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HomeMy WebLinkAboutParks And Recreation Board - Minutes - 07/27/2016Parks & Recreation Board Meeting –July 27, 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 5:34pm. Agenda Review & Items of Note: Discussion: Board: Were their June updates from Park Planning? Staff: None were provided. Citizen Participation: None Approval of Minutes: Jessica MacMillan made the motion to approved the Parks & Recreation Board minutes of June 22, seconded by Bruce Henderson – Minutes Approved: 9:0 Meeting Summary • Tim Buchanan provided a draft of the Tree Protection Guidelines Slacklining Policy for placing slackline over 60 feet in length between two trees; which will accommodate more advanced slacklining skill level with higher attachment and longer span. This policy addresses the three major concerns of User Safety, Safety for the other Park Users and Safety for the Trees. Board moved to approve of the updated policy with a vote of 9:0 • Gino Campana attended the P&R Board Meeting for the Council Liaison Periodic Review for Boards. The Board discussed various issues with Gino with regard to the review. • The Board had an open discussion with Staff and the Council Liaison to air their concerns with communication as it pertained to the additional funding being requested to build the Twin Silo Community Park (formerly Southeast Community Park). The Board did move to support Council’s decision to fully fund the construction from the Capital Expansion Fund reserves with a vote of 8:1 • The Board moved to approve the BFO Letter of Recommendation as written by Scott Sinn with a vote of 9:0 0BPARKS AND RECREATION BOARD MINUTES Regular Meeting Wednesday, July 27, 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 –July 27, 2016 Page 2 of 6 Full Minutes AGENDA ITEMS: Slacklining Policy Review – Update – Tim Buchanan Tim Buchanan provided a draft of the Tree Protection Guidelines Slacklining Policy for placing a slackline over 60 feet in length between two trees. Highlights of requirements include: 1) Request for permission from the City Forester to place slackline over 60’ in length. 2) City Forester will provide specific locations where this slacklining can be done. 3) Trees must be at least 24” in diameter measured at 4’ above the ground. 4) Point of attachment shall not be greater than 10’ above ground. 5) Adequate padding must be in place to protect the tree at the point of attachment. 6) Safety Cones shall be placed along the slackline length. This policy addresses the three major concerns of User Safety, Safety for the other Park Users and Safety for the Trees. Discussion Board – How popular is slacklining? Staff – Not sure, but it does seem to be increasing. Board – How does someone get these guidelines? Staff – On-line, phone, email and Park Rangers. Board – This policy is really complete, but you may want to be more specific with how many cones should be along the length of the slackline. Board – What if someone found a location they felt would work for the distance. Staff – They can contact Tim and he’ll check it out and let them know if it would be okay. Board – How long is the permit good for? Staff – One year and then check-in with Forester to see about any updates. Motion: Ragan Adams made the motion to approve the Slacklining Policy with the inclusion of specifics on delineation of cones and a one year permit meeting to check annually for updates. Bruce Henderson seconded the motion Discussion: None Vote: 9:0 in favor Council Liaison Periodic Review of Board – Gino Campana Scott Sinn read, from the P&R Board Bylaws, the Purpose of the Board. The Board shall act as an advisory board and shall have the following functions: a. To advise and make recommendations to the Community Services Director and the City Council for their approval as to rules, regulations, policies, administrative and budgetary matters pertaining to parks and recreation but excluding matters relating to the operation and maintenance of City-owned golf courses and cemeteries; b. To assist the City in cooperating with the Poudre School District and other organizations and individuals interested in the City’s parks and recreation programs; c. To promote community awareness and understanding of, and appreciation for, the value of parks and recreation as a resource contributing to the quality of life in Fort Collins. Parks & Recreation Board Meeting –July 27, 2016 Page 3 of 6 Discussion Gino – In reviewing the Periodic Review Questionnaire from the Parks & Recreation Board there were a couple of questions I wanted to review with you. #4 – The Board noted that an improvement would center on more exposure of the Board members to the different facilities/parks throughout the community. Staff should be able to accommodate this request. Board Member: We do have meeting a various facilities so I’m not sure what was meant by this? Board Member: I made the suggestion more as a desire to continue to have meetings at various locations and perhaps an occasional field trip. #6 – The Board noted that, when warranted, more direct contact with the liaison would be appreciated. I would be happy to meet informally one-on-one any time. Also, I’m not getting the Board minutes and I do read the minutes to stay aware of what’s happening. Staff: We’ll ensure you are copied on the Board minutes. Board Member: I think Board members meeting with you one-on-one should make the other members aware of the conversation if you’re talking on behalf of the Board. Board - I think we should also continue to work with the Poudre School District partnership. I heard there was a meeting at Eastside Park about a fence. Staff - The fence is actually being put up by PSD on PSD owned land, Parks