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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNatural Resources Advisory Board - Minutes - 01/06/1993MINUTES CITY OF FORT COLLINS NATURAL RESOURCES ADVISORY BOARD REGULAR MEETING 281 N. COLLEGE AVE. - CONFERENCE ROOM JANUARY 6, 1993 For Reference: Will Smith, NRAB Chair - 221-0425 Chris Kneeland, Council liaison - 221-2950 Tom Shoemaker, Staff liaison - 221-6263 Board Members Present Will Smith, Hal Swope, Tim Johnson, Deni LaRue, Steve Erthal, Craig McGee, Terri Knudsen, Bill Miller, Phil Friedman Staff Present Tom Shoemaker, Julie Bothwell, Tom Gallier Guest Present John Bartholow, interested citizen Approval of Minutes It was moved, seconded, and unanimously approved that the Minutes of the December 2, 1992 NRAB meeting be accepted as written with the following changes: Page six, paragraph three should read as follows: "Swope stated that he was concerned because natural resources covers such a huge area and the Board already has so much on their agenda. He considered something like this as a traffic safety/transportation issue." New Business Reaional Water Treatment Plant - Proposed Public Access Plan Tom Gallier from the City of Fort Collins Water and Wastewater Utility was present to discuss the Proposed Public Access Plan for the Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant. Gallier stated that he was looking for input from the Board. Gallier said that a few years ago Council authorized the Wastewater Utility, as part of their Wastewater Treatment Masterplan, to purchase this site downstream between Fort Collins and Windsor for a future Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant. The site is east of the Ptarmigan Golf Course and is bisected by the Poudre River. Gallier stated that the City purchased the full 160 acres to give some buffer around the site. Gallier said there are four major zones on the site. Zone A is 47 acres of irrigated cropland and is the site for the treatment plant. Zone B contains approximately 34 acres and is a steeply sloped hillside. Zone C is 32 acres of cottonwood river bottom. Zone D is 47 acres of irrigated farm and pasture land east of the Poudre River. After identifying the zones, a staff team came up with a series of scenarios that would allow public access on the site while still allowing its primary function as a regional water treatment plant. The task group was composed of staff from Natural Resources, Water and Wastewater, Planning, Facilities,*nd Parks and Recreation. 40imer County Planning, Windsor, and Dr. Jeff Lakey from CSU were also involved. Gallier reviewed the alternatives identified by the team: Alternative One involves the Cottonwood lowland area. An area near the intersection of County Road 3 and 32E could be developed as a parking area. They could develop a small trail that would allow people to access this boundary along the Poudre River down to where it widens into a cottonwood dominated lowland area. There would be little construction involved: some fencing improvements, road base in the gravel for the parking area, some signage, and a little bit of trail development including a bridge across the Fossil Creek outlet ditch. Preliminary estimates are approximately $5,000 for all improvements. Some of the interesting points about this area in addition to the cottonwoods is that there is still a lot of bird life. Karen Manci, Natural Resources is trying to get a volunteer from CSU to survey the site. Gallier commented that the cottonwoods are not really in great shape. He stated that the primary use of the site would be open space, wildlife viewing and perhaps some fishing. Gallier said that there is the possibility of including hunting for waterfowl and/or upland game. There has been some interest from Council to allow controlled hunting. Gallier explained that the staff team did not feel hunting was appropriate because there would be greater risk of people getting hurt, and most visitors want to observe wildlife and the area in a natural, undisturbed state. Alternative Two involves developing a roadside rest area and limited river access on the east side of the river, adjacent to County Road 32E. Gallier stated that when the City bought the property there was a house with a little bit of a pasture. The house was removed because it was in poor condition. This area has the possibility of being developed into a roadside rest area or another river access point. It could be developed as an additional public access area, with an emphasis on picnicking along the river bank. Fencing improvements would be needed, and the access would have to be maintained for the farm leaseholder to get to and from the irrigated field. Gallier said that the cost would increase if picnic tables, water facilities, and electrical outlets were provided. Without these services they could develop this area for a small amount of money, if they are allowed to do this with existing budgets as time permits. Alternative Three addresses Zone B, the steep ridge at the western boundary of the site. This is a rugged area and seems to be an unusual environment. It has little benefit or value for public access or water treatment, except as buffer. If it is opened up for public access it may do more damage than good to the area. One potential use would be to develop a roadside turnout off of County Road 3, adjacent to the ridge area. It would be a desireable viewing area, with minimal impact on the ridge area and would also be an easy place for handicapped access. The adjacent area of Ptarmigan may be developed into home sites. If true, the City would want to work with Ptarmigan and the County and make sure that something like this would not become a nuisance. 