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HomeMy WebLinkAboutParks And Recreation Board - Minutes - 02/22/1995CITY OF FORT COLLINS CULTURAL, LIBRARY, AND RECREATIONAL SERVICES PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD CITY COUNCIL LIAISON TO THE BOARD: Councilman Bob McCluskey, Jr. STAFF SUPPORT TO THE BOARD: Jackie Rael, Administrative Aide and Jerry P. Brown, Assistant to the Director MINUTES: Regular Meeting -- February 22, 1995 CALL MEETING TO ORDER: The regular meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by Board Vice President Mary Ness. Board President Roger Tarum called to say he would not be able to attend tonight's meeting. AGENDA REVIEW: Item #5 - Softball Tournament Policies was moved to the March meeting. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: The minutes of the Regular Meeting of January 25, 1995 were unanimously (7-0) approved on a motion by Marilyn Barnes, seconded by Eric Reno. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION: No citizen participation. Secretarial Note: Since there were 50+ citizens in the audience with concerns about the two community parks on the agenda tonight, and their relation to the citizens -initiated one -quarter cent sales tax proposal for PICK (Parks and Ice for the Community and Kids), staff gave the following background information for the audience before the staff presentations on Southwest Community Park/Youth Sports Complex and Fossil Creek Community Park as follows: Park Planning and Development Manager Randy Balok gave a background of the Southwest Community Park/Youth Complex which has been a proposed project with the staff and Board since the mid-801s. Land acquisition was made possible through Choices 95. At that time, the two projects were combined into one. There have been 40+ articles in the paper since December. All of the community concerns and excitement have been received by staff and the architect and we are now at what we believe is a balance. Mike Powers, Director of Cultural, Library, and Recreational Services then gave an overview of what staff is asking the Board. He explained the process which staff tries to meet by listening to the neighborhood, the park active users, the passive park users, and the citizens of Fort Collins. He said staff's recommendation is for the Board to adopt the two parks -- Fossil Creek and Southwest Community Park on the conceptual plans. Parks and Recreation Board Minutes February 22, 1995 Page 2 Mike spoke about the campaign reform act. He explained to the Board and the audience that the Board or Staff cannot voice their opinions on the resolution supporting the sales tax initiative for these two parks. At tonight's meeting staff will present to the Board the two conceptual drawings of Fossil Creek Community Park and Southwest Community Park/Youth Sports Complex as staff's recommendation and an overlay which exhibits the sales tax initiative mandates for the projects. FOSSIL CREEK COMMUNITY PARK FINAL CONCEPTUAL PLAN Craig Foreman then gave an explanation of Fossil Creek Community Park which is located across from SouthRidge Golf Course/South Lemay. He explained the history of the park site that was acquired in 1982. In 1983, a conceptual park plan was designed. At that time the cost was in excess of $6,000,000 with much of the cost on upgrading the dam and reservoir. Last year the Huntington Hills Developer made a proposal to staff for a joint partnership. The developer is willing to spend $500,000 for shared costs and encourages the City to construct the reservoir which will add to developable property for housing. However, with the sales tax initiative, City Council appropriated funds to perform a conceptual design of this park and the negotiations with the developer were then tabled until the April ballot. Craig reviewed the conceptual plan as follows: The topography of this land will add to the beauty of the park; proposed recreational center will add to the site; turf area for soccer fields (the ballot language requires two lighted soccer fields; passive area; lighted ballfields; amphitheater, and walking paths through the park. Bicyclists and runners requested an uninterrupted 21' wide loop for a recreational fitness trail for rollerblading and bicycling. The loop would be one way and would cause the Fossil Creek trail to be adjusted through the park. This would dominate the park site. Staff is asking the Board to request this fitness loop at another park site where it would be the dominant feature of the park and build other amenities around it. Sylvia asked about the Fossil Creek Trail being the same as the recreational trail. He said that would not be feasible because the trail goes two ways. Marilyn said that the criteria on the survey was that people wanted more trails. Craig agreed. Rebecca Chavez joined the Board at this time. Craig showed the issues and concerns of the comm-.:ity park. explained that the management and program plan can partially or • .