Members Absent – • Josh Durand – Secretary • Lorena Falcon • Paul Baker c. Staff Members Present – • Mike Calhoon – Director of Parks • Jill Wuertz – Sr Manager, Park Planning and Development • Kendra Benson – Executive Administrative Assistant • Alice Conovitz – Water Conservation Specialist, Utilities Customer Connections • Marc Rademacher – Senior Manager, Recreation d. Guest(s) – • Soren Johnson 3. AGENDA REVIEW – a. Motion to approve made by Marcia, seconded by John, all approved at 5:45 4. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION – a. Soren Johnson – Topic: Developing a parkour park for local urban gymnasts • Shared his love of parkour and doing back flips • He has met many others in the community who share this interest and believes that the park would be well utilized • Invited the Parks Planning team to learn more by taking a tour Outrun with his coach. • Broomfield and Denver are in the process of building outdoor parkour parks and have been collaborating with the Outrun team. • Park Planning expressed interest in this and asked Soren to continue communication with them about design ideas and possible times for a tour. 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – May 2025 Parks and Recreation Advisory Board REGULAR MEETING Page 2 a. Motion to approve by John, seconded by Meghan, approved by all at 5:54. 6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS a. Review of Water Efficiency Plan (WEP) and Draft WEP Support Letter – Alice Conovitz • Public comment period wrapped up on Monday, June 23rd with 9 comments made. • WEP has been reviewed by the Colorado Water Conservation Board and other Boards in the city, and Utilities will be utilizing that feedback to update WEP. • Discussed the xeriscape city credit and how the credit is granted. (1) Residents must provide proof that they have met their xeriscape design. (2) Residents are not required to show their reduction in water use. • The board asked about the commercial rebate amount and questioned if this amount would be enough to incentivize commercial properties. Utilities acknowledged that this is a big challenge for them and that they try to help commercial properties focus on other benefits than just financial. It was also noted that Homeowners Associations (HOAs) do fall in the commercial category. • It was clarified that there are tiered rates for water use, so those that do use more water are charged more for their water overall than those who use less. • The board discussed how most of their concerns at this point are very specific and that this plan is intended to be a broad plan and framework for the future of water conservation. This higher-level plan needs to be put in place before more of the specific program changes can be addressed. • The board recognized staff, especially Alice, for incorporating their feedback and adjusting the WEP accordingly. • WEP going to City Council on September 2nd. • A letter of approval will need to be submitted at the start of August. • Motion made by Nick to write a letter of approval, seconded by Ken, all voted in favor at 6:18. 7. NEW BUSINESS - None 8. STAFF REPORTS - None 9. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS a. Marcia went to the Super Issues meeting about Hughes Civic Assembly on June 23rd and noted a high attendance. b. Marcia participated in the Bike to Anywhere event today and visited Parks and Recreation tents. c. Marcia attended the open house for Rolland Moore Park Playground and Tennis Complex and reviewed the design plans. d. The trail that connects The Gardens on Spring Creek to Centre avenue will be completed this week. This has been CSU’s project, and the city has been working with them for 10 years. e. Marcia also met one of the new Park Rangers, Dylan, and was impressed by his knowledge. f. Meghan is continuing to volunteer for the Southeast Community Center project, which has held Parks and Recreation Advisory Board REGULAR MEETING Page 3 two meetings. She continues to encourage people to engage in feedback. g. Mike Novell recently transition in his career where he now works with swim communities throughout the United States. He stated that this has made him realize how great the City of Fort Collins is to work with by providing clear communication and outstanding customer service. h. John reported that Bombus bimaculatus, also known as the two-spotted bumble bee, is currently at Edora Park and he has students who are studying them. He highlighted that this species had not been observed in Colorado until 2023. He believes they are here now partially due to the removal of the prairie dogs from the area which allowed more plants to grow and attract these bees. Discussed possibly taking the board on a tour to view the bees. 10. ARTICLES IN THE RECREATOR a. Spring 2026 articles due October 3rd • Discussed Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) Reaccreditation (1) The City is seeking reaccreditation. Accreditation based on 154 standards and the City has met 151. (2) Visitors from CAPRA came last week and were impressed. (3) Only 214 organizations are accredited in the country. (4) The official report is expected within a month, with recertification in September at the Nation Parks and Recreation Association conference. 