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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06/13/2002 - Regular Minutes - Parks Board (2) IIIIIIII•EEIMIBIBNIEIIIIIIIII•EMIIIIIPatkCafidIRelfelliohiAdvlkbtyiBdratdossfisnanneussammmonsmss Regular Meeting Thursday, June 13, 2002, at 6:00 p0m. 111111111111111111111.111111111111111111111111111111300 GH......01gelB..„ igol000EEE,E,EEEIIIIIIIIIcollege NgtloktlxocEBIEEEI,IEomononln Staff Present: Steve Beachy, Director of Parks and Recreation; Eric Ploeger, Assistant Director; Ross Albrecht, Forestry Superintendent, Kristin Lehde, Board Secretary. Board Present: John Nichols, Chairman; Don Allison, Larry Farnsworth; Glenn Schroeder; Jon Turton; Laura Wood, Alternate. Board members Absent: Glen Davis; Bill Davis. Guests: Debra Shafer, South Knoll Parent/Teachers Organization Charles Burditt, Burditt Associates Jack Hill, Burditt Associates Scott Shafer, TAMU Dept. of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Sciences Courtney Smith, TAMU Dept. of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Sciences 1. Call to order: The meeting was called to order by Chaim an John Nichols at 6:10 p.m. 2. Pardon — possible action concerning requests for absences of members from meeti This item was an informational item only, and no motion was made. John suggested that the Board come up with their Fiscal Year 2003 goals and objectives after Council appoints new member(s). 6® Review, discussion, and possible action concerning the current Capital Improvement Project Report: Eric reported on the following projects: - The paving has been laid at Veterans Park and Athletic Complex. - The Lincoln Recreation Center Entryway Project, which will provide approximately 700 square feet of additional space, is almost complete. - Bids have been solicited for two bridges to be installed at Billie Madeley Park. Staff anticipate that this project will be complete in August. - The repairs to the Jack and Dorothy Miller Jogging Track are underway. The project will be complete after the rubber surfacing has been laid. - The City has been negotiating for the acquisition of additional land adjacent to Woodway Park. Eric hopes to begin holding neighborhood public hearings in the fall for the design of the park. John stated that at the last board meeting there had been discussion relating to the November 11th dedication ceremony at Veterans Park and Athletic Complex. It has since been decided that the Veterans Memorial would be dedicated on November 11t1, and the park itself would have a dedication ceremony when the athletic fields are opened. 7. Review, discussion, and possible action concerning the future Capital Improvement Program: Steve updated the Board that the recommendation to Council from the City Manager would be to hold the next general bond election in November 2003. He added that the initial list of potential Capital Improvement projects would be presented to the Council during the June 27, 2002, meeting. This was an info ational item only, and no motion was made. S® Discussion, consideration, and possible action concerning officer appointments for the Lincoln Center Advisory Committee: Steve said that the Lincoln Center Supervisor, Lance Jackson, had submitted an e-mail with his recommendations for officer appointments to the Lincoln Center Advisory Committee: Eleanor Williams - Chair Mabelene Canto-Robinson -Vice Chair Debra Thomas - Secretary Andrew Daily, Sr. - Treasurer Jon made a motion to approve the recommendations for officer appointments. Don seconded the motion. All were in favor, and the motion passed unanimously. Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Regular Meeting Tuesday,June 13,2002 Page 2 of 7 9. Presentation, discussion, and possible action concerning the feasibility of the City of College Station participating in a joint running track project with the College Station Independent School District and the South Knoll Elementary School Parent/Teachers Organization: Debra Shafer is a representative of the South Knoll Parent/Teacher's Organization (PTO). She said that a cardiovascular fitness level study had been conducted of the children that attend Rock Prairie and South Knoll elementary schools. Rock Prairie elementary school has a running program and a running track. The study found that fitness levels were higher at Rock Prairie compared to South Knoll. Mrs. Shafer stated that the South Knoll PTO had presented a request to the College Station Independent School District (CSISD) for a rubberized running track. The CSISD agreed to fund the cement portion of the running track. Mrs. Shafer added that the current bid amount to rubberize the running track is $21,648. The PTO has raised approximately $13,000, and they are requesting the College Station Parks and Recreation Department to consider contributing $8,000 to the project. She added that the PTO would maintain the track. Don Allison said that the running program is a tremendous concept that could be used by the whole community. Steve Beachy said that if the Board wished to pursue the project, an Interlocal Agreement would need to be created (similar to the agreement between