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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07/08/2003 - Regular Minutes - Parks Board uilgvalg,PaiPvamugtmRil-rigAiotiA44rxzg _ R.,1mP :!,v,1>,F,U .4,Roreato Aisi; '0,, 4!,44kVM447 ',A,,v4k .,,:„--Igktre,- A.41,g.WaY0011WNALP„iili.V0:,1,11,94144101.107rn,r'' RrIalle4r6 :::'11113Wrc000 ** *7311.W:::"0: 1141,- .tE4V Staff Present: Steve Beachy, Director; Peter Vanecek, Senior Parks Planner; Peter Lamont, Recreation Superintendent; Marci Rodgers, Sr. Services Coordinator; Curtis Bingham, Parks Operations Superintendent; Elizabeth Gilbert, Planning Intern; Ann Marie Hazlett, Secretary oard Meiibers Present: John Nichols, Chairman; Don Allison; Larry Farnsworth; Bill Davis; Glenn Schroeder Board Members Absent: Glen Davis; Jodi Warner Visitors Present: Michael McClure, McClure Engineering, 9262 Brookwater Circle, College Station, Texas 1. Call to *rder. Chairman John Nichols called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. 2. Pardo — possible actiim concerning requests for absences of m embers frim meeting. Bill D. made a motion to approve the absences of Glen Davis and Jodi Warner, Glenn S. seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried unanimously. 3. Hear visthrs. Hearing none, this item was closed. 4. Discussion, consideration, and possible approval of minutes from the Regular Board Meeting if June 10, 2003. Larry F. made a motion to approve the minutes from June 10, 2003. Glenn S. seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried unanimously. 5. Presentation, discussicn and possible action regarding a trail iN Westfield Subdivision, Phase 6. A map was shown of the Westfield Subdivision and the proposed concrete pathway in the park (see attached). Michael McClure pointed out that the developer of Westfield Village Phase 6, is marketing this subdivision to senior citizens. The consensus of the board was to have access for senior citizens to enter the walk system without having to walk across grass to get to it. Bill D. made a motion that the board recommends that in the design process for the sidewalk, that opposite the Col-de-sac Street (Snowdance Court), there be a handicap accessible connector to the sidewalk. Glenn S. seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried unanimously. Parks&Recreation Advisory Board Regular Meeting Tuesday,July 8,2003 Page 1 of 5 6. Discussion, consideratiosr, and possible action concerning park land dedication requests for: • Hampton Estates (Park Zone 3) - Pete Vanecek pointed to a location map of the proposed development. He said that the proposed single family, eight dwelling-unit development is located on Sterling Street. The total land dedication requirement would be .0792 acres. The total cash dedication requirement would be $4,448. Staff is recommending acceptance of the fee in lieu of land. Glenn S. moved to accept the fee in lieu of land. Larry F. seconded the motion. All were in favor, and the motion carried unanimously. 7. Discussion, consideration, and possible action regarding recommendations for appointment of new members to the Senior Advisory Committee. Marci R. presented the board with the appointment recommendations for the Senior Advisory Committee. She explained that 5 of the current member's terms have expired, and only 3 applications were filed for this committee. Two of the 3 applicants have served on this board, Yvonne Stevens & Joanna Yeager, and 1 new applicant Colleen Risinger. The Senior Advisory Committee also asked Joanna Yeager to become Chair, and Robert Meyer to serve as Vice-Chair. Bill D. made a motion to approve the recommendations for appointing Yvonne Stevens, Joanna Yeager, and Colleen Risinger to the Senior Advisory Committee. Don A. seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. 8. Update, discussion, and possible action regarding N i rthgate Plan and the scheduling of a s`oard tour. A tour with Kim Foutz is set for Thursday, August 7, 2003, at 4:30 PM. The board will leave from St. Mary's Catholic Church to tour the Northgate area. 9. I iscussionn, consideration and possible action regarding Richard Carter Park. Curtis B. handed out information on Richard Carter Park that explained work performed in the park in the past 12 months, additional work to be done, and potential future projects (see attached). Steve pointed out that one of the problems with this park is the irrigation system. Approximately three years ago, College Station weathered through a severe drought, and the ground got so hard at the park, that it ripped the irrigation system apart. He added that with next year's replacement fund, this would be one of the potential projects that would be completed. However, it would not be the same type of irrigation system by trying to irrigate the whole park, but possibly drip irrigation to some of the trees and planting areas and some sprinklers in some key areas. Another problem is some of the planting areas, with trying to keep something that looks nice. Part of this problem is due to the cinder track and bricks which allows grass to grow up and when it gets mowed, the grass is thrown up in the plant bed, and is almost impossible to maintain. Thirdly, trying to replace some of the cinder track with concrete is highly recommended. This would help reduce some erosion problems, and also alleviate the grass growing up through the cinder blocks. Parks&Recreation Advisory Board Regular Meeting Tuesday,July 8,2003 Page 2 of 5 Another thing that came out during the citizens meetings of the Eastgate forum is that people want a playground out at that park. This project did not make the CIP, so the money would have to come from parkland dedication or some special appropriation from somewhere else. Don A. asked for an explanation of Richard Carter Park being a wildflower park. Steve B. explained that it is a cooperative effort with the Keep Brazos Beautiful organization, and they have an ongoing effort to keep propagating wildflowers throughout Bryan/College Station and Brazos County. Richard Carter Park is one of these sites, particularly between the park and frontage road and also in some of the open areas of the park. The problem with wildflowers is there must be time to allow the flowers to go to seed before the park gets mowed, or the flowers will be lost for