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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNov. 2000 - MinutesJEFFERSON COUNTY PARKS & RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD MINUTES FOR WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2000 I. OPENING BUSINESS Chair Char Laughlin called the meeting to order at 12:12 p.m. in the basement conference room of the Jefferson County Courthouse, Port Townsend, Washington. Members Present: Judy French -Scott, Randy Kline, Char Laughlin (Chair) Members Absent: Mike Ryan, Rick Tollefson, Frank Trafton, Jr., Karen Kautzman (Vice Chair), David Whipple Staff Present: Warren Steurer, Tim Black, Nik Worden and Jim Pearson of Public Works Guests: Commissioner Dan Harpole, Charles Saddler of Jefferson Co.; Leslie Buntin and Meegan Ferris of The Gatheringplace; Fred Johnson, Northwest Kiwanis Quorum: There was not a quorum. Agenda Changes: None Warren Steurer announced that David Whipple has resigned his position on the Parks Advisory Board (PAB). II.OLD BUSINESS A. Larry Scott Trail: Nik Worden reported that he has been pursuing four major property acquisitions: Ramage, Seton, Easton and Bancroft. Options for progressing with Mr. Ramage are to either buy the entire parcel or an easement along the railroad track on the east side of the parcel. While the County's desire would be to purchase the entire 37.5 acres, the land, appraised at $268,500, has compensating taxes of about $17,000. Staff will be pushing for a decision soon so the County does not risk losing grant monies that expire at the end of the year. Gene Seton has expressed a willingness to sell his four -acre parcel next to Simcoe's at the south end of the trail for $58,000. An appraisal is in process. Mr. Easton has been unreachable. Mr. Bancroft is not interested in working with the County, but may allow the County to purchase an easement for $25,000-$35,000, which would pose little impact to his property. The Simcoes are eager to participate. Survey problems have been solved and a new survey has been prepared for the sections from Mill Road to the overpass. Design work will proceed this winter with construction to begin by summer. B. Chimacum Beach: (written report) Nik Worden reported that he has been trying to meet with Fish and Wildlife representatives or their new real estate agent to draft a management agreement and discuss funding for that property. The Salmon Recovery Funding Board (SRF) ranked Fish and Wildlife's proposal number one among restoration projects and awarded them nearly $500,000. The project involves removing the fill on Irondale Beach, excavating everything from the high tide line back to the feeder bay. C. Community Park Grants — Gatheringplace: Leslie Buntin of the Gathering Place presented an update on the Life Skills program activities as requested by the PAB. She presented a written report and a schedule of activities. The funding supports one-on-one staffing for developmentally disabled participants and provides for many park activities, including Lake Leland fishing, looking for dragon tracks, planting and weeding at H.J. Carroll park, and recumbent bike riding on Larry Scott Trail. Matching grant funds were raised through calendar sales and a basket raffle. She thanked the PAB for continuing to support the Gathering Place. Chair Char Laughlin mentioned the maximum grant request is $2,000 and there was confusion about the earlier grant application submitted by Linda Ferris, which listed a lower amount than was intended. Ms. Buntin agreed to review and correct the application to reflect the desired amount and forward it to Warren Steurer. D. Trails: Randy Kline reported that a small work party of Quimper Trails Association (QTA) did general maintenance at Gibbs Lake and put gravel on the backside trail. A recent raffle for a cord of wood raised $500 for QTA to pay off some debt and open up a bank account. The trails at Gibbs are in good shape thanks to maintenance and a low number of users. Nik Worden said that at the Peninsula Trails Coalition meeting last week, George Binney again asked the County to complete lead agency paperwork. III. NEW BUSINESS A. Non -motorized Trail Plan: Public Works staff, Jim Pearson reported on his efforts to develop a scope of work for the non -motorized trail plan. The BOCC requested that the plan be coordinated with the trails portion of the Park and Recreation Plan. Public Works is currently negotiating a contract with consultant Tom Beckwith to work on the plan. The scope will include an inventory, developing the non -motorized plan, and a non -funded portion for assisting on the trails portion of the Parks and Recreation plan. A public process to gain input on trails will not distinguish between non - motorized and recreational trails. Much later, a distinction may need to be made. By the first of the year, it is expected that the inventory work can begin and that a task force, comprised of several Parks Board and Transportation Advisory Board members, school districts, and non -motorized users, can be organized. Chambers of Commerce and the EDC may also be involved related to bike tourism. B. HJ Carroll Park: Warren Steurer announced