• Parks and Recreation Board Minutes February 22, 1995 Page 3 completely resolve most of the public concerns. Some of the concerns the citizens had were lighted ballfields, noise, loss of wildlife habitat, feeding area for eagles and hawks, traffic, and crime. Randy then explained the important concepts related to both parks. The conceptual planning efforts follow the direction contained in the approval of the Parks and Recreation Master Plan (1988). What does "youth sports complex" mean for the Southwest Park site? Staff proposes this means that youth activities are a priority at the site; and the adult uses are permitted. The final design for the parks will contain more detailed studies into noise, lights, traffic, wildlife mitigation, etc. and public process. A management and programming plan is needed for each park. Curfew will be implemented immediately (currently 11:00 P.M.) Citizen Dean Meyer questioned the concept following the master plan. How do you explain this when you said you changed the design? Randy replied that rehabing the dam was too expensive and with the focus demand on youth sports, staff changed direction according to the needs of the community. In addition, Craig said that Crystal Park in Loveland has since opened. Citizen questioned if the basketball courts would be lighted? Craig said the basketball courts are not lighted; however, tennis courts are on 20 minute timers. Citizen: Is this a youth park or a community park? Craig said it is defined as a community park. Mike Gavin said he sees organized sports and not a community park. Phil Rogacki expressed his thanks to City staff and consultant for their work. He said we should separate the recreation fitness loop and the Fossil Creek Trail. Is there a site in the City were we could mitigate a recreation fitness loop. Craig said there are a couple of future community parks that need to be located in the City and at that time, purchase an extra 20 acres for the fitness loop. Debbie Browne asked if there is a recreational course like this, could it be rollerblading and biking? Answer is yes, when the course is 21 ft wide. She thinks the idea is great. She would like to see this on the southside of town. Russ Erdal questioned this park site when he moved into SouthRidge. He said he is unaware of the ballot. He said when he saw this at the neighborhood meeting, he was not told the soccer fields would be lighted. Mike Powers addressed the ballot issue. He said the citizens Parks and Recreation Board Minutes February 22, 1995 Page 4 initiated this and the City did not. He said that it is public knowledge and is available through the City Clerk's office. Mary Ness added that this will be a mail -in ballot. Dean Meyer asked what is the anticipated budget for this park? Craig said around $8,000,000. Bryan Blakely said that the lighting is a great amount of controversy. Craig said that the lighting technology at Rolland Moore in 1984 created a much greater amount of glare. New shields and new lights will make a huge difference. The new technology will reduce glare and off field lighting from 6016 to 15% and this will be used on the ballfields, tennis courts, and soccer fields. Wayne Boyles said he represents the bicyclist and runners, and feels this recreational loop would be a well needed/used facility. Other sports in Fort Collins represent a majority of citizens and. the City needs to address other sports besides organized sports. These concerns can be worked out and he doesn't feel it will take a lot of time and the bicyclists would be happy to give input and work with the City. Phil Rogacki said that he organizes bicycle races and receives tremendous support from the merchants in the community. Leighton Thorne said it is noteworthy that a developer has stepped forward with $500,000 towards this project. Mark Palcowicz is a developer in the Huntington Hills Project. He said they met with staff this week and Randy Balok told him that staff is open for suggestions. He referred to the fitness loop in Denver that is over 100 feet from the adjacent homes. This would not be. He feels that this would be a 21' wide "road" around the lake. He was surprised about the lighted soccer fields. He said they have completed all of the studies from the Army Corp of Engineers for the reservoir and the mitigation of the wetlands and said we all need to work together on this. Rob Layton, Landscape Architect for Huntington Hills, said he worked with this in the former plan. His goal was to address some of the issues talked about. He said all of