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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPAREB_Agenda&Minutes_2013Notice of Meeting of the Parks and Recreation Board City of Georgetown, Texas Thursday,,,, September 17, 2013 The Parks and Recreation Board will meet on Thursday, September 17, 2013 at 05:30 PM in the Georgetown Public Library, located at 402 West 8th Street, Georgetown, Texas. If you need accommodations for a disability, please notify the city in advance. Parks and Recreation Board Members: Charles Brashear, Chuck Bridges, Daniel Dance, Katherine Kainer, Keith Fruge, Robert Johnson, Robert Palko Parks and Recreation Board meets the second Thursday of the month at 07:00 PM unless otherwise specified. Call to Order at 05:30 PM 1.) Downtown Master Plan Community Workshop The Parks and Recreation Board has been invited to attend a Downtown Master Plan Community Workshop in order to communicate with residents and community stakeholders and take part in shaping the future of downtown. No official action will be taken. Certificate of Posting I, Jessica Brettle, City Secretary for the City of Georgetown, Texas, do hereby certify that this Notice of Meeting was posted at City Hall, 113 E. 8th Street, a place readily accessible to the general public at all times, on the _____ day of _________________, 2013, at __________, and remained so posted for at least 72 continuous hours preceding the scheduled time of said meeting. __________________________________ Jessica Brettle, City Secretary Notice of Meeting of the Parks and Recreation Board City of Georgetown, Texas Thursday,,,, September 12, 2013 The Parks and Recreation Board will meet on Thursday, September 12, 2013 at 06:00 PM in the Parks and Recreation Administration Building Conference Room, located at 1101 N. College, Georgetown, Texas. If you need accommodations for a disability, please notify the city in advance. Parks and Recreation Board Members: Charles Brashear, Chuck Bridges, Daniel Dance, Katherine Kainer, Keith Fruge, Robert Johnson, Robert Palko Parks and Recreation Board meets the second Thursday of the month at 06:00 PM unless otherwise specified. Call to Order at 06:00 PM 1.Call to Order 2.Roll Call 3.Introduction to the Georgetown Challenge Course – Elliot Pervinich 4.Discussion and possible action on preliminary design concept for the Creative Playscape Phase 2 5.Update on Year - to - Date Parks and Recreation Revenues 6.Staff Updates a.Garey Park Request for Qualifications b.City Council workshop on September 10 th regarding Aquatic Master Plan and Creative Playscape Phase 2 c.Creative Playscape Phase 2 Design Concept Open House – September 19 tha t 6:30 pm at the Community Center 7.Update from the Friends of Georgetown Parks and Recreation 8.Approve minutes from the August 8, 2013 meeting 9.Adjourn Certificate of Posting I, Jessica Brettle, City Secretary for the City of Georgetown, Texas, do hereby certify that this Notice of Meeting was posted at City Hall, 113 E. 8th Street, a place readily accessible to the general public at all times, on the _____ day of _________________, 2013, at __________, and remained so posted for at least 72 continuous hours preceding the scheduled time of said meeting. __________________________________ Jessica Brettle, City Secretary Notice of Meeting of the Parks and Recreation Board City of Georgetown, Texas Thursday,,,, August 8, 2013 The Parks and Recreation Board will meet on Thursday, August 8, 2013 at 06:00 PM in the Parks and Recreation Administration Building Conference Room , located at 1101 N. College, Georgetown, Texas If you need accommodations for a disability, please notify the city in advance. Parks and Recreation Board Members: Charles Brashear, Chuck Bridges, Daniel Dance, Katherine Kainer, Keith Fruge, Robert Johnson, Robert Palko Parks and Recreation Board meets the second Thursday of the month at 06:00 PM unless otherwise specified. Call to Order at 06:00 PM REVISED 1.Call to Order 2.Roll Call 3.Presentation by Parks and Recreation Summer Intern - Claire Freelove 4.Staff Updates a.Creative Playscape b.San Gabriel River Trail Extension c.End of Summer Pool Schedule d.State Guard Games e.2012/2013 CIP Update f.Garey Park Request for Qualifications g.City Council workshop on Septemer 10 th regarding Aquatic Master Plan and Playscape 5.Discussion and possible action to appoint two Parks and Recreation Board members to the Garey Park Architectural Design selection committee. 6.Discussion and possible action regarding September Parks and Recreation Board meeting. 7.Update from the Friends of Georgetown Parks and Recreation 8.Approve minutes from the July 13, 2013 meeting 9.Adjourn Certificate of Posting I, Jessica Brettle, City Secretary for the City of Georgetown, Texas, do hereby certify that this Notice of Meeting was posted at City Hall, 113 E. 8th Street, a place readily accessible to the general public at all times, on the _____ day of _________________, 2013, at __________, and remained so posted for at least 72 continuous hours preceding the scheduled time of said meeting. __________________________________ Jessica Brettle, City Secretary Notice of Meeting of the Parks and Recreation Board City of Georgetown, Texas Tuesday,,,, August 6, 2013 The Parks and Recreation Board will meet on Tuesday, August 6, 2013 at 05:30 PM in the Georgetown Public Library, located at 402 West 8th Street, Georgetown, Texas. If you need accommodations for a disability, please notify the city in advance. Parks and Recreation Board Members: Charles Brashear, Chuck Bridges, Daniel Dance, Katherine Kainer, Keith Fruge, Robert Johnson, Robert Palko Parks and Recreation Board meets the second Thursday of the month at 07:00 PM unless otherwise specified. Call to Order at 05:30 PM Attend the Downtown Master Plan Workshop Certificate of Posting I, Jessica Brettle, City Secretary for the City of Georgetown, Texas, do hereby certify that this Notice of Meeting was posted at City Hall, 113 E. 8th Street, a place readily accessible to the general public at all times, on the _____ day of _________________, 2013, at __________, and remained so posted for at least 72 continuous hours preceding the scheduled time of said meeting. __________________________________ Jessica Brettle, City Secretary Notice of Meeting of the Parks and Recreation Board City of Georgetown, Texas Thursday,,,, July 11, 2013 The Parks and Recreation Board will meet on Thursday, July 11, 2013 at 06:00 PM in the Parks and Recreation Administration Building Conference Room, located at 1101 N. College, Georgetown, Texas. If you need accommodations for a disability, please notify the city in advance. Parks and Recreation Board Members: Charles Brashear, Chuck Bridges, Daniel Dance, Katherine Kainer, Keith Fruge, Robert Johnson, Robert Palko Parks and Recreation Board meets the second Thursday of the month at 06:00 PM unless otherwise specified. Call to Order at 06:00 PM 1.Call to Order 2.Roll Call 3.Introduction of newly appointed Parks Board member, Chuck Bridges 4.Consideration and possible action to elect a Vice-Chair of the Parks & Recreation Board 5.Consideration and possible action to recommend approval of the parkland dedication for Berry Creek Subdivision Section 5, Phase 2 6.Consideration and possible action to direct staff to work with Kasberg, Patrick & Associates, LP on a Task Order for engineering and design of the Bank Stabilization in San Gabriel Park 7.Consideration and possible action to recommend approval of the American Red Cross Shelter Agreement 8.Staff Updates a.Parks Tour on June 26, 2013 b.Neighborhood Park input meeting at Georgetown Village on June 20, 2013 c.Future Council Workshop on September 10, 2013 – Aquatic Master Plan and Creative Playscape 9.Update from the Friends of Georgetown Parks and Recreation 10.Approve minutes from the June 13, 2013 meeting 11.Adjourn Certificate of Posting I, Jessica Brettle, City Secretary for the City of Georgetown, Texas, do hereby certify that this Notice of Meeting was posted at City Hall, 113 E. 8th Street, a place readily accessible to the general public at all times, on the _____ day of _________________, 2013, at __________, and remained so posted for at least 72 continuous hours preceding the scheduled time of said meeting. __________________________________ Jessica Brettle, City Secretary Minutes of the Meeting of the Parks and Recreation Board City of Georgetown, Texas Thursday, July 11, 2013 The Parks and Recreation Board of the City of Georgetown, Texas, met on Thursday , July 11, 2013. Members Present: Charles Brashear, Chuck Bridges, Daniel Dance, Katherine Kainer, Keith Fruge, Robert Johnson Members Absent: Robert Palko Staff Present: Kimberly Garrett, Eric Nuner, Tania Hardaway Minutes Regular Meeting July 11, 2013 1.Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 6:00 pm by Robert Johnson. 2.Roll Call Daniel Dance, Katherine Kainer, Keith Fruge, Charles Brashear, Chuck Bridges, Robert Johnson Kimberly Garrett, Eric Nuner and Tania Hardaway 3.Introduction of newly appointed Parks Board member, Chuck Bridges Chuck Bridges introduced himself and was welcomed by the board. He replaces John Hesser who went to City Council. 4.Consideration and possible action to elect a Vice-Chair of the Parks & Recreation Board Motion made by Katherine Kainer, second by Daniel Dance to nominate Keith Fruge as Vice-Chair of the Parks and Recreation Board. Approved 6 - 0 5.Consideration and possible action to recommend approval of the parkland dedication for Berry Creek Subdivision Section 5, Phase 2 Kimberly Garrett stated the Berry Creek Subdivision Section 5, Phase 2 parkland dedication proposal is 2.72 acres. The developer is proposing to dedicate 2.72 acres of parkland which will complete the parkland requirements for both Phase 1 and 2. Phase 1 was originally approved in 2004 with the stipulation that parkland dedication be satisfied with fees for 26 lots and the remainder to be satisfied with the dedication of parkland in Phase 2. The Phase 2 plat was originally approved in 2006, but the plat expired and the developer is bringing back this phase of the development. Phase 2 has 69 lots. Staff is recommending approval of this parkland for Berry Creek Section 5, Phase 2. She stated that access is on the cul-de-sac lot. There is 110 feet of street frontage and most parkland is 200 feet of frontage. Kimberly Garrett asked, Norm Ashby with Wilde Wood Construction and Development, if the sidewalk could go around the construction. He stated this is something that could be done. This parkland is located at HWY 195 and Chi Chi Drive and the other park is in the Reserve of Berry Creek. Keith Fruge asked if there is a concern about having a park next to commercial property. Kimberly Garrett stated the park can be fenced and this is a last opportunity to get parkland in this area. The development will be done by the end of the year and houses will start going up the first of the year. There was some concern about the entrance to the park and the location of nearby lots. The board was concerned that the lots might be less desirable for purchase and Norm Ashby stated they would actually be more desirable for families with small children. The Summercrest subdivision’s park is similar to this scenario. There was also concern about parking and this park would mostly be accessed by people in the neighborhood and they would access by foot and bicycle. Motion made by Katherine Kainer, second by Keith Fruge to approve the parkland dedication for Berry Creek Subdivision Section 5, Phase 2. Approved 6-0 6.Consideration and possible action to direct staff to work with Kasberg, Patrick & Associates, LP on a Task Order for engineering and design of the Bank Stabilization in San Gabriel Park Eric Nuner stated the bank stabilization in San Gabriel Park is one of the projects that staff will be working on in the upcoming year. Staff has been working with Kasberg, Patrick and Associates (KPA), an engineering firm with an approved Master Services Agreement with the City, on the costs and permits required to stabilize the bank along the San Gabriel River. Staff is requesting approval to go forward with negotiating a task order with KPA for the engineering and design of the project. The area is 1,500 linear feet of proposed rock wall. Their estimate is $600,000 and there is some flexibility in that. The construction timeline would be July 2014 as long as the riverbed is dry. Robert Johnson asked if this is the same construction process as what is there now. Eric Nuner stated the existing wall is a mortared wall and the proposed bank stabilization would be dry stacked, rebar supported with dowels going through the blocks for stability. Keith Fruge asked about the permeable paving grid. Trae Sutton with Kasberg, Patrick and Associates, stated it is honeycomb type concrete block that will stabilize but it allows grass to grow through it. The permeable paving grid will give support a few feet behind the wall and it will not be an eyesore. Overtime grass will grow through it and you will not know it is there. Daniel Dance asked how long the current section of wall has been there and how it is doing . Eric Nuner stated it has been there 35 years and is still there. Daniel Dance asked why we were looking at doing the bank stabilization differently than the first time and the cost involved . Kimberly Garrett stated the convergence with the two rivers is stronger than before. Trae Sutton stated that a dry stacked large limestone wall is cheaper than a smaller mortared wall. It is a lot less labor intensive. Eric Nuner stated with the convergence of the two rivers at this area, the flow is a lot stronger than at the area down the river where the mortar wall is currently. Daniel Dance asked if there is a warranty on the work. Trae Sutton stated there is a year warranty on the work. Katherine Kainer asked how long the current mortar wall will last. Eric Nuner stated that is identified in the current CIP for inspection and replacement at some point in time. It will need to be inspected by an engineer to check its stability. Kimberly Garrett stated the Systems Engineering department will try to allocate some money to help with the project, as they feel it is part of a drainage issue. That will help alleviate some of the cost to the Parks and Recreation department and it may bring in more beautification to the area. Kimberly Garrett stated the board is not approving the dollar amount at this point only giving staff direction to move forward with the task order. Eric Nuner stated that with the permits required to do the wall it also allows for some clean up in the river for up to five years. Construction for this project would take 3 – 4 months. Motion made by Daniel Dance, second by Keith Fruge to move forward with the bank stabilization project, as it has been described in the documents present by KPA, on a Task Order for engineering and design of the Bank Stabilization in San Gabriel Park. Approved 6-0 7.Consideration and possible action to recommend approval of the American Red Cross Shelter Agreement Kimberly Garrett presented the following information: In the past the City of Georgetown has had an agreement in place with the American Red Cross to be able to utilize the Georgetown Recreation Center for a shelter in the event of a disaster. The Recreation Center is an appropriate shelter because of the different spaces in the facility and the availability of showers. This is a renewal agreement; the last one on file is from 1999. We have had a good relationship with the Red Cross and there are several staff that are trained in Shelter Management and Mass Care. Staff supports approval of this agreement. The facility can be used for City of Georgetown residents and can also be used for non-residents for emergencies outside the Georgetown area. Kimberly Garrett explained that the American Red Cross has to get approval from the City Manager and the Mayor to open a shelter, they cannot just show up. There are certain procedures to get reimbursed, if American Red Cross opens the shelter, for any expenses that might have been incurred such as utilities, janitorial staff, damages and staff time. If the City opens the shelter on their own there is no reimbursement. In 18 years, the shelter has been opened 5 times and mostly for ice storms and flooding. Once the agreement is done, American Red Cross will come and assess the facility for the square footage and maximum people. Motion made by Katherine Kainer, second by Charles Brasher to recommend approval of the American Red Cross Shelter Agreement. Approved 6-0 8.Staff Updates a.Parks Tour on June 26, 2013 There was some discussion about the Garey Park Masterplan and Westside Park. b.Neighborhood Park input meeting at Georgetown Village on June 20, 2013 Eric Nuner stated the social went well and there were 40 – 50 neighbors that came to provide input. We will move forward with the design phase and have plans back to the board in September to review. There is a very limited budget so there will be some compromises with the two parks. Luck Design will be working on this project. c.Future Council Workshop on September 10, 2013 – Aquatic Master Plan and Creative Playscape 9.Update from the Friends of Georgetown Parks and Recreation Keith Fruge stated the Friends had a booth set up at the 4 th of July event in the park. He stated it did not appear to be successful. He stated they are struggling to get organized. The Friends are reviewing guidelines for how assistance is distributed. Kimberly Garrett stated the annual meeting is in September. 