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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/12/2002 - Regular Minutes - Parks Board MINUTES Collikt Statiiiii:11PatkCatid:Retititiliff:AdVigotfRiikett,i';.E:EMiliSiE31:::ZEZEMICZE Regular Meetinggnmgiggg,gggitgggggllgoggg TueidipoFibivafygtirozoorgati6RooltiltiioParks and Recreation conference Room gnEEEIEBisfoEEEHEEEEBnm 1000 Krenek Tap Road College Station, Texas Staff. Present: Steve Beachy, Director of Parks and Recreation; Peter Lamont, Recreation Superintendent; David Gerling, Recreation Superintendent; Curtis Bingham, Operations Superintendent; Ross Albrecht, Forestry Superintendent; Peter Vanecek, Senior Park Planner; Lance Jackson, Lincoln Center Supervisor; Kris Lehde, Staff Assistant. Board Members Present: John Nichols, Chair; Larry Farnsworth; Don Allison; Bill Davis; Glenn Schroeder; Jon Turton; Laura Wood, Alternate. Board Member Absent: Glen Davis. Visitors: Chris Lewis, 800 Marion Pugh, #3001, College Station, Texas 77840 Mike A. Metz, 239 Stuttgart Circle, College Station, Texas 77840 Walker Seeker, 616 Crosstimbers, College Station, Texas 77840 Brady L. Stacy, 1000 San Benito, College Station, Texas Ryan Demmer, 916 Navidad, Bryan, Texas 77845 Ben Miller, 2001 Holleman Drive West, #914, College Station, Texas 77840 Clink Carroll, 4302 College Main, #222, Bryan, Texas 77801 Caytie Sarandis, 1907 Dartmouth, #701, College Station 77840 Libby Samford, 5096 Cole Lane, College Station, Texas 77845 Emily Funkhouser, 1010 San Saba, College Station, Texas 77845 Jamie Lofiand, 701 Balcones Drive, #9A., College Station, Texas 77845 Bonnie Merz, 1200 Southwest Parkway, #173, College Station, Texas 77840 1. Call to order: John Nichols called the meeting to order at 6:10 p.m. 2. Pardon — possible action concerning requests for absences of members from meeting: Glenn Schroeder made a motion to accept the absence of Glen Davis as excused. Bill Davis seconded the motion. All were in favor, and the motion passed unanimously. 3. Hear visitors: No visitors spoke at this time. 4. Discussion and possible approval of minutes from regular meeting of January 8, 2002: Don Allison made a motion to approve the minutes from January 8, 2002. Glenn S. seconded the motion. All were in favor, and the motion passed unanimously. Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Regular Meeting Tuesday,February 12,2002 Page 1 of 6 5. Review, discussion, and possible action concerning Board and Department Goals and Objectives, and City Council Strategies: Steve said that the status of the Board, Department, and Council issues was included in the Board packets. He added that staff has been marking and dating projects that are complete. Glenn S. asked what the status was of the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). Steve said that the UDO is currently being reviewed by the Development Services Department and that there have also been public hearings. John N. asked about the status of the Open Space Requirement in the UDO; which the Board had previously expressed concern. Steve responded that he would find out the status and update the Board. 6. Review, discussion, and possible action concerning the current Capital Improvement Project Report: Pete Vanecek updated the Board on the following two (2) projects: Pebble Creek Park Improvements – The Department has been working with the Pebble Creek Homeowners Association and has been making improvements to Pebble Creek Park. He said that the association has indicated several priorities for improvements to the park. The Department had approximately $27,000 from park land dedication funds to spend on improvements. The first priority of the project included the construction of an iron fence (approximate cost was $8,800). He added that with the $18,200 left, the second priority the association has is to plant additional 45-gallon trees and tie them into the existing irrigation system, as well as "fine tune" the irrigation system. He said that the association has also requested planting berms, but there may not be enough money left over. The association's third priority is to build a tot playground. John Nichols asked if the homeowners association had any matching funds they could contribute to the project. Peter said that he would look into the question. Madeley Park Development – Peter referred to a site map of the 5.1-acre park. The Department has met with the City of Bryan Parks and Recreation Department and the Beverly Estates Homeowners Association concerning the potential development of the park. The construction of several nature trails and bridges has been discussed. The City of Bryan has agreed to install paved parking for two (2) cars. The City of College Station would need to