the City of College Station, the CSISD, and the Rock Prairie PTO to rubberize the track at Rock Prairie). He added that depending upon approvals and school schedules, the project might not start until next summer. After some discussion, Larry made a motion to request the Parks and Recreation Department staff to identify the funding source for the requested $8,000, and to initiate the project. Jon Turton seconded the motion. All were in favor, and the motion passed unanimously. The Board was in consensus on staff initiating the project as soon as possible. They also recommended that staff explore the current interlocal agreements between the City and the College Station Independent School District, for the potential for similar projects with the College Hills and Southwood Valley Elementary Schools. 10. Discussion, consideration, and possible action concerning a proposed Urban Forest Management Plan for the City of College Station: Ross Albrecht introduced Charles Burditt and Jack Hill from Burditt Associates (consultants for the Urban Forest Management Plan). Ross said that Burditt Associates had done a preliminary presentation to the Board on March 5, 2002. He added that if the Board approved the draft plan, it would be taken to the City Council on June 27th for their consideration. Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Regular Meeting Tuesday,June 13,2002 Page 3 of 7 Mr. Buditt gave a PowerPoint presentation that outlined the draft plan (refer to attached PowerPoint presentation). He said that many different departments within the City have reviewed and given input to the document--a lot of that input still needs to be incorporated. One suggestion was to incorporate more of the City's geographical information system (GIS) information into the documents. John asked if there was a benchmark or average for the number of trees per linear foot of highway. Mr. Burditt answered that the figure could be incorporated into the document. Mr. Burditt said that a sample area inventory showed that there are approximately 15,000 trees along the streets of College Station. He added that there are a certain number of hazardous trees within the community that are a high priority, and should be taken care of in two ways: 1. By increasing staffing levels; and 2. By contracting a crew to quickly remove hazardous trees. It is estimated that it would cost approximately $20,000 to $30,000 to do a more detailed inventory of the street trees, and approximately $10,000 for a detailed inventory of the maintained areas in parks. Mr. Hill discussed tree maintenance and removal requirements for street trees. He said that hazardous conditions are a priority that would necessitate tree removals and pruning. Mr. Hill said that the City has a lot of young trees that will need to be pruned and maintained. The City would need to plan a routine maintenance program for the urban forest to manage the trees and keep costs down. Mr. Hill recommended contracting out the work to take care of the less than approximately 2% (254 trees) of trees inventoried that are considered hazardous. The estimated cost to do this would be approximately $40,000 to $60,000. He also recommended increasing current staffing levels by four additional employees, and purchasing a bucket truck with a chipper to accommodate routine tree maintenance. The estimated cost to do this would be approximately $135,000 to $150,000 for the employees, and $125,000 to $150,000 for the equipment. Mr. Hill added that these costs are only associated with the street trees, and another crew is recommended for maintaining the trees in the parks, City facilities, and greenways. The estimated cost for an additional crew would be approximately $224,000 to $250,000. Another recommendation was to add a "floater" position to support Forestry by performing stump grinding, watering, and fertilizations. Mr. Hill said that there would also be a write-up in the document pertaining to private tree preservation. Mr. Burditt suggested that the Board consider extending the deadline for the presentation of the plan to allow some additional time to create a quality plan. He asked for input from the Board. Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Regular Meeting Tuesday,June 13,2002 Page 4 of 7 Jon Turton stated that the executive summary should include a list of the priority items that have been identified in the document, as well as a summary of resource recommendations to address those priorities. Steve said that the presentation of the draft plan to the City Council could possibly be rescheduled to July 22nd. Don made a motion to delay the presentation of the plan to Council. Glenn seconded the motion. All were in favor, and the motion passed unanimously. Mr. Burditt said that the discussed revisions to the plan (the executive summary and the summary of observations and recommendations) would be made and sent to Ross to circulate to the Board, rather than resubmitting the entire document. 