HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/08/2002 - Regular Minutes - Parks Board (2) Parks and Recreation Advisory Board
Tuesday,October 8,2002,at 7 00 p in
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Staff Present: Steve Beachy, Director of Parks and Recreation; Eric Ploeger, Assistant Director;
Curtis Bingham, Operations Superintendent; Peter Lamont, Recreation Superintendent; Grace Colbert,
Conference Center Supervisor;Kristin Lehde, Staff Assistant.
Board Members Present: John Nichols, Chairman;Don Allison;Jodi Warner;Bill Davis.
Board Members Absent: Larry Farnsworth;Glenn Schroeder;Glen Davis.
1. Call to order: Chairman John Nichols called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m.
2. Pardon—possible action concerning requests for absences of members from meeting: Bill Davis
made a motion to accept the absences of Larry Farnsworth and Glenn Schroeder as excused. Don
Allison seconded the motion. All were in favor,and the motion passed unanimously.
3. Hear visitors: There were no visitors present at the meeting.
4. Discussion, consideration, and possible approval of minutes from the regular meeting of
September 10, 2002: Bill D. made a motion to approve the minutes. Jodi Warner seconded the
motion. All were in favor,and the motion passed unanimously.
5. Report, discussion, and possible action concerning the current Capital Improvement Program
(CIP): Eric referred to the Capital Improvement Project Report that had been updated for Fiscal Year
2003. The report will be updated and distributed to the Board every month as progress is made. Eric
said that a separate report has been developed which lists park land dedication projects.
Eric added that more projects would be added to the CIP report as the Department prioritizes additional
projects using the Parks Operations Replacement Account. There is currently $75,000 in the
Replacement Account that is primarily used for the replacement of aging equipment. Eric said that
although the Replacement Account is in the general fund(not bond money),the projects are considered
capital projects and require the same amount of work as the projects utilizing bond money.
The question was asked if there was a way to circulate the Department's accomplishments with the
money from the last bond election to citizens and people that formerly served on the Board. Steve said
that could be done.
This item was a report only,and no motion was made.
6. Report, discussion, and possible action concerning the future Capital Improvement Program:
Steve referred to the CIP timeline that was included in the Board packets. Steve stated that the
timeline was created by the Public Works Director and approved by the City Council. He added that
there had been some discussion among the Council concerning the selection of a Citizen's CIP
Committee. One idea was to have a member from the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and the
Planning and Zoning Commission serve on the Committee,but no decision has been made.
Bill D. expressed interest in serving on the Committee, but said that he would not be able to meet on
Monday nights.
This item was a report only,and no motion was made.
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Regular Meeting
Tuesday, October 8,2002
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7. Review,discussion, and possible action concerning Board and Department Goals and Objectives,
and City Council Strategies: Steve said that this is a standing item. He added that he had nothing
new to report.There was no discussion on this item.
8. Discussion, consideration, and possible approval of a revision in the Conference Center by-laws
to change the meeting dates from the second Tuesday of the month at 5:15 p.m. to the third
Wednesday of the month at 12:00 Noon: Grace Calbert said that the members of the Conference
Center Advisory Committee would like to change the date and time of their regular meetings for
convenience.
Bill D. made a motion to accept the changes to the by-laws. Don A. seconded the motion. All were in
favor,and the motion passed unanimously.
9. Report,discussion, and possible action concerning the Athletic Facility Replacement Fund: Steve
said that the Athletic Facility Replacement Fund had been set up to charge the youth$5 per person and
the adults $75 per team. The fund is broken down by associated activity. Fiscal Year 2003 will be the
first year that funds will be used for replacements at Southwood and Central Parks. He added that
future needs would be determined and the Department would be developing a long-range plan for the
use of the funds to address those needs. Steve stated that the fund is not a maintenance fund, but
rather, it is a replacement fund for replacing items. He added that the Department would need to
educate and inform the customers and user groups of what the funds are intended for. After some
discussion,the Board accepted the report.
This item was a report only, and no motion was made.
10. Report, discussion, and possible action regarding the Fiscal Year 2002 Fourth Quarter Park
Maintenance Standards: Steve said that the maintenance standards were designed a year ago as a
conceptual plan. They were the result of a City Council Strategy, and were approved by the Council in
Fiscal Year 2001. The goal is to achieve 90% or higher of the standards within five (5) years. The
standards were implemented in Fiscal Year 2002. Steve commended Curtis Bingham and his staff for
creating and implementing the standards.
