HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Item IV-B
TO: Parks and Recreation Advisory Board
FROM: Kirk W. Kincannon, CPRP, Director of Parks and Recreation
Jeff Dillon, Parks and Planning Superintendent
Alice Guthrie, Recreation Superintendent
Sarah DeSouza, Senior Manager of Communications,
Marketing and Partnerships
Abbie Poniatowski, Senior Business Manager
SUBJECT: Consent Agenda
DATE: August 26, 2013
A. Minutes Approval of minutes from July 22, 2013
B. Informational Items
1.Park Development Update
Division Name: Parks Planning
Supervisor: Jeff Dillon, Parks and Planning Superintendent
Community Outreach
As part of an Eagle Scout volunteer project at the Columbia Cemetery, planning staff
facilitated over 30 volunteers for about 110 hours of labor. Four loads of topsoil were spread
along the top of the Anderson ditch where the vinyl sheet piling project occurred as well as
filling in damaged areas of lawn from the construction and a number of grave sites that have
sunken over the years. Volunteers also spread lawn seed on the new soil areas and raked it in
for establishment of the turf areas. Mary Reilly-McNellan was on site to begin the project
and provided a great
historical account of the
Cemetery and the
importance of the work
they volunteers were
going to provide. A
number of folks
commented on how much
they enjoyed the
educational opportunity
Pearl Street Mall Renovation
The Pearl Street Mall is now 36 years old and is beginning to show its age. The irrigation
system that services the flower beds and trees on the Mall and on adjacent streets has been
failing due to the age, type of components and method of installation of the irrigation system.
In 2012, the irrigation main and lateral lines broke on average once every 2-3 weeks. The
AGENDA ITEM _IV-B_ PAGE 1__
deeply buried irrigation lines and thick layer of concrete beneath the Pearl Street Mall turns a
basic irrigation repair into a very disruptive and time-consuming construction project.
Many of the trees in the street rights-of-way on the cross streets through the Mall are in tree
pits with small openings and most are not irrigated via an irrigation system. As part of this
project, existing smaller tree pits will be enlarged, tree grates installed and irrigation added to
improve tree health and improve consistency of tree pit design around the Pearl Street Mall.
New trees and tree grates will be added to cross street rights-of-way where utilities and other
infrastructure allow.
The soil in the flower beds will be removed and replaced with weed-free well composted
organic soils as part of this project. Herbicides have not been used in the flower beds on the
Pearl Street Mall for over 10 years and the beds have been organically managed since 2009.
Unfortunately, there is a large bank of weed seeds from past years in the soil that need to be
removed in order to effectively manage the beds in the future.
This project will also address any electrical upgrades necessary that are discovered through
the construction process and will repair existing sagging hooped fencing around flower beds
and replace any hooped fencing that is missing.
Periodic sidewalk closures and detours are expected due to this project and there will be
construction impacts (noise and equipment) to areas of the 1100 block of the mall and side
streets. The project will be coordinated with the Public Works Department downtown
sidewalk and street improvements project work during 2013 and 2014 so that efficiencies
may be gained when possible.
In January, 2013, the Parks and Recreation Department began this 3-4 year Capital
Improvement Project and completed the 1100 block in April of this year with minimal impact
to the visitors and businesses. The department will begin the next phase of the project
beginning immediately after the Downtown Boulder Incorporated (DBI) Fall Festival that
takes place in mid September. The work this fall will allow the department to plant tulip
bulbs on the 1300 block for bloom in spring of 2014 and also will address a large irrigation
main break that is currently leaking into the basement of the Lazy Dog Restaurant. The work
will require concrete sawing, jack-hammering and other concrete-breaking techniques to
install the irrigation lines and tree grates/openings. Boring the irrigation lines under the
bricks is not feasible due to the large amount of infrastructure and the deep layer of concrete
found in many areas under the Pearl Street Mall.
As part of the project, 5 of the existing 10 Littleleaf linden trees in the flower beds along the
1300 block will be removed due to declining health. The trees will be replaced with London
Planetrees as part of the broader tree replacement plan for the Pearl Street Mall. Three
London Planetrees were planted in the center tree grates in 2012 and are thriving. Eventually
all the lindens in the 1300 block of Pearl Street will be replaced with London Planetrees.
The 2013 work will take place exclusively on the 1300 block of Pearl Street. The project will
begin on the west side of the 1300 block in September and continue until the entire 1300
block project is complete sometime in October or November. Beginning January 2014, the
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1200 block upgrades will be completed. The 1400 block will be upgraded in the fall of 2014
or January of 2015. Due to possible weather delays, this timeline may change in the future.
Pineview Park
The second phase of construction is complete with improvements including:
sidewalk
improvements, installation of a new playground, new site amenities (trash/recycling, bike racks,
picnic table), turf seeding and replacement/renovation of the existing irrigation system.
North Boulder Park
Plans are currently being prepared for improvements at North Boulder Park with construction
expected to begin in the fall of 2013.
Columbia Cemetery
A new seat wall has been added to the south side of the headstone storage building. It was
designed to complement the building architecture with the same metal surfacing on the face
of the wall and over time the metal will take on the same color as the building. Later this
fall, a new irrigation system will be installed throughout the cemetery.
Boulder Reservoir
Entry Gate Enhancements– Construction is complete and the final landscaping is in progress
with completion by mid-summer.
Environmental Inventory – Biohabitats has been hired to complete a full inventory and
assessment of the Boulder Reservoir. This year long project will include vegetation and
wildlife surveys and mapping in conjunction with a biological species impact report that will
be specific to the recreation impacts throughout the Reservoir on the park's natural systems.
North Shore Trail Improvements – The department has partnered with the Youth Corps to
repair and improve sections of the north shore trail system. This work will focus on
realigning sections to make use of improved grades and slopes for greater longevity and trail
experience. Work will occur during May and June of this summer.
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Sanitary Utilities – completion work has been pushed to early fall to avoid service outages
that may affect the visitor experience throughout the south shore. Work will begin in early
fall and is anticipated to take 1-2 months, based on weather.
Water Main Installation – design is nearing completion and permitting approval with
planning and development. Project will begin in mid fall to avoid visitor experience conflicts
during the busy season along the south shore. The project will take approximately 3-4
months, based on weather. The department will be working closely with the utility
department throughout the project to ensure consistency with citywide utility installation and
quality standards.
Signage – Proposals are being requested to develop a Reservoir facility-wide signage
program. The signage plan will outline an approach to provide a consistent signage program
and brand throughout the Reservoir. This program will include: directional/way finding,
educational, interpretive, and regulatory information.
Feeder Canal Bridge Replacement – A partnership has been developed with Northern Water
to plan, design, and install a new pedestrian bridge over the feeder canal on the north shore.
The project will undergo initial site review and planning throughout the summer with
design beginning this fall. Construction is expected in 2014.
2012 Capital Improvement Program
Elks Neighborhood Park:
Construction is in progress and will continue through the spring 2014. The park will be
closed during the construction period. Improvements to the Park will include a new
playground, revitalized picnic shelter, and open play lawn area, natural areas, new trees,
and a raw water irrigation system.
Valmont City Park Phase 1
The final stages of the permitted items in this phase are nearing completion. This will
close out the construction on the Phase I portion of the Valmont City Park which
included the Bike Park, Dog Park, and the interim Disc Golf.
Starting the last week in June, the partial demolition of the Valmont Storage Barn began. The
metal sides and roofing along with the west end cinderblock attachment will be removed. The
metal and cinderblock will be recycled. The steel girders and beam will remain. Additional
studies will be undertaken in the fall in conjunction with planning efforts on the south side of
Valmont.
2.Pottery Lab RFP Update
A Pottery Lab Working Group (PLWG), comprised of 12 members (community, staff
and PRAB), was established in February of 2012 to make consensus recommendations to
the Parks and Recreation Department on ways to ensure the sustainability of the pottery
program. The working group explored issues on two options: 1) keeping the Pottery Lab
as a city program; and 2) moving the Pottery Lab outside the city organization to a
nonprofit organization, public/private partnership, or other entity.
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The majority of the PLWG recommended that the City explore the public-private
partnership option. A Request for Information/Interest (RFI) was issued on March 29,
2013 with a proposal deadline of April 26, 2013. Three proposals were received and
information was used to develop the Request for Proposal (RFP) for Management and
Operations of the Pottery Lab. The RFP was issued on July 22, 2013 and the deadline for
proposals is August 23, 2013. The RFP committee will review proposals and conduct
interviews in September, 2013.
3.2013 Boulder Parks and Recreation Master Plan Update
The department is pleased to report that on July 25, 2013, the Planning Board
unanimously voted to recommend the 2013 Boulder Parks and Recreation Master Plan
(master plan) to City Council for acceptance. The Planning Board feedback on the
master plan was positive, and comments included praise for the community engagement,
public process and thoroughness of the document. The board’s motion to recommend the
master plan included a friendly amendment to add a paragraph to the master plan about
the changing demographics of the community.
Staff is preparing for the final step in the approval process, a public hearing at the
September 17, 2013 City Council meeting. City Council’s role is to review the
document, conduct the public hearing and take action in the form of accepting the master
plan. The master plan will be submitted to City Council with their packet for that
meeting, and this version will include two areas of revision. First, in response to the
suggestions from the Planning Board to include more detailed demographic information,
a brief summary of population make-up is being added to Chapter Four, Community
Trends. This addition is based on the PRAB accepted research paper on Community
Trends. The second revision is related to the city’s Sustainability Framework. The
Sustainability Framework is a tool to help ensure each departmental master plan aligns
with and advances the goals and priorities of the city council and community. The
categories of the Sustainability Framework are being updated to better reflect the city’s
Priority Based Budgeting approach. The categories of Natural Environment and Energy
and Climate are combined into one category, “Environmentally Sustainable Community”,
and Safety and Community Well-Being” is being separated into two categories, “Safe
Community” and “Healthy and Socially Thriving Community”.
Upon City Council acceptance of the master plan, the department will formally begin
implementation of master plan initiatives. The work of the department is already aligning
with the priorities of the master plan through work in community engagement, asset
management and recreation program management.
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