HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Red Rocks Park Committee - 04/28/2016 (2)South Burlington Red Rocks Park Committee
575 Dorset Street
South Burlington, VT 05403
(802) 846-4106
www.sburl.com
Thursday, April 28, 2016
6:00pm
South Burlington Municipal Offices, 575 Dorset Street
MEETING MINUTES
Present: Lisa Yankowski and Melissa Cuke (RRPC members), Maggie Leugers (RRPC
Staff Liaison - SB Recreation & Parks Director)
The meeting was called to order at 6:15 pm.
Approval of 01/20/2016 Minutes: Cuke moved to approve the 01/20/2016 minutes.
Yankowski seconded: the minutes were unanimously approved.
Restructuring of City committees: The committee discussed upcoming changes to the
city committee structure. City Council has been discussing a re-organization of city
committees in order to reduce an overlap in work among committees' work, improve
efficiency in the use of staff time, and encourage collaboration among committees
whose interests and aims are closely aligned. It has been decided that The Natural
Resources Committee and Red Rocks Park Committee will be combined in a broadened
Natural Resources Committee. This new committee will include all current members
of the current Natural Resources and Red Rocks Park Committees, and will focus on
the conservation, enjoyment, and stewardship of South Burlington's natural areas
(including Red Rocks Park) and resources. The day-to-day operations of Red Rocks Park
will be unaffected by these changes.
Nature Park Enhancement Funds Task Force: Maggie summarized the aims for a new
task force that will be formed to recommend prioritization of Open Space Funds
available for the maintenance of City natural areas. This task force will be comprised
of representatives from each of the current Natural Resources and Red Rocks Park
Committees (hereafter, the combined Natural Resources Committee), as well as the
Recreation and Leisure Arts Committee. This task force structure has been piloted in
the Wheeler Nature Park Conservation Easement Task Force, which has benefited from
the collaboration among committees in this way. The Nature Park Enhancement Funds
Task Force will meet over the next 6 months in order to develop their
recommendations, and Maggie will serve as the coordinating staff liaison for this task
force.
Red Rocks Park update: The park is scheduled to open for the 2016 season from June
19 through August 14, between 9 am and 6 pm daily. A sandwich board sign will be
used to help direct park visitors to designated parking areas inside the park. No
parking will be permitted outside of the park gate, and patrols/ticketing will be given
to enforce this. Parking permits will be be priced as last year: a season parking pass
will be $10 and $25 for South Burlington residents and non-residents, respectively.
Daily passes will be $5 for residents and $8 for non-residents.
Travis Ladd (special projects coordinator for South Burlington) will be supervising park
staff for the upcoming season. The Vermont Youth Conservation Corps (VYCC) will
once again be working on trail maintenance projects within the park, including the
installation of several new water bars. The VYCC is recruiting several students from
both South Burlington High School and other communities, and is planning overnight
programming as well as the training of future VYCC leaders.
Changes in park management this year will include increased patrol hours for the
animal control officer, who will work to enforce the dog leash ordinance and promote
awareness of the effects of off-leash dogs on wildlife, sensitive habitat, and other
park users. In addition, new signs will be erected in the cliff areas to warn of park
users' responsibility for an $800 fine in event of rescue following cliff jumping, as well
as the closure of some eroded areas for habitat regeneration. New buoys have been
purchased to improve visibility of the swimming area boundary.
Volunteer Ambassadors for City parks: Maggie summarized her new idea for training
community volunteers to be ambassadors for Red Rocks Park. Interested ambassadors
could be uniformed for visibility and play a role in orienting park users to the park's
trails, other recreational opportunities, and plant and wildlife communities. Similar
initiatives have been developed to train ambassadors for parks in other communities,
with great success and reception on the part of both park staff and park users.
Next Meeting: The Natural Resources Committee normally meets on the first
Wednesday of each month. The next meeting will be:
•May 4 at 6:00pm
Meeting adjourned at 7:10 pm.