that the restroom/concession dedication ceremony is tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. and will include volunteer recognition. The facility will be electrically closed at the end of each day. Valerie Green will now shift her efforts to the maintenance and caretaker project. Sprint agreed to put a pay phone in the park. With the $5,000 donation for Tom Yarr Memorial field, the area next to the concession building is taking shape with two concrete picnic tables (one of which has an inlaid chess board) and plantings. Eventually, a flag pole will be added. Warren Steurer, Tim Black and Larry Eifert continue work on the kiosk project. The BMX area is still in progress, headed by Anita Shepherd. Last month, Johanna Reinstra was contacted about needed maintenance on the labyrinth. While some work has been done, more is needed. Access to water has been an issue and will soon be available. The H.J. Carroll Advisory Board will now meet quarterly. Tim Black announced a $10,000 donation was offered by Jack Carroll to purchase goals for the basketball court. The total project cost is estimated at $88,000 and Robey Robichaux is leading a fundraising campaign. C. Northwest Kiwanis Camp — Beausite Lake: Kiwanis representative Fred Johnson was present to provide an annual update on Beausite Lake camp activities. New officers were recently elected including new Camp Director Tom Carroll of Port Townsend. This year's camping program included two sessions, involving 50 participants, primarily from Clallam and Jefferson Counties as well as Island, King, Kitsap and Pierce Counties. Twenty individuals were turned away. For each session, 24-hr. one-on-one staff coverage was provided in addition to many volunteers. Activities included crafts, games, evening camp fires, nature hikes, horseback riding, a field trip for swimming, and fishing. A fish fry was part of the clean up activities. The Sequim Boy Scouts cleaned the trails. Improvement activities for the year include two new storage buildings, a curtain drain, painting, plantings, and several window replacements. Project labor was donated by Kiwanians. The new well is serving the camp adequately and monthly water quality tests show it remains in compliance. Bids have been collected for a septic system and volunteer labor is being coordinated. There may be an update on this project by the end of the week. The camp received its American Camping Association accreditation. Goals for 2001 are to maintain this accreditation, complete the septic system for the next camping season, construct a fishing pond, place a tent or teepee into a clearing for one night of real camping, paint lodge exterior, and trail maintenance to allow for increased access. Other administrative goals are three sessions instead of two, more camp publicity, and increasing grant writing capabilities. Jeff. Co. Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Minutes of November 8, 2000 Page 2 The PAB asked Fred Johnson to relay his concerns related to a trail link between Gibbs and Beausite. He noted the roads into the Beausite facility are narrow and there are parking limitations. Even though there is no trail link and the site is clearly signed "reservation only," people still try to access the property. A half mile connection will likely result in foot paths off the trail route and increased traffic, and parking problems that would compromise the secluded site. They have made significant investments of time and money and want to protect the site's unique qualities. With so many other trails in the County needing maintenance, he asked why create another. Judy French -Scott responded that the original plan for Beausite was low impact use, with an option for further trail development. She talked about the trail usage, maintenance and available parking at Gibbs. She is uncertain why anyone would park at Beausite, but added if there were more publicity about Beausite, the link to Gibbs might be an amenity. Mr. Johnson said getting the septic system in place is the key to opening up the facility for increased public use. Warren Steurer mentioned that future recreation trail improvements are going to be discussed as part of the comprehensive trail plan process. D. Parks and Recreation SummitlAquatic Center: County Administrator Charles Saddler reported on the results of the Parks and Recreation Summit. He will provide his written notes to Warren Steurer. Elected officials and staff work groups produced a list of their Immediate, Six -Months, and One -Year goals. Immediate goals of the elected officials were to start joint Parks and Recreation work (expanding the group to include State and Federal representatives) and figure out ways to complement each others' services, arranging joint work sessions, and addressing the feasibility of an aquatic center. Six - Months goals were tracking the master plan with City and County coordination, looking for opportunities for interlocal agreements, partnering with other agencies such as YMCA, and better utilization of community centers. The One -Year goal was to identify opportunities for creating budget efficiencies for Parks and Recreation. Other items of discussion included