11. UPDATES a. Recreation Update – Marc Rademacher • July 1st – Council proclamation for Parks and Recreation Month • There will be activities throughout the month of July to celebrate including a scavenger hunt at The Farm, a “Drive-In” themed movie night, and a walking challenge. • July 4th celebration preparations are underway, including a parade with Mike Calhoon as the Grand Marshal. • Farm 40th Celebration is scheduled for September 13th at The Farm and will have food trucks, a band, and activities. b. Park Planning Update – Jill Wuertz • Siphon overpass is awaiting bridge setting, likely in September when lines can be de- electrified. • Schoolside Park is under construction with a parking lot, boulder placement, and irrigation system underway. • Open house was held last night for the neighborhood park in the Mosaic neighborhood and was attended by over 130 people. Feedback on desired features was gathered. There will be an online survey opening soon as well. • Bike to Anywhere Day event was this morning and Park Planning and Development had 300 people stop at their station to learn more about the future of parks. • Finalized the design contract for updating Landings Park. • Continuing to work with Willox Farm at Soft Gold Park for Utilities alignment. Parks and Recreation Advisory Board REGULAR MEETING Page 4 • The private pickleball complex near Golden Meadows will be utilizing an existing easement for drainage with minimal impact. • Strategic Trails Plan is scheduled to be at Council for approval on July 1st. Wildlife and habitat considerations have been added. • Feimster Trail vegetation installed. • Submitted paperwork for GOCO Grant reimbursement of $1 million. • Working with FC Moves on their presentation on Micromobility for City Council in August. • Water purchases for the park on Sykes drive have been secured. Park Planning and Development was able to bulk purchase shares of water from an individual in the city. • City Council on July 8th will be discussing CCIP and the Civic Assembly, Park Planning and Development has been working on putting together a lot of information for this meeting. • Parks will be at Council Finance this month to discuss their capital expansion projects. c. Parks Update – Mike Calhoon • Twin Silo’s garden has begun growing vegetables for the food bank. • In May, a group of disc golfers helped with the cleanup of the disc golf course at Edora Park. • Triple Crown will host their Power Five tournament followed by a Sparkler softball tournament over the 4th of July weekend. • Fort Collins Loveland Water continues to utilize half of the parking lot at Overland Park while they complete pipe work in the area. • Northern Colorado Owlz Baseball Team from Windsor came over and played two games on open dates at City Park. They requested more time on the fields but there were no other openings. • Working to assist with the replacement of the Existing ELCO Waterline in north Fort Collins and through the Farm and Lee Martinez Park. Parks and Forestry are both assisting to minimize impact. • Streetscapes team have turned on over 130 backflows. • Both new Rangers have completed their training with Police Services and are on their regular schedule now. • River safety is high priority in June due to the river swell occurring at this time. River water levels are monitored, and a multi-departmental team works to ensure safety, including closures. The railroad cleaned the trellis near College avenue. • Forestry Ambassador Program: Volunteers collect data for the forestry team in Treekeeper and help to perform minor pruning on small trees. Forestry trains these volunteers so that they can help with young trees to ensure a longer lifespan of the tree. • Autonomous Mowers have been tried out at City Park 9 and mowed the full first hole. Now they are testing an autonomous range picker followed by a mower to reduce ball damage and labor costs. d. Access Fort Collins App is being moved to a new platform. This will begin July 1st. 12. SIX MONTH CALENDAR REVIEW https://www.fcgov.com/cityclerk/files/six-month-planning-calendar.pdf?1677855905 a. Super Issue Meetings Parks and Recreation Advisory Board REGULAR MEETING Page 5 • August 11th (1) Ranked Choice Voting Informational (2) Columbine Room at Lincoln Center (3) Open to friends and family as well as board members • September 8th – TBD b. September 2025 - Safer Streets Northwest gathering community feedback https://ourcity.fcgov.com/safer-streets-northwest 13. ADJOURNMENT: 7:48 PM Minutes approved on 07/23/2025