2 Another issue with A alternative is the expenffiand effort involved in leveling the area to make the turnout. There is a lot of rock, so it is hard to know exactly what is involved until they actually start doing the work. Alternative Three would be a little more complicated than the other alternatives. Alternative Four is a future oriented item; the development of a regional bike and hiking trail between Fort Collins, Windsor, and Greeley. it was pointed out by Parks and Recreation that there is a desire to eventually have the trail. In looking at the site, everyone agreed that the east side of the river is the logical place for the trail if it is built in the future. Alternative Five concerns the irrigated corn field and a small pasture. Gallier said this area could possibly be developed into an upland habitat restoration area. When the wastewater facilities are built, this area will be taken out of production. There is not going to be much left and it may not be economical for continued farming. There is the potential to disk it up and plant a native seed mix to begin to recreate the original ecosystem. Gallier stated that they put this alternative in as a possibility and would like input and comments on it. They will present the comments to Council and if Council wants them to proceed, they can, but will need to identify a source of funding. Smith asked if there was going to be another access off of Highway 392. Gallier said no. They have not talked to the Highway Department, but he feels that would be a problem. It is close to the bridge and the Highway Department gets nervous as it is. In fact, they will have to block it off better than it is now because people will want to use it as an access point, but it is not safe. Gallier stated that the east side of the site is large enough to support an extensive regional park with athletic fields and support facilities. Smith asked about the probability of the gravel company on the north side of County Road 32E and the gravel company south of Highway 392 deeding their land over as a reclaimed natural area/reclaimed gravel pit. Gallier answered that it is possible. He has talked to a few of the land owners in that area, but has not received a response one way or the other. Johnson stated that it is good to have the future trail corridor identified and in place on the east side of the river so people know that it is there. Johnson suggested that an idea to pursue is riparian habitat restoration. People often talk about borders of 50-100 ft on either side of the river to to protect the riparian habitat. Since the crop line is coming down within a few feet, it might be something that can be improved on quite a lot in terms of use by wildlife and improving the water quality. Gallier said he can look into the possibilities. Shoemaker stated that even with the road there, rather than attempting a grassland restoration on the whole site, just a 100 ft corridor along the river with some shrub plantings would be good. He suggested to do what Johnson said by creating a wildlife forest and allow a little experience to test if the seed mixtures are appropriate for the site. 3 Johnson asked what wi* become of the wastewater & if they had any plans to return higher quality water to the river. Gallier answered that the standards are getting more strict all the time and the nutrient value of wastewater tends to go down as the standards go up. Certainly anything that is put in would meet the standard, whether or not it would exceed the standards would be a policy decision. Council has said in the past that they not only want to meet the standards, but exceed the standard to some reasonable undefined level. Gallier stated that if they really want to go significantly beyond the standard that could be another issue. The facility that has tentatively been identified is an Oxidation Facility. They are fairly simple to operate and fairly energy intensive, but do give a lot of flexibility in terms of advanced treatment vs regular treatment. Shoemaker asked Gallier to give an update on the study that they are initiating to look into using created wetlands for polishing the effluent. Gallier said that they have chosen RBD Engineers and CDM to perform a feasibility study. They will be looking at the Resource Recovery Farm site, the Wren Pit, all of the Western Mobile property, and the whole corridor up to Mulberry at Riverside to identify potential areas where it might work. They will go through the whole process in a "table top" exercise to reach a conclusion about technical feasibility and the cost and benefits. With the facilities that are under construction at WTP2, Gallier stated that he did not feel that they would need something like constructed wetlands to meet standards, but there are changes that are coming in the future. Gallier stated that the study should be completed by the end of the summer. If it does look feasible, Phase 2 is to construct a demonstration project. Smith suggested that Gallier give some dates for some of the activities that will be happening on the site. Gallier stated that there are no specific dates because the proposals could be done fairly inexpensively if they can be done with City staff and equipment as time permits. He stated that by fall most of Alternative One and Two could be completed. Gallier said that the other alternatives would occur in the future. these. Since the idea of opening up a corridor and widening the area was brought up at the meeting, he did not have an answer of a potential schedule, but agreed that it did make sense. Miller asked when the construction of the facility itself is scheduled. Gallier answered that predesign will begin in approximately 1998 and construction should start 2-3 years after that. His prediction though, is the year 2005. The Board went around the table with comments and suggestions: Smith said that what is interesting about the proposal is that it provides an example of how something that is considered a remote park can be developed at a minimum level for minimum access. Several parts of the proposals are good examples of a minimum impact approach to opening access to City property that is removed from the city. Smith said that the term "alternatives" is confusing because these are not actually alternatives, but ideas for different segments of the property. Gallier agreed. 