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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004 - Parks And Recreation Board - Annual ReportPARKS AND RECREATION BOARD 2004 ANNUAL REPORT The City of Fort Collins Parks and Recreation Advisory Board held 11 Regular Meetings in 2004. Board Members were Mary Carlson, Lance Freeman, Dean Hoag, Ann Hunt, Mark Leuker, Jessica MacMillan, Greg Miller, Del Price, and Jon Sinclair. Annually in February the Board elects its officers, and Jessica MacMillan was re-elected as Board President, along with Greg Miller elected as Board Vice President. Two outstanding long-time Board Members, Del Price and Lance Freeman, concluded their terms on the Board on December 31, 2004, after many years of dedicated service. Bill Bertschy continued to serve as City Council Liaison to the Board in 2004. Marty Heffernan, Director of Cultural, Library, and Recreational Services, served as Staff Liaison to the Board, with Kelly Moore, Administrative Support Supervisor, and Dawn Worth, Administrative Aide, providing staff support to the Board. Surine Canvon Community Park Spring Canyon Community Park, formerly known as Southwest Community Park, was the dominant issue the Board dealt with in 2004. In January, staff requested the Board's support of their request of Council to appropriate the funds to start the design of the park, which was unanimously approved by the Board. The Board then met with members of a group called SWAN (South West Area Neighborhood) about their concerns. The Board also met with members of the Inspiration Playground Committee to discuss potentially locating such a playground in the park, which the Board unanimously voted to approve. The Board also voted to sponsor a GOCO (Greater Outdoors Colorado) grant for All Children Together (ACT) to construct a universally accessible playground as part of the park. Throughout the year the Board continued to meet with and listen to many, many folks concerned about the design of the park. Representatives from organized groups such as SWAN, as well as the Northern Colorado Sports Alliance, in addition to citizens interested in the park, all provided their comments and input. The initial design work of the park took several months and the Board discussed preliminary concepts throughout that time. In April the Board toured the park site as a part of their meeting and discussed its unique attributes given its proximity to the foothills. Several Open Houses were also held during the year to gather public comments. Three design plans were initially developed providing options for discussion in July, and after further citizen input and Board review, eventually two more revised options were created to respond to the input. At the August meeting, after hearing more citizen input and comment, staff asked the Board to finalize their preferred design option to be presented at the September meeting. Staff presented its recommendations and the Board provided their comments. Then, at the September meeting, citizens again addressed the Board. SWAN representatives, as well as others, expressed support for the new Concept 6 as the best achievable alternative for the park site. The Board reviewed some preliminary changes to Concept 6 to respond to some of the additional input, and held a detailed discussion with their comments about the design. The Board then voted unanimously, after they reviewed the revised park conceptual design, to recommend the design to City Council. After an extensive but successful public outreach process, staff presented the Spring Canyon Community Park Plan to Council. Council was very receptive to the plan except for the location of the dog park. Council directed that the dog park should be located in the area designated for a future recreation center, not northwest of the ballfields. Council also asked for other minor adjustments of some elements within the park. Staff discussed these modifications to the plan with the Board in October. The Board disagreed with Council's changes to the plan and sent a memo to Council expressing the Board's position. Finally, staff presented the approved plan to the Board in December, stating that bids will go out in late 2005, and the contractor should begin construction in 2006, with the park opening in 2007. Buildina Communitv Choices Proiects Ballfield Lights and Sidewalks: The Board agreed to utilize the remaining BCC funds to improve ballfreld lights at Rolland Moore Park and Edora Park, and to also install sidewalks in City Park, Rolland Moore, Edora and Lee Martinez Park. Northside Aztlan Community Center Replacement: Along with staff from other departments, we helped negotiate and facilitate the clean-up of the site, which is located in Old Fort Collins Heritage Park. In December, the City Manager and City Council gave their approval to start the design for the new center, now referred to as the Aztlan Community Center. Staff is building a design team and will be hiring an architect to work on the design. Youth Activity Center: After a successful fund-raising effort for the YAC gym and construction of the gym, the Board celebrated the Grand Opening on December 17th. Neiehborhood Parks Case Park: Started final phase in December, which consists of a parking lot, adding more trees, landscaping, a multi -use concrete pad, and some things to generally spruce up the park. There will be public processing occurring in the spring and summer, hoping to finish in 2006. Provincetown: Construction is due to start in 2006 through 2007, and the park is set to open in 2007. Iron Horse Park: The park site was to be designed in 2005, however, there has been a delay due to the potential Vine Drive alignment change being discussed in the Mountain Vista Sub Area Plan. Soft Gold Park: Construction was completed in July for this park located near North College Avenue and Hickory Street. The park theme is fur trapping and has an adobe design. Capital Improvement Proeram Recommendations The Board, after much discussion, recommended to the City Manager in February their top priorities if the existing 1/4 cent Sales Tax is extended. These are 1.) Community Park Improvements, 2.) Neighborhood Park Improvements, 3.) Recreation Center at Fossil Creek Community Park, and 4.) Gateway Mountain Park (Phase 2). If Council decides to ask the voters for an additional 1/4 cent Sales Tax, then the priorities would be 1.) Recreation Center at Fossil Creek Community Park, 2.) Community Park Improvements, 3.) Neighborhood Park Improvements, and 4.) Gateway Mountain Park (Phase 2). Natural Areas Issues Throughout the year staff from the Natural Resources Department made presentations to the Board on various Natural Areas issues. In March the Board reviewed the Natural Areas Master Plan, and in June voted 7:1 to recommend to Council that the plan be adopted. In May the Board discussed the Draft Land Conservation and Stewardship Master Plan, and in both September and October staff spoke to the Board about the Natural Areas General Management Guidelines, fielding many questions and having a very constructive discussion. Also in October the Board reviewed and provided input on the Fossil Creek Natural Areas Management Plan. Finally, in December, the Board reviewed the Bobcat Ridge Management Plan. Oak Street Plaza Park Conceptual Design Staff presented to the Board the conceptual designs for the Oak Street Plaza in December. The project is being coordinated with the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) and downtown businesses. Designs will focus on materials that are sustainable and appropriate for the Downtown environment, and will hopefully develop a plaza that is inviting, interesting, and an exciting community space. Board Members provided their input and agreed with the conceptual designs, but expressed their concerns about the potential costs of the project. The design will again be presented to the Board in 2005 as the project moves forward. Other Parks and Recreation Board Issues of Concern ♦ In January the Board accepted the elements of the revised draft of City Plan as it relates to Parks and Recreation, with some minor recommended modifications; and the Board approved the 2003 Parks and Recreation Board Annual Report. ♦ The Board heard a presentation in February from a group of local handball players who proposed construction of 3-Wall Handball Courts which they referred to as "Yes 2 Kids" (Y2K) ♦ In April the Board heard a presentation from a group expressing the need for a Cross -Country Facility to be potentially located in the new Spring Canyon Community Park. Board Members generally agreed, but felt that the Poudre School District and CSU should help to pay the costs of such a course if their teams were going to use it. ♦ Also in April, the Board expressed their concern about the continuous six-foot high fencing along the proposed Mason Street Corridor Trail as required by the Railroad. ♦ The Board endorsed the City Park Master Plan in July and provided input regarding the issues of the current design. ♦ In September the Board unanimously agreed that the staff is moving in the right direction after hearing an Overview of Park Design and Construction Methods to Reduce Operation and Maintenance Costs. ♦ And, in October approved the 2005 Parks and Recreation Board Work Plan and Meeting Schedule.