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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMin - Parks and Recreation Board - 1996 - 10/14 - Regularf1, MINUTES PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD REGULAR CALLED MEETING OCTOBER 14, 1996 - 7 P.M. MEMBERS PRESENT Jim Waldbauer, Chairman Mike Rippe, Secretary Mark Stout Cheri Jones Anne Campbell Kevin Pierce MEMBERS ABSENT Dan Turner, Vice -Chairman GUESTS PRESENT Kenneth Fulk, Planning and Zoning Commission Pamela Smith, Planning and Zoning Commission STAFF PRESENT Rhoda L. Savage, Director of Parks and Recreation Tim Deader, Parks Superintendent Larry Kirk, Program Coordinator Sandy McGowan, Special Activities Coordinator Sue Witkowski, Secretary DINNER AND WORKSHOP I. CALL TO ORDER E The meeting was called to order at 7 p.m., by Chairman, Jim Waldbauer PAGE 2 PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD MEETING OCTOBER 14, 1996 II. CITIZENS COMMENTS There were no citizens present wishing to speak to the Board. III. INTRODUCE PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD MEMBERS Parks and Recreation Board members along with City of Allen Parks and Recreation Department staff introduced themselves and welcomed the Planning and Zoning Commission representatives to the workshop. IV. INTRODUCE PLANNING AND ZONING MEMBERS PRESENT Mr Kenneth Fulk, Chairperson for the City of Allen Planning and Zoning Commission introduced himself to the Board and thanked them for the opportunity to join their efforts. Pamela Smith, Commissioner with the Planning and Zoning also introduced herself the Parks Board and expressed her desire to further open the communication lines regarding the Parks and Recreation Board's involvement in planning issues coming before their Commission. V. DESCRIBE PURPOSE OF MEETING Jim Waldbauer gave a brief overview of the background regarding the Parks and Recreation Board inviting other Boards and Commissions to join them for an evening of workshop and exploring avenues of communication. Rhoda Savage presented an outline for the workshop regarding coordination of planning efforts for the City of Allen. The outline contained the following proposed topics for discussion. 1) Review Information Contained in the Park Planning Documents 2) Distribute Copies of the Drat Park Acquisition Policy 3) Describe Planning and Zoning Commissions Responsibilities Regarding Park Planning 4) Brainstorming Session Regarding Methodology for Securing Parkland and Partnering with the Planning and Zoning Commission Rhoda briefly reviewed that during the last Parks and Recreation Board meeting, �d copies of the Comprehensive Plan, Land Acquisition Policy, as well as the it Subdivision Ordinance (with the Park Dedication Ordinance included as part of that PAGE 3 PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD MEETING OCTOBER 14, 1996 document). The Linear Greenbelt Study document was made available in the Department office for review at any time should it be desired. Rhoda will be working on consolidation of these documents into one planning instrument, and provide copies of that instrument to all members of the Planning and Zoning Commissioners, City staff would be interested in what the park requirements, definition of park types, locations, etc. Rhoda began her presentation by talking about the Comprehensive Plan content, and provided the Board and Commission members with a Comprehensive Plan Contents Summary that outlined 1) Inventory of Parks, 2) List of Areas to be Dedicated as per Zoning, 3) Citizen Survey Results, 4) Goals and Policies, 5) Park and Open Space Plan, and 6) Standards and Criteria. Rhoda explained that the Comprehensive Plan is adopted by City Ordinance which makes it the law that governs developing property in Allen. Rhoda also provided the Board and Commission members with a list of Highlights of the Linear Greenbelt Park Study She encouraged any one interested in preservation of the Greenbelt areas in Allen to come by her office and take a look at the Greenbelt Linear Park Policy Some of the issues highlighted for emphasis were the 1) Land Use Planning and Management System, 2) Stream Corridor Alternatives, 3) Evaluation of the Alternatives, 4) Recommendations and Design Standards, and Implementation Strategy Rhoda indicated that in the past these items had been referred to as a "Study", and she will be attempting to solidify that information. The Land Acquisition Policy for Parks, Recreation and Open Space Outline, those items outlined are as follows: 1) Resolution, 2) Goals, 3) Definition of Parks, 4) Implememntation, 5) Methods of Land Acquisition, 6) Neighborhood Park Districts, 7) Planning Districts, and 8) Community Park Districts. She pointed out that some of the issues outlined were repeated in other documents, and that one of her goals would be to consolidate