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HomeMy WebLinkAboutParks and Rec Advisory Board-Minutes-04/10/2017 City of Colleyville Page 1 City of Colleyville Parks and Recreation Advisory Board MINUTES City Hall 100 Main Street Colleyville, Texas 76034 817.503.1000 www.colleyville.com Monday, April 10, 2017 6:00 p.m. Colleyville Public Library 110 Main Street - 2nd Floor Meeting Room 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Hillary Schwanbeck called the meeting of the Parks and Recreation Advisory board to order on April 10, 2017, at 6:02 p.m. ROLL CALL Present: Chair Hillary Schwanbeck, Vice Chair Mitali Mandlekar, Board Members Rich Hendler, Cliff LeBlanc, John Hillebrand, Ajit Purandare, and Jim Hasenpflug. Youth Sport Associations Liaisons: Colleyville Baseball Association representative Brenton Johnson, Colleyville Lacrosse Association representative Erika Davis-Noble and Colleyville Girls Softball Association representative Rosalind Tyrone. City staff: Recreation and City Events Manager Lisa Escobedo, Parks Manager Heather Dowell and Administrative Support Specialist Julie Prewitt. Absent: Board Member Natalie Genco. Youth Sport Associations Liaison: Colleyville Soccer Association representative Patrick Dunagan. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES February 6, 2017 Board member Jim Hasenpflug moved to approve the February 6, 2017 meeting minutes as written. Board Member John Hillebrand seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. 3. REGULAR AGENDA ITEMS 3a Update on Utility Bill Donation Parks Manager, Heather Dowell, stated at the last meeting there was a question about the donation. The donation is $4.00 each bill, $2.00 goes to Parks Voluntary Fund and $2.00 goes to the Library Fund or one can opt out of donating the $4.00. Parks and Recreation Advisory Board MINUTES April 10, 2017 City of Colleyville Page 2 3b Update on Voluntary Park Fund and Park Land Dedication Parks Manager, Heather Dowell, referred the board to the financial status of the Voluntary Park Fund and Park Land Dedication included in the agenda packet to see the projections and how funding had been spent in the past. Board Member, Jim Hasenpflug, asked if the list of projects on the Voluntary Park Fund list of expenditures were all approved in 2016. Parks manager, Heather Dowell, stated the funds were carry overs, and were either approved in 2015 or 2016. Board Member, Jim Hasenpflug, stated there is funding from the Voluntary Park Fund that has been recommended by the Parks Board and approved by Council that appears to be unspent, is that correct? Manager Dowell informed the board that some of the dollar amounts showing under the Expended Year-to-date need to be updated, for example the $1,110 showing has been spent and some of the other dollar amounts showing will not be spent because we were able to get a better price. The funds not spent due to better pricing will be released from encumbered funding back into the cash option. Board member Jim Hasenpflug asked, at the end of the fiscal year if the money is not spent, does the project get closed or do you make a decision on each one to close it out or carry the funding over? Manager Dowell stated a decision is made on each project. Board member Rich Hendler asked if the pocket park by John McCain is listed on the Voluntary Fund status report. Manager Dowell stated they used some of the Voluntary Park funding in the Cotton Belt Phase III and some funding from other sources. Typically when doing a large project the City will utilize multiple fund s – CEDC, Voluntary Park fund, and Park Land Dedication. Board member Rich Hendler stated he was not at the last meeting and asked if Parks Manager, Dowell, had presented her once a year funding request as referenced in the February 6, 2017 Parks and Recreation Advisory Board minutes. Manager Dowell stated she had not presented a request this year. The projects referenced on the Voluntary Park fund status were last year’s requests, right now she is focusing on the Parks Master Plan update. She will be working on a list of small requests as the work on the Master Plan continues. Manager Dowell does not want to repeatedly request funding, the preference is to create a vision with a five year plan. There still may be emergency requests. Board member Jim Hasenpflug requested an overview of the Park Land Dedication fund. Manager Dowell informed the board the Park Land Dedication fund is set up to receive funds when someone comes into Colleyville and develops land for the first time. In the past you would see the fund increase quickly, and now we do Parks and Recreation Advisory Board MINUTES April 10, 2017 City of Colleyville Page 3 not. We do not have as much land to develop. A meeting would be set up with the Park Land Dedication committee to present and request funds from this account. Board member Cliff LeBlanc stated, if I understand the spreadsheet correctly the column on the left is money spent before FY 2017, and the other columns are expenses from FY17. Manager Dowell stated yes, FY17 starts in October 2016 and it is possible that the expense was from September 2016 and paid in October 2016, landing in FY17. Funding can be carried over in the budget, the LD Lockett improvements were actually encumbered late FY 2015 and put on hold to complete the State Highway 26 pocket