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HomeMy WebLinkAboutApproved Minutes - 1/27/2003DO NOT REMOVE - PRAB File Mater~al City of Boulder "` ~ Parks and Recreation Advisory Board ~ Minutes January 27, 2003 City Council Chambers 1777 Broadway 6 p.m. The followang are the minutes of the January 27, 2003 Cary of Boulder Parks and Recreation Advisory Board meeteng (PRAB). A permanent set of these menutes and a tape recording (maintained for a peraod of 6 years) ~are retaaned an Central Records (telephone. 303-441-3043). Board Present: Ed von BleicheR, Chau, Susan Osl~orne, Vice Chair, Dave Wmmg, Chazles Manlove, Thomas Sanford, Suzanne O'Neill, Pam Hoge Staff Present: Jan Geden, Doug Hawthorne, Sarah DeSouza, Georgia Jackson, Kate Bemhardt, Ten Olander, Julya Bndgewater, Ann Wichmann, Ellie Bussi- Sottile, Bob Peck, Maureen Sp~tzer, L~sa Bondi Teresa Gnlls, Manager of Valmont Ciry Pazk Management and Plamm~g Assistance Team (MPA~, Jill Krantz, MPAT I. APPROVAL OF AGENDA The agenda was approved as subnutted II. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION Crtizen Participation was opened No one spoke CII~zen Participation was closed. III. CONSENT AGENDA Approved mmutes of September 30, 2002 revisIIed for changes The changes to the mmutes were approved as submitted Mmutes of October 3Q 2002 and November 25, 2002 ,~ The mmutes of October 30, 2002 and November 25, 2002 were approved as submitted y..- IV. MATTERS FROM THE DEPARTMENT A. Board yeazly meetmg schedule Hoge asked if the 7anuazy 8 Valmont Crty Park study session that was canceled would be rescheduled. Geden responded that at the end of February staff would return to the Board wath the work plan and a cost benefit analysis of what has been done at Valmont to date Staff would look to the Board for directaon before movang on to anythcng else The Board approved reschedulmg the Mazch 24 meetmg to Mazch 31, the May 26 meetmg to May 19 and cancehng the December 22 meeting A December meetmg would be scheduled at a later date if needed B Tantra Pazk disc golf update O'Neill refened to the lack of available funds and asked if staff thought any funds would be needed to reach a satrsfactory resoluuon with neighbors and participants Hawthome replaed that some funds might be needed for development but not for design Manlove said he attended a neighborhood meetmg and that some members of the f' disc golf community were design professionals who offered to work with the `-~ neighbors to find a design that would be acceptable to neighbors and participants He stated that partic~pants were also aware that funds were not available for development and added that the disc golf commuruty m~ght be able to help cover the cost. Hawthome said he antrcipates that once a design ~s proposed, staff will meet with neighbors to get the~r approval of that design von Bleichert asked ~f there was discussion about the south campus at CU or other possible locations for disc gol£ Manlove repl~ed that other locataorzs such as Valmont and the Area III properry were considered for future desc golf courses but would not meet the zmmedaate need for another course. Manlove added that the group consadered year-round use of the extstang course at Harlow Platts Park but had some design concerns and might want to make some design changes to that course C. Master Plan revision update Osborne asked why a consultant would be hued for the Master Plan when staff was already knowledgeable on the sub~ect She also expressed concem over the expense in hght of budget cuts. Bernhardt spoke about the benefits that someone -~ from the outszde would bring to the process Bernhardt sacd more complex Mmutes for PRAB Mcenng Ol/27/2003 - Page 2 matters would be mcluded an the Master Plan such as the Famlit~es Needs Assessment, ~ncorporatton of park maantenance standards, Parks and Recreateon ~`"" deszgn guzdelines and a drought recovery plan, all of whech would be t~ed in to the budget. Bernhardt added that it would be helpful to have assastance compi[ing data and creatcng reports Geden spoke about the time zt would take for staff to comp~le the informataon, wnte reports and create and edat a complex and lengthy document Sanford said he had the same concerns expressed by Osborne He said the data already exists and that staff knows more about the matter than a consultant would. Sanford asked how much rt would cost to hue a consultant. Bernhardt repl~ed that $SOK has been reserved but the actual amount would depend on the Request for Proposal (RFP) and scope of servaces. Sanford sazd he would like staff to lead the process and use a consultant on a hmited basis. Manlove said ~t would be helpful to have outside eyes and spoke of