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HomeMy WebLinkAboutParks And Recreation Board - Minutes - 09/30/1998Call Meeting to Order: Meeting was called to order at 6:35 p.m. by President Marilyn Barnes. Agenda Review: Staff added Ridgeview Neighborhood Park after Case Neighborhood Park on the agenda. Items of Note: Board Member Diane Thies called to say she would not be able to attend tonight's meeting. Citizen Participation: None Approval of the Minutes: On a motion by Dean Hoag, seconded by Rebecca Chavez, the minutes of the August 26, 1998 meeting were unanimously approved (7-0 ). Case Neighborhood Park Wally Piccone Park Planning Manager, attended tonight's meeting to present the final park design for Case Neighborhood Park. Staff would like to proceed with the development process and construction of the second phase of the park in the spring of 1999. He explained that the park is located north of Fort Collins High School adjacent to Pinecone Circle and Red Mountain Drive. It will serve Dakota Ridge, Stone Ridge, and Pinecone neighborhoods. There is a large undeveloped area north of the park that is currently owned by CSU and it is know as Ridgen Farms. This area may be developed in the next five ears. At that time, additional fees to develop the third and final stage of the park would occur. Wally explained that staff held two neighborhood open houses and a special meeting with residents on San Luis Street to develop the park design. Three design alternatives were presented and comments from the neighborhood were incorporated in the final design. In 1994, the first phase of this park completed was an irrigation pond, turf, and a baseball field, in conjunction with the construction of the new high school. The second phase of the park will r----- 1� - _ Parks and Recreation Minutes September 30, 1998 Page 2 and playground. The third and final stage which is planned for completion in five years will be parking areas, multi -purpose court and some landscaping and a path through the park separating the passive and programmed areas. Lance Freeman said that this is the design we discussed at last month's meeting. Wally stated that is correct, however, we have moved the path closer to the ballfield (farther away from the homes on San Luis). The sidewalk changed and the playground moved closer to the shelter and restroom. Dean Hoag asked where the parking is located? Wally responded that it is in the high school parking lot. This is a neighborhood park, Marilyn Barnes added, and therefore should be accessible by walking or bike riding. Citizen Kim Schwinn asked if we have a plan that the students at Fort Collins High won't drive through the mud. Construction will begin in the spring. She suggested removing the dirt from the street. Mary Ness suggested concrete barriers like they have at Rocky Mountain High. Kim further stated that the way Red Mountain Drive is designed is not safe for the kids. Wally noted this to meet with the Streets Department and Police Services. Citizen Sara Lamia commented that parents drive kids to events and they drive through the barricades. She has talked to Police and they will not do anything about it. Poudre R-1 School buses have been parked in the No Parking Area. Wally said he will work on parking issue on Red Mountain and Pinecone Circle. Mary Ness asked if this neighborhood has asked a neighborhood officer about this? He said that if this neighborhood group calls the Police Department and asks who the officers are for their neighborhood and discusses this matter with them, they will take action. Citizen Janelle Rohrbaugh, who is a resident of San Louis Street, has a concern about Pinecone and Vermont, and feels that the pedestrian activity will be dangerous. She said cars are parking diagonally. She thinks this should be used as entrance to the park and move the parking lot closer to Vermont Street, and don't focus pedestrian traffic at that corner. Wally said there will be curbs all along this area. Jessica suggested painting the curbs so that no one parks there. Sara Lamia (San Luis Street) asked if the entire area will be graded, seeded, and irrigated? Will it be mowed on a regular basis? Wally replied that it will be mowed on a regular basis and the weeds will be sprayed. Citizen Doug Wisley (San Luis Street) distributed a petition. He said 13/14 residents oppose the trail that will go through the park. He opposes it because it cuts close to their houses and the security is an issue. The neighbors feel it is not necessary. They also feel the balls from the softball games will endanger pedestrians on the trail and have concerns about the balls hitting their houses. Lance Freeman said that if we don't build a designated path then there will be several paths. Dean Hoag asked what the distance from the home plate to his house? Wally said it is over 330 feet. Dean said those balls will not go into their yards from the ballfield. Rebecca Chavez said the path is to separate the active and the passive area and to allow direction to the playground from the other neighborhoods. Parks and Recreation Minutes • September 30, 1998 Page 3 John Rohrbaugh (San Luis) shared some pictures that he took. He pointed out cars parking on both sides of Red Mountain Drive. An existing crosswalk to access the path will be dangerous. He presented the list of 13 families who don't want the trail. He pointed out that green area behind the houses on San Luis. The path will deter from the green passive area. There isn't enough green area if the path is constructed. Marilyn Barnes asked if it meets the guidelines for handicapped accessibility? John