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HomeMy WebLinkAboutParks And Recreation Board - Minutes - 10/23/2013Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – October 23, 2013 Page 1 of 4 BE A GOOD STEWARD: Protect & Respect your Parks, Trails & Recreation Facilities Call Meeting to Order: Bruce Henderson called the meeting to order 5:30pm. Agenda Review & Items of Note: None Citizen Participation: None Approval of Minutes: No Discussion. Jessica MacMillan made the motion to approve the Parks & Recreation Board minutes of September 25, 2013, seconded by Ragan Adams – Minutes approved 5:0 Meeting Summary  The SE Community Park is the newest Community Park being designed; and lighted fields are being proposed as part of the design. There is a demand for additional fields in the south part of Fort Collins and including lit fields will provide additional opportunities to serve the community. Bottom line, as the population grows there is a need to keep pace with the community needs and service levels expected of a world class community.  Board approved, with a vote of 5:0, the 2014 Work Plan and Meeting Schedule.  Marty Heffernan provided an update on the Trail Impact Fee and Park Maintenance Impact Fee. The Trail fee would provide capital money to build trails and is a one-time fee on new residential construction, like our park fees. The Park Maintenance Fee would be a new fee on the monthly Utility Bill to help pay for park maintenance. Board discussed the proposed Parks Maintenance Fee and Trail Impact Fee, and Council’s direction to staff to provide alternative funding options for these items for their review.  The P&R Board would like to thank Council Liaison, Gino Campana, for taking time out of his busy scheduled to attend the October P&R Board meeting and appreciated his input. PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD MINUTES Regular Meeting Wednesday, October 23, 2013 5:30 p.m. Board Chair: Bruce Henderson, Chair 2013 bmhender6@gmail.com Council Liaison: Gino Campana – gcampana@fcgov.com Staff Liaisons: J.R. Schnelzer, 970-221-6301 – jrschnelzer@fcgov.com Craig Foreman, 970-221-6618 – cforeman@fcgov.com Bob Adams, 970-221-6354 – badams@fcgov.com Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – October 23, 2013 Page 2 of 4 Full Minutes AGENDA ITEMS: Southeast Community Park Update – Marc Rademacher, Recreation Sports Supervisor The SE Community Park is the newest Community Park being designed; and lighted fields are being proposed as part of the design. The following information will be presented at the next open house on October 24. Looking at the numbers, there is a definite need for additional sports fields in the Park system.  There has been an increase in youth sports and from 2006-2007 turf sports have increased by 11%.  It is estimated that over 14,517 people used turf and diamond sports fields last year.  The need for fields in South Fort Collins is especially relevant as Recreation alone has 65% participants in sports living in South Fort Collins, and over 1,189 Fort Collins residents have migrated to Windsor Recreation facilities because of the lack of fields in South Fort Collins.  By adding the ball fields and turf fields at the SE Community Park, commuting to north Fort Collins will be reduced saving time and energy. The need for Light  Providing lit ball fields and lit turf fields will allow us to serve more people by providing more activities after the sun goes down.  There have been no lit ball fields added since 2004 and there a no lit turf fields in the Park system.  Fort Collins is ranked last when compared with other Front Range communities, especially when it comes to available lit fields/per population; as an example, Loveland has 15 lit fields per 70,000 citizens whereas Fort Collins only has 12 lit fields per 148,000 citizens. Bottom Line  As the population grows there is a need to keep pace with the community needs and service levels expected of a world class community. Discussion Board – Is there a way to measure lost opportunities? This could be a powerful metric. Staff – I’m not sure if there is a way to show this other than through the amount of our citizens that are going to other communities for their recreational activities. Board – Do you have a way to show use of fields scheduled – lit vs. unlit? How much “rest” does a field need to be properly maintained? Staff – We could probably get this information. Board – The growth vs. need is an example of the triple-bottom line in sustainability by reducing drive time. Board – Adding information about mitigation for light, noise and traffic would be beneficial. Staff – It really becomes and education effort, showing that the SE park has always been planned as a Community Park. 2014 P&R Board Work Plan & Meeting Schedule – Board Discussion The Board discussed some minor amendments to the 2014 Work Plan in rewording some items and eliminating completed items. Items that were added new are:  Goals: Continue to look for opportunities for connecting to the community; and they changed  Budget: Provide input to the 2015/2016 Budgeting for Outcomes (BFO) process  Communication: When Parks & Recreation matters are being review by City Council, meet with Council members and/or attend Council Meeting to provide Council with the Board's recommendations  Parks: Explore opportunities for better designed dog parks  Parks: Review and provide input on Midtown Plan and Lincoln Corridor Plan related to: Pocket Parks, Street Scrapes, Medians  Recreation: Review and provide input on audio/visual issues at Recreational facilities  Other Projects/Programs: Monitor the proposed smoking ban in Parks and on the Trails  Other Projects/Programs: Review and provide input on updates to the Parks and Recreation Policy Plan MOTION: Ragan Adams made the motion to approve the 2104 P&R Board Work Plan and Meeting Schedule subject to the modifications made as discussed. Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – October 23, 2013 Page 3 of 4 Second: Jessica MacMillan VOTE: 5:0 Carol Rankin will update the document and distribute to the P&R Board via email for final review prior to submitting to the City Clerk’s Office by November 30. Park Maintenance Fee & Trail Impact Fee Update – Marty Heffernan, Community Services Director The Trail fee would provide capital money to build trails and is a one-time fee on new residential construction, like our park fees. The Park Maintenance Fee would be a new fee on the monthly Utility Bill to help pay for park maintenance. This would allow Conservation Trust funding that is now used for maintenance to be used for trail construction. Some members of Council have expressed interest in all ConTrust money being put back into trail construction and not used for Parks O&M. The Parks O&M has been backfilled by Natural Areas, but this will no longer be an option after 2014 because Natural Areas needs the money in case the County ¼ ¢ tax for Natural Areas goes away in 2018. So an alternate funding source will need to be in place. Council has asked that we provide information on all possible options to fund trails. Discussion Board – It just seems that an on-going maintenance fee on the Utility Bill would be best since it would be community- wide and everyone in the community uses the parks or trails in some way. Staff – The Streets Maintenance Fee is a first priority; so that’s why we need to bring other options to Council. Board – Citizens expect proper street maintenance, fire protection, police, etc. which should be funded through the general fund. If a park maintenance fee was established, that would free up general fund money and everyone would be helping to pay for the O&M of parks. Staff – If we can get a trail impact fee it will allow us build out the trail in about 15-20 years. Without this fee it could be 53 years before the trail is built out. Board – If packaged correctly, the Trail Maintenance Fee and Street Maintenance Fee could work together. Staff – We’ll come back to the Board when we have other options for review. P&R Board Annual Report for 2013 – Board Discussion Board tabled this discussion for the December Board meeting, asking board members to bring three items of accomplishments from the work plan items they were assigned to this last year. STAFF UPDATES Parks Updates  Introduced Jill Wuertz, Parks new Special Projects Manager  Holiday lights ready to turn on – on November 1 at 6:30pm with a lighting ceremony at Oak Street Plaza Park  Working with PSD on the possibility of a joint maintenance facility at the SE Community Park  The 2015/2016 BFO process will be starting this spring.  Busy winterizing parks and converting mowers to brooms for snow removal  In the process of hiring a new park ranger  The restroom at Collindale being rebuilt in Spring Recreation Updates  Ground breaking ceremony for the Senior Center Expansion project was Saturday, October 15. For expansion updates you can visit us at http://www.fcgov.com/recreation/seniorcenter.php  We’ll be sharing the results of the SE Recreation Facility feasibility study with City Council and will bring this to the Board next meeting.  Treatsylvania, Bow Wowvania will be at the Farm at Lee Martinez and Hogwarts will be at the Youth Activity Center. Park Planning Updates  Kathleen Benedict has resigned to pursue a new career path with Poudre Heritage Alliance  We are looking at 5.2 acres for a park next to Bacon Elementary  Recreational Trail Master Plan is going to City Council  Craig Foreman was awarded a lifetime achievement Fellow Award from Colorado Parks & Recreation Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – October 23, 2013 Page 4 of 4 Bicycle Advisory Board Liaison Update – Ragan Adams If anyone has questions about the Stop as Yield initiative information can be found at http://www.fcgov.com/common/pdfs/spotlight-pdf.php?id=753. The SLOT analysis chart helps define the good/bad/ugly of the initiative and shows why it is a much broader issue than simply yielding at a stop sign. Board Work Plan Items – Updates  Budget – Bruce Henderson – No Update  Communications – Jessica MacMillan & Dawn Theis – No Update  Sustainable Practices – Scott Sinn – No Update  Parks & Disc Golf – Michael Chalona – No Update  Trails – Ragan Adams & Brian Carroll – No Update, but comment on how nice the Natural Area renovation is looking at the Shields Bridge.  Recreation – Richard Barnhart – No Updates  Other Projects/Programs – No Updates  Natural Areas – Brian Carroll  River & NISP – Scott Sinn  Great Lawn & Community Gardens – Bruce Henderson Schedule of Articles/Calendar Met with Kathleen Duff for feedback on the articles, and she would like us to share our ideas for the upcoming articles. She likes our articles and uses as centerpieces for the paper, and if she knows about upcoming articles she can help with pictures; we can include pictures or ideas for pictures. She said to avoid themes already used in other articles such as bikes or political. Ideas for upcoming articles are: Youth Programs, Park Themes, Dog Parks, and Healthy Lifestyles. Upcoming articles are: December – Ragan Adams, article on Recreation’s scholarships Calendar Items: November 6 – Awards Dinner for Boards & Commission Members (Lincoln Center – 5:30pm-7:00pm) December 17 – Road to Zero Waste January 14 – Water Supply Management Action Plan Calendar can be found at: http://www.fcgov.com/events/ Bullet Points  Board reviewed and approved (subject to the modifications) the 2014 Work Plan and Meeting Schedule.  Board discussed the proposed Parks Maintenance Fee and Trail Impact Fee, and Council’s direction to staff to provide alternative funding options for these items for their review.  The P&R Board would like to thank Council Liaison, Gino Campana, for taking time out of his busy scheduled to attend the October P&R Board meeting and appreciated his input. Adjournment: Meeting adjourned 7:50pm Respectfully submitted, VtÜÉÄ etÇ~|Ç Carol Rankin Administrative Supervisor Parks On 1/22 - Board approved October Minutes: 7:0 Board Attendance Board Members: Ragan Adams, Brian Carroll, Bruce Henderson, Jessica MacMillan, Dawn Theis Staff: Craig Foreman, JR Schnelzer, Bob Adams, Carol Rankin; Marty Heffernan, Marc Rademacher, Jill Wuertz Guests: Gino Campana, Council Liaison