HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes_PAREB_03.14.2019Minutes of the Meeting of the
Parks and Recreation Advisory Board
City of Georgetown, Texas
March 14, 2019
Regular Session
(This Regular Session may, at any time, be recessed to convene an Executive Session for any
purpose authorized by the Open Meetings Act, Texas Government Code 551.)
A Call to Order - Jim Hougnon, Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Chair
The meeting was called to order by Jim Hougnon at 6:04 pm.
B Roll Call - Jim Hougnon, Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Chair
Danelle Houck, Michael Simpson, Jim Hougnon, Katherine Kainer, Scott Macmurdo, Larry
Gambone (arrived at 6:30 pm)
Absent: Wayne Beyer
Staff Present: Kimberly Garrett, Jill Kellum, Pete Polkinghorn, Seth Gipson
C Parks and Recreation staff member introduction and presentation - Kimberly Garrett,
Parks and Recreation Director
Kimberly Garrett introduced Pete Polkinghorn, Tennis Pro for the City of Georgetown. Pete
Polkinghorn stated he has been with the City of Georgetown for 11 years. He stated he has
been playing, teaching and coaching for 54 years. He started playing when he was 8 years old
and never gave it up. He is playing competitively with his son and they play in men's
competitions around the state and he, most recently finished 4th in the nation in Men's over 50
in Naples, Florida. Pete Polkinghorn stated he lettered 4 years at Westlake High School and
played for the Texas Tennis Hall of Fame coach, Fred Kniffin, in Tyler in his college years. He
was in the pro tour from 1990 -1991. Then he started teaching tennis.
Pete Polkinghorn stated the Tennis Center was built in 1978. He stated after he graduated from
college, he played at the first tennis tournament they had at this facility. It was built as an
amenity center for the Serenada neighborhood with 4 courts, small pro shop, snack bar,
restrooms and a swimming pool. Then the Berry Creek neighborhood built a facility and they
bought the tennis center and they added the bottom courts which brought up the number of
courts to 11. The City of Georgetown bought the facility in 1999. The Georgetown Tennis
Center operates year around which is open to everyone. He stated they offer memberships
although you do not need a membership to play. He stated the facility is recognized as a TIA
Tennis Welcome Center, which is a fairly hard recognition to achieve. The facility is a USTA 10
and under approved facility. They are also approved as a NET Generation provider. There are
4 tennis professionals providing programming and private lessons. There are 11 lighted courts,
a swimming pool, clubhouse with locker rooms and showers. There is a full service pro shop
and offer racket stringing, customization and repair. There is a state of the art ball machine.
Pete Polkinghorn went through the list of programming for adults and youth that the center
provides. The tennis center hosts 5 adult and youth tennis tournaments throughout the year
and also host men's and women's league play year around. They also offer private, semi-
private and group instruction. Pete Polkinghorn stated in the past they have provided coaching
for Meridian Charter School, Zion Lutheran and Grace Academy. He stated currently he is
coaching for Benold Middle School.
Pete Polkinghorn stated when he travels around he purposefully stops at other public tennis
facilities and he stated this is one of the nicest public facilities in the United States. Most public
tennis facilities, because of budget constraints, are cinderblock construction and cold; not a nice
feeling. The Georgetown Tennis Center is more of a country club feeling.
Jim Hougnon asked what the pressing needs are considering the staff, facility and programs.
Pete Polkinghorn stated staffing is always a challenge because it is hard to find good pros who
want to stick around. He stated there are not enough staff that have the ability to teach the
classes. He stated he has to give up private lessons to teach those classes. He also stated that
summer tennis camp takes 32 kids per week and trying to staff for this is a challenge and the
tennis camp is in addition to the programs already offered.
Katherine Kainer asked about the hosted tournaments and the revenue generated. Pete
Polkinghorn explained the process through the registration and the fee. He stated USTA is paid
out of that, plus the sanction fee, new tennis balls, provide trophies, and provide fruit for the
players. He stated this is a service provided to our customers that like to play in tournaments.
He stated they are mostly local people but also from San Antonio, Dallas and the Corpus area.