said there will be risks with the path. From his house, there is only 100 feet to the path. Del Price asked if the only reason he didn't want the trail was because of the proximity to his house? Marilyn reminded him that the park will serve all the people in a one square mile. Is he concerned that vagrants will be in his back yard? Dean asked if he doesn't think that path would service the neighborhood. Marilyn said that it separates the passive and active use in the park. Jessica suggested that the trail not be constructed at this time. Wally said this is planned in Phase III, and that will be constructed in three to five years. Jessica said wait and see where the natural paths follow and she thinks it makes more sense to move it along the lot lines. Suggestion was that we bring this back to the Board in the next phase. Sandy Godbey (San Luis Street) said she was told in 1996 that as soon as Dakota Ridge and Sun Stone were constructed that our neighborhood park would be completed. Marilyn responded that the concept of the neighborhood is one square mile. Had there been more dense building in this area, we could have built the park at one time. We have only collected fees from the areas that have been built. Marilyn further explained that we are running short of funding with all the amenities we need to build in these neighborhood parks. Citizen commented that the Board should adopt a policy to better communication between the neighborhood and the staff. Mary said if you drive around the city and see what we have in park construction and realize that we have four staff members in Park Planning, you'd realize what a good job they are performing. Mike Powers said he would never build a neighborhood park in phases again. The square mile in Ridgeview has homes in the county and they have not paid neighborhood parkland fees. The neighborhood came to us and said we want a park and we will help the City build in phases. We gave something on both of these parks. We don't know when these neighborhoods will build out. When a citizen calls and asks us to estimate when a park will be built, we are truly estimating these dates. We are giving more in these two neighborhoods (Case Park and Ridgeview Park) sooner than we should. John Rohrbaugh said if we are debating the necessity of the trail, we need to remove it from the plan. Paul Van Valkenburg said we need some form of delineation to determine passive and active use. Marilyn Barnes, in closing, said she would be concerned about the traffic and the neighbors should contact the police. Jerry questions the design of the parking lot and wants to eliminate the path on the side of the park where the parking lot is. He said kids will be racing their bikes through the park to the Country Store. Marilyn said that parents will have to educate their kids on where to ride their bikes. Jerry asked about the flat swale through there and how much water Parks and Recreation Minutes September 30, 1998 Page 4 will be in there and how many mosquitoes will be collected in there. What about drainage? Matt responded that the lots drain towards the parks. Jamie Gulden who lives on San Luis said that he is the only one who didn't vote to not have the trail. He asked if it would be possible to have volleyball on the grass area? He would like to comment that if we could put a flat volleyball area in this park, he would appreciate it. Sara Lamia asked if this is a neighborhood park, then why is the majority of the usage not in our neighborhood? Let's be real with the use. The reality is that it will be used for active park use and organized sports. Wally said that is why we keep the 60/40 split use (60% active and 40% passive). Jessica addressed this by saying we are short of fields in the city. Sara said in addition to the playground, the adults and older children want a basketball court. It will be used by many ages. Wally will look at the budget and try to fit it in. Several Board members agreed that there should be a basketball court in the park. Lance Freeman made a motion to approve Phase II and table Phase III and reopen the discussion with the neighborhood regarding the trail; include in phase II the opportunity to build a basketball court if budget allows according to specs. The motion was seconded by Del Price, and passed unanimously (8-0). Ridgeview Park Wally Piccone gave a background on Ridgeview Neighborhood Park (Hinsdale Drive and south of Harmony Road. The 10.3 acre park site was purchased in 1991, along with the Poudre School District when they constructed McGraw Elementary School. Phase I was the construction of an irrigation system and the soccer fields east of the school. Phase II was the construction of the ballfield, and Phase III is under construction at this time. This final phase will be the construction of four acres of undeveloped parkland north of the school. This site is intended largely for passive uses. This plan includes a junior soccer field, restroom facility, picnic shelter, a playground, and a passive open area. Citizen Russ McCann said that all the outside activities the school conducted was in this open area. The original concept was schools and parks together. Carl Cicero, President of the Homeowners Association, has been the identified spokesperson for the neighborhood. He has been working with staff for over 7 years. They were disappointed that this construction started the day before school started. There was a t-ball area there that was tom up and we met with Wally and the soccer coach and tried to get this resolved. We understand the 60/40 concept. We would like to have this berm along Hinsdale