10.Approve minutes from the June 13, 2013 meeting Motion made by Katherine Kainer, second by Keith Fruge to approve the minutes from the June 13, 2013 meeting. Approved 6-0 11.Adjourn Motion made by Robert Johnson to adjourn the meeting. ________________________________________________________________ Robert JohnsonKatherine Kainer Chair – Parks and Recreation BoardSecretary - Parks and Recreation Board ________________________________ Jill Kellum Board Liaison – Parks and Recreation Board Notice of Meeting of the Parks and Recreation Board City of Georgetown, Texas Wednesday,,,, June 26, 2013 The Parks and Recreation Board will meet on Wednesday, June 26, 2013 at 05:00 PM in the Parks and Recreation Administration Building Conference Room, located at 1101 N. College, Georgetown, Texas. If you need accommodations for a disability, please notify the city in advance. Parks and Recreation Board Members: Charles Brashear, Chuck Bridges, Daniel Dance, Katherine Kainer, Keith Fruge, Robert Johnson, Robert Palko Parks and Recreation Board meets the second Thursday of the month at 07:00 PM unless otherwise specified. Call to Order at 05:00 PM 1. Call to Order 2. Tour of City of Georgetown Parks 3. Adjourn Certificate of Posting I, Jessica Brettle, City Secretary for the City of Georgetown, Texas, do hereby certify that this Notice of Meeting was posted at City Hall, 113 E. 8th Street, a place readily accessible to the general public at all times, on the _____ day of _________________, 2013, at __________, and remained so posted for at least 72 continuous hours preceding the scheduled time of said meeting. __________________________________ Jessica Brettle, City Secretary Notice of Meeting of the Parks and Recreation Board City of Georgetown, Texas Thursday,,,, June 13, 2013 The Parks and Recreation Board will meet on Thursday, June 13, 2013 at 06:00 PM in the Parks and Recreation Administration Building Conference Room, located at 1101 N. College, Georgetown, Texas. If you need accommodations for a disability, please notify the city in advance. Parks and Recreation Board Members: B. Scott Finnel, Charles Brashear, Daniel Dance, Keith Fruge, Robert Johnson, Robert Palko, Katherine Kainer Parks and Recreation Board meets the second Thursday of the month at 06:00 PM unless otherwise specified. Call to Order at 06:00 PM 1.Call to Order 2.Roll Call 3.Consideration and possible recommendation to approve the proposed 2013/2014 Parks Capital Improvement Plan 4.Consideration and possible recommendation to approve an Interlocal Agreement with Williamson County preserving 11.7 acres of parkland in Madison Subdivision as part of the County’s Regional Habitat Plan to protect endangered species 5.Consideration and possible recommendation to direct staff to consider adding digital signage to the Recreation Center 6.Staff Updates a. Creative Playscape b.San Gabriel River Trail Extension c.2012/2013 CIP Projects d.Rivery Park and Hotel/Conference Center 7.Discussion on selecting a date for a Parks and Recreation Board Park tour 8.Update from the Friends of Georgetown Parks and Recreation 9.Approve minutes from the May 9th, 2013 meeting 10.Adjourn Certificate of Posting I, Jessica Brettle, City Secretary for the City of Georgetown, Texas, do hereby certify that this Notice of Meeting was posted at City Hall, 113 E. 8th Street, a place readily accessible to the general public at all times, on the _____ day of _________________, 2013, at __________, and remained so posted for at least 72 continuous hours preceding the scheduled time of said meeting. __________________________________ Jessica Brettle, City Secretary Minutes of the Meeting of the Parks and Recreation Board City of Georgetown, Texas Thursday, June 13, 2013 The Parks and Recreation Board of the City of Georgetown, Texas, met on Thursday , June 13, 2013. Members Present: Charles Brashear, Daniel Dance, Katherine Kainer, Keith Fruge, Robert Johnson, Robert Palko Members Absent: Staff Present: Kimberly Garrett, Eric Nuner, Jill Kellum, Claire Freelove - Summer Intern Minutes Regular Meeting June 13, 2013 1.Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 6:00 pm by Robert Johnson. 2.Roll Call Robert Johnson, Keith Fruge, Daniel Dance, Katherine Kainer, Charles Brashear, Robert Palko Kimberly Garrett, Eric Nuner, Jill Kellum, Claire Freelove Kimberly Garrett introduced Claire Freelove, PARD Summer Intern. Claire Freelove will be observing staff and participating in all aspects of the PARD. She will be doing a report in August. 3.Consideration and possible recommendation to approve the proposed 2013/2014 Parks Capital Improvement Plan Kimberly Garrett reviewed the proposed CIP packet which includes projects with a funding source from 2008 park bonds, parkland dedication and certificates of obligation bonds. Included in the plan are recommendations from the aquatic discussions earlier this year. Along with new park development and maintenance on existing parks. This plan will be presented to City Council on June 25th. Kimberly Garrett explained the bond funded improvements. San Gabriel Park Improvements include starting a master plan , doing some kind of amphitheater , and river bank stabilization. Westside Park is to start the master plan, concept and design and look at other facilities that might be incorporated into that plan. Eric Nuner explained parks improvements that are not bond funded; they will be funded through obligation bonds and partial parkland dedication unrestricted money. They will be: Creating a master plan for the Williams Drive Pool for renovations; McMaster Park for some fencing upgrades; facility renovations and modifying the backstops to allow for youth softball to accommodate a multi-use facility; VFW Park renovation which will look at adding fields, renovations to the lighting and work with the streets department on parking and sidewalks; River Ridge Pool upgrade for ADA compliance to the pool deck and facility; Chautauqua Park is a continuation of renovations to the restrooms, parking and potential pavilion; Blue Hole project is to begin some master planning and cost estimates for future destination projects that will tie Blue Hole to downtown. Motion made by Keith Fruge, second by Katherine Kainer to approve the proposed 2013/2014 Parks Capital Improvement Plan. Approved 6-0 4.Consideration and possible recommendation to approve an Interlocal Agreement with Williamson County preserving 11.7 acres of parkland in Madison Subdivision as part of the County’s Regional Habitat Plan to protect endangered species Kimberly Garrett stated there was 11.7 acres of land dedicated through the parkland dedication process for the Madison at Georgetown subdivision which is down Williams Drive by Ronald Regan Blvd and FM 195. The subdivision has not been developed and they have done the leg work and are dedicating the parkland. Williamson County is requesting that this piece of parkland remain natural to protect endangered species in the area. This property is adjacent to property that the county purchased. By partnering a total of 64 acres will be preserved as open space with the ability for nature trails. There is another 3.84 acre tract of parkland in the subdivision that will be developed as an active park. Nature trails can be developed on this acreage. Motion made by Daniel Dance, second by Charles Brasher to approve an Interlocal Agreement with Williamson County preserving 11.7 acres of parkland in Madison Subdivision as part of the County’s Regional Habitat Plan to protect endangered species. Approve 6-0 5.Consideration and possible recommendation to direct staff to consider adding digital signage to the Recreation Center Staff is considering putting up digital display signs to advertise recreation programs. These display signs are big flat screen TV’s. One option is to contract with a company who will put up the screens at no charge, but they get advertisers to help pay the cost . The City approves the advertisers. Staff is asking for a board recommendation on the idea of digital signage. Kimberly Garrett stated this is flat screen that will show programs and events happening in Parks and Recreation. The company, after the 1 st year, would pay us for having the signage and they would take care of all the maintenance. The digital signage would eliminate some of the papers on the counter and the clutter. The Parks and Recreation information is on the screen at all times and there would be a banner on the side that has advertising. The company they have looked at will have a 3 year contract. Motion made by Keith Fruge, second by Daniel Dance to direct staff to consider adding digital signage to the Recreation Center. Approve 6-0 6.Staff Updates a. Creative Playscape A meeting with over 50 Georgetown children was held on June 5th in conjunction with Camp Goodwater. The children spent a ½ day with planners and city staff talking, drawing and ranking play components both at the playscape and on paper. The next public meeting will be styled as an open house at the Community Center on June 19th at 6:30 pm. A press release and newspaper ad will go out at the end of the week. In addition there is an online survey that will be available soon for parents and children input. Kimberly Garrett explained there will be a Playscape Public meeting on Wednesday, June 19 th 6:30 pm at the Community Center. Staff received input from 50 children at the recreation center. There is a survey on parks.georgetown.org for community input on the playscape. b.San Gabriel River Trail Extension Kimberly Garrett stated the construction documents for the trail aren’t 100% complete. They are being reviewed by TCEQ, TDLR and the City of Georgetown. The property that is located behind Chautauqua Park is finalizing. c.2012/2013 CIP Projects Kimberly Garrett reviewed the current projects. She also stated there are 2 neighborhood parks at the Village that the staff is soliciting the community members for feedback. This will be on Thursday, June 20 th at 7:00 pm. d.Rivery Park and Hotel/Conference Center Kimberly Garrett presented information from the City Manager on the progress of this construction. FAQ sheet on the project is attached. The park agreement which includes the new pond will be approved by City Council on June 11 7.Discussion on selecting a date for a Parks and Recreation Board Park tour Kimberly Garrett suggested the Parks and Recreation tour be on Wednesday, June 26 th from 5 – 7 pm. Meet at the Parks and Recreation Administration Building. All members agreed on this date and time. 8.Update from the Friends of Georgetown Parks and Recreation Keith Fruge stated the Friends of Georgetown Parks and Recreation are working on a strategy to increase membership and increase cash flow. The Sertoma group was present at the last meeting and gave some advice on fundraising. The Friends will set up a tent at the July 4 th Sertoma event to promote the Friends of Georgetown Parks and Recreation. 9.Approve minutes from the May 9th, 2013 meeting Motion made by Keith Fruge, second by Robert Palko to approve the May 9 th 2013 meeting. Approved 6 - 0 10.Adjourn Motion made by Katherine Kainer to adjourn the meeting. The meeting adjourned at 7:48 pm. ________________________________________________________________ Robert JohnsonKatherine Kainer Chair – Parks and Recreation BoardSecretary - Parks and Recreation Board ________________________________ Jill Kellum Board Liaison – Parks and Recreation Board Notice of Meeting of the Parks and Recreation Board City of Georgetown, Texas Monday,,,, May 13, 2013 The Parks and Recreation Board will meet on Monday, May 13, 2013 at 06:30 PM in the San Gabriel Park, located at 445 E. Morrow Street, Georgetown, Texas. If you need accommodations for a disability, please notify the city in advance. Parks and Recreation Board Members: Charles Brashear, Daniel Dance, John Hesser, Katherine Kainer, Keith Fruge, Robert Johnson, Robert Palko Parks and Recreation Board meets the second Thursday of the month at 07:00 PM unless otherwise specified. Call to Order at 06:30 PM 1.Call to order 2.Presentation and discussion of Creative Playscape replacement 3.Adjourn Certificate of Posting I, Jessica Brettle, City Secretary for the City of Georgetown, Texas, do hereby certify that this Notice of Meeting was posted at City Hall, 113 E. 8th Street, a place readily accessible to the general public at all times, on the _____ day of _________________, 2013, at __________, and remained so posted for at least 72 continuous hours preceding the scheduled time of said meeting. __________________________________ Jessica Brettle, City Secretary Notice of Meeting of the Parks and Recreation Board City of Georgetown, Texas Thursday,,,, May 9, 2013 The Parks and Recreation Board will meet on Thursday, May 9, 2013 at 06:00 PM in the Parks and Recreation Administration Building Conference Room , located at 1101 N. College, Georgetown, Texas. If you need accommodations for a disability, please notify the city in advance. Parks and Recreation Board Members: Charles Brashear, Daniel Dance, John Hesser, Katherine Kainer, Keith Fruge, Robert Johnson, Robert Palko Parks and Recreation Board meets the second Thursday of the month at 06:00 PM unless otherwise specified. Call to Order at 06:00 PM 1.Call to Order 2.Roll Call 3.Welcome new member 4.Discussion and possible action on approval of the parkland substitution for the FM 971 road project. 5.Update on revenues from parks and recreation programs and services. 6.Update on the Playscape project and upcoming meetings. 7.Update on upcoming Parks and Recreation Summer Season. 8.Update on Cemetery presentation to City Council on April 23, 2013. 9.Update on San Gabriel River Trail Extension project. 10.Discussion on selecting a date for a Parks and Recreation Board Park tour. 11.Update from the Friends of Georgetown Parks and Recreation. 12.Approve minutes from the April 11, 2013 meeting. 13.Adjourn Certificate of Posting I, Jessica Brettle, City Secretary for the City of Georgetown, Texas, do hereby certify that this Notice of Meeting was posted at City Hall, 113 E. 8th Street, a place readily accessible to the general public at all times, on the _____ day of _________________, 2013, at __________, and remained so posted for at least 72 continuous hours preceding the scheduled time of said meeting. __________________________________ Jessica Brettle, City Secretary Minutes of the Meeting of the Parks and Recreation Board City of Georgetown, Texas Thursday, May 9, 2013 The Parks and Recreation Board of the City of Georgetown, Texas, met on Thursday , May 9, 2013. Members Present: Daniel Dance, Katherine Kainer, Keith Fruge, Robert Johnson, Robert Palko Members Absent: Charles Brashear Staff Present: Kimberly Garrett, Eric Nuner, Jill Kellum Minutes Regular Meeting 1.Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 6:00 pm by Robert Johnson. 2.Roll Call 3.Welcome new member Robert Johnson introduced the new Parks and Recreation Board member, Robert Palko. He replaces Scott Finnell, who was appointed in March and then resigned last month due to scheduling conflicts. 4.Discussion and possible action on approval of the parkland substitution for the FM 971 road project. Kimberly Garrett explained that at the February 14, 2013 meeting the board approved the proposed realignment of FM 971. This realignment will affect approximately 4 acres of parkland in San Gabriel Park. Since this land has amenities as part of a grant from Texas Parks and Wildlife, substitute land must be found to convert the land from parkland to other city land. In recent conversations with Texas Parks and Wildlife, we will be able to substitute the land that was just purchased for the Westside park. The account will be reimbursed the value the 4 acres, nearly $900,000 which then can be used for development of the park. Action is needed to begin the process to use the 90 acre tract as substitute property for the 4 acre tract in the FM 971 project. Motion was made by Keith Fruge, second by Robert Palko to approve to take action to begin the process to use the 90 acre tract as substitute property for the 4 acre tract in the FM 971 project. Approved 5-0 5.Update on revenues from parks and recreation programs and services. Kimberly Garrett stated recreation revenues are down this year compared to the same time last year. The majority of the revenue decreases are related to Recreation Center Memberships, Adult Softball and Instructional Programs. One of the main decreases in revenue is from membership fees from Gateway School. In the past they had heavily used our facility for their Physical Education and Athletic classes. They have since built a gym at their school and do not need our facilities. In addition, adult softball league registration has been on the decline the last two years. Another decrease is seen in Instructional Programs. This could be due to the new rate structure and the elimination of the member rate. We currently only have a resident rate and a non-resident rate for our programs. Some staff suggestions to possibly increase memberships is to consider an incentive for membership. Some suggestions include a discount for some programs or offer a member rate and a non-member rate. Other ideas are a Welcome Packet, Wellness Fair, Groupons, Loyalty Program, Military Discounts, Corporate memberships, and a referral program. Staff has also requested funds to market and advertise the Recreation Center and programs. The attached budget sheets show the variances in revenue collected from last year to this year. Kimberly Garrett explained that facility rentals have shown an increase in revenue. There were questions about the decline in the adult league revenue. Kimberly Garrett explained that staff is working on issues and will be doing a survey softball teams. She explained that area cities are also showing a decline. Kimberly Garrett stated staff is looking at converting the fields to use the softball fields as youth fields. It was asked if adult soccer was also down. Kimberly Garrett stated that there could be a decline there as well. There was some discussion about forming pickle ball leagues and volleyball leagues have formed at the recreation center and sand volleyball was also discussed. There was discussion about how to market Parks and Recreation. Kimberly Garrett stated there are consultants that can be hired to help with marketing. The department currently utilizes Facebook, Twitter and the Parks and Recreation website to market and they send flyers to the schools in Georgetown ISD. It was also mentioned to present information at parent’s night at the middle schools in Georgetown. Kimberly Garrett stated that our focus is on families, seniors and youth so not to be in competition with private industry. Kimberly Garrett explained also that the city has not grown as expected and the building is down. Kimberly Garrett stated that a marketing budget has been asked for in this budget process. The board would like to set this as an agenda item quarterly and receive the budget sheets quarterly. 6.Update on the Playscape project and upcoming meetings. Kimberly Garrett stated staff has been working with Baker Aicklen on a schedule of the meetings and steps needed to complete the playscape project. That schedule is attached. The first meeting will be held on May 13, 2013 at 6:30 pm at the Community Center. At this meeting we hope to have members of the Parks and Recreation Board, members of the City Council, Friends of Georgetown Parks and Recreation, past members of the Playscape Committee from 1993 and current members of Sertoma. There will be several public meetings and a tentative timeline was passed out. Kimberly Garrett stated they are planning to use the summer camp kids for input on the design. 