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HomeMy WebLinkAboutApproved Minutes - 6/23/2003City of Boulder Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Minutes June 23, 2003 City Council Chambers 1777 Broadway 6 p.m. The follow~reg are the m~nutes of the June 23, 2003 City of Boulcler Parks ancl Reereateon Advasory Board meeting (PRAB) A permanent set of these manutes and a tape recordang (maantaaned for a period of 6 years) are retaaned an Central Records (telephone: 303-441-3043). Board Present: Charles Manlove, Chair, Thomas Sanford, Suzanne O'Neill, Pam Hoge, Ed von Bleichert Board Absent: Susan Osborne, Vice Cha~r; Stu Stuller Staff Present: Jan Geden, Jeff Lakey, Jamie Sabbach, Doug Hawthorne, Georgia Jackson, Julya Bridgewater, Teri Olander I. APPROVAL OF AGENDA The agenda was approved as submitted II. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION Pubhc Participation was opened. No one spoke Public Participarion was closed III. CONSENT AGENDA The m~nutes of May 19 were approved as submitted IV. MATTERS FROM THE DEPARTMENT Geden mvited Board members to Ann Wichmann's ret~rement party on Thursday, June 26 from 3 to 5 p m at North Boulder Park. Bud eg t U~date Geden collected Budget Surveys that were completed by Board members. Hoge expressed frustration over completing the survey with reglyd to budget cuts m other departments. Not knowing budgets for other departments made it difficult for her Co understand those proposed budgat cuts. Geden mformed the Board that Crty Council members would hold study sessions on the budget on July 8 and July 22 Hoge said she thought rt would be diff~cult for mosC cihzens receiving the survey Co understand the ramificat~ons of Yhe budget cuts. Hoge said she thought it would be helpful to have mformation on what the full budget was and what percentage of lhat budget was cut. von Bleichert asked about Che ten progiams for people with disabilit~es that were on lhe budget resCoration list. He wanted to know if that was ten sessions ar ten acCual programs Geden replted that they were programs that had the highest amount of subscdy and the lowest amounC of regastration Sanford asked if those programs were part of the EXPAND Program. Geden rephed tn the affarmative von Bleichert asked about the contmuing mamtenance of athletic fields and whether that was contmumg the level after lasC year's cut or from what the standard origmal level would be. Geden replaed that tt was ufter last year's cut. O'Neill said she would recommend separating some of the items m the titles. For example, she would not mclude flowers with urban forestry and parks as flowers are not as necessary Geden said that was done as part of the packag~ng of budget cuts und those were organazed from a communacateon standpocnt O'Neill satd if someone did not read the fine print and saw flowers listed Chey might thmk the cut wouldn't be that bad She added that labeling could be very important when considering the miUatives von Bleicheit concurred wiCh O'Neill and said some rtems seemed very cnlical wh~le others dtd not. Geden said she would communacate thut to the Caty Manager Brigewater added that the city's Web site has all of the mformation for the reduct~ons in more detail. Geden added Chat lhe challenge Chat the Board was seemg is Che same challenge that staff and Council will have as municipal government profess~onals There are unfortunate choices that w~ll have to be made Geden remmded Board members that restorations are mare than what a sales tax m~t~ative would fund. If Council decided to pursue a sales tax mitiative and ri passed, there is no guarantee thal Parks and Recreation would get the full amount of the restoration Sanford said iC would be helpful to have items prioritized within the restoration package Dcaft Mmutes PRAB Meetmg 06/23/2003 - Pnge 2 von Bleichert asked whether there could be partial restoration of items Geden responded an the affirmat~ve. Field Renovation UpdaCe Hoge expressed frustration over the fact that last year's watering restrictions were, m her estimation, directly responsible for the extensive damage and loss of turf She wanted to know if that had been commumcated to the City Manager and City Counctl so that rt woulddt happen again Hawthorne and Geden syoke about the water allocation systern for the four• stages of drought that Parks and Recreataon now has whach allows for flexibility to praoretize and water accordingly. Hoge said she would like for the department to have a water allocation and flexibiliYy for ~rrigation every year, not ~usl during drought years Hawthorne replaed that the departrnent was able tn riegotaate with