moved back. If we could pull this berm back we could have more active area for the kids in the neighborhood. Marilyn asked if there is a reason that the 40 percent be made flat grass. Wally said we like to have it add to the character of the park and it addresses the 40 percent passive. Paul asked if the school has its own playground? We are looking at the esthetics and the character of the park. If it is in the flat area is it the right way to do it? Will there be a balance in the park? • Parks and Recreation Minutes September 30, 1998 Page 5 Ll Wally said there is one soccer field in each neighborhood park. Russ McCann said he doesn't have a clear vision of what has occurred. One soccer field had been designed behind the school. He said the plan went forth without any communication between the School District and the City. Marilyn said that the School District sold us the ground and used it until we were ready to construct the park. Rebecca Chavez said for the past year we've asked the Poudre School District to have a representative at our Board meetings and they don't. Lance asked how much more space are they (the neighborhood) asking for? Raymond Geis said we are asking that the berm be shaved down and have it more pleasing to the eye on Hinsdale Drive. Wally said that changing the design of the park takes away from the perspectives of the park. Mike Powers said that what we are hearing from are the parents of young kids in the neighborhood. We are also hearing from all these people about excessive parking. If there is potential for four soccer fields, there will be more traffic in your neighborhood. In the future we will have a sports complex at this park and we won't have the money to retro-fit the park for the older neighbors. Russ said that during recess there's no place for the kids to play. Raymond said that the gym had a grass area out the door by the gymnasium and now it doesn't. As a neighborhood we would be happy to use it as passive space. Half the teams who used this area for soccer, can't use it now. Carl Cicero said that if we push that berm back too far, we will have a large soccer field and it will be programmed. Del Price said that our contractor is out there constructing now, why are we discussing this now? Jessica said the neighbors have an issue and that is why they are here tonight. Russ McCann asked why they took away the grassed area and didn't notify the school. When we planned Ridgeview Park, there were several public meetings according to Mr. Cicero. Jessica asked if esthetically would the berm look alright if it was moved back. Mike suggested that Carl and Wally work together to create a little more space. Raymond said that there are 50 to 100 soccer parents who would have shown up tonight to voice their opinion on the soccer fields. If the berm is taken out it will solve the problem. Wally said then we will have created a soccer complex and not a neighborhood park. Janet Lettang, parent representative who is on the site improvement team for McGraw School said her committee has a concern about parking. Last spring Hinsdale Drive was made no parking. We cannot allow park parking in the school parking lot during school hours. There's 83 spaces; there's a path and no parking. Her proposal is to allow parking on the east side of Hinsdale Drive. Is there going to be a parking area or a bike lane/path? Wally said we have received calls from other neighbors. Matt said it is a safety issue of parents dropping off their kids. After 3:45 they could park in the school parking lot. Carl said he is concerned about kids walking between the parked cars. Matt said when parking is designed, there are spaces between the areas. Del said the whole concept of a neighborhood park is that people use alternate means of transportation to the park. Parks and Recreation Minutes September 30, 1998 Page 6 Mike Powers said there are three decision points. 1. Mike, Board, and Council. The most Mike is willing to bend is to move the berm back, but wouldn't recommend that we create enough room for another programmed area. If the concerned neighbors would like to go further, your next step is to contact Chris Kneeland who is your City Council representative. Mike is not recommending moving the berm totally out of the park. Russ McCann said that it is for the children in the area. Mr. Cicero said he as a representative of Clarendon Hills neighborhood and he will work with Wally and Mike. Marilyn Barnes, speaking on behalf of the Board, feels that Carl Cicero should work with Matt Day, Wally Piccone, and Mike Powers. The First and Third Tuesday of the month Council meets. She suggested that neighbors call Chris Kneeland. Raymond Geis said that this was a miscommunication with the neighbors and there is a very serious lack of communication. Mr. Cicero said that he brought this up at several homeowners association meetings. Civic Center Park Wally gave the Board an informational overview of the conceptual drawing of Civic Center Park at the new Civic Center. He explained that the City will maintain the park. It will have a theatre type feel to it with sidewalks surrounding the park, and a water feature. The maintenance agreement will be half fees from Latimer County for the City to maintain. As plans progress, he will continue to keep the Board informed. Horticulture Center Update Jim Clark distributed a cost comparison sheet for the Board. The Horticulture subcommittee has been meeting every week. Del Price and Lance Freeman are Board representatives. There are two sites available at this time. One is a CSU site and the other is Lee Martinez. Land in CSURF