HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/12/2004 - Regular Minutes - Parks Board (2) Parks and Recreation Advisory Board
Regular Meeting
Tuesday, October 12, 2004, 7:00 p.m.
The EXIT Teen Center
1520 Rock Prairie Road
College Station, Texas
Staff Present: Steve Beachy, Director of Parks and Recreation;
Eric Ploeger, Assistant Director; David Hudspeth, Sports Leagues Supervisor; Geri Marsh, Athletic
Events Supervisor; Pamela Springfield, Staff Assistant.
Board Members Present: Jodi Warner, Chair; Larry Farnsworth; Jeannie McCandless; Carol
Blaschke; Gary Thomas; Kathleen Ireland; Don Allison
Board Members Absent: Gary Erwin; Glenn Schroeder
Guests &Visitors: Greg Huchingson, Texas ASA District 30; Beau Davis, TAMU RPTS 402
1. Call to order. Jodi Warner, Chair, called the workshop meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
2. Pardon N Possible action concerning requests for absences of members. A request
for absence had been submitted by Gary Erwin, and Glenn Schroeder may be late or unable
to attend. Carol Blaschke moved to approve the requests for absence that had been
submitted. Larry Farnsworth seconded. The motion carried unanimously.
3. Hear Visitors. Hearing none this item was closed.
4. Discussion, consideration, and possible approval of minutes from the Goals
Workshop and Regular meeting of September 14, 2004. Larry F. moved to accept the
minutes as presented. The motion was seconded by Don Allison, and hearing no opposition
or discussion, the vote was called. The motion carried unanimously.
5. Discussion, consideration, and possible action regarding requests for park land
dedications.
• Barron Hill N Park Zone 10:
A motion was made by Don A. to accept the staff recommendation to accept the cash fee
of $556 in lieu of park land. Kathleen Ireland seconded. Hearing no discussion, the vote
was called. The motion carried unanimously.
6. Report, discussion, and possible action regarding a regional park in Grimes County.
For the benefit of the new board members, Steve Beachy gave a presentation about the
potential for a regional park on TMPA (Texas Municipal Power Agency) property in Grimes
County. He told the board that they would be hearing more about this in the weeks and
months to come, adding that this was a one-time opportunity for a regional park of this size
in the area. This was an informational item only and no action was required.
7. Report, discussion, and possible action regarding softball programs. David Hudspeth
and Geri Marsh were present to give a follow-up from the October meeting regarding softball
tournaments and programs, and the city's affiliation with Amateur Softball Association (ASA).
David stated that the fall adult softball program was being restructured so that they did not
play on weekends. This would open up the fields allowing for more tournaments to come in.
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Workshop and Regular Meeting of September 14, 2004
It was explained that one of the reasons that the city was with ASA was because high schools
and colleges, as well as the Olympics align their rules to be very similar to those of ASA.
Anyone who wants to play in college or go on to the Olympics wants to play ASA. The
department also has a very good reputation with ASA. Four or five tournaments had been
picked up for 2005 and the city would be bidding on tournaments for 2006 in November.
Don A. stated that he knew that there had been some changes as far as the representation
with ASA. He wanted to make sure that the city reviewed its' affiliation on a regular basis and
that the relationship was working.
Greg Huchingson, the new ASA District 30 Commissioner was introduced. He explained to the
board that he had several goals as the new Commissioner, one of which was to establish a
youth series in the district. He stated that he also wants to do big promos and clinics for
youth. He asked that anyone with concerns or problems please contact him and he would be
happy to address them.
This was an informational item only and no action was required.
8. Report, discussion, and possible action concerning the Capital Improvement
Program (CIP). Ric Ploeger provided a handout listing a suggested schedule for some
Intergenerational Park upgrades, explaining that $310,000 was available to do the
improvements. The original list and cost estimates to do the upgrades had been worked up
two years earlier, so some of the items had already been completed and paid for through
other funds, which meant that there would be funds left over. All of the improvements would
be bid out as one project, which was currently in the design phase.
Discussion followed regarding changing the Woodcreek Park playground surfacing from pea
gravel to a rubber surface and the costs associated with that type of improvement. Steve
stated that there was an ongoing list of playgrounds that need replacing, adding that
playgrounds were replaced at the rate of about one per year.
Brief updates were given on the status of the new city cemetery and other projects that were
in progress. This was an informational item only and no action was required.
9. Review, discussion, and possible action concerning Board and Department Goals
and Objectives, and City Council Strategic Plan. Steve explained that the draft goals
had been updated to include the comments and input from the previous meeting, as well as
additions that had been made that applied to the city's Strategic Plan. The draft was being
brought back to the board for suggestions. The following items were discussed:
• Item #6: Including dates where possible for the joint meetings.
• Item #7: The latest revisions for the Park Land Dedication Ordinance had been
received back from the city's Legal Department. It was possible that those
could be brought back to the board at the November meeting.
• Item #8: The Urban Forest Management Plan would have to be looked at again, since
the support required for the plan to move forward had not been received in
the budget process.
• Item #10: The facility and program needs assessment would be conducted by a
doctoral candidate and complete by May 2005.
• Item #13: Providing continued support for the Hike and Bike Task Force and getting an
update on the project in the spring from the Greenways Coordinator.
Larry F. made a motion to adopt the goals and objectives with the changes discussed. The
motion was seconded by Jeannie McCandless. Following a brief explanation of the City Centre
project, the vote was called. All were in favor, and the motion passed unanimously.
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10. Discussion of calendar, future meeting dates, and possible agenda items.
• The next regular meeting of the Board would be held on November 9, 2004.
• The Veterans Day Ceremony would be held on November 11th at 5:30 p.m. The State Land
Commission, Jerry Patterson would be the guest speaker.
• The International Scholars, Faculty, and Graduate Students Picnic would be held on
October 26th at 5:00 p.m. at the Central Park Pavilion. All board members were invited to
attend.
11. Adiourn. A motion was made to adjourn by Kathleen I. and seconded by Carol B. Hearing
no opposition, the meeting adjourned at 8:55 p.m.
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