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HomeMy WebLinkAboutParks And Recreation Board - Minutes - 02/23/2005PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD Minutes of Regular Meeting February 23, 2005 215 North Mason Community Room 5:30 li m. Council Liaison: Bill Bertschy Staff Liaison: Marty Heffernan, 224-6064 President: Jessica MacMille Phone: 495-1270 (work) 407-8896 (Home) Call Meeting to Order: Jessica MacMillan called the meeting to order at 5:43 p.m. Agenda Review: Marty made a request to add an item after Agenda Item #9 for Craig to update the Board on the Oak Creek Plaza design and the open house they held on February 22, 2005. Also, under Other Business Marty wanted to let the Board know they would be giving a presentation to City Council on Cultural Library and Recreational Services. Items of Note: None. Citizen Participation: None. Approval of Minutes: On a motion by Cathy Kipp, seconded by Dean Hoag, the Board voted unanimously to approve the minutes of the January 26, 2005 meeting. Overview of Design of Children's Garden Marty introduced Jim Clark, Manager of Horticultural Division for CLRS. Marty stated that Jim has been instrumental in the creation of the Gardens on Spring Creek, and is here to talk to the Board about a great project they are working on to develop a Children's Garden at the Gardens. Because there are two new members on the Board, Jim began by giving the Board an overview of the Gardens on Spring Creek. He explained that he will be speaking about the Children's Garden because it is their current big project. Jim also passed out handouts regarding the Garden as a whole and the Children's Garden. They feel the Children's Garden is an important project for the City, and for Parks and Recreation. Jim went on to explain that while he would be giving a general orientation of the Children's Garden, he felt it was important for the Board to know that besides the Gardens on Spring Creek project the Horticulture Department also maintain approximately 50 gardens around Fort Collins, primarily in the downtown area, but also the xeriscape demonstration garden in front of City Hall, and the Terrace Garden at the Lincoln Center. Jim said that there were a lot of people who made the Gardens at Spring Creek possible. Besides being City owned and operated he said they have a very active friends group, so they are also involved with membership development and fund raising. He said it was built with Building Community Choices funding (3 million) but in addition to that, through their friends group and Parks and Recreation Board Minutes February 23, 2005 Page 2 other efforts they have leveraged that original money with almost $500,000 dollars of additional funding. The grand opening was last May so they are still in the initial phases of getting their feet wet and getting educational programs started. He said a lot was happening with a relatively small staff; himself, a staff of four, and a few seasonals. Jim said that because the project was a more citizen driven vision, their mission is to include citizens in the Gardens, so they have their mission statement over the entry door; "Enrich the lives of people and foster environmental stewardship through horticulture." He feels the mission is simple but profound at the same time and thinks there are a lot of ways they can achieve their mission. As well as being a horticulture center, they will be developing gardener and non -gardener activities. With the first phase they built the center itself which houses several offices, a display area, a greenhouse and a classroom. The classroom is rented by Front Range Community College and several other gardening groups during the day, so they get a little bit of revenue from it. The classroom was built entirely with private money. $80,000 of the $500,000 raised privately went toward the classroom. The stained glass by the door was done by a local woman. The greenhouse, the other significant room of the building (30x50 ft), is small but can be used creatively. They trained 140 volunteers as of last week, so there is a lot of interest by people wanting to get involved in the program. Jim feels that this distinguishes the garden center from others because they see it as a community center that involves people in a very essential way. Last year they had 200 volunteer hours donated, which makes them feel the program is taking off. Jim then showed the Master Plan for the site and explained the details. He mentioned that they will eventually be restoring the Spring Creek corridor as a natural area with riparian plants. He noted that CSU's rope course borders the gardens to the north and that CSU moved 120 trees to the area from their Environmental Research Center. Jim feels the indirect partnership they have with CSU will benefit in many ways. The Children's Garden is %Z acre in size and it is located directly in front of the horticulture building itself. Historically, gardens have a more sedate observational feel, but they wanted a more interactive design so all ages can get involved. It will be a garden environment, but more than a garden you would normally make for adults; it will have a children's objective. He feels children have their unique needs, so while they designed the garden accordingly, adults will still