helped to facilitate a meeting with PSD and the neighborhood prior to the fence being built so that neighbors would be informed. In the end there has been a good resolution as the fence is being modified per neighborhood concerns. Staff – Staff will notify the Board about meetings when the meeting involves bylaws, goals or work plan items. Board – What about the refreshing of parks? Staff – Refreshing is on a Council work session; and City Park is a pilot to see what works. It will be funded with BOB I money and we’ll do a PDCA to refine it for other parks. Refreshing will be a part of the Parks Master Plan when it’s updated in 2 years, but we’re working on vetting ideas and processes now so we’re ready with viable updates to the Plan when it needs to be done. Board Member: At the Council Meeting the other evening, it was awkward when Bruce spoke after Scott had already spoken for the Board. Board Member: What was said was just to emphasize what was in the letter Scott read. Gino: It would have been better to know of your concerns prior to the meeting. Staff: Including Gino on Board email discussions would be helpful. Gino: Review PDCA with Southeast Community Park issues to develop better processes for the next park being developed. Gino: I do think there is a great team here with Staff and the P&R Board. If something is broken in communication with staff or Council, we’ll work toward fixing it. The Board needs to give direction to staff on what you need. Board – I was embarrassed as a Board member not having heard about the need for additional funding for the Southeast Community Park. I went through three years of minutes and in all of the discussions, not one addressed this concern. Staff talked about money issues, but never specifics dollars. We need to build on this so we can do better because I think the Board may have been able to provide ideas on cost savings; and at the least it would have been nice to have had a voice. Staff –We are required to provide a “Level of Service” standard in the parks that are built; but we didn’t communicate the shortfall as we should have due to some unforeseen circumstances and this was compounded by not being able to attend the June Board meeting to provide an adequate update. Board – I see the Board as part of a three-legged stool. Gino – Actually, it’s not a three-legged stool; the Boards work for Council. The Board dives into issues and makes recommendations to Council. Council goes to Darin and Darin goes to Staff. At this point, we can’t fix the past, so we need to move forward. Board – Why couldn’t the items have been tabled? Gino – The Council Agenda had already been published and work has already started on the Park. The Council had meetings and knew about the funding needs; I thought the Board was aware. I think everyone had good intensions, but I’m willing to publicly clear the air with Council and the public at the next Council meeting about the work the P&R Board does. Parks & Recreation Board Meeting –July 27, 2016 Page 4 of 6 Staff – Another reason the item couldn’t wait, was because the information was discussed at a Council work session and Staff was coming up with options but it went to the paper the day after the meeting. Staff was trying to get information out, but the paper beat us to it and everyone was reacting. Board – I think we should work on a letter with Gino. Gino – If you want to provide me with a letter of what you would like me to say, I will read it out loud publicly, but I don’t have time to work on a letter with you. Board – Thank you for giving the Board better direction on what issues the Board should be involved with. (Southeast) Twin Silo Community Park Project Funding Discussion Staff – Moving of the two silos is happening now. They are being moved piece-by-piece to a platform in the playground for a vertical feature that will house a slide. Board – Is the material used in the playground wheelchair accessible? Staff – It is dark brown crush rubber in some areas and wood mulch in others and both are accessible. It does have to be replaced, but it’s not as expensive to replace. Staff – We did receive three free pieces of playground equipment through a prize that was won by a staff member at a trade show. Board – Won’t those silos be really hot in the summer? Staff – We are putting in windows and painting them white. Additionally, there will be a fan in the top. Board – Have you looked into solar panels to operate the fan? Staff – No, but we can check into it. Staff – The creek will be modeled from one in Steamboat Springs which will allow for a play area with a concrete bottom. We’re working with APP for rock flow art in the bottom also. Staff – To provide perspective on the cost and why additional funding was needed; here is the breakdown. Spent to Date (Tennis Courts, Pond, Streets, Design) $4,000,000 Additional New Construction $10,500,000 Permit/Fees $838,000 Art in Public Places $16,380 Contingency (8%) $780,000 TOTAL $16,134,380 Funding (Capital Expansion Fee) $14,000,000 Nature in the City Contribution $100,000 Stormwater Stream Rehabilitation Program $380,000 Funding Shortfall $14,480,000 Shortfall Requested and Approved by Council $1,654,380 Board – Why is Nature in the City providing some funds? Staff – Nature in the City has challenges with locations; so the Twin Silo Park will be a “low hanging fruit” location so they are willing to fund some of this space. We’ll visit with the Natural Areas Board to make sure they agree and if not, we’ll find monies in other places. Board – Why did you have to ask for additional funding? It seems irresponsible to pay for this park out of reserves. Staff – The intent with the Impact Fee is that when a park is built it’s comparable to the previous