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HomeMy WebLinkAboutParks And Recreation Board - Minutes - 06/23/2010Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – June 23, 2010 Page 1 of 16 BE A GOOD STEWARD: Protect & Respect your Parks, Trails & Recreation Facilities Call Meeting to Order: Danna Ortiz called the meeting to order 5:33pm. Agenda Review & Items of Note: Agenda Review: Discussion – Danna asked to add Marty Heffernan to the agenda. Marty Heffernan attended the Parks & Recreation Board Meeting to update the Board on the status of Waters Way Park and Registry Ridge Park. – Michael Chalona asked to be added to the agenda to speak about the letter presented at the June 15 City Council Meeting. Items of Note: Discussion - None Approval of Minutes: Motion to approve the Parks & Recreation Board minutes of May 26, 2010, by Shirley Christian, 2nd by Rob Cagen – Minutes approved 9:0 Citizen Participation None AGENDA ITEMS: Update on Waters Way & Registry Ridge Parks – Marty Heffernan Darin Atteberry would like the Parks & Recreation Board’s opinion on moving forward with the construction phase of Waters Way and Registry Ridge Parks. Darin is reluctant to move forward with the construction of the parks because there is a concern about building new parks when we don’t have the budget available to maintain the current parks. It will take approximately $65,000, to maintain both parks. Discussion: Board – How long has the Waters Way neighborhood been waiting for a park? Staff – Not quite 10 years. The code states that the City needs to deliver or be working on a Park within a reasonable time after collecting the fee; and 10 years is a reasonable time. We have been working on the design of Waters Way and the 10 years mark hasn’t been met at this time. However, people do have a right to ask for their fee back if the City has not provided a park within a reasonable timeframe. PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD Minutes of Regular Meeting Wednesday, June 23, 2010 Northside Aztlan Community Center 5:30 p.m. Council Liaison: Kelly Ohlson Staff Liaison: J.R. Schnelzer, 221-6301 Craig Foreman, 221-6618 President: Jessica MacMillan & Phone: 407-8896 (home) 660-9023 (work) Danna Ortiz 303-884-4850 (home) 407-8794 (work) Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – June 23, 2010 Page 2 of 16 Board – At the open houses, the community voices their concerns about not having a park in their neighborhood. Can’t some of the fee collected be used to maintain the park? Staff – No, the impact fee can only be used to build a park. Board – What is ConTrust? Staff – ConTrust is lottery money that will sunset in 2024; so this is why it is not the best source of revenue for ongoing maintenance expenses. Board – If the 1% sales tax passes will the outlook be better? Staff – Yes. We will be about $230,000 short for 2011 and $775,000 short in 2012 with our current level of service. The City’s total budget shortfall will be about $5,000,000 in 2011 and $13,000,000 in 2012. It’s hard to predict what will happen, but more budget cutting will happen in the future if the tax increase is not approved. Board – Perception is important. Staff – Yes, and not building new facilities if the funds are not there to maintain the facilities is being responsible. Board – Will the future design of parks change, no water features, etc.? Staff – We will build as durable as we can, but easy to maintain. Spring Canyon Community Park is a good example of this, with natural turf areas that don’t require irrigation, etc. We also want to keep park designs and features so they are comparable weather they are older parks or new parks. Board – The Natural Areas program and open space tax passed because people thought they would be able to recreate in these areas. Some of that tax should be used for Parks & Recreation maintenance. Staff – Of the City’s portion of tax, 80% can only be used to buy land, and the rest goes to restoration and maintenance of Natural Areas. Board – How big are Waters Way & Registry Ridge parks? Staff – They are neighborhood parks, about 6-8 acres. Board – If the construction is delayed, outreach will be very important. Does this decision need to be made prior to the November vote? Staff – Yes, the decision needs to be made soon. Board – We don’t want to be like Colorado Springs where they’ve had to close parks, because they aren’t able to maintain those parks. How many other Parks are schedule to be built? Staff – Around 19 more parks are to be built, mostly in the South, East and North. The Park Planning web page http://www.fcgov.com/parkplanning/ has information on future parks and trails and the Policy Plan. Board – Even though the people living in the neighborhood where Waters Way will be developed, may not get their neighborhood park as soon as they thought they would, they are still close to Fossil Creek Park which is a great park. The City should still have a neighborhood meeting, explaining the temporary delay. Staff – We will work on an outreach to the neighborhood. Board – Unfortunately, it feels like it’s going to be looked at negatively. Staff – The simple, straight-forward truth is that it’s not smart to build the park at this time. Some people will complain and think its some type of ploy, but we just don’t have the money for maintenance. Board – Any funding is welcome, but a park maintenance fee still seems more stable. Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – June 23, 2010 Page 3 of 16 Board – Did you think the water feature would get all this attention? Staff – We knew is would be high profile, but we didn’t know it would be so personal. Board – Hopefully, with the delay in construction of Waters Way, people will know it is a delay. How long will it be delayed? Staff – The length of the delay will be dependent upon the sales tax passing or not. Board – Good suggestion to talk with the neighbors, but 3 years ago, this Board saw this coming and the City Council and City Manager didn’t want to hear us, or our suggestions for a park maintenance fee. If we were collecting that fee we wouldn’t even be having this discussion. Board – What about asking for a Grant to cover the O&M? Staff – Grants are not available for O&M. Board – What is the fall back plan if the sales tax does not go through? Should we look at a regional tax? Staff – They tried a regional transportation fee and voters didn’t want a regional fee. Board – How do we communicate our response on the delayed construction to Darin? Staff – The response doesn’t have to be formal. Marty can take the information to Darin. Board – I think we should take a vote to see if there is a consensus among the Board regarding the delay in construction. Vote Taken: By a show of hands, 8 Board members agreed to the delay, 1 Board member had a question. Question: In 2 years is the City obligated to build the park? There’s a concern about the message to the citizens. If the Park is not built in 2 years, do the neighbors get their money back? Staff – Possibly, upon request, if the delay means we have exceeded a reasonable time for providing the park. Board – I would like to direct the Chair to send a formal letter to Darin regarding the discussion we had and the Boards opinion on delaying the construction of Waters Way & Registry Ridge Parks. The letter should be sent via e-mail to each Board member to read and sign before being forwarded to Darin. Discussion: Board - Should the letter also bring to point the funding alternative the Board suggested 3 years ago? Board – Darin asked for our opinion on delaying the construction; the tax/impact fee is another subject. It would be better to have the letter remain positive. Board – I think the letter could reflect the funding alternative, but in a positive way as a possible solution. Board – When would the letter need to be written? Staff – Marty can let Darin know your opinion verbally and then the Board can follow up with a letter. I would be better to have the letter sent as soon as possible. Motion: Rob Cagen - Write a letter to Darin summarizing the Board’s support for the delay in construction of Waters Way and Registry Ridge Parks, but include our concerns about funding. Seconded: William Pickering Vote: 9:0 in favor Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – June 23, 2010 Page 4 of 16 Question for Marty Where is the money coming from for building the Museum/Discovery Center? The money for the Museum/Discovery Center is voter approved funding through BOB (Building On Basics), and they also raised money from the private sector. The BOB monies include funding for the O&M for 7 years. Future funding for O&M will come out of the fees they will charge. Update on the Role of the P&R Board – Ingrid Decker Ingrid Decker is an Assistant City Attorney who provides legal advice to CRPE (Culture, Recreation, Parks & Environment) & RES (Real Estate Services) and the Boards & Commissions that relate to those service areas. When the Board has a legal question or a questions on a City Code, relay the question through JR and Ingrid will provide an answer. The role of the P&R Board is to act as an advisory board and advise and make recommendations to Culture, Parks, Recreation and Environment Services Unit and the City Council for their approval as to the rules, regulations, policies and administrative and budgetary matters pertaining to Parks and Recreation, excluding matters relating to the operation and maintenance of City-owned golf courses and cemeteries. The Board assists the City in cooperating with the Poudre R-1 School District and other organizations and individuals interested in the City's parks and recreation programs. You have the right as private citizens to voice your opinion, as long as you make it clear that it is your personal opinion. As a Board member you have to be careful about your scope of authority. When the tax language is on the ballot, the Fair Campaign Practices Act goes into affect; and the Board must be very careful in not promoting an initiative one way or the other. The Fair Campaign Practices Act Guidelines are included as an attachment to these minutes. The Board can provide factual information, and the staff can help provide the facts to you, but the Board can NOT use staff time or facilities to lobby a vote. As an individual you can speak, but you must be careful as a Board. Ingrid is available if you have any questions. Discussion Board - Can we speak to clubs? Staff – As a private citizen, yes; but not as a Board member going to a service group to lobby for an issue. Board – Can we write letters to the Editor? Staff – Yes, but it would be a good idea to have Ingrid look at the letter before submitting to the paper to ensure you’re staying within the Guidelines. Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – June 23, 2010 Page 5 of 16 Pedestrian Plan Update – Jennifer Petrik As part of the Plan Fort Collins effort, our task is to update and envision the future pedestrians in Fort Collins. Every trip begins and ends with a pedestrian trip; so there is a need to provide appropriate pedestrian travel when developing or remodeling current transportation plans. We are gathering information from citizens where there are pedestrian needs/issues and working toward solutions. Discussion Board - What is a pedestrian plan? Staff - To promote a pedestrian-friendly environment that will encourage and reward the choice to walk for visitors and residents. Where public spaces, including streets and paths offer a level of comfort, convenience, efficiency and safety. Board – What type of issues are you looking for? Staff – Any issue will be documented. Some issues may be resolved and others would be put on a project list. For instance, if there were an undeveloped parcel between two developed properties and a link of sidewalk needed to be made in order to make a proper connection for the pedestrian that would be resolved. If, however, the entire area was undeveloped, it might be part of a project list, for future development. Board – What about bushes that have overgrown a sidewalk? Staff – That would be an issue for code compliance and those calls can be directed through the nuisance hotline at 416-2200. Staff – Do you feel the pedestrian plan is important information for your Board? Board – Yes. Board – What overall planning is being done in transportation with bicycling? Staff – The Transportation Master Plan considers all modes of travel, and how we can keep current streets but increase efficiency. The Master Plan focuses on alternative modes of travel with higher/lower speed lanes. Board – Are any concepts going into North College plan sidewalks, bike lanes, etc.? Staff – It is done with our standards in mind, but right-of-way limits cause some issue, so we have to modify our plans to work around the right-of-way issues. Board – Does your project address rail road crossing lights? Staff – We could discuss it. The Pedestrian Plan is all about what people want discussed. Board – What about street crossings to Parks? It seems there is a general disregard for pedestrians, even though they have the right of way. Traffic just doesn’t stop. Staff – Perhaps we could look at offering some education to the public on traffic laws. Board – It would be helpful to have something written in the newspaper about how crosswalks work in the round-a-bouts. Board – Adding traffic calming things like speed bumps or stop signs through neighborhoods helps keep the thru traffic from going too fast. Board – The trees lining the streets is a great feature and helps to make Fort Collins a great place to live. Staff - For additional information or to submit more issues, please visit our web page at: http://www.fcgov.com/transportationplanning/pedplan.php Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – June 23, 2010 Page 6 of 16 Resourcing our Future The time spent by the Boards & Commissions on Resourcing our Future has been appreciated by the staff. If there are any remaining questions, they can be sent through J.R. Discussion Board – Can we discuss the pros and cons of a Parks & Recreation District? Staff – Yes. To make Parks & Recreation a district, would take Council approval; but we could have someone come to a Board meeting to discuss districting. Board – Is a district funded by a mill levy? Staff – Yes. BFO Update As we’ve been discussing, 2011 & 2012 budgets are not looking good. Parks & Recreation are facing difficult decisions with substantial cuts. Discussion Board – There was a person from Beet Street who spoke at the Council meeting regarding why Parks & Recreation was important Plan Fort Collins Marty spoke on this above. Letter to Council – Michael Chalona Michael wanted to formally thank Jessica, Danna, Brian, Shirley and Dawn for their efforts in creating the letter that was read to the City Council on June 15; as well as their participation in being present at the Council meeting. Jessica spoke with Kelly Ohlson who indicated that the Board presence, showing support for the sales tax increase, helped to change the minds of a few Council members making the final vote 7:1 in favor of adding the sales tax initiative to the ballot in November. To hear Jessica, visit the City Clerks web page at: http://www.fcgov.com/cityclerk/agendas.php Click on the Topics Tab, Click on Item #26 – Calling Special Municipal Election in November – Time – 1:41:11 Updates Park Updates No major updates to discuss; working on BFO. If we don’t see a tax increase, we’ll be faced with more cuts. We’ve already cut all the items that don’t impact the pubic, but the next cuts will be substantial and the public will be impacted. Discussion Board – Now that the water is back on has any called in to say “thank you”? Staff – No, but others should receive the credit. The $20,000 was donated by the Eagles and an anonymous donor. Recreation Updates Welcome to the Northside Aztlan Community Center. - Summer basketball is in full swing at this facility. - The Art in Public Places will be working on a project for the east wall of the handball courts; which should be painted next summer. - We are also trying to get the word out that EPIC is a safe facility to be in, after meningitis was contracted by some players on the adult hockey league. We have been working with the CDC and the type of Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – June 23, 2010 Page 7 of 16 meningitis these players had is only contracted through saliva. We have, however, disinfected the building and locker rooms. - The children’s train at City Park derailed. We had it inspected and the wheels are worn and the turns are too sharp for the train. It is currently non-operational and we’re not sure when it will be fixed. Discussion Board – How is the Lincoln Center coming along? Staff – It’s been closed for two weeks now, and fencing has been erected around the perimeter. The Parks department relocated as many of the plantings, about 60-70, as they could. The construction phase should be starting soon. Park Planning Updates Please see the attached Park Planning Updates. Bike Advisory Board Liaison –Update - They are working on a new bike map which should be available this summer. - They talked about the new BMX Track located at what will be the Southeast Community Park. They felt it was a great course. - Some bike events coming up are the Downtown Bike Show on June 24 & Bike ‘N Jazz at the Gardens on June 25. Board Work Plan Updates No updates. Other Business 1) Michael Chalona – Would it be appropriate to write a letter the Council thanking them for voting to move forward with adding Resourcing Our Future to the November ballot? Discussion - It is important to stay in front of the Council, so a thank you letter would be a good idea. - We should continue to offer our suggestions. - We should be aware of when the Board should be in attendance at a Council meeting. JR will keep us aware of the Council meetings. Would the Board support a thank you letter to Council? Show of Hands: 8:0 (one Board member had to leave the meeting before this discussion). 2) Brain Carroll – Due to job commitments, Brian will miss the July, August and September Board meetings. In missing these meetings he would not be in compliance with the Bylaw Article VII – Attendance – Section 2. Regular attendance at meetings is required. Therefore, either of the following shall automatically cause a member's appointment to terminate: a. Three (3) consecutive absences from regularly scheduled meetings of the Board not approved by the President. b. Four (4) absences from regularly scheduled meetings of the Board in any calendar year not approved by the President. Therefore, Brian is asking to be excused with the approval of the President. Approval granted by Danna Ortiz. Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – June 23, 2010 Page 8 of 16 Correspondence: None Adjournment: Rob Cagen moved to adjourn, Shirley Christian seconded the motion. Meeting adjourned 8:10pm. Respectfully submitted, Carol Rankin Carol Rankin Administrative Support Supervisor Parks Department Board approved minutes Wednesday, July 28 – 6:0 Board Attendance Board Members: Rob Cagen, Brian Carroll, Michael Chalona, Shirley Christian, Jessica MacMillan, Greg Miller, Danna Ortiz, William Pickering, Dawn Theis Staff: J.R. Schnelzer, Ingrid Decker, Marty Heffernan, Steve Budner, Jennifer Petrik, Carol Rankin Guests: None Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – June 23, 2010 Page 9 of 16 Parks and Recreation Board June 23, 2010 Park Planning and Development work items: Plan Fort Collins (City Plan): The next community focus groups are being planned for June 29th and 30th. Policy Plan: Environmental/Sustainability Best Management Plan Manual is about 90% written. Budgeting for Outcomes: 2011/2012 BFO, Results Teams are now going through the second round of offers from the Sellers. PP&D did offers as follows: Neighborhood Park Development 2011 and 2012, Recreation Trail Development 2011 and 2012 and a Recreational Trail Impact Fee in 2012. BOB Park improvement funds – 2009 funds to Roselawn Cemetery for improvements. Park improvement funds in 2015. NISP: Supplemental EIS may not be ready until maybe 2011. Park items: 1. Waters Way Park: ready for construction 2. Tennis court plan as to how many courts and where are they located to be a 2010 work item. 3. Registry Neighborhood Park: Ready for the bid process. 4. Richards Lake Neighborhood Park: First Open House on June 3rd was a great success and we talked to about 60 people. Everyone is excited about the playground construction. Trails: 1. Poudre Trail at Nix Farm: Staff will be developing the tree resting area for construction this year. 2. Poudre Trail at Lincoln Avenue: Forestry pruned the trail area downstream of Lincoln Avenue in preparation of the trail reconstruction. Construction plans should be ready for construction this summer. We’ll stage construction to avoid the MS Walk that occurs in late August. 