enjoy it. Their objective is to reach the children with the same mission as their core mission. They want the children who visit the garden to derive pleasure from the garden, but also give them a sense of stewardship toward the earth. Sections within the Children's Garden are: the entry area, a multi- purpose area, a cultural area, and a natural area. He referred to the design of an oversize watering can (5 ft. tall) that will dispense water into various containers the children can access. Jessica asked if there would be any sculptures. Jim replied that Art in Public Places will be involved in the process, but he was not sure what their role would be yet. He added that he would also be interested in having Bill Sweats from the Sweatsville Zoo be involved because many of his sculptures are made from agricultural tools. He said there were lots of opportunities to add on to the garden as the budget permits. Parks and Recreation Board Minutes February 23, 2005 Page 3 Jim then showed a drawing of a second watering can, almost seven feet tall, that collects water off the roof, and flows into a water table that can be activated by children using a pump. The water is then recirculated into other containers and used for watering the plants. There will be small watering cans around the site for the children to fill up and water plants. Over watering was taken into consideration in plant choice. The intent is to make it fun and experiential. There will also be a multi -purpose area with a giant sundial, using the child as the structure that casts the shadow. It will be surrounded by a colored concrete walk way with a design of an annual calendar showing the summer solstice, the spring creek flood, etc. This will create a sense of place to tie into horticulture. There will also be buckets of chalk so they can write in their own dates, birthdays, etc. The next area Jim showed is a park shelter with a living green roof. It will be planted with sedum because it requires less water and can thrive on a thinner substrate. We are currently in the stage of figuring out some of the details. Water will be captured in a large rain barrel so the kids can open a spigot from that. In the same area will be the outdoor amphitheater for presentations. Jim stated that the big picture will be to provide areas where children can experience things they might be missing, such as, hideouts, tree houses, sampling fruits and vegetables from backyard gardens, etc. To give them an opportunity to step back from organized activities and computers. The concept is to plant, grow, sample, be surrounded by community, and create friendships. One of the past presidents of their Friends group has started a Grand Growing Club for grandparents. For $1,000 a member can arrange time for themselves and their grandchildren to have time together at the garden, and have a recognition plaque in a special area. Jim stated that the horticultural challenge is how to keep it from being destroyed while embracing the opportunities for children. He added that part of it will be letting the plants reach maturity before introducing it to children, there will be paths directing them into specific areas, there will be tough plants, some replanting, but primarily to focus on what the larger purpose is. The Garden will also have a movable maze made out of larger potted plants, a pond and a wetland area. This area will be designed so they can see a natural area and safely interact with the environment. It will have fish, crawdads, stepping stones, etc. The design firm they are using has a strong track record with children's garden and wetland plants so there is little risk of drowning. It will be shallow right near the walkway and deeper further back so the animals can have their needs met. Because of their objective of sustainability and creating a sense of place, they will also be including a grassland area. Not a grand reproduction because of the limited size, but will have representative plants, some elevation change, and some interpretation to communicate a sense of the area. Jim also mentioned the funding for the Garden. He said a garden like this is not inexpensive with irrigation and hard scape. It is normally about a million dollar an acre. They have '/2 acre so that is about $500,000, but they have a lot of interest on the part of volunteers, service clubs and others. They have already had commitments from Fort Collins Wholesale Nursery and some other nurseries to get plants on wholesale, so that drops it down to about $400,000. They have $100,000 from the four local rotary clubs. This project will be their signature project to commemorate their 100th anniversary for Rotary International. They also have a grant from Pat Stryker and Bohemian Foundation for $25,000. And they have the GOCO grant for $200,000. So with all of these they have close to $375,000. They are also doing some fundraising for the operation and maintenance. That cost will be approximately $10,000 a year. Because of the Parks and Recreation Board Minutes February 23, 2005 Page 4 current economic climate it will be tight. They are 75% done with the design. They hope to get it out to bid by May and get it started this summer. They will be doing the planting with staff and volunteers summer or early fall, so they are hoping