HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - Recreation and Parks Committee - 07/17/2017
RECREATION AND PARKS COMMITTEE
MONDAY, July 17, 2017
5 PM-7:00 PM
Medium Conference Room, City Offices
AGENDA
(5:00) Call mee ng to order
Review of safety procedures
Changes or addi ons to the agenda
Comments from the public not related to the agenda
Approval of minutes from June 19, 2017 mee ng
(5:05) Director’s Report: Maggie
(5:20) NRPA Performance Review: Jennifer
Sub-commi ee report
(5:30} City Council Mee ng 7:00 Monday July 17
Work Plan
(5:35) Wheeler Nature Center Conserva on Easement Update: Jennifer
Notes a ached
(5:40) Understanding the Recrea on and Parks Department Budget: Maggie
(6:20) Founda on: Maggie and Jennifer
(6:25) Reports and updates: liaison reports
Please no fy the chair if your report requires discussion and/or a wri en report
Bike & Ped (Rebecca)
City Council (Mike)
Natural Resources ( )
SB Land Trust (Paul)
Library Board (Glenn)
School Board (Liz)
Winooski Valley Park District (George)
Planning Commission (Jennifer)
Design Review/Public Art (Jennifer)
Leadership (Jennifer and Mike)
DRB ( )
Energy (Jennifer, Mike)
(6:40) Adjourn
*Indicates a achment
NEXT REGULAR MEETING: August 21, 5:00 P.M.
Reminder: Ideas for Commi ee Retreat to be held September/October
Advocacy
Myers/Briggs
Other?
Bike Rack:
Make a List!
May 11, 2017
Dra ToDo List of priori es and Timeline
1. Schedule R and P Department budget review into mee ng schedule.
2. Review the City Center Task Force Report with focus on R and P sec on on facili es (updated).
3. Review the Site Evalua on Matrix.
4. Review the Planning Commission revision of LDR’s and PUD’s.
5. Performance Review/Department Goals and Objec ves: Schedule review and discussion. Work with staff onmaster Plan. Refer to Annual Worksheet generated by Leadership Commi ee.
6. Finalize Orienta on Plan for 2017.
7. Invite speaker for advocacy.
8. Get Founda on up and running!
9. Con nue to maintain commitment to delivery of high quality programs.
10. City Center updates for Market Street and Dumont Park
DRAFT
South Burlington Recrea on & Parks Commi ee
June 19, 2017
Present: Jennifer Kochman, Mike Simoneau, Paul Steinman, Rebecca Poque e, Liz Robitaille
Regrets: George Donovan, Glenn Sproul, Naa Addo
Staff: Maggie Leugers Director Recrea on and Parks, and Jack Turnbaugh, Department Summer Intern
Guest: Ka e Langrock
Mee ng was called to order at 5:05 pm
Mike Simoneau reviewed the Safety Procedures.
Members and Ka e Langrock introduced themselves.
There were no comments from the public.
Approval of minutes from May 22nd mee ng: There were no changes or discussion of the mee ng minutes.
Mike made a mo on to approve the minutes, Paul seconded. With this the minutes were unanimously
approved.
Director’s reports: Maggie reported that the very wet spring led to some cancella ons. The Dog Park in Farrell
Park will open this Wednesday. Another is planned for O’Brien Center. The Department is looking for a third,
possibly in SEQ. Jaycee park lights are going up. The Day of Play was wet and soggy. Nevertheless, people
enjoyed the many choices of play areas set up by staff. Jennifer commented that parents of young children
were apprecia ve of having a day of ac vi es offered when children would otherwise be home with not much
to do. Yappy Day at Red Rocks a er the close of the park was to have had EMS demonstra ons, but EMS has
closed the store. LL Bean will possibly offer equipment. LL Bean will be involved in City Fest August 12. Jennifer
asked the sources of the grants noted in the wri en report. The $33,000 grant is from Walmart. The General
grant is from a variety of sources. The in-kind grants include many dona ons of radio and TV air me. The
sta ons dona ng are men oned in R and P publica ons. VYCC has started 4 weeks of work. They will double up
teams and will work at Red Rocks 95% of me, including significant trail upgrades and work on erosion,
especially close to the lake. Maggie said the VYCC savings on summer work will be $19,000 this year (last year
$24,000). Red Rocks way finding signs are coming in July.
