Parks & Recreation Commissioners Meeting Department of Parks & Recreation Boise City Library Auditorium

Transcription

1 Parks & Recreation Commissioners Meeting Department of Parks & Recreation Boise City Library Auditorium Members Present: Samuel Schwarz, Cissy Madigan. Louis Uranga, Harvey Neef, Maggie Frole Spurling, Patricia Whipps, Michael Cunningham, Mary McGown, and Thomas Chandler. Others: TJ Thomson and Maryanne Jordan, Council Liaisons: Kelly Burrows, Jamie Heinzerling, Doug Holloway, Thomas Governale, Mollie Holt, Cheyne Weston, Jim Hall, Parks & Recreation Department staff; Pat Riceci and Ralph Blount, Boise City Legal; Jim Wylie, Public Works; Gary Howard, The Wetlands Group; Jeff Sparks, AdVenture; Anne Wescott, Galena Consulting; Kristi Rutty, citizen. I. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 4:02 P.M. II. MINUTES A motion was made by Commissioner Frole Spurling THAT THE PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION APPROVE THE DECEMBER 16, 2010 PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES WITH THE FOLLOWING CHANGE TO PAGE 1: ADD COMMISSIONERS URANGA AND WHIPPS TO ATTENDANCE LIST, seconded by Commissioner Uranga. Motion was approved by all Commissioners present. III. CONSENT AGENDA A motion was made by Commissioner Uranga THAT THE PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA CONSISTING OF: Meridian School District with Boise Parks & Recreation Lease Agreement with Boise School District for Hillside and Fairmont Park seconded by Commissioner Neef. Motion was approved by all Commissioners present. IV. ACTIONS/PRESENTATIONS

2 Page 2 HYATT WETLANDS Thomas Governale updated the Commission on the status of the project. The site is located by Maple Grove and McMillan. The total size of the park will be 48 acres and 22 acres were donated. In 2000, there was an extensive public meeting process and a management plan was created to outline the do s/don ts for the site. Hyatt Wetlands will be similar to Kathryn Albertson park. There will be education kiosks and trails. Ada County Highway District purchased a 10 acre site from Meridian School District. The site will be used as a wetlands banking site. Then the parcel was deeded over to City. The City received a storm grant-1.3 million federal grant. Public Works and Parks Department is looking into beginning development of the site. We are here to make the Commission aware of the process. There is no need to redo the master plan for the site; all of the current proposed changes/plans are in line with the master plan. Jim Wylie, Public Works presented information about the stormwater grant and answered any questions from the Commission. Back in 2004, the Department applied for a grant with the Environmental Protection Agency. The timeline is that the site may be under construction this fall. Everything planned fits well with master plan and management plan. Water will flow into the wetlands from Maple Grove Road. There will first be a sanitation basin where all of the debris will come out, and then it will go thru a stormwater filter which is comprised of grass, dirt and sand. The stormwater filter will help remove the pollutants. There is also a couple of other filters in the process that further cleans the water. There will be couple of islands created for the wildlife and the water will be deeper after the removal of soil from the wetlands. There will be porous parking lots at the site. A nice pathway system will be created. Educational kiosks will be located throughout the park to explain various components of the park. The majority of the use at the park will be passive. Commissioner McGown asked if the site will accept all of the stormwater or will there be a bypass. Jim Wylie responded that there is an emergency discharge available if there is a 100 year storm. Commissioner Cunningham stated that they are pleased with the islands. Will the walkway go across the canal on McMillan Road? Jim Wylie stated that the bridge will be used as a walkway. Commissioner Cunningham stated that the road is a quick way up