park. Now that the pocket park is completed the LD Lockett Park is being improved. The funding can carry over and is spent in sections. Board member Cliff LeBlanc inquired if all the open projects are they still open or complete? Manager Dowell stated the LD Lockett project is still open, most of the others are completed. They will take anything encumbered that is unspent and return it to the fund to be available. Board member Cliff LeBlanc asked about the interest line, why is there negative interest? Additionally, Board member Hillary Schwanbeck asked if we have this money in an investment account. Manager Dowell informed the board she will have to check with the finance department. Board member Jim Hasenpflug stated if I’m looking at this right, correct me if I’m wrong, we started with $4.7 million, received a good bit of interest income, have $3.6 million in expenses, still have $261,000 on hold or on reserve for projects still not finished yet, leaving us with only $1.3 million left in the fund. Is this over some period of time? Manager Dowell stated this is over years, this is the original fund. Board member Rich Hendler inquired about the Park Land Dedication committee, is there a couple of Planning and Zoning members on that board, and does it report back through the Planning and Zoning board? Manager Dowell informed the board that the Park Land Dedication committee is a mixture, there are two from the Planning and Zoning board and two from the Park and Recreation Advisory board. Board member Rich Hendler asked if the chair of Planning and Zoning is the chair of the Park Land Dedication committee. Manager Dowell stated we do not have a chair at this time. Park Land only meets when we have a need, when someone has a request, there has not been a request in over a year. Board member Cliff LeBlanc inquired if Manager Dowell sees a request (for funding from the Park Land Dedication fund) soon. Manager Dowell informed the board Parks and Recreation Advisory Board MINUTES April 10, 2017 City of Colleyville Page 4 she foresees a request upon the completion of the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Master Plan update. Board member John Hillebrand stated the City will have a big requirement for park land if they are going to meet the criteria since they have carved out the private parks. Manager Dowell stated yes. Board member John Hillebrand asked if there will be a big opportunity. Manger Dowell stated there is if we can find some land. When she reviewed the criteria, after the mayor brought the subject up, the city parks are 41 acres under. That is a lot of acreage, and there will have to be a discussion during the master plan update with the mayor and council to reach some of these goals. Board member Mitali Mandlekar asked if the Parks Master Plan update is going to help identify some of the acreage. Manager Dowell affirmed the Master Plan will look for opportunities for land acquisition and put together a general plan outlining the next five years, for example if we developed behind the Senior Center what it would take to develop. The consultants will look at property and the City of Colleyville’s standards, that’s where the stakeholder’s meetings come in. Manager Dowell will be reaching out soon, as the master plan update progresses she will be involving the board more, bringing reports and possibly side meetings to get more input and feedback from the board. The consultants will speak with the parks board, Mayor and Council, the sports leagues and with students at school to get a real picture of Colleyville. Board member John Hillebrand inquired about the time frame for the completion of the Master Plan update. Manager Dowell informed the board the Master Plan’s current schedule states there will be a final presentation in November. Board member Mitali Mandlekar asked if the Master Plan will be complete November of this year. Manager Dowell stated yes, a lot of the information needed about the parks was created last year and put into our GIS system. Board member Jim Hasenpflug asked if the two members from the Planning and Zoning board had been selected for the Park Land Dedication. Manager Dowell stated yes, Chuck Kelley and Susan Mathisen. Board member Jim Hasenpflug wanted to know who would be responsible for calling the first board meeting. Manager Dowell stated it will be between Ben Bryner, Community Development Director and herself. Board member Rich Hendler asked, “Doesn’t the chair of the Planning and Zoning board chair the Park Land Dedication committee?” Manager Dowell stated she would need to get back to the board. Parks and Recreation Advisory Board MINUTES April 10, 2017 City of Colleyville Page 5 Board member Jim Hasenpflug suggested for a meeting of the Park Land Dedication committee be called so the members could meet and discuss their roles, what may be coming and time frame. Manager Dowell stated she would consult with Community Development Director, Ben Bryner. 