Paul suggested recycling and garbage cans in addi on to those at the entrance and exit. He also suggested
discounts for non-residents and visitors to the area, and adding new grills.
Junior REC and Lil Tykes sign-ups are down due to some duplica on of services with “Schools Out” and
elementary summer program and with Common Roots a new summer pre-K program being offered at the
Wheeler House this summer. This has reduced department par cipants in these summer core programs.
Maggie and staff will be working with both organiza ons in developing more collabora ve strategies.
Paul suggested implemen ng a system for recrui ng members for volunteering for events, and assigning
specific tasks.
Veterans Park will have electric upgrade to reduce the costs of having to rent a generator, and ensure safety.
??? brought up issues w/score boards electricity not working: this will require more extensive work to find the
problem. The ques on was raised: Is this the city’s responsibility or South Burlington Baseball/Li le League to
fix? Maggie said that it is the city; however Baseball/Li le League will be billed for fixing.
Maggie handed out copies of the SE Group proposal for the Underwood Park Master Plan. The contract has
been signed, and will cost $42,000. This next stage of beginning work at Underwood was funded in the Open
Space Fund. Jennifer gave background on visioning process completed by the Task Force. There will public
mee ngs on the site.
Retreat: Jennifer, Maggie, and Mike recommend holding the Commi ee Retreat in late September or early
October. Jennifer suggested two topics: Myers/Briggs exercise and/or Advocacy. Jennifer suggested bringing in
an expert to give an in-depth Advocacy program. Commi ee members who have other sugges ons should
contact Jennifer. If we decide to focus on advocacy, we should begin soon to search for an expert. Mike said
that the Commi ee has a need to undertake strategic advocacy efforts in order realize the goals of the
department and the commi ee.
Skill/Experience Matrix: All members gave input to the Matrix, which was shown on the screen. Jennifer will
submit this to Coralee Holm.
NRPA 2017 Agency performance Report: Jennifer said this mee ng would begin to draw some conclusions
from Glenn’s Summary, and then schedule mee ngs to work on a Narra ve Summary for the Report. Paul asked
if the staffing of the report included the three employees from Public Works (Park Foreman, Arborist, and Staff)
who are not overseen by Recrea on and Parks. The commi ee noted some early conclusions:
SB is very land rich and especially rich in natural areas compared to most communi es.
Revenue and recovery, opera ng expenses higher due to contracted programs. Number of full- me
employees does not include public works employees
Public works (park foreman, etc.) does not report directly to Maggie, communica on is key
We are land-rich overall and especially in the natural, undeveloped areas
Revenue as part of opera ng expenses is higher due to subcontrac ng – keeps lower number of full me
employees (saves money on salaries, benefits)
Is informa on regarding rela onship between building square footage and program par cipa on
credible?
Mee ng date to discuss NRPA: 6/26 1530 -1730
The Commi ee will produce a Summary of the NRPA Report to accompany the Report when it is presented to
City Council and Planning Commission. The Summary may also be used as a Public Rela ons and Advocacy
piece to present to many audiences.
The next mee ng to work on this document will be Monday June 26th 3:30 to 5:00. If space in City Hall is not
available, Mike may offer his offices just down the street.
Leadership mee ng: Jennifer said the Leadership Commi ee includes Chairs and Vice Chairs of the city’s
Boards and Commi ees. Jennifer gave a summary of the R and P Commi ee Work Plan, with emphasis on the
need for facili es. Jennifer submi ed the Commi ee’s Orienta on Plan. In discussion of the Skills/Experience
Matrix, some people supported, and some ques oned the prac ce of recrui ng members to a commi ee. A
dinner event for all members of city commi ees and boards will be held in August.