7.Update on upcoming Parks and Recreation Summer Season. Kimberly Garrett presented information on the status of the upcoming summer season. 8.Update on Cemetery presentation to City Council on April 23, 2013. John Hesser and Kimberly Garrett presented the updated information on the Cemetery . The update included recommendations to create a 501c3 cemetery board and a cemetery fund. This information was well received by the City Council. More research on how a board would actually function alongside some of our existing boards was discussed. There was no action taken at the meeting, but the direction was to continue to work with City Staff on how this might work. A budget request was submitted to begin creating a cemetery fund in this next budget year . Kimberly Garrett stated City Council was not sure about a cemetery board and how that would interact with the Parks and Recreation Board and if the Parks and Recreation Board would be able to manage that. Robert Johnson stated the 3 cities that had 501c3’s the 501c3’s were not self-sustaining and that the budget has not changed anything that they do; they still have the parks department doing all the work. 9.Update on San Gabriel River Trail Extension project. Kimberly Garrett stated the construction plans for the San Gabriel River Trail from Blue Hole to University Avenue are complete. Permits to the City, Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation and the TCEQ have all been submitted. These permits take about 45 days. We are still waiting on the acquisition of one piece of property to be finalized for trail access. Notification letters will be sent out soon to the nearby residences announcing the trail construction. Once all the clearances have been obtained, the project will go out for competitive bid. Keith Fruge stated this will be the first hike and bike trail that crosses a major roadway. There was discussion about having signage and a rumble track prior to approaching highway 29 to warn hike/bike trail users of the upcoming intersection . 10.Discussion on selecting a date for a Parks and Recreation Board Park tour. Each year the parks and recreation board is given a tour of the parks in one of the Parks vans. A date needs to be decided on that will work for everyone. This tour will not substitute for one of our regular meetings. It is optional and will not count against you if you cannot attend. The tour usually starts at 4 pm and finishes around 7 pm. This is a great opportunity to see the majority of the parks and ask questions related to park development. June 5 th or 19 th were suggested dates. Keith Fruge suggested going to see Westside Park and Garey Park. 11.Update from the Friends of Georgetown Parks and Recreation. Keith Fruge stated they are reorganizing and their funds are down. They are trying to increase membership and funds. They are working on an action plan. The Friends of Georgetown Parks and Recreation met on Monday, May 6 th . There was discussion regarding a need for more members and fundraising ideas. 12.Approve minutes from the April 11, 2013 meeting. Motion made by Katherine Kainer, second by Keith Fruge to approve the minutes from the April 11, 2013 meeting. Approved 5 – 0 13.Adjourn Daniel Dance made a motion to adjourn the meeting. The meeting adjourned. ______________________________________________________________ Robert JohnsonKatherine Kainer Chair – Parks and Recreation BoardSecretary - Parks and Recreation Board ________________________________ Jill Kellum Board Liaison – Parks and Recreation Board Notice of Meeting of the Parks and Recreation Board City of Georgetown, Texas Thursday,,,, April 11, 2013 The Parks and Recreation Board will meet on Thursday, April 11, 2013 at 06:00 PM in the Parks and Recreation Administration Building Conference Room, located at 1101 N. College, Georgetown, Texas. If you need accommodations for a disability, please notify the city in advance. Parks and Recreation Board Members: B. Scott Finnel, Charles Brashear, Daniel Dance, John Hesser, Katherine Kainer, Keith Fruge, Robert Johnson Parks and Recreation Board meets the second Thursday of the month at 06:00 PM unless otherwise specified. Call to Order at 06:00 PM 1.Call to Order 2.Roll Call 3.Consideration and possible approval of the parkland dedication for the Weir Ranch Tract. 4.Discussion with the Georgetown Police Department regarding policing in Georgetown City Parks including Blue Hole Park. 5.Update on the Playscape project including process and timeline. 6.Consideration and possible approval on the recommendation of the Aquatic‘s Subcommittee regarding future outdoor pool operations. 7.Consideration and possible recommendation on input regarding the proposed Williamson County Bond Election. 8.Consideration and possible approval for staff to negotiate the renewal of the long term lease with the Corp of Engineers at Lake Georgetown. 9.Update on Recreation Center Memberships and Program Registrations including summer camps. 10.Update on the 2012/2013 Capital Projects 11.Update from the Friends of Georgetown Parks and Recreation 12.Appoint Parks and Recreation board member as a liaison to the Friends of Georgetown Parks and Recreation 13.Approve minutes from the March 14, 2013 meeting 14.Adjourn Certificate of Posting I, Jessica Brettle, City Secretary for the City of Georgetown, Texas, do hereby certify that this Notice of Meeting was posted at City Hall, 113 E. 8th Street, a place readily accessible to the general public at all times, on the _____ day of _________________, 2013, at __________, and remained so posted for at least 72 continuous hours preceding the scheduled time of said meeting. __________________________________ Jessica Brettle, City Secretary Minutes of the Meeting of the Parks and Recreation Board City of Georgetown, Texas Thursday, April 11, 2013 The Parks and Recreation Board of the City of Georgetown, Texas, met on Thursday , April 11, 2013. Members Present: Charles Brashear, Daniel Dance, John Hesser, Katherine Kainer, Keith Fruge, Robert Johnson Members Absent: Staff Present: Kimberly Garrett, Eric Nuner, Jill Kellum, Laurie Brewer, Police Chief Wayne Nero, Assistant Chief of Police Cory Tchida Guest present: Hence Distal and Chris Whitworth - W eir Ranch Development Bob Palko was a visitor who will replace Scott Finnell who has resigned from the parks and Recreation Board. Minutes Regular Meeting 1.Call to Order The meeting was called to order by John Hesser at 6:00 pm. 2.Roll Call 3.Consideration and possible approval of the parkland dedication for the Weir Ranch Tract. Kimberly Garrett stated staff has met with the developers for the Weir Ranch Tract. This development is adjacent to Riverview Estates on Leander Road. The proposed development has approximately 150 units and requires 3 acres of parkland. This subdivision is adjacent to the South San Gabriel River and per the UDC, Section 13.05, the river corridor is preferred. There is at least 200 ft. of street frontage and land that is out of the flood plain. This proposed parkland is adjacent to Lyndoch Park which is desirable for hike and bike trail expansion. This development also proposes to have private parks within the subdivision . Kimberly Garrett stated there will be connectivity to the River Ridge subdivision. The City’s main concern is acquiring the river frontage. Hence Distal, with the Weir Ranch development, showed maps of the site and stated the14.8 acres is the proposed dedication. Kimberly Garrett states the vision is that this piece will connect Garey Park in the future. She stated it would be undeveloped for now and be open parkland. This is preserving the river corridor. Motion made by Katherine Kainer, second by Keith Fruge to approve the parkland dedication for the Weir Ranch tract for approximately 14.87 acres. Approve 6 - 0 4.Discussion with the Georgetown Police Department regarding policing in Georgetown City Parks including Blue Hole Park. Kimberly Garrett introduced Police Chief Wayne Nero and Assistant Chief of Police Cory Tchida. Police Chief Nero stated that with the large amounts of parkland we have responsibilities and there is a long term strategy and plan for a Parks Unit. He stated the challenge is to make people feel safe while they are in the parks and the volunteer Park Rangers are a direct link to the Police Department and they are the eyes and ears for the Police Department. He stated growth and money will drive the Parks Unit idea. It will cost a significant amount of money to add 5 officers and equipment to the police department. Parks are routinely patrolled by 5- 8 officers and intelligence is being used to compile data. There were issues with Blue Hole Park many years ago and there was a lot of data to substantiate and support all the actions that took place there. Since that time there is still that looming fear of crime and the perception that comes along with it. There is no data to show that Blue Hole Park is any safer or less safe than any other park in the city. Police Chief Nero stated every year when school lets out, there is an increased presence by the police department. Once their presence is known they step back and look at data to see how things are going if they need to increase a presence there. If there are specific issues such as graffiti issues and once they know about those they work hand and hand with the Parks and Recreation Department to get those issues resolved. Robert Johnson asked if the bikes are going to be used this summer. Police Chief Nero stated he would like to see that but currently there are only 4 bikes. There are two officers attending a conference next week that will be trained as instructors so they can start building that program . Eric Nuner stated the Parks and Recreation Department will be testing a system that will allow us to control access into the restrooms and the Blue Hole Park restroom will be one of the locations for this test. The restrooms can be closed while the park is closed. Currently, none of the restroom facilities are locked at night. He stated they project to have this in place by summer. Kimberly Garrett stated the department is trying to take some proactive steps to decrease vandalism. John Hesser stated it has been discussed to present to City Council to allow the director to post signs saying it is a non-alcoholic area. The thought being Blue Hole is water and water and alcohol don’t mix and all the pools are posted non-alcohol. Police Chief Nero stated that is an option. He stated he would like the police department to give data to support that decision. Keith Fruge stated the perception of Blue Hole Park is that it is not considered a family friendly place and the Parks and Recreation Board were trying to think of a way to make it a more family friendly environment. Eric Nuner stated long term this can be addressed as we see Blue Hole Park as a Signature Destination and potential improvements to the park to make it more inviting. If funding becomes available in the future, the look and feel could be developed to be more inviting and less primitive. It is a Signature Destination downtown and will expand the downtown. Police Chief Nero stated a long term goal needs to be looked at to change the dynamics of the park. Keith Fruge suggested maybe installing a playground to attract a new group of people in the area. Laurie Brewer stated the city does not own the property directly across from El Monumento and there are long term plans to develop that area. There was discussion about clearing the area above the area of Blue Hole Park where you can see through that property and it is not so primitive. Eric Nuner stated there is a lot of dead cedar on the top side of the cliff side that can come down and it would open up the view from San Gabriel Boulevard. Kimberly Garrett stated there are some future developments on the north side of Blue Hole Park which will bring more foot traffic to the area. There will be more families and city residents in the area due to the new construction of homes and businesses. 5.Update on the Playscape project including process and timeline. Kimberly Garrett presented the following information to the board. The first part of the process to rebuild the playscape was to contract with a landscape architect firm that has an approved Master Service Agreement with the City. Staff has chosen Baker Aicklen with Tim Bargainer as the lead to help facilitate the public process and design the playscape. Mr. Bargainer has a proven track record with parks projects and is a Georgetown Resident who understands the sensitivity of the playscape. The preliminary design and public participation process should take approximately 6-8 weeks. The first public meeting is scheduled for May 13, 2013. The following is the public input and design process for the playscape project: •Conduct preliminary meeting(s) with City, Parks Board, members of Sertoma and other past participants of the original playscape to discuss purpose and goals and to outline the inclusive design process of the new playscape. •Site visit to develop design opportunities and constraints assessment. •Identify youth participants, advertise and host on-site youth playground design charrette to garner user input and responses to design related issues and concepts. •Preparation of preliminary concept plans with alternatives for the playground and supporting amenities. The plan will define the character and essentials of the project concept, including visual description of material and illustrative plans, sketches and/or details for presentation purposes. •Prepare an Opinion of Probable Construction Costs (OPCC) for proposed work including appropriate escalation factors and contingencies. •Meet with Staff to review preliminary concept plan(s) to discuss and gain direction. •Conduct second meeting(s) with City staff, Parks Board, members of Sertoma and other past participants of the original playscape and youth participants to present design responses and gain feedback and direction. •Revise and refine final design concept per staff direction and input from second meeting. •Present final design response to Parks Board and City Council for approval. Robert Johnson asked if we could get the community involved by having a contest to utilize the school district for input from the children. Kimberly Garrett stated with the timing of this project, the children from the Georgetown Parks and Recreation summer camp programs will be asked to give input on play elements they would like to see . Robert Johnson also asked about using high school students and/or Eagle Scouts on the engineering project. Robert Johnson stated to get the ideas from the user and have the older children get involved with the project. Kimberly Garrett stated Tim Bargainer, the architect, has ideas for presenting the children information on the playscape by showing them ideas and getting their feedback. John Hesser stated he would like to see the design criteria be that you don’t have to replace the entire playscape at one time. Eric Nuner stated that most modular large manufacturing parts are repairable and replaceable, but over 20 years things change and standards and guidelines such as ADA compliant issues change. The standards change typically every 3 – 5 years. Keith Fruge stated he hopes not to lose some of the charm and look of the playscape. Laurie Brewer and Kimberly Garrett stated the playscape is a Signature Destination. 6.Consideration and possible approval on the recommendation of the Aquatic‘s Subcommittee regarding future outdoor pool operations. The Aquatics Subcommittee met on April 2 nd to discuss the future outdoor pool operations at the Tennis Center, Williams Drive, River Ridge and Village Pools. The subcommittee discussed data presented by staff and had the following recommendations: Master Plan Priorities: •Retire Tennis Center Pool after Summer 2013 •Upgrade Williams Drive Facilities •River Ridge ADA Accessibility •Village Pool minor upgrades to existing facility Robert Johnson stated Stephanie Darimont and her aquatics team did a great job gathering data for this project. Robert Johnson stated they reviewed each one of the pool facilities and the Parks and Recreation Board have been having this discussion now for about a year. He stated last year the board postponed making a capital investment in River Ridge Pool because they were not sure if that was part of the master plan. So what they wanted to do was put together a master plan to make sure our investments were going in the right place. He stated the subcommittee came up with 4 key proposals. The first proposal is that they decided it is time to retire the Tennis Center Pool effective this year. Part of this would be a communications plan and the need to incorporate it in the plan so it is not a surprise at the end of the year. The second proposal is improvements and renovation to the Williams Drive Pool and the need for the work to be done all together and not piece milled. The third proposal is improvements to River Ridge Pool to address the ADA accessibility. The fourth proposal is the Village Pool and is in the current CIP budget and work is already underway. This is the strategy for the next 7 years; from 2013 – 2020. This will incorporate into a plan that will be taken to City Council. This will give the board direction to move forward on what to prioritize or deprioritize. Kimberly Garrett stated we are trying to allocate the park facilities in different years. For the Williams Drive pool we feel it could slide to 2014/2015 budget whereas the River Ridge pool will be in the 2013/2014 budget. The punch list has been prioritized. Kimberly Garrett stated it is a good idea to bring this forward now so the board can make an informed decision. Motion was made by Daniel Dance, second by Charles Brasher that the board approves the recommendation of the aquatic’s subcommittee regarding future outdoor pool operations. Approved 6-0 7.Consideration and possible recommendation on input regarding the proposed Williamson County Bond Election. Williamson County is considering a transportation and park bond election in November 2013. The County Judge has asked for input from the cities in Williamson County by May 3, 2013. Staff has looked at the Parks, Recreation and Open Space Master Plan and would like the board to consider asking the county to plan for a space for a Rodeo Arena that has ample room for trailers and horses. Also to look at a trail expansion along Booty’s Road which would connect the city’s hike and bike trail to Williams Drive. A portion of the road is in the county and a portion in the city. This trail segment would be a partnership between the county and city. Both of these items are included as top priorities in the parks master plan. The board’s recommendations will be presented to City Council on April 23rd for a final recommendation to the County by their deadline. Kimberly Garrett stated she met with Randy Beall, Williamson County Parks and Recreation Director, and he explained what the county was looking for in terms of trails. They weren’t looking for a wish list; they were looking as trails being a priority. They are looking for trail connectivity county wide. They put all the Williamson County city’s trails on a map and they looked where the gaps were that were county property to see where they could make a trail system in the future. Kimberly Garrett stated she would like to see on the wish list, consideration for a place for the rodeo arena. She stated the county was interested in building parks that were nature based that included camping, biking, hiking and horseback riding. She stated some partnership needs to be made with Williamson County and ask them to look at future opportunities for the correlation of horseback riding and the rodeo arena. She stated Randy Beall is on the same page about safety with the horses, trailers and people in the rodea arena area in San Gabriel Park. Williamson County does have 1,000 acres in Liberty Hill. Daniel Dance asked about the rodeo arena and the possibilities of bringing in money to the community. Kimberly Garrett stated the lease on the rodeo arena will be up in 2017 and the facility needs repair. The Sheriff’s Posse, a non-profit, which runs the facility, does not have funds and they are not a part of Williamson County. Kimberly Garrett stated that people who own horses probably don’t live in the city limits, so is the city paying and subsidizing something that is not for the people who live in the city limits. John Hesser asked if the city if maintaining the facility . Kimberly Garrett stated they are not but there is a perception that the city if responsible for the facility. In the 1970’s the city entered a 100 year lease with Williamson County on the showbarn in San Gabriel Park. Robert Johnson asked if the Parks and Recreation Board are in the rodeo business. This would be an opening to see if the county would like to take this on. There was some discussion on the economic effects to Georgetown with the rodeo arena being taken out of Georgetown . Kimberly Garrett stated her interests are the parks . Kimberly Garrett stated there are two pieces that the county is interested in for linking the trails. One is the connectivity to the McCoy School through Serenada and the other priority would be down Booty’s road. They are looking for participation and there is money in the 2008 bond for trail expansion and we are looking for our next phase of trails . Motion made by Robert Johnson, second by Daniel Dance to work in cooperation with Williamson County to jointly expand Booty’s Trail and Serenada Trail and jointly review current rodeo facilities within Georgetown and Williamson County. Approved 6-0 8.Consideration and possible approval for staff to negotiate the renewal of the long term lease with the Corp of Engineers at Lake Georgetown. Kimberly Garrett stated we have a current lease, this is not a new lease, and the lease is done for 10 years. The City of Georgetown has a long term lease (10 Years) with the Corp of Engineers to operate the Georgetown Challenge Course and the hike and bike trail on Corp of Engineer property. The lease is set to expire on June 14, 2013. Staff is requesting approval to begin the lease renewal process including submitting a five year plan which is required by the Corp of Engineers. The five year plan will include continuing current operations of the challenge course, hike and bike trail maintenance, restroom maintenance, pavilion rental, and discussion regarding opening and closing of the park gate. Keith Fruge stated part of their trail is asphalt and is crumbling. Kimberly Garrett stated the US Army Corps of Engineer has no money for maintaining. Motion made by Katherine Kainer, second by Robert Johnson to negotiate the renewal of the long term lease with the Corp of Engineers at Lake Georgetown. Approved 6 – 0 Daniel Dance excused himself from the meeting ; a quorum is present to conduct business. 9.Update on Recreation Center Memberships and Program Registrations including summer camps. Kimberly Garrett presented statistic information on camp registrations and memberships. 10.Update on the 2012/2013 Capital Projects Kimberly Garrett and Eric Nuner provided an update on the 2012/2013 capital projects. 11.Update from the Friends of Georgetown Parks and Recreation Kimberly Garrett stated it was a strategic meeting. There were some procedural items that filled the board member spots. They did get a grant for $2,700 for the Make a Splash program. The Friends are working toward increasing their memberships and fundraising. 12.Appoint Parks and Recreation board member as a liaison to the Friends of Georgetown Parks and Recreation Keith Fruge was appointed as the board liaison to the Friends of Georgetown Parks and Recreation. 13.Approve minutes from the March 14, 2013 meeting Motion made by Katherine Kainer second by Robert Johnson to approve the minutes. Approve 5-0 14.Adjourn John Hesser made motion to adjourn the meeting the adjourned at 8:34 pm. ________________________________ _____________________________________ John Hesser Katherine Kainer Chair – Parks and Recreation BoardSecretary - Parks and Recreation Board ________________________________ Jill Kellum Board Liaison – Parks and Recreation Board Notice of Meeting of the Parks and Recreation Board City of Georgetown, Texas Tuesday,,,, April 2, 2013 The Parks and Recreation Board will meet on Tuesday, April 2, 2013 at 06:15 PM in the Georgetown Recreation Center, located at 1003 North Austin Avenue, Georgetown, Texas. If you need accommodations for a disability, please notify the city in advance. Parks and Recreation Board Members: Jean Houck, Katherine Kainer, Robert Johnson Parks and Recreation Board meets the second Thursday of the month at 07:00 PM unless otherwise specified. Call to Order at 06:15 PM Call to Order1. Roll Call2. Discussion and possible direction to staff on future outdoor pool operations including 3. Tennis Center, River Ridge, Williams Drive and Village pools. 4. Approve minutes from the March 7th, 2013 meeting 5. Adjourn Certificate of Posting I, Jessica Brettle, City Secretary for the City of Georgetown, Texas, do hereby certify that this Notice of Meeting was posted at City Hall, 113 E. 8th Street, a place readily accessible to the general public at all times, on the _____ day of _________________, 2013, at __________, and remained so posted for at least 72 continuous hours preceding the scheduled time of said meeting. __________________________________ Jessica Brettle, City Secretary Notice of Meeting of the Parks and Recreation Board City of Georgetown, Texas Thursday,,,, March 14, 2013 The Parks and Recreation Board will meet on Thursday, March 14, 2013 at 07:00 PM in the Parks and Recreation Administration Building Conference Room, located at 1101 N. College, Georgetown, Texas. If you need accommodations for a disability, please notify the city in advance. Parks and Recreation Board Members: B. Scott Finnel, Charles Brashear, Daniel Dance, John Hesser, Katherine Kainer, Keith Fruge, Robert Johnson Parks and Recreation Board meets the second Thursday of the month at 07:00 PM unless otherwise specified. Call to Order at 07:00 PM 1. Call to Order 2. Roll Call 3. Welcome and Introduction of new board members 4. Review and discussion a.Advisory Board By-Laws b.City Council Attendance Policy for Board Members 5. Consideration and possible action a.Elect the Vice-Chair of the Parks & Recreation Board b.Elect the Secretary of the Parks & Recreation Board c.Set date and time for 2013 Parks & Recreation Board meetings 6. Overview of the City of Excellence and the 2013/14 annual budget process. Micki Rundell, CFO 7. Discussion on the Parks Master Plan and the shared vision and relationship between Parks, Downtown, CVB and Arts & Culture Master Plans, the City of Excellence and a Signature Destination 8. Update, discussion and final recommendation to City Council on future cemetery proposal 9. Discussion and possible direction to staff on options to ensure a family friendly environment at Blue Hole Park 10. Update from the Parks and Recreation Board Aquatics Subcommittee 11. Update from the Friends of Georgetown Parks and Recreation 12. Appoint Parks and Recreation board member as a liaison to the Friends of Georgetown Parks and Recreation 13. Approve minutes from the February 14, 2013 meeting 14. Adjourn Certificate of Posting I, Jessica Brettle, City Secretary for the City of Georgetown, Texas, do hereby certify that this Notice of Meeting was posted at City Hall, 113 E. 8th Street, a place readily accessible to the general public at all times, on the _____ day of _________________, 2013, at __________, and remained so posted for at least 72 continuous hours preceding the scheduled time of said meeting. __________________________________ Jessica Brettle, City Secretary Minutes of the Meeting of the Parks and Recreation Board City of Georgetown, Texas Thursday, March 14, 2013 The Parks and Recreation Board of the City of Georgetown, Texas, met on Thursday , March 14, 2013. Members Present: B. Scott Finnel, Charles Brashear, Daniel Dance, John Hesser, Katherine Kainer, Keith Fruge Members Absent: Robert Johnson Staff Present: Micki Rundell, Kimberly Garrett, Eric Nuner, Jill Kellum, Laurie Brewer Minutes Regular Meeting 1.Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm by John Hesser. 2.Roll Call John Hesser , Daniel Dance, Scott Finnel, Charles Brashear, Keith Fruge, Katherine Kainer Absent: Robert Johnson Staff: Micki Rundell, Kimberly Garrett, Eric Nuner, Jill Kellum, Laurie Brewer 3.Welcome and Introduction of new board members Kimberly Garrett introduced the new board members, Charles Brashear and Scott Finnel. All board members and staff introduced themselves . 4.Review and discussion Kimberly Garrett explained the by-laws and the attendance policy for the Parks and Recreation Board. a.Advisory Board By-Laws b.City Council Attendance Policy for Board Members 5.Consideration and possible action a.Elect the Vice-Chair of the Parks & Recreation Board Motion made by Katherine Kainer, second by Daniel Dance to elect Robert Johnson as vice-chair to the Parks and Recreation Board. Approved 6 - 0 b.Elect the Secretary of the Parks & Recreation Board Motion made by Daniel Dance, second by Keith Fruge to elect Katherine Kainer as Secretary to the Parks and Recreation Board. Approved 6 - 0 c.Set date and time for 2013 Parks & Recreation Board meetings Motion made by Keith Fruge, second by Katherine Kainer to set the 2013 Parks and Recreation Meeting on the second Thursday of the month at 6 pm. Approved 6 - 0 6.Overview of the City of Excellence and the 2013/14 annual budget process. Micki Rundell, CFO Micki Rundell introduced herself to the board and explained the City of Excellence is a vision and it started as a council directive in May of 2011 during the budget process. They wanted to see a 5 year plan. It was more looking at financial impacts and what was going to be the tax rate. They used a lot of planning documents they already had; the 2030 plan, which is a public document that has a lot of public participation in its creation, also various master plans such as the parks master plan, the downtown master plan, utilities master plan and public safety master plan as well as departmental strategic plans. Each department has a plan to implement the goals of the 2030 plan over a 5 year period. So basically, they put pencil to paper to determine what the costs were. So, the City of Excellence is, “what if” the city has completed all the major projects that are really quality of life related; the amphitheater, the arts center, park improvements and more parks, completed the public safety facility and it is operational, there have been transportation improvements. All of these things identify the city as a premier community and have managed our growth effectively and that Georgetown is a premier community in Central Texas, and is renowned throughout the country as a wonderful place to be. So to make this a reality we had to have a substantial revenue increase. All this information was presented to the city council in July 2012. The council was overwhelmed as everyone wants to be the City of Excellence. The council wanted to go back and do some strategic planning and in September of 2012, staff worked with city council to create the definition of what the City of Excellence is. The City of Excellence is the one that maximizes the citizen’s quality of life. Through that we also looked at very clear focused areas that we wanted to put our resources to work. Within those resources the plan was to develop a fiscally responsible plan that focused on these policy areas to alleviate and reduce future tax impacts to the citizens. Those areas include economic development, signature destination, public safety, transportation, and maintaining our utility services. All of these are very specific focus areas and as staff we’re all working forward. So the 2013/2014 budget in relation to the signature destination , it supports the City of Excellence vision and relates to quality of life improvements. The parks master plan implementation is critical to that. To renovate and maintain our existing parks such as the play scape renovation, San Jose Park rehab, continuing the trail expansion, continue our preservation area along the river, plan to develop the west side park and the development of Garey Park. In looking at that, the question is how do you fund that. In 2008, the City of Georgetown voters approved 35.5 million to implement the parks master plan which included all the elements above. To date only 2.5 million has been issued. When we went to the voters, they said it would not be issued all at once and would be issued responsibly and would minimize the tax implications. In April 2013, the council will adopt the 2013 bond issues and they will issue an additional 5 million of that 35.5 million that was previously approved. That will allow many of those projects to be implemented and to start the planning for Garey Park and some of those major elements in the master plan that we have been waiting for a funding source. That will leave 28 million of unauthorized bonds that will be available when the time comes. The impact of that 5 million is less than a penny to the tax rate. The total amount, of what has been issued of the 2008 parks bonds is a little over a penny. Again, that is well within if not drastically less than what the voters were told they would have on the tax roll. Micki Rundell presented why this was important. Recently the city completed its 2012 citizen survey. This survey has a long history. The city has been doing surveys bi-annually since 2000. They gauge a lot of different elements of the city; whether it is transportation, quality of life, what the people like about living in Georgetown, and what they would change. The results of the recent survey, which there were very specific questions about parks, unanimously supported the vision that is a signature destination and the parks as a critical element to the City of Excellence. You will see that the appearance of the parks and other questions were well over 80 – 90% satisfaction rating by our community. In fact, the appearance and the accessibilities were outstanding and the overall quality was near 90%. This is critical information that the community supports parks and recreation activities and programs. The survey was of 964 residents that answered the 3 page questionnaire; some of it was a written survey and some was internet based. It was a controlled survey with about a 95% accuracy ratio. One question was how much usage they had of any of the parks over the past 12 months. 62% of the respondents had said they used San Gabriel Park. The hike and bike trail and the recreation center were very highly utilized by the public . Then they asked a question about the importance. Maintaining the appearance of city parks and facilities was given a rating of over 91% and that was only second to maintain city roads and public service. Again, that was a direct element, that quality of life issues such as parks is very important to the community. 