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HomeMy WebLinkAboutParks And Recreation Board - Minutes - 08/24/2016Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – August 24 2016 Page 1 of 6 BE A GOOD STEWARD: Protect & Respect your Parks, Trails & Recreation Facilities Call Meeting to Order: Scott Sinn called the meeting to order 5:32pm. Agenda Review & Items of Note: Scott Sinn had a meeting with Gino Campana. They discussed, again, how flow of information should work. This was done on a personal level, but Scott wanted to be transparent to the Board. Discussion: None Citizen Participation: None Approval of Minutes: Scott Sinn made the motion to approved the Parks & Recreation Board minutes of July 27, seconded by Bruce Henderson – Minutes Approved: 6:0 Meeting Summary • The Board was informed that CSU is ready to start work on a portion of their Master Plan regarding Centre Avenue Outfall Water Quality Pond & Trail Planning which will create a water quality pond, providing a Stormwater quality benefit before water reaches Spring Creek. The development and construction of the pond would encroach into a portion of the northeast corner of City property which will be developed into Lilac Park. CSU would like to request help from the P&R Board and other boards for a positive outcome to use this portion of land for the Water Quality Pond and Bay Farm Trail extension. The timeframe is accelerated due to the neighborhood expectation to be further developed, and the challenges due to the floodway. Neighborhood meetings are planned in the near future. This Water Quality Pond and the Bay Farm Trail extension will be developed before Lilac Park. Motion: Bruce Henderson made a motion - The P&R Board finds that it would be appropriate for CSU to utilize this portion of the City’s land to develop and construct the water quality pond and trail connectivity with the City’s assistance in the design and immediate neighborhood outreach. Discussion: None Second: Ragan Adams Vote: 8:0 in favor • The Board was updated on the new Downtown Plan. Now that downtown is revitalized it’s time for a new Plan based/driven by Public Outreach. The new Downtown Plan will update the vision, policy direction, and action items for the next 10-20 years. In addition, the new Downtown Plan will incorporate recently completed planning efforts and studies (e.g., the Poudre River Downtown Master Plan, the citywide Pedestrian Plan, and the Bicycle Master Plan) into a comprehensive plan for Downtown Fort Collins. One of the main factors that came from the Public Outreach meetings was that people want a sense of public place that is safe and well maintained. • The Board was updated on the Poudre River Whitewater Park project. The design phase is at 50% design and plans will be submitted to the US Corp of Engineers and FEMA in early September. Work continues to refine the project budget and final site design. The team anticipates starting the formal PDP process after the Corps/FEMA submittals. The project will not pursue the physical modelling of the park, as the project timing and securing additional funding was very challenging. The project is scheduled for a City Council staff update presentation on Sept. 6. • The Board was updated on a 9/11 Memorial event which is scheduled to be held at Spring Park on 9/11 at the future memorial site from 1:00- 5:00. A short ceremony is planned at 3:00. The concept was recently presented to the PFA Board. Neighbors will be notified soon of the memorial concept and receive information about the ceremony. • The Board was informed of a letter that will be sent out providing organizations with the EPIC project information making them aware of the projected November 30 opening date. Staff has also included detailed information on EPIC’s website that will offer a more comprehensive list of renovation projects. 0BPARKS AND RECREATION BOARD MINUTES Regular Meeting Wednesday, August 24, 2016 5:30 p.m. Board Chair: Scott Sinn - 2016 scott.sinn@ymail.com 1BCouncil Liaison: 2BGino Campana – gcampana@fcgov.com 3BStaff Liaisons: 4BMike Calhoon, 970-416-2079 – mcalhoon@fcgov.com Kurt Friesen, 970-221-6618 – kfriesen@fcgov.com Bob Adams, 970-221-6354 – badams@fcgov.com Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – August 24 2016 Page 2 of 6 Full Minutes AGENDA ITEMS: Lilac Park Update The Gardens on Spring Creek and the area noted as Lilac Park was land originally owned by CSU; which was a land transfer to the City in exchange for the trials garden area off of College Avenue; which was vetted through the Natural Areas Board and adopted by Council in 2012. Through CSU’s Master Plan they are ready to start work on the Centre Avenue Outfall Water Quality Pond & Trail Planning which will create a water quality pond, providing a stormwater quality benefit before water reaches Spring Creek. The pond will be northeast of the Spring Creek Trail & Gardens on Spring Creek and west of Centre Avenue, and the trail will link the Spring Creek Trail at the Gardens on Spring