the next year. Therefore, there are several weeks after the blooms are gone, that the park cannot be mowed, and the weeds get high, which leads to an eyesore. Steve B. went on to say that possibly some "sculpted" mowing could be done, by mowing those areas that are not designated as wildflower areas, and leaving the wildflower areas to seed. John N. suggested that there needs to be some kind of signage that states that certain types of wildflowers grow here at certain times of the year so that people are aware that this is what is trying to be accomplished at this park. He also added that this item needs to be discussed in the September's meeting when the board starts talking about goals for next year. This was a discussion item only, and no motion was made. M. Discussion, consideration, and pi ssible actiol regarding future plans for the Arboretum. Part of the problem is not knowing,w,hen4he Bee Creek Channel work will occur. However, this project is not going to be asçvasi/es first anticipated, but it still will have a big impact on the arboretum. The engineer fbf-tFie channel work has stated that they still have to acquire 10 more properties before they can begin this drainage project. The engineer felt that the earliest that this project would commence would be next spring. Once construction starts, it would take approximately 12 months to finish. After this project is complete, then the bike loop project would start. Glenn S. asked if there is anything that can be done with the green algae that develops on the pond of the arboretum. Steve B. replied, it is floating duckweed, and it is very difficult to control. The only way to get rid of it is to physically go out in a boat with nets and drag it out. This was a discussion item only, and no motion was made. H. Discussion, consideration, and possible action regarding the field redevelopment fee and user group input. Peter L. handed out a chart on the field redevelopment schedule (see attached). A question was asked about how the years were calculated as to when these things are to be replaced. Steve explained that it was merely staff recommendations and how long they believed these items should last. Larry F. stated that he thought some user groups would have input on the field redevelopment fund. Steve B. replied that a soccer group has been contacted and the youth Parks&Recreation Advisory Board Regular Meeting Tuesday,July 8,2003 Page 3 of 5 baseball group will be meeting next month. The intent of this fee is to spend the money on the park that is being used for that particular sport. For example, flag football is played at the Southwood soccer fields, so the redevelopment money generated from flag football would need to be spent on those fields. Bill D. asked how much money in being brought in from this fee. Peter L. replied that about $50,000 a year is being collected. A question was raised regarding the current money being brought in by the redevelopment fee not being enough to do some of the big replacement projects that are listed. However, the Parks Department does currently have $75,000 a year in replacement fund that can be used on anything. This account has typically been used to replace playgrounds, drinking fountains, and irrigation systems. Bill D. asked if the replacement fund is being increased as the city accumulates more parks. So far, that has not been the case. The board agreed that the field redevelopment schedule that was handed out will be a good tool when discussing some of these replacement items. Glenn S. made a suggestion that where the "xx97 are on the chart, those need to have dollars listed as well. This was a discussion item only, and no motion was made. 12. report, disc ssiot, and possible action regarding a propose' regional park. Steve reported that the 11 razos Valley Council of Government has a resolution consideration that will be reviewed on July 9, 2003. Right now, the Texas Municipal Power Agency owns this land and it consists of about 10,000 acres. It was an old mine site which is in the process of being restored. The TMPA has incurred $30 million dollars in restoration process for the site, and has approximately 1012 years to complete all 10,000 acres. There are about 40 lakes on the property, which comprise about 1,200 acres. They have been used for scuba diving and have been managed for fish population. The idea is to create a coalition to acquire the first 3,000 acres, which would be the first step in making this regional park happen. In order to do this, the local community (Brazos & Grimes County, and the cities in those counties) would need to generate $500,000. If that can be accomplished, it is believed that an equal amount in grant and foundation donations could be secured. Also, it is felt that this property could be acquired from TMPA for less than the appraised value, which could also garner some additional matching funds and with that would go to the Parks and Wildlife for a regional park grant to acquire this property. The long-range goal is to make this a state park. Steve recommended that possibly in September have a joint meeting with the Bryan Parks Board, and tour the proposed regional park. This was an informational item only, and no motion was made. 13. Report, discussion, and possible action concerning the Capital Improvement Program. Steve reported that City Council has given indication that they will support the first phase of the Lincoln Center expansion. Community Development has also asked that Parks expend funds that they could not spend on street projects in a timely manner, and they are recommending that the covered basketball courts be done at Lincoln Center as well. No motion was made on this item. Parks&Recreation Advisory Board Regular Meeting Tuesday,July 8,2003 Page 4 of 5 14. Review, discussion, and possible action concerning !.oard and Departmental Goals and Objectives, and City Council Strategic Plan. No motion was made on this item. 15. Discussion of next meeting dates and possible agenda items. The next meeting will be on August 12, 2003, at 7:00 p.m. at The Exit Teen Center. 16. Adjourn. Bill D. made a motion to adjourn. Larry F. seconded the motion. All were in favor, and the meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m. Parks&Recreation Advisory Board Regular Meeting Tuesday,July 8,2003 Page 5 of 5