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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes_PAREB_04.10.2008Minutes of the Meeting of the Parks and Recreation Board City of Georgetown, Texas Thursday, April 10, 2008 The Parks and Recreation Board of the City of Georgetown, Texas, met on Thursday , April 10, 2008. Members Present: Barbara Owens; Bill Mateja, Bob Mathis, Kent Buikema , Robert Laemel, Shane Morris Members Absent: Mark Ramsey Staff Present: Randy Morrow, Kimberly Garrett, Glenn Moss, Jill Kellum Minutes Regular Meeting 1) Call to order: The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm. 2) Roll Call 3) Update and discussion on College Street Bridge Bill Dryden, transportation engineer for the City of Georgetown was introduced. Dryden showed a basic concept that the City Council approved for the bridge. The bridge is approximately 835 feet long with sidewalks on each side, pedestrian lighting that is consistent with the San Gabriel Park lighting and an overlook alcove centered on the river, one on each side of the bridge. Dryden stated there are a few concerns and issues. One being two large heritage pecan trees and the concept shows that the bridge runs between the two of them. The trees will be pruned under the supervision of the Urban Forester. The other issue is with the hike and bike trail which will be temporarily rerouted while the bridge is being constructed. Once the bridge is complete it will be moved back to its original position. Another concern is a heritage live oak tree in the roadway. He stated they tried to realign the road but there is approximately 6 — 8 feet of fill from the ground to where the roadway will be and this will kill the root system of the tree. This tree will have to be mitigated. He stated that the bid process should start in August. He stated a project this size should take approximately 1 year. He stated the construction plans are at 95%. In mid May, the architects turn in the final drawings to TXDOT and there will be 3 months of bid openings. Mateja asked about the financing for the bridge. Dryden said the money was not available for the engineering of the bridge. There is money available from the Federal Off System Bridge Replacement Program. This project is listed as a rehabilitation of the existing low water crossing bridge. Dryden explained that once the bridge is complete it will belong entirely to the City of Georgetown. There is money from TXDOT for the construction. There is additional money that will be needed for sidewalk cost which will be the responsibility of the City of Georgetown. The total project cost is approximately 5 million and the City of Georgetown's portion will be approximately 10 percent; $500,000. 4) Update on the Master Plan — Jim Carrillo Carrillo stated he would show different categories and different areas for recommendations for the master plan. They are broad and encompass a lot of different things, but they will provide a lot of focus for different objectives. He stated they have spoke to more than 30 individuals and groups, and conducted surveys. Next they will present information at a council workshop to get councils feedback and then they will open the discussions to the public. The public discussions will have significant presentations and will present this as an open house. They will have drawings on the wall and will have people answer questions and give the public a chance to comment on the ideas and give recommendations. On June the 9th there is a council workshop and at that time they will take a draft of the recommendation and possibly a draft of the document. The master plan will encompass 72 total park sites/63 city parks which equals 3,512 overall acres (including Lake Georgetown). At this rate it is 73 acres for every 1,000 residents. The city has 1,495 overall acres which included undeveloped parkland which equals 32 acres per 1,000 residents of the city. 756 acres developed city owned parks = 16 acres per 1,000 residents. Morrow asked what the NRPA standard was and Carrillo stated it was 10 acres per resident and stated that currently Georgetown is 3 times above that. The City of Georgetown's long range master plan predicts that the ultimate build out is 400,000 people for Georgetown. Carrillo explained that if nothing is done that number goes down considerably because by 2020 you will add a significant amount of residents to the city. Carrillo stated that every single person they spoke to mentioned that parks was a big reason why they were in Georgetown or moved to Georgetown. He stated that approximately 10 of those people were more recent residents of the city, within the last 3 years, and everyone of them said they toured San Gabriel Park and was in their decision making process for moving to Georgetown. Carrillo stated that says that parks are a very significant part of the picture of what Georgetown sells to its residents and therefore those standards and levels of service that are established need to continue. He explained that the standards and levels of service do require maintenance and therefore there needs to be a commitment going with that, that the level of service in terms of the operations side will continue. There are 11 areas of focus to discuss. These are short term and long term plans. 1. Expand Park System beyond Signature Parks 2. Renew emphasis on downtown parks and create stronger links to the San Gabriel River 3. Significantly expand trail system along the San Gabriel and other parts of the city 4. Strengthen Lake Georgetown as a key and more visible recreational asset 5. Begin to develop the San Gabriel Park of the next 100 years, including a music and festival venue in the park 6. Adopt a new model for parks in neighborhoods 7. Develop a large park for the Northwest Quadrant 8. Permanently preserve remaining greenbelt corridors 9. Expand recreation and aquatic program offerings. Expand facilities west of IH 35 10. Develop new rodeo / showbarn facility in conjunction with Williamson County 11. Long term, explore redevelopment of quarry sites as parks • Expand Park System beyond Signature Parks — Carrillo stated that everyone consistently mentioned San Gabriel Park and almost no one mentioned any other park and everyone mentioned the trails, but beyond that no other parks were mentioned other than some of the pools were inadequate. So the thought is to think of parks with the same level of quality as San Gabriel Park in other parts of the city. The first one will be Garey Park which will be one of the Signature Parks. Carrillo stated that