Creek to the Bay Farm Trail that goes through CSU campus. Along with the proposed Bay Farm trail extension would be a proposed trail underpass of the Bay Farm trail at Prospect and Centre Avenue. The development and constructions of the pond would encroach into a portion of the northeast corner of City property which will be developed into Lilac Park. CSU would like to request help from the P&R Board and other boards for a positive outcome to use this portion of land for the Water Quality Pond and Bay Farm Trail extension. The timeframe is excelerated due to the neighborhood expectation to be further developed, and the challenges due to the floodway. Neighborhood meetings are planned in the near future. This Water Quality Pond and the Bay Farm Trail extension will be developed before Lilac Park. Discussion Board – Are you working with the Gardens on Spring Creek? Staff – Yes, the Gardens has been involved and looking forward to the improvements this development will make. It will enhance the visitors’ connectivity to the Gardens; and will provide opportunities in partnering with CSU and Natural Areas for classes at the Gardens. Board – If this is a floodway how does that affect the Lilac Park? Are other Parks in floodways? Staff – Yes, there are other parks in floodway areas. The only affect is structures can’t be built in the floodway. Board – What do the neighbors expect? CSU – We’re not sure yet, normally we would have had outreach discussions, but those discussions are planned in the very near future. Board – What is the timeframe for constructions? CSU – Because the area is a floodway, construction would start in the fall/winter of 2016/2017 before spring runoff would be a concern. Board – What’s the size of the spillway? CSU – The berm would be 9’ maximum on the east and into the pond at 4’ it’s a 3-1 slope and about 100’ in length. The pond would only detain a 2 year storm event before flowing over the spillway. It’s not a flood control detention pond; it’s being developed for water quality control into Spring Creek. Board – What do you need from the Board? CSU – A statement that it’s appropriate for CSU to use this City land and as strong proponents work with Kurt Friesen for trail development. Board – Do we have a motion? Motion: Bruce Henderson made a motion - The P&R Board finds that it would be appropriate for CSU to utilize this portion of the City’s land to develop and construct the water quality pond and trail connectivity with the City’s assistance in the design and immediate neighborhood outreach. Discussion: None Second: Ragan Adams Vote: 8:0 in favor Additional Comments from Kurt Friesen, Director of Park Planning & Development pertaining to this project after review of the minutes: There were some conditions to approval of the Lilac Park project that aren’t described clearly enough. These are: 1. The project must provide for future safe trail connections to Spring Creek Trail 2. The project will support a shared CSU/City of FC Stormwater water quality pond on a portion of the park property. 3. The future trail section must be improved from what is currently shown 4. Outreach to the surrounding neighbors will occur regarding the future park project. Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – August 24 2016 Page 3 of 6 Downtown Plan The Downtown Plan was started in 1989 to revitalize downtown. Now that downtown is revitalized it’s time for a new Plan based/driven by Public Outreach. The new Downtown Plan will update the vision, policy direction, and action items for the next 10-20 years. In addition, the new Downtown Plan will incorporate recently completed planning efforts and studies (e.g., the Poudre River Downtown Master Plan, the citywide Pedestrian Plan, and the Bicycle Master Plan) into a comprehensive plan for Downtown Fort Collins. Through some workshops we asked citizens questions that were organized into six topic areas. 1) Arts & Culture 2) Downtown Management 3) Energy & Environment 4) Market & Economy 5) Transportation & Parking and 6) Urban Design. One of the main factors that came from the meetings was that people want a sense of public place that is safe and well maintained. Discussion Board – What about a maintenance shop for Parks? Staff – The Downtown Plan does speak heavily for the need of a Parks Maintenance Shop and Police to provide a safe, clean and inviting place to socialize with downtown being a key economic driver. Board – How is this Plan going to change maintenance needs for the expanded downtown boundary? How did you define the boundaries? Staff – We went to Vine to include Innosphere and the Poudre River Plan. The Boundary was expanded to reflect what’s happening. Board – As boundaries expand will there be funding to maintain these areas? Staff – Yes, policies will speak to this, but funding needs will need to be conveyed if General Fund can’t fund. Staff – As downtown expands and spaces are filled with buildings I think it’s also important to keep green places in downtown for people to recreate. Board – Have you found a spot in Downtown for Nature in the City living wall project? Staff – Yes, it is on the new Utilities Administration Building; but they’re still working on what type of plants work. Board – You talked about a safe, inviting place; but I don’t feel comfortable walking downtown and avoid downtown due to the homeless. Is this issue being addressed? Staff – It is a huge issue, but I’m not sure it’s an issue that can be resolved with this Plan. Board – Could you recommend staffing to deal with the Transient/Homeless issue? Staff – That’s already happening. Board – It sounds like there needs to be clearer language in the Plan about green park spaces in Downtown. Staff – I’ll draft some language and come back to the Board. Board – What about Oak Street Plaza type parks? Board – Perhaps your wording could speak to mini-parks. Board – It would be nice to see Natural Areas in this map too, as they also provide open/green space in this area. Poudre River Whitewater Park Update We have acquired additional property to improve street frontage on Vine which will allow parking and access to the Poudre River Park. The project is in the design phase and we will submit 50% design plans to the US Corp of Engineers and FEMA in early September. Work continues to refine the project budget and final site design. The team anticipates starting the formal PDP process after the Corps/FEMA submittals. The project will not pursue the physical modelling of the park, as the project timing and securing additional funding was very challenging. The project is scheduled for a City Council staff update presentation on Sept. 6. Discussion Board – Is the diversion gone? Staff – Not yet, but we’ll be getting this done along with removal of the head gate and buried infrastructure. Whitewater drops still have to show level of water flow. Board – What about NISP? Staff – This has all been factored in; and we’ve been working with the kayak crew for character with a natural feel. Staff – We talked about the physical model through CSU, but we won’t be pursuing this as funding was not feasible. Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – August 24 2016 Page 4 of 6 Board – When is it planned to be open? Staff – Probably spring of 2018. Board – If the $8.6M doesn’t fund this project, will you be asking for more? Staff – No, this is a budget driven project and the money is finite. Board – Will parks have money to maintain it? Staff – They build money into the project, but only for 5 years, once the 5 years is up Parks will have to ask for the funding in General Fund to continue the level of service for maintenance. Board – Is John Stokes no longer a part of this? Staff – The Poudre River Plan is Natural Areas, but John turns over the implementation and design to Park Planning. Work Plan Update The Board Work Plan needs to be approved by September’s meeting because it is due to the City Clerk’s Office by September 30. I would propose that we each take ownership over a section, rework it, and give it to Carol by September 19. Once our sections are consolidated, she’ll get it back out to the Board by September 21 for our review and we can discuss it in detail for any minor amendments at the September 26 meeting. Discussion Board – I think we should align our work plan with the Strategic Plan as well. This would help eliminate parts of the work plan that are vague. Staff – The Strategic Plan Outcomes our BFO offers are link to: Culture & Recreation, Economic Health, and Neighborhood Livability. Board – Parks, Trails and Recreation should be the three things we focus on. Board – I agree, with three categories we could be more collaborative. Board – I think Communication/Collaboration should also be a topic in our work plan. Board – We are advisors to the City Council we need to know if we are meeting their expectations. Board – Let’s reduce the focus to the four areas and have two members pick which one they want to work on. Parks (Mary & Ken); Recreation (Dawn & Scott); Trails (Ragan & Kelley); and Communication/Collaboration (Jessica & Bruce). Board – Review your area, align with the strategic plan and keep it short and simple. Board – Bruce will work on Vision & Guiding Principles. 9-11 Memorial Update An event is scheduled to be held at Spring Park on 9/11 at the future memorial site from 1:00-5:00. A short ceremony is planned at 3:00. The concept was recently presented to the PFA Board. Neighbors will be notified soon of the memorial concept and receive information about the ceremony. STAFF UPDATES Parks Updates • We want to thank Mary & Dawn for coming to the Parks & Recreation 50th Anniversary. • While they are working on College Avenue, we have coordinated the installation of sleeves to provide water to the center medians along College in the mid-town area. • Since visiting Parks can be difficult during a Board meeting, we will be showcasing our Parks in 5 minute PowerPoint presentations starting with Rolland Moore. • Odell Brewing created a 50th Anniversary commemorative beer for Parks & Recreation. The next P&R Board meeting is September 28 which is the same day as the Cherry-Go-Round Ale release. Would the Board like to reschedule their Board meeting to Monday so they could also attend, if they wanted, the release party? Board – Would everyone be able to meet on Monday, September 26 at 5:30pm at the Park Shop? Board Members unanimously agreed to meet on Monday, September 26. Board – I am fine with meeting on Monday, but will not be attending the beer release party as I don’t feel it is appropriate to promote alcohol. Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – August 24 2016 Page 5 of 6 Recreation Updates Senior Center Security – The Senior Center had some real concerns guests have had with access to the building; and as such the staff did an assessment which involved other City departments for safety recommendations. What we would like to implement is the locking of all the exterior doors which would require everyone to enter through the front doors. All doors would still be available for exit. Requiring guests to enter through the front doors provides a safer environment for staff and guests as staff will know who is in the building. Additionally, it will make anyone using the facility accountable for paying for services they are using. We would appreciate Board support in securing the Senior Center Facility. Board – Do we have a motion? Motion: Bruce Henderson made a motion to support the Senior Center security measures by Recreation. Discussion: None Seconded: Mary Carlson Vote: 6:0 Epic – The week of August 22 Recreation will send a letter to key groups such as Poudre School District, FAST (Fort Collins Area Swim Team) and Swim Team Vortex. This letter will be sent via USPS and email. The letter will provide organizations with project information and let them know about the projected November 30 opening date. We have also included detailed information on EPIC’s website that will offer a more comprehensive list of renovation projects. The communication we send out to the public will suggest they visit fcgov.com/epic or contact the Aquatic Supervisor for more information. Therapy Pool and Tile Replacement Improvement Information: Therapy Pool AIS is going to City Council on September 6 total cost $600,000. • One Option – find the funding at this time and open the therapy pool as soon as possible. • Second Option: Do not fund and do not open the therapy pool. (Loss Revenue of approximately $70,000 - $90,000 annually in program revenue). Board – What’s in reserves? Staff – Approximately $1.7M so after this renovation it will be around $1.1M and it’s what the reserves are there for. Park Planning Updates • Fee analysis is being reviewed now. • The additional $1.6M funding needed to realize the complete park design has been approved by City Council. The park has officially been named “Twin Silo Park”, as approved by the City Manager’s office. A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for August 29, 4:00 at the park site. • Park Planning and Development participated in the City’s Volunteer appreciation event at City Park on August 18. Several hundred volunteers, staff, and city leadership had the opportunity to stop by our tent and provide input on the project goals, concepts, character and anything they wanted. • Maple Hill Park will start construction over the winter and be open for summer 2017. The 7 acre neighborhood park project is currently in the design phase. Listening Session Ideas for Council: None Bicycle Advisory Board Liaison Update: None Schedule of Articles/Calendar: Dawn will create a calendar of items of interest and send to Board members. Bullet Points • Board was informed of the CSU’s need for a portion of City owned land what will be Lilac Park in order to develop their Water Quality Pond, which will also include a trail connection to Spring Creek Trail. Board agreed that CSU’s project warranted the need to include a portion of the City owned land. • The Board was updated on the new Downtown Plan’s vision, policy direction, and action items for the next 10-20 years. • The Board was updated on the Poudre River Whitewater Park project design phase. Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – August 24 2016 Page 6 of 6 • The Board was updated on a 9/11 Memorial event that is scheduled to be held at Spring Park on 9/11 at the future memorial site. • The Board was updated on the EPIC project and informed of a letter being sent out providing organizations with the EPIC project information and making them aware of the projected November 30 opening date. Adjournment: Meeting adjourned 9:00pm Respectfully submitted, Carol Rankin Board Approved Minutes 9/26 – 6:0 Board Attendance Board Members: Ragan Adams, Mary Carlson, Brian Carroll, Bruce Henderson, Kenneth Layton, Scott Sinn, Kelly Smith, Dawn Theis Staff: Bob Adams, Mike Calhoon, Kurt Friesen, Carol Rankin, Coleen Elliott, Michelle Provaznik, Clark Mapes, Ken Sampley Guest: CSU Representatives: Fred Haberecht, Landscape Architect