Pete Polkinghorn stated there is a nonprofit tennis foundation in Georgetown called The Nelson
Foundation. It was founded to promote tennis in Georgetown; primarily youth tennis. They
offer free tennis programs. They offer tennis night out; where there is free instruction for the
kids and they provide pizza afterwards. They have a Tennis Palooza twice a year for youth.
The Nelson Foundation recently had the opportunity to bid on the Texas Grand Slam. This is
the largest junior tennis program in the state. There are between 1600 —1800 players for 10 days
that would come to the Georgetown area. The economic impact would be between 4 — 6 million
dollars. There should be an answer in June and would be a 3 year bid that starts in 2020.
Jim Hougnon asked with the staffing if there was a volunteer or intern program. Kimberly
Garrett stated there is not for the tennis center and that the Parks and Recreation department is
starting a volunteer program at Garey Park and then expand that model to the rest of the
organization. Pete Polkinghorn stated that Tennis is such a specialized sport that for a
volunteer to come in and help with a program, they need to be proficient in the sport. Pete
Polkinghorn reiterated that the staffing issues are with the on court people that are tennis
players and can work with children. These people are contract employees.
Michael Simpson asked what the state of the facility is. Pete Polkinghorn stated that Traci
Stengle does a good job with maintenance and that the windscreens are replaced every year and
the nets are kept in optimum condition and 2 courts per year are resurfaced. There are some
structural issues with the subsurface of the courts and you would expect that with a facility this
old.
D Review and discussion of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board by-laws and
attendance policy for board members. - Kimberly Garrett, Parks and Recreation Director
Kimberly Garrett stated the by-laws have not changed. She went over the attendance policy.
Jim Hougnon stated that the by-laws do not allow for abstentions, they require for everyone
who is at the meeting to vote. He stated sometimes he senses there are members that aren't
comfortable voting for something. He stated we should not be afraid to have a non -unanimous
vote. He stated it is nice if we all agree. The board is advisory in nature and don't make
decisions, however, council takes great stock in the board's recommendation and often passes
approval with no discussion. He stated the board owes it to the council and the citizens to be
deliberative and if there is a disagreement there is a disagreement. He stated if you need to vote
against something, vote against something. It is allowed and the board should not feel bad as a
body for not having a unanimous vote nor should anyone feel ill will towards anyone who
votes differently than we do. Jim Hougnon also mentioned that the agenda is set by the staff,
however the board members have the opportunity to put items on the agenda individually or as
a board. Michael Simpson stated there is the exception of conflict of interest for not voting.
E Update from the Friends of Georgetown Parks and Recreation - Danelle Houck, Parks
and Recreation Advisory Boardmember
Danelle Houck stated the Friends are the official sponsor for the Sunset Movie Series and a
sponsor of the Egg Hunt. Kimberly Garrett stated both events are a good opportunity for the
Friends to get their name out. Kimberly Garrett stated there are other organizations involved as
well.
F Project Updates and Staff Report - Kimberly Garrett, Parks and Recreation Director
Kimberly Garrett stated staff is working on the final punch list for Garey Park. There is a lot of
work being done in San Gabriel Park. The basketball slab has been poured under the College
Street Bridge. There is a restroom and pavilion in that same area. There is not an update on the
grant for the trail extension. Staff is waiting on approval from TXDOT and Parks and Wildlife
for some archeological studies that had to be done. This is the extension to Katy Crossing.
Kimberly Garrett stated it is designed and ready to go. The approaches have been poured. She
stated the City cannot spend money prior to receiving that grant officially. The ADA work on
the trail, staff is trying to add it onto Prime's contract as they had done in the past. The CIP
projects; the staff is working with the Berry Creek Neighborhood Association to get public
meetings scheduled with the neighbors to see what they want in that park. For Kelly Park,
public meetings are being scheduled for that and 84 Lumber Park is one staff is continuing to
work on. For the VFW parking lot, the base and curbs are in place and are waiting on the
asphalt. Michael Simpson asked about the granite trail mock up. Kimberly Garrett will get
clarification on this.