PUD’s and LDR’s: Jennifer said that developers have been presen ng their PUD’s to the Commi ee for
recommenda ons on open space, connec vity, and related issues, for about the last six years (except during
Interim Zoning.) Un l now no open space requirements or standards have been wri en into the PUD’s. Nor has
the R and P Commi ee review process been wri en into regula on. The Planning Commission has been
working with the SE Group to write land use and density standards for diverse types of development. A copy of
the SE group May 18 memo to the Planning Commission was sent electronically and handed out. Recrea on
and Park Commi ee believes in con nuing its role in the review process, with inclusion of representa ves from
SBNRC and Bike and Ped. The commi ee needs to keep an eye on it and follow through. Maggie has contacted
Paul Connors and hasn’t heard back yet.
Founda on: Maggie and Jennifer met to discuss the Founda on. Three other people have agreed to serve. We
need to find a lawyer to draw up the basic documents; the Burlington Bike Path documents ca serve as a
model.
Liaison Reports: Reassignments may take place a er the appointment of new members. in August.
Bike + Pedestrian – Rebecca, nothing to report
City Council – Mike, nothing to report
Natural resources – Naa, not in a endance-No report
School board – Liz, budget passed, teacher nego a ons
SB Land Trust – Paul, happy he is there, no mee ng yet
Library Board – Glenn not in a endance
WVPD – George, not in a endance
Planning and Commission – Jennifer, nothing to report beyond PUD Update
Design Review- Nothing to report
DRB – Need new person to take this on.
Energy
Leadership Commi ee – Jennifer, Party for all commi ees and members in August
6:50PM: Mike made mo on to adjourn, seconded by Liz.
NEXT MEETING JULY 17, 5PM
Respec ully Submi ed,
Rebecca Poque e
Wheeler Nature Park Conserva on Easement: Progress and updates
Please note: I was a member of the Wheeler Nature Park Conserva on Easement Task Force, but this is in no
way an official document of the Task Force Commi ee. These are my notes. The 10-17-16 Dra of the Wheeler
Nature Park Conserva on Easement Framework is not yet available on the City website. People care about
Wheeler Nature Park and will likely con nue to have ques ons about the progress of the Conserva on
Easement.
Jennifer Kochman
The SB DRB will hold a hearing on two parcels of land related to Wheeler Nature Park July 18, 2017. What is
this for? And what are the next steps in the legal process to finalize the Conserva on Easement?
Reply from Paul Conner: There are currently two applica ons before the DRB (hearings scheduled for 7/18) –
one from the City, for subdivision of the Wheeler Nature Park, and one from JAM Golf, for subdivision of the
Golf Course land. There are also two applica ons before the Act 250 District Commission for the same thing, as
both proper es are subject to Act 250. Once those subdivisions are complete at both levels, the next step in
the Legal Se lement agreement will be for the par es to complete the land exchange itself, of the 7.25 acres to
JAM Golf and of the 21.88 acres to the City. The par es will then each have their obliga ons following that
exchange to complete the terms of the se lement agreement.
Has City Council adopted the Report? When will this go to City Council? When will the Easement be
completed?
Reply from Paul Conner: The City Council has not yet received the Report from the Wheeler Commi ee. As the
City and JAM Golf were (and are) s ll in the li ga on discussed above, the Council chair decided to wait to have
the presenta on un l that is complete. Once that is complete, however, the Council will receive the report and
presenta on. At that me the Council will determine follow-on ac ons.
Also, just to clarify, when I say the Council had not received the Report, I meant to say that they had not had a
City Council Mee ng, yet, at which the Commi ee gives a presenta on on the Report and “formally” hands it
over to them. Donna Leban emailed a copy of the digital document to the Council Chair a while back.
Le er from Danna Leban, Chair, to City Council January 2017
South Burlington, VT 05403
January 3, 2017
City Council, City of South Burlington
575 Dorset Street
South Burlington, VT 05403
Dear Members of City Council;
As Chair of the Wheeler Nature Park Conserva on Easement Commi ee, I am pleased on behalf of the
Commi ee to present the completed report.
The intent of the City vote in 2011 to create a 3rd party conserva on easement to protect the Wheeler Nature
Park in its en rety will be realized when the City Council authorizes a nego a on and signs a binding
agreement between the City and a qualified conserva on partner as described in the report.
