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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/04/2003 - Regular Minutes - Parks Board Minutes Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Regular Meeting Tuesday, November 4, 2003, at 7:00 p.m. = The EXIT Teen Center College Station 1520 Rock Prairie Road rs-' Embracing the Past, Exploring the Future College Station, Texas Staff Present: Steve Beachy, Director of Parks and Recreation; Eric Ploeger, Assistant Director; Grace Calbert Vrooman, Conference Center Supervisor; Lance Jackson, Lincoln Center Supervisor; Peter Vanecek, Senior Park Planner; Kristin Lehde, Staff Assistant. 13‘ard Members Present: John Nichols, Chairman; Don Allison; Larry Farnsworth; Jodi Warner; Glen Davis; Ken Livingston; Gary Erwin, Alternate. Boar* Member Absent: Glenn Schroeder. Guests: Dr. John Crompton, Dept. of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Sciences, TAMU Alton Ofczarzak, General Manager, Oakwood Custom Home Group 1. Call to order: Chairman John Nichols called the meeting to order at 6:50 p.m. 2. Pardon possible action concerning requests for absences *f members from meeting: Jodi Warner made a motion to accept the absence of Glenn Schroeder as excused. Ken Livingston seconded the motion. All were in favor, and the motion passed unanimously. 3® '-iear visitors: Hearing none, this item was closed. 4© Discussion, consideratio ,„ and possible approval of mintes from Regular Board meeting of October 14, 2003: Glen Davis made a motion to approve the minutes from October 14, 2003. Gary Erwin seconded the motion. All were in favor, and the motion passed unanimously. 5 Discussion, consideration, and possible action regarding a park land dedication request for Bridle G,-te Estates (Park Zone 10): This single-family, 27-dwelling unit development is located on Bridle Gate Drive and Bridle Gate Court. Pete Vanecek stated that a cash dedication for Phase I of the development was accepted in 2000. The proposed dedication is for the second phase of development. The total land dedication requirement would be 0.267 acres, and the total cash dedication requirement would be $15,012. Staff recommends the acceptance of the cash dedication in lieu of land. Don Allison made a motion to accept the cash dedication in lieu of land for Phase II of the Bridle Gate Estates. Ken L. seconded the motion. Mr. Alton Ofczarak asked where the cash dedication would be used to build a park. Steve Beachy responded that according to the Park Land Dedication Ordinance, the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Regular Meeting Tuesday, November 4, 2003 Page 1 of 5 funds would need to be spent within the park zone from which they originated from, and could not be transferred to another zone. Mr. Ofczarak was concerned that there should be a park in the proximity of the new developments (i.e. Bridle Gate, Cypress Meadows, and the Trails of Neelley Ranch). Steve stated that staff has worked on the assumption that when the School District builds an elementary school in that proximity, the City would work with them to build a school/park site. Also, when trying to develop plans to utilize the park land dedication funds, both staff and the Board have tried to create neighborhood parks within a 1/2-mile walking distance of all of the residents, and have them be a minimum of five (5) acres. Mr. Ofcazarak asked the Board if they had any plans to acquire park land between Cypress Meadows to Graham Road. Steve responded that if a new elementary school site were to be built, the City would try to co-locate a neighborhood park with that school to avoid duplication of facilities. At this time, a lot depends on whether or not the School District will build in that area. If the School District does not build a new elementary school site, or builds one in another area, then the Board would explore other park options. After some discussion, all were in favor of the above-stated motion to accept the cash dedication in lieu of land, and the motion passed unanimously. Report, discussion, and possible action co cerniing a potential regional park site in Grimes County (Board Goal #9): This project is an initiative of the Brazos County Council of Governments (BVCOG), for which the Board of Directors have passed a formal resolution supporting the initiative to acquire land (approximately 10,000 acres) owned by the Texas Municipal Power Agency (TMPA) for a regional park in Grimes County. Dr. John Crompton gave the Board background concerning the initiative (also refer to the full report: Preserving Today for Tomorrow ® A Regional Park in the Making). The TMPA site was purchased to mine for and provide lignite coal to the Gibbons Creek power generation plant. Mining operations ceased in 1996. Under Texas law, if there is strip mining, a bond must be put up for the property through the Texas Railroad Commission. The Commission requires the restoration of the property to at least the level that it was before the strip mining began. TMPA is not permitted to release the entire property until the Railroad Commission is satisfied that the property has been restored to its previous state. However, there are currently 3,000 acres that can be released, and the remaining acreage will be phased-in during the next ten (10) years. Expert and formal committees have been formed, and the Trust for Public Land has been invited to serve as the representative for the negotiation of the land. It is anticipated that the land will be sold at approximately $1,000 per acre. The cities of Bryan and College Station will be asked to provide seed money of $100,000 each, per year, for three years. (Grimes County would be excluded because they have no tax base, and could not purchase or operate the land.) If approved, foundation funding will be sought to match the City funds, and state funding, such as the Recreation Account Grant and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Park Matching Grant, will also be sought. Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Regular Meeting Tuesday, November 4, 2003 Page 2 of 5 After some discussion, the Board was in consensus on endorsing a resolution that will be presented to the College Station City Council, in support of the initiative to acquire the land owned by TMPA for a regional park in Grimes County. A resolution will be drafted for the Board to review at their meeting in December. No official action was taken on this item. 6. Discussion, consideration, and possible appointment of members to the Lincoln Center Advisory Committee: Lincoln Recreation Center Supervisor Lance Jackson gave his recommendations for appointments to the Lincoln Center Advisory Committee. After some discussion, Glen D. made a motion to accept Lance's recommendations to appoint Treba Preston, Joel Nettles, and Nick Canto as full members of the Lincoln Center Advisory Committee, and Mallory Poche as an alternate. Larry Farnsworth seconded the motion. All were in favor, and the motion passed unanimously. �p. Discussion, consideration, and possible appointment of members to the Conference Center Advisory Committee: Conference Center Supervisor Grace Calbert Vrooman gave her recommendations for appointments to the Conference Center Advisory Committee. After some discussion, Glen D. made a motion to accept Grace's recommendations to re-appoint members Glenda Elledge, Fran Lamb, and Mollie Guin; appoint new members Alma Molina and Annie Lee Finch; and re-appoint ex-officio member Edwin Ho|dredga to the Conference Center Advisory Committee. Don A. seconded the motion. All were in favor, and the motion passed unanimously. 8~ Discussion, consideration, and possible action concerning recormmmended improvements for neighborhood parks, and allocation of park land dedication funds (Board Goal #4.): Steve stated that last year, the Board prioritized the park land dedication projects. The intention of this item is for the Board to review the status of, as well as determine if any changes need to be made to, the list. Eric Ploeger reviewed the park land dedication project list with the Board. Glen D. asked if the Department could look into adding lighting at the backside of the Jack and Dorothy Miller Jogging track for added safety. Eric responded that the Department could look into cost estimates. Eric stated that Zone 6 would be the biggest decision point. He added that the Department has held off on doing the projects that were formally prioritized for this zone because of the potential development of the Southwest Park site. During the September 23, 2003, Special Board meeting, the Board passed a motion to accept a one-acre park land dedication (in addition to 4.78 acres of greenway) from the Campus Crossing Condominium development to add to the Southwest Park site. Eric has been in contact with the developer (Greg Taggert) at the Municipal Development Group, and he has indicated that the owners of the property are anxious to develop the park site. Eric stated that most of the park land dedication fund money within Zone 6 has been collected from developments that have come up along Southwest Parkway. The question at hand is whether to spend the Zone 6 money on the development of Southwest Park, or on the other projects listed in Zone 6. Eric stated that the developer is also showing interest in donating money as a gift over-and- above the dedication amount if more infrastructure is put into the park (i.e. Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Regular Meeting Tuesday, November 4, 2003 Page 3 of 5 completion of the trail and additional lighting). Eric stated that the developer would like to meet with the Department to begin discussions within the next month, and that he should have more information for the Board at the next meeting. Steve stated that Staff's recommendation would be to take all of the dedication money within Zone 6 and match it with the Municipal Development Group's contribution, to develop a useable park site. After some discussion, the Board was in consensus on the following: - Supporting the development of the Southwest Park site, and making it the highest priority project in Park Zone 6; — Responding favorably to a good development proposal; - Reserving judgement on the exact dollar amount to be contributed to the project; - Reviewing a conceptual plan for the park; and - Leaving the other Park Zone 6 projects prioritized as they currently are. There was no question concerning the order of the park land dedication projects in the other park zones. ' No official action was taken on this itero. discummiwn, and possible action concerning the Capital Ln'provemmr,nt Program: Park LaA Dedication Project List '~ This topic was discussed during item #9. ':. Current Capital Immproven,ent Project List °^ Steve commented on the Central Park Arches project. He has asked staff to investigate a cost-effective way to use replacement funds to purchase a more substantial, permanent structure to be placed at the entrance of Central Park. Steve also commented on the Cemetery Rear Entrance Design and Construction project, which is the result of the Texas Department of Transportation's Phase II project, in which medians will be placed on Texas Avenue in front of the Cemetery. Because of the medians, vehicles will no longer be able to make a left-hand turn into the Cemetery, and it is anticipated that the service entrance from Anderson Street will have increased usage. During the Fiscal Year 2004 budget process, funding was requested and approved through the Cemetery Endowment Fund to add landscaping and aesthetics improvements to that location, as well as to increase the roadbed size to allow for two-way traffic. The department is looking into ways of using general operation funds, so that the Endowment Fund would not be affected. Proposed Future Bond Election Projects °° There was no discussion on this topic. 11. Review, discussion, and possible action concerning Board and Departmental Goals and Objectives, and City Council Strategic Plan: There was no discussion On this item. Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Regular Meeting Tuesday, November 4, 2003 Page 4 of 5 12. Discussion of calendar, next meeting dates, and possible agenda items: November 11, 2003, Veterans Day Ceremony, at 5:30 p.m., at Veterans Park and Athletic Complex Steve gave the Board a summary of the program for the event. 0:. December 4, 2003, Joint Capital Improvement Projects tour with the City Council, at 3:00 p.m. Steve stated that the City Council requested a site tour of completed, in-progress, and future Capital Improvement projects, and asked that the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board attend the tour as well. Kristin Lehde will post an agenda for the tour, 13. Adjourn: Jodi W. made a motion to adjourn, Gary E. seconded the motion. All were in favor, and the meeting adjourned at 8:28 p.m. Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Regular Meeting Tuesday, November 4, 2003 Page 5 of 5