Publtc Works ur2d the Ctty Marutger's Office for• a water allocataon plan for normal years as well as drought years Hawthorne added that last summer Publtc Works had puhltc meetiregs where there wus a very clear message from ettazens in general who felt that publie spaces should be treated dafferently than pravate land von Bleichert asked if drip irrigation systems were added aY Valmont City Paik, Elmer's Two Mile and the North Boulder Recreation Center smce there was a delay m landscapmg caused by the drought. Geden replied that she did not bel~eve any drip arragation systems were enstalled unless they were feasable. Geden mformed the Board that the raw water irr~gat~on system at ValmonC was 40°Io complete and will be up and rumm~g next year This sysYem will allow fuCure irrigation of Valmont to be Icss dependent on potable water von Bleichert said the Board had requested thaY fulure park development mclude drip irrigauon for trees so Chat if watermg of Lurf is curtailed Che trees will slill be watered. He wanted to know ~f drip ~rrigalion for trees has been mtegrated mto the des~gn for any future pro~ects Ceden repked she dacl not know what was currently beang desagned and added that staff would make note of that request. Lightmg Ordmance UpdaCe Hoge said Board members had suggested prioritizmg the replacement of lights and Hoge wanted to know whether that mfbrmation had been given to Yhe Plamm~g Board Lakey saad he would look anto the matter to make sure the appropriate areformat~on is forwarded to the Plannang Department. V. MATTERS FROM 130ARD MEMI3ERS Hoge sa~d she received a call from Deborah Keammerer, a restoration ecologist who helped with the restoration along Wonderland Creek through Valmont CiCy Park Keammerer satd the knoll at Valmont is a native remnanC, which is very unusual because all the land in lhis area is affected by eiCher humans or prairie dogs As there is now better access to the park more people are usmg the park, wh~ch could damage this D~ aft Mi nutes PRAB Meetmg Ob/23/2003 - Page 3 special area. Keammerer told Hoge she would l~ke to talk to the Board about ways to protect this area. Geden suggestecl Keammerer meet with staff first and then staff can meet with Manlove and Osfiorne to d~scuss where this ttem wall fit on the agenda Geden asked Hoge for Keammerer's telephone number. von Ble~chert suggested staff check out the status of the coyote den on the knoll at Valmont. Hoge asked what would happen to Wichmann's posrtion once she retires. Geden replced that the FTE would he used to make one member of her staff full rime versus ~axed term Geden said staff would assume Wzchmann's duties and an addition, there rraaght be some reorganazataorc of the unat. Manlove noted that two of the fiberglass hght poles m North Boulder have fallen over m the last s~x months He asked if replacement of the lighC poles was scheduled Geden said staff would look tnto the matter and tnclude thut information in the next Board packet. Manlove said staff might also want to look into Yhe life expectancy of fiberglass poles because it rrught be less than expected VI. ITEMS FOR ACTION There were no items for action VII. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION/INFORMATION A. Work plan update Dou~ Hawthorne, Superintendent of Parks Hawthorne spoke about briefly about the division's goals and recent accomphshments He mformed the Board of the completion of Phase 1 of the Motorola Irr~gation System and said staff was already workmg on Phase 2 Changeover to the new system will probably take place after the ~rrigation shutoff m the fall. Hawthorne spoke about completing some specific golf course expansion pro~ects Hawthorne said the tenms courts were removed last wmter and that area will soon be seeded and ~rrigated He spoke about how the pond was dredged and the soil removed from the pond was used to create berms to separate fairways. Hawthorne also spoke about the steps bemg taken to move forward with the expansion of the driving range fence Sanford asked if the department paid any mamtenance costs for the swimmmg pool. Hawthorne replted an the negatave and satd the pool ~s matnCaaned by Boulder Swirn Team Draft Mmutes PRAB Meehng 06/23/2003 - Page 4 Hawthorne updated the Board on playground renovation and construction al Tom Watson Park and Wonderland Lake He spoke about work being done on the ball fields at Tom Watson Park and said there has been no recent ev~dence of prauie dog activrty on those fields von Bleichert asked if Pleasanl View Fields was currently closed Hawthorne replied that they will be closed unt~l August 14 or IS He added that the fields have been completely