4 Smith said that with Okard to Johnson's comments&out the wider corridor, now may be the time to start to create that wider corridor so that as things happen in the future it becomes a well established site for any animal life or animal movement. Friedman suggested that if Council is interested in pursuing hunting for waterfowl and/or upland game, they should lease to a private hunting club as opposed to opening it up publicly. This would provide more control over the potential conflict between hunters and nonhunters. Friedman stated he does not feel a recreational complex with athletic fields and support facilities would be plausible unless the urban areas of Windsor, Loveland, and Fort Collins start to get much larger. Miller stated that he agrees with Friedman regarding the recreational complex. He has mixed emotions on the parking lot issue. He feels that it may attract kids to have a party and leave their beer bottles behind, but he likes the idea of public access. Altogether he feels that it has neat potential. Knudsen said that she likes the undeveloped portion of the alternatives and not the regional proposal for the athletic fields. She does not like the idea of the turnout. Knudsen asked if the wetland that is going to be built was going to be in Zone C. Gallier answered that if they look at something like that, the most logical thing would be to come across and put an outlet in Zone C. Maybe the old channel could be used since it does feed back into the river. McGee stated that he liked the approach that was taken from a public access standpoint. He is concerned about doing too much development too fast, because there is so much that can happen. Erthal said he was impressed by the mixed use concept. His other comments were as follows: IA is an extremely prudent use of the land at very low cost and appears to be low impact; 1B - opposed because it is inconsistent with the low impact use; 2 would have too high of an impact since it would probably encourage heavier use than some of the other alternatives; eliminating the grazing with 3A is definitely positive environmental impact and it appears to be a low cost alternative; since the cost of 3B is uncertain, he is not positive the benefits from that would be comensurate with the potential cost, so at the present he does not favor it; 4 is a great plan; 5A is definitely a good restoration project; he is opposed to 5B and would hate to see a recreation facility so close to the river LaRue stated that she believes Zone D should be left open. She feels the trail system is a great idea and would hate to see it developed. Her biggest concern is the buffer zone on both sides and maybe using any development to move the trail a little bit to the east. She likes the wetland idea a lot. Johnson stated that he supports strongly what LaRue said. He thinks that the development of the irrigated field on the east side of the river into an upland restoration area should be looked at seriously and not viewed as too much wishful thinking. Go Colorado did pass and is a source of money for the project. He thinks the corridor should be left open and we should start looking for money to make it happen. 5 Shoemaker said that to Councils of Fort Collins,eveland, and Greeley met early in December and agreed to ask their staffs to begin to get conceptual ideas for trail connections together by March, in anticipation of being able to submit for various sources of funding. Swope recommended a field trip to the area so the Board can give more informed comments. He stated that it is easy to enhance the wetland area and would like to see it done. He recommended that Gallier emphasize work in Zone C. NRAB Annual Report A draft copy of the Board's 1992 Annual report was included in the mailout. It was reviewed at the meeting and the following changes and comments were made: Friedman suggested that the introductory paragraph include some bulleted items to highlight what the Board considers important. The Board thought that the Water Treatment Plant 1 process, the Natural Areas Policy Plan and the Environmental Framework were three of the major activities from 1992 that should be highlighted. LaRue would like to see noted that the Education Committee also worked on the WTP1. Smith suggested adding that Boardmembers did some public speaking on various subjects. Miller stated that the Board had a display at the Environmental Fair. Smith said that the Board changed the focus of the questionnaire for the recycling program review. LaRue said that the Education Committee spent a great deal of time on the Board's retreat. Smith stated that the Board had the single occupancy vehicle challenge with the Air Quality Task Force. Miller stated that the Board added worksessions once a month.. Erthal moved and Johnson seconded that the 1992 NRAB Annual Report be accepted with the amendments. It was unanimously passed. Old Business Water Treatment Plant Miller handed out a revised draft letter to Council and several attachments. He said that he went back and reviewed Knudsen's notes from the October worksession to try and figure out where the Board has been and where it is going in regard to the Water Treatment Plant 1. He drafted a letter covering the Board's activities. He asked for any comments or additions. LaRue commented that the list of people who attended the tours and the meeting that was included in the mailout was not complete. Bothwell will E check to see where thOsign-up sheets are. Smith stated that the letter was maybe a little too long and suggested combining the second, third, and fourth paragraph. He suggested starting the letter by saying, "The NRAB recommends the City of Fort Collins begin to take action to make WTP1 a public access park." and then follow with paragraph two, three, and four. Friedman said the information at the bottom of the first page regarding rafter input was confusing. Johnson suggested wording regarding site access, as follows: Now a better site access solution is seen which involves cutting into the rock on the south side of the road and estimated