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Home My WebLink AboutPARKS AND RECREATION BOARD - MINUTES - 08/27/2025 Parks and Recreation Advisory Board REGULAR MEETING Page 1 July 23rd, 2025 – 5:30pm 222 Laporte Ave – Colorado River Room 1. CALL TO ORDER: 5:43 PM 2. ROLL CALL a. Board Members Present – • Nick Armstrong – Chair • Meghan Willis – Co-Chair • Marcia Richards • Paul Baker (attended remotely) • Lorena Falcon • John Mola b. Board Members Absent – • Josh Durand – Secretary • Ken Christensen • Mike Novell c. Staff Members Present – • LeAnn Williams – Director of Recreation • Kevin Williams – Interim Senior Manager, Parks • Jill Wuertz – Sr Manager, Park Planning and Development • Kendra Benson – Executive Administrative Assistant • Kristy Bruce – Senior Planner, Park Planning and Development • David Hansen – Manager, Park Planning and Development d. Guest(s) – • Hanna Jensen 3. AGENDA REVIEW a. Motion to approve made by John, seconded by Marcia, all approved at 5:45 4. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION a. Iceland parks and programs – Hanna Jensen • Shared how Iceland has disc golf courses that are shorter to be more approachable to beginners, children, and elderly. Also shared that these courses are built on the outskirts of parks and utilizes parts of these parks that would normally not be used by the community. • Discussed having pop-ups at city events for disc golf to introduce people into the sport. • Brought the idea of adding in more 3 or 6 hole courses with shorter drives to parks throughout the city to bring in more people to the sport. • LeAnn will connect with Hanna for further discussion on upcoming events and other possible locations for courses. Parks and Recreation Advisory Board REGULAR MEETING Page 2 5. STAFF REPORTS a. Rolland Moore Design Concepts – David Hansen and Kristy Bruce • Tennis Complex (1) Goal is to renovate to meet current codes, expand programming, improve safety, accessibility and aesthetics (2) Plan to reconstruct courts in current configuration with new lighting, fencing and more accessible pathways. (3) Updating the pro shop and restroom (4) Improving access for maintenance and emergency vehicles with an updated bridge and reconfiguration of parking to accommodate new access requirements. (5) Racquetball structure is underused, in poor condition, and poses a safety concern, likely to be repurposed or removed (6) Maintaining and reconfiguring the sand Volleyball courts (7) Considering the addition of two full-sized tennis courts if feasible to realize programming potential for recreation. • Playground Design (1) Two nature-themed concepts for design (2) The floodplain that runs through the playground area does require careful placement of the larger structures (3) Lots of community engagement in design, emphasis on art, pollinator gardens, and educational signage • Online engagement and pop-up events for feedback starting August 1st • Construction is targeted to begin in 2026 • Follow up presentation at PRAB meeting in the fall as schematic design is advanced. 6. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – June 2025 a. Motion to approve made by John, seconded by Meghan, all approved at 7:15 7. UNFINISHED BUSINESS a. Review and Approve WEP Letter of Support b. Motion to approve made by Marcia, seconded by Meghan, all approved at 7:18 8. NEW BUSINESS a. 2050 Reserve Funding for Ice Chiller Replacement at EPIC • Appropriation of $6 million will be asked for to replace the chiller, $5 million, and an additional $1 million for building changes and resurfacing of the rinks. • Chillers are at end of life and have frequent costly repairs to keep them working • If the chillers were to fail then the ice would not be able to be used at all and that would be a large revenue loss for the City. • EPIC has the only ice rinks in the area and are heavily used by the community. • The replacement of the chiller will require a shut down of the ice rinks for a couple of months, but this lost revenue has been considered and will be replaced with reserves. Parks and Recreation Advisory Board REGULAR MEETING Page 3 • This upgrade will also improve the efficiency of EPIC and will reduce yearly costs. • Discussed that the 2050 tax is to be used by both Parks and Recreation and that they are working together well to address priority issues. • Seeking board approval of this appropriation before presenting the ask to City Council • Board in favor of asking for the appropriation. (1) Motion to approve by John, seconded by Marcia, all voted in favor at 7:37. b. Golf Outing • Lunch at 11am at Pots and play 9-holes after at Collindale • Fridays would be the best day for this outing as there are no leagues • Late September or October would be best for the Board. Will confirm available dates with Golf and then schedule. 9. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS a. Marcia, John and Nick attended the Parks and Recreation proclamation at City Council at the start of this month. b. Marcia attended the 4th of July parade and the staff lunch. c. Marcia requested additional bike racks at Spring Creek park by the tennis courts. Parks will follow up d. Marcia complimented Greenbriar park, noting it looks great and she appreciates the recent upgrades and improvements. e. Nick observed that two school parks have been updated with large signs highlighting the funding source. He reiterated the importance of signage that shares funding information and communicates how voter-approved taxes are benefiting the community. f. Meghan attended the July 4th celebrations as well and thanked the city for hosting the event. She also expressed appreciation for City services, such as the MAX bus and the public pianos, that make Fort Collins unique. g. Meghan continues to serves as a SECC volunteer to gather community feedback and requested information on any upcoming events where volunteers can engage with the public. 10. ARTICLES IN THE RECREATOR a. Spring 2026 articles due October 3rd • CAPRA reaccreditation • Won’t be officially reaccredited until the National Recreation and Park Association conference in September • Could include the national accreditation for the arboretum at City Park as part of this article • Also want to highlight the small parts of Parks and Recreation that made the CAPRA accreditation possible. • Nick will start a draft of this article and Meghan will assist. 11. UPDATES a. Recreation Update – LeAnn Williams • Reviewed new schematic designs for Southeast Community Center Parks and Recreation Advisory Board REGULAR MEETING Page 4 • Budget updates (1) City has asked for budget reductions in 2026 (2) Recreation will be utilizing reserves to offset the general fund reduction (3) Recreation will begin paying Parks for field maintenance for their scheduled events to help offset their reductions (4) Other reductions are not public yet and are still going through revisions (5) Council Finance is meeting on September 4th to discuss budget revisions (6) City Council will discuss 2026 budget at September 23rd and October 14th meetings • Summer recreation is in full swing b. Park Planning Update – Jill Wuertz • GIS position is hired and starting in 2 weeks • A P1 Landscape Architect position for Capital Expansion projects is currently open and being advertised • At the July Council Finance meeting, the discussion focused on capital expansion fees and related Park Planning projects, which were well received by Council members. The next step will be presentation and approval at the full City Council meeting. • On August 19th, City Council is scheduled to discuss sales tax items related to the Civic Assembly and Hughes projects, including multi-year project funding and upcoming ballot considerations. • Landings Park A walkthrough was conducted to better understand park needs and prepare for upcoming improvements. • Spring Canyon Splash Pad pump controls are being relocated above ground. Additional restrooms will be added within the existing facility. • Twin Silo playground has a major repair planned for September, which will require a temporary closure of the playground. • Development review continues with ELCO on their water line through Lee Martinez park. • Park in Willox Farms next to Soft Gold park is slowly moving towards final design • Strategic Trail Plan was adopted by City Council • Siphon Overpass trail is currently open in limited capacity. Full closure is expected in late August or early September when powerlines can be shut down . Installation of the overpass is expected to take about a month. • Harmony Underpass: Additional coordination with engineering is underway. The project is expected to take about a year to complete. Current work is focused on bids for the project. • Schoolside Park next to Bacon Elementary is under construction, possibly have a tour for the board in August or September depending on construction schedule. • Mosaic Park is moving into second phase of engagement, with more detailed planning and community involvement to come. c. Parks Update – Kevin Williams • 4th of July parade and City Park event combined Parks and Recreation staff, huge lift from both teams. Went very successfully and had an estimated 25,000-45,000 attendees. • P5 Triple Crown and Sparkler tournaments occurred around the 4th of July weekend bringing in teams, college scouts, and utilized multiple park locations. Parks and Recreation Advisory Board REGULAR MEETING Page 5 • Parks has been working on 2026 budget reductions as well with a 6% reduction proposal submitted • FoCo Pop-Up music events held in several parks last week • City Park 9 fairway update (1) Bluegrass in full bloom is now gone (2) Helped to remove some unwanted growth on the fairways (3) Perennial ryegrass was unaffected, only the bluegrass was impacted (4) Test spots are being done on Fairway 2 to guide next steps (5) Must wait 8 weeks between reseeding to avoid turf damage. (6) Closure decisions have not been made yet 12. SIX MONTH CALENDAR REVIEW https://www.fcgov.com/cityclerk/files/six-month-planning-calendar.pdf?1677855905 a. Super Issues Meetings • August 11, 2025 (1) Topic: Ranked Choice Voting Informational (2) Location: Columbine Room at Lincoln Center (3) Open to friends and family as well as board members 13. ADJOURNMENT: 8:44 PM Minutes approved on 08/27/2025