the benefits of urihzmg a professional who specializes m creating master plans for parks and recreation departments. Bernhardt said staff would scope the pro~ect to deternune what will be mcluded m the master plan. It will then be apparent what portion of the work could be done most efficiently by staff and which areas would benefit from usmg the expertise and assistance of a consultant She added that staff would brmg the v^ Request for Proposal to the Board for theu mput ~.., O'Neill asked what pro~ect was grven a lower pnorrty m order to provide funds to pay for a consultant Bernhardt replied that the funds were set aside in 2002 and were allocated f~'om the matnx of pnonties for planning and design pro~ects. Hoge said when the department is experiencmg severe budget cuts she would hke to rmnumze expenses for consultants. She concurred wrth Manlove that it would be useful to have outside eyes to evaluate the mformation and suggested staff look at ways to nunimize the amount of work done by a consultant and still gam some of the benefits. Sanford suggested that it might be a great way to break m the two new supermtendents by havmg them heavily mvolved m the master plan process Sanford said that both supermtendents, bemg new to the department, would have the benefit of "outside eyes". Osborne said given a choice she would rather build a park than pay for a consultant She said she was very concerned about the budget Geden sazd staff would return to the Boazd wrth the RFP for theu' mput Minutes for PRAB Meeang Ol/27/2003 - Page 3 Manlove sazd paymg an outside consultant does not necessazily cost more than '"~~ paymg staff to do the work. r-.. Wmmg expressed concern about $SOK bemg used for a consultant when it has been difficult to come up with lesser amounts to fund small pro~ects. He added that consultant fees, l~ke mfrastructure costs, are not somethmg that can be seen by the pubhc von Bleichert said he could agree wrth all comments He said the issues were uncleaz regardmg cost and efficiencies in staff time if a consultant were not used. von Bleichert said use of a consultant might expedite the process which is important because the Facilrties Needs Assessment mformation quickly becomes outdated. von Bleichert said the Board would look forward to reviewmg the RFP to understand what exactly would be gamed from the expense of a consultant Bernhazdt said staff c,'ould return to the Board with research on the amount of work done on master plamm~g for other cities along wRh the draft RFP D Drafr ordmance for Columbia Cemetery The Board had no comments or questions on this rtem. V. MATTERS FROM BOARD MEMBERS ~~ ~- Hoge asked about follow-up on the Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) issues Geden replted that it would be on the agenda for the February PRAB meetang. Hoge asked for an update on Goss Grove Geden repl~ed that Osborne had suggested a tour of Goss Grove Staff dcscussed the idea and thought at should be ancluded with a tour of other areas the Board would be interested en seeing Hawthome said a member of the commumty is mterested m a commumty garden on one of the [Goss Grove] sites He added that the Community Garden Coordmator is workmg with that person to put together a proposal, similar to what has been done at the Hickory srte. Hawthorne said they aze workuig with the homeowners assoc~ation to deternune how much mterest there is for a commumty garden and the associated mfrastructure costs Wmmg said he has heazd lots of posrtive feedback about the new pools at the North Boulder Recreation Center and said he is anxious to see them He also has spent tune at Elmer's Two Mile park and sa~d that the park is commg along well and is already bemg used Wmmg said he would like to eventually see access to the east from the south side of the pazk. Wmmg commented that the contazners with recycled bags for dog waste m his neighborhood park are workmg well but was not sure how well they would work m wazmer months when newspapers are dehvered without plastic bags von Bleachert ~ ~ Mmutes for PRAB Meehng Ol/27/2003 - Page 4 suggested staff check weth Eco Cycle to find out which plasttc bags cannot be recycled and then encourage the publac to use those bags for dog waste. ~ Osborne expressed concern about receivmg the packet so late and not bemg able to read all of the mformation Geden apologized for the late delavery of the packet and said staff rvill get future packets out earlaer Sanford said he recently noticed large piles of dut on the golf course and thought it might be for flood irutigation. Hawthorne said it was the result of dredgang the irr~gation ponds, something that had not been done for almost sevenry years The ponds are used to store ditch water for irregataon and the work will allow for ancreased storage capaciry In addataon, Hawthorne saed a two-way system is being installed whech wall enable the stockpalang and use of a month's supply of water von Bleichert remmded Board members that he and O'Neill are on the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Task Force Commtttee von Bleichert said Boazd members were welcome to offer the~r mput or comments VI. ITEMS FOR ACTION There were no Items for Achon ~- VII. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION/INFORMATION `-- A Department drought evaluation and work plan Geden spoke bnefly about the process and amount of work that went mto creatmg the department's Drought Plan. Bernhazdt provided the Board wrth an overnew of the components of the Drought Plan Bernhazdt mformed Boazd members that the renovation of Scott Carpenter Pool will begm Februazy 1 and, weather perccuttmg, the pool will be ready to be filled by May if the Crty Manager allows Bernhazdt added that data compiled on the effects that the drought and water reduction plan had on parkland would be useful m discussions with the Publ~c Works Department. Given the amount of devastation on parkland caused by last yeaz's water reduction plan, staff will ask Public Works Department to approve a different water reduction plan for Parks and Recreation. Hawthorne gave an overview of the Drought Plan that the Pubhc Works Department presented to Council. The plan addressed four stages of drought, treated the public sector differently than the private sector, and proposed a new billmg structure and a new utility billmg system. The plan also recogruzed that u might be necessazy to allow different watermg standazds for pubhc property than on pr~vate property ~ +.~- Mmu[es for PRAB Mcenng Ol/27/2003 - Page 5 Hawthorne provided a brief overview of the Pazks and Recreation Water Allocation Plan for each of the four stages of drought, from moderate to severe. Boazd Comments and Questions • von Ble~chert asked if Pazks and Recreat~on was sUll under the tune restramts of specific days and times for watermg Hawthorne repleed that he belaeves Public Works Department well allow Parks and Recreataon to propose a dzfferent watenng plan for parkland • Wmmg said he would have reversed prionties and put mature trees ahead of playmg fields as mature trees cannot be replaced. Hawthome replied that the water allocation ~lan is for potable water and added that alternatave methods, such as using datch water, can be used for watering trees • Wmmg said c~tizens really missed not havmg Scott Carpenter Pool open last yeaz He added that bemg able to use outdoor pools is especially important m a drought yeaz and said rt should be a pnority to open Scott Carpenter Pool this year • O'Neill asked if it would make sense to use poo] covers ttus yeaz Hawthorne rephed that tn thzs chmate pool covers only keep the heat in and do not prevent evaporation He added that most of the water lost as lost durang the day and saad he questaons the recommendat~on for usang pool covers Geden stated that evaporataon, back splash and leaks cause most of the water loss • Hoge said she hopes Council will allow for flexibility m watenng pazks as '~ each pazk and situation is different Geden replaed that Parks and Recreatzon `` as recomnzendang very hzghly that the Department be allowed to manage a water allotment and not have a tame-based watering program. Geden sa~d the Department's proven ab~laty to do that speaks well for the Department however, there zs no way to know what decas~on Council w:ll ultemately make. • Hoge asked about [he timelme for CounciPs decision on the matter Hawthorne saed Publ~c Works staff was go~ng to Councal an March w~th a new rate plan, Hawthorne added that he sancerely believes Parks and Recreatzon wall be allowed a watenng allocat~on but he does not know what zt wi11 look lake or how much water wtll be allocated. Geden said that as Wming needed to leave the meehng she wanted to take the opportumty to remmd Boazd members that the February meetmg would be the last official meeting for both von Bleichert and Wmmg. Geden added that Council would appomt new Boazd members on March 18 Wmmg left the meeung • Sanford agreed wrth Wmmg's prionty for watenng trees and sazd he assumed athletic actrvities would stop if the drought reached stage IV Sanford said he thought athletic actrvities ought to be limited for less senous drought. Geden A"' replced that the Depanment operated that way last summer Users were told ~ Mmutes for PRAB Meenng Ol/27/2003 - Page 6 that an analysas would be done weekly and af condataons were too dangerous, ''"~" play would be