is very expensive. The intent of this cost comparison is what will be left for the landscape and gardens. For Lee Martinez Park there would be $879,404 remaining for landscape and gardens. With the CSURF property there would be $302,155 remaining for landscape and gardens. The CSURF costs assume 10 acres of land. Jim gave the Board the following dates to note: • October 15 open house for the horticulture center supporters. • October 22, 4:30 to 6:30 at Lincoln Center Columbine Room open house. The purpose will be for the public to view the graphics and for staff to try to get a sense of where people are on the two sites. • November 18 Parks and Recreation Board special meeting. • December 8 City Council meeting. Parks and Recreation Minute• • September 30, 1998 Page 7 Outdoor Sports Facilities Guidelines Jean Helburg and Marty Heffernan spoke on this item. Marty explained that the Parks and Recreation Lead Team (PRLT) has been working several months to develop guidelines to better manage the use of our outdoor sports facilities. Their discussion has been on the scheduling of our parks to accommodate all the users. It becomes difficult for the recreation staff to program. It is an ongoing problem and with the School District's fencing of their sports areas. These guidelines state Parks are #1 for recreational use before competitive use. The fundamental principle is to support all users. In developing these guidelines we tried to get a sense of what capacity is for each park. When we schedule, we don't want to over use the parks. Jean said that we struggled with what to do with adult versus youth activities. When the School District developed their priority list, they put adult programs at the low end of the priority list. In developing our guidelines, we felt City programs should have first priority; Youth second, Adults third priority, then Competitive Youth, followed by Competitive Adults. Marilyn asked what are we going to do with the schools fencing the fields? Marty said that school teams want to use our facilities first as they are groomed and we are working on the fencing. Rebecca questioned if we have written agreements? Jean said that we have intergovernmental agreements. Jean further explained the traditional sports seasons. The college has seasons that are different from the summer sports season. There are some sports that are expanded to the point of overflowing into other non-traditional seasons. Soccer has both spring and fall seasons. Tonight's discussion is informational for the Board and when we get to the implementation stage, you might hear from some user groups. Dean asked how we categorized the youth baseball. Jean said non-commercial competitive group when they begin to cut is when they are classified as competitive. He asked how Buckaroos competitive softball weekend tournament in the summer will be scheduled. Jean said this would only be a problem if we couldn't schedule. The Board agreed that this was clear and concise and well written. Marilyn added that none of the private schools have recreational facilities. Lance added that the City needs to maintain the ability to close facilities for maintenance when needed. Del asked at what point do you say we are closing this field? We need to spell this out in the plan. Marty said there is some of that in this guideline. Paul said that if some parks are designed for adult use then use them and leave the others to the kids. Paul asked if certain group always had a specific weekend, and those tournaments are traditional, would they be bumped? Jean said in some cases they would. However, there will be good dialogue and staff would work with the group and negotiate and accommodate those uses. Parks and Recreation Minutes September 30, 1998 Page 8 Election of Officers On a motion by Rebecca Chavez, seconded by Dean Hoag, the Board unanimously elected Lance Freeman President Jessica MacMillan, Vice President Paul Van Valkenburg, Board Secretary. Lance suggested that Board members get more involved in the subcommittees as he feels it has broadened his horizons by being involved in the Horticulture Subcommittee. Other Business Question was asked about the section of trail east of Welch Street and South Lemay? Mike Powers responded that Stormwater is in the process of completing their improvements and then we will be able to complete the trail work. • Lance said he was at Lee Martinez Park and noticed a new culvert that is dumping water on the east side of the woodland slough. Staff will check on this. Mike Powers said that Marilyn Barnes, Del Price, and Mike had a meeting with the Natural Resources staff and Board President. It was determined that when we foresee an issue or possible conflict, we will form a subcommittee of the two Boards. The Natural Areas plan is being reviewed and Del Price will be the member from our Board to review the plan, along with Marilyn Barnes. Lance Freeman volunteered to help on that subcommittee also. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 10:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, J ie Rael xecutive Administrative Assistant Parks and Recreation Minutes • September 30, 1998 Page 9 Meeting Attendance Board Members Staff Guests Marilyn Barnes Rebecca Chavez Lance Freeman Dean Hoag Jessica MacMillan Mary Ness Paul VanValkenburg Matt Day Marty Heffernan Jean Helburg Wally Piccone Mike Powers Jackie Rael Jeff Walker Jim Webster Doug Wisely Marianne Wisely Paula Hadley Sandi Godbey Jerry Godbey Randy Schwindt Kim Schwindt John Rohrbaugh Janelle Rohrbaugh Jamie Gulden Carl Cicero Janet Lettang Raymond Geis Sara Lamia Ann Stevenson Russ McCann