3. Power Trail: Keenland underpass of the UP in approval process and in the second step approval. May take into late 2010 to receive approval. 4. Fossil Creek Trail: Trilby Road to Carpenter Road. Design and Stormwater permit completed with fall construction. 5. Poudre Trail at Lemay: Mulberry Bridge to be replaced by CDOT. Design effort starting this year. The design team has incorporated our trail bridge needs downstream of Lemay into the floodplain analysis. Latest from CDOT is they are planning for construction to start in the fall of 2011. 6. Fossil Creek Trail and underpass at Highway 38E: Project is moving into the final phase of design with the project still on line for summer/fall construction. Project being coordinated with Larimer County Engineering when they need to so culvert work on #38E just west of our project. 7. Poudre Trail to Timnath: Preliminary design in 2010 with the intent of understanding CDOT, stormwater, environmental issues, etc. 8. Staff will start to work with CSU for an easement for the trail to extend to Drake Road. 9. County Road #11 BOB project and trail underpass on hold due to limited Street Oversizing funds. 10. (New) Spring Creek Trail east of Centre Avenue to the railroad tracks. R,O.W. is talking with CSU (CSURF) about the new trail easement process. Miscellaneous: 1. Veteran’s Plaza at SCCP. Info can be obtained at the web page of the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado, News and Events section, and into Veteran’s Plaza page. 2. Disc Golf: The Hughes Stadium plan did get approval from the Board of Governors to move forward. The disc golf course is part of the plan. Staff will now work with CSU staff on how to jointly work on the disc golf course along with their development for efficiencies and cost savings. We are proposing using Conservation Trust funds for the development of the course and are hopeful the disc golf community can find grants, etc. 3. Water Craft Course – NISP impact unknown at this time. On hold. 4. North Shields Street Bridge – The County will replace this bridge in 2013/14. Staff is working with the County to see if there is the potential for any short term parking solution for trail and river users. And, long term solutions with the new bridge design. 5. Old Fort Collins Heritage Park stake park lights – Group of users are attempting to find funding to supply lights at the skate park. 6. Jason has been helping the DDA with their Alley Project. Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – June 23, 2010 Page 10 of 16 Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – June 23, 2010 Page 11 of 16 Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – June 23, 2010 Page 12 of 16 Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – June 23, 2010 Page 13 of 16 Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – June 23, 2010 Page 14 of 16 Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – June 23, 2010 Page 15 of 16 Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – June 23, 2010 Page 16 of 16 Letter read by Jessica MacMillan to City Council June 7, 2010 TO: Mayor and City Council Members FROM: Parks & Recreation Board RE: Resourcing Our Future: Dear Mayor Hutchinson and City Council Members, As your appointed advisory board for the Parks and Recreation Departments, we would like to ask for your support in initiating a ballot question which would raise the sales tax by 1%. This 1% should be distributed between the Parks Department, Recreation Department, Streets, Police and Fire on some agreed upon distribution. The Parks and Recreation Departments have seen a tremendous decline over the past several years in funding. We are now at a point where continued cuts will only result in diminished experiences and service for the citizens and visitors. Whenever Fort Collins is mentioned in a national publication, the majority of times it is related to the esthetics of the Parks and Recreation opportunities within the City. The Community Scorecard, which was taken in 2008, had a 93% response rating the parks as good or very good. The citizen survey of 2008 had a 95% good or very good rating for the trails. The trails and park system ranked above the national comparison, as did the athletic fields, golf courses, Mulberry pool, and EPIC. As you are aware, the Parks and Recreation departments have cut $1.47 million out of its budget since 2003. These cuts have, for the most part, been behind the scenes and not noticeable to the general public. Now however, with the directive to cut an additional $400,000 out of the budget, the recent deactivation of the water features at Spring Canyon and Fossil Creek Parks is the first visible example of what may come should our revenues continue to drop, and funding decreases. The Recreation department is operating out of its reserve funds which will be depleted in 2013, if additional revenue cannot replenish what is currently being spent. Our board is asking for your support in defining a long term funding mechanism for the continued operation and maintenance of our parks and recreation facilities, and asking that you give the voters of Fort Collins the opportunity to tell you with their vote what they want to have happen to the parks and recreation services we currently enjoy.