Curtis said that the standards are still a "work in progress," and he and his staff are fine-tuning the
process. He discussed the fourth quarter report, along with several areas of concern (refer to the Park
Maintenance Standards Survey Summary for FY02 and Parks Maintenance Standards Major Areas of
Concern). He said that there had been some needed adjustments to the standards between the third and
fourth quarters,which may explain the drop in the fourth quarter.
Bill asked if additional resources would be needed at a later time to achieve the 90% goal. Steve said
that current resources would be addressed first, and possibly reallocated. After that time, additional
resources may be requested through the budget process.
After some discussion, the Board accepted the Park Maintenance Standards Report. This item was a
report only,and no motion was made.
11. Report, discussion, and possible action concerning the Veterans Park and Athletic Complex
Project: Steve said that the memorial project is well underway and the sculpture has been installed.
The memorial dedication at the park is scheduled for November 11, 2002. Preliminary discussions
have taken place concerning a second phase of the project that would include historical walks. A
banquet has been scheduled on November 10,2002, for those who have placed names on the memorial
wall. The cost for the banquet is$50 per person,which will go back to the memorial fund.
Bill D. is concerned with vandalism at the park. He said that if a gate is not installed at the park, the
City should explore the possibility of installing a closed circuit observation unit.
Eric said that the Department has taken possession of the park and has a crew working there.
Dr. White, a renowned Agronomist from Texas A&M University, has given the Department some
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Regular Meeting
Tuesday,October 8,2002
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good advise concerning maintenance of the athletic turf at the park. The Department has also been
working with the contractor to complete a punch list of items that still need attention. Steve said that
there would be a grand opening for the park next spring,but the date has not been set.
John N. asked if there was a low cost way of maintaining the end of the park that has not been
developed (along the north fence line) to be used as a greenspace until future phases of the park are
developed. Steve said that the operations crews would clean up that area prior to the dedication
ceremony.
This item was a report only, and no motion was made.
12. Report,discussion, and possible action concerning potential grant opportunities: Steve had asked
Peter Lamont to come up with a list of potential grant opportunities from Texas Parks and Wildlife.
He added that staff would come back to the Board with other sources for grant opportunities in the
future.
Peter referred to a list of potential grant opportunities from Texas Parks and Wildlife through their
Grants and Assistance Program(refer to Texas Parks and Wildlife Grants and Assistance). He said that
there are some grants that the Department does not qualify for because of its size. The grants that the
Department does qualify for are the outdoor recreation,indoor, and regional park grants.
Bill D. suggested looking at outdoor recreation grants to assist with the development of the new south
Community Park. John N. brought up the possibility of the creation of a subcommittee to explore
potential grant opportunities in the future.After some discussion,the Board accepted the report.
This item was a report only,and no motion was made.
13. Discussion, consideration, and possible action concerning Park Land Dedication Fund usage:
Steve said that the park land dedication projects and their current fund balances were included in the
Board packets. Park land dedication projects that will need to be discussed at future Board meetings
are the Shenendoah Park development, the citizens request from the Alexandria Subdivision that was
presented at the September 10th meeting, and the potential of acquiring land in the Northgate area for a
park.
Because there is a window of opportunity during which the City can use park land dedication funds
before the developer can request them back, Don A. asked if the Department has a way to track the
funds when they come in. Eric responded that the Development Services Department is currently
tracking the funds.
This item was a report only,and no motion was made.
14. Discussion of next meeting dates and possible agenda items:
October 24, 2002: Joint Meeting with the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and the City
Council. The Board agreed to focus on four main issues for the meeting:
1) Discussion of the future CIP, and what role the Council would like the Board to play in the
process.
2) Report on the Fiscal Year 2002 Park Maintenance Standards.
3) Discussion of the leisure program evaluation process that will take place in Fiscal Year 2003.
4) Report on the revision of,and timeline for,the Recreation,Park,and Open Space Master Plan.
November 12, 2002: Regular Board Meeting. Scheduled items for this meeting are a review of
Aquatics Programs and a report on the November 11th memorial dedication at Veterans Park and
Athletic Complex.
15. Adjourn: Jodi W. made a motion to adjourn. Bill D. seconded the motion. All were in favor, and the
meeting adjourned at 9:03 p.m.
Parks and Recreation Advisory Board
Regular Meeting
Tuesday, October 8,2002
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