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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/05/2002 - Special Minutes - Parks Board (2) Minutes IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEBIEITaolkgemStationtParksmanduReereahoniltdvisoryBoardciBnisinioiaisoniiii Special Meeting 11.1111111111011111111111.1111111woodog February sitqwwc oggEoaogEEEEEEEEEEEE EIIEEEnolnnEEEEEPfifkkiafidiReeitetationICokfdtdieeRddfitIEBMEIEIBEIIIIEIBEIIIIIIIIIII 1111111111111111111111111111111111000111Kireitekli Tait RoidCollege Station, Texas 1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 Staff Present: Steve Beachy, Director of Parks and Recreation; Eric Ploeger, Assistant Director; Peter Lamont, Recreation Superintendent, Peter Vanecek, Senior Park Planner; Kris Lehde, Staff Assistant. Board Members Present: John Nichols, Chairman; Bill Davis; Larry Farnsworth; Glen Davis; Don Allison; Glenn Schroeder; Jon Turton; Laura Wood, Alternate. Guest: Bob Schmidt, O'Malley Engineers. 1. Call to order: John Nichols called the meeting to order at 6:05 p.m. 2. Pardon — possible action regarding requests for absences of members from meeting: There were no members absent from the meeting. 3. Discussion, consideration, and possible action regarding potential capital improvement projects for park facilities: Steve Beachy said that the purpose of the meeting was to gather input from the Board pertaining to possible future Capital Improvement projects. He referred to the potential future Capital Improvement project list that was submitted to the Board prior,to the meeting. He said that the list consists of general project ideas that were generated by Parks staff. He added that the list was not prioritized and cost estimates would need to be further refined. Steve said that there are a couple of big projects that would set the stage for the project requests (i.e. Veterans Park and Athletic Complex project and the new South Community Park that is adjacent to the landfill). Steve said that the City's list of potential Capital Improvement projects would be presented to the City Council on March 4tn and that Council would appoint a citizens' committee to review the projects on March 28th. (Update: The schedule for presentation of the initial list of projects to the City Council has been moved from the March 14th Council Workshop Meeting to the March 28th Workshop Meeting. The appointment of the citizens' committee has been moved from the March 28th Workshop Meeting to the April 11th Workshop Meeting). He speculated that the bond issue would generate approximately $30-35 million (depending on the current tax rate), and based on history, Parks and Recreation could receive approximately S5 million. Steve said that one of the more difficult projects that the Board would need to review is the Veterans Park and Athletic Complex project. He added that the Needs Assessment would set the stage for the projects that would occur during the next phases of the park. Glen Davis said that the City Council has expressed an interest in having the park completed as soon as possible. He asked if having a Phase II and Phase III project plan for the upcoming bond issue would be feasible. Steve said that the Board would need to determine how the phasing should be done to complete the entire park. He added that two (2) factors the Board would need to look at are: 1. What are the needs for the park? 2. What are the priorities for the park? The Board briefly discussed the draft of the Veterans Park and Athletic Complex Needs Assessment. Eric Ploeger said that it would be beneficial to get an idea from the Board of what elements should be included in additional future phases of the park. He reminded the Board that Phase I would include six (6) soccer fields, two (2) softball fields, the main entry road, a parking lot at the memorial, a parking lot at the soccer fields, a maintenance building, and a restroom facility. After some discussion, the Board came to the general consensus that there should be three (3) additional phases to complete the park: 1. Phase II should include three (3) softball fields, a pavilion with additional parking, and a portion of the trails project. 2. Phase III should include the remaining soccer fields, a parking lot, and road extension. 3. Phase IV should include the last softball complex and additional amenities. Steve said that the Needs Assessment would be amended to incorporate the Board's suggestions and would be brought back to the Board on February 12th for approval. Bill Davis suggested that the City look into the possibility of encouraging private concessionaire partnerships to assist with funding for the park. Steve said that another potential large project would be the development of the new "South" Community Park that is located on Rock Prairie Road adjacent to the landfill. This 65-acre community park site was acquired to serve park zones 9, 11, and 14. He added that once the landfill closes, it would become part of the park acreage (adding approximately 182 acres). He explained that the landfill could not be penetrated, thus swimming pools and ball fields could not be constructed on it. However, the land could be used for observation areas, parking, or remote control airplanes. Steve added that it would take approximately five (5) to six (6) years for the landfill to close. Steve said that one of the City Council strategies is to come up with a plan for the community park site (refer to "Potential Elements for Master Plan Development"). Eric said that the development of the park would be determined by the needs of that Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Special Meeting Tuesday,February 5,2002 Page 2 of 3 area as potential development occurs over the next ten (10) to fifteen (15) years. He added that utilities should be in place within the next several years before development occurs. Larry Farnsworth expressed concern about spending upcoming bond money on a project that is adjacent to an open landfill that may not close for another five (5) years. Laura Wood agreed, and added that there are current neighborhood parks that need to be developed. She doesn't think that it would be feasible at this point to take funds away from Veterans Park and Athletic Complex and other park projects to develop a park site south of town that may not have development around it for another ten (10) years. John N. added that Kris Lehde would prepare a ballot sheet for the Board to complete. If the Community Park rates high, then the potential elements for development would need to be prioritized. Steve and Eric briefly discussed the items on the potential future Capital Improvement Projects draft list that was distributed to the Board (refer to "Potential Future CIP Project Summary FY2003-2008 and individual "Capital Improvement Request"sheets). The Board discussed the methodology of how the projects should be initially prioritized on the ballot sheet. After some discussion, the Board came to the consensus that the numbering on the ballot sheet should be from 1-5 (1 being the highest score, and 5 being the lowest score). An effort should be made to divide the 38 projects on the list evenly (i.e. 8-1's, 8-2's, 8-3's, 8-4's, and 6-5's). Kris asked that the ballot sheets be turned in by Friday, February 8th, in order to develop the master priority sheet. 4. Hear visitors: There were no visitors present at the meeting. 5. Adjourn: The meeting adjourned at 9:10 p.m. Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Special Meeting Tuesday,February 5,2002 Page 3 of 3