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Home My WebLink About03/29/2005 - Regular Minutes - Parks Board Parks and Recreation Department Steeplechase Park Public Hearing #2 - Notes CITY OF COLLEGE STATION College Station Larry J. Ringer Public Library 7:00 PM March 29, 2005 Staff Present: Steve Beachy, Director; Eric Ploeger, Assistant Director; Pete Vanecek, Senior Park Planner; David Wood, Park Planner; Curtis Bingham,Parks Operations Superintendent; Pamela Springfield, Staff Assistant; Guests: Jodi Warner, Chair Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and Kathy Ireland—Parks and Recreation Advisory Board member(did not constitute a quorum); William Charles Wendt—631 Westridge Drive Mike Meschler—203 Bernburg Court Ashley Scruggs—519 West Ridge Drive 1. The public hearing began at 7:00 p.m. 2. Presentation and discussion of ideas regarding development of Steeplechase Park site in Park Zone 5: Eric Ploeger introduced himself and thanked everyone for coming to see the plan that had been developed. He introduced the staff members present. He stated that at the public hearing held on February 23rd, the residents of the area had been asked what amenities they would like to see go into the park. Based on the ideas given, the Parks Planning staff had come up with a conceptual plan for Steeplechase. There was $315,000 available in the budget to develop the park. Another assessment of the budget would be done right before development begins. David Wood, the Park Planner who had developed the conceptual plan, spoke about the features and elements that he had put into the plan. In order to take advantage of the large open space, he had put basketball court further back into the park. A shelter, water fountain, a playground with a rubber surface and shade cover, a concrete slab and picnic table, a dog area and drinking fountain and a dog poop station, would all be included as elements in the park. There would also be a six-foot wide, concrete, sidewalk that would include seating areas and plenty of area lighting (located approximately every 175' around the walk). He displayed a picture of a wooden fence, explaining that the fence that would be put in would be wrought iron with six-inch slats around the dog park area, and three-inch slats elsewhere. Staff asked for comments. Will the playground be safe for two year olds? Yes, it will be one play unit that will encompass all ages. There will be a bridge on the back side of the park near the concrete spillway, which is similar to the bridge near Johnny Carino's Restaurant. It will basically be a steel pedestrian bridge with a wood deck. Will there be landscaping? Yes, ornamental trees such as pear or crepe myrtles would be planted. The bus stop will be located next to Pheasant. Good Choice! Will signs be put up so people will slow down? It is bad there and people drag race. Our intention is to talk to the traffic engineer in Public Works and see if they can install some traffic calming devices there. It may become an enforcement issue. What is a dog play unit? One is a long tube that they can go through. I spoke to the sales representative and asked what the two most popular units were and those are the units that will be used. The dog park is a good idea, since there are a lot of people in that area with dogs. Will the dog play unit be fenced? Yes, it will be. It is actually going to be a fenced-in play area for the dogs and will be located in the retention area. All of that area will be for dogs? It doesn't preclude it from being used for other uses. There will be rules posted and a dog poop station with bags for visitors to clean up after their pets. Are there going to be any lights at the basketball court? We may be able to prioritize the different items within our budget. We can possibly come back during a later phase and try to get those in. There is an area light at the end of each court, but it will not be like lighting the court. I would suggest that 'NO PARKING' signs be posted on the side of the street that the park is on -it would leave it more open. We want people to be able to park there. Neighborhood parks typically have some on-street parking unless there is some reason not to do that. The majority of use is for people who walk and ride bikes. This park will attract people to the area - possibly because of the dog area. Ric stated that this was usually a concern at public hearings and it would be interesting to see if it becomes an issue. If so, something may have to be worked out. Staff would talk to the traffic engineer about the bus stop and about traffic calming issues. The plan looks really good. I am glad that the back walking loop was not included because it is very dark in the back of the park. Was there room for a disc golf course? No, the creek makes it difficult unless you can go with a three-hole course. There is not enough room for a nine-hole course- it would conflict with the walkways. John Crompton Park has nine-holes, but the park is almost 15 acres. We could put a few in for a practice course. The next step is for the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board to look at the plan, which they will either approve or direct changes to be made. Staff will notify you when it goes to the board. The project should go out to bid early to mid-summer. Will the second part of the park be left natural? The plan is to leave it natural unless improvements go in later on. At the last meeting, concern was expressed about the fence back there and we will need to get with the property owner. Eventually there will be development behind the park and it will be nice to have the tree buffer there. I would suggest putting another dog faucet in at the front of the dog area while it is being built. It will be cheaper than having to do it later. The entrance for the dog area would be a perfect place also for the poop station. Will there be only one entry? Yes. The gates will be spring loaded and will automatically shut. There will also be a maintenance entrance for tractors. Will there only be one trash can for that big area? I could put another in. We will have to be careful of what we put in there because it is designated to flood in that area. Will bags be provided at the poop station? Yes they will. Will it be wooded between the park and basketball court? If it is, kids won't be able to watch if parents are playing, and parents would want to be able to watch their children on playground from the basketball court. We can clear some under brush. We need to look at that area and see how dense it is. Will the city do the underbrush clearing? No, it will be done by a contractor. There being no further comments or suggestions, Ric thanked everyone for attending and added that everyone would be contacted as to when the plan would go before the board,which could be in April or May. 3. The public hearing adjourned at 7:35 p.m. SIGN-IN SHEET • Steeplechase Park Public Hearing March 29, 2005 NAME (Please Print) ADDRESS 0511\e c( op\S I 1esi- PARK ESTIMATE FORM Project Number: Project Description:Steeplechase Park Construction Project Budget: DATE DESCRIPTION AMOUNT 1. Covered Playground(5-12) W/Rubber Surface Covered $45,000 2. Playground(Tot) W/Rubber Surface Covered / Not Covered N/A 3. Court(BB) $30,000 4. Courts (Tennis) N/A 5. Concrete Sidewalk 1800 Sq. ft. $55,000 6. Sidewalk Rubber Surface Sq. ft. N/A 7. Lighting/Elec. 14 # of Lights $56,000 8. Sign/Planters $16,000 9. Shelter/Slab Size $20,000 10. Landscaping/Irrigation $15,000 11. Grading/Seeding $1,000 12. Picnic Units 2 # of Unit $5,000 13. Drinking Fountain 1 $4,500 14. Benches/Slab 3 # of Benches $4,500 15. Parking Lot+ fees # of Cars N/A 16. Soccer Goals N/A 17. Backstop N/A 18. Bridge & Eng. Fees $20,000 19. Wrought Iron Fence 300' @ $30 Ln. ft. $30,000 20. Bus Shelter $5,000 21. Swingset Unit $8,000 22. Dog Play Units $3,000 Total $318,000 . r 5 : imiti , ! P(t) I — )4016.,./ 1 , 1 C Li,tc . (1. Alt7",t-z , ._ / 1 , i 7,71,5v,u-Si ut ofk 6) v ) ilicd-Q cA-ct../UL w ciLK- to-icf 1-09 ail6 6j<52--v (( a,c--- (L j J4(fralf 4eAA a. 11 it 1 1 '1 itoActimtcriout ItoU g 4 -19-e_ wak, (1 ?J ‘ ,1, % 0 i ; i , DL ,-- 1 , '1- /, If Pl - t I I / /i / 1 / 1 r i Pr6e. ' eta 0 At / 1 tiii: L6 i cad Latryv e rs imktitt_ , ,t 1.3 AU, 44)( 66611-- ' ell