HomeMy WebLinkAboutParks Commission minutes - 06-11-14.docx
Yakima Parks and Recreation Commission
Meeting Minutes for
June 11, 2014
Commissioners Present: Vice-Chairman Sam Karr, Mike Nixon, Jo Miles, and Morgan Pualani Absent and
Excused: Chair Rod Bryant, Parks Commissioners Tom Hinman, Paul Williams, and Maureen Adkison,
Yakima City Council Liaison
Staff present: Ken Wilkinson, Parks & Recreation Manager, Scott Schafer, Director of Public Works and
Jenise Sanders, Administrative Secretary for Parks & Recreation.
Call to Order. Welcoming everyone in the audience and viewers watching on YPAC, Vice-Chairman Sam
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Karr 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 April 9, 2014 It was Moved by Mike Nixon, Seconded by Jo
Miles, to approve the Minutes as written from the April 9, 2014 Parks and Recreation Commission
Meeting. The motion carried unanimously.
Yakima National Little League 2013 Annual Report
Sam Karr stated that the YNLL annual report was on the agenda for the April Parks and Recreation
meeting and hoped that they would be present tonight. Ken advised that they were not present to give the
annual report but will request that they be present at the next meeting on July 9, 2014.
Randall Park Improvement Committee Update
Ken Wilkinson updated the committee on the status of the Randall Park improvements. He reminded the
committee of the $50,000 donation received in September. He stated the bridges were previously removed
and that discussions had begun back in 2010 on ways to improve the park, but had to be tabled due to the
economy. Once we received the $50,000 donation, Ken said a committee was formed which included
Jenise Sanders, himself, Randy Murphy, Scott Schafer, Bill Huibregtse, Mary Place, Sam Karr, Dana
Kallevig, Ryan Anderson and Katrina Strathmann to come up with some ideas to improve Randall Park.
Ken advised that the committee started to meet once a month not long after the first donation, Parks and
Recreation received a second donation from an anonymous donor in the amount of $100,000. Ken stated
that Parks has received grant money from the state in the past and advised through RCO (Recreation
Conservation Office) we can ask for up to $500,000 for park development and reconditioning. To receive
the RCO grant you have to have dollar for dollar match. Ken advised that the second donation we received
included a challenge to the community to match it dollar for dollar. Ken did not know the exact amount that
has been raised, but we did receive $2,000 the first day and are averaging $1,000 a day. After one of the
improvement committee meetings, most of the committee members took part in an on-site walk-thru at the
park to identify what types of things need repaired or replaced. Some of the items that were identified were
the restrooms, the walkways and basketball court. Jenise took notes on what types of things were
identified and photos were taken. Ken said that James Davis, a recent WSU graduate in landscape
architecture, is also a member of the committee and has done some design renderings. Some of the ideas
on the drawing may not be possible or may change during the process. Ken stated that changes will be
made due to finances also, for instance, the new restrooms are approximately $100,000 each so after
water and sewer lines we are at $250,000. He stated the restrooms are the sturdy, vandal resistant ones
similar to those at Elks and Kiwanis. Ken advised that since the $100,000 donation included the match
challenge, he has enlisted the help of Lisa Johns to create a brochure to help with fundraising. Yakima
Valley Community Foundation has agreed to receive the money and place it in an account that will then be
given it to the city and that can be used as match for the RCO grant. Ken has put a call out to the service
clubs to find out if they would like to partner with us again on the Randall Park project. Ken stated there
will be Parks Capital set aside for this project in 2015, 2016 and 2017. He stated if the grant is approved
we are planning to start construction in spring 2015 and the goal is to finish in June 2017. Ken advised that
Scott Schafer, Director of Public Works has agreed to let the Streets Department assist with labor on the
parking lots and walkways. Park Maintenance will be doing some of the irrigation relocates and prep work.
Labor and materials from the in-kind work, up to $90,000, can be used as match on the grant. Ken
advised Stormwater has promised $50,000 to help with some of their needs, but not sure exactly what that
will be used for. Ken stated that a power point presentation has been created to give to the RCO grant
committee. Jenise has presented it once already to the review panel and they have given their
suggestions on ways to improve the presentation. Ken advised that those changes have not been made
yet, but he will show the presentation as if he were presenting it to the review board. The presentation is 12
minutes and will be followed by 8 minutes of questions. Ken stated that the review committee is a panel of
his peers, other Park Directors, Managers, etc. from throughout the state. Ken presented the power point
slide show. Discussion followed. Ken introduced Katrina Strathmann from Mid-Columbia Fisheries
Enhancement Group. She advised they are a non-profit community based organization that work with
private land owners and community groups to restore fish habitat. They will be developing a demonstration
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project, a riparian buffer zone along Wide Hollow Creek on the 48 Ave. side of the park. This will help
educate the public about the value of the riparian buffer along urban streams and how they can support
healthy fish habitat. They are funded by a grant from the Department of Ecology. The work that will be
done will provide match for the RCO grant. They are planning to start the project in the spring of 2015.