G Update on the UDC Amendment Open House which included the amendments
related to the Parkland Dedication requirements - Kimberly Garrett, Parks and Recreation
Director
Kimberly Garrett discussed the meetings that were held on March 6th at the Library. There was
a short presentation and the room was set up with stations based on the different amendments
that were being presented. Public went to each area and provided comments on each
amendment. She stated there were about 50 people in each meeting. Kimberly Garrett stated
the only comment parks staff has received so far, which was online, was related to the change in
the parkland dedication lots acreage and the level of service and to maintain that level of
service. She quoted from the message; "although it may not be possible to build out all the
parks at present, the city should maintain the current parkland requirements at the higher level,
this requires developers to give back to the community and create green resources for the future
but also impacts density." Kimberly Garrett stated that was the only comment received and we
need to make sure we have a good calculation that we are using to provide for people to
dedicate land and that is where the level of service is. It maintains our parkland at the current
level that we are growing it. The plan is to come back April 11th for recommendation prior to
the P&Z meeting and the public hearing. It will then go to City Council in April and mid -May.
Legislative Regular Agenda
H Consideration and possible action to recommend approval of the parkland dedication
for the proposed Village MUD. - Kimberly Garrett, Parks and Recreation Director
Kimberly Garrett stated there was information in the packet related to the proposed Shell MUD
and introduced Gary Newman with Trio Development and Mark Baker with SEC. Kimberly
Garrett stated there is a little bit of change from the packet. She stated this property goes on
both sides of Shell Road. Kimberly Garrett also introduced Seth Gipson, Management Analyst,
with the City Manager's office. She stated he helps with crafting all the MUD agreements and
works with developments and staff closely to make sure we get good documents. Gary
Newman stated Trio Development, develops residential developments in Georgetown and in
Austin. He stated when you go through this process you have a lot of city improvements and
in this case we will be talking PUD's, MUD's and PID's. The Georgetown Village development
started in 1997 and is a PID. He stated that PID is odd as it is only for maintenance. Most of
these are to pay back the developer. In this case, the Village PID is an advisory board also that
falls under city council. There about 330 acres on this new section and about 1500 homes. As
they work with park planning and trails, that is all complying with the Planned Unit
Development; the city is allowing us to do some stuff in varying spaces. The developer tries to
look at the whole project and make it high quality. The financial part of it is the Municipal
Utility District which means there will be a tax on residents for this development and they will
pay back for infrastructure. Gary Newman went on to say that in the case of the former
Georgetown Village, there is a group called the Section 9 HOA and they are in the process of
trying to donate some land for them and they are trying to figure out if they want to be a part of
this bigger HOA or the small one. It looks like they want to be in the small one. There is an
either or decision and it will affect this plan. Mark Baker with SEC with go over the size and
scope of the project. He stated that Shell Road bisects the property into a north side and a south
side. From a parks perspective they have looked at those 2 halves independently. From a
parkland dedication standpoint our single family detached residential and there are plots that
are currently platted that are extensions of the development that is occurring there. There are
dual designated parcels which could be single family detached, cottage development on a single
lot condo platform under MF 1 zoning or could be a townhome. Depending on when that
parcel is ready to develop it will have to declare; RS, MF 1 or townhome and then develop
under those regulations at that time. If you add up all the parcels as shown on the map that is
about 918 lots which means they need 18 —19 acres of parkland to meet the code. What they are
proposing on the map is about 26 acres. In addition to that they are planning a public park on
the north side and a public park on the south side which have to be a minimum of 3 acres,
improved with picnic pavilion, playground, trails, etc. Kimberly Garrett stated it would be the
standards in the masterplan. On the northern part they are proposing a trail head and parking
spaces for about 15 cars. The trail comes along Berry Creek and then extends to the eastern
most boundary to ultimately connect when the adjacent property develops and then connect to
the Westside Regional Park. As part of the open space system they are asking for partial credit
as there is a bat cave on the area which is adjacent to the public park. They feel there is an
opportunity for an interpretive area with environmental educational type things. There will not
be a lot of active recreation in that space but hopefully some nature trails and some interpretive
signage. There is also ample room, 6 acres outside of that buffer that can be used for a public
park. On the northern part there is a dedication to do a minimum of a 2 acre private amenity
center for the residents of the PUD. There would be a pool, and private pavilion. On the south
side of the project, he reiterated there will be a 3.5 public park and another 2 acre amenity center
that would be private. The public park and private amenity center would be adjacent to each
other. With the exception of the swimming pool it will feel like one park. They will have to
delineate the uses; what is just for residents. He stated there is a multi -family tract which is a
traditional MF2. They would have common amenities per the code and pay their fees per the
code at the time they develop that tract. The maintenance for the 2 public parks will turn over
to the city, with an agreement that the HOA can come and provide supplemental maintenance
on top of that, upon approval. He stated there are some triggers for timing especially on the
trail corridor. To not have to build the trail corridor all at one time but to be able to build
segments of the trail with the adjoining development. So if they plat parcel 1 then they would
build that entire segment adjacent to parcel 1. He stated there are timing triggers in the PUD
that the public parks in the north and south side get triggered at the final acceptance of 200 lots
on the south and 200 lots on the north. Gary Newman stated the Georgetown Village is being
divided into the east side and the west side and the east side residents feel like they don't have
enough city parks as the west side does. He stated that Mark Baker has done a great job of
balancing these. He stated one concept they are looking at is doing a private and public; even
on the amenity. The trails will be a 10 foot trail. He stated that are not committing to making
the connection to the Westside Park but feels that could naturally happen through the approval
process. Gary Newman stated they are looking for approval from the board and then P&Z and
City Council for it to be approved going forward. Kimberly Garrett stated the MUD was
presented to City Council Workshop for their consideration. City Council gave the go ahead to
go forward with the MUD documents and the parkland was presented at that time. Larry
Gambone asked about the amenity center and the pool area and he liked the idea of this
concept. Kimberly Garrett stated the original Georgetown Village concept was under the old
ordinance and this is under the new plan. With the old plan there were only small pocket parks
and with the new plan there will be larger parks. She stated the trail connection is vital as we
try to connect with Westside Park. It was asked about the maintenance especially on the trails
and if that would be an issue. Kimberly Garrett stated if it is a trail corridor we don't know
exactly what it will look like. We will maintain it and mow it like we have our trail system. The
HOA always has the ability to go above and beyond; where the city does the basic maintenance
they could pick up additional maintenance. We will do basic maintenance to what we provide.
The residents in these areas are paying city tax to help support maintenance. Jim Hougnon
stated both of these parks are set up on collectors. The one on the west side has the trail head.
He asked how the parking was going to be addressed on the east side. Mark Baker stated it will
have to be its own parking lot or will be combined with the parking lot at the private amenity
center. This way it will feel like one big park even though there might be a private pool. Mark
Baker stated collector is loosely termed because the main collectors are the roads coming off
Shell and when you get back in the subdivision it becomes a local street. There are lots facing
onto those streets. Gary Newman stated they have already dedicated 37 acres in the
Williamson County Conservation Foundation. They work as a clearing house and work with
U.S. Fish and Wildlife. He stated they spoke with Gary Boyd, Williamson County's
Environmental Program Coordinator, and you can bring a trail through this area as long as it is
not disrupted. There are gates on all the caves. Kimberly Garrett stated that Gary Boyd would
work with staff on low impact recreation. Jim Hougnon asked who owned the strip of land
with the creek north of the area. Gary Newman stated Sun City owns that area. Scott
Macmurdo asked what the topography and the slope is like in the park. Mark Baker stated the
grades aren't very bad and the worse one is along the trail corridor or off the property once you
get towards the creeks. The southern part on the back side there is a shallow drainage and
Kimberly Garrett stated there is no floodplain. Scott Macmurdo asked for the drainage, does
that prevent building any sort of amenities. Mark Baker stated it will probably need to be
straddled and maybe add a pedestrian bridge over it. Kimberly Garrett stated they will have to
design it and the city will have to maintain it. Kimberly Garrett stated open play fields will
probably be options. The PUD document will have a variety of things to choose from that are in
neighborhood parks. Mike Simpson asked if the McCoy School is part of the overall acreage.