a year from now, in the spring of 2006, they'll be ready for the youngsters to be unleashed. Cathy asked if they would have volunteers there on a fairly regular basis. Jim said they would, at least during the busy times of the growing season in order to help with the kids and answer questions. Tim Buchanan mentioned that Jim might talk about the fencing. Jim stated that because the Garden is close to the main structure and Center Avenue, they did succeed in getting a six foot fence to keep vandals out. They had to go to the Building and Zoning Board because of the regulations along Center Avenue. It is considered a non -climbable fence, it's very attractive with panels but those can be hidden somewhat with plants. It will be a secure site so they will eventually charge an admittance fee, and also keep out vandals, deer, and beaver. Jessica asked if the Board could see some of the design firms established gardens. Jim said they could have them do a presentation. Jessica also asked about the O&M costs. Jim said they are normally about $10,000 per year and then there would be programming costs as well, which takes more staff time. Jim added that they are watching that because you can't build a garden and then not be able to maintain it. They have a fixed budget, but they are fundraising to expand the capital. Cathy asked when admission would be charged. Jim said that once it can be justified by what they have to offer, so maybe a year from now. He added that it would be around $3.00 for adults, $1.00 for children, plus memberships at $35.00 per year. The membership would also provide a discount on classes. Jessica asked if fees would keep people away. Jim said that they would have to see; but that to a certain degree the cost increases the value. Marty stated that he felt fees needed to be imposed as soon as it opened so citizens would get used to it from opening day. Jessica agreed with the idea of fees to help replace trampled plants and other damage from hard use in order to keep it at a quality level that people would still want to come to. She added that if they charge $.50 for children and $1.50 for adults, the visitors would get 1 %: hours of fun that they couldn't get anywhere else for that price. Cathy added that it was important to get marketing out there so moms will know about it. Ann added that they could have a free day like at the zoo. Marty added that they could include a scholarship program like the Recreation Department. Jessica worried about having too many free days because you want them coming back several times each year, so they don't feel like they've seen everything in one visit. Cathy felt there would be repeat usage because there are a limited number of things to do with your children in town. No other discussion followed. Stewart Case Park Craig introduced Matt Day, a Landscape Architect with the Park Planning Department. Craig also displayed a map of the park referencing where it was located in the City, and gave a quick review of the park's history. He stated that they did not build the 15-acre park for three years after buying it, with the exception of the ball field. The ball field was a collaborative effort with Fort Collins High School. Because it wasn't built right away they were able to see the pattern of use before developing it. The first phase of development came in about 1989 and they are now beginning the third and final phase. Craig brought it to the Board at this time because they will begin the public process and he wanted the Board to be aware of it. Jessica referred to the Parks and Recreation Board Minutes February 23, 2005 Page 5 original input from the neighbors not wanting the path through the park. Craig said that Matt would be discussing that. Matt said he would be discussing where they are in the process of finishing the park, and the Master Plan update. The timeline they are looking at right now is to go through the public process in March and April of 2005, have the design done by the spring of 2005, and begin construction in the summer or fall of 2005. In the Master Plan, the design goals are to give a character and theme to the park, make sure they have appropriate features, and review parking options. They are interested in bringing a theme to the park because currently it is often mistaken for the back of the school because it is open with no distinguishable features. Matt then reviewed the current level of development in the park, showing photos of the drainage areas, the pond, the core area and the sports fields. He also noted that Red Mountain Drive is a current parking issue. In the original Master Plan, there was a planned pathway from the core area to Red Mountain Drive. Neighbors were opposed to the path because of privacy issues, and it interfered with the sports fields. They pulled the path out of the design at the time in order to watch where informal trails developed. They are not seeing any pathways at this time, so they will not be inserting a main pathway in the current design. Matt reviewed staff's ideas for the current Master Plan. Their objective is to create a unique space with plant material. They are looking at shade trees along the drainage area, some informal seating areas, some enhancement to the playground, maybe a multi -use court, and some sculptures