Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes_PAREB_03.13.2003Minutes of the Meeting of the Parks and Recreation Board City of Georgetown, Texas Thursday, March 13, 2003 The Parks and Recreation Board of the City of Georgetown, Texas, met on Thursday , March 13, 2003. Members Present: Doug Blackard, Jean Houck, Lilya Crystal, Mark Ramsey, Mike Watson, Mitchell Knauth, Phil Davis, Ron Doernbach Members Absent: Jeff Gambino Staff Present: Randy Morrow Kimberly Garrett Others Present: Barbara Pearce Marge Tripp Amy Basey Patrick Graham Minutes Regular Meeting 1. Ca11 to Order The meeting was called to order by Jean Houck at 7:00 pm. 2. Roll Call 3. Welcome new members Jean Houck welcomed the new members to the board. Board members introduced themselves and told about their interests. 4. Elect Co -Chair Doug Blackard nominated Mark Ramsey as Co -Chair of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. The board unanimously approved the nomination. Mark accepted the position. 5. Elect Secretary Mitch Knauth nominated Doug Blackard as Secretary of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. The board unanimously approved the nomination. Doug accepted the position. 6. Discussion and action on appointing 2-3 board members to attend a workshop for the youth of Georgetown - Barbara Pearce Barbara Pearce, Executive Director of The Georgetown Project, spoke to the board regarding two upcoming workshops on March 22nd and March 29th. The workshops are hosted by the Youth Action Council of The Georgetown Project and involve students and adults from the community. The object of these workshops is to find a safe place for young people to go and have fun and practice leadership skills. Barbara is asking for volunteers from the Board who would be interested in participating. The workshops allow the youth to have a process to voice their ideas. Ron asked how the students were selected? Barbara said the Youth Action Council selected the students. Ron asked about getting a diverse group of kids to fill out the survey, especially the Spanish-speaking students. Mitch volunteered to have his wife translate the survey into Spanish. Board members who are interested in participating should let Barbara know by March 19th. 7. Discussion on future development of parkland at Heritage Gardens and project update - Amy Basey & Marge Tripp Marge Tripp with the Williamson County and Cities Health District gave the new board members some background information on how the gardens came about. The WCCHD conducted a survey and the results of this survey indicated that Williamson County residents were overweight and did not exercise. The community garden idea was then established as a way to get people to eat better and also get some exercise while gardening. The WCCHD partnered with the City of Georgetown and established Heritage Gardens. Amy Basey spoke to the board about the Heritage Garden and the progress it has made since October 2002. There have been a lot of volunteers helping clear the land and the United Way helped purchase supplies to get the gardens started. Texas Crushed Stone donated crushed limestone for the walkways and educational area. There has also been a memorial fruit tree orchard established. The United Way helped to purchase the trees, and they can be adopted for $30 each. A small plaque will be installed next to the tree. The WCCHD has had many workdays to build out the beds. Also the Heritage Garden has been promoted through flyers, brochures, websites and the newspaper. To date there are 39 garden plots and 37 have been adopted. Phil asked who the families are that adopted the plots? Amy said there are a wide variety of people with a wide variety of experiences using the garden. Some of the items being grown are tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, lettuce, greens, and herbs. 90% of the garden must be fruits, vegetables, and herbs. There is no charge to rent the plots, but 10% of harvest must be donated. Future plans for Heritage Gardens include an educational center, children's garden with a water garden, and nature exploration area with trails. There is a sign that is going to be installed at the entrance to the gardens on Hutto Road. The board will be invited to the sign unveiling when construction on Hutto Road is complete. In five years, Marge sees the garden growing and what is really unique about this land was that it was once used to feed people years ago and is now feeding people again. 8. Discussion on parkland dedication for New America Development - Steger & Bizzell Patrick Graham with New America Ltd. spoke to the board regarding a development on 328 acres that was purchased about 5 years ago. The property is located across from Churchill Farms on Hwy 29. The plans for the site include commercial, multi family, residential. The development is just in the schematic design phase. Planned in the development are 492 multi family units and 224 single family units. About 15 acres of dedicated parkland is required. The proposed property is adjacent to the Smith Branch and has some cliffs. Doug said he is concerned with ADA compliance and the cliffs. The parkland dedication ordinance has guidelines, which will have to be followed in regards to slope of the property. Phil asked about the road system and how it is developed. Phil said the board prefers centralized land so everyone can get to it. Mr. Graham said the land would be centrally located when all the land is developed. The land is next to Southwestern University. Mark asked about the apartments. They will be low to moderate income and average rent would be $900. The developer and engineer will be back with more details at a later meeting. 9. Discussion on Parks and Recreation Board By-laws Jean discussed the by-laws pointing out meeting dates, members, and absenteeism, 10. Approve Minutes from February 13, 2003 Phil Davis made a motion to approve the minutes from February 13, 2003. Doug Blackard seconded the motion and it passed by unanimous vote. 11. Future Agenda Items Discussion on bike lanes on DB Wood Road Private Venture Policy Grants 12. Adjourn Phil made a motion to adjourn Adjournment