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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMay 2002 - MinutesJEFFERSON COUNTY AND CITY OF PORT TOWNSEND PARKS & RECREATION BOARDS AND YMCA BOARD JOINT MEETING WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2002 I. OPENING BUSINESS Chair Mike Ryan called the meeting to order at 12:05 p.m. in the Main Floor Conference Room of the Jefferson County Courthouse, Port Townsend, Washington. County Present: Mike Ryan (Chair), Brian Miller (Vice Chair), Randy Kline, Rick Tollefson, Frank Trafton, Jr., David Whipple Members Absent: Eileen Rogers Staff Present: Warren Steurer, Tim Black and Nik Worden of Public Works City Parks Board: Lyn Hersey (also on YMCA Board), Barbara McColgan Pastore, Nan Toby Tyrrell, Monica Mick -Hager; Parks Staff: Steve Corra YMCA Board: Lyