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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOct. 2001- MinutesJEFFERSON COUNTY PARKS & RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD MINUTES WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2001 I. OPENING BUSINESS Chair Randy Kline called the meeting to order at 12:05 p.m. in the Main Floor Conference Room of the Jefferson County Courthouse, Port Townsend, Washington. Members Present: Randy Kline, Mike Ryan, Rick Tollefson, David Whipple, Judy French -Scott, Brian Miller Members Absent: Eileen Rogers, Frank Trafton, Jr. Staff Present: Tim Black, Warren Steurer of Public Works Guests: Commissioner Dan Titterness Quorum: There was a quorum. Minutes: Rick Tollefson moved to approve the minutes of the August and September meetings. Mike Ryan seconded the motion, which was approved by unanimous vote. Agenda Changes: No additions. 11.OLD BUSINESS A. Larry Scott Trail/Chimacum Creek/Irondale Beach: No report. B. H.J. Carroll Park: Warren Steurer reported that the Health Department approved the concession stand facility to serve food. A final building inspection will occur tomorrow. The County will run the concession stand on four upcoming soccer Sundays and it will also be available for public use. Signage for the BMX course is finished and, thanks to assistance with labor and equipment, the course itself is expected to be complete by the end of the month. Wild Olympic Salmon is making electrical improvements to the shelter, the site of their annual Festival this weekend. The Labyrinth has been revitalized, with volunteers holding work parties and making suggestions for improved maintenance procedures. A caretaker will soon be on site. Parks maintenance staff has been busy marking fields for soccer season. In response to a question about the development of additional field space at the park, Warren Steurer responded that even if the third field were developed it would still need to remain flexible to accommodate overflow parking while being kept in good condition for recreational use. Randy Kline recognized the great job staff has done with the facility. C. Community Park Grants: He noted that while citizens groups are enthusiastic about parks improvement projects, maintenance and preservation of the improvements remain issues. He suggested the long-term maintenance issues may need to be better outlined. It was recognized that volunteers cannot be expected to provide long-term maintenance even though a short-term maintenance plan is required as part of the project. A suggestion was that it may also be helpful to identify with each project how many of the public are benefiting. David Whipple explained a proposal for a community parks grant project which would involve a City/County partnership on a Port Townsend and Hadlock ball camp. Warren Steurer talked about the differences in this year's Community Park Grant program and reviewed the projects funded. He noted that the Parks Board may want to begin setting priorities for next year's oversight of projects. There was some discussion about groups which sponsor specific projects and the importance of keeping volunteers involved. David Whipple said the development of a coordinated volunteer program might solve some maintenance issues. D. Community Network/YMCA: Rick Tollefson reported that the City Parks and Recreation Advisory Board recommended the City Council move forward with privatizing their recreation program. The YMCA is also interested in extending services into Jefferson County. With grant funding, Community Network has partnered with the Health Department and will work on prevention issues in the County. He then asked how conservation grant funds are distributed. He understood that Katherine Baril of WSU applied for some funds to establish after -school programs in the Tri Area. He noted that the problem inherent with using grants to sustain such programs is that these funds are not constant. Commissioner Titterness explained that a Board was established to distribute funds. He explained that timber harvest funds are automatically apportioned to County and schools. Since County funds can be used for specific projects within the County or to maintain forest service roads, a significant portion goes toward the roads. Rick Tollefson suggested the Parks Advisory Board could advocate to that Board about the need for after -school programs. E. Comprehensive Plan Process: Warren Steurer reported that the County Parks and Recreation staff are reviewing the possibilities for implementing a model similar to that of the road department, whereby Parks and Recreation services would be focused in the County and the City and YMCA might focus on activities in the City. He noted there has been work through the Comp. Plan process to outline goals, policies and strategies and there will be a