that information into a final document. Rhoda provided an Outline of the Requirements in the Mandatory Park Dedication Ordinance. Rhoda indicated that it is an ordinance whereby a developer is required to dedicate parkland or money in lieu of land to help secure neighborhood parks for our community The Park Dedication Ordinance is included as an attachement to the Subdivision Ordinance. It is designed to protect the welfare of the community by imposing upon a developer requirements for providing those parks. Developers are required to pay $130 per single family unit and $110 per multi- family dwelling. Land requirements are one acre of parkland per 145 dwelling units. PAGE 4 PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD MEETING OCTOBER 14, 1996 Rhoda referred the Board and Commission members to theland Acqusition Policy Revised Proposed Outline: 1) Resolution, 2) Purpose, 3) Definition of Parks, 4) and Method for Parkland Acquisition. The parks will be broken down into Linear Greenbelts, Regional Parks, Community Parks and Neighborhood Parks. Rhoda indicated that her goal would be to describe what the park type is, define the goal, location, how developed, maintained, and what the developer needs to do to dedicate this land to the City Rhoda indicated she is very interested in input from Planning and Zoning Commissioners regarding developer requirements, and would welcome any suggestions they would like to make. Rhoda indicated that the $130 fee needs to be increased, and that other cities were charging more. She assured the Board that this was not a anti -development move, but rather a move to recoup costs associated with parks that people desire. It secures the land as well as helps the City with development costs. VI. OPEN DISCUSSION REGARDING JOINT PLANNING Chairman Jim Waldbauer invited the Planning and Zoning Commission members in provide input regarding their role in securing parkland from developers as they move through the process. Kenneth Fulk reviewed briefly that through our form of "home rule government", the State of Texas gives each City the authority to choose their zoning. Not all choose to adopt zoning issues - Houston being an example of a City who had no zoning regulations until a few years ago. Mr. Folk indicated that the two main things Planning and Zoning Commission is generally responsible for is the Subdivision Ordinance and the Zoning Ordinance. The Zoning Ordinance is guided a great deal by the Comprehensive Plan, and the Comprehensive Plan in turn refers to the Greenbelt Linear Park Study Ken indicated that anyone not familiar with the Linear Greenbelt Park Study would find it worth their time to investigate the very specific information about various parks in Allen contained therein. Ken reported that the Zoning Ordinance sets out and describes different kinds of land uses. For the most part, Allen has no heavy or medium industrial zoning. Essentially, there is light industrial zoning down to various types of residential zoning. Among many other things, this document deals with set -backs, types of finishes, structure size and type. Zoning is what impacts the value of land, and PAGE 5 PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD MEETING OCTOBER 14, 1996 thus it is a very critical document, and allows Straight Zoning and Planned Development Zoning. Pamela Smith indicated that often in Straight Zoning cases the park dedication on small tracts would have been so minimal that the City would have taken the money, then when the R5 developed, again money would have been taken. Different people could come in for development on different tracts, and the opportunity would not have arisen to take the land with each being such a small Straight Zoning request. Pamela Smith questioned Rhoda above the Bedell property, and Rhoda indicated that the hike and bike trail would hopefully be parallel to the road trail, and not so much in the floodplain area. Rhoda indicated that it was a short jog across the land and that it would work for the Parks and Recreation Department in that area. Rhoda indicated that by making reference to the Linear Greenbelt Park Study where it deals with the cross section of the creek, how development can occur adjacent to those creeks, and how those trails fit in that we'll look at those standards as what is required. Hopefully this will allow the City to do a better job a in creating a buffer and enough room to put those trails in. Often development is allowed to come too close to the creek and there is not enough room to do an acceptable job of putting in the trails. Rhoda indicated that she felt strongly about changes to development guidelines and as she worked through the process, that the Parks and Recreation Board would believe and support these changes. She invited input from Mr Fulk and Ms. Smith regarding how best to present these proposals to the Planning and Zoning Commission. Mr. Fulk suggested that by maintaining the lines of communication among the Parks and Recreation Department, Planning and Zoning Commission, Parks and Recreation Board as well as the Community Development Department, he felt the changes could be changed more efficiently Rhoda indicated that she would probably be requesting (through Bill Petty) Tom Keener's assistance in putting together the final draft of her recommended changes to policy She indicated that Mr. Keener was pretty much in touch with the direction Parks and Recreation is wanting to go with the revisions, and may therefore be of help in putting the documents in the proper format to be presented. Following a brief discussion regarding the development of the trail system in Shadow Ickes, Rhoda indicated that her document would contain very clear guidelines regarding the removal of debris, and clean up of a developed area. Right now the way areas are developed, it does not meet that kind of standard. �+ PAGE 6 PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD MEETING OCTOBER 14, 1996 Those standards are not developed as policy, but as a study and often times, people take advantage of the fact that it is a study Following a brief discussion on the process involved in staff review of proposed new developments in Allen, the timing of those reviews, as well as the meetings involved. Pamela Smith indicated that she felt a strong need for the Parks and Recreation Board to be given the opportunity to be involved in issues that effect the Parks and Recreation Department. She also indicated that it the Parks and Recreation Board as a whole, or individually would be welcome at any of the Planning and Zoning Commission meetings. Jim Waldbauer indicated that possibly some guidelines needed to be established as to when the Parks and Recreation Board needs to become involved in development and zoning issues. Kenneth Falk indicated that once the Community Development Department receives a request for some initiation on a piece of property that impacts parkland, either as it is shown in the comprehensive plan or it is a large development (PD), that information could be forwarded to the Parks and Recreation Department. He also indicated that often at the end of the Planning and Zoning Regular meetings, a moment is taken to discuss the anticipated agenda for the next meeting, and that a "tentative agenda" might be developed thereafter and forwarded to other City members at that time. That would allow two weeks notice as to anticipated issues coming before the commission. REGULAR MEETING VII. APPROVE MINUTES FROM SEPTEMBER 9, 1996, REGULAR CALLED MEETING MOTION: Mark Stout moved to accept the Minutes as presented and Mike Rippe seconded. The Motion carried 6 for, 0 against. VIII. CONSIDER CHANGING HOURS OF OPERATIONS FOR RECREATION CENTER Sandy McGowan, Special Activities Coordinator presented background data to the Board regarding the proposed change of hours for the Recreation Center Operations. Currently, the hours of operation are as follows: Monday .. 6 am - 10 pm PAGE 7 PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD MEETING OCTOBER 14, 1996 Tuesday .. 12 noon - 10 pm Wednesday 6 am - 10 pm Thursday 12 noon - 10 pm Friday 6 am - 10 pm Saturday .. .. 10 am - 6 pm Sunday 1 pm - 6 pm Sandy and her staff at the Recreation Center are recommending the hours be changed to the following: Monday - Friday .. 10 am to 9 pm Saturday .. 10 am - 6 pm Sunday .. I pm - 6 pm These hours would need to be revised for the summer months, when the kids are out of school and therefore higher attendance will be anticipated. Jim Waldbauer questioned whether the total number of hours for staffing - would it be decreased. Rhoda indicated that currently staff could cover 96.5 hours a week of the facility being open. The old hours of operation would have the center open 79 hours a week. The new hours of operation will have the facility open 68 hours a week. That will allow Sandy to perform other duties other than be at the counter. That will help facilitate vacation schedules better, offer more time for Sandy and staff to do programing duties, as well as Senior Citizens Center activities. Jim Waldbauer indicated that while he agreed that the light traffic pattern during the weekday mornings would indicate shorter hours, he had also heard requests for the Center to remain open longer on Saturday and Sunday when the residents were home and free from work. Rhoda indicated that the recommended hours were intended to free up staff such as the Recreation Center Supervisor and the Special Activities Coordinator to perform assignments other than operating the counter. Rhoda indicated that she felt these staff members needed more flexibility in their daily operations. Sandy indicated that Saturday Night Live programming will begin in January. 