The Commi ee is in broad agreement on all aspects of the included guidelines, par cularly on the need for
natural resource protec on for the Nature Park por on of the property. There were varying opinions on the
poten al for future new building on the smaller, more public Homestead por on of the property. However, it
was the consensus that only structures consistent with the permi ed uses and the historic scale and nature of
the original farm buildings would be appropriate. No new facili es requiring addi onal on-site parking would
be considered appropriate.
Members of the Commi ee have expressed their apprecia on for having the opportunity to work on this
important effort. The Commi ee would be interested in mee ng with the City Council to discuss the report
and the process, as well as any ques ons you may have as the City takes further steps to realize the goal of the
Wheeler Nature Park Conserva on Easement.
Sincerely,
Donna J Leban
South Burlington Recrea on and Parks Founda on: Projects (Dra )
The signature project for the Founda on is to raise funds for the crea on of indoor recrea onal facili es.
· The Recrea on Department offices are housed in the City Hall Building, and are insufficient to accommodate
current and future staff. The current space of approximately 5,000 square feet includes four offices, a wai ng
area, conference room, display space, storage and some shared func ons with the rest of the building. The total
area includes 2,000 S square feet of addi onal storage space made available a er the Police Department was
relocated.
· The Recrea on Department offers a wide array of programs, including sports, art, hobby and educa onal
programs; and play groups and fitness; and serves community members from pre-school age to senior ci zen. In
2012 over 420 programs were offered. However these programs are offered in various city, schools, or privately
owned facili es.
· The major obstacle this department faces is that there is no program space assigned solely to the Recrea on
Department to schedule throughout the day. This limits their ability to offer many programs during the school
day/a erschool program hours that could otherwise serve the pre-school age children and seniors in the
community.
· The large mee ng room located in City Hall is another space that is o en used; however, programs must work
around the various mee ngs scheduled in the space, not to men on the less than ideal condi ons for athle c
ac vi es.
· During the summer months, the Recrea on Department is unable to offer evening programs at the schools due
to limited schedules of custodial staff during the summer months. Once again, the programs offered by the
Recrea on Department are dependent on and limited to the available space within outside en es
The second need, also a chronic and long-standing need, is to create addi onal playing fields so that the fields
can be maintained.
· The playing fields are constantly in use throughout the season.
The Recrea on and Parks Department and Commi ee generate ideas to be er serve our community. Some of
our ideas envision ameni es to be created in our exis ng parkland.
· The $1.3 million Conserva on fund will cover the most immediate priori es for upkeep and basic ameni es in
Red Rocks, Underwood, and Wheeler Nature Parks. However, comple ng the list of ameni es would cost $4.5
Million.
· For example, it would be nice to have exercise sta ons along the many beau ful pedestrian trails.
· Improving the bath house at Red Rocks Park is the first item in the line below the “First Priori es” list. But
improving the bath house would greatly enhance the pleasure of going to red Rocks.
· Crea ng a gazebo for events would be an enhancement, and might even allow for events that create revenue.
The South Burlington Comprehensive Plan has long listed acquisi on of the Farrell Property on the lake as a
goal.
Crea on of an indoor/outdoor swimming pool is a goal.
RECREATION DEPARTMENT: From The City Center Task Force, updated
The Recrea on Department offices are housed in the City Hall Building. The current space of
approximately 5,000 square feet includes four offices, a wai ng area, conference room, display space,
storage and some shared func ons with the rest of the building. The total area includes 2,000 S square
feet of addi onal storage space made available a er the Police Department was relocated.
The Recrea on Department offers a wide array of programs, including sports, art, hobby and
educa onal programs, play groups and fitness, and serves community members from pre-school age to
senior ci zen. In 2012 over 420 programs were offered. However these programs are offered in various
city, schools, or privately owned facili es. The major obstacle this department faces is that there is no
program space assigned solely to the Recrea on Department to schedule throughout the day. The Rec
Department is dependent on availability of spaces within the schools to offer the majority of its
programs. This limits their ability to offer many programs during the school day/a erschool program
hours that could otherwise serve the pre-school age children and seniors in the community. The large
mee ng room located in City Hall is another space that is o en used; however, programs must work
around the various mee ngs scheduled in the space, not to men on the less than ideal condi ons for
athle c ac vi es.