75% of respondents rated recreation as very important or somewhat important. Again, there is a very positive support from the community. It was then asked what they would rate the quality of those served and parks maintained 70% that said it was either good or excellent. That is in the top 3 – 4 of all city services. Then overall citizen quality of life was rated. Over 98% of the citizen’s surveyed that the overall quality of life is either good or excellent. The satisfaction indicators within these surveys were very positive for the continued and the work the parks department does. So as we go into the 2013/2014 budget focus were going to be focused on the goals outlined in the signature destination business plan. Laurie Brewer is the business plan manager. The signature destination includes many things such as the square and all the areas that are important to bringing and keeping people in Georgetown. One of the major elements is the implementation of the parks master plan. We need to continue the quality programs to meet the community needs that include the implementation of the cost of service rates that have been developed over the past few years . If you look at the recreation center, it pays for many and most of itself . When you look at it compared to other centers throughout the state we recover our cost of service more than any place else. We need to also address our maintenance issue to extend the life of many of our parks. Again, doing the play scape renovations and the rehabilitation of San Gabriel and Chautauqua parks and some of the other elements are key to maintaining the numbers in the overall quality of life. A signature destination is key to the success of the city and it is a vital role and parks play a vital role in making sure that signature destination is unique and is well protected and valued by the community. Parks and Recreation plays an important role in community satisfaction. That was evident in the 2012 city citizen survey and that is again a continued trend from all the surveys since 2000. This is the 6 th one and in every one the value and the contributions that Parks and Recreation make are evident in the survey. In conclusion, Parks does equal quality of life and the quality of life is critical to the City of Excellence which again is the goal of the city council and long term. Micki Rundell stated there is a lot more to the City of Excellence; economic development, transportation, public safety, and utilities. It is an integrated solution and an integrated review and plan to promote this community and maintain the citizen satisfaction we currently have and to continue to grow. Laurie Brewer asked if there were any comments or any kinds of trend in the comments related to parks and recreation that would be important to understand. Micki Rundell stated she feels there are some trends. In reviewing the data you can see there are trends; she stated the demographics in Georgetown are very unique. There is Sun City which use some of our parks but not all of our parks and in a sense there is some relief by the citizens their using their own facilities but again there was a lot of demand for more hike and bike trails, continued improvements and amphitheater. All the things that we talk about and we plan for the citizen’s want. Keith Fruge stated Micki Rundell presented information on signature destination but then talk about quality of life for the citizen’s; so are we trying to make it a destination for people outside of the city? Micki Rundell we are trying to do both. She stated signature destination is important because it brings sales tax, investment from other areas that in fact allows the city to improve the quality of life without making the residents that are already here pay those exorbitant prices to do that. The more valuation and more sales tax, the less we have to depend on property tax rates. Laurie Brewer stated in a discussion with Chet Garner, host of Day Tripper on PBS, he came and spoke at one of the downtown meetings and he said what people are searching for in tourism is a local experience. They don’t want anything that is manufactured so what we need to focus on is what we do well and what our signature is. Some of our signature elements are our natural features that are preserved by the parks; the two rivers, San Gabriel Park and Blue Hole. The square itself and the pocket parks the parks department maintains around the square and the caves. Laurie Brewer stated there needs to be education with our own citizens of the signature elements we have and they can be ambassadors to their friends and family that come into town . She stated when you bring people to town you show off what you have such as Blue Hole, San Gabriel Park, Garey Park, restaurants, Inner Space Caverns, and the Palace Theater which are unique to Georgetown. Micki Rundell stated the City of Excellence vision is something we have all been working toward. It never had a defined goal and the council has been supportive of developing that goal and embracing that goal and moving forward with the implementation of the goal. In the past we have all been working toward to that but it was never outlined in these 5 particular areas. She stated the work the Board does in supporting those goals, that it was clearly evident by the survey results . 7.Discussion on the Parks Master Plan and the shared vision and relationship between Parks, Downtown, CVB and Arts & Culture Master Plans, the City of Excellence and a Signature Destination Kimberly Garrett stated at the February meeting there was discussion regarding revisiting the parks master plan and the priorities listed. The parks master plan was completed in 2009 with the top priorities being funded in the 2008 parks bond. While most of these projects have not been completed , there is a funding source and most items are in progress or align with future projects. The top priorities are shown on the executive summary form that is attached Also discussed at the last meeting was a possible downtown/festival park which is part of the City of Excellence and a Signature Destination. This vision is shared among the CVB and the Arts and Culture Boards. These boards just recently created master plans and visioning sessions which included the downtown festival park. This vision was also included in the Parks Master Plan and the Downtown Master Plan. There is no action posted for this item, it is just an opportunity to continue the discussion regarding future projects related to the parks master plan. Copies of the above mentioned master plans and reports are attached. John Hesser asked if there any projections on the expected result of the master plan as far as enhanced business. Micki Rundell stated that is something they will be working on as they develop this. There are not numbers currently but she stated that they know it is demanded by the community as they approved everything that was on the bonds. Laurie Brewer stated the quality of life things are the hardest to measure, because of the impact from a park . She has been researching the economic impacts of a park and especially urban parks as we look at this downtown pocket park in front of the art center. There have been studies done in bigger cities at how the property values around parks go up because that becomes much more attractive and much more valuable to people. She feels the way we are measuring for that now is through the citizen survey. There are still people who want to come and live here and visit here and our citizen’s feel the quality of life is high. As we go on we can measure some of the impact of the parks. We have figures on the revenue it generates, but what is the true impact when you have soccer or baseball tournament and you have people in town. There are industry standards that state that every visitor who is here for the day spends $142.35. You start calculating that and the parks bring in people you can calculate the economic impact to the city. That is revenue coming in from the outside being spent here. Laurie Brewer stated we will be doing more of that as council gets more into it to measure but for now the citizen survey has been the only form of measurement. Micki Rundell stated we will be looking at ways to communicate some of the events and facilities available in Georgetown. She stated the Rivery Conference Center and hotel is going to be about 68 million of new investment in the community and it is here because of the location next to Rivery Park. There is certain dynamics and specific projects that can be tied to the Rivery Park that will be marketed by the hotel such as access to the hike and bike trail, and the river. There is a tremendous financial impact we just have to find a better way measure it . Laurie Brewer stated Parks and Recreation is ahead of the curve as they have a master plan and the Downtown is updating the downtown master plan. CVB and Arts and Culture have not had a master plan up to this point. Parks and Recreation has had the foresight to have a master plan and have long range projects planned out. As these other groups work on plans for the next 5 – 10 years that will be shared with the Parks and Recreation Board. Kimberly Garrett stated that all the other plans tie back to the parks. The Arts and Culture board is doing the art center downtown and they have the art downtown in the pocket parks, but one of their main goals is to do an art park downtown in the festival area. CVB is in the early stages of their goals are around things the Parks and Recreation master plan already has. In the downtown master plan done 10 years ago there was talk then about a festival park downtown, and civic center. In the Parks and Recreation master plan, it specifically talks about a downtown festival park. The City Council and the community have identified this as a top priority in the signature destination. Kimberly Garrett showed the top priorities from the master plan and she states they are still all important and they are in progress and there is a funding source for some of them. She asked if there is something new and different that has not been accomplished. This was asked of the board last meeting to come up with these ideas. Keith Fruge stated we have a lot of parks and hike and bike trails. He stated the San Gabriel Park is the “Central Park” of Georgetown and it is run down. The facilities are not in good shape, the parking is not that great. He stated if we polish it up and decide what we really want out of San Gabriel Park and start using some of the unused areas it will be utilized. Kimberly Garrett stated there was 10 million passed in the bond for improvements to San Gabriel Park including an amphitheater. We have the funding for the San Gabriel Park improvements to update the pavilions, restrooms and the parking and those are all top priorities and that can definitely be a focus. The funding has been approved but has not all been allocated. There is 1 million to be used on San Gabriel Park for the bank stabilization and this is a #1 priority as the river is taking over the park. Kimberly Garrett stated with that project being done, it will help define more what to do with that space. She stated with that we can get a theme throughout the park. We don’t want to renovate one thing, we want everything to match and be consistent. Eric Nuner stated the bank stabilization is the precursor to adding amenities to the park and updating the park. John Hesser asked what the criteria are for selecting the priorities . Kimberly Garrett stated the master plan priorities were based on citizen comments. John Hesser explained that infrastructure comes before; he stated the citizen’s input is important however they may not know the bank is a problem. He stated the priorities could be reprioritized as far as how you spend your money where you want to go. Daniel Dance stated not all parks can be everything to everybody. Each established park and future parks have their own theme. Kimberly Garrett stated that some of these parks are identified in the master plan as neighborhood or community parks and they have elements that are in each park. She stated prioritizing goes back into the capital maintenance , which is a fee schedule of every part and the condition of every piece of equipment and what the useful life is, this will be used to prioritize items in each park. We are now in the build, maintenance and grow mode. Eric Nuner explained the different parks such as community, regional and neighborhood parks all have different types of amenities. John Hesser stated safety , preservation and rehabilitation should help make a decision on priorities. Writing these down will also help justify to the citizens what you are doing. Scott Finnel stated he would like to see more hike/bike trails and for them to be all connected. Kimberly Garrett stated this is the most money that has been allocated in the bond for San Gabriel Park. John Hesser stated if you attract more people here you have to worry about traffic and where are you going to park. John Hesser stated , are we prepared and is the infrastructure is here to accommodate. Daniel Dance asked if there is utilization and if people know about certain facilities we have to offer. The board asked if there is a marketing budget and Laurie Brewer stated there is not a marketing budget. Laurie Brewer stated that the Day Tripper on PBS is filming in Georgetown and highlighting the challenge course. Kimberly Garrett stated that in the survey it showed that most people got their information from the Williamson County Sun and the Community Impact. Scott Brashear asked who we are marketing to bring into the city. Laurie Brewer stated CVB is doing a market study and have done license plate surveys. It has shown that most people come from the Dallas Metroplex area or within a 20 mile radius of Georgetown. Laurie Brewer stated we have to go a step further and get actual surveys at hotels and to do that same statistically valid research from our tourism dollars to figure out where we need to put that advertising. Ideas are listing in the Texas Monthly, magazines in hotels in the Dallas area and advertising in hotels at the card racks. The CVB is working with sport organizations and bringing tournaments to Georgetown. Kimberly Garrett stated she wanted to bring the master plan back to the board to talk about the festival park and the transition of moving that downtown. She stated CVB, the Library, the Arts and Culture Board and Parks and Recreation will work together on this comprehensive document. Laurie Brewer stated that within two months there will be a draft document that can be shared that the board can review and give comments and changes. John Hesser stated he sees a long term plan is a living document that goes on for a period time but needs to be revisited periodically because circumstances change all the time. He asked how long it had been since it was looked at . Kimberly Garrett stated the master plan was adopted in 2009 and all the items in the master plan are in progress and that we are looking at and are in various stages. There was some talk about the rodeo arena and lease will be coming up and how that will change the whole master plan. Kimberly Garrett stated we could look at the master plan annually as a board or as needed . She stated when we start the Westside Park that will be the opportunity to do some citizen surveying and see if priorities change. John Hesser stated there has to be an expected result to know when we got finished that we achieved what we did or didn’t, so we know next time. Keith Fruge stated with San Gabriel Park it is utilized a lot but if it continues to go downhill it could hurt the utilization in the future. Kimberly Garrett stated 5 million will be allocated and a million of that was toward San Gabriel Park improvements; the bank stabilization and developing what we could do with San Gabriel Park . 8.Update, discussion and final recommendation to City Council on future cemetery proposal John Hesser stated the I .O.O.F. was deeded to the City of Georgetown on 1978. It is operated by the Parks and Recreation Department . Funds from sales and other fees go to offset the expenses and maintenance of the cemetery. The I.O.O.F. is anticipated to reach capacity around 2040 with no revenue in the future to offset expenses and maintenance. Property and funds were given to the city at the time of the transfer. We also have Citizen’s Memorial cemetery that is maintained by the city and the city owns the land. There is no revenue from plots sales or fees to offset the expenses and maintenance. The Citizen’s Memorial Association assigns the plots to be used. People who are members of this association are qualified to be buried there . There are not steps being taken to apply to state law. The plots are not plotted. There is more development going on around it and he feels there will be pressure to clean the cemetery up. John Hesser assessed there is a long term unfunded liability and there is a perpetual care issue that will come out of tax money. John Hesser stated he contacted other cities on what they do with their cemeteries. He stated his recommendation is not like what other cities is doing. When the cemetery reaches it capacity what is going to be the solution for residents to be buried in the future. He stated he did find cities that have 501c3 organizations and some that do not and some that have cemetery boards that run the 501c3. The boards range from 5 – 13 members and boards with more than 5 members complained there were too many people on the board and no decisions could be made. John Hesser’s recommendation would be keep it at a small number of board members. Cities with perpetual care incorporations and without incorporations; what he found was cities that had this 501c3 and found where the funds were set aside on the books. Most often they were controlled by the Parks or the Street Departments. One 501c3 did the activity; they sold the plots, maintained it and did the investment and they were not very happy. He said in his research he found various levels of success. John Hesser is recommending that a 501c3 be established . He did get the IRS policy out and it has a 501c3 set aside of the purpose of cemeteries. There are more and more states that require a perpetual care fund as a matter of law and the state of Texas does that as well. This will push us towards compliance as far as state law is concerned and he states there may be an exemption of the I.O.O.F. transfer. The 501c3 will have to be funded and the funds can be gathered in several ways. The money collected will be put in a fund and build it. He stated that money would be put in a trust immediately with the idea that the city would continue to pay for the maintenance until they reach the money needed. John Hesser recommends the cemetery be left reporting to the Parks Department as they have done a good job on what they are doing and seems to work . He would recommend a board of 4 - 5 members; parks director, 1 city councilmember, a finance staff person, someone from the Citizen’s Memorial Association , and a funeral director . He recommends establishing a mission statement and policies and a long range plan and budget that would help focus and would not have this burden on the city taxes. He stated it might be a small amount but feels this would be a good business solution to the issue. John Hesser will present this proposal to City Council on April 9 th . Keith Fruge asked; the money that is collected and has been collected where does it go. Kimberly Garrett stated it goes toward offsetting the cost. Eric Nuner stated internally the cemetery is treated like another park; it is another facility we maintain. Kimberly Garrett stated if the council wants to go this direction it would be brought to them through the budget process as a program and project as there will be funds associated with legal work and establishing the 501c3. Motion made by Scott Finnel, seconded by Daniel Dance to recommend to City Council the future cemetery proposal as presented by John Hesser. 