Discussion followed. Ken opened the floor for anyone in the audience that would like to speak regarding
Randall Park. Bill Jacobs advised he has lived in the neighborhood for 27 years spoke about the project
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and asked about the access to the park. He requested to put in sidewalks and bike lanes along 44 and
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48 Aves. Discussion followed. Ken responded that sidewalks can’t be funded by the RCO grant but they
will fund a walkway. Ken stated that the walkway has been discussed and may be part of Phase 2. Judy
Fulkerson, 4708 Carol Ave., spoke regarding the stray cats and the many other animals that live within the
park. She request that the animals be addressed before construction begins. Ken reassured her that
someone will be hired to remove and relocate the animals. Barbara Altera stated she owns the property to
the north of the pond and requested that the nesting area for the wildlife not be disturbed. Ken advised that
he will take this request back to the committee and the trail will most likely not go all the way around the
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pond. Mary Faucher stated she lives at 1411 S. 44 Ave and would like to address the leaf problem,
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security issues and would like someone to trim the tree along 44 Ave. She requested that the parks close
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at dusk. Ken advised that there will be a fence along the 44 Ave. side that will end the leaf problem. Ray
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Faucher asked about putting a gravel parking area along 44 Ave. Ken stated he will look into that but
does not think that we are allowed to install gravel parking. Mary requested nice new entrance signs. Ken
addressed the security issues brought up by Mary. He stated that curbs are very high and the police are
not able to drive through the park, which enables the bad things to go undetected. Ken advised that we are
working on a solution to widen the pathway so that the police can better patrol the park. Discussion
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followed regarding closed signs for the park. Mark Briggs, 1417 S. 44 Ave., discussed the playground
equipment, security and rain gardens. He requested that the restrooms and shelter have a rustic design.
Ken advised that will be taken into consideration.
Chesterley Park Turf Issues Update
Ken informed the commission members about the News article that aired regarding the condition of the
soccer fields at Chesterley Park. He advised there were five 8” mainline breaks and an issue with the
pump earlier this spring so the park did not receive as much water as it needed. He stated issues have
been fixed and the maintenance crew has applied $3,500 worth of fertilizer on the fields. The Yak Attack
tournament that is held every year that hosts over 2,000 soccer players really damages the grass also.
Ken stated we have been criticized for the condition of the park and we are working on it. He said he had
even thought about canceling the tournament but it brings so many people to town. Ken reminded the
commission that Chesterley Park was built on top of 2 inches of Mt. St. Helen’s ash, which makes it difficult
to even grow grass or keep water on the turf, as it goes right through the ash. He stated we have closed 2
of the fields but that just puts more pressure on the other 4 fields. This just goes to show how high the
demand for soccer is in this community. He advised we are looking at possibly putting a field at West
Valley Park and encouraged them to keep an eye out for anyone wanting to donate land for a soccer
complex.
Sportsites Online Program and Facility Reservation Program Update
Ken stated there is a report in their packet that shows the numbers for the Sportsites online registration
program. Heidi Tollackson and Mary Mendoza put together this report that shows the numbers for the
online registration of the programs and park registrations. It also compares the numbers to those when the
online service was not available. Ken discussed that the convenience of registration online has increase
our numbers greatly. Some of the adult league programs are not set up for online registration yet, but they
are working on it. Discussion followed.
City Charter Change - $750,000 for Parks Capital Projects Discussion – Jo Miles
Ken stated that Jo Miles brought this item to the commission. Jo stated that he asked to have the
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discussion on the proposed charter amendment because on June 3 the City Council agreed to get more
citizen input before going forward with the aquatic center and this give a chance for Park Commission to be
of assistance with that. He stated that on April 9, 2014 City Council proposed a charter amendment that
would transfer $750,000 per year out of the General Fund and into Parks Capital construction fund. He
stated that raised questions about where that money is coming from and how can that much money be
available. Jo went over the handout that has been provided in their packet. Sam discussed the fact that
even though there is money for construction of new facilities sometimes the maintenance costs are
overlooked. Mike Nixon stated that he is concerned about the issue of closing the pool without
replacement. He also is concerned about a voter approved bond due to history. Discussion followed.
There was a discussion about the difference between a Metropolitan Park District and a Public Facility
District. Jo suggested that the discussion regarding the $750,000 charter change continue at the July Park
Commission meeting as this will give the commissioners time to review and the opportunity to be present in
case they have some questions. Scott Schafer advised that the $750,000 represents 3/10 of a percent tax
of the city’s budget. He stated that if there is no commitment, they can always be cut and Parks is one of
the first things to be cut. If it is in the charter, then it can’t be cut. Jo stated that he agrees that parks need
those funds but the concern is the fact that it creates a deficit and then other areas of the park may be cut.
Scott stated that if the capital replacement is neglected, it will have to be replaced in the future at a greater
cost. Jo stated he is also concerned about the proposal being piggybacked with a new aquatic facility.
Ken stated this will be continued on the July agenda as long as City Council has not made any further
decisions. Sam advised this will be tabled until July along with the Yakima National Little League report.
Manager’s Report
Ken stated that in their packet is a Summer Program guide that highlights Randall Park and the summer
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concerts and movies. Franklin Pool is open as of Friday, June 6. Mike asked about the shut down at
Lions Pool. Ken advised that we will be shutting down in August and since we will be painting, it will be a 3
week shutdown.
For the Good of the Order
Sam stated that he understands we are getting some score booths built at Kiwanis. Ken confirmed that
funds were donated for that purpose and those should be built soon. Sam also asked about a donation for
field prep equipment. Ken also confirmed that the donation was made through the Softball Association for a
field groomer for the infield area. Sam inquired about the cost. Ken stated they are about $10,000. Sam
asked about the netting project. Ken stated that from what he understands Parker Youth and Sports have
the funds, but did not want to pay for labor. Sam asked about the money that was donated for the field
equipment and why it could not have been used for netting. Ken stated it was donated for the field
groomer so that is what we had to spend the funds on. Sam asked where we are with the Fisher Park Golf
Course parking lot. Ken advised it is still on the back burner. Sam discussed the vacancies on the Park
Commission, one youth and one adult. Ken advised that we have a name of the youth commissioner but
have not been able to contact them. Ken put the call out for the opening of the adult park commissioner.
Adjournment
The next Parks and Recreation Commission meeting will be July 9, 2014. The meeting adjourned at 7:25
p.m.