build concrete sidewalks. The College Station Parks and Recreation Department plans to have the Texas A&M Aggies help clean up the park and do some landscaping with a Big Event project. Jon Turton feels that $48,000 is a lot of money to spend on a park that the College Station residents currently cannot access. Bill Davis asked to what extent the park would need to be developed. Steve said that the park would need to have some kind of minimal nature development on it in order not to lose it. (note: if the park is not developed by August 2002, it will be donated to the A&M Methodist Church.) Glenn Schroeder feels that the park will be a liability for the City of College Station—it has poor access from Bryan, and worse access from College Station. Steve said that staff would look at ways to minimize costs and determine what it would take to meet the requirements of the deed before the joint meeting with the City of Bryan on Tuesday, February 19th. Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Regular Meeting Tuesday,February 12,2002 Page 2 of 6 Glenn S. asked about the status of acquiring a new cemetery site. Steve said that the Department has been working with the City's Land Agent and are in the process of trying to identify land. 7. Discussion, consideration, and possible action concerning potential future capital improvement projects: Steve stated that he had included a ranking sheet that the Department's senior staff had completed, along with the Board rankings. The following potential projects were identified that could possibly be delayed or funded through other sources: • Adamson bathhouse pitched roof (funds could be requested through Facility Maintenance); • Potential tennis court project with the new high school (delay until the next bond issue); • Pebble Creek Park,Phase II(no site has been dedicated); • Park benches (could be added to intergenerational upgrades); • Batting cages and backstops at Bee Creek Park (could be requested through the Fiscal Year 2003 budget process or added to intergenerational upgrades); • Cypress Grove/Westfield Park (delay until new elementary school is developed); • Cypress Grove Recreation Center(delay until the next bond issue); • Veterans Park and Athletic Complex Shop (delay until Phase III development of the park); • Provide playground equipment shade (could be added to intergenerational updates); • Thomas and Merry Oaks Parks Shade Structures (could be requested through the Fiscal Year 2003 budget process); • Lincoln Center Expansion (there is a possibility of using Community Development funds); • New "South" Community Park,Phase I(delay until landfill closes); • Neighborhood Pool for the new "South" Community Park (delay until landfill closes); • Emerald Forest Lights (could be requested through the Fiscal Year 2003 budget process); and • Northgate Park (there is a possibility of using park land dedication or Community Development funds). After some discussion, Bill D. made a motion to direct staff to bring back a revised list consistent with the discussions had, and prioritizations made, for Board consideration at the March 5, 2002, meeting. Larry F. seconded the motion. All were in favor, and the motion passed unanimously. Steve added that a draft of the Veterans Park Needs Assessment was included in the Board packets for discussion and possible approval. John N. suggested moving the second and third paragraphs, that were under the Non-Athletic Park Needs section, to the Recommendations section for clarity. Jon T. added that on Page 7, Phase IV, of the Phasing Recommendations section, the word "baseball" should be "softball." Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Regular Meeting Tuesday,February 12,2002 Page 3 of 6 Bill D. made a motion to approve the Needs Assessment as amended. Don A. seconded the motion. All were in favor, and the motion passed unanimously. Steve said that once staff comes up with cost estimates for the four (4) phases of the park, they will be incorporated into the document. 8. Discussion, consideration, and possible appointments to the Lincoln Center Advisory Committee: Lance Jackson is the liaison to the Lincoln Center Advisory Committee. Lance said that there are five (5) positions to fill on the committee, four (4) regular members and one (1) alternate member. He recommended appointing Ann Ganter, Andrew Dailey Jr., Jill Trier, and Gary Cochran as regular members, and appointing Annie Williams as an alternate. Jon T. made a motion to accept Lance's recommendation for appointments. Bill D. seconded the motion. All were in favor, and the motion passed unanimously. Steve noted that another applicant, Betty Wilborn, had checked that she would also be interested in serving on the Senior Advisory Committee, and recommended considering Ms. Wilborn to serve on that committee. The Board was in consensus on Steve's recommendation. 