3 Page 3 the hill. Are there any concerns about the traffic pattern? Jim Wylie stated that the bridge is possible for foot traffic, but keep in mind that the park plan bans bicycles. Commissioner Cunningham stated that he is thinking as a kid and there is a pretty good incline there. Is there any plan for any kind of obstacles to prevent skaters or rollerbladers? Wylie stated that it would be hard to do, but there some fences in the area. There will also be bollards on the access roads that will block access from unauthorized vehicles but will allow access to emergency and maintenance vehicles. Thomas Governale wanted to point something else out. There was a public meeting held in December and it was well attended. About 60 people showed up. Most attendees were supportive, they were concerned about the management rules no pets, no bicycles and no fishing. This site has been designed as an urban sanctuary. Explained the process to the attendees who want to see changes in the management plan need to come back to the Commission to change the rules. As the property begins to get more developed, there will be more enforcement. One of the biggest concerns was mosquitoes. Staff attended a meeting about one and a half weeks ago with neighbors who live along McMillan Road. Mosquito Abatement District visited the site 15 times last year. Out of 15 tests there was minimal larva count in five (5) of them. Over 50 would be a high count. There are lot of fish, insects, and birds in the wetlands. Mosquito Abatement District theorizes that the mosquitoes are coming from along the river, backyard pools or swimming pools. Commissioner Cunningham asked Gary Howard to refresh his memory regarding the wetlands banking. Gary Howard responded that since 2005 The Wetlands Group has been working with Ada County Highway District. The Wetlands Group currently has a Memorandum of Understanding with six (6) park sites. At this site there have been issues with the canal company. The wetlands at this site are slowly filling in, a natural process, but as part of the project, a lot of cattails and dirt will be removed to help create deeper water and to make islands in the middle of the site. The City of Boise will get more credits with the main area. Council Liaison Jordan asked if the litigation between Settlers

4 Page 4 Canal and Ada County Highway District is complete. Was this land agreement part of the settlement between Ada County Highway District and Settlers? Tom Governale commented that it was part of the settlement. A motion was made by Commissioner Uranga TO APPROVE OF DEVELOPING THE HYATT WETLANDS PER THE PROPOSED EPA DECENTRALIZED STORM WATER TREATMENT PROJECT. COMMISSION ALSO RECOMMENDS INCORPORATING THE DEVELOPMENT OF ADA COUNTY HIGHWAY DISTRICT S 10 ACRE SITE AS PART OF THE PROJECT TO BE DEEDED TO THE CITY IN THE FUTURE. THE PROPOSED PROJECTS CONFORM TO THE APPROVED MASTER PLAN COMPLETED SEPTEMBER 2000, seconded by Commissioner Frole Spurling. Motion approved by all Commissioners present. SMOKING POLICY Jamie Heinzerling stated that the Parks and Trails Subcommittee met at the end of November. They came up with the recommendation that is located in your packet. Youth sports complexes with including youth sports fields. Is that confusing to anyone else? Is their question versus youth and adult sports fields? Doug Holloway stated that we discussed it and it would be youth sports complexes only; for example: Optimist, Simplot, and Charles F. McDevitt. Commissioner Madigan agreed. Jamie Heinzerling stated that this includes playgrounds; skate parks; pools; neighborhood and community recreation centers and BMX tracks as well as Hyatt Wetlands. Also met with Police were also at the meetings and they were comfortable with the recommendations. They want to do some education, then follow-up with enforcement. Couple of staff assignments that came out of the committee was to find out what was the standard perimeter and signage costs. After researching and talking with Central District Health, approximate perimeter was feet. Staff recommends 20 feet which coincides with Idaho State Code in relation to buildings. The cost of signage is the next issue. Central District Health will provide all of the physical signs, but the Department needs to do the installation and materials per sign. The cost is estimated to be $ for labor and materials per sign.