9.Discussion and possible direction to staff on options to ensure a family friendly environment at Blue Hole Park John Hesser stated the issues at Blue Hole Park ; alcohol in particular and jumping off the cliffs; the board feels it should be a family friendly area. The discussion is on how to handle to alcohol issue. It was asked if the city council would give the authority to post signs for no alcohol areas at Blue Hole Park. The other issue is the cliff jumping. There are signs posted and there are ordinances to keep people off the cliffs and no jumping. The police would have to witness the violation in order to enforce. Keith Fruge stated there has been lot vandalism. There was discussion on increased police presences and video surveillance but this is a challenge and expensive option. He stated no drinking is a positive step but unless it is enforced it doesn’t help. Kimberly Garrett explained that after the flood in 2007 the road was washed away. The road prior to the flood was accessible by the public and the activity was not as bad as the police had better access as well. The road is not a through street any longer and police cannot get through there as quickly. Kimberly Garrett stated the police do have alternate access points to the park. Eric Nuner explained that with the new restaurant there it is more positive activity in the area and you can see the area and activity. People may feel like there are more eyes on them. Keith Fruge stated Blue Hole is a focal point of Georgetown. It would be good to put some effort into keeping it nice. Daniel Dance stated with the City of Excellence idea; the parks and the infrastructure is a huge endeavor of the city; Chief Nero needs to be on board with this as well and not with just Blue Hole but all city parks. There needs to be more integration with the police department. He stated he feels it is enforcing the rules we already have. Kimberly Garrett stated she could ask the Chief or Assistant Chief with the Police Department to attend the next meeting. Motion made by Daniel Dance, second by Katherine Kainer to have staff reach out to the Police Department to begin a discussion to have a comprehensive plan for park safety and presence not only at Blue Hole but in everything that is going on and coming up and make it a family friendly environment. Approve 6 - 0 10.Update from the Parks and Recreation Board Aquatics Subcommittee Katherine Kainer stated the subcommittee met with staff and was given a presentation on the pools. The repairs and priorities were discussed on all the pools. It was decided that any time we started repairs we would have to follow code and once that gets started you have to go all the way. The viability of the Tennis Center was discussed and the possibility of presenting to the board with a firm closing date of that pool. Stephanie Darimont and Robert Johnson are going to meet before the next subcommittee meeting and they are going to compile a specific list of priorities, repairs, costs and time frame. They discussed aquatic trends, usage and revenue such as the spray grounds and play features. The subcommittee will meet again on April 2 nd . Kimberly Garrett stated the entire Tennis Center is on the CIP list. 11.Update from the Friends of Georgetown Parks and Recreation Kimberly Garrett stated the Friends of Georgetown Parks and Recreation met on March 4 th and are redefining their goals. In the April meeting they are going to work on the strategic plan. There was an organization that attended the Friends of Georgetown meeting that supports the Bark Park. Georgetown Swims is going strong and have some volunteer with that. They just finished a fitness initiative through the Friends, the Trim Down Challenge, and it was successful. John Hesser stated they just started another one and it was bigger than the last class. Some of the participants that dropped out last time came back for this session due to the nutrition portion. There were prizes and incentives for people to join and lose weight. Keith Fruge asked what the liaison from the Parks and Recreation Board does. Kimberly Garrett stated they go to the meetings. They make sure to communicate anything from the board that is in concert with what they are doing. One of the biggest things that is going to come up in the next month or two is bringing the play scape and the opportunity to raise money. It is a link between the board and the friends group . 12.Appoint Parks and Recreation board member as a liaison to the Friends of Georgetown Parks and Recreation Keith Fruge will go to the next meeting. This item was tabled. 13.Approve minutes from the February 14, 2013 meeting Motion made by Katherine Kainer, second by Keith Fruge to approve the February 14, 2013 meeting. Approve 6 – 0 14.Adjourn Motion made by John Hesser to adjourn the meeting. The meeting adjourned at 9:21 pm. ________________________________ _____________________________________ John Hesser Katherine Kainer Chair – Parks and Recreation BoardSecretary - Parks and Recreation Board ________________________________ Jill Kellum Board Liaison – Parks and Recreation Board Notice of Meeting of the Parks and Recreation Board City of Georgetown, Texas Thursday,,,, March 7, 2013 The Parks and Recreation Board will meet on Thursday, March 7, 2013 at 06:30 PM in the Georgetown Recreation Center, located at 1003 North Austin Avenue, Georgetown, Texas. If you need accommodations for a disability, please notify the city in advance. Parks and Recreation Board Members: Jean Houck, Katherine Kainer, Robert Johnson Parks and Recreation Board meets the 2nd Thursday of the month at 07:00 PM unless otherwise specified. Call to Order at 06:30 PM 1. Call to Order 2. Roll Call 3. Discussion and possible direction to staff on future outdoor pool operations 4. Adjourn Certificate of Posting I, Jessica Brettle, City Secretary for the City of Georgetown, Texas, do hereby certify that this Notice of Meeting was posted at City Hall, 113 E. 8th Street, a place readily accessible to the general public at all times, on the _____ day of _________________, 2013, at __________, and remained so posted for at least 72 continuous hours preceding the scheduled time of said meeting. __________________________________ Jessica Brettle, City Secretary Minutes of the Meeting of the Parks and Recreation Board City of Georgetown, Texas Thursday, March 7, 2013 The Parks and Recreation Board of the City of Georgetown, Texas, met on Thursday , March 7, 2013. Members Present: Jean Houck, Katherine Kainer, Robert Johnson Members Absent: Staff Present: Glenn Moss, Stephanie Darimont, Adrian Duncan, Graham Thompson, Jill Kellum Minutes Regular Meeting 1.Call to order The meeting was called to order by Robert Johnson at 6:30 pm. 2.Roll Call Committee: Robert Johnson, Katherine Kainer, Jean Houck Staff: Stephanie Darimont, Glenn Moss, Adrian Duncan, Graham Thompson, Jill Kellum Guest: Dennis “Ash” Tilson 3.Consideration and possible action on proposed aquatic master plan Robert Johnson stated this is the first aquatics subcommittee meeting. Stephanie Darimont presented a packet of information showing some of things that need to be addressed. On October 11, 2012 Stephanie Darimont presented information to the Parks and Recreation Board that identified information on each pool; background information on each pool, what kind of revenue is generated, the cost for chemicals, any repairs done and any repairs that were needed. Stephanie Darimont proceeded with her presentation of each pool. Williams Drive: Williams Drive Pool was built in 1978 and is the largest pool we have in town. It is a 50 meter pool with a diving well and diving board. The pool itself is in fairly good condition. The pool pumps and filters have been renovated in the last 10 years or so. The parking lot needs improvements . In the mornings there are approximately 200 – 300 swimmers from swim teams in the pool from 6 am – noon before open swims begins. Parking is an issue in this neighborhood. Robert Johnson asked if the diving board is used. Stephanie Darimont said it is the biggest attraction in town. The kids line up at it. You can drive by it anytime between 1 pm – 7 pm during open swim and there is a line. The diving board will need to be replaced in the next few years. It was replaced a few years ago by the salvaged board from the San Gabriel Pool. The coolbrellas have been added and a few tables are being added and are coming from the Village Pool. The focus of repairs for Williams Drive is on the deck space. There is a small amount of concrete around the pool. Stephanie Darimont stated they want to extend some of the concrete area, move the coolbrellas around, and update the facilities. The basketball courts are part of the parks space and some discussion needs to happen on whether or not to keep them or try to create more parking or have someone come in and see what is feasible there and redesign the area. Stephanie Darimont showed picture of cracks in the deck and how it causes trips and falls because it is very uneven and leveling it out is not an option. It needs to be replaced and redone. The light junction boxes stick out of the ground and are covered by PVC pipe . They have sunken in and we need to find a better plan for this; it is right off the pool deck by the coolbrellas. They get ant mounds in them, they are old and they need to be replaced. The restrooms need repair. The men’s restroom has a crack in the wall where you can fit your hand inside. Last year the plumbing was pulled that was leaking inside the cinderblock walls and plumbed it on the outside. There is copper piping to make showers to make sure that there is some place for showers. The restrooms are open air. All the men’s toilets are different heights and varying in size and are not ADA compliant. Stephanie Darimont states you cannot get a wheelchair in there. There is a giant crack in the wall going from floor to ceiling all the way through the wall into the showers. Robert Johnson asked if the restrooms are locked. Stephanie Darimont stated they are locked and not open to the public. Stephanie Darimont explained that the cinder blocks are open on the top and when it rains the cinder block walls fill up with water and then leaks out of the walls for days. When the temperature increased there is algae growing from it. Adrian Duncan stated the floor going to the women’s restroom fills with water and some adjustments have been tried to divert the water with no success. The water sits and algae forms under it. He said the lifeguards do the best they can to squeegee the area to keep it as dry as possible. Stephanie Darimont showed where the walkways go from the bathhouses up to the pool. Where they intersect before the corner of the pool , they had to paint a bright yellow 6 inch stripe because there is so much change in elevation there and it is not ADA compliant and wheelchairs cannot easily get over that. The lift used to transport the people to the pool is by the bathrooms and it is pushed uphill to get to the pool and it struggles to get over that lip . The lift is 400 lbs. and two lifeguards push it uphill, over the crack. The lift is not something that can be stored outside. Stephanie Darimont showed the electrical room and explained how the electrical will just go off in the middle of the night and there is a lot of surging. The electrician stated the entire area needs to be replaced and rewired. It powers the overhead lighting , the basketball courts , pumps and the entire facility . The walls to the electrical closet area are plywood. The plumbing and electrical are separated by this plywood board and animals and rodents make this area their habitat. Robert Johnson asked if it meets electrical code. Adrian Duncan and Glenn Moss stated it is “grandfathered” because it hasn’t had a major renovation. Adrian Duncan stated there is an imbalance in the electric there and the pumps run 50 degrees hotter than they should and that is the number one cause of motor failure. They have had electricians look at it and they said once they start work on it they can’t stop until it’s all repaired, which would be replacing everything. Stephanie Darimont and Adrian Duncan stated the pool itself is solid, but the electrical , plumbing and bathhouse needs to be redone. Jean Houck stated it is the only 50 meter pool in Central Texas. Katherine Kainer stated the more the pumps run on bad electricity the more you are compromising the pumping system. Stephanie Darimont showed steps that are built into the wall of the pool and almost every set at Williams Drive is broken. They have tried fixing them and puttying them and it does not last and does not work. The ladders are out of order and if renovations are done here they would take these steps out and fill in that portion of the wall and would install removable ladders that would hook into the side of the wall and hang over. They can be removed when not used for swim meets or swim practices. Adrian Duncan stated when the steps break you have a chance for water intrusion to go into the concrete and concrete cannot stop water. Stephanie Darimont showed the ramp. If we wanted to do renovation here, per new code for larger pools, you have to have multiple ADA accessible entries and the ramp is definitely one of them but there are a lot of downsides that come with this ramp. It gets a lot of algae underneath and is hard to keep clean. The ramp is very heavy. We would redo this section and try to find a different style lift but would do away with the ramp type system that is connected to the deck. She also showed the unutilized space in the pool area that could have potential to be concrete, a smaller pool or moving the building over. Robert Johnson stated he has a suggestion for the committee. He recommends addressing the things listed per Stephanie’s recommendations and then prioritize the list. This should be done for each pool and decide what needs to be done first for the whole pool system and decide where we make investments and where we make the cuts. Stephanie Darimont stated this is the most utilized pool in town by far, during the summer season. Village Pool is second and is used year round and a very high priority. Adrian Duncan asked if the basketball courts would ever be considered as a small splash park to accommodate the younger kids and the neighborhood. Village: This pool is in the best condition besides the Recreation Center. The two high school’s swim teams use this pool. Georgetown High School uses it in the morning and Eastview High School uses it in the afternoon and Texas Gold’s swim team also uses the pool. The high school’s diving blocks are installed at the pool and they are being removed. We are working on getting the deck resurfaced at this pool and when that happens we will be removing those diving blocks. If the swim teams are still on board they have decided to go ahead and purchase new dive blocks and those would be set into the concrete. They would stay in for the school year and pulled out for the summer. This pool is a lap lane pool and gets heavily use by Village residents and there is a very large Learn to Swim program at this pool. This pool needs some minor improvements but they are things that Eric Nuner and Kimberly Garrett are working on in the Capital Improvement Projects. Stephanie Darimont showed the baby pool. She said it hardly gets used but parents do sit along the edge with babies in their laps and they put their feet in. She showed a picture of the deck that is being resurfaced. It has the pool deck on it previously that is starting to crack. Some of the corners need to be fixed and will be done in the next few months. The next picture showed the small spray pad that the parks maintenance crew is taking out. Robert Johnson asked about the area where the spray pad is. Stephanie Darimont explained the concrete is being taken out and there will be grass in that area. There was discussion about the grass area if that is the best for the area and possibility of it bringing more grass and dirt in to the pool. Stephanie Darimont stated that most people that come to the Village pool try to go to the two over hangs of the building and the shade structure that is on the left side of the pool. When people are out of the water they are trying to find whatever shade they can find. It has been talked about adding a few coolbrellas. Robert Johnson asked if the coolbrellas could be installed at this area and grass not be put there. He is concerned about watering the grass and we are trying to be a little greener in the city and conserve water so less grass may be better. Stephanie Darimont stated that Eric Nuner’s idea is to put two coolbrellas in that area. She stated she would like to have a pad underneath it but she is not sure if that is in the original plan. Glenn Moss stated in the meantime that sod would be put in the area to keep the mud issue down. Stephanie Darimont stated the shade structure that is there needs to be replaced. It has been there for quite some time; it is rusted on the edges. The top has been replaced once at least and they are looking at a different shade structure on the same side of the pool. Stephanie Darimont stated the next suggestion is not a priority; the Village Pool is lacking one thing that could help and that is overhead lighting. The swim team goes out in the morning before sunlight and they currently bring their own portable lights. It is also rented out in the afternoon to the high school and it starts to get dark. In addition to the swim teams renting it we could program birthday parties in the evening from 7 pm – 9 pm. Currently, we can only do morning birthday parties at the Village. There are sources to install the lighting. There would be a couple upgrades to the front and entrance of the facility such as lighting and updating. River Ridge: Stephanie Darimont stated this pool in good condition. There are some ADA accessibility issues. This is one of a lesser used in town. The HOA does not utilize it like they do at the Village. It does have a lot of programs and there are a lot of Learn to Swim classes held here. It is the highest rented pool for birthday parties. It is the only pool that we have that has outdoor evening rentals other than Williams Drive pool . The Williams Drive Pool is a huge venue and if someone wants to have a small party they feel like they get lost in it and it is deeper. So when there is a child that is younger we often offer River Ridge because it has shallower water. There were renovations a few years ago updating the fencing, lighting and a portion of the deck. Around the deck closest to the pool definitely needs to be replaced. There is a slope from the parking lot to different levels of the pool. The deck that is the walkway and the entrance way has sunk several inches and the pool shell is standing where it is supposed to be. She stated a ramp has been installed going up to it to avoid a tripping hazard but it needs to be taken care of. Adrian Duncan said there is a slab between the building and the pool and said the facility and the pool are solid but the slab of concrete that is 15 – 20 feet between the two has sunk . Glenn Moss stated this is emphasized by the erosion that is taking place there. Stephanie Darimont showed a picture of the baby pool and explained that