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HomeMy WebLinkAboutParks Commission minutes - 04-09-14.docx Yakima Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes for April 9, 2014 Commissioners Present: Chair Rod Bryant, Vice-Chairman Sam Karr, Mike Nixon, Tom Hinman, Jo Miles, Paul Williams and Maureen Adkison, Yakima City Council Liaison. Absent and Excused: Parks Commissioners Morgan Pualani and Jim Williams. Staff present: Ken Wilkinson, Parks & Recreation Manager and Jenise Sanders, Administrative Secretary for Parks & Recreation. Call to Order. Welcoming everyone in the audience and viewers watching on YPAC, Chairman Rod nd Bryant called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall in the Council Chambers, 129 North 2 Street, Yakima, Washington. Approval of the Meeting Minutes for February 12, 2014. It was Moved by Maureen Adkison, Seconded by Sam Karr, to approve the Minutes as written from the February 12, 2014 Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting. The motion carried unanimously. Yakima National Little League 2013 Annual Report Ken Wilkinson advised that there will not be a report from Yakima National Little League. The league is run by volunteers and they have not had the time to complete the report. Ken stated the report has been delayed until the June Park Commission meeting since there will not be a May meeting. Everyone agreed th to delay the report to June 11. Randall Park Improvement Committee Update Ken Wilkinson updated the committee on the status of the Randall Park improvements. He reminded them of the $50,000 donation that Parks and Recreation received last September and advised them of a second anonymous donation of $100,000 received for Randall Park improvements. The second donation included a challenge to the community to match the $100,000 dollar for dollar. Ken stated we have begun work with the Yakima Valley Community Foundation to start putting together ways to go to the community to ask for those matching funds. We will be creating a brochure or pamphlet to hand to potential donors to inform them of the improvements we want to make to Randall Park. Ken stated he also spoke with Cindy Epperson, Director of Finance, and she stated there should be $100,000 of REET II funds available for Parks and Recreation in 2015. The grant that we are going for will be presented in 2014 but will not be funded until 2015. There will also be some Parks Capital that can be used for this project. This puts our match at about $400,000. There are also some commitments from the Streets Department to do some work on the walkways and parking lots. This should get us close to our match for the RCO grant in which we are asking for $500,000 and get our project to the million dollar mark. Ken advised that REET II is money received from the Real Estate Excise Tax. Discussion followed. Samina Engle from KIMA news has been following the story and there have been many comments posted, both positive and some not so positive. Maureen Adkison suggested that we use KIT to ask for contributions. Ken stated that we are not quite ready for that step, we are still working on the brochure and once that is finished we will have Randy Beehler send out the press release. Sam Karr commented about the park remaining a passive park. Ken stated the difference between a passive park and an active park which has established fields or structured activities. He said there is the disc golf at Randall but that seems to be more of an unstructured sport. Ken advised that the Randall Park Improvement committee had a site visit and identified components of the project. He said there is currently a broken water line to the restroom that will be repaired tomorrow. Ken stated this just another reason that the park is in need of repair. Sam commented on the erosion of the walkway along the hillside. Ken listed some of the repairs and replacements that are needed; restroom, bridge to the nature area, playground, shelter, and basketball court. Sam asked about whether it was septic or sewer. Ken advised that it is on sewer. Ken stated he has sent a letter to the service clubs to make them aware of the upcoming project and to keep it in mind when deciding what they will be helping with in the coming months. He said he has already received a call from West Valley Kiwanis and they would like to make a donation. Ken advised that James Davis, recent landscape architecture graduate, has been volunteering his time and provided a rendering of the proposed improvements. Ken stated that we have met with James and most of this has already being changed. Ken said Ryan Anderson from Stormwater has been helping out with the committee. Ken advised there should be some funds coming from Stormwater but not sure how much yet. We will be implementing rain gardens which allow for better runoff and are a way of handling stormwater. Ken advised of the observation area for feeding ducks and walkway possibilities. Ken stated Jenise has been working on the grant application and the presentation for that will be in August. Ken advised we have already met with grants people and they agree that this is a worthy project. Maureen asked about the presentation in August and who will be going. Ken advised that it will be just him and maybe one other person. It is not a process where you bring many people. Discussion followed. Rod Bryant asked about the design of the bridges. Ken stated that one of the bridges will be concrete and that we have received a donation of (2) 30 ft. I-beams that could be used to build a foot bridge at another location along the creek. The concrete bridge could be wide enough for the tractors to get across. Sam Karr commented on enhancing the entrance of the park. Ken stated that the old signs were wood and