Gary Newman stated that it is not part of the acreage. Mark Baker stated it is not in the MUD
but is in the PUD. Gary Newman stated they can't be taxed anyway but being in the PUD,
because they are the master developer they have architectural control. Gary Newman stated
that he and Seth Gipson are working with the board of the Section 9, there is a lot of turmoil
there and how the HOA was disclosed when the people bought the houses. He stated that
Green Builders has always promised to give the 2.8 for their amenity. They have been building
up their funds. As they put the PUD around it, the board was upset and they didn't want to be
in the PUD because they wanted to have their own amenity. The people their already pay a PID
assessment and this new area is going to be a higher HOA assessment, so there would be a lot
of turmoil if they came in and said come into the bigger one and they would have an additional
assessment on top of what they already pay. This is the practical problem right now. He feels
there will be 3rd amenity in the area but for a certain neighborhood. Kimberly Garrett stated
staff has been working with the developer for 6 - 9 months on this and she feels it is consistent
with what they have done with the 3 acre parks and are consistent with the other MUD's
coming in requiring them to dedicate and build a 3 acre public park. She stated not every
development can have a trail that attaches to the regional trail. This one will have that
opportunity to connect back to Westside Park. Gary Newman stated they could break ground
in January and traditionally the Georgetown Village has done 100 -120 units a year, so with the
1500 count the build out would be 8 -12 years. Seth Gipson stated the City is making a
financial contribution as well as the right of way and the City will design and build. The plan
for the expansion is to occur all at one time not just the section of Shell Road within the district.
Scott Macmurdo made a motion, second by Danelle Houck to recommend approval of the
parkland dedication for the proposed Village MUD. Larry Gambone asked about the
parking lot and if that is part of the parkland. Gary Neumann stated that would be on the
dedicated parkland, because they have to get as close to those facilities as they could.
Kimberly Garrett stated it could decrease the parkland and there are other areas where a park
and parking lot are developed and required. Kimberly Garrett stated the parking is for the
parkland and you can't park on the street. She stated it could be shared parking with the
amenity center.
Approved 6-0-1(absent)
I Consideration and possible action to set date and time for 2019 Parks and Recreation
Advisory Board meetings - Kimberly Garrett, Parks and Recreation Director
Michael Simpson made a motion, second by Katherine Kainer to keep the date and time the
same; at the second Thursday of the month at 6 pm.
Approved 6-0-1(absent)
J Consideration and possible action to elect the Vice -Chair of the Parks and Recreation
Advisory Board - Kimberly Garrett, Parks and Recreation Director
Jim Hougnon made a motion, second by Danelle Houck to elect Scott Macmurdo as the Vice -
Chair of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board.
Approved 6-0-1(absent)
K Consideration and possible action to elect the Secretary of the Parks and Recreation
Advisory Board - Kimberly Garrett, Parks and Recreation Director
Michael Simpson made a motion, second by Larry Garnbone to elect Katherine Kainer as the
Secretary of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board.
Approved 6-0-1(absent)
L Discussion to set date and time for the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Annual
Parks Tour - Kimberly Garrett, Parks and Recreation Director
Motion made Katherine Kainer, second by Larry Garnbone for the Parks and Recreation
Advisory Board Annual Parks Tour be scheduled for Tuesday, April 301" at 3:30 pm.
Approve 6-0-1(absent)
M Consideration and possible action to approve minutes from the February 14, 2019
meeting - Jill Kellum, Administrative Supervisor
Michael Simpson made a motion, second by Scott Macmurdo to approve the minutes from
the February 14, 2019 meeting.
Approved 6-0-1(absent)
Adjournment
Adjourn - Jim Hougnon, Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Chair
Motion made by Katherine Kainer, second by Larry Gambone to adjourn the meeting.
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Katherine Kainer, Secretary
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Jill J 4 lum, Board Liaison