11® Presentation, discussion, and possible action concerning a feasibility study that was conducted for a nature center at Lick Creek Park: Dr. Scott Shafer introduced Courtney Smith. As a class project for the Recreation, Park, and Tourism Sciences (RPTS) Department at Texas A&M University, Ms. Smith had conducted a study to dete line the feasibility of developing a regional nature center at Lick Creek Park. Dr. Shafer handed out the Executive Summary (refer to attached Executive Summary) for the study, and stated that one of the goals of the Lick Creek Park Master Plan is to establish the park as a regional source for environmental education. Ms. Smith gave a PowerPoint presentation of her findings (refer to attached PowerPoint presentation). She said that currently the City of College Station offers a wide range of parks and recreation amenities; however, it does not offer a nature center. She added that several other cities of comparable size have nature centers. Ms. Smith stated that approximately 32 people, representing various viewpoints, were contacted and asked to participate in the study. Two focus groups were also formed to gather input. Four nature centers were surveyed: the Oregon Trail Interpretive Kiosks, Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve, McKinney Roughs Environmental Learning Center, and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. In addition to the focus groups and the nature center surveys, the RPTS Depa ent's Park Planning and Design Class had suggested several possible locations, designs, and programming for a nature center. Ms. Smith stated that based on the results from the focus groups, nature centers surveyed, and RPTS class input, a number of general recommendations were made: - Form a Lick Creek Park advisory committee; - Utilize Texas A&M University and its resources; - Create a facility that would serve as a model for a sustainable development within the community; - Emphasize experimental and hands-on learning; and Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Regular Meeting Tuesday,June 13,2002 Page 5 of 7 - Locate the center at the edge of the Post Oak Savannah. After considering the recommendations that were made, two alternative designs were proposed: Alternative One - A large kiosk, built with simple, natural materials - No staffing - Self-directed programming with interpretive signage, brochures, and maps - Estimated cost of$10,000 to $30,000 Alternative Two (Recommended) - A full-service, medium-sized building with sustainable architecture - One full-time staff member, supplemented by interns and volunteers - Staff-facilitated programming with interpretive signage, brochures, maps, and interpretive exhibits - Estimated construction cost of$380,000 to $1 million - Estimated refurbishing cost of$27,700 - Estimated operating cost of$35,650 to $600,000 Several funding options were also recommended, which include - The National Park Service; - The Texas Historical Commission; - The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department; - The Astin Trust; - The Audubon Society; - Capital Funding Mechanisms; and - Fundraising. John asked if there were examples of city governments that have built nature centers. Ms. Smith responded that the cities of Waco, Arlington, and Austin have nature centers. John asked if some of the ideas presented for interpretive signage could also be used for the Wolf Pen Creek Trails. Ms. Smith responded that some of the ideas for kiosks and signage could be used at Wolf Pen Creek as well. John asked if there were examples of school districts that operate nature centers for educational purposes. Ms. Smith stated that she had not found one. John said that it would be important to survey other city-operated nature centers. Dr. Shafer said that the RPTS Department could get that information and put it into a report for the Board. This item was intended for discussion only, and no motion was made. Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Regular Meeting Tuesday,June 13,2002 Page 6 of 7 12. Discussion, consideration, and possible recommendation from the Board of an individual to serve on the Wolf Pen Creek Tax Increment Finance Committee: Steve said that this position would replace Chris Barzilla who recently resigned from the Committee. This committee oversees the budgeting of the Tax District funds for the Wolf Pen Creek District. The committee meets approximately two to three times a year, at noon. After some discussion, Glenn volunteered to serve on the committee. Jon made a motion to recommend Glenn Schroeder to serve on the Wolf Pen Creek Tax Increment Finance Committee. Larry seconded the motion. All were in favor, and the motion passed unanimously. 13. Discussion of next meeting dates and agendas: The next regular meeting will be held on July 9th. The following items are scheduled to be on the agenda: - Installation of new members; - Discussion concerning the proposed Urban Forest Management Plan; - Report concerning concession operations in City parks; - Report concerning the use of scooters, bicycles, and skateboards on sidewalks near athletic complexes; and - Update concerning the potential South Knoll Jogging Track project. 14. Adjourn: The meeting adjourned at 9:05 p.m. • Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Regular Meeting Tuesday,June 13,2002 Page 7 of 7