eventually rotted. Off Leash Dog Park Update Ken Wilkinson reminded the commissioner that Sonny Cooper approached them last fall about building an off leash dog park on the west side of Yakima. Traci Bennett, Recreation Supervisor, formed a committee including Tom Hinman and Sonny and some other members of the community. There were (3) proposed sites for the dog park, Kissel, Gilbert and South Randall Park. The committee was given the task of coming up with a list of pros and cons for each park. The next meeting will be next week. Jenise put together a grant proposal to Legends Casino to help for the cost of the fence. Mike Nixon stated that dogs already use that area. Maureen commented that Pitbull and other dangerous dogs would need to be excluded from the dog park. Ken stated that the Legal Department would need to be brought in and since this would be on city property whatever the ordinance is would carry over to the dog park. Discussion followed. Tom Hinman stated that of the (4) parks, West Valley was the fourth, that were proposed sites for the dog park; they keep coming back to South Randall Park. He said that Jeff Peters from the Planning Department has advised that since this is an enhancement to an existing park, the parking lot is not needed, can use the existing parking and can possibly build a path and a bridge across Wide Hollow Creek. Tom said there should not be any issue as long as we stay out of the flood plain, we don’t need to plant grass, and we can also build a shelter with a concrete pad. Discussion followed. Tom advised that the committee discussed building a 5 ft. fence instead of a 6 ft. fence which reduced the cost by about $4,000. There will also be a double entry or holding area. This is the area where the leash is put on or taken off. Tom stated that water is still being addressed. Discussion followed. Grant Applications Ken Wilkinson stated he already mentioned the Legends Casino grant application for the dog park fencing. Jenise, along with Bill Wells and Tami Andringa submitted a grant to Parker Youth & Sports Foundation to build netting at Gateway Sports Complex. The netting not only protects spectators from being hit by a ball but also provides a little bit of shade. Ken stated that they asked for some additional information and he believes that has been provided and thinks the next step would be to go before the board to answer any further questions. Ken advised there would be (8) nets total, one for each bleacher at the Gateway Complex. Ken stated that we were hoping to install them using our own staff but we just do not have the ability to do that. Ken stated the RCO grant will also be submitted in May. Ken advised that he was sent an application for a grant from Dr. Pepper / Snapple for recycling bins, we asked for 32 bins but unfortunately we did not receive that. Discussion followed. Manager’s Report Ken Wilkinson stated that Tami Andringa is working on a concert series at Miller Park. There will be (4) Sunday afternoon concerts to being at 4:00 pm. Maintenance is working on enhancing electricity and building a raised stage area using paving blocks. Ken stated he received a call from an organization looking for some volunteer opportunities, possibly attending an event and then staying to help clean up afterwards. Ken advised that we have many volunteers and service clubs that are very helpful and we are very thankful. Ken stated that in their packets they have the information that was shared with City Council yesterday morning regarding the capital projects possibilities. The indoor aquatics center is being discussed again. There are many definitions for aquatics center. This proposal is not a waterpark. This indoor aquatic center information includes an indoor pool, lazy river, zero depth entry, and play area. Jo Miles asked about a feasibility study in regards to expenses versus revenue. Maureen stated that the City Council discussed this and found the first step would be to identify who the partners would be. She stated they want to identify not only the partners but also what exactly would be constructed. She stated that we definitely need partners. Jo stated indoor facilities expenses far outweigh the revenue. Maureen stated that we are looking at more than one partner. Jo commented on the maintenance expense and capital expense. Maureen stated that they are looking at changing the charter. Discussion followed. Sam and Tom brought up the Fisher Park Golf Course being one of the potential sites for the aquatic center. Maureen stated she agreed that Fisher should be taken off the table as a potential site. Consultant groups in the past have stated that the site should be close to the freeway. Discussion followed. Sam stated that he has heard comments about more benches needed at Fisher Park Golf Course. Sam brought up the KXDD Loyal Listener day and how great the numbers are for that. Sam asked about the parking lot expansion. Ken advised the parking lot is still on hold at this point. Discussion followed. For the Good of the Order Sam Karr commented on the new P.A. system that was donated by GYSA. Ken stated they were donated and are for the new fields at Kiwanis. He reminded them that at the end of the Kiwanis project there was not enough money for the amount of project left. One of the things we were not able to get done was the P.A system. This is necessary for the Girls Fastpitch Softball Tournaments that are held at the fields. Sam asked about vandalism at the Kiwanis fields. Ken advised that sometimes the homeless think the score booths are a good place to sleep. Discussion followed. Discussion followed regarding the Chesterley Park broken main line. Adjournment The next Parks and Recreation Commission meeting will be June 11, 2014. The meeting adjourned at 6:35 p.m.