3c Consideration of forming Nature Center Pond Naming Committee and current request by the Friends of Nature Center Manager Dowell referenced the rules of naming Facilities, Park Facilities and Parks, and Streets while giving a brief outline of how the subcommittee would work. Board member Ajit Purandare moved to form a Colleyville Nature Center Pond Naming subcommittee, and board member Rich Hendler seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Board member Ajit Purandare moved to name board members Rich Hendler, Cliff LeBlanc, John Hillebrand, Natalie Genco and himself to the Colleyville Nature Center Pond Naming subcommittee, board member Jim Hasenpflug seconded. The motion passed unanimously. City Council will be notified board members Rich Hendler, Cliff LeBlanc, John Hillebrand, Natalie Genco and Ajit Purandare were named to the Colleyville Nature Center Pond Naming subcommittee. Board member John Hillebrand asked if the board needed to call for a chair of the subcommittee to handle calling meetings. Manager Dowell stated the bylaws does not state the naming of chair, city staff will handle the meeting agendas and posting. Board member Rich Hendler requested the Facebook Friends/Colleyville Nature Center to explain the pond naming request, since they are present. Janet Hicks of the Facebook Friends/Colleyville Nature Center spoke giving a brief overview of her family connection to Colleyville, the Nature Center and why the Facebook Friends page was created. Ms. Hicks also reviewed the information given to the committee from her group concerning why they felt the ponds should be named and how they selected the names for the Colleyville Nature Center ponds. Board member Rich Hendler thanked Janet Hicks for her presentation. Board member Jim Hasenpflug thanked Janet Hicks for her presentation and putting together the contest. He then asked if she was aware of the City of Colleyville’s naming policy. Janet Hicks stated she was not, but luckily every name selected fits the criteria. She did go through the list name by name before she Parks and Recreation Advisory Board MINUTES April 10, 2017 City of Colleyville Page 6 sent the proposal to the board. The names are simple, mostly are from physical characteristics and ease of remembering them. There are 3 miles of trails at the nature center and one trail is named Mike Rambo, in tribute to the scout leader, so there has been one naming to take place at the Nature Center. Board member Rich Hendler asked if Ms. Hicks had contacted Patsy Smith. Ms. Hicks stated she did contact Patsy Smith, Herman Smith’s widow. Ms. Smith gave her history on the forming of the Nature Center. Board member Mitali Mandlekar stated she lives in that area, the trail system is heavily used and supports the naming due to emergency purposes. Board member Cliff LeBlanc asked Janet Hicks to clarify if one of the trails has already been named. Ms. Hicks stated just one trail has been named. Board member Ajit Purandare asked for the same purposes as the ponds to be named for emergency purposes, should the trails be named. Ms. Hicks agreed the trails should also be named. Board member Cliff LeBlanc asked what is the impact. Manager Dowell stated there is a lot that will be addressed in the Master Plan update. The Nature Center is an amazing piece of property and is heavily utilized and under developed. During the Master Plan process we will be reaching out to stakeholder groups to get input. Board member Cliff LeBlanc asked if the Parks Board and subcommittee should wait until further progress is made on the Master Plan update, is there any advantage to waiting. Board member Rich Hendler stated that the board just moved and created the Nature Center Pond Naming subcommittee, he would hope they would finish with that item. Board member Ajit Purandare agreed with naming the ponds, he does not have a problem naming the trails and having a naming contest by people who are familiar with the trails, to him it cuts down on the bureaucracy of going through this again. Board member Ajit Purandare asked, “We are not putting signs, correct?” Manager Dowell stated, correct, a lot of this will be called out in the Master Plan. If a trail map is created we can put it at the trail head. Board member Mitali Mandlekar agreed the Master Plan will address a lot of your concerns about trail naming and signage. Manger Dowell stated she has a lot of items written down for the Master Plan to identify and address. Parks and Recreation Advisory Board MINUTES April 10, 2017 City of Colleyville Page 7 Board member Cliff LeBlanc asked if Manager Dowell could give a time line for the Master Plan. Manager Dowell stated it will be complete in November, it is in progress. Board member Cliff LeBlanc asked what the time is for implementation of the Master Plan. Manager Dowell stated implementation will be based on recommendations in the plan, after November we will start implementing what is in the plan. It will be prioritized by citizen input and financial means. Board member Jim Hasenpflug inquired from the prospective of Parks Manager, is there any harm in moving forward with the subcommittee naming the ponds, as long as they are not committing to signage, prior to the Master Plan. Manager Dowell stated no, the names will come up during the process and it will be okay if we have names prior to that time. We will not be putting up signage and if someone comes up with a map, we can give it to the police. Board member Rich Hendler stated the nature of the agenda item is for the subcommittee to take the information home and pursue if there are any better names. Board member Mitali Mandlekar inquired if the names purposed have been checked to see if they comply with the policy. Ms. Hicks stated