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Home My WebLink AboutDraft Minutes - Recreation and Parks Committee - 11/23/2019 11/23/19 Rec and Parks Committee Retreat Present: Holly Rees, Jon Pence, Mike Simoneau, Jennifer Kochman, Glenn Sproul, Christy Pilsucki, Lauren Wedam Absent: Rebecca Poquette 8am – 11am Tour of City Parks to gain a better understanding of each park's history, present & future (i.e. forecasted budget, ongoing issues, plans for improvement, etc.). Jaycee Park • History: O’Brien Faculty • Current Use: Youth Softball/Baseball, Adult softball, rugby, dolphin’s football • Planned Future Use: skinned softball field, updated bleacher, netting behind home base- master plan as roadway is anticipated and replacement facility promised. City Center Park • History: Dumont Parcel that was purchased by the city • Current Use: City Nature Park, Additional Signage being prepped for wood spiral • Planned Future Use: connectivity to city center, additional staff member to support maintenance or potential contract with landscape manager, note DPW contractual concern) Rye Property • History: private playground for neighborhood • Current Use: To be turned over to the city when we accept the roads and project • Planned Future Use: routine maintenance O’Brien Hillside • History: private playground for neighborhood • Current Use: To be turned over to the city when we accept the roads and project • Planned Future Use: Future Use: routine maintenance Veteran’s Memorial • History: Initial ball field layout, added band shell and vet memorial as it developed • Current Use: SB School Use for Soccer in the fall and baseball in the spring, Rice Fall Soccer use, Little League, 802 lacrosse, Far Post, Nordic, Queen City, GBGSL, Youth Lacrosse, Rec Programs, Events • Planned Future Use: Indoor Rec Center, crowing of fields, parking flow enhancements, center rink entrance Wheeler Dog Park • History: Part of the Wheeler Nature Park- identified as new dog park location • Current Use: awaiting final plan design and permits for Dog Park • Planned Future Use: construction this spring Wheeler Homestead • History: 1st city clerk’s office, National Gardening Association • Current Use: Common Roots and Friends of Library Book Shop, • Planned Future Use: Common Roots events- replace master gardener Jan Desarno volunteer Underwood • History: purchased through Open Space Fund, master plan process with community • Current Use: open for hiking, birding (common roots 4 acre lease for farming), brush hogged seasonally, contracts engaged for invasive removal and trails assessment • Planned Future Use: phase 1 to include multi use path connectivity, trails system development and installation, signage and parking enhancement Overlook • History: popular spot for sunsets, fireworks, 911 memorial • Current Use: Needs to be repaved, was promised this fall and was not done. • Planned Future Use: Redesign of parking and vegetation in the park. Review the neighboring tree history South Village- soccer field to be coming through Rec Impact Fees Bay Crest • History: small open space parcel, neighborhood input- desired open space, connectivity and natural playground • Current Use: open space, connectivity and construction • Planned Future Use: Project completion soon. Szymanski • History: Neighborhood Park • Current Use: courts reserved for pickle ball three times per week seasonally • Planned Future Use: Resurfacing of tennis and basketball courts with added pickle ball lines and shed for portable net storage. Red Rocks • History: city’s only lake access • Current Use: Seasonally open • Planned Future Use: redo the bath house, address erosion issues, connectivity trail creation from pump house to beach and parking lot rehabilitation Farrell Dog Park: • History: created when jc Dog Park closed down • Current Use: only city Dog Park • Planned Future Use: future amenities of water, shade and landscaping Farrell Park • History: Upper and lower field support a baseball field • Current Use: baseball, adult football, GBGSL, Rice Soccer Practice • Planned Future Use: no plans for current use changes or additions Arrived at City Offices at 11:00am 11:00-11:40AM Discussion about effectiveness of committee and monthly meetings and how do we increase interactive dialogue? • Keep meetings to an hour and a half, but make them more effective and meaningful • Do we need to review Director’s Report in the meeting? Can we have the Director’s Report by Friday, review it beforehand and ask questions during the meeting? This will give us time to discuss big picture questions. • History of park is important, but can it be recorded in an ongoing document? How can we use Google drive to store and access documents? Will be using Google drive more as a city depository for documents. It will be view only to committee members with Chair and Director of Rec and Parks to be able to add/edit. Agenda building for meetings will still be through email. Every committee to operate the same way. Can use links in agenda to go directly to document to review. Only access to committee drive of which you are a member. • We can systematically review documents during meetings. Jennifer is working on a flash drive of important R&P documents. Have a specific topic to discuss each meeting and embed the monthly topics into work plan. 11:40-11:55AM Review the work plan & tasks, do we have everything? What is missing? • Take comprehensive plan (does not address R&P) and develop committee work plan. Current work plan has 8 items on the to do list. September is not good timing for symposium as that is when new leadership starts. Maybe January would be a better time? • When PUDs finalized, we want to have a say. R&P, Bike and Ped and Natural Resources should have an opportunity to comment – should it be a subcommittee with a person from each committee or developers come to each group? Committee decision that they should come to each group. • VRPA study – need to dissect it in a similar way to NRPA study (should we alternate years for each study?) • Should engage in a forensic study of resources to understand the exchange of benefits between city and school. There are only a certain amount of resources and tax capacity, should we be directing resources outside of direct agenda. Best to start with schools and R&P. Important for voters to know of what is currently out there and what facilities are currently in use. Could help in advocating for rec facility. • Involvement of short term and long term use of fields from middle school. • Advocacy, education and ordinance review of dogs. • Consider volunteer team for maintenance of trails. Maintenance of fields will stay under the role of city. • Educate the public re: tax allocation. 80% goes to schools, 20% for all other city services and programs. Can use Sobu Play, Sobu website, Facebook page, Community Watch page, Front Porch Forum, The Other Paper to educate. What do we want our message to be? How do we share it? What are the stakeholder groups? We need to accumulate data and publicize it in ways that people can digest. Column in The Other Paper? • Consider more organized R&P feedback routes. Currently, all feedback goes to the Director now. Consider a direct link for feedback that will get filtered through wither it is Recs or Parks, which park, etc. This could be a repository for feedback that the committee can then review and address more systematically. 11:55AM – 12:10PM Discussion Land Conservation ballot initiative requesting money from taxpayers when R&P was told to stand down re: Indoor Rec Facility. Next steps: • Jon Pence to draft a statement for review at the next meeting. Next meeting - Dec 2 - 5-6:30PM • Budget and cip review • As the senior center takes shape, how will the committee be involved in finishing details. • PLAN: define a concrete plan to best support Katie & Lauren in their leadership transition over the next 6-8 months Adjourned 12:10pm