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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPARKS AND RECREATION BOARD - MINUTES - 09/24/2025 Parks and Recreation Advisory Board REGULAR MEETING Page 1 September 24, 2025 – 5:30 PM 222 Laporte Ave – Colorado River Community Room 1. CALL TO ORDER: 5:40 PM 2. ROLL CALL a. Board Members Present – • Nick Armstrong – Chair • Meghan Willis – Co-Chair • Josh Durand – Secretary • Ken Christensen • Paul Baker • Mike Novell (Virtual) • Lorena Falcon b. Board Members Absent – • Marcia Richards c. Staff Members Present – • LeAnn Williams – Director of Recreation • Kendra Benson – Executive Administrative Assistant d. Guest(s) – • Josh Beard 3. AGENDA REVIEW a. Motion to approve made by Meghan, seconded by Lorena, all approved at 5:41pm. 4. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION a. Affordable Housing Board – Josh Beard, Outreach Committee • Coming to greet and make connections to see if they can work with the P&R board in the future as their interests align. • He got involved in the housing board because he found that employees at his stores had to leave because they could not afford to live in Fort Collins. • Shared a handout about Affordable Housing and their focus areas as well as an open invitation to come to their meetings. • Highlighted how access to parks and recreation is often a consideration in affordable housing planning and emphasized the goal of every resident having a park within a 10- minute walk. • LeAnn shared that the Southeast Community Center will serve a large number of people living in the affordable housing developments in Fort Collins. 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – August 2025 a. Minutes amended to document that the scheduled tour of Schoolside Park was canceled due to Parks and Recreation Advisory Board REGULAR MEETING Page 2 weather. b. Motion to approve amended minutes made by Ken, seconded by Meghan, all approved at 6:01pm. 6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS a. Follow up on Update Memos from August • No additional questions 7. NEW BUSINESS a. Attendance Reminders and Update • Reviewed the board attendance policy outlined in City Code, which states that a board member will be automatically removed from the board if: (1) Two meetings are missed without providing written notice in advance to the staff liaison/support. (2) The member misses more than 25% of regularly scheduled meetings. • Exceptions may be made when a member communicates a temporary impediment, such as a medical procedure, in advance to the chair. b. Work Plan Development • Staff shared updated direction from the City Clerk’s Office indicating that work plans should remain broad to allow for flexibility throughout the year. • Specific projects will be highlighted in the Annual Report. • Board will review the drafted work plan and bring back any changes or updates for next meeting where the Work Plan will be revised and finalized. c. Senior Center Re-Naming • Discussed the name of the Senior Center and the possible process to rename it to reflect that it is a Recreation activity center for all. • Board members expressed concern over potential lost revenue, noting that many community members assume they are not able to utilize the center because of the name. • Board members discussed concerns that renaming the Senior Center could cause a loss of identity for existing patrons and create challenges in balancing intergenerational use of the space. • Staff will provide additional information on this topic at the December 2025 meeting. 8. STAFF REPORTS a. SECC Update • Discussed presentation that will be given to Council Finance at their next meeting, Oct 2nd. • Reviewed timeline of project, current design and projected budget. • Hoping to have groundbreaking in June 2026, when school is out, to align construction timing with work being done at Fossil Ridge High School, as both projects will utilize the same parking lot. • The schematic design aligned with the City Council–approved scope now reflects higher costs, as schematic designs are difficult to price accurately without full design details. Parks and Recreation Advisory Board REGULAR MEETING Page 3 • Working through “Value Engineering” to reduce cost to maintain scope. • Changing early childcare classrooms to drop in childcare based on community feedback. • Reduced the size of the gymnasiums, removed one lane from the indoor walking track, and removed the childcare center to reduce costs with minimal impact on overall programming capacity. • Having drop-in childcare also will help support the city in being able to host events where those who are interested in participating need childcare. • Going to Council finance in October to request appropriation of CCIP reserves to help fund the facility at current plan. • Board wanted to discuss the wording of CCIP projects and the process that goes through, staff will provide an update memo next month. 9. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS a. Marcia responded via email: • I attended the Farms Anniversary celebration. It was wonderful to see all the families participating! • I also attended a tour of the Ranch (Larimer County) and they were clear that they are going to be putting in 3 new sheets of ice in the next several years and part of their Phase 2 plan. That seems like good news for our Fort Collins skating folks who visited several P&R meetings this year. b. Fort Collins Comic con members participated in Open Streets and said it was very well executed and very clear with instructions. c. Nick also attended the 40th Anniversary at The Farm and noted that it was well attended, with live music, food trucks, and positive community feedback. 10. ARTICLES IN THE RECREATOR a. Spring 2026 articles due by Oct 3rd – CAPRA Accreditation 11. UPDATES MEMO a. Reschedule the Tailwinds Tour b. Follow up on Urban Forest Strategic Plan and provide support if Kendra requests any assistance. 12. SIX MONTH CALENDAR REVIEW a. Elk Meadow Trail Preview Oct 3rd b. Golf Outing Oct 10th c. Parks and Recreation Board 6-Month Planning Agenda d. City Council 6-Month Planning Calendar 13. ADJOURNMENT: 8:25 PM Minutes approved on 10/22/2025