5 Page 5 Approximate total cost would be $26,000 to sign all facilities recommended. Ralph Blount is an Assistant City Attorney from the Legal Department. In mid December he was requested to draft comprehensive public space smoking plan which would be more expansive than the Idaho Indoor Clean Act. There is a model ordinance that is circulating around the country from the Americans for Non Smoking Rights Ordinance. Jamie and Ralph heard about what Legal and Parks were working on the same thing and started to talk about joining forces. Rather than duplicate work, Ralph offered to fold in recommendations from the Commission into the Draft. Expanding the recommendations to outdoor areas. One thing to keep in mind is where areas involve passersby on sidewalks. Councilwoman Jordan wanted to clarify for the Commission. Not to usurp the Commission s work. This whole discussion came to a forefront from the discussions about smoking in bars. It has been a big issue for a long time for us. Your work is ongoing in that area and recommend everyone work together. It also stems from the danger secondhand smoking is to employees. Ralph Blount stated that it is about regulating employee may be exposed to second hand smoke. Recent research has been found that second hand smoke may be as bad as or worse than being the primary smoker. Commissioner Cunningham asked if Foothills Learning Center is that not already non-smoking? Primarily children go there. Are there smoking bans in the reserve areas? How about foothills trails? Think it would be a wise one, but fire danger would be a big concern. Commissioner Frole Spurling asked if this is the first time we received the numbers. The cost of $26,000? If we were able to combine efforts could the money come from another pot? The cost is high. Councilwoman Jordan answered maybe. The Council hasn t got there yet. The Council is primarily focused on smoking in bars. Might there be a volunteer effort to do it? That might be another way to go. Or maybe we would be able to split the cost? Commissioner Frole Spurling stated that she is very concerned. Maybe it could be a youth-educational opportunity. In these times, spending $26,000 on signs is hard to justify. Is there a better use of

6 Page 6 our money? It is not that I am against the idea. The timing, can we afford it now? Does Central District Health have any additional money? Let s look at other ideas. Jamie Heinzerling did ask Central District Health. They stated that they would not help with the installment. It maybe less, but it is hard to tell right now. Right now it is our best guess. Commissioner Cunningham didn t realize all city buildings are non-smoking. Do they need to be included in the signage? I know that there is no smoking at schools. Ralph Blount referenced Idaho Indoor Clean Air Act. Public places including offices and buildings are already covered. It is to be more of a City ordinance-accepted or not covered. If we import the Idaho Indoor Clean Air Act into ours, it will be more comprehensive and cover everything. It will also be easier for Police to enforce, so they won t have to remember which section or part of Idaho Code they have to reference. It will be more over compassing. Councilman Thomson asked what the rational is behind why not all parks. Maybe a question for the Subcommittee. Commissioner Frole Spurling remembered it as we were looking at terms of education and starting with youth. It will be a gradual focus and maybe in the future, we could expand it. We want to focus on changing behavior. Having children realize that smoking is not acceptable behavior. Don t want it to be a common practice. Commissioner McGown commented that the Police said it would be an enforcement nightmare. The Police supported youth orientated places. It would be a smaller subset. Commissioner Madigan also commented that the Police a little slow, almost opposed at first. The more we talked, the more they were interested in pursing. Commissioner Uranga stated that the Police were very candid. Not going to issue citation at parks. They felt differently at playgrounds, skate parks and bike parks. Adults have an election to smoke or not. COMP PLAN Recommends the Commission forward their recommendation to Mayor, Council and Legal to be included in the larger city Ordinance draft/discussion. Doug Holloway presented Comp Plan Work Session