meeting with the BOCC on Monday, October 15 from 2:00- 4:00. The next week (of October 22) three public meetings will occur in Chimacum, Port Townsend and Quilcene. These public meetings will be followed by a survey, task force meetings and Parks Board meetings, all of which will result in a draft to be submitted to the BOCC. He then reviewed some of the topics of discussion, including funding considerations. F. Gibbs Lake: Warren Steurer commented on a newspaper article about the recent work party at Gibbs Lake where 50 volunteers worked on trails for the Ropes Challenge Course. The site is about 95% complete. He noted that the Port Townsend Rotary is working to locate permanent sponsors for course elements, of which there are 11. Boat access improvements are part of the 2002 budget and should be complete by next spring. Quimper Trails Association (QTA) has been working on Anderson Lake trails. David Whipple mentioned that Dashley Graham has been developing a summer employment program for at -risk youth working on segments of the Olympic Discovery Trail. M. NEW BUSINESS A. Road Vacation: Wendy Ward provided information on the road vacation of Grant Street in Irondale Acre tracts off Oak Bay Road. Rick Tollefson moved that the road vacation on Grant Street in Irondale Acre Tracts is of no significance to Parks. The motion was seconded by Judy French - Scott and was approved by unanimous vote. B. Park Grants: Warren Steurer reported that a subcommittee met to evaluate artist submissions for the Soul Salmon project. He and Judy French -Scott displayed works and talked about the individual artists' objectives and the media employed. She explained the intent of the Soul Salmon fundraising project is to help the public recognize salmon as the keystone species of our region. Jefferson County Parks and Recreation purchased a "blank" fiberglass salmon for $2500 with an additional $1,000 honorarium for the artist to purchase supplies and complete the piece. All salmon will go to Seattle for an April 2002 auction, with the sponsoring organization receiving the auctioned price. After reviewing the five proposals, the PAB members unanimously selected their choice for the Soul Salmon artist. It was suggested that the Parks Board send a letter of thanks to the other submissions. Ideas for how funds from the auctioned piece will be used by the Parks Division will be discussed next month. Jeff. Co. Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Minutes of October 10, 2001— Page 2 David Whipple moved that the Parks Board select the proposal submitted by Larry Eifert as the commissioned artist for the Soul Salmon project. The motion was seconded and approved by unanimous vote. C. Fees and Revenues: Warren Steurer distributed a list of approved program revenues and a draft of fees and rules for concession stand operations. He said Parks staff has been reviewing revenues and fees for programs and services in preparation for the 2002 budget. The goal is to identify ways to increase revenues to help off set general fund allocations. He reviewed the list of program fees and agreed to provide more information for PAB review. Next month, the PAB will consider recommendations for fee changes. A Suggestion for the concession stand was to set a maximum fee for a combination of concession services and consider whether fees would vary depending on the type and size of an event it served. D. Park and Recreation Mission: Warren Steurer distributed a copy of a draft Mission Statement for the Parks and Recreation Division. He commented that a decision to privatize the City's recreation programs through the YMCA may have an affect on the County's future recreation program goals and strategies for program delivery. Many of these issues have or will surface as part of the Comprehensive Planning process. He suggested that the County's primary service area may be in the unincorporated sections of the County serving more of the residents in South, Central and WestJefferson County. The Mission Statement will help Parks management reflect the goals and strategies of the BOCC. IV. STAFF REPORTS Recreation: Tim Black said Junior Soccer has begun with good participation. Budget work continues and they are hoping to expand programs. For 2002, $8,000 has been requested to start an after -school program in Chimacum. Randy Kline and Tim Black provided every child in the Brinnon and Quilcene school a hand- out about Junior Soccer. The three teams that were fielded will play the next four weekends in Brinnon. Unfortunately, Quilcene didn't have anyone sign up. He circulated team pictures, a soccer schedule, and showed the soccer T-shirt. V. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 2:15 p.m. The next meeting is Wednesday, November 14, 2001. Jeff. Co. Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Minutes of October 10, 2001— Page 3