1997 These proposed hours will support this program through the winter months, and the Saturday Night Live program will not continue during the summer months and the Center will again be available for rentals, or other programming. PAGE 8 PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD MEETING OCTOBER 14, 1996 Mike Rippe recommended that while he support the recommendation of staff, he also encouraged the staff to give programming a chance to grow and look at new programming ideas to bring in the residents. Sandy indicated the change in hours would be posted on the front doors, in the Allen American, as well as in a flyer that will be going to all schools regarding upcoming classes. MOTION: Mark Stout moved to approve the hours of 10 am - 9 pm, daily beginning with the beginning of daylight saving time, which begins October 27, 1996. Anne Campbell seconded, and the Motion carried 6 for, 0 against. IX. DISTRIBUTE COPIES OF BUDGET Rhoda Savage distributed copies of the approved 1996-97 Budget, and briefly updated the Board on the process by which these numbers are reached. She highlighted areas of budgetary increases that will greatly support the Department for the upcoming year. The budget was increased by $274,220 over the prior year's budget. Some of the projects funded this year are renovations of building and furnishings for the Allen Senior Citizens, irrigation for Jupiter Park, addition of a Chemical Technician and Irrigation Technician, 3 new pick-up trucks, 1 Senior Citizens Van, exercise equipment for the recreation center, as well as a shared part-time, permanent office staff. Kevin Pierce inquired as to publicity regarding park activities, and Rhoda indicated that one of the biggest issues that will be published this year (other than Allen Station Park), will be the neighborhood park renovations. Neighbors of these facilities will he invited to participate in the planning of each upgrade. These parks are: Heritage Park; Green Park; Watters Crossing (completed); Reed Park; Hillside Playground; Rolling Hills Park; and Shadow Lakes (2 acre park on Allen Heights). X. HANDOUT COPIES OF PROPOSED SPECIAL EVENTS Special Activities Coordinator, Sandy McGowan provided the Board members with a list of Proposed Special Events. Rhoda indicated that the subcommittee formed by the Parks and Recreation Board become involved in formulating these �1 programs, both by adding to the list and taking away from the list. There is "one PAGE 9 PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD MEETING OCTOBER 14, 1996 time" money of $50,000 in the enterprise budget to get some of these programs started. The Department is charged with covering their expenses on these programs, plus making 15% to pay into the General Fund. That subcommittee is made of Dan Turner and Anne Campbell. Questions were raised regarding the Allen Station Park process, and a brief discussion was held regarding the addition of a consulting firm from Scottsdale, Arizona. That process is still on going, and Jim Waldbauer reported that he and Mark Stout had an opportunity to speak directly with the consultants during their "fact finding mission" They also met with the AISD representatives that same day, then in a joint meeting that evening. It was the feeling of the group following those meetings, that the consultants had a clear understanding of the direction each entity was attempting to pursue. Rhoda presented a brief background on the design of neighborhood parks that were approved for CIP funding renovations. Rhoda indicated that the City wanted to hire David Baldwin, Inc (local landscape architect) to design those renovations. She felt his creativity would serve the City well, as well as present fresh ideas and perspective to our neighborhoods. There is $103,900 Park Dedication Funds that the City would like to use, there is also $500,000 in CIP funds to be expended in Neighborhood Park Renovations. Rhoda indicated she would be going to Council on Thursday night for their approval to hire David Baldwin. Mike Rippe indicated that if the cost factors were reasonable and in line, he saw no reason not to recommend them. Rhoda indicated that she and Tim Dentler had met and reviewed proposed plans for West McDermott Drive with David Baldwin, both felt he represented a high quality of workmanship in his designs. Rhoda also indicated that David Baldwin designed Millennium Drive. The Board agreed to support the recommendation of David Baldwin to do the design work for the neighborhood park renovations. XI. ADJOURN There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 10:30 p.m. A PAGE 10 PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD MEETING OCTOBER 14, 1996 These minutes read and approved this 11th day of November 1996. u:a taldbauer, Chairman J W. Mike Rippe, Secretary