The Recrea on Department also coordinates a summer camp program with an average of 190 campers
each week. Over 50 different programs are offered and three school sites are used to house them. Also
during the summer months, the Recrea on Department is unable to offer evening programs at the
schools due to limited schedules of custodial staff during the summer months. Once again, the
programs offered by the Recrea on Department are dependent on and limited to the available spaces
within outside en es.
In order to support the current programs offered by the Recrea on Department the following spaces
are desired:
Reception/ Entry / Administration
• Walk-in recep on/registra on person needed, si ng at a desk at the entrance to the building
(or department).
• Displays for informa on / Exhibit space
Staff Offices
• Seven offices iden fied to house Director, Assistant Director, Program Coordinators, and Interns
Program Spaces
• Seniors ac vity space – “Family Room”—or day room. Generally this is an 80+ year old age
group who see the programs as a chance to get out of the house and be ac ve. Typical
a endance is presently 20-25 once per week, and the Recrea on Dept. is looking to increase
par cipa on once available space is secured. Needs comfortable, so furniture. Typical hours
of use 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
City Center Public Facili es | PROGRAM ASSESSMENT
B-8 Dore & Whi er Architects, Inc.
• Teen Center – needs a fresh look, youthful, a rac ve to the demographic. To included game room, music
studio, and drama.
• Child Supervision Room - Drop-in for parents who are working out. Does not need to be a large
space.
• Tykes/Youth Program Space - Typical equipment for this age group: toys, story area, storage,
kids play furniture setup. Need for sink in the room. Ages 1-5 typical popula on. Ac vi es
include: baking, art, music, dance. Outdoor programs - sports readiness (throwing, kicking,
catching).
*Child Care space
*Food Concession area
*Walking/Running Track
• Adult Program Space – Maker lab (“Dirty Lab”) for arts and cra s and adult educa on;
flexible furniture and integrated storage; Kiln to allow for ceramics
• Kitchen – discussed as the central space that poten ally needs to serve mul ple spaces. Ideally
directly adjacent to Senior Space. Equipment needs to be mainly warming func ons, but with
cooking capability. Full commercial kitchen not necessary. Must serve catering func on for
ac vi es. There are senior func ons 2-3X /year where full cooking is required, maybe more.
Physical Activity Spaces
Currently court-based programs are spread across the school buildings, and o en get “bumped” by
school programs. Recrea on Department needs its own court space in a centralized loca on. It is
hoped that the wellness facili es will be u lized by people living in City Center as an early morning,
lunch me, or a ernoon/evening resource.
• Provide full size gym lined for (2) cross-court basketball prac ce courts. Both men’s and
women’s leagues need full-size court, volleyball, pickle ball, and badminton.
• Need bleachers – up to 500 seats.
• Simulated Outdoor Area (SOA) – Ar ficial turf to allow programs during inclement weather such
as soccer, archery, lacrosse, general fitness, etc.
• Mul -purpose Rooms – provide two spaces – one “favoring” quiet for yoga, and the other for
louder ac vi es like aerobics, jazzercise, and Zumba
*Fitness Studio - with suspended floor and sound system
• Lockers: full lockers for adult use with toilet rooms and showers; security required.
Auditorium
• A desired program element for a drama camp, presenta ons, plays, etc.
• Also a rentable resource to the general public
Storage
• Storage including ball room (basketballs, soccer, footballs, etc.), hard items (floor hockey s cks,
tennis, bats, small balls, etc.), summer camp supplies, special events (seasonal decora ons
mostly), paper products (cups & plates, plas c ware, etc.)
*Custodian storage for floor equipment etc.
Other: (Program functions were discussed but not included in space planning)
• Aqua cs Center to include: 8 lane lap pool, training pool, therapeu c warm pool, 0 depth entrance, lazy river,
slides, movable bulkhead.
• Child-friendly/family friendly water park/ indoor splash park / “sprayground”
• Playground there would be a small fenced in grass field and/or playground
2013/2015 Excerpt from 2013 City Center Task Force, with 2015 addi ons (red)
EExcerpt7