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HomeMy WebLinkAboutJCPRAB 04-07-21 MinutesJefferson County Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Meeting April 7, 2021, 11:02 a.m. – 1:01 p.m. Video Conference Meeting – Held on GoToMeeting Anyone may attend the meeting via audio: Call 1 (408) 650-3123 Enter Access Code: 464-468-317 MEETING MINUTES OPENING BUSINESS Members Present Marianne Walters, Vern Bessey, Kim Cote, Commissioner Heidi Eisenhour, Tim Rensema, Malloree Weinheimer, Roger Hall Members Absent Amy Yaley, Jon Cooke Staff Present Matt Tyler, Chelsie Kilmer, Molly Hilt Public Present Tom Thiersch Nancy McDaniel Public Comment Nancy McDaniel: a community member with an interest in parks, is here out of general interest, and as a staff member for the Gateway Visitors Center. Tom Thiersch: Wished to bring to the board members’ attention a failure to comply with the Open Public Meetings Act due to the meeting agenda not be published 24 hours in advance of the meeting. The board and staff thanked Tom for bringing it to their attention and agreed to correct this in the future. Agenda adopted Moved by Vern, seconded by Roger, and carried all in favor: to adopt the agenda with no changes. Minutes approved Moved by Kim, seconded by Vern, and carried all in favor: to accept meeting minutes from February 3, 2021. Open Forum for Board member Vern had spoken with a Lake Leland resident about a chronic speeding problem at Lake Leland boat launch and campground. Vern recommended the resident bring it to the attention of the District 3 commissioner, Greg Brotherton, and agreed to share it with the JCPRAB. The resident requested a crosswalk sign. ACTION ITEM: Matt will contact the Sheriff’s office. NEW BUSINESS Fee Schedule Postponed until August. No changes will be made to fees this season. The advisory board will be key to the revision process. Review of Parks Maintenance Molly Hilt, Parks Maintenance III Lead, provided information in a question & answer session on current maintenance topics. Before Q&A began Matt commended Molly and the staff for the great work they do. Molly: As COVID restrictions start to lift, things are going back to normal. Staff is very busy, park use is up, the campgrounds are now open, and programming has started again. Athletic fields will be in full use next week. Gibbs Lake Park use increased 470% from 2009 to 2020 according to traffic counts as an example. Staff is feeling the pressures and impact of park use. Q: Can you share more about the team you have? A: Molly is the only true full time maintenance staff. Another member works 2 days per month for the Roads department and the rest for Parks. A seasonal full time staff member was just hired for 8 months through November. Q: How many parks are you responsible for? A: Unsure of the exact number, but approximately 18-20 depending on volunteerism at any given time. Molly supports them all along with supporting the volunteers who help out, like providing them equipment. Q: How do you determine park usage? A: Traffic counters, the black strips that run across the road. Q: How can the Advisory Board assist you? A: As a non-mandated department, consistent funding is a struggle. Economic downturns sets the department back. The pandemic led to an unprecedented use of the parks and the team was unprepared for the surge. Green space has become essential, especially with the growing population. Any support the board could provide for funding would be helpful. Molly would like to see staffing at the level it was in 2007. Funding is needed for that. Marianne proposed JCPRAB advocate to the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC). Molly shared there are maintenance issues with aging facilities and upgrades needed. Q: How do you manage the maintenance of the remote facilities such as Hicks Park? A: Shuffling schedules – divide and conquer. The staff takes pride in their work. Q: Staff has been furloughed, how is it feasible to add staff when furloughs are happening? A: Staff furloughs ended this month. Marianne: Do you see us sending a letter to BOCC advocating our support and will it be enough? A: As JCPRAB, that’s what you’re here for, to advocate and advise. Sending a letter is a great idea. Include the parks’ higher use with documentation of the need such as the project list and the Capital Improvements Projects (CIP). The letter could be submitted or members could attend the BOCC meeting to advocate. Support for Parks staff and great thanks for the work they do was shared throughout the Q&A. Molly: We all take pride in our work. It’s not just a job. We care about green space, children & Rec programs. It’s a wonderful opportunity to work in an environment like this. Molly left meeting at 11:31 am. Staff Small Maintenance Project List Matt presented a list of small maintenance projects. Matt highlighted projects such as pressure washing and painting that’s been pushed back. He noted that much has been accomplished. But also how much remains to be done. ACTION ITEM: A list of projects that volunteers could assist with will be provided to the board. Individual or ad-hoc sub-committees  CIP Update (capital improvement plan) o Heidi, Tim, Vern, Malloree as available  Chimacum Park o Marianne, Vern, Kim o Malloree shared possible damage/vandalism at Chimacum Park. o Comic sign post and tree planting event – April 25th  Tim, Marianne, Vern, & Roger  Shelter Funding o Fundraising opportunities for shelters (Chimacum, Indian Island) to restore to original condition o Tim taking lead, Marianne, Malloree, Heidi Parks Ordinance Update Review (April 12, 2020 time TBA) Matt shared Ordinance Update Review power point. See presentation for specifics. The board agreed with the proposed ordinance update. Marianne, Tim, and Heidi will attend and show support during the BOCC meeting. There was discussion on the preference for an Ordinance over an internal policy, volunteer management, the option of a county volunteer coordinator position, and the possibility of a dog park. OLD BUSINESS Irondale Interpretive Sign Chelsie showed the current sign draft and Irondale Beach History page website. It will be ready to post as soon as an updated photo is received. Forestry update Malloree presented “Jefferson County Sustainable Forestry Program” See presentation for specifics. SAIL Fitness Signs – HJ Carroll Park Moved by Roger, seconded by Vern, and carried all in favor: to install the SAIL program signs at HJ Carroll Park. Parks Tour April 21, 10am to 2pm Itinerary: Irondale Beach Park, Indian Island Park, East Beach Park, Gibbs Lake Park ACTION ITEM: Matt will send out the Parks Tour Special Meeting agenda. MANAGER’S REPORT Matt presented the Manager’s Report. See presentation for specifics. CORRESPONDENCE Bernie and Germaine Arthur Letter Recommending a chain link fence be placed for visibility at Memorial Field. It was noted this letter was received by BOCC as well and contact with the sender had been made. It’s known that Historic Preservation Committee (HPC) will not allow a chain link fence all around the field, but may allow on along the back of the field. This had not been communicated to Bernie and Germaine and it was decided Marianne will reach out to review the conflict with HPC. COORDINATION COMMITTEE MEETING Chair Marianne Walters Vice Chair Tim Rensema Chair Emeritus Vern Bessey Agenda for June 2nd 2021 was created. The JCPRAB work plan was updated. ADJOURNMENT Marianne adjourned the meeting at 1:01 p.m.