no one uses it. She keeps attendance logs every half hour and there is no one using it. The nice part about this pool is that it is shallow than other facilities so smaller children don’t see the baby pool as an attraction. It could be well utilized as more deck space. Robert Johnson asked if it just need to be filled in. Stephanie Darimont stated she would like to see it filled in. Jean Houck stated they could use more deck space there. Adrian Duncan gave options for possibly filling it. He stated this is his favorite pool; the area around the pool has trees and wildlife. Stephanie Darimont stated the community uses the pool; kids ride their bikes there, neighbors ride in and walk over. It is a family friendly pool with an intimate setting. The guard office, is in good condition. The restrooms do need a little upgrading. The wood is rotting on the bottom and needs repair. Robert Johnson asked if the HOA has been contacted to help with some of the repair. It was explained that the HOA was the one that gave the pool to the City. Robert Johnson would ask of the HOA; in the spirit of cooperation we would say here is something we can do but we may need your help with them. Offer a punch list to the HOA and here are some other things on the list that are not significant from a cost perspective would you like to have these things done? If the HOA does want to see some improvements they would have the opportunity to be a part of the funding process. We could point out that this is the only pool in the city in the confines of a neighborhood that is fully supported by the city. Jean Houck stated the Village pool is also but Stephanie Darimont stated it is supported by the swim teams as well. Stephanie Darimont showed the slope from the walkway from the road down to the pool area and explained this is not ADA accessible. Eric Nuner and Stephanie Darimont have looked at this and the only way to make it accessible is to add a bridge over the ravine. She showed a picture of the ravine and how the lifeguards have to go down this ravine to get to the pump room. Tennis Center: This pool was built 1978 and City of Georgetown acquired it in 1999. There is no overhead or underwater lighting. There is no evening programming that goes on here. This pool is not in good condition. She stated the pool looks beautiful but there are necessary improvements that need to happen with the plumbing , filtration and pumps that is not something she feels we want to invest in. It would cost more money than it is worth. It would be easier to do away with this pool and build something new somewhere else that is more up to date. Stephanie Darimont stated all these pools are built in an L shape with lap lanes and she feels as times goes on the City needs to focus on some different options; some pool options that are more popular and go with the trends. So if we were to add another pool or another aquatic area in a different park we would start to phase the Tennis Center out. Glenn Moss stated that since this pool is between Williams Drive and the Village pool there is less impact on people if it is phased out. Adrian Duncan stated this pool is anticipated to be a problem this summer with maintenance. Stephanie Darimont stated she doesn’t allow large user groups to use it. She spaces out the parties and it is not a highly attended pool or a heavily programed pool. She has moved programming around to help with the circulation issues. Overtime she feels the programming and the user groups can be relocated to other pools. Robert Johnson stated that the longevity of this pool needs to be high on the priority list. He asked staff if they could run this pool successfully this summer. Stephanie Darimont stated this summer will be difficult but they can limp by. As soon as the filters go out and need repair they can’t replace without fixing everything else. Katherine Kainer stated the pool is basically on life support. Robert Johnson stated this is how the aquatics subcommittee started. He stated at the next meeting a time frame for closing this pool needs to be accessed. The tennis camp is the highest user group in the summer. Robert Johnson asked if the Tennis Center needs a water area there would a splash pad be a good solution. Stephanie Darimont stated that would be a good idea. They need a place to cool off and that would not require lifeguards. Each pool, except Williams Drive and the Tennis Center costs about $16,000.00 a summer to staff the pools with lifeguards. Adrian Duncan stated he is worried about the public and if the pool turns green, trying to get it back is going to be tough. He would not have the turnover of the time to get it back operational for public swim. Stephanie Darimont stated you would have to close 3 days in order to get it back running. Adrian Duncan states he watches this pool closely. Katherine Kainer asked if it is worth opening. Glenn Moss stated it can be opened and maintain it to its abilities at this point but if it went downhill we would have to close until it can be balanced . Robert Johnson stated he would suggest a plan that says this is the final year of the Tennis Center pool and where we are going to appropriate the some of the funds used on this pool and present this information to the Parks and Recreation Board and to City Council. Robert Johnson asked what happens to the pool when it is closed . Stephanie Darimont explained that the San Gabriel Pool was filled in. In the meantime until we can get the funds to get it properly filled it, we would keep it drained and cut out all the extras from it and utilize them at the other pools. There are pieces of the pool such as the lifeguard stands and ladders that can be used in other places. The gates are locked and the pool remains empty. Trends and Parks Master plan: Stephanie Darimont presented information from the Aquatics International Website. They have great articles about programming. In the 70’s people flocked to the pool and now people don’t go to open swim any more, you have to program for them to go. You have to plan swimming lessons and events; they will come out to them but you have to entertain them. She also presented information about the Parks master plan from 2009. Robert Johnson pointed out information in the presented article. On a federal level pools have not been a part of the stimulus plan and since 2009 approximately 350 pools have closed their gates. Stephanie Darimont stated some are due to Virgina Graham Baker bill with main drain replacement and some cities could not afford it. Some cities within the last year with ADA accessibility compliance issues cannot afford to get larger lifts and have been closing. With admission rates low also and minimal rates you are not covering the cost of your facility. That is what the article is about; getting creative and finding new ways to bring people to your pool. Robert Johnson stated, should we get negative feedback on the Tennis Center Pool this is good information for us to have, because a city our size and the extent of the aquatics program we have . This should be presented to City Council so they understand and this is not a decision taken lightly but a trend that is happening across the country and we do not want to disinvest, but reinvest our money in other facilities. Stephanie Darimont stated that on the Master Plan from 2009 it stated the recommendation was for the Village Pool and Williams Drive Pool to be converted into water spray grounds. The group decided those pools should definitely stay. They are the highest utilized pools we have in town. The master plan states they lack recreation amenities but that diving board is the biggest amenity we have beside the splash pool at the Recreation Center. Robert Johnson stated that the Parks and Recreation Board need to be aware of the revision for the master plan for Williams Drive and Village pools. Aquatics trends: Stephanie Darimont stated that some of the new aquatics trend is the theming, such as the ladybug and turtle outside and bringing it in to the event room. She feels there are a lot of possibilities for this if there are future pools; themed pools, interactive play features, zero depth entry and spray feature pools. The spray pad at the Recreation Center is very well used with over 100 people attending it daily during the summer. She states she feels we need more of these in the city whether it is a splash pad or a splash pool. There are zero entry depth pools they can be programmed and have swimming lessons and you can make them accessible to all the different user groups. This past weekend City of Georgetown hosted Division Directors from American Red Cross. They audited the staff and the facility and they stated we were in the top 5 – 10 % of pools in the nation. Stephanie Darimont stated she would like to service all age groups; from seniors to infants and make sure everyone knows how to swim. Jean Houck stated drowning is the leading cause of death in young adults and children and it is totally preventable and you can’t teach swimming lessons without pools. Stephanie Darimont stated splash pads cost a lot of money up front and they don’t have the staffing costs and they do have a lot of maintenance cost. Stephanie Darimont suggested the committee research and attends other splash pads and she will research the Brushy Creek splash pad facility for more information. Robert Johnson stated he feels like we owe the Parks and Recreation Board and City Council a master plan for the pools with priorities for each pool with suggestions for what stays and what goes. Robert Johnson would like to schedule the next meeting soon and start prioritizing the pool items to address and come up with a master plan. He would like to have a comprehensive plan and work with Kimberly Garret and Eric Nuner on this and present to council. He wants to address the future plans for the Parks system and what it needs to incorporate and the cost. 4.Adjourn Motion was made by Katherine Kainer to adjourn the meeting. Meeting adjourned at 7:43 pm. Notice of Meeting of the Parks and Recreation Board City of Georgetown, Texas Thursday,,,, February 14, 2013 The Parks and Recreation Board will meet on Thursday, February 14, 2013 at 07:00 PM in the Parks and Recreation Administration Building Conference Room, located at 1101 N. College, Georgetown, Texas. If you need accommodations for a disability, please notify the city in advance. Parks and Recreation Board Members: Daniel Dance, Jean Houck, John Hesser - Chair, Katherine Kainer, Keith Fruge, Robert Johnson, Syed Warisi Parks and Recreation Board meets the second Thursday of the month at 07:00 PM unless otherwise specified. Call to Order at 07:00 PM 1.Call to Order 2.Roll Call 3.Executive session Tex. Gov. Code Sec. 551.072 - Real Property Update and discussion concerning the West Side Park 4.Thank you and appreciation to outgoing Parks and Recreation Board members 5.Appoint board members to aquatics review subcommittee and set initial meeting date and time 6.Discussion and possible action on San Gabriel Park and the widening of FM 971 7.Discussion and possible direction on the City of Excellence and Creating a Signature Destination 8.Update from the Friends of Georgetown Parks and Recreation 9.Approve minutes from the January 10, 2013 meeting 10.Adjourn Certificate of Posting I, Jessica Brettle, City Secretary for the City of Georgetown, Texas, do hereby certify that this Notice of Meeting was posted at City Hall, 113 E. 8th Street, a place readily accessible to the general public at all times, on the _____ day of _________________, 2013, at __________, and remained so posted for at least 72 continuous hours preceding the scheduled time of said meeting. __________________________________ Jessica Brettle, City Secretary Minutes of the Meeting of the Parks and Recreation Board City of Georgetown, Texas Thursday, February 14, 2013 The Parks and Recreation Board of the City of Georgetown, Texas, met on Thursday , February 14, 2013 . Members Present: Daniel Dance, Jean Houck, John Hesser - Chair, Katherine Kainer, Keith Fruge, Robert Johnson, Syed Warisi Members Absent: Staff Present: Kimberly Garrett, Laurie Brewer, Eric Nuner, Jill Kellum Minutes Regular Meeting 1.Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm by John Hesser. 2.Roll Call John Hesser , Syed Warisi, Katherine Kainer, Keith Fruge, Daniel Dance, Jean Houck Laurie Brewer, Kimberly Garrett, Eric Nuner, Jill Kellum Bob Johnson arrived at 7:34 pm. Motion made by Jean Houck, second by Keith Fruge to adjourn the meeting and go into executive session. Approved 6-0 3.Executive session Tex. Gov. Code Sec. 551.072 - Real Property Update and discussion concerning the West Side Park Daniel Dance abstained from the Executive Session due to a conflict of interest. The Conflict of Interest Affidavit is on file with the agenda and minutes. Motion made by Katherine Kainer, second by Syed Warisi to recommend the purchase of land for the West Side Park on the terms discussed in Executive Session. Approved 5-1. Daniel Dance abstained. 4.Thank you and appreciation to outgoing Parks and Recreation Board members Kimberly Garrett recognized and extended appreciation to Jean Houck and Syed Warisi for their service to the Parks and Recreation Board. Syed Warisi left the meeting at 7:15 pm. 5.Appoint board members to aquatics review subcommittee and set initial meeting date and time. Motion made by Daniel Dance, second by Keith Fruge to appoint Robert Johnson, Katherine Kainer and Jean Houck to the aquatics subcommittee. Approved 6 – 0 Meeting date and time will be set outside this meeting. 6.Discussion and possible action on San Gabriel Park and the widening of FM 971 Kimberly Garrett introduced Bill Dryden, Transportation Engineer with the City of Georgetown, and Ricardo Zamarripa and Zach Ryan with Klotz Associates. Bill Dryden stated there has been an emphasis to get a bridge that extends Northwest Boulevard to the east side of IH 35 connecting into Austin Avenue and a more direct connection to Georgetown High School and out to SH 130. Klotz Associates has been working on this project in two parts. One is from Fontana, which was Washam, across IH 35 to Austin Avenue to Gann Street. In doing that, it is incumbent to get FM 971 realigned. The City of Georgetown has asked Klotz to come up with an alternative analysis of the FM 971 part. There is money in the 2008 road bond program to finish the design and get that part built. Bill Dryden stated this provides a better intersection, it will have the elevated approach, and there will be a pedestrian tunnel that will match up with another project along Austin Avenue for sidewalks that connect from the Recreation Center to the Georgetown High School. Part of the analysis was to present 4 different alternatives and come up with pros and cons for each. Ricardo Zamarripa presented 4 alternatives to reconstruct FM 971. One alternative is a no build scenario; no improvements everything stays the same. The first alternative is widening FM 971 to the north towards the nursing home away from the park. The second alternative is to widen FM 971 equally towards the nursing home and the park. The third alternative is a realignment that goes through some of the park and ties into the extension of Northwest Boulevard the proposed bridge structure that the City of Georgetown has planned. John Hesser asked if there is traffic numbers expected and if that is what is calling for this change. Bill Dryden stated they do not have the volume numbers, but it is a high priority project from the City Manager and City Council. Bill Dryden stated that with the results of citizen surveys, transportation is the number one concern and the number one project is the improvements of FM 971. Bill Dryden stated there is money in the 2008 bond program to do this construction . Ricardo Zamarripa continued going through pros and cons for each alternative. Alternative 1 will be to expand to the north side and the biggest impact here is to the nursing home where one building will have to be taken, relocate an existing water quality pond and this is zero impact to heritage trees. Alternative 2 is where the road is widened on both sides where there is still impact to the nursing home where a water quality pond must be relocated and some parking areas and driveways have to be rebuilt and some parkland and trees will be taken. Alternative 3 is a completely new alignment that ties into the future Northwest Boulevard bridge structure that crosses IH 35 and ties into Austin Avenue. Alternative 3 ties in best to the planned improvements for the Northwest Boulevard bridge. Keith Fruge asked if the Northwest Boulevard bridge is going to happen . Bill Dryden stated the City of Georgetown is actively seeking funding to do that and the plans are 90% completed. Bill Dryden explained other roadway improvements that are in the planning stages that will affect the west side of the highway in conjunction with Northwest Boulevard. Ricardo Zamarripa stated TXDOT has expressed their extreme interest in this bridge structure and connectivity and they have prioritized those elements. There was continued discussion with Alternative 3. The pedestrian tunnel can only be done with this alternative. There will be an increase in safety and mobility with the sidewalk additions, bicycle lanes and divided roadway while handling increased traffic . The cons with Alternatives 1 and 2 are there will be offset intersections from FM 971 and Northwest Boulevard and significant impacts to the nursing home. Keith Fruge asked about the hike and bike trail in San Gabriel Park. Bill Dryden stated it would be relocated. There are concepts on relocating the trail which maintains the length of the trail. With Alternative 3 there are several park improvements to accommodate this design. Keith Fruge asked about the parkland and it being city property. Bill Dryden explained that it is dedicated parkland and in order to reduce and expedite the project the City of Georgetown takes bond money and buys that land from the Parks and Recreation Department and the Parks and Recreation Department then buys land where it is value for value. There is just less than 4 acres of parkland being affected. Bill Dryden said that a larger piece of land could be purchased for parkland. He also explained with doing this the City of Georgetown does not have to go through the permit process with Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) and the Federal agencies. Kimberly Garrett stated TPWD has a code that protects parkland so that it cannot be taken for another purpose other than what it was intended for; parkland is protected by State