cost is...." Smith suggested that the last bullet be shortened to "To investigate how limited public access can expeditiously occur. The Board feels that early public use of the area is important to demonstrate commitment and to development further public knowledge and support of the project." Johnson suggested changing bullet five to read, "To recommend to Council a plan of action. The primary emphasis on maintaining and improving its unique attributes as a high quality natural area." LaRue suggested adding a bullet about Transfort and the use of a public transport system to provide access. Smith said they should keep this relatively simple and instead of putting in some of the specific proposals, say that the Board looks forward to working with whoever is going to coordinate the project to bring forward the ideas that have already been compiled. Erthal stated that he would like to see emphasis on low use and site restoration. Johnson suggested combining Erthal's statement with his. Knudsen suggested identifying a financial plan for management of the site. Staff agreed to make the changes and additions. The Board agreed to present the letter to the present Council and then again present it to the newly elected Council in April for their yearly budget process. It was also agreed to send it to interested participants that attended the tours and meeting. Implementation of Natural Areas Tax Shoemaker stated that he wanted to update the Board on what Staff is doing to move ahead to implement the tax that was approved for natural areas. He noted that Council and the Planning and Zoning Board adopted the Natural Areas Plan. He explained that the passage of the sales tax allows the City immediately implement the plan. Staff is doing some additional work to get all the administrative details in order in terms of who is doing what in respect to every piece of this. Shoemaker is putting together a report to present to Council and the City Manager to ask. "What is the policy basis for this, what does the ordinance say, how is staff going to approach making all of this happen now." He 7 said that the reason sTme of this is taking some 9me is because they decided that it would be prudent to go and visit with other cities that have had long standing natural area or open space programs. The report will be compiled by the end of January and presented to Council at their worksession on February 9. Shoemaker stated that he will review it with the Board at their February 3 meeting to receive their input. Johnson handed out copies of the Citizen Initiated Ordinance. Shoemaker handed out the Natural Areas Policy Plan that Council adopted. Johnson commented that section two of the Ordinance covered it. Shoemaker stated that Natural Resources Division has the lead on implementation of the NAPP. It is the Division's responsibility to develop any budget recommendations with respect to that. There will be things that will be moved forward that are strictly natural areas and don't have other department interaction, but staff is still trying to emphasize coordination among all the City departments to leverage all the funds to the maximum extent possible. Smith asked if the sales tax initiative will be focused on the acquisition of properties and then pursue the use of "Go Colorado" funds for maintenance, enhancement, and reclamation activities. Shoemaker answered that Go Colorado is unclear in terms of how the actual rules will workout. They are forming the Go Colorado commission which will have the job of putting together the specific criteria. Parts of what amendment 8 did will increase the amount of money that comes to the City through the normal lottery proceeds. They are not sure how much that will increase, but it could be as much as $200,000 a year which can be used for maintenance, parks, open space, trails, and for acquisition of open space. There is approximately $400,000 in the current budget that is coming from that source that is being used for part of the natural areas acquisition. There are other "pots of money" created by Go Colorado, some of which will be used at the State level by State Parks, and the Division of Wildlife, and some will be for projects of statewide concern. There are also some "pots" for local matching funds. The bulk of the money is going to be targeted at acquisition because that is the pressing need at the present. Shoemaker stated that they do intend to leverage the money as much as possible with Go Colorado. Miller asked if the Go Colorado lottery money is actually kicking in now or is there going to be a delay to see if there is any major increase because of the long term capital commitments that the State made. Shoemaker answered that they are not anticipating an increase this year. Swope asked if this money for natural areas is restricted within the City limits or is it the urban growth area. Shoemaker answered that it is not restricted. Unscheduled Business Chris Kneeland has now taken Councilmember Fromme's seat and Council will be reviewing liaison's assignments. She does not automatically receive the Boards and Commissions that Councilmember Fromme served on. 8 Announcements LI Swope put together a report on what was done at Fairway Estates with the mitigation funds. He distributed copies for people to review. Miller stated that Operation Osprey was also a recipient of mitigation funds and will be sending a letter to Shoemaker. They received the funds for the purpose of putting up raptor perchers for the osprey project. What was not foreseen was the fact that their previous benefactor, the Poudre Valley REA, came through with all the poles, so they have approximately $700.00 still available for use. They will be submitting a letter to Shoemaker for the potential use of the rest of the money to either build an observation blind at Riverbend Ponds or to put in some perch poles on some of the prairie dogs areas around the city, and to complete some tree plantings to eventually replace the artificial structures. Adiournment The meeting was adjourned at 9:20 p.m. L•]