Approved Minutes - PRAB - Study Session - 04/06/2002DO NOT REMOVE -
PRAB F~le Matenal
City of Boulder
r^ Parks and Recreation Advisory Board
,... Study Session
Minutes
April 6, 2002
George Reynolds Branch Library Meeting Room
3595 Table Mesa Drive
9:15 a.m. -12:15 p.m.
The followtng are the minutes of the Apri16, 2002 Ciry of Boulder Parks and Recreatzon Advasory
Board (PRAB) study session A permanent set of these m~nutes and a tape recordang (maintatned
for a perzod of 6 years) are reta:ned zn Central Records (telephone 303-441-3043)
Board Present: Ed von Bleichert, Chair, Susan Osborne, Vice Chair, Dave Wimng, Chazles
Manlove, Pam Hoge, Thomas Sanford, Suzanne O'Neill, and Gwen
Dooley, outgomg member
Staff Present: Jan Geden, Doug Hawthome, Chnstme Andersen, Sazah DeSouza, Georgia
Jackson, Kate Bernhardt, Julya Bndgewater, Ann Wichmann, Ten Olander,
Lisa Bondi
~,,... 1. Introduction of Staff, Board, Management and Planning Assistance Team (MPAT),
~, Technical Team Members and the TSR Group
Geden asked everyone to mtroduce themselves and introduchons were made azound the room.
2. Goals for the Charette
Geden said the chazette was an opportucuty to mtroduce Board members to the technology that
will be used to help make decisions for Valmont City Pazk. She added that today would be a
discussion and brauistormmg session from wluch staff hoped to get mformal direction from
the Boazd. From that direct~on staff would produce goals and a work plan for how to proceed
with some of the issues m the next phases of development of Valmont.
Geden saxd the word chazette is an azctutectural term meazung to solve problems relahng to
azchitectural design The three components of a chazette aze to listen, env~sion and record
Today's focus would be to hsten and envision wlule staff records what the Board wants to
focus on. The next meetuig would be to work on the crearive piece.
3. Brief History of Valmont City Park
Geden gave a synopsis of the lustory of Valmont City Pazk from the 1995 bond referendum to
present day. She also spoke about development of the Partnerslup Process and Pohcy, prazne
dog and wildhfe issues and the survey results and needs assessment.
~
...-.
4. MPAT and the TSR Group - Coordinating the Project
P"'
'"~- Teresa Gnlls, Manager of MPAT, asked for a bnef moment of silence to recogmze Ricki
Weiser who, unhl she passed away recently, was an envtronmental achvist m the Boulder
commututy
Gnlls mtroduced the MPAT members to the Boazd and staff.
Jeff Smith, TSR Group, Inc. (TSR), a SpaUal Informahon and Digrtal Plaz~nmg firm kured to
compile all mformahon mto usable digital tools, gave a bnef explanahon of the digital
technology that was bemg used. He gave a demonstrahon of how the technology can be used
to help wrth the design and platuung of Valmont City Pazk
Smith showed mappmg of recent tree and shrub planhngs at VCP and said the technology
could be used to pro~ect the size of those plantmgs m fuhxre years Proposed and actual prame
dog bamers were also shown on the mapped azea. In addihon, Smith demonstrated the quick
hme panoramic movie, a 360-degree panoramic photograpluc view of Valmont City Pazk.
Gnlls sazd that MPAT wanted to use ttus oppornuuty to help Boazd members understand the
mformahon and technology available to help make decisions and address issues that the Board
has struggled wrth m the past.
There was a ten-mmute break.
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~.,w,. 5. QuesHons, Discussion and PRAB role
Geden asked Board members for short-term goals to focus on
Boazd members stated the followmg Goais and Conflicts.
Goals:
• Crystal cleaz idea of facilrties
• Site/Facilihes plan
• Bond issue?
