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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07/09/2002 - Regular Minutes - Parks Board, %W * *Minutes ** Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Tuesday, July 9, 2002, at 6:00 p.m. Central Parks Conference Room 1000 Krenek Tap Road College Station, Texas Staff Present: Steve Beachy, Director of Parks and Recreation; Eric Ploeger, Assistant Director; Peter Lamont, Recreation Superintendent; Ross Albrecht, Forestry Superintendent; Marci Rodgers, Senior Services Coordinator; Peter Vanecek, Senior Park Planner; Kristin Lehde, Staff Assistant. Board Present: John Nichols, Chair; Don Allison; Glenn Schroeder; Larry Farnsworth; Jodi Warner; Glen Davis; Bill Davis. Guest: Jack Hill, Burditt Associates Visitor: Sherry Ellison, Brazos Greenways Council 1. Call to order: The meeting was called to order by Chairman John Nichols at 7:06 p.m. John welcomed Jodi Warner to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. 2. Pardon — possible action concerning requests for absences of members from meeting. All members of the Board were present at the meeting. 3. Hear Visitors: Sherry Ellison is a member of the Brazos Greenways Council, and is interested in the Urban Forest Management Plan presentation. She encouraged that there be included in the plan provision for the preservation of trees on public and private property, and discouraged development in floodplains. 4. Installation and welcome of new members: John Nichols, Glen Davis, and Jodi Warner took the Oath of Office and the Statement of Appointed Officer. 5. Discussion, and possible approval of minutes from regular meeting of June 13, 2002: Glenn Schroeder made a motion to approve the minutes from June 13, 2002. Bill Davis seconded the motion. All were in favor, and the motion passed unanimously. 6. Review, discussion, and possible action concerning Board and Departmental Goals and Objectives, and City Council Strategies: Steve Beachy said that the City Council's Strategic Plan would be presented on Thursday, July l l He added that Department and staffs goals and objectives would be derived from that plan. Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Regular Meeting Tuesday, July 9, 2002 Page 1 of 7 The Board asked about the status of the revision of the Recreation, Park, and Open Space Master Plan. Steve stated that the Department has updated the Master Plan revision time line and would send it to the Board. John asked about the feasibility of the Department submitting an application for accreditation of their Fiscal Year 2003 Goals and Objectives. Steve responded that the Department was currently researching that possibility. An intern will be working in the Department to assemble the information needed to file an application (possibly in Fiscal Year 2004). John suggested that the Board begin looking at their goals and objectives, and suggested that this be the main discussion item during the regular meeting of August 13` The Board was in consensus on John's suggestion. Kristin Lehde will send the Board a packet containing background information for this item prior to the meeting. 7. Review, discussion, and possible action concerning the current Capital Improvement Project Report: Steve said that the Lincoln Center Entryway Expansion project is complete. Eric Ploeger said that the City of Bryan Parks and Recreation Department has plans to construct a parking lot at Billie Madeley Park by August 2002. He added that College Station is currently processing the contract to construct two bridges at the park as well, and they should be under construction soon. Eric said that the Phase I construction of Veterans Park and Athletic Complex was going well, and that the contractor has until late September 2002 to complete the project. Glen D. asked if the project was within budget. Eric responded that it was. John asked if College Station signage would be posted at the entrance to the park. Steve responded that it would not be, but that plaques and signage would be incorporated into the park. John added that he was surprised that the City would not be posting signage with the City or Park logo on it at the entrance. Peter Vanecek said that there is a possibility that signage could be placed on the entrance gates. Glen D. asked about the status of the Jack and Dorothy Miller Jogging Track Project. Eric responded that the contractors have the materials laid on the track; however, staff is scheduled to visit with them to address some quality issues. This item was a discussion item only, and no motion was made. 8. Review, discussion, and possible action concerning the future Capital Improvement Program: Steve said that the schedule for election for the future Capital Improvement Program has been moved back to the fall of 2003. The Citizen Committee appointments will probably occur in fall 2002. Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Regular Meeting Tuesday, July 9, 1002 Page 2 of 7 This item was a discussion item only, and no motion was made. 9. Presentation, discussion, and possible action regarding an Urban Forest Management Plan: Steve stated that this was a follow -up item from the June 2002 meeting. He said that the presentation of the proposed plan to the City Council had been moved from July 22 to August 22, 2002. Ross Albrecht stated that during the June 13 meeting, the Board requested that some additional information be included in the plan. He said that the revisions had been made and distributed to the Board. He added that the Executive Summary table had since been revised and would be inserted into the plan. Jack Hill distributed and discussed the revised table. He said that the proposed associated costs would be in addition to the current Forestry budget. Bill asked how the number of crews needed, based on the percentage of small and large trees, was computed. Mr. Hill responded that the figures were an estimate and were derived from an average. Bill asked if 47% of the proposed new crew's time would be dedicated to tree work. Ross said that the Summary and Observations Section suggests that new crews should be dedicated 100% to tree work. He said that he is also urging that language be incorporated into that section stating that the existing three -man crew be dedicated 100% to tree work as well. Glen Davis asked how the trees were currently being maintained. Steve replied that a lot of them are not being maintained. He added that, due to resources, the Department is more reactive than proactive. Glen D. asked if the Department had funding to assist with the implementation of the plan. Steve said that currently the Department does not have the funding. He added that the plan should be viewed as a long -range, multi -year plan. John suggested revising the Executive Summary table to incorporate one -time and reoccurring costs. Bill asked if maintenance contract expenses could be incorporated into the table as well. Bill recommended that stronger language be incorporated into the plan, advocating the development of a City ordinance to address public and private tree management. Glen D. asked how the plan would be implemented. Steve replied that attainable priorities would need to be determined, and a multi -year phasing recommendation made. He added that if Council accepts the plan, then staff would develop a multi- year implementation plan that would be presented at a later date. After some discussion, Bill made a motion to accept the report from Burditt Associates and forward it to the City Council with Board's recommendation Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Regular Meeting Tuesday, July 9, 2002 Page 3 of 7 that implementation of a plan be over a multi -year (four to five year) period. Larry Farnsworth seconded the motion. All were in favor, and the motion passed unanimously. Ross said that the Board had also received some revisions to the Risk Management section of the plan. He added that some minor revisions were still being made and implemented. 10. Appointment of new committee members and officers to the Senior Advisory Committee: Marci Rodgers said that the Board had received the Senior Advisory Committee's recommendations for appointments of new members: • Frank Complone • Fred Dollar • Catherine Lamb • Robert Meyer • Dipankar Sen • Yvonne Stevens • Betty Wilbom) and officers: * Bill Kling, Chair * Joanna Yeager, Vice -Chair Glen D. made a motion to approve the Committee's recommendation for the appointment of new members and officers. Glenn S. seconded the motion. All were in favor, and the motion passed unanimously. 11. Report, discussion, and possible action regarding concession operations in City parks: Peter Lamont said that the Department currently has contracts with three different vendors for concessions at the various park facilities: • The Brazos Valley Softball Umpire's Association handles concessions at Central and Bee Creek Parks; • Roy Littlefair (the owner of the local Der Wienerschnitzel) handles concessions at the Little League and Senior League fields at Southwood Athletic Complex, as well as at the Wayne Smith baseball fields, and Adamson Lagoon; and • Richard Benning (the owner of Dudley's Draw) handles the concessions at Wolf Pen Creek. Peter explained that all three contracts expire in March 2003. After that time, the Department has the option of extending the contracts for another period of two years, or rebidding them. He added that the Department would make that decision closer to the expiration date, based upon performance and input from both staff and user groups. Peter said that there have been some concerns with the vendors at the softball and baseball fields, and at Adamson Lagoon (i.e. vendors not opening and having food prepared on time, and staff behavior). The Department has been in contact with the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Regular Meeting Tuesday, July 9, 2001 Page 4 of 7 vendors and has resolved most of the problems. However, there have been some ongoing concerns at the Little League baseball fields. The Department has been working with Mr. Littlefair and Little League to try to resolve these issues. Peter stated that the biggest problem has been with communications. Glenn S. asked what standards the Department sets when the contracts are bid out. Peter replied that he would have to research the bid package. Glenn S. said that in the future, there should be performance standards incorporated into the bid packages and the contracts that would hold the concessionaires accountable for performance. Peter said that he would review the current bid specifications and determine if additional specifications need to be added during the contract renewal process. He added that he would also check with other municipalities to determine