there was some opportunity around Geneva Park. The soccer fields and a green belt corridor could be taken to a higher level. than a traditional linear park and a make that into a Signature Park as well. • Renew emphasis on downtown parks and create stronger links to the San Gabriel River — Carrillo stated he spoke to the downtown area from the business side, the Chamber of Commerce, and Economic Development. The downtown area recommended a festival street along 8th Street. Carrillo stated that there is a great opportunity to make the downtown area stronger and more viable with some linkages and other features that could be built in. He also stated the overlook area along Scenic Drive is priceless due to the beautiful views over the bluffs toward the river. He stated over time some strategy for developing -a promenade or paseo along the upper area which would be a spin off for economic development. This could tie into Chautauqua Park and making that a focal point of that area. He showed on the slide how the trees planted along the street would be the connections to the downtown area. • Significantly expand trail system along the San Gabriel and other parts of the city — Carrillo showed a slide of the rivers and the 100 year flood plain. He explained that this is a standard for preserving a flood plain area for flood water corridors. He states that these are the areas where it should start from. He showed how all the fingers of the river lead to all parts of the city. He stated that is the basis for a greenway system. He stated the City of Georgetown has a trail ratio of 1 mile per every 5,800 residents. He stated that an average level of service for trails in Texas is about 1 mile per 5,000 residents. He stated that the trails are one of the Signature elements that will set Georgetown apart. Part of this is looking long term where new development will occur. He stated that the trails deal with beautification of the city where landscaping could be added and making some roads more attractive. • Strengthen Lake Georgetown as a key and more visible recreational asset — He explained that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has its mission which is to provide the facilities, provide flood control, provide storage of water, and also have a strong preservation effort. It is dealing with endangered species. The lake sees its mission as to preserve a lot of these areas and in some cases allow some trail access through them but not to over develop. He stated that restaurants around the lake would add some recreational dimension to the lake. He questions if there are some abilities to do some of these things and how can we work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to make it happen. • Begin to develop the San Gabriel Park of the next 100 years, including a music and festival venue in the park — Carrillo stated what kind of uses stay in the park and what moves out of the park. Carrillo showed the football stadium and how it can be configured to serve as a venue for events as well as events like the Food Festival. After speaking with The Williamson County Sherriff Posse they feel that because of the historic aspects of the rodeo and the farming origins of Georgetown, that there is an historical tie to the rodeo being in the city. They perceive the City of Georgetown as a much more willing to work with than Williamson County is. • Adopt a new model for parks in neighborhoods — Carrillo explained again that the smaller parks were not being mentioned when various people were being interviewed. He explained the new urbanism, which is described as the traditional neighborhoods in the 1930's and 1940's. The issue with this is that it does cost more to maintain those small parks. There is also a potential economic benefit because those neighborhoods become better places to live and people recognize that. Morrow stated that if there is a passive park located next to your house, it increases your property value by 20%. Carrillo explained that the Village neighborhood is a good attempt at what this new urbanism looks like. It shows that the streets are short and that the parks are in the center of the area of the neighborhood and all the streets lead to the parks. Everyone in the neighborhood has good access. Buikema asked how the City of Georgetown can control builders to build this type of neighborhood. Carrillo stated that with the city code this can be controlled. • • Develop a large park for the Northwest Quadrant - This was discussed earlier how somewhere along the lake could be an option. • Permanently preserve remaining greenbelt corridors — This was discussed earlier. • Develop new rodeo / showbarn facility in conjunction with Williamson County — The County is possibly looking at building a new showbarn in Taylor or somewhere in the county. Laemel asked if there was a timeline for the process. Carrillo explained that they are working on a council workshop in June. Revision will be made and then it will come back to the Parks Board for review and then to council for final approval. Morrow stated that City Council will be deciding to get a bond in November. Owens asked what will be something exciting that will get people to vote on a bond. Morrow stated that the south trail system, from Blue Hole to Wolf Ranch Mall, is going to be a big selling point for a bond. The Westside Park will also be a selling point. There will be a work session with council in May. 5) Consideration and possible action on Adult Baseball Field fees & revenue projections — Kent Buikema and William Mateja Glenn Moss, Recreation Superintendent for the City of Georgetown, was introduced to the board. Mateja stated that Moss did a very professional job preparing the presentation concerning the proposed fees for the Adult Baseball Field for the City Council which is scheduled for April 22nd. Moss stated that the current fees have not been altered or changed since prior to 1999. He stated they need to be updated since all the renovations have been made to the field, which includes new fencing, backstop, and the proposed improvements on the lighting. He feels the fees need to be more in line with what type of facility that is now presented to the public. He stated that the proposed increase in fees, are to recover the costs on the investment to the baseball field lighting and fencing projects. He explained the 2007 rentals and the fees that were collected were $11,530 and with the new proposed fees with the same rentals would be $21,890.00. He explained that in this area there are a limited amount of