9. Discussion, consideration, and possible action concerning the review of Section II (Goals and Objectives) of the Recreation, Park, and Open Space Master Plan: Steve said that one of the steps in the revision schedule for the master plan is the review of Section II. The Board reviewed the Strategic Goals and General Objectives and dete fined that some of the language needed to be clarified. After some discussion, the Board came to the following consensus: Strategic Goal #1 should state — "College Station should continue to develop its system of parks, recreational services, and open space to meet the needs of an expanding community. " Strategic Goal #2 should state — "College Station should continue to maintain the highest quality parks and recreational facilities and services." General Objective 2.1 should state — "College Station should continue to maintain standards and seek to improve all existing city parks, equipment, and grounds, including linear natural corridors and special streetscape areas in locations such as Northgate and along Texas Avenue." The new Board Goals and Objectives and Council strategies will also be incorporated into the section. There will be a Master Plan Subcommittee meeting on Wednesday, February 20, 2002, to discuss the plan and bring any recommendations back to the Board for approval. (Note: The meeting has since been rescheduled for Friday, March 1, 2002.) Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Regular Meeting Tuesday,February 12,2002 Page 4 of 6 10. Discussion, consideration, and possible action concerning the Parks and Recreation Department's Strategic Plan: Steve said that the Strategic Plan document is a guide for the Department. He added that the Department is not requesting formal Board adoption of the plan at this time. However, if the Department submits the plan to Council, staff would request an endorsement from the Board before that time. John N. added that the plan would need to be consistent with the Recreation, Park, and Open Space Master Plan. This item was intended for discussion only, and no motion was made. 11. Discussion, consideration, and possible appointment of a subcommittee to consider naming the Bee Creek Softball Fields in honor of Mrs. Jane Pulley: Steve said that this request came from a citizen who had worked with the Girls Softball program many years ago, and that he had asked what the process would be to recognize someone. Steve gave the citizen the Policy for Naming City of College Station Parks and Recreation Facilities. The citizen had obtained signatures from 41 registered voters, whose names were verified by the City Secretary's Office. The next step is to appoint a subcommittee of the Board to meet with staff and the citizen who initiated the request, and bring a recommendation back to the Board for consideration. John N. appointed Bill D., Larry F., and Glenn S. to serve on the subcommittee. John N. suggested that the Department make sure that the people involved with the Girls Softball program are comfortable with any decisions that are made. 12. Presentation, discussion, and possible action concerning lightning prediction systems: Steve said that this was an informational item to inform the Board that lightning prediction systems are being installed at College Station Parks. The system is identical to the system that has been installed at the Texas A&M University Campus and the Bryan Aquatics Center. He emphasized that the system will predict lightning, but will not detect it, and added that training would need to be given to the coaches and referees, in the event that the system goes off. This was an informational item only, and no motion was made. 13. Discussion of next meeting dates and agendas: Meeting dates: Tuesday, February 19, 2002, at 7:30 p.m.: Joint Meeting with the Bryan Parks and Recreation Advisory Board to discuss potential development of Madeley Park. Tuesday, March 5, 2002, at 6:00 p.m.: Regular Meeting of the Board. Possible Agenda Items: Discussion of potential future Capital Improvement Projects; Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Regular Meeting Tuesday,February 12,2002 Page 5 of 6 Consideration of naming the Bee Creek Softball Fields in honor of Mrs. Jane Pulley; Initial presentation of the Urban Forest Management Plan; Report on the Potential Developer Incentive Focus Group Meeting; Discussion on the Board's Fiscal Year 2003 Budget Issues; and Possible appointment of a Fees Subcommittee. 14. Adjourn: The meeting adjourned at 8:50 p.m. Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Regular Meeting Tuesday,February 12,2002 Page 6 of 6