what language has been used in their concessionaire contracts that are bid out. This item was a discussion item only, and no motion was made. 12. Report, discussion, and possible action regarding the use of scooters, bicycles, and skateboards on sidewalks near athletic complexes: Steve said that the Department had tried to determine if there was a City ordinance or legal basis that would prohibit the use of bicycles or skateboards on sidewalks. The Department had not found anything related to the subject. Steve said that there is a possibility that the Department could place signs near athletic complex areas, but they would not be enforceable with a civil penalty. Glenn S. had asked that this item be placed on the agenda because he had received feedback from some parents who attend softball tournaments, who were concerned about safety and the use of scooters during athletic events. After some discussion, the suggestion was made to install simple signage to remind people of common courtesy when bicycling, skateboarding, or using scooters during athletic events. Steve said that the Department could develop a "user friendly" sign. This item was a discussion item only, and no motion was made. 13. Discussion, consideration, and possible action regarding a park land dedication request for the Schuessler Subdivision (Carroll Addition) in Zone 5: Peter Vanecek stated that the proposed dedication was in Zone 5. The proposed land requirement would be .257 acres, and is in close proximity to Southwood Valley Athletic Complex. Staff is recommending acceptance of the cash dedication in lieu of land. The Board had some concerns regarding access to a dedicated greenway. After some discussion, Don Allison made a motion to approve staff s recommendation to accept the cash dedication in lieu of land. Included in the motion 4 0 was the recommendation from the Board that the Planning and Zoning Commission Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Regular Meeting Tuesday, July 9, 2002 Page 5 of 7 carefully review the Board's concern regarding access to the dedicated greenway. Bill seconded the motion. All were in favor, and the motion passed unanimously. 14. Discussion, consideration, and possible action regarding a proposed park land dedication in Zone 3: Steve said that the Department had not received a complete application for this dedication. Peter V. stated that the proposed dedication is in Zone 3. The proposed land requirement would be 1.5 acres, and is across the street from Central Park. Staff is recommending acceptance of the cash dedication in lieu of land. Glenn S. stated that there wasn't any park land between Central Park and Wolf Pen Creek, and asked if there were the potential of purchasing some land for a playground park. Steve said that there was open land in that area, but the land would be expensive. The Board discussed the feasibility of asking developers to dedicate a small portion of land for a playground park for residents. After some discussion, Bill made a motion to approve staff s recommendation to accept the cash dedication in lieu of land. Larry seconded the motion. All were in favor, and the motion passed unanimously. Glenn S. asked how park land dedication money was spent. Steve said that recently, some of the funds had been spent on small projects, such as the Oaks Park Bridge Project and improvements at Pebble Creek Park. He added that there would be more significant projects in the future, such as the Woodway Park development. Steve suggested discussing how park land dedication funds should be spent at a future meeting. Kristin will prepare a park land dedication fund report for the August 13 meeting. 15. Report, discussion, and possible action regarding a request for funding to construct a jogging track at South Knoll Elementary School: This item was a follow up from the June 13 meeting, when staff had been asked to identify a funding source for $8,000 in order to assist the South Knoll Elementary School Parent Teacher's Organization (PTO) with their request to rubberize a jogging track the school. Steve said that Eric had contacted the City's Legal Department to determine what requirements were needed to do the project, and had not received a formal response yet. Steve had informed the Assistant City Manager about the proposal. He had also contacted the College Station Independent School District Superintendent, who was not aware of the project request from the PTO. Steve added that he forwarded the request to the Superintendent and asked him to consider making a formal request to the City Manager if he supported the project, and to consider the potential for similar projects with the College Hills and Southwood Valley Elementary Schools (both of which still have concrete jogging tracks). The Board asked for a report on the status via e-mail prior to the August 13 meeting. Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Regular Meeting Tuesday, July 9, 2002 Page 6 of 7 16. Discussion of next meeting dates and possible agendas: The next regular meeting will be held on August 13` . The main focus of the meeting will be on the Board's Fiscal Year 2003 Goals and Objectives. 17. Adjourn: Glenn S. made a motion to adjourn. Larry seconded the motion. All were in favor, and the meeting adjourned at 9:05 p.m. Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Regular Meeting Tuesday, July 9, 2002 Page 7 of 7