adult baseball fields that can be utilized for adult leagues. Moss stated that $60,000 was allocated for the backstop and fencing for .the field, and that portion of the renovation is completed. The lighting of the field is the next project. There were 12 bid proposals sent out and only two vendors showed up for the pre -bid meeting and the tour. Then two bids were submitted. One of the bids was not within the specification as outlined in the bid package so therefore only one bid proposal was in line with the bid specifications. This bid was submitted by Liteco Electric Incorporated. Their bid for a 6 pole lighting system installed was $116,730. In order to install the new system the old lights need to be removed. There is an alternate bid for the demolition and that bid was $13,450. Moss then explained that the City of Georgetown wants to save as much electricity as possible and when a rental requests light currently they will pay for the hours of lights they need but sometimes the lights are on longer than the renter initially paid. So with that, an alternate B was asked for in the bid process which is a wireless communication system which can be programmed to turn the lights off at a certain time. The wireless communication system was bid at $6,500. The total lighting system comes to $136,680. Moss stated that the demolition cost is an alternate and a separate bid could be obtained. Buikema stated that City Council has approved $160,000 for this project which shows the bids are below what City Council has approved. Buikema discussed that additional revenues could be generated by outfield advertising, concession stand, and additional rentals from use of the outfield for soccer and football. Buikema stated that with the total package with the revenues it looks like a 6 — 7 year turn around for the investment. Laemel asked if it was a multi purpose field. Moss stated that the field is not considered a multi purpose field, but in the fall there are football and soccer teams that need areas to practice that have lights. They will not be using the infield only the outfield for,the grassy area. Morrow stated that once the field lights are improved and with the renovation already in place more people will want to rent the field. Laemel made a motion to support the proposal that is presented by Recreation staff and Morris seconded the motion and it passed by unanimous vote. 6) Consideration and possible action of Dog Park amenities Mike Simpson could not be here for this discussion. 7) Consideration and possible action on implementing a curfew in neighborhood parks Morris stated that he brought this up again for discussion to see what options were available for neighborhoods that might want to have that discretion. He does not feel that a blanket curfew is needed at this time. He stated some neighborhood parks need a curfew where some may not. Garrett stated that PD would want an overall curfew not a specific curfew for each park. Buikema stated that the board should wait for the City of Georgetown to move on a direction with this and then the parks board might support it. Buikema does not feel the parks board should take the initiative. Morrow stated that the City Council has started discussing a city wide curfew. Garrett stated that the City of Round Rock has a youth curfew and a park curfew. Laemel asked if there was a teen advisory board. Garrett stated there is a Youth Advisory Board that is run through the Parks and Recreation department. Laemel stated that would be a good place to start for curfews. Garrett stated that with the teen center the Youth Advisory Board did have some input. Buikema stated there is no action to be taken at this time. 8) Update on Recreation Center Garrett gave a handout of the update on the recreation center from the City Manager. There was also a diagram of what the weight room would look like using existing equipment and new equipment. Garrett stated that the recreation center would be the big part of the park and recreation budget. Finance has been pulling together all the requests needed to get the recreation center started. The estimated amount of money to get it started is $964,000. Garrett explained that a lot of this is one-time money to buy the equipment. This figure also includes staff, ongoing operation, building maintenance, and utilities. Morrow stated that revenue will pick up also. Garrett stated that the pool will bring in $200,000 alone and Morrow stated that the center will bring in a half a million or more in revenue. Garrett stated that with programs that are offered through the Recreation Center there are not program losses. Any program run, we charge for and cover all the costs and try to recoup some of the overhead to help pay for the utilities and staff in paying back the bond. Garrett stated they are still on track for a December expansion completion and then for March for the renovation. Garrett stated that once it is safe to walk around at the site, they will tour the site with the Parks Board. 9) Update on the Skate Park Morrow stated this is behind schedule because of finishing the Berry Creek Park and the walk across bridge. They will start on the skate park after this is complete. Morrow stated they spoke to American Ranch Systems at a state conference about the skate parks that can work with the design of the batting cages. Morrow stated that their product is portable but made out of concrete. Garrett stated they were excited about the batting cage bowl and they thought it would work great. Garrett stated that this company stated if they were sent digital pictures and the dimensions they could create something that will work. Garrett stated there is some excitement about it in the community. Mateja asked about the expected completion. Morrow stated it would be June or July. Buikema asked ifthere was a budget for this. Garrett explained there was a $50,000 budget that was approved in council last year and $15,000 was used purchasing the batting cages. Garrett explained that the concrete is already in place, there are lights, fence, restrooms, and a concession stand. Morrow stated they will ask a local business if they are interested in doing the concession stand. 10) Approve minutes from March 13, 2008 meeting Morris made a motion to approve the minutes and Mateja seconded the motion and it passed by unanimous vote. 11) Future agenda items 12) Adjourn Mateja made a motion to adjourn. The meeting adjourned at 9:00 pm. Approvedc / Attest: Kent Buikema, Chair Parks and Recreation Board Recreation iiarbara O ens,.Secretary Parks &