• Advocate for lustonc homes, playgrounds, and other non-partnered opporhuuhes - perhaps
ptulanthropic fundmg
• Meazungful wildhfe comdors
• Creahve land use (i.e., small ball fields mside lazger ones)
. Work wrth Boulder Valley School Distnct
• Use of Needs Assessment to make decisions
• Further work on partnerslups
• VCP wuque, special part of Boulder - reflect environxnental concems, recreahonal needs,
provide an escape, views of Flatrrons, provide sense of space
'~ • Masimize wildhfe habrtat while mcreasmg recreahonal space and opporhuuhes - geatest
~"" mulh-use
PRAB Study Session/Charette 04/06/2002 - Page 2
• Deteimine mfrastructure costs
`~ • Determme acreage stahshcs for companson
~...-
• Use mterprehve opportwuhes wrtlun passive azeas
• Make as few decisions as possible to preclude future needs
• Bond was approved based on mcludmg achve recreahon facihhes such as turf, places for
pickup games, picmcs, etc
• Design should make VCP a special, magical place, espectally as you enter pazk
• Need plan and bluepnnt with abihty to remam flexible
• Look at areas/phasmg
• Determme how the pazk could look and how to mesh with partner opportumries
• Identify one or two azeas and feasible partners, and move forward
• Development method for makmg decisions - not a good tune for a bond, could possibly
package m the next 2 to 3 years, or mclude as part of overall City package gomg to voters
• Need Advisory Boazd to ackueve consensus in order to receive support and consensus in
order to even begm the bond process
• Fundmg oprions: consider reallocatmg parks dollazs to VCP, leverage/match with existrng
budget, leverage and sell bonds
• Pazameters for development based on May 8, 2001 Jomt Study Session - hst the issues and
fundmg mechazusms - aze we staying with the ~omt study session concept~
r.-- • Detazled wst mformataon - azea pnonhzmg for cost mformatron
``-- • IdenhFy viable partnerslups and imphcahons - can use as formaUmodel for other potenhal
partners
Conflicts:
• Lack of voice for non-partnered facihties
. Development dnven by partner/advocacy
• Other possibihhes of development at other pazk facilihes wittun commumty, do not do
development of VCP m a vacuum
• How maldng it happen? Currently, "dog chasmg tail"
• Need tunelme/schedule
• Roads, wildhfe comdors, praine dogs, pazkuig - asphalt versus other uses
• Need to move around street and pazking~
• Long-term build out
• Comdors enlazgmg, no actrve recrearion between ditches especially on north side
• Feelmg of resistance to change
• Comfortable with 90% of site plan, but need for the addihonal2 formal ball fields aze a
question - consider 2 extra fields as mformal space for pickup and pracrice fields
~ • Sponsorstup expenence with skate pazk -- heanng from potential partners that razsmg
funds is difficult
PRAB Study Sess~on/Charette 04/06/2002 - Page 3
• What does BPRD want to subsidize and to what degree, panc~ularly m regazds to the
~
mfrastructure
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• Use of exishng overall pazk development budget for VCP
• City Council does not see development of VCP as an obhgahon to get funded, partnersiups
were devised as a method for movmg forwazd with the development of the pazk
• Where is the pubhc process, especially as it relates to amemties/facilihes wittun the park~
• Diversion of site plan from specified language m the bond?
Gnlls said she heazd Boazd members
• askmg for a work plan and hme hne
• asking for more azea mformarion to allow for pnonrizmg
• expressmg general agreement with the Partnersiup Process and to idenhfy the top two
viable partners over the next year or so
Geden said staff would return to the Boazd with some thoughts relahve to pnonries and a work
plan for the Boazd to review and adopt, thereby movmg the process forwazd
There was discussion about the possibility of movmg Park Operahons from its current locahon.
Kate Bernhazdt, Achng Supenntendent of Pazks Planrung and Construchon, responded to a
request for an update on the Mountam Ocean buildmg She mformed the Board that the apprazsal
~,,,,, had been applied for and it would be a matter of whether Pazks and Recreahon can afford to buy
ti~ the bmlding.
Geden sazd staff would return to the Boazd with thoughts of next steps and how to move forward
The meehng ad~oumed at 12.25 p m.
APPROVED BY PARKS AND
REC ,~,TION ADVISORY B ARD•
i
~
Ed von Bleichert ~
Boazd Chair
Attest
~~~ • /~
~ ~ ~~;~,~ ~~
Georgia Jac cson ~
~ Recording ecretary
~
PRAB Smdy Sess~on/Charette 04/06/2002 - Page 4