halted. `" • Sanford stated that he likes the clazrty of breakmg down the seventy of drought mto s[ages • Geden said the full effects of the drought might not be known for years. • Bussi-Sottile, City Forester, said that examples from other c~ties across the country mdicate that rt takes two to three years after a drought to see the full extent of the damage. So faz, Boulder has no great losses but Bussi-Sotule added that it is probable there w~ll be further loss Bussi-Sottile said that extensive needle drop from pine and spruce trees have made evergreens the prunary focus for wmter watenng. • Osborne said the public ought to be mformed of the heroic efforts that the Forestry staff has made to hand water trees. Osbome suggested engagmg the pubhc to help save livmg thmgs m pazks Bussa-Sottile ceted examples of cahzens who helped water trees and vegetataon • Osborne asked about soil compaction m Central Park resultmg from the weight of construction eqmpment Bussa-Sottzle satd the trees have been fenced off to prav,ide reasonable protectzon and a sozl fracturang process has been done for some trees to rekeve the soal compactaon • Manlove said he agrees wrth grving the highest pnorrty to protect ttungs that aze the hardest to replace, which aze trees Afrer that he felt thmgs used by the communrty, such as playmg fields, ought to be given the nex[ highest pnonty. He expressed support for a water allocaUon for citizens as well as 'p pubhc enUt~es. Manlove added that the fescue planted m h~s back yard did ~` not survive the drought and watenng restnctions • O'Neill sa~d she would lilce a standazd way for crtizens to conserve water for pubhc use She suggested a task force could look mto the matter. • von Bleichert said that reducing residential water use by a small amount (1%) could result m a lazge savmg of water to provide a lazger allocation (perhaps 5%) for Parks and Recreauon Geden saad that same thought was expressed last summer by catazens who were rvellang to cut thear water consumption an order for that water to be used for parks and athletzc fields von Bleichert asked if that idea was bemg considered by Pubhc Works Bernhardt sa~d she had not heard of such a proposal being cons~dered • von Bleichert asked how Columbia Cemetery would be handled this summer. Peck, Cary Park Manager, responded that staff has dascussed the posstbalary of amplementang a spl~t shaft schedule to water turf an Columbza Cemetery zf necessary • Peck informed Board members that restoration costs would be enormous when the time comes to replace turf Peck said that the drought is not over when there is suffic~ent snow pack, rather rt ~s a three to five yeaz process afterward before tlungs aze back to normal In add~tion, Peck said it would be wise to prepaze for Stage III drought cond~tions and be happy if the drought only reaches Stage II r t.. Mmutes for PRAB Meehng Ol/27/2003 - Page 7 • Hoge said ~t nught be important to have Public Works mform Council of the ~mportance of keeping trees healthy with adequate watermg in light of " pestrcide reduction • Hoge questioned the logic that there is adequate water for commumty grow[h but not to water lawns and parks Bernhardt saad she would invete Carol Ellanghouse (Publac Works Department) to speak to the Board on thas assue. Bernhardt credited Maureen Spitzer, Landscape Arctutect, for domg most of the wark on the Pazks and Recreation Drought Plan Geden summarized • Boazd members now have a snapshot of key issues facmg the system • Board members know what staff will recommend to Pubhc Works • Staff will keep trees high on pnority l~st • Staff will mvite Ellmghouse to address the Boazd m March Hawthorne mformed the Board that he is on a statewide CPRA task force that ~s lookmg at how patk and recreauon departments are usmg water B Parks and Recreation Foundation Boazd membership Hoge nonunated Sanford to serve on the Foundation. von Bleichert seconded. ~ The Parks and Recreation Advisory Boazd vo[ed unammously (6-0 with Wmmg ~ absent) to appomt Sanford to the Boulder Pazks and Recreatron Foundation, Inc Osborne nommated O'Neill to serve on the Foundation. Manlove seconded The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board voted unammously (6-0 with Wmmg absent) to appomt O'Neill to the Boulder Parks and Recreat~on Foundat~on, Inc. VIII. FUTURE BOARD ITEMS AND TOURS IV. NEXT BOARD MEETING: Monday, February 2<l, 2003 IX. ADJOURN The meetmg ad~ourned at 8:37 p m. ~ `~.. Mmutes for PRAB Meehng Ol/27/2003 - Page 8 ,.._ Attest. APPROVED BY PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISOItY BOARD Ed von Bleichert Board Cha~r ~ Georgia kson Recordmg Secretary , r~ ~... .., Mmutes for PRAB Meebng Ol/27/2003 - Page 9