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HomeMy WebLinkAboutParks And Recreation Board - Minutes - 04/26/2017Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – April 26, 2017 Page 1 of 8 BE A GOOD STEWARD: Protect & Respect your Parks, Trails & Recreation Facilities Call Meeting to Order: Scott Sinn called the meeting to order at 5:30 PM Agenda Review & Items of Note: None Citizen Participation: None Approval of Minutes: Jessica MacMillian made the motion to approve the Parks & Recreation Board minutes of March 22, 2017. Kelly Smith second. Passed 7:0 Meeting Summary  The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) will have a significant impact on the Fort Collins Community. The pest was confirmed in Boulder, Colorado September 26, 2013, but may have been here for a year or two. Steps the City of Fort Collins is taking right now include: Conducting an inventory of all Ash trees on City property to determine which trees may be treated, developing a strategy that would target about 2400 Ash trees to be treated over a 3 year period, developing an Ash replacement strategy, prohibiting the planting of future Ash trees and adjusting development review to ensure ash are not used on current and future development sites.  Staff provided an update on the Capital Expansion Fees City Council work session and reviewed changes made. City Council had asked staff to take a closer look at existing standards and the methodology behind how standards are determined. Staff identified gaps in the Parks & Recreation plan for recreation facility needs in parks, identified community desired elements, provide comparable elements, and finally, emerging trends.  Bob Adams presented an update on Recreation action items that have been implemented and planned for the year of 2017. PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD MINUTES Regular Meeting Wednesday, April 26, 2017 5:30 p.m. Board Chair: Scott Sinn – 2017 scott.sinn@ymail.com Council Liaison: Ken Summers - ksummers@fcgov.com Staff Liaisons: Mike 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 – April 26, 2017 Page 2 of 8 Full Minutes AGENDA ITEMS: Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) Update – Ralph Zentz - Senior Urban Forester Native to Asia, the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is an extremely destructive insect of ash trees (Fraxinus species). This pest has become established in many parts of the United States and Canada, including Colorado. It is extremely damaging to all North American species of ash (Fraxinus), including green and white ash, which are very common in Colorado landscape settings. Since the detection of EAB in Boulder County in 2013, many communities have become increasingly concerned about the impacts that this invasive insect will have on our urban forests. The City of Fort Collins Forestry Division manages over 51,000 trees on public property, 8200 (or 16-percent) of which are ash trees. The Fort Collins, CO Community Resource Assessment (Davey Resource Group, April 2016) document estimates a total of 67,000 ash trees (on public and private property) within the City’s urban growth area. This represents 15% of the total tree population but almost 33% of the total canopy cover. The loss of thousands of ash trees will have a significant negative impact on the urban forest and the Fort Collins’ community. It is not a matter of “if” this pest will get here, it is a matter of “when.” The Emerald Ash Borer Management and Response Plan details the major considerations of preparing for and responding to the inevitable EAB infestation. The plan includes overall long-term impacts to our urban forest. The five components are as follows: 1) What Forestry is doing in preparation for the arrival of EAB 2) How Forestry will manage (chemical treatment, pruning, and removal of trees) in regards to EAB once it is detected within or near Fort Collins 3) Wood utilization management and dealing with excess amounts of EAB infested material 4) Projected impacts to City Forestry resources going forward and funding to manage this natural disaster, including deferred maintenance issues 5) The importance and scope of public education and outreach The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) will have a significant impact on the Fort Collins Community. The City is, to the extent reasonably feasible prepared to respond to the impending infestation. In fact, some of the management options are already in effect. The management plan is designed to inform key decision makers and the public on how Forestry is prepared to meet the infestation using a comprehensive, proactive approach. This integrated approach consists of a balance between tree removal, prompt replacement of removed trees, shadow planting, properly timed insecticide injections, use of biological agents and ongoing public outreach. Managing an EAB infestation will have a direct impact on Forestry providing normal core services for several years. Fort Collins’ EAB management plan will remain dynamic and adaptable as the situation in our community changes. Discussion Board – How do you quarantine a bug? Staff – The quarantines consist of a legal document that says it is illegal to move Ash material out of that county. Except that there is no enforcement other than voluntary compliance. There is not enough money in the industry to hire inspectors. Board – When you go look at a tree do you have to wear some form of protected clothing to prevent cross- contamination? Staff – The potential is there. However, research has shown it isn’t too much of a threat and is unlikely. Board – What do you do to prevent the spread of EAB in a disposed of tree? Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – April 26, 2017 Page 3 of 8 Staff – As long as you don’t leave the quarantine zone, it should be fine. Otherwise, you must treat the wood in a kiln, or you can run it through a chipper & grinder to a 1x1 inch chip. Burning small amounts of contaminated wood at a time is also an option. Board – How long does it take for a tree to die from EAB? Staff – It depends on the condition of the tree & EAB population, but it can take as little as one year up to 3-4 years. Board – Do you think the EAB can be contained to Longmont? Staff – I don’t think so. Natural spread bringing it north to Larimer would be slow, but it’s only going to take a small amount of wood or debris to allow it to establish. Board – What kind of trees are you shadow planting? Staff – We have a lot of good trees. Oaks, Lindens, Kentucky Coffeetree, etc Board – Are you trying to incorporate more tree diversity? Staff – Yes, we are working to plant no more than 10% of any species. Board – Are local nurseries still selling Ash trees? Staff – Nurseries are still selling Ash trees. We currently don’t have the ability to regulate that industry. Overtime they will hopefully phase them out. Local nurseries have reduced their inventory of ashes by 95%. Board – In your mitigation tactics, have you talked about a public outreach campaign? Staff – We have accomplished some of that and have plans to ramp it up soon. We have a good relationship with a reporter at the Coloradoan who has educated herself about the EAB to include in her articles. We’ve also been invited to come to more & more HOA meetings which really help to get the word out. Board – Do they inject into the same holes every 3 years with the insecticide? Staff – No, they would have to drill new holes each treatment. But based on the timeframe between each treatment, it should allow trees to heal the drill site before the next treatment in three years. Board – How much is the estimated cost to treat a tree? Staff – Based on Boulder & Longmont numbers, we believe we could get it to $5-6 per inch of diameter of the tree. The cost may be closer to $12-15 for private citizens due to quantity. Board – Are there good examples from the Midwest of this method holding the EAB at bay? Staff – Yes, I spoke with the forester in Fort Wayne, IN and they have been successfully treating 600 trees for years. Board – How long from past examples have in the east? Staff – 10-14 years, but they also have a larger number of naturally occurring Ash. Board – Do homeowners have access to apply it or do only licensed arborists? Staff – For this method, it does take training and a precise method to be effective, so only a licensed arborist should. Board – Do large arborist companies in Larimer County travel to & from Boulder County? Staff – All our community arborists have signed an agreement not to transport Ash trees. We also feel we may be at risk due to the location of the county landfill and proximity to Colorado. It is a threat. Any chips they would bring would need to be 1 inch by 1 inch. Board – Could we get them to agree not to use equipment in Larimer County if it was used in Boulder County? Or wash off their equipment & trucks? Staff – We can check on that. It would likely need to be voluntary, but we can look into companies that work at both counties. The biggest issue is the firewood. We’re only one load of firewood away. Board – How many have you identified on the CSU campus? Staff – CSU has an arborist, and they have already done a survey of their trees. They have already worked to identify & prioritize trees for long term treatment. Board – Since we have some time before EAB arrives, has anybody talked about the idea of starting a fund for private citizens would love to treat or replace their trees? Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – April 26, 2017 Page 4 of 8 Staff – There is a little bit about that in the management plan. We’ll have to talk to see if a fund can be established. Board – What is the typical life of an Ash tree so that if someone were to undertake treatment for the rest of it’s life, how long would that be? Staff – Our environment can damage a single species. The recent drought was really rough on Ash trees. It’s hard to say overall, but the life span could be up to 110-140 years old. Our viewpoint is it would be better to try and replace the smaller trees now and increase the biodiversity of our community, so we also don’t overuse the insecticide and introduce other possible risks. Rob Cagen made the motion to support the Emerald Ash Borer Management Plan, Bruce Henderson seconded, Passed 7:0 Capital Expansion Fee (CEF) Update – Kurt Friesen  Update on what the Council Work Session discussed. Council asked that we (Park Planning, Parks & Recreation departments) take a closer look at our standards and how