Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutDraft Minutes - Recreation and Parks Committee - 05/10/2021 Recreation and Parks Committee May 10, 2021 5:00-6:30 Meeting Minutes Present: Katie Langrock, Mike Simoneau, Jennifer Kochman, Jon Pence, Bill Barber, Christy Pilsucki Staff: Holly Rees Absent: William Sudbay, Lauren Wedam, Caroline Henne Guests: Wayne Racine, Allan Strong, Chris Trombly, Betty Milizia, Sandra Dooley Meeting called to order at 5:05pm by Katie Langrock. Changes or additions to the agenda None Comments from the public not related to the agenda Wayne said he met with Holly this afternoon to discuss the giant pine trees at Overlook Park. Wayne said he got up on the berm after dark and that you can not see the car headlights. Wayne said he does not think the car lights hit the house that the trees are designed to protect. Additionally, the berm is not very high, Wayne suggested maybe looking into raising the wall 6-8 inches and Holly suggested maybe a back so you can sit comfortably. Wayne feels the trees do not add anything to the park, would like this reviewed. Katie thanked Wayne for his perspective. Holly has it as a talking point in Director’s Report. Holly said next steps would be to check with Parks Foreman and maybe have someone check out what the cost would be to add some height, backing to berm. Allan added view is crowded, limited space to see sunset there now. Approval of minutes from April 12, 2021 meeting No minutes to approve, will approve at next meeting. Review of SBLT C4C (Cents for Conservation)- Allan Strong Presentation of Cents for Conservation a proposal for environmental conservation in South Burlington. Allan presented history of Open Space Fund. In 2000, Voters approved, 1% permanent tax raises approximately $300K annually for conservation/open space. It has been altered over time with voter approvals through Ballot Initiatives, in 2008, 2010, 2016. Allan reviewed environmental, social/recreational, climate change resilience and economic benefits of open space conservation. Allan reviewed estimated annual per-acre value of natural goods and services by land cover type. He reviewed community public service costs compared to revenues raised in various land uses; a way to measure direct fiscal impact of open spaces. He showed how their plans are aligned with the South Burlington Comprehensive Plan. The land trust proposal came out of Open Space IZ Committee – they identified 1,000 acres and, with land costs estimated at an average of $10,000 would take 70 years to achieve this. Their proposal is to raise the Open Space Fund to 2 cents for a limited time period would allow the City to purchase all the land identified in 14 years. This proposal was created before Covid, they have discussed now maybe the increase could be graded over time. Residents are overwhelming in favor of preserving land via exit polling. Sandy asked about out-of-pocket costs that people in smaller towns must pay that are provided by larger communities (wells, septic tanks, etc.). Allan agreed it is not an apples-to-apples comparison but that these larger communities may have additional costs not known about as well. Jennifer clarified the alterations and pointed out that the City would be spending more money in developing/maintaining these open spaces. Allan said this issue has been raised and is on their mind. Jennifer said this is a strong presentation by the Land Trust; others are interested in the topic of how we use open space including the Affordable Housing Committee so we can think of it in balance as we develop South Burlington. Jennifer would like to look into this for further study. Allan said they did not present to Affordable Housing Committee, but they voted not to support the proposal. Allan agrees need to figure out the balance with housing needs in the area. Allan would like to hear from other committee members to ensure that it aligns with other committees’ priorities. Katie said she agrees with all the needs and all the comments. She said her bigger question for her is how do we decide which priorities get out to voters? Is it the one who gets the proposal out first? The most passionate? How do we create a sustainable community that supports all our citizens? Sandy agrees with being mindful of competing needs. Sandy said she has seen and there is hope for a process to evaluate community needs. Chris said he is on the Affordable Housing Committee and would welcome to hear new information on the proposal. Jennifer provided history of R&P and how the committee has always prioritized green space and open spaces. Betty appreciates what Jennifer said about access to green spaces. Betty asked if they considered pets living in condos and having access to spaces, we have thousands of dogs in SB and very little space for dogs. Work Plan Review and Assignments-Katie Deferred to June meeting due to time constraints. Review Package Creation for Onboarding New City Manager- Katie Jennifer helped Holly create a list of documents for onboarding the new City Manager and orienting new members for R&P Committee. Katie and Jennifer discussed a plan to get documents onto Google Drive. Jennifer reviewed the list she identified as important for onboarding new City Manager for discussion/feedback. Katie said she thinks the list is good. No additional thoughts or comments. DRB Long Property Review- Mike Mike said we need to forward our opinion of recommendation to the DRB. Mike said he is fine being a liaison, but the committee collectively should have opportunity to offer comments, reach consensus, have a motion. Committee members are not familiar with application, so Mike provided information of it. 49 units of housing between South Village and South Pointe. Mike said his primary concern is that none of the three properties that have been set aside will be a place for active recreation, especially younger children. One is near a road, the other two are natural areas and tree removal might need to happen. No active recreation in South Pointe either. Underwood is an underutilized asset, and we could create an active recreation area for younger children, so that concern might be mitigated. They are satisfying the metrics, but this is my concern. Jennifer inquired how far is the development space to Underwood? Less than a quarter mile? Less than 1000 feet? The connectivity is there as well to create recreation for socialization for kids and parents. Jennifer said she thinks if it is close and there is connectivity, it falls in our criteria. Jennifer said we should make a note that we want to see facilities and playgrounds be developed in these neighborhoods. If the city goes ahead and approves it, the City should budget it. Motion: Mike said he thinks the committee is overall in favor of the development, would encourage active recreation and if not then the city should find money to create some facilities. Ordinance Review Process for Change- Holly Deferred to June meeting due to time constraints. Directors Report- Holly Highlights – Holly wanted to give a heads up that changing/modifying ordinances is coming down the road. Holly said we need to update the ordinances: e-bikes, need to include some language about it; park hours (hours posted per park) and right now the branding on our signs does not allow for that, would like to put something in that hours are dawn to dusk. Holly said they would add permitted use beyond dusk at Szymanski, Jaycee and Veterans due to the lighting but that there is a firm cut off at 10pm. Holly said they are looking at the leash ordinance as well, creating draft language and then vetting with involved committees. Katie inquired if we should consider putting a speed limit on bike path. Holly said there have been some complaints about noise so maybe some courtesy signs as well as speed limits will need to be worked developed. Holly applied for a $4.5 million grant through Bernie Sanders office for IRF. Holly said it falls the application would fall under community enrichment aspect of the grant. Holly said Save The Date 7/23/21 – Grand Opening of 180 Market – there will be a ribbon cutting, tours, food trucks, music and a bouncy castle. They are moving forward Senior Center Director position; they have applicants to interview. They are moving forward with hiring for Ben’s position. Holly reported R&P had the first Thursday Night Takeout (TNT), about 500 people came through the park. Motion to adjourn by Mike, seconded by Jennifer. All approved. Adjourned at 6:32pm. Next Meeting: Monday June 7th 5:00pm-6:30pm Respectfully submitted, Christy Pilsucki