Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutParks And Recreation Board - Minutes - 08/27/2003.;:iv.l:Jilt :f!',� :.:•'r• 'j!; I 'i" IPii •i�n tit •fijii.l(.i:!,!.'Ii�'.•;•i ..I. :;.'�aI. iI.'...I;i: n�l!iil.'l:i::I r'r:pI�119�I1iI�; iU<I'ii• :!iI;l :,;I!'Ii ARKS '. i b ! Ir''I!!,I lvv l: l'IL jil^��i ,-''6:' Mwleclof .. :.. ',o„n:p;�:,, li ',;,i II!IY;(jl�F;la'! : ,�''.i I I.�.I�I !i Regular Metro Augusf,'2Rg2.dU:` . /� .'G1 n:I!�I: ;it lla:A;�I::..�, Common► Room.: 5:30p'.m. Council Liaison: Bill Bertschy Staff Liaison: Marty Heffernan, 224-6064 President: Paul Van Valkenburg Phone: 226.4700 (work) 689.5205 (cell) Call Meeting to Order: President Paul Van Valkenburg called the meeting to order at 5:45 p.m. Agenda Review: No changes to the printed agenda. Items of Note: Board Member Mike Gavin has resigned from the Board due to work commitments that prevented him from attending Board meetings. Citizen Participation: No citizen participation. Approval of Minutes: On a motion by Lance Freeman, seconded by Mary Carlson, the Board unanimously (6-0) approved the minutes of the June 25, 2003 meeting. Note: Jessica MacMillan joined the Board after the minutes were approved. Naming Policy Marty explained that about a year ago there was some controversy about naming properties or facilities to recognize a donation. He explained that City staff felt there was a need to develop a city-wide policy. The draft policy states that the City Manager may select the name for properties that are not named after an individual or organization. The Council must approve naming properties after individuals or organizations. We are not to name any facility or land after commodities or products. This policy gives guidance on how to name a property and the amount of a donation needed for a naming opportunity. The Board had no comment regarding the naming policy. The Board felt it is a reasonable policy. Parks and Recreation Board Minutes August 27, 2003 Page 2 City Plan Update Paul Van Valkenburg asked the subcommittee for their report. Del Price said there were a few items of concern. Ann Hunt reviewed the entire document as it related to recreation. Del read the report from the committee. Jessica MacMillan said that Regional should be defined and the usage of the lands should be defined. There weren't any definitions of terms. Active and Passive are not defined. Del suggested Appropriate Recreation Activities instead of just "passive recreation". Greg said that Ann's analysis was that there were over 120 references to recreational use. The Board is in unanimous agreement that Appropriate Recreation Activities should be included and defined independently Jessica asked what and when does the Parks and Recreation Department have on the final say of purchasing property. Marty said our department does not have any final say in Natural Areas land acquisition. Craig Foreman said he is consulted on some acquisitions when a park or trail may be involved. Jessica said that Parks and Recreation does need a review process where Park Planning should have input/recommendation on the appropriate recreational use for the property and its management prior to purchase. Open Space is different than Natural Areas. We need to get involved in the management plan for the sites. The staff and Board need to be involved. The Board unanimously agreed on a joint meeting with the Natural Resources Advisory Board on October 1, 2003. Two Agenda items would be Natural Areas Policy Plan and City Plan Update. Staff will provide an updated plan to the Board prior to October I meeting. Del feels that a joint meeting would be a good avenue to discuss this. He suggested a spokesperson from our Board who would outline our concerns prior to the meeting. Paul Van Valkenburg will meet with Randy Fisher to discuss the agenda and meeting prior to the joint meeting. We need to make specific recommendations to Ken Waido for input prior to the October meeting. Del said we need to suggest the language be changed. Marty said it may be helpful to clarify definitions for Natural Areas, Open Lands, and Appropriate Recreational Activities. General concept is appropriate recreational use needs to be defined. We place a community value on the protection of the natural areas, as well as the recreational value of open lands. The subcommittee needs to meet prior to the joint meeting and circulate suggested changes among the Board members. We could take the Board's feedback and come back with values and send it to all and a memo could be drafted for Paul to have when he meets with Randy prior to the October 1 meeting. Mary Carlson said that we need to make clear that we have to provide activities for the community and our growing population. Parks and Recreation Board Minutes August 27, 2003 Page 3 Trails Conversion Craig Foreman reported that the conversion of the Poudre Trail from asphalt to concrete has begun. The section by Lee Martinez Park is out to bid and the contractor will start on September 9. Weather permitting it will be a quick project. Ross Open space will be next and it will be a project that should be completed in October. At Edora Park, we will move the trail south of the trees, which will be about 20 feet away from the homes. The biggest part of this project is replacement of the concrete trail from Lincoln Street to Mulberry and to the next pond (1-1/2 mile) where we will potentially realign the trail. The section from Taft to Shields will be constructed in 2004. We are using the Natural Areas funding for this project. Craig explained that with each of the conversion sections we are writing news releases, putting up signs and in areas where allowable detours. Fossil Creek Community Park Craig reported that the weather cooling will help the grass seeding. He gave an update on the progress of the park. The contractor is planning on completing the project in two weeks. Then the landscape contractor follows. We will plant the majority of the trees this fall. Jessica asked about the lighting. Craig replied that Musco Lighting will be on site in the fall. They are working on minimizing light spillage. Grand Opening will be Saturday, October 18 from noon to 4:00 p.m. Budget Marty reported that the 5% budget cuts are included in the City Manager's recommended budget and will probably go into effect next year. The 4`h of July will be an evening event only. Park Maintenance will no longer support River Fest and New West Fest. Funding for Boys and Girls club will be cut to zero. Recreation Fees and Charge were distributed in the Board's packet. Some fees have gone up to elp offset the budget cuts. Dean says that in the end result there will be less usage and teams looking towards moving tournaments to Loveland or Windsor. The City will be losing revenues. Dean's opinion is that by raising the fees, it is not helping out the overall budget of the City. Marty said that the Recreation staff feels we are competitive, but he is happy to talk this over with Dean and the Sports staff. Jessica said the fee increases for ice skating patch and freestyle is a huge increase. Also she questions the private lessons of $66/hour. Marty said that the instructors set their rates. Jessica noticed that single admission keeps going up. She would like it to stabilize for $4 for 2005 and beyond. Marty said he cannot commit to capping the fee because we need to offset budget cuts if possible. Parks and Recreation Board Minutes August 27, 2003 Page 4 Paul said that none of the senior center rental rates have been raised. Are we competitive with the hotels? Marty said that the fees are based on the market and what Lincoln Center charges. We will be re-examining these fees in the near future. Lance asked about the difference between the Senior Center drop in fee and comparison to EPIC. Marty said that we are trying to provide a discount to encourage seniors to be active. Lance said that we should be targeting the 18-59 age group to be active. It isn't consistent throughout the recreation activities. EPIC Incident -- Coralee Senderaff Marty reported that the City Attorney and Risk Management representative are going through the normal process the City uses to manage these claims. Marty advised the Board to allow the City's process to take its normal course with this incident. Paragon Point Trail Paul Van Valkenburg reminded the Board on Tuesday, September 2, the Council will discuss this at a formal meeting. Our position is to reinforce our recommendation. Craig said that it will probably be discussed at approximately 10:00 p.m. Jessica, Lance, and Paul plan on attending. Note: Marty Heffernan left during the Paragon Point discussion as he has a conflict of interest. Board Member Comments Dean asked if the restrooms at Spring Park are open. Craig explained that there was a leak and it should be reopened in a few weeks. Adjournment: On a motion by Mary Carlson, the Board unanimously voted to adjourned at 7:45 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Jackie Rael Executive Administrative Assistant Meeting Attendance: Board Members: Mary Carlson, Lance Freeman, Dean Hoag, Jessica MacMillan, Greg Miller, Del Price, and Paul Van Valkenburg Staff: Craig Foreman, Marty Heffernan, Jackie Rael