statute. There is options to this and TPWD realizes that some of this parkland was dedicated years ago and as growth and building happens and you need to reduce congestion that there are ways to swap the land. They appraise the land to obtain the value and the city buys land with the same value. It won’t necessarily be the same acreage but the same value. There is a process in place for this and TPWD has seen the plan for this specific project . Kimberly Garrett stated they will lose some parkland in San Gabriel Park but Alternative 3 will improve traffic. The amenities in the park were built with grant funding and a contract was signed that the City of Georgetown would always maintain those amenities that were provided with TPWD funding. Example: The trail always has to be 1.6 miles, but it can be reconfigured . Ricardo Zamarippa explained that the No Build alternative has no financial cost, Alternative 1 is just under $12,000,000, Alternative 2 is just over $5,000,000 and Alternative 3 is $3,500,000 and about $900,000 is for park property. John Hesser asked if the cost of Alternative 1 includes the estimated impact of business at the nursing home. Bill Dryden stated that the loss of income and cost of improvements is included in that figure. Klotz Associates recommends Alternative 3, which is the realignment. Primarily it has the greatest mobility over Alternative 1 and 2 because we are connecting to the future Northwest Boulevard bridge facility and creating that east/west connectivity and not having that offset intersection. It has the least impact to the adjacent residents and public. It just happens to be the least costly alternative as well. John Hesser asked about the curve in the alignment . Bill Dryden stated the initial goal was to have a 90 degree intersection at Austin Avenue. That would have taken out both the pecan trees as well as the one by the trail. The curve in the road saved the heritage trees. The roadway is designed at a 45 mph speed which sets the curvature. The area north of FM 971 will no longer be parkland but will remain a greenbelt. Alternative 3 includes relocating all the park amenities that are there, relocating the trail and improving the facilities and providing the funds for new parkland to replace this section of equal value, while maintaining the 1.6 miles of trail. Bill Dryden stated the City of Georgetown likes Alternative 3 due to the smooth transition from SH 130 to Serenada Drive. It will be a good route to take a lot of traffic off Williams Drive and the Williams Drive/Austin Avenue intersection. FM 971 will still be a TXDOT road. TXDOT will receive the bids and do the construction. The next steps are: The City of Georgetown will complete the land appraisal and land transfer and Klotz Associates will complete the plans and the bond funds will fund the construction. Laurie Brewer asked about the relocation of the trail. Bill Dryden stated they will put in the documents that the trail would be relocated first. Ricardo Zamarripa stated TXDOT is ok with doing everything with one contract; the park construction and the roadway construction will happen at the same time. Motion made by Jean Houck, second by Keith Fruge for the board to approve the adoption of Alternative 3 preserving the park amenities that will be replaced due to the FM 971 alignment. Approved 6 - 0 7.Discussion and possible direction on the City of Excellence and Creating a Signature Destination. In the Fall of 2012, the City Council held a visioning session to determine goals and strategies of the City for the next five years. Five main categories where defined and they include Public Safety, Transportation, Economic Development, Utilities and Signature Destination. Parks and Recreation lies in the Signature Destination category due to all we have to offer both residents and visitors and the opportunities that we have on the horizon. One of the ways we can help make Georgetown a Signature Destination is to start looking at issuing some of the 2008 Bonds. Potential future projects include the West Side Park, Garey Park Design, Preserving the River Corridor, Amphitheater and Festival Event site. Also look at improvements to San Gabriel Park that compliment what is there and can accommodate youth and family events. Other potential areas for Parks and Recreation to make an impact are expanding our park areas to the downtown where festivals occur. Laurie Brewer and Kimberly Garrett presented to City Council on February 12 th , asking them to issue $5.5 million in bonds and issue $1.5 million for design of Garey Park. They met with Mr. Garey and he would like to start the design phase of the park. It could take 18 months – 2 years to design that park. They also asked for $1.5 million for the land for Westside Park. They asked for $1 million for River Corridor preservation and another $1 million for San Gabriel Park improvements which includes bank stabilization and start some of the design on park elements that would tie into the Signature Destination. The Downtown and Community Services Division encompasses Parks and Recreation, CVB, Library, and Arts and Culture boards. The other boards have been taking plans to their boards to vet out some ideas to make Georgetown a Signature Destination. Kimberly Garrett stated one of the big items in the bond was the amphitheater. Staff has been working on how they could make the amphitheater work in the park. In meetings with other departments and city council members, there is a desire to bring that same type of venue downtown, which could be a festival/special event area and/or a music venue. There is an overall plan to have a civic center downtown which was in a downtown master plan that was done in 2003. This would tie into the parks and trails. There are challenges with parking downtown and there are talks of a parking garage downtown and this will help alleviate the parking during the day and offer parking opportunities for this type of venue. The park does not offer this type of parking. Katherine Kainer asked where this land would be. Laurie Brewer stated there is city owned land downtown; the current police station, the old library and the old WCAD building. She stated also there have been talks with Williamson County about purchasing the buildings across from the library. This would give an opportunity to take up the existing lots and revert it to parkland and possibly closing some streets which would open up to allowing events. Kimberly Garrett stated there is still a need for a music venue in the park. Kimberly Garrett and Eric Nuner have been working on an area in the park and have identified the Gazebo area as an amphitheater area . This area would be more suited for this venue since it is a little off of Austin Avenue away from the Recreation Center and the Chamber of Commerce. Kimberly Garrett explained that with the City of Excellence and Creating a Signature Destination and really wanting to revitalize the downtown and bring events there; it makes more sense than trying to congest the park with all those different high use areas and bringing in another high use area. Kimberly Garrett stated the master plan is a guiding element and not set in stone. It is meant to change if there is a better opportunity. She stated we don’t want to make a large capital investment in something that can be better utilized in a location that allows for more people to use it. Robert Johnson stated he doesn’t know if we can jam anything else into San Gabriel Park. It has a distinct beauty to it now and if we jam too much more into it loses what we are trying to get; it becomes another shopping mall because there is so much going on. He stated a large amphitheater would work in Garey Park for major events. John Hesser asked about revisiting the master plan and Kimberly Garrett stated she feels it is too early. Items in the master plan have not been addressed due to the economy and everything is flat. Kimberly Garrett stated a supplemental survey could be done. John Hesser asked if there was a beginning and ending date to the City of Excellence program. Laurie Brewer stated City Council went into their visioning session with a 5 year thought. Laurie Brewer stated it may be appropriate to recommend a 5 and a 10 year CIP from the Parks Board and where all of these projects are prioritized. Laurie Brewer suggested that between now and the next meeting to go through the master plan and list what is still appropriate and no longer appropriate and what is prioritized. Then come back together as a group and decide if it is time for an update or do we need to prioritize. Laurie Brewer stated there could be a group workshop with the Parks and Recreation Board, CVB Board and Library Board. John Hesser asked about the financial cost. Laurie Brewer explained that Finance stated that money is an historical low and now would be the time to issue debt. Laurie Brewer stated the voters requested that we raised their taxes to do these improvements. Laurie Brewer explained the tax implications and the growth of the community and how it offsets the tax impact for taxpayers. We will work with Finance to come up with something that is a reasonable idea for City Council to consider. Robert Johnson stated there are some things in the master plan that can be taken off the list. Robert Johnson said he would not like to see an amphitheater in San Gabriel Park. Robert Johnson stated he feels we need to minimize the list especially with all the new items presented such as Garey Park and the possibility of a west side park. Keith Fruge stated money could be spent for San Gabriel Park improvements such as the smaller amphitheater and make significant improvements to the quality of the park. He stated the downtown amphitheater sounds great but will take several years to implement and Garey Park and Westside Park the same. Eric Nuner stated San Gabriel Park needs to be updated; restrooms, picnic tables, playscapes, basketball courts, lighting and improved roads. Kimberly Garrett reiterated that San Gabriel Park is one of the Signature Destinations. Kimberly Garrett stated the master plan could be compared to the Signature Destination items and they match up closely. Eric Nuner stated that once the bank stabilization is done it allows boardwalks, sidewalks and railing and that will give a vision of what the park will look like. Eric Nuner explained that the amphitheater was such a major component of the original plan for the San Gabriel Park improvements that they didn’t want to do anything else because everything had to match it. Now that the amphitheater is being reconsidered that allows us to start thinking about some of the San Gabriel Park improvements such as picnic tables, playscapes, road improvements, etc. Kimberly Garrett stated for next time they can take the master plan and match up some of the items from the City of Excellence and the Signature Destination and show how there are some tie ins to the master plan that talk about a festival area and urban park. Laurie Brewer stated the board will continue having these conversations until the budget process. There was no direction taken at this time. 8.Update from the Friends of Georgetown Parks and Recreation Jean Houck reported the Friends of Georgetown Parks and Recreation have been working on their strategic planning. Georgetown Swims is going strong and they have some volunteers working with them. They are looking ahead to 2014 and partnering with Lone Star Circle of Care and a program at the Recreation Center that they use to have called Exercise is Medicine. It is a program that lost United Way funding. Being a 501c3 the Friends could be the conduit for grant money from the Community Healthcare Foundation. It is a program where doctors have to refer people to this program with certain medical conditions. It is a very effective, well established program. A new liaison will be selected from the Parks and Recreation Board to the Friends of Georgetown Parks and Recreation at the March Parks and Recreation Board meeting. 9.Approve minutes from the January 10, 2013 meeting Motion made by Robert Johnson, second by Keith Fruge to approve the January 10, 2013 minutes. Approved 6- 0 10.Adjourn Keith Fruge made a motion to adjourn the meeting. The meeting adjourned at 9:04 pm. ______________________________________________ John HesserJill Kellum Board ChairBoard Liasion Notice of Meeting of the Parks and Recreation Board City of Georgetown, Texas Thursday,,,, January 10, 2013 The Parks and Recreation Board will meet on Thursday, January 10, 2013 at 07:00 PM in the Parks and Recreation Administration Building Conference Room, located at 1101 N. College, Georgetown, Texas. If you need accommodations for a disability, please notify the city in advance. Parks and Recreation Board Members: Daniel Dance, Jean Houck, John Hesser - Chair, Katherine Kainer, Keith Fruge, Robert Johnson, Syed Warisi Parks and Recreation Board meets the second Thursday of the month at 07:00 PM unless otherwise specified. Call to Order at 07:00 PM 1.Call to Order 2.Roll Call 3.Executive Session Tex. Gov. Code Sec. 551.072 - Real Property Update and discussion concerning the West Side Park. 4.Discussion and possible direction to staff on future outdoor pool operations 5.Discussion and possible direction to staff on future trail improvements 6.Update on 2012/2013 Capital Improvement Projects 7.Update on the Landscape Architect Master Service Agreement Process 8.Update on Recreation Center Membership sales and renewals 9.Update on Cemetery Project 10.Update from the Friends of Georgetown Parks and Recreation 11.Approve minutes from the November 8, 2012 meeting 12.Adjourn Certificate of Posting I, Jessica Brettle, City Secretary for the City of Georgetown, Texas, do hereby certify that this Notice of Meeting was posted at City Hall, 113 E. 8th Street, a place readily accessible to the general public at all times, on the _____ day of _________________, 2013, at __________, and remained so posted for at least 72 continuous hours preceding the scheduled time of said meeting. __________________________________ Jessica Brettle, City Secretary Minutes of the Meeting of the Parks and Recreation Board City of Georgetown, Texas Thursday, January 10, 2013 The Parks and Recreation Board of the City of Georgetown, Texas, met on Thursday , January 10, 2013. Members Present: Daniel Dance, Jean Houck, John Hesser - Chair, Katherine Kainer, Robert Johnson, Syed Warisi Members Absent: Keith Fruge Staff Present: Kimberly Garrett, Eric Nuner, Laurie Brewer, Jill Kellum Minutes Regular Meeting 1.Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm by John Hesser. 2.Roll Call Jean Houck, Katherine Kainer, Daniel Dance, Robert Johnson, Syed Warisi, John Hesser Motion made by Robert Johnson, second by Jean Houck to adjourn meeting and go into executive session. Approved 6-0 Meeting convened into executive session. 3.Executive Session Tex. Gov. Code Sec. 551.072 - Real Property Update and discussion concerning the West Side Park. Kimberly Garrett gave an update on the West Side Park. Motion made by Jean Houck, second by Syed Warisi to adjourn the meeting. Approved 6-0 4.Discussion and possible direction to staff on future outdoor pool operations There was lengthy discussion about River Ridge pool. Kimberly Garrett presented a report showing all expenses for operation of River Ridge Pool . The board discussed preparing and overall pool strategy to address concerns about future maintenance cost, ADA issues and possible involvement of the River Ridge HOA. There was discussion to form a subcommittee to help with planning an overall pool strategy. 5.Discussion and possible direction to staff on future trail improvements Kimberly Garrett stated this item was brought up by Keith Fruge and he was unable to attend this meeting. There was discussion about connectivity with the Village and McCoy schools, connectivity with the Serenada neighborhood to the Village neighborhood and additional discussion about the differences and similarities between sidewalks, connectors and trails. 6.Update on 2012/2013 Capital Improvement Projects Kimberly Garrett presented a report on the progress on the 2012/2013 Capital Improvement Projects. 7.Update on the Landscape Architect Master Service Agreement Process Eric Nuner stated requests for qualification for the Landscape Architect closed on January 7, 2013 and there were 16 firms that submitted. Katherine Kainer and Keith Fruge were approved to be on the review committee to select and prequalify the firms. They will pick firms by the first of February. 8.Update on Recreation Center Membership sales and renewals Kimberly Garrett updated the board on the Recreation Center Membership sales and renewal. Based on the new Fee and Rate Policy established by City Council in 2012, the memberships to the Recreation Center were adjusted. Rates were scheduled to increase as of January 1, 2013. On November 1st, the Recreation Center published the new rates that would be effective January 1, 2013, but offered current members the option to renew their membership up to one year in advance before the new year. This report shows the memberships purchased in comparison for the last three years in November and December. Membership Sales: 201020112012 November 977823706 December82311811038 9.Update on Cemetery Project John Hesser stated this item will be put on next meeting agenda with an update . 10.Update from the Friends of Georgetown Parks and Recreation ·Jean Houck stated Bob and Becky Laemel attended the Georgetown Sertoma Club meeting. The Sertoma Club was very receptive to the Friends. ·FGPR is in a strategic planning mode that Bob Mathis is heading up. ·They are continuing to pursue a pool lift and grant. ·Georgetown Swim starts next week and they have the list from the Boys and Girls Club. They are applying for a grant through USA Swim for $5,000.00. ·They have had an increase in applications for assistance ·Trim Down Challenge is off to a great start. ·FGPR will assist with the playscape project and the funds will go through the FGPR. ·In February, there will be an open position for a Parks and Recreation board member to be a liaison for the FGPR. 11.Approve minutes from the November 8, 2012 meeting Motion made by Jean Houck, second the Robert Johnson to approve the November 8, 2012 minutes. Approved 6 – 0 12.Adjourn Motion made by Jean Houck to adjourn the meeting. The meeting adjourned at 8:44pm. _______________________________________________________________________ John Hesser , Chair Parks & Recreation BoardSyed Warisi, Secretary Parks/Recreation Board ____________________________________ Jill Kellum, Staff Liaison