yes, she had checked the names against the policy. The Colleyville Nature Center Pond Naming subcommittee members present recommended to meet May 1, 2017 at 6:00 p.m. 4. REPORTS 4a Recreation, Athletics, and Senior Center report Recreation and City Events Manager, Lisa Escobedo, briefed the board covering events from February to the present, starting with the Bunny Brunch that was held last Saturday, April 8, 2017, at the Colleyville Center from 10:00 am to noon. The brunch sold out at 250 tickets. We have determined 250 is the max numbe r of participants. In recreation all of the summer classes are viewable online and open for registration. In Athletics the youth sports associations are winding down, they will finish at the end of April to beginning of May. In addition, the City of Colleyville has a girls Volleyball league, we have the largest league to date with 40 teams. Board member Rich Hendler asked how recent was the girls volleyball league added. Manger Escobedo stated the league has been growing over the past five years since she has been with the city. Parks and Recreation Advisory Board MINUTES April 10, 2017 City of Colleyville Page 8 Board member Rich Hendler asked if Manger Escobedo started the league. Manager Escobedo stated, no the city had the league when she hired on but, the league was experiencing some limitations related to practice facilities. Manger Escobedo continued to update the board concerning the Tennis leagues. There are 12 leagues playing out of City Park. At the Senior Center the Senior Prom was held last Friday, April 7, 2017, at Colleyville Heritage High School. The prom is a program in collaboration with the high school’s leadership class. The students provide dinner and play games with the seniors, it’s a great inter- generational evening. Upcoming events include the free Texas Junior Anglers event at the Nature Center on Saturday, April 22, 2017, 9:00 a.m. to noon. Then the Old Tyme Bar -B-Que will be held at the Colleyville Center April 28th and 29th. Board member Rich Hendler asked if the Old Tyme Bar-B-Que event benefited Special Olympics. Manager Escobedo informed the board the proceeds from the Old Tyme Bar-B-Que goes to Special Olympics. Board member Ajit Purandare asked if Colleyville is going to go back to a free Easter event, the Bunny Brunch sold out quickly. He and his family attended an event in Southlake and encountered other families from Colleyville. The options are limited in Colleyville since the Colleyville event is capped , sold out. Manager Escobedo stated it had not been discussed and she had not heard anything about changing to a free event. Board member John Hillebrand asked if the event is capped due to space, is it feasible to do the event consecutive days if there is a demand. Manager Escobedo stated she had not seen a high enough demand requiring multiple seating for the Bunny Brunch, there were only a few people on the waiting list. We did not necessarily know the demand was that high wanting multiple seating times. We have considered it but, we would need to take into account using the Colleyville Center and additional staffing needed for the event. Board member John Hillebrand suggested to do the event twice in one day, a morning and an afternoon, if demand was there. Board member Ajit Purandare agreed with this idea, stating he imagines there are more than 250 people going to an Easter Egg Hunt. Chair Hillary Schwanbeck stated about four years ago there was a free Egg Hunt in Colleyville, it was supposed to be outside but it was rained out and the people were moved in-doors and it was madhouse. That was the last free one. Manager Escobedo told the board because of the madness, it was decided to move to a more intimate event. There are people who support both sides, and there have Parks and Recreation Advisory Board MINUTES April 10, 2017 City of Colleyville Page 9 been some opposition to the fees. Manager Escobedo feels that the fee accessed is a good value for what they receive. Board member Hillary Schwanbeck asked what fees are normally charged for Bunny Brunch. Manager Escobedo stated it is $6.00 per child and $9.00 for an adult; they receive a catered breakfast, pictures with the bunny, face painting, balloon artist, petting zoo and egg hunt. Board member Ajit Purandare asked if Manager Escobedo has tried to expand the Bunny Brunch, we probably could get more than 250. Manager Escobedo informed the board that every year they have tried to see how they could fit more people into the Colleyville Center. This year staff has concluded that 250 is the max capacity for seating at one time. To accommodate more people an additional event would have to be later in the day or the next day, dependent upon funding and staffing. 