with the assistance of Art in Public Places. They are also discussing parking options; whether there will be a parking lot, or slanted street parking. Dean confirmed that the parking at the park is a nightmare, especially on Red Mountain Drive. Matt said they will visit with the public and see what they think. Cathy asked if they could use the high school parking lot. Craig said it is not a viable option because it is too far away. Marty asked if they could resolve the parking issue if they created diagonal parking, instead of building a parking lot. Craig said they would be able to get more cars in with diagonal parking than street parking, but that still might not fix the problem. He felt it will be a hot issue at the neighborhood meetings and that they would have a better direction after that. Greg said that he lives in the area and is a frequent user of the park. He feels they should leave the park as it is and not put in a parking lot because people have been parking along the streets for years and it always works out. He doesn't think that putting in 30 parking spaces is going to solve the overall problem of the whole park. Craig said they would visit with the school and discuss the issue as well. Mark asked if they could move the ball field diamond and put a parking lot in that space since there was so much open land. Craig said that was an interesting idea and that they could take a look at it. Cathy felt they also needed to separate the soccer field from the ball field because of safety issues. Mark asked if they were considering putting in a water feature where the drainage area is. Craig said they could look at it. Mark also inquired if they could make the park interactive to the kids by offering several different things to do such as rocks to climb on, interesting playground structures, etc. Craig said that the area definitely has a lot of potential. Jessica inquired as to Parks and Recreation Board Minutes February 23, 2005 Page 6 whether there were any trees now. Matt confirmed there were not because that also had become an issue when they were building the park. Neighbors did not want their view of the mountains obstructed. Craig added that they had originally planned to put in trees, but they also thought they had quite a bit of time before the neighborhood would be built up. He said the surrounding neighborhood went up within the first few years. Marty said that the problem was that it was a large park, 15 acres, and we just didn't have the money to develop it at the time, but wanted to get started on it. Jessica asked how they were going to get people to travel from one area of the park to the other without putting in a path. Matt said that they will have a path to take people from the core area to the other areas of the park, just not through the main open areas. Jessica asked if they wouldn't need a path from the core area to Red Mountain drive. Matt said there is already a path there. He added that there are no fences separating the neighbor's yards and the park, and the neighbors had some privacy concerns having people walking along the path right behind their yards. Craig is hoping that creating some land contours will enable them to put in some lower trees and some paths. Greg said that he liked all of their ideas and he thought the multi- use pads would go over well. He also liked the idea of not putting in a trail through the park. There was additional discussion regarding the multi -use pads, as well as areas that could have interesting paths, and additional concern over trees blocking the view of the mountains. Greg added that the park has evolved into an organized sports complex, so he would be concerned if they were to completely take away the flat area in the park. Matt agreed. Matt asked if they built a 30-40 car parking lot on Red Mountain if Greg thought it would be full all the time. Greg said he thought people would use the lot if it was there. Jessica asked if there were any further questions; there were none. Project Updates Provincetown — Provincetown is a new neighborhood park that will be brought on-line in 2007. It is 5.4 acres and located southwest of Lemay and Trilby in the Eagle Tree development. The City has had the land for quite a few years but has not developed it because there has been very slow development going south. Now that there are homes coming in, the park has been put back in the schedule. It has a good view across Benton Reservoir. Spring Canyon Park — Craig said they have had their first good look at the buildings. They are being built out of wood and rock. They are also focusing on adding a variety of things along Spring Creek when it is restored; putting carvings in the rocks and the logs along the creek. They are working on creating an experience for people to see things, and touch things as they walk along the creek. He added that they are almost done with the architectural pieces. In April they will submit the development review process. Marty asked about the playground. Craig said they sent the playground design back to the design specialist and that we should be seeing another design soon. He added that the group sponsoring the playground, All Children Together, is going back for GOCO money and that there is a good chance we could get it this time as we were only one