resource allocation and commitments, considering a Parks and Recreation Division, options for funding O&M, clarification and resolution on the 35" Street Park, engaging youth in conversation. Staff felt an immediate concern was resolving the 35"' Street Park project. Six -Month goals were to increase staff resources and community grants for the City. One-year goals were to develop master and development plans for County and City Parks and Recreation and work together to address the recreational needs of East Jefferson County. Another One -Year goal, from the City's standpoint, is to have a YMCA at the PT Community Center. Charles Saddler is not hopeful that the need for more staff resources will be addressed, but if there is success in giving Parks and Recreation its own identity as a division, that alone will provide more focus and may lead to opportunities for acquiring additional staff resources. It is expected that budgeted funds for planning will be approved. Related to better utilizing the community centers, the County hopes to enter into an agreement next week with Olympic Community Action (OLYCAP) Programs to take over operation of the Brinnon Senior Center, turn it into the Brinnon Community Center and provide additional programming opportunities. With all community centers (excluding Gardiner) operating underOLYCAP, it will provide a one -stop shop for the public to schedule and utilize facilities. Discussion will continue during the budget process regarding turning over the Port Townsend Community Center to the City of Port Townsend. It is envisioned that this would provide a base of operation for the YMCA and City's recreation program, while allowing the County to redirect funds to other areas of the County. While no in-depth discussion on the transfer of the Community Center has yet occurred, staff will be preparing a discussion paper on the transfer of the PT Community Center and Memorial Field to the City. These are decisions the County needs to carefully review and it is expected that the discussion paper will be reviewed and discussed by the PAB and the Board of County Commissioners before the matter goes further. Jeff. Co. Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Minutes of November 8, 2000 Page 3 There was discussion about a transfer of the North Beach park to the State and consideration for reopening the boat ramp at North Beach. The County is having general discussions about the concept of transferring County boat ramps to the Port. The Port receives boating improvement funds for maintenance and development of boat ramps so the purpose is to better utilize the revenue source. Other issues for further discussion relate to how the County can help with making the State Parks, boat ramps, and facilities more effective and productive The goal is to try to put together a joint Parks and Recreation work group that will likely include the City, County, State Parks (three regions), in addition to Centrum, Fort Worden, the Port, and National Park and Forest services. Charles Saddler believes it will be a challenge to find the time to bring together the players and think about Jefferson County and East Jefferson County as one service entity. It is clear there needs to be regular, ongoing dialog on these issues. Not addressed at the meeting was urban, community and regional parks. It appears the City will issue an RFP before the end of the year to commission a feasibility study on the value of the existing pool and Mountain View School as a City recreation site. Following the Mountain View study, there will be another RFP to do a full aquatic center study looking at the entire needs of East Jefferson County, using the Mountain View feasibility study as the basis. While it is the intention of Jefferson County to join in this study, the County is more interested in looking at all of East Jefferson County and identifying the full range of needs and then determining the assets the community brings to meeting these needs. He believes the City would ultimately like to see a large YMCA program possibly based out of Mountain View School and use the Community Center as a temporary home. Warren Steurer reminded the Board thatJefferson County initiated City and County parks and recreation programs, particularly in association with the school districts. There was some discussion about YMCA programs and their success at running programs and raising funds. It was mentioned that the YMCA has already opened a day care operation at Grant Street School and are looking at additional programming in conjunction with the City recreation program for this year. IV. STAFF REPORTS — NONE V. ADDITIONAL BUSINESS AND CORRESPONDENCE Commissioner Harpole expressed his thanks to the PAB for their continued commitment and ongoing efforts to improve parks. With his new position he is relocating to Boise, Idaho, they plan to be back regularly. The PAB thanked Commissioner Harpole for coming to and actively participating in these meetings. 1v/ W.1001" t14i,J -W II�1 The meeting adjourned at 2:20 p.m. The next meeting is Wednesday, December 13, 2000. Jeff. Co. Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Minutes of November 8, 2000 Page 4