7 Page 7 WORK SESSION Theme 1-Community Recreation Analysis Councilwoman Jordan commented that at the Comba site that there is an application for a neighborhood community garden. Theme 2-Park Operations & Resource Management Commissioner Cunningham requested for someone to explain IPM (Integrated Pest Management). Thomas Governale explained the policy and program briefly. Basically it means that the Department uses a minimal amount of pesticides. At first, we try to use biological controls or if we have to resort to using chemicals, we attempt to use the least evasive chemicals. Theme 3-Partnership & Volunteerism Theme 4-Sustainability Theme 5-Wellness Theme 6-Dogs Theme 7- Safety and Security Commissioner Frole Spurling asked what exclusion ordinance mean? Staff is working on the draft. For example, it provides the City more authority in a sports league if someone swings and hits another player or referee. Right now there isn t Theme 8-Foothills Open Space & Trails/Urban Open Space Theme 9- Capital Improvement Plan Theme 10-Marketing and Communications, Customer Service Theme 11-Reservations Theme 12-Park & Facility Use Scheduling Anyone have questions? Commissioner McGown commented that she sent a question to Margaret but will ask it tonight. In theme 7, does the Department have an emergency management plan? Human disasters or natural

8 Page 8 disasters. Director Hall answered that the Department is part of the City Plan. Zoo Boise has a comprehensive plan. We could add in the narration. Commissioner Spurling had a comment and question. Very impressive work. Committee commended. I have a concern on Theme 8-32 recommendations-how are you going to prioritize everything? The goals we have are aggressive. Doug Holloway said this is a debate we have had. Citizens have told us that this is what they want. A lot are being done now, check them off, but there are also recommendations related to acquisitions. Money or Prioritize, not sure which one is first. Director Hall commented that very few require funding and we will pick them off as we go. Commissioner Madigan wanted to reiterate by saying thank you Doug, Anne, Jeff, Tom, and Cheyne for their continued work. UPDATE on DOGS The Department has been receiving phone calls and s about dogs. Sunset Park has been added to the list, so there are 8 possible parks for the pilot program. Approximately February 1 st the postcards will go out to the neighbors. There is a tear off section and the citizen cane write their comments. There will be a link to the website in case they want to go online. Jamie has asked if at least one Commission member be present at each of the meetings. All of the results from the surveys and public meetings will be brought back to the March 17 th meeting. Updating website and signage. If we approve in March, the pilot programs may start in April. When the parks are not being used, allowing dog off leash times/areas in neighborhood parks. Dogs are not on the agenda, but here is a letter submitted from Kristiana Gregory Rutty on behalf of Winstead Neighborhood Dog Walkers to the Commission: To BP&R Commissioners: November 20 th it was announced there would be neighborhood meetings scheduled as the next step in creating on off-leash season in Winstead Park, from November 1 st through March 1 st. Now two months later, we ve heard nothing. An a third winter is slipping by since our original proposal.

9 Page 9 Meanwhile we ve been putting up with the stalking by your city employees in the white van. We see them waiting in the parking lot even though Winstead is empty. When a citizen appears with a dog off-leash, one of these employees will pursue him/her on foot while the other employee drives the van out to Northview then onto El Rancho to team-tag at the park s exit. This intimidation is worthy of the Gestapo, not our friendly city of Boise. Because the field and tennis courts are virtually empty in the winter, as are the playground and pavilion, these tickets clearly are not an issue of public safety. There is now such a climate of fear and illwill, our neighborhood are gone. In the Idaho Statesman last summer, Humane Society Director Jeff Rosenthal said, It s difficult to tell people they can t have their dogs off-leash in parks, when there are so few places where they can. Having options for off-leash dogs improves the Humane Society s ability to find homes for the plethora of large dogs in their care. The little groups that informally meet (to exercise their animals) help build neighborhood cohesiveness and are good for the city. Kristiana Gregory Nutty On Behalf of Winstead Neighborhood Dog Walkers kgregorybooks@yahoo.com MISCELLEANOUS Councilwoman Jordan said that she and Councilwoman Clegg are exchanging positions. Clegg will come to Parks & Recreation and Jordan is going to Arts & History. Thanks for your service to the City. Council is trying to switch up members every once in awhile. People get comfortable. A motion was made by Commissioner Spurling to adjourn, seconded by Commissioner McGown. Motion approved by all Commissioners present. Meeting adjourned at insert time 6:15 P.M. Respectfully submitted, Sarah Wilkerson /mcl