4b Parks Report Parks Manger Heather Dowell updated the board on the progress of LD Lockett, it is almost finished; waiting on locks, front sign stone work, a park rules sign, bike repair station, clean up and landscaping. Board member Cliff LeBlanc asked if an opening ceremony was being scheduled. Manager Dowell replied, yes, they are going to be scheduling the ceremony once they get the final completion date from the contractor. Board member Rich Hendler inquired if LD Lockett is the piece of property with the pond on the trail and does the pond belong to the city. Manager Dowell stated that the property is the old Senior Center and the pond does not belong to the city. Manger Dowell continued to update the board; work on the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Master Plan update continues with gathering documentation for the consultant. All the youth sports associations are going, and is keeping them very busy. Association sports will be winding down in May and then tournaments will start. The parks department is currently working on Pleasant Run Soccer Practice middle fields. One of the middle fields had about a foot cut from it and did not get a good stand of turf, they currently have it fenced off growing new grass. Board member Ajit Purandare inquired about the rest of the fields, the field he practices on has a sand valley. Manger Dowell stated that is where the sprinklers were and they have put down 56 tons of sand on the lower fields. During this summer they will be coming back with compost soil material, they need to get the fields packed down so the sand does not get pushed out by rain and play. The bottom practice fields are a big goal for the parks department this year and the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board MINUTES April 10, 2017 City of Colleyville Page 10 bottom fields will look much different. The fields will be on a couple of the master plan evaluations. Board member Ajit Purandare then inquired about the other fields. Manger Dowell stated the parks department will start improving on the other fields, they are not planning on redoing them completely. They have increased the aeration on all the fields, and will work on the irrigation which was originally installed by the soccer dads a long time ago. The parks department just had the landscaping redone at the Colleyville Center and Library. All the roses are gone and now we have a low maintenance, drought tolerant landscape. Manger Dowell referred back to the Nature Center Pond Naming subcommittee, all the subcommittee’s recommendations will be brought back to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board for approval. All recommendations approved by the Parks and Recreation Board will be forwarded to City Council for final approval. Board member Cliff LeBlanc inquired about the results of the Master Plan contract negotiations with the consultants Brandstetter Carroll Inc. Manager Dowell informed the board that the City was able to get all the items the City wanted for $100,000, the company took $11,000 off the proposed fee. Board member Rich Hendler asked if everything we wanted include implementation, or is implementation after the Master Plan. Manager Dowell stated the contract includes a recommendation/plan for implementation taking into account citizen input and funding sources to create a five year plan. Board member Rich Hendler asked for more information concerning Lacrosse. Manager Escobedo informed the board the recreation department is the liaison between the Colleyville Lacrosse Association and GCISD. Lacrosse send s Manager Escobedo their practice and game schedule/needs and she works with GCISD to reserve fields. Lacrosse utilizes Colleyville Middle School and Heritage Middle School competition turf fields, there are a couple of practices at Colleyville Heritage High School grass field. This past Saturday, April 8, 2017, there were a few Youth Girls Lacrosse games at McPherson Park. Board member Rich Hendler asked what type of participation is there in the association, are there a lot of teams. Manager Escobedo referred the question to Colleyville Youth Lacrosse Association Liaison Erika Davis-Noble. Ms. Davis-Noble stated the association goes through waves, they have approximately 250-300 boys and girls from 1st grade through high school. It is an alternative high school sport for boys, or they can do it in addition to , in the spring. The high school boys won state last year and were runner-ups the year before. The association wants Parks and Recreation Advisory Board MINUTES April 10, 2017 City of Colleyville Page 11 to give everyone interested in lacrosse the opportunity to play and offers the sport year round. They have children participating from all the GCISD schools. 5. CITIZEN COMMENTS/PRESENTATIONS REGARDING ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA There were no cards for citizen comments. Board member John Hillebrand wanted to congratulate Manager Escobedo and Manger Dowell on the excellent ratings the Parks and Recreation department received on the 2017 Citizen Survey. He stated they should be very proud that 91% of citizens were Satisfied or Very Satisfied with Parks and Recreation. Another encouraging item is that a big majority is interested in trails and sidewalks and park development not related to sport activities. Manager Escobedo and Manager Dowell thanked board member John Hillebrand, and stated they have a great team and a lot of support from the citizens, mayor and council. Manager Dowell stated the Master Plan Update has come at a great time. 6. ADJOURNMENT Board member Jim Hasenpflug moved to adjourn the meeting, and board member John Hillebrand seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Chair Hillary Schwanbeck adjourned the meeting at 7:32 p.m. APPROVED BY A VOTE OF 8 AYES, 0 NAYS, AND 0 ABSTENTIONS ON THIS THE 10th DAY OF July 2017. Minutes taken and prepared by: Julie Prewitt Administrative Support Specialist