re-seeded and fert~lazed Hoge said she recently visited Valmont City Park and spoke of how beauCiful it looked along Wonderland Creek She also en~oyed the sittmg areas and said the flowers were lovely Hawthorne saad it has been a great growang season compared to last year Geden added that it was expensive to install the Curf because of weeds and rocks that needed to be removed and Yhe re-gradmg that needed to be done Geden said everythmg that had been prepped for last year had to be redone this year. Hawthorne said staff is workmg on a three-year extension for the Spice of Life contract for Flat~rons Golf Course, adding that their initial operating agreement ends the middle of AugusC. DLie to the economic cl~mate Hawthorne said it will not be possible to get the same rent that has been charged m the past Rent will be around ~10,900 per month compared to the current tate of $13,500 per month Sanford asked ~f extendmg the lease to Spice of Life means the golf course expansiou pro~ect won't begm for another three or four years. Gederz replaed an Che negat~ve and satd the lease can be terminctted w~th one year's notice. Sanford asked whaY pro~ects might be done during lhis time Hawthorne saad removal of the swimming pool was dependent upon Council's budget decasaon. Removal of the swammang pool would allow far something else to be done w~th the area that w~uld be more golf-oraented or banquet-or~ented It's expected to generate m~r-e revenue with etther of those options rather than leastng out a swammcreg pool Aawthorne added Chat the Boulder Swim Team was behand on paytng ihetr rent 7ulva Biid,~ewater Director of AdmmistraCive Services Drvision Bridgewaler spoke abouC the ~omt pro~ect wiCh Open Space and Mountain Parks and Human Resources to create a more efficient hirmg syslem far seasonal employees. She said the program is a Web-based system where applicants can apply onlmc Bridgewater said it was very popular and over 900 people applied dunn~ thts first phase In the pasC, if an applieaCion was dropped off at the Eaet Boulder Communrty Center and theie were no open positions at that srte, there was no way for the application to get to either of the olher centei s The new system puts all Che applicants in one pool and allows supervisors Co draw from that poo] Draft Mmutec PRAB Meehng 06/23/2003 - Page 5 Bridgewater said athletic registration was moved from the Athlet~cs Off~ce Co all three reg~stration srtes and as a result, customer service for sports teams has improved. She added that rentals will be soon done through a facility booking module. Bridgewater updated Board members on efforts to improve business practtces at the Boulder Reservo~r She added that electronic membership cards are now bemg used for the reservoir that scan all entries into the reservoir This system will provide management information that was not previously available. Brtdgewater said boat passes were not issued with an electronic card this year but said they would be done that way next year Bridgewater spoke about Phase 2 of the Iris Center remodel. Due to budget constramts only the most essential parts are bemg done These mclude asbestos removal, fixmg the HVAC system, iepairing the sewer hft station and brmging the w~rmg up to code. She said the pro~ect should be completed in three or four months. Jeff Lakey, Plannm~ and Development Supermtendent Lakey spoke about Che Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Task Force and development of the West Nile Virus Plan. Lakey intotmed the Board that a consultant has been hired to help with facihtation of the Master Plan process and said a program has been laid out to mclude publ~c contact process, staff participation and Board participation. Lakey spoke about Viele Lake water shares and sa~d a process was underway to study and deternvne what water shares the department owns He added that Parks Drvision staff was learning how to mampulate the flow of water - to lel the watei out that has been called and keep the water in that hasn't been called, for department use. Lakey said staff is domg the same thmg at Thunderb~rd Lake and Yhe wetlands aY East Boulder Park. Lakey said the goal is to get an understandmg of what water ehares the departments owns and lhen to manage those shares Lakey said reductions m the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) will affect how the divis~on works m the next couple of years The drvision may be movmg moie toward plannmg the management of parks or conetructmg a system for better park management This would be an interactive process with Park Operations and Recreation Lakey tallced about the raw water pond, pump station