parks that have been built; but the impact fee has never taken into account inflation. The cost of building a park has increased substantially since Spring Canyon Park was built. With that we don’t have a budget shortfall it was just that not enough money was requested upfront. We are only off by 5% with the budget; no other construction project is this close to budget. Board – You can argue what’s comparable; look at the Inspiration Playground at Spring Canyon. Staff – True, but the playground had a private group fund raise the $1M necessary to provide that level of playground. Board – I still worry that if you pull additional money out of the system it will have unattended consequences on funding other parks in the future. Parks & Recreation Board Meeting –July 27, 2016 Page 5 of 6 Staff – We talk about this all the time; and discuss the need for the impact fee to be increased. The “vehicle” to get this information across is the Parks Master Policy Plan which will address the build out holistically. The Board will be heavily involved when the Plan is vetted. Board – Are there other potential partnerships for future amenities in the parks? Staff – You have to remember, that with a new amenity there is a new level of service needed to maintain that feature. Board – I think we need to let this go and have a motion made by the Board. Motion: Bruce Henderson made the motion: The P&R Board supports the Fort Collins City Council decision of July 19 to fully fund construction of the SE Community Park with an allocation of $1.6m from the Capital Expansion Fund reserves. Seconded by Jessica MacMillan VOTE: 8:1 in favor BFO Letter of Recommendation Discussion Board – Did staff review the letter? Staff – Only made some formatting changes and put the letter on letterhead. Motion: Jessica MacMillan made the motion to approve the BFO Letter of Recommendation as written. Seconded by Bruce Henderson VOTE: 9:0 approved STAFF UPDATES Parks Updates • The 4th of July Parade went well. • Parks is working on some turn over in the Front Office and new Manager of Parks with Bill Whirty’s retirement. • We’re in the process of having Spring Creek Trail restriped. • Rolland Moore Park & Lee Martinez Park were renewed for Audubon. • There are approximately 443,000 trees in the City and the City Forester reviews all the development plans as they pertain to the trees. Recreation Updates • EPIC pool renovation is coming along; and as expected EPIC’s revenue is down. The Large pool should open on time, but there were unforeseen issues with the Therapy Pool. They found a leak which will cost about $600,000 to repair. • EPIC lobby renovation is also starting, but will be open. • Pickleball update, we are converting one tennis court at City Park into four outdoor/lighted Pickleball courts. This will be a pilot to evaluate the trend. We are using $16,000 of BOB I monies to fund this project. Next meeting with the Pickleball Association & Recreation Staff is scheduled for August 10 at Northside Aztlan Center. • Thank you to those Board Members who participated in the 4th of July parade. Park Planning Updates • Memorial Garden is being designed at Spring Park to commemorate the 9/11 contributions made by PFA. They were given a steel girder which will be displayed. There will be a grand opening ceremony on 9/11, and we’ll be planning some fundraising by PFA and neighborhood meetings. • Avery Park was given $70,000 through Social Sustainability fund to improve the park; so a new shelter is being built and updates are being made to the playground. • Staff update was made at Council on the Poudre River Plan. The design is at the 50% level, but the Kayak group is asking for a more physical model which will show actual water use which will refine the process. We can do this, but we can’t pay for this type of model, so we reached out to CSU to see if their lab would make the model and it looks like this may happen. So far $1.5M in donations have been raised, we need $90,000 for model; the model costs $250,000. Parks & Recreation Board Meeting –July 27, 2016 Page 6 of 6 o Board: Will you show us the design? Yes o Board: Will there be rules to keep this park to just Kayaks and not tubes? It will be designed to accommodate both. • We’re still working on City Parks Refresh with further outreach. We are hosting an event at one of the food truck rallies. We have about $1M to spend on the refresh. • We’re working to get ready for the BNFS tunnel under the RR tracks. It looks like it will be done January/February next year with the trail being complete by the end of 2017. Listening Session Ideas for Council: • Slacklining • Transient Issues • Poudre River Bicycle Advisory Board Liaison Update: The BAC is working on their BFO Offers. Schedule of Articles/Calendar: Article Due September 30, Dawn Theis will write an article. Bullet Points • Board approval of the Updated Slack-lining Policy which will accommodate for more advanced slacklining skill level with higher attachment and longer span with the approval/permission from the City Forester • Board approval of recommendation letter supporting the Parks & Recreation BFO Offers. • Board approval to support Council’s decision to fully fund the Twin Silo Community Park (formerly Southeast Community Park). Adjournment: Meeting adjourned 9:30pm Respectfully submitted, Carol Rankin Board Approved Minutes 8/24 – 6:0 (Item of Note, one Board Member felt the minutes did not reflect the emotions of the meeting.) Board Attendance Board Members: Ragan Adams, Mary Carlson, Brian Carroll, Bruce Henderson, Kenneth Layton, Jessica MacMillan, Scott Sinn, Kelly Smith, Dawn Theis Staff: Bob Adams, Tim Buchanan, Mike Calhoon, Kurt Friesen, Carol Rankin Guest: Council Liaison, Gino Campana