our standards are determined. We first identified gaps in the Parks & Recreation plan for recreation facility needs in parks, identified community desired elements, provide comparable elements, and finally, emerging trends. We listed features for Community & Neighborhood Parks & broke these features into element costs to compare the features within a park and the overall cost of the feature elements. We then added in the construction costs to the comparison. o Summary of Council Comments: City Council requested greater visibility in the process of Community Park development. In the future, we’ll provide the City Council with more frequent updates in the Community Park planning process & what will be included in it. Update & evaluate guidelines for Neighborhood & Community Parks. What are the criteria that other benchmarks communities are using and how do they compare to ours? What role do private parks play within the city, park location & park density? Those that are concerned about the fees feel like they haven’t been involved enough in the process & recommended some working groups for an ongoing process. There were debate and discussion about dropping out Twin Silos Park from the calculation. What about looking forward to future building? We’re looking back at the past, what about looking forward? The next steps are to meet with the council finance committee on Friday. There should be a decision on May 16th. Discussion Board – How large is Spring Canyon Park? Staff – Spring Canyon & Fossil Creek are 100-acre parks. Twin Silos is 52 acres. Board – What is their reasoning for considering removing Twin Silos? The cost of land isn’t going down. Staff – It would lower the overall cost. The choices they had were to raise the capital expansion fee, drop the level of service, or we could supplement with some other form of income. Board – Have they decided what they’re going to do? Staff – There are a few recommendations on the table. They’re discussing phasing & impact of phasing in the increase of the fee. Board – This is just for new home sales, correct? Staff – Correct. Board – You’re going to run out of places to build new parks, right? Staff – Yes. We also may not be able to afford a new park without the increase in capital expansion fees. It would be 20 years to fill the $22 million shortfalls. Board – How much are building & utility fees going up? Staff – I can’t speak to all of that data. Tiana is the content expert there. Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – April 26, 2017 Page 5 of 8 Board - As I understand it, people younger than me are looking for experiences rather than things. We can’t go away from increasing those opportunities in thinking about the future and what people are choosing going forward. I also worry about an increase in undesirable juvenile activity if we don’t provide the adequate parks. That could end up costing the city in other areas. I support an increase in CEFs. I can’t really say by how much, but I do agree they should be increased. Rob Cagen made the motion to support an increase in Capital Expansion Fees. Dawn Theis seconded, Passed 7:0 Action Items Update – Bob Adams  In 2014 Recreation Staff and identified key stakeholders developed the current Recreation Operation Plan. Key items were the Department Mission, Vision, & Values )aligned to the City of Fort Collins strategy maps) and Operational Priorities. From key items, we established specific goals to meet each priority & created action items to meet each goal.  Implemented Action Items by Operational Priority: o Healthy Organizational Culture  Incorporate the values, mission, and vision into our annual performance goals & decision making.  Create branding/education tools that illustrate department values, mission and vision are easily recognizable in multiple formats for users and staff.  Ensure that values, mission, and vision are part of every quarterly all-staff meeting.  Develop a training opportunity application, including criteria for supervisor approval including the expectation that staff report back to peers on their experience and how what they learned can be applied in Fort Collins.  Evaluate professional development and networking opportunities that align with job duties, responsibilities, and interests to manage staff involvement in professional organizations.  Create a plan to begin a review of the department’s organizational structure to address current silos, impending retirements, workloads, cross-functioning teams and succession planning  Email all e-newsletters to classified staff with the intent of distributing to all levels within the department  The recreation morale incentive team will host a least eight activities per year  Develop and implemented a process to keep website current and up to date (internal/external) o Financial Sustainability & Resourcefulness  Establish a refund policy. Implemented February 2, 2017  Identify and research alternative revenue sources (grants, foundations, sponsorships, special reserve accounts, etc.) Recreation Reserves fee February 2, 2017. Donation Program - 2017. Staff research and apply for grants. Sponsorship and Special Events.  