and pipmg system being developed for Valmont City Park This will allow for raw water irrigation when the deparCment has rights to raw water In addition the system can be switched back to treated water when raw water is not available Draft Mmutes PRAB Meeang 06/23/2003 - Page 6 Lakey spoke about the seven acres of new turf that was recently mstalled at Valmont City Park. Lakey said a dog park may be bui1C at Foothills Commumty Park, parCly to meet the need of users ouC there and partly Co occupy land that pra~rie dogs might otherwise move into. Additional parkmg may be requ~red to serve the dog park so part of the Phase 2 parkmg lot may be builC Lakey said staff ts warkmg toward the mstallation of plants around the North Boulder Recreation Center, adding that aiound the main entry there will be some xenscape demonstration plantmgs. Lakey spoke briefly about the completion of Elmer's Two Mtle Park and playground renovations Janue Sabbach, Recreation Supermtendent Sabbach mformed the Board that the department is the recip~ent of a CRES award, Colorado Renewable Energy Society In addiCion the department ~s m the process of applymg for a Colorado Park and Recreation Association Innovation and Facility Design and Planning Award Sabbach said Che Scott Carpenter Pool renovation began in February and the pool opened on May 24 She mformed lhe Board that attendance at both Scott Carpenter Pool and Spruce Pool was lower than expected Sabbach said weather could be a factor m the low attendance and added that recreation staff would meet with public relations staff to determme some promotional strategies Sabbach spoke about a potential partnership with Boulder Aquatice Masters (BAM) that was anticipated Lo be completed by August 1 von Bleichert asked how Parks and Recreataon would benefit frorri this partnership. Sabbach replied that one of the options bemg pursued is that some participants would volunteer to provide lessons for disadvantaged youth in the community Sabbach recapped the jomt agreement with the Boulder Valley School Dislrict (BVSD) for synthet~c turf at Fa~rview High and Boulder High This agreement prov~des the opportunity for Parks and Recreat~on to use the facililies on requested weekends and summer days Another area within the work plan ~s mcreasing awareness of mclusion and EXPAND staff hosted two trammg sessions this quarter far part time staff. Sabbach said staff is also mvestigatmg new strateges Por advert~smg mclusion services. In addition, staff is lookmg aC a partnership with the National Center for Disabled Sports with the end result of having the departmenYs programs marketed through their resources and their programs marketed through the department's resources Draft Mmuteti PRAB Meetmg 06/23/2003 - Pzge 7 Sabbach said Faciltty Scheduler ~s a computer program she hopes to have fully implemented this Fall Currenlly tennis courts are scheduled usmg this software Sabbach informed the Board that fundmg has been identified for refurbishment of the Scott Carpenter Park dugouts and the addition of a spray feature ior the leisure pool at the East Boulder Commumty Center. Sabbach said discussions are bemg held with Boulder Housmg Partners, lookmg for a potenCial partnership for satellrte siCes Chat the department programs Staff is hopmg to run a test sile at Kalmia for expanded youYh services. Sabbach said the ent~re administratrve team as well as Finance and Facihty Assistants at the centers are workmg to develop consistenL policy, procedures and gu~delines for the centers Everything from towel rentals to locks and umform pohcies is bemg considered IYs anticipated to be a lengthy process with the desired outcome to be more efficient and more effective from a customer serv~ce perspectiva, at the front desk and programmatically Board members said they would hke to receive a hard copy of the wark plan update presentation Geden saad a copy of the presentation would be included in ree.et month's packet VIII. FUTUR~ BOARD ITEMS AND TOURS Lakey asked Board members if they were available for a Master Plan Work Session on either Monday, September 8 or Monday, September 15. The meetmg would be scheduled fiom 6 to 9 p m As some Board members were absent rt was dectded that the Board Secretary would e-mail Board members to deYermme their ava~lability for Chose dates IX. N~XT BOARD MEETING: Monday, July 28, 2003 X. ADJOURN The meehng ad~ourned at 7•40 p.m D~aft Mmutes PRAB Meeting 06/23/2003 - Page 8 APPROVED BY PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD: ~J/ ./~~-'~ ~- Charles Manlove Board Chair Attest Georg~a Jackson Recordmg Secretary Draft Mmutes PRAB Mee[mg 06/23/2003 - Page 9