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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPCRM091814 CITY OF CENTRAL POINT Parks Commission Meeting Minutes September 18, 2014 MEETING CALLED TO ORDER John Beck called the meeting to order at 6:32 P.M. II. ROLL CALL Commission members John Beck, Deven Howard, Neil Olsen, Lee Orr and Council liaison Allen Broderick were present. Patricia Alvarez and Mark Ludwiczak were absent. City staff attending was Jennifer Boardman and Karen Roeber. III. REVIEW MINUTES Deven made a motion to approve the minutes of the May 13, 2014 Parks Commission. Lee seconded the motion. All were in favor and the minutes were approved. IV. CHANGES TO AGENDA None V. PUBLIC APPEARANCES John Beck welcomed a group of his students who sat in on the meeting. Mr. Myron Hauser and Jim Westerfield co-chairs of the Blue Grass Downs Architectural Control Committee (BGDACC) spoke. Their committee has 6 additional members. They said they are somewhat different from a Home Owners Association (HOA) and they represent the 96 homeowners of the Blue Grass Downs subdivision. They were there to speak about the William Mott Park and Wetlands. They wanted to know what are the City's intentions/plans for the Wetlands. They would like to have a Park sign installed as only a few of the Central Point Parks have actual signs. They would also like to have a bench in a sitting area away from the play area an elevated observation stand and signs describing the flora/fauna at this Park. Jennifer stated these are items that could be put into a new Parks Maser Plan. The co-chairs said they could lend a helping hand to raise money that would go to the Park Foundation but be labeled for specific items for this park/wetland area. VI. BUSINESS A. Restroom closure for winter at neighborhood parks Jennifer said this year we are going to close four neighborhood park restrooms for the winter. This is consistent with Medford and Ashland and will help cut down on our costs for upkeep and vandalism. The restrooms will be closed at the end of October and reopen in mid-March. The restrooms in our larger parks (Don Jones, Twin Creeks and Robert Pfaff) will remain open year round. The restrooms being closed are Forest Glen, Willie Mott, Van Horn and Flanagan. The operating hours for restrooms remaining open are 8:00AM - 10:00PM. Deven made a motion to close the neighborhood park restrooms for the winter and Lee seconded. All were in favor and the motion passed. City of Central Point Parks Commission Minutes kid September 18, 2014 B. Park Utility Fee Jennifer said if there was a park utility fee of$1.00 it could generate approximately$60,000 for the parks and would be a dedicated funding source since there currently isn't one. She stated other cities currently have a Park utility fee. She also said that SDC fees are for new construction not renovation or upkeep. The discussion included that it is something that would need to be contingent on transparency and pushed out to the citizens via the newsletter, website and water bill. Allen suggested changing the street utility fee, eliminating the storm drain fee and combining all into an "infrastructure fee". Lee made a motion to suggest the infrastructure fee concept to council for discussion and Deven seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed. C. Aerial Luminaries/LED balloons Jennifer stated occasionally we get a request for launching aerial luminaries or sky lanterns in the parks. This is covered under the Oregon State Fire Marshal and they are prohibited from being released where they can cause a fire therefore they are not allowed in our parks. D. Approval for Concession Stand Grant Funding 2015/2016 Jennifer said there were only three fights in the parks this year over gazebos and reservations. She would like to get a grant and be able to put in the next FY budget $72- 75K for a concession stand at Don Jones Park. We would be able to use as a monitor for park reservations as well as have cooking classes and demonstrations during the month. Jennifer said she would get approximate numbers for a return on investment for the next meeting. John made a motion and Lee seconded to approve concession stand grant funding. All were in favor and the motion passed. VII. OTHER BUSINESS A. Upcoming meetings for 2014/2015 The next scheduled meeting date for 2014 is November 18th and Jennifer suggested 2015 dates of January 20, April 21, September 15 and November 17. She asked members to put these dates on their calendars. B. Run for Freedom Update Jennifer said this was another successful event with 189 kids and 183 adults participating. The new route worked well and the commission members liked the fireworks shirt logo. C. Grant Update— Pfaff Restroom This project has been completed and is most appreciated by park users. It turned out great and was a very much needed upgrade. City of Central Point Parks Commission Minutes September 18, 2014 D. Van Horn Park Project Update Jennifer said the cost for upgrading this park is $42K for the play structure, additional sidewalk and changing out the fall material to make it ADA compliant. She is expected to hear sometime in December about the Cow Creek grant. E. Recreation Update Jennifer said the new RECreate guide is out and we have some new classes. She said the bike fair was successful - RVTD helped with the bike rodeo and trial lawyers donated $1K for helmets and volunteered at the event with helmet fittings. F. Parks Update—Waste station at Don Jones, hand dryers in restrooms Jennifer is looking into the cost of purchasing and installing hand dryers in the park restrooms to cut down on paper products being wasted and causing plumbing issues. They are also more sanitary and would be a good investment. G. Upcoming events—Veterans Day and Community Christmas (Dec. 5, 2014) Jennifer invited everyone to the Veterans Day ceremony being held at the War Memorial at Don Jones Park on Veterans Day (Nov. 11) at 9:00 AM. She said the community Christmas event including the tree lighting and lights parade will be held this year on December 5th . There are volunteer opportunities available for anyone interested in helping or just come and enjoy the festivities. H. Battle of the Bones Update Jennifer said the event made $10K for the Parks Foundation this year and that money will be used for the Van Horn Park renovation. They have $25K dedicated for this project so far. The Battle of the Bones event is held the weekend following Father's Day. I. ORPA Legislative Summit—09/22/14 Jennifer stated the Oregon Parks & Recreation Association (ORPA) will be at Don Jones Park on September 22"d from 11:30 — 1:30 and she invited everyone to attend. Jennifer was asked if she would give a quarterly report of the Budget, where we start off the year and where we are currently with an update as to where the money has been spent. VIII. ADJOURNMENT John moved to adjourn the meeting at 8:05 P.M. and all were in favor. IX. NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, November 18, 2014 at 6:30 PM in the Council Chambers