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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003 - Parks And Recreation Board - Annual ReportPARKS AND RECREATION BOARD 2003 ANNUAL REPORT The Parks and Recreation Board held nine regular meetings and one special meeting in 2003. Board members were Mary Carlson, Ross Cunniff (resigned in January), Lance Freeman, Mike Gavin (resigned in July), Dean Hoag, Ann Hunt, Jessica MacMillan, Greg Miller, and Paul Van Valkenburg (resigned in November). Bill Bertschy is the Board's Council Liaison. Marty Heffernan, Director of Cultural, Library, and Recreational Services, serves as the Staff Liaison to the Board, and Jackie Rael, Executive Administrative Assistant, serves as the staff support to the Board. Building Community Choices Proiects Fossil Creek Community Park: The Board was updated on a monthly basis regarding the construction of the park. The grand opening celebration of the 100-acre park occurred on October 18. Northside Aztlan Community Center Replacement: The Board reviewed plans and were updated on the ground contamination and its affect on the project at the existing site. Second Sheet of Ice: The Board celebrated the opening of the second sheet of ice at EPIC in April. Community Horticulture Center: The Board was updated on the construction of the Gardens at Spring Creek. Fossil Creek Trail at Paragon Point In February, the Board met with concerned neighbors regarding the Fossil Creek Trail going through the Paragon Point neighborhood. The Paragon Point neighbors were represented by Joel Lamer and Gary Berger who are both homeowners in the neighborhood. They expressed their viewpoint and direction they thought the City should take on relocating the trail. The neighbors gave a history of the trail, expressed their concerns, and offered alternate proposals. Staff expressed their reasoning for keeping the original plan of continuing Fossil Creek Trail through the Paragon neighborhood. Council Members Bill Bertschy and Eric Hamrick were present at this meeting and directed the Board to not make a recommendation at this point, but to review this with the City Attorney. In March, the Board adjourned to Executive Session to discuss the Fossil Creek Trail at Paragon Point. After receiving legal direction from City Attorney, the Board reconvened and again discussed the matter with the concerned neighbors. Staff clearly outlined its position and after a great deal of discussion, the Board voted 6-2 to recommend that the trail continue through the Paragon neighborhood in its present location. Paul Van Valkenburg, Greg Miller, Ann Hunt, Lance Freeman, Mike Gavin, and Dean Hoag voted yes and Jessica MacMillan and Mary Carlson voted no. Parks and Recreation Board Annual Report — 2003 January 20, 2004 Page 2 City Council Policy Agenda for 2003-2005 The Board at their March meeting made the following recommendations to City Manager John Fischbach: • Update the Parks and Recreation Policy Plan (2005) • Park Maintenance Fee as a substitute for the General Fund funding. • Adopt a budget policy that would provide operation and maintenance funding for new capital projects. • Building Community Choices sunsets in 2005. Recommend that Council develop a funding strategy for capital projects. One -quarter cent will go for open space and one will likely go for street maintenance. The City needs a funding mechanism for other capital projects. • Set up guidelines that maximize the recreational use of open lands while protecting the natural resources. 2004-2005 Budget Marty Heffernan kept the Board abreast of the budget situation with the decreased sales tax revenue projections and how it affected the Parks and Recreation budget (April). In August Marty reported that due to the slow economy, the budget cuts for 2004-2005 would be approximately 5% to Parks and Recreation. —Recreation Fees and Charges: The Board reviewed the fees and charges for 2004 and 2005. Some of the fees were raised to help offset the budget cuts. The Board members had concerns with some of the fee increases such as softball field rentals; skating fees; and senior fees in comparison to EPIC drop in fees. 2004/2005 Budget Input to City Manager John Fischbach The Board made the following recommendations to City Manager John Fischbach regarding the 2004/2005 Budget: • Unfreeze the following positions in Parks and Recreation Forestry Technician, Cemetery Technician, Park Technician (2), Horticulture Technician (2), and Parks and Recreation Director. • Reimburse the Forestry Division for snow storm clean up of approximately $250,000 • Operation and Maintenance funding for Parks —2004 Ongoing $56,500 and One -Time $39,500 • —2005 Ongoing $55,500 and One -Time $39,500 • Hire the Therapeutic Recreation Coordinator Position • YAC gym funding from City—$100,000 Parks and Recreation Board Annual Report — 2003 January 20, 2004 Page 3 • Gateway Park Phase II — $750,000 • Northside Aztlan Community Center —funding to mitigation site contamination • Kayak course downtown near the Power Plant Drought Staff spoke to the Board on several occasions on the possible drought conditions the City would be facing in the spring if measurable amounts of moisture did not occur by spring. Plans were discussed that included installation of water taps at the parks which would allow water to irrigate the parks. The Board was advised that the drought would delay opening of new parks in 2004. However, by May, the drought conditions had abated. Twice the Ice, EPIC Advertising, and Additional Funding for the Second Sheet of Ice Recreation Manager Jean Helburg explained that staff will present a three-part agenda to City Council in March regarding advertising and Twice the Ice's additional fundraising for the second sheet of ice at EPIC. She said that the City wishes to allow Twice the Ice to continue selling advertising at EPIC in both arenas through the end of this year. Twice the Ice has raised $865,000 to date and the project was authorized by City Council last year to proceed. The group needs to raise an additional $58,244. There are items related to the project that can be completed with this funding even after the facility opens to the public. These items include such things as staff parking, f imiture, storage, a divider curtain, lighting for the Art in Public Places artwork, etc. Twice the Ice members are confident that ad selling, along with other fund-raising efforts underway by the group, will result in meeting their goal on or before the end of this year. The Board voted unanimously (7-0) to support this item to City Council. Natural Areas Policy Plan In October, the Natural Resources Board and the Parks and Recreation Board held a joint meeting to discuss their philosophies on open space and its use. After this meeting, Craig Foreman, Manager of Park Planning and Development, told the Board that his staff will prepare a map of open space that may be purchased by the Natural Resources Department, and key in potential recreational uses. The Board made a list of recreational amenities that the community is lacking, such as hot air balloon launch sites, sledding, an off -leash dog area, a cross-country running course, and other open space recreational activities. Craig Foreman and Marty Heffernan will discuss these recommendation with the Natural Resources staff. City Park Pool/Boardwalk The Board celebrated the reopening of City Park Pool and the new boardwalk on May 31. Parks and Recreation Board Annual Report — 2003 January 20, 2004 Page 4 Election of Officers Annually in February, the Board elects its officers. Paul Van Valkenburg was re-elected to serve a second term as president of the Board; Jessica MacMillan, was elected as Vice President; however, in November, Paul Van Valkenburg moved to Florida, and Jessica MacMillan replaced Paul as President of the Board. Endorsements The Board endorsed the following plans/projects: • Mason Street Transportation Corridor bicycle/pedestrian trail and its future connection to the Fossil Creek Trail. • Stormwater Master Plan and how it relates to Parks and Recreation • City Plan was endorsed with changes/recommendations as noted in the October 2003 minutes primarily dealing with the recreational use of open lands. • Rolland Moore Park Management Plan • Soft Gold Neighborhood Park Design • Naming Policy • Endorsed the 2004 Parks and Recreation Board work plan and meeting schedule