the amenities are also in his plan. His plan calls for the soccer fields and the skateboard facility to be relocated in the park and expand the reservoir to make it a 14-acre water site. Question was asked about "mitigating" the wetland. Reply was that because this was an original wetland habitat that we need to preserve a portion of that plant life/wildlife. And it needs to be reconstructed. Citizen asked why would the lake be expanded? Answer: to help the developer sell more lots to recover the cost of the $500,000 donation to the park. Developer said that 100' was added to buffer for the soccer fields. Sylvia asked how many parking spaces are required for a community • Parks and Recreation Board Minutes February 22, 1995 Page 5 park of this size? Craig said that we want to be sensitive to transportation issues and to use alternate means of transportation, however with youth activities, it is harder to lessen the parking and there isn't an exact required number. A citizen raised concern about the soccer fields being too close to the water and related to similar problems at Warren Park/Lake. Phil Rogacki asked if the lake could be redesigned so that the fitness loop be a viable part. Developer said that the farther it gets pushed back the less value to the lake front properties. Roger Tree said that he commends the developer and the staff for working together. He said even with this and Southwest Community Park that we are still behind in the sports fields that the community needs. Rick Zier said the people who support the lighted fields support the directional lights that will impact the surrounding neighborhoods as little as possible. Jessica MacMillan questioned how close is the closest house in SouthRidge to this park. Craig showed this on the map and said there is about a 200 foot buffer. The SouthRidge neighborhood would not be impacted that much by the lights. Rich Feller asked if the soccer fields could be sunken and why can't we do a conceptual drawing of the soccer fields and ballfields adjacent to each other and still utilize a 10-foot wide trail? Craig addressed Rich's concerns as follows: The sunken soccer fields could be implemented and he said this will be considered. The lights are a balancing feature in the park so that the impact isn't too concentrated. The trail loop of 10 feet wide could be implemented. Eric Reno asked how much space is there for passive recreation in the park? Craig explained the variances of uses during the time of year; weekends vs. weekdays, etc; he pointed out the natural grass areas and wants to gets a handle on this and feels that there is space. Henry Egger asked how many multi -family units will be built in this area? Developer said 145 units. Mary Ness said that if we, as a Board, approve the conceptual plan, we still can incorporate the changes. He really likes the fitness loop and this plan appears that we are trying to support various user groups. Jessica is in favor of the fitness loop, but thinks the recreational loop will look ugly. Mary Ness said, it might look ugly, but if it meets the needs, it should be considered. On a motion by Marilyn Barnes, seconded by Sylvia Cranmer, the Board voted unanimously (8-0) to accept the conceptual plan with the idea to move the soccer fields if needed and encourage the fitness loop if possible. Rich Feller left the Board meeting at this time. Parks and Recreation Board Minutes February 22, 1995 Page 6 SOUTHWEST COMMUNITY PARK Janet Meisel explained the process staff went through to get to this point. The park site is located at the south extension of Overland Trail and Horsetooth Road (where it presently ends) adjacent to Olander School. Historically, this park was voted on through the Choices 95 ballot in March of 1989. This park was purchased sooner than we thought (1994). This last year, citizens asked City Council to fund the design of the Southwest Community Park and in January organized a petition to place an initiative on the April 1995 ballot to build this park along with the other community recreational amenities. Janet then reviewed the public process for the park design. She reviewed the conceptual plan for the park. Major uses will be five soccer fields; six tennis courts; trail system to connect with Fossil Creek Trail (future); four basketball courts; four lighted ballfields; botanic garden to buffer one neighborhood; and a space is reserved for a potential recreation facility. If the ballot passes, the park could accommodate up to eight soccer fields (2 lighted) and six ballfields (four lighted). Sylvia Crammer asked why the outdoor pools are held for future development? Janet replied if the ballot does not pass in April, the full design would be planned for funding. Eric asked what the distance is from the lighted fields to the nearest homes? Repl,,.