Develop a centralized volunteer management system to address training expectations and consistencies, etc. A city-wide tool has been developed in https://engage.fcgov.com/ o Model Service Delivery Standards/Best Practices Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – April 26, 2017 Page 6 of 8  Create an annual customer (internal/external) feedback process to identify recreation needs, interest and trends to help develop innovative services, implement pilot programs based on feedback.  Develop a comprehensive internship program/manual for the department  Complete the re-accreditation process for the senior center. Completed April 2016, good five years. o Strong Community and Customer Relationships  Host annual public open houses to tell “our story” and gather citizen input on community needs and interests. Programs implemented are CityWorks 101, Rec on Record, & Coffee with Bob.  Integrate the CPIO Public Engagement Guide into our public input process. Communication Staff Certified  Create an annual report telling “our story” to be used as a public outreach tool including posting online  Develop Department-wide branding campaign to communicate the “benefits of recreation” to the community. I Am Fort Collins video o Smart Use of Evolving Technology  Identify and prioritize new technology needs and identify funding sources to close gaps. Quarterly scheduled meetings with IT to go over projects and timelines highlighted and tracked on Sharepoint. o 2017 Action Items  Upgrade time clock plus to interface with JDE  Develop detailed Activity Program Plans & Program Summaries to evaluate all programs  Establish a new reduced rate policy  Create a department-wide equipment lifecycle replacement program  Restructure the facility module in RecTrac to allow consistent application  CAPRA Accreditation – National Parks and Recreation Accreditation  Create an onboarding process for all Recreation staff Discussion Board – What kind of recognition do donors get? Staff – We’re going to be putting up a donors wall at EPIC, similar to the Senior Center Board – How long have you been with the city, Bob? Staff – Just about six years. Board – Thank you for providing this update. It’s great to see how you are leading the department. Staff – How do we access Coffee with Bob? Board – There is a Coffee with Bob mentioned in the Recreator (page 99.) You can also come to ask questions a Rec on Record, which is the live talk show we host at the Senior Center at 11 AM the third Thursday of every month. STAFF UPDATES: Park Planning Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – April 26, 2017 Page 7 of 8  Maple Hill groundbreaking scheduled for May 22nd at 4 PM. We don’t normally have a groundbreaking for a neighborhood park, but the neighborhood is very excited and involved and had requested something.  Entering into Phase 2 of the Avery Park revamp, including a new shelter, restroom & artwork.  Front Range Trail work will begin soon (June 1st) should take about three months.  Poudre Whitewater Park Project will be moving into the construction phase now that we have a builder selected.  Twin Silo Park is going great and is moving into the planting phase. The play barn will be going in soon. Shelters & restrooms are up. We’ll be looking into a visit for you all soon. Discussion Board – When will the spur from Lincoln Junior High to the trail be completed? Staff – We’ve submitted for an Inspire Grant for that project, which is driven by what the users want as a citizen & for children. If that is selected, we’ll be able to fund it. I don’t have the timeframe details with me currently. Parks  Hiring park technicians for Twin Silos Park  Fence repairs at Spring Canyon Park  First game for CSU Baseball at City Park baseball fields  Restroom openings for all parks are underway.  Job Fair – Hired ~20 people for seasonal staff positions.  Maintenance staff completed seasonal cleaning.  22 interments at the cemetery.  Major tree pruning project on La Porte Ave.  Ordered 36 new Yamaha golf carts to go to Collindale Golf Course  Arbor Day - Shepardson Elementary 14 tree planting & a presentation at all schools in the PSD and receive a seedling tree. It has provided over 50,000 trees in the city Recreation  Summer registration is coming up Thursday, May 4th  Spring Spectacular ice show May 5th & 6th @ EPIC  Kids to Parks Day is a national program that is a part of Kites in the Park May 21st @ Spring Canyon  We implemented air quality & heat policies last year and have published those in the Recreator this year. Schedule of Articles  Rob Cagen will be submitting the next Recreator article, which is due June 9th BAC Report Parks & Recreation Board Meeting – April 26, 2017 Page 8 of 8  Bill in the Colorado House to define categories of electrical bicycles and give municipalities the right to regulate them. Ragan proposed the drafting of white papers to make recommendations for city regulations. That proposal is going to the Transportation board. Bullet Points  Emerald Ash Borer Management Plan  Capital Expansion Fee Updates  Recreation Action Item Updates Adjournment: Respectfully submitted, Coleen Elliott Board Attendance Board Members: Rob Cagen, Mary Carlson, Bruce Henderson, Jessica MacMillan, Scott Sinn, Kelly Smith, Dawn Theis Staff: Wendy Williams, Bob Adams, Ralph Zentz, Kurt Friesen, Tim Buchanan Guest: Robert Kingsbury – Observing