short of getting it the first time. Jessica asked if he had heard anything from the neighbors recently. He said he received a very nice letter from a neighbor who really liked the design. Craig added that the project is moving along and that it has finally developed a nice flow to it. Jessica asked about the projected opening date. Craig said it would be fall of 2007 as they would still be building through 2006 and most of 2007. Parks and Recreation Board Minutes February 23, 2005 Page 7 Marty mentioned that Council continues to be concerned about finding general fund money to maintain any park that is being built. This is the first park being built with impact fees. Neighborhood parks have always been built with impact fees, but this is the first community park built with those fees. Community parks are normally built with Capital Campaigns like Building Community Choices. But since this was built with impact fees, we'll continue to have those impact fees to build out the rest of the park system as the city grows. He said that we will have the capital dollars coming our way over the next 15-20 years. Marty added that the difficulty is that we have 14 neighborhood parks comprising of 95 acres, and community parks comprising of over 300 acres, coming our way over the next 20 years. Council has had difficulty with the expense of maintaining Fossil Creek Community Park, so Marty has been working with the City Manager, Craig, and the financial staff to come up with ways to show Council that it is not as big of a problem as they think. Based on their estimates, as well as concepts they have been working on to build parks in a more durable way, designing them with fewer expensive ways to maintain them, Marty thinks they are looking at about $100,000 a year additional from the general fund as the system build out. Marty stated that they would be working with Council on this issue, and wanted to make the Board aware that there is a heightened and legitimate concern right now from Council because they are struggling with funding expired roads and such, but at the same time having a system in place for a wonderful park system, yet questions on how to maintain it. Building Community Choices — Craig reminded the Board that he came to them previously on Community Park improvements to get approval for using the BBC money on the sidewalks in the community parks, and ball field lights at Rolland Moore Park and Edora Park's west field. He wanted to let them know that it went to City Council last Tuesday and they approved it unanimously. He stated that they now have the money to do those things and that he would be coming back to the Board mid -summer with the design of the sidewalks and see what they think. Oak Street Plaza — Craig said that they had a meeting last night regarding Oak Street Plaza at the Museum of Contemporary Art. At the meeting they reviewed the original design maps for the plaza. They liked the idea of continuing the design to the west down Oak Street, the blue ribbon concrete, the green in the park, the stage, the jumping water, the plaza area, the overhead festival lighting, and the planters along the bank on the north side. Craig specified the plans for creating a handicapped ramp along the outside of the museum and creating a staging area for the museum to show their art outside. Greg asked how many people attended the event. Craig said there were about 20. He added that they did not care for the whimsical design, but were interested in something more classy and artistic. They also wanted to save as many of the trees as possible. Marty added that some of the comments were to create a sense of community and a sense of place that people would want to be in. They wanted to sit, have water, grass, and a place to watch people. Walt asked if they would be moving away from the whimsical design aspect. Marty said they were and referred everyone's attention to the new design boards Craig brought. He added that they were moving away from the crookedness and cartoonish and moving toward something more artistic, unique, and interesting. Jessica asked what the cost would be. Craig said the budget is not done yet, but that we have close to $300,000 if we are lucky. He added that the DDA will put some money in to it, and that the bank is still putting in money for the fountain. Parks and Recreation Board Minutes February 23, 2005 Page 8 Jessica asked if some of the other financial institutions in the area would donate money. Craig said they will be talking to them. Grocery Tax Repeal Marty gave the Board a copy of the memo they prepared for Council discussing the Board's support for the Council's unanimous opposition to the repeal of the grocery tax. It will be sent to Council tomorrow. He also did more research on what exactly the Board can do if they are interested. He stated that as a Board member they were limited to this memo and other communication in their normal course of business. The Board could vote to take a formal position in opposition to the repeal if that is what they would want to do. That position could be communicated back to Council and can be part of the City's record. It can't be sent to the media. Individual Board members can take a position on their own, as a Board member, as long as they make it clear that they are not speaking for the Board, but as a Board member. So if they wanted to write a letter to the editor, they can as long as they specify that it is how they feel about it themselves, but not as a representative of the Board. Walt asked if there was any information on how the community was feeling about the repeal. Marty said there was a NO on 1 action committee. They have raised enough money for a community survey. The survey indicated more people were inclined to vote for the repeal until they learned about possible cuts in City services. After learning about possible cuts the majority indicated they would vote against the repeal. Jessica asked how much tax money an average family pays each year. Marty stated that it was approximately $18.00 per person per year. For a lower income family it is somewhere around $25.00 a year. Greg said he would like to make a motion that the Board takes a formal position of opposing the grocery tax repeal. Walt seconded the motion. All in favor, none opposed. Election of Officers The only nomination received was for Jessica to continue as Chairperson and Greg to continue as Vice Chair. Marty asked if anyone would want to nominate themselves or anyone else. No one had any nominations. Jessica and Greg stated that they were willing to accept the nominations. Marty took a vote. All were in favor; none were opposed. Other Business Marty told the Board about an upcoming presentation they were giving to Council. The City Manager asked all of the Service Area Directors to go to a City Council study session to educate the Council on the different things each area is involved in, and give Council an opportunity to ask questions. CLRS will be going on March 8`h. Marty asked each of the managers to do their own presentations. Those will include Cultural Services, Library Services, Recreation, Park Maintenance, Park Planning, Golf, Forestry and Horticulture. It is televised and will start at 6:00. Walt asked if Marty was asking the Board to be there. Marty said no, that he was just telling them so they could tune in if they wanted to. Dean asked if this wasn't an odd time to present to Council when they would be changing soon. ]Marty said it an opportunity to let the community know what they were doing. Cathy had a few questions that she had received from citizens: 1. Are there minutes from the Parks and Recreation Natural Areas discussions? Marty stated that they only have the Trail Subcommittee and that subcommittee does not take Parks and Recreation Board Minutes February 23, 2005 Page 9 minutes. They report back to this Board and those reports would be reflected in these minutes. 2. Do the new Recreation Centers we are planning have gymnasiums or pools? Marty stated that the Northside Center does not have the budget for a pool but it will have a three court gymnasium. The ones down south will have indoor/outdoor pools, as of this time. Dean interjected to ask when they would be done hauling the dirt from the Northside site. Marty stated they should be completed mid to late April, maybe sooner. They have to be out before the river rises. Dean asked if Marty knew they were planning on closing College Avenue for a short period of time. They had called Dean's business to see what dates would be more convenient. Marty said he had not heard that. Craig will check with Engineering to see if that is correct. 3. Cathy mentioned that there was a sewer pipe at Golden Meadows Park with no bars on it and was concerned that kids could crawl back into it. Craig will check with Rodney Albers on it. 4. Cathy also asked if we would eventually be getting a basketball program for younger children. Windsor has one and some parents from Fort Collins were staying with the Windsor program even after their children get older because they felt the referees were better. Marty felt this was good feedback. Jessica asked how the water situation was this year. Craig said it was looking pretty good in the basin, but that he would get the information and get back to them. Marty mentioned that Bill Whirty with Parks Maintenance normally meets with the ditch riders and the water groups, so he would check with Bill and report back to the Board. Jessica asked about area off of Lincoln by Odell's Brewery. They were going to be putting up a damn. She asked if that would be happening now. Craig explained that it is a levy with a trail and the asphalt trail would sit for about a year while it settles 4-8 inches and then the trail will go on top of that. That is what you are seeing there now. He said they would do the levy in April or May whether permitting. Jessica suggested doing an outside tour sometime this summer to take a tour of some of the projects being worked on. Marty said we usually shoot for July and then have dinner and have the normal meeting at that time. Board Member and Staff Comments None Correspondence None Adjournment: The Board unanimously agreed to adjourn at 8:02 p.m. Respectfully submitted, �lv[� 1�4 Parks and Recreation Board Minutes February 23, 2005 Page 10 Kelly Moore Administrative Support Supervisor Board Attendance Board Members: Dean Hoag, Ann Hunt, Cathy Kipp, Mark Lueker, Jessica MacMillan, Gregg Miller, Walt Peeples Staff: Tim Buchanan, Jim Clark, Matt Day, Craig Foreman, Marty Heffernan, Kelly Moore Guests: None