• 400 to 500 feet to the property lines. There would be parking 1 lights that would go off when the park is closed. Diane Thies ask how this compares wit' -he soccer needs? The Fort Collins Socc. Club looked at this pl and we are presently 15 fields short base- on present data. Jan reviewed the issues and concerns for t: park. Traffic in the neighborhood is a concern; CSU game,da conflicts; she showed the traffic distribution and feels that the .concerns can be mitigated. The other concern was crime in the parks. The Police wrote a memo stating the crime in a neighborhood doesn't necessarily go up because of a community park. She feels that staff and the citizens group can come together with management plans for this park. We will proceed with final design if this is passed in April. If it does not pass, the park will be put on hold until funding is available. Sylvia asked about changing the curfew from 11:00 to 10:00. Janet said that it is doable and staff and Police have been discussing this. Diane asked what is the percentage of passive recreation? Reply: 3096 (with the ballot concept) or 50% (with the basic conceptual plan). Fossil Creek is 40% passive. Eric said that there seems to be an inequity in the two parks. Janet said th• Southwest Community Park/Youth Sports Complex is following th• Choices 95 plan. • Parks and Recreation Board Minutes February 22, 1995 Page 7 Greg Sutton asked what plan is the staff endorsing? Mike addressed the first plan (without the overlay) is the one the staff thinks best fits the needs of the process. If the ballot initiative passes, the overlay is the one we would have to build. Greg further added that the neighborhood has been put on the defensive with this project. He said staff and consultant have put their expertise into this plan. He is concerned about the citizen initiative as another issue. Eric said we don't have a choice. Greg said the issue of the lighting that Craig brought up is an excellent plan. He questioned who will benefit from the late night games? He said he is concerned about listening to the noise every night all summer. He asked that staff take into consideration the late night games. He has objections about the seven nights of the week activities and the park is going into an existing neighborhood. Mike Gavin said this plan seems like it is being pushed faster than anything Parks and Recreation has ever done. Therefore, it puts the neighborhood on a defensive. He said he thinks the Board can recommend a park that they want to see without the ballot. He said we need to look at the users. Faun Meyer said at the Quail Hollow neighborhood meeting, she asked how do you gather the knowledge of the use of the park? She said the answer was we ask the community at large and user groups. Her personal opinion is 30 days is not appropriate time to spend $5,000,000. Traffic is another concern of her's. Whose budget does this come out of? She is concerned about Overland Trail connecting with Horsetooth and the price tag of $1,500,000. Janet said that Horsetooth and Overland Trail needs to connect even before the park is built. This has been in the traffic plan. Janet addressed the issue on how do we collect information. She said the data and surveys were collected by Parks Maintenance; the -user groups, youth baseball, and soccer gave us their requirements. We have done surveys of passive users and predominantly the trails are in high demand. Spontaneous play has been designed in the passive areas. She added the process has been three to four months and not 30 days. This park plan will dictate the design of the roads. The City will mitigate the traffic impact and will be responsible for the roads. Diane Thies asked if the youth in the community have been asked what they would like to see go in this park? Staff made a presentation to the Youth Advisory Board, who in -turn went to their schools and asked the students what they would like to see in this Youth Sports Complex. The top answer was a skateboard facility. Debbie Browne said the soccer program now has 3,000 kids registered in the recreation program and 800 kids in the competitive program. Youth Baseball has 3,150 registered. There are two seasons for Parks and Recreation Board Minutes February 22, 1995 Page S soccer in the spring and fall with youth baseball in the summer. There is one soccer tournament in the summer that is one week long. Two lighted soccer fields are on the scuthside of the park which would allow the kids to play during the week at night. There is not enough daylight in the spring and fall to have night games. It will ease the demand on Saturdays. On Sundays, the adults play and this program is much smaller than the youth program. Sylvia questioned the soccer fields with the sideline fences. Dave Mosnik addressed this in that there wouldn't be any fences around the soccer fields once the season is over. Sylvia said that she lives across the street from City Park and there is not that much of an annoyance to the neighborhood. Tobby Yadon addressed the Cottonwood Glenn Park as a buffer from the park or Quail Hollow and requested any development go through the regular neighborhood park development process. Janet said this can be addressed in the final design and she doesn't see it as a problem. Ted Hall lives on Moffeit Drive and he said the neighborhood was there 16 years. There is wildlife in this area and he doesn't think the park should go in and push out the wildlife. He doesn't think there should be lighted ballfields. This park is surrounded by foothills and not city. This area was annexed from the County to the City. Rick Bourdon pointed out the difference between the two plans. The impacts are the lighted fields; night noise; and Overland Trail. Greg Sutton asked if this is the Youth Sports Complex this should be a youth focused area year -around. When it is built, Janet said, it will be a year -around facility. The Parks and Recreation Master Plan addresses a need for a south community center. Bill Ness asked what the price tag is? He is a Buckaroos parent and said they rent the CSU Fieldhouse for practice. Bill Lacock, Youth Baseball, said the initiative does include an indoor facility at one of the three sites. He added there is a tremendous need for a basketball facility and this could be a multi -use recreational building. Concerns in the neighborhood are legitimate and whatever is built is going to be a good project and members of the Board and staff should be praised for their work. Step back and take a look at the bigger picture. There are a lot of kids participating in the programs. Susan Bush said what bothers her is why we are talking about spending so much money on youth sports and there are so many things other kids and the community needs. Diane Thies and Marilyn Barnes left at this time. Question was raised if this fails, then what action will the Board take? Mike Powers said the Board won't take any action. Roger Tree said he is in favor of the park. There is a need for soccer and baseball fields in the community and sees the Youth Sports Parks and Recreation Board Minutes February 22, 1995 Page 9 Complex taking the brunt of this growth and he thinks the Parks and Recreation Master Plan of focusing concentrated activities in one area defeats the purpose of the neighborhood parks. He questions the fact that this Board is only advisory. He further said that it is not fair to use the neighborhood lots as a buffer between the houses and the park. Mary Ness wrapped up the discussion by saying that a program and management plan should be implemented as staff stated when and if we have the final plan; and he does not support shutting down the facility by locking them because there is a small percentage of citizens that force this. On a motion by Eric Reno, seconded by Jessica MacMillan, the Board unanimously (5-0) voted to approve the Southwest Community Park and the Overlay design (if the citizen initiation passes) as presented by staff with further input by citizens. Poudre River Land Use Framework Mike Powers previously sent the Board a copy of the Poudre River Land Use Framework and asked the Board for their recommendation on the plan. The Board Members commended Consultant Kari Henderson on the concise, professional job she did on this plan and also applauded staff for their facilitationof this project. On a motion by Jessica MacMillan, seconded by Rebecca Chavez, the Board unanimously (5-0) voted to recommend to City Council to incorporate this plan into a comprehensive master plan for the Poudre River. The meeting was adjourned at 10:20 p.m. Resp ctfuly submitt f Jackie Rael, Adminis ative Aide II Meeting Attendance BOARD MEMBERS STAFF Mary Ness Marilyn Barnes Rebecca Chavez Sylvia Cranmer Rich Feller Jessica MacMillan Eric Reno Diane Thies Mike Powers Randy Balok Craig Foreman Jean Helburg Janet Meisel Dave Mosnik Jackie Rael Parks and Recreation Board Minutes October 26, 1994 Page 10 Guests Bruce Hardee Dave Bairol Wayne Boyles Jerry Penny Vickie Kelley David Kelley Scott McKinnon Bill Lacock Rick Zier Paul Barker Brian Schumm Norman Whmehead Dave Osborn Ron King Ted Hall Jack Hall Bill Husbaum Leighton Thorne Jim Dwyer Herb Schlicht Dean Meyer Faun Meyer Alex Chapman Vince Laso Robert Cooke Bryan Blakely Debbie Browne Marian Erdal Rasmus Erdal Henry Egger Tobey Yadon Roger Tree Mike Gavin Rich Bourdon Mike Devereaux Susan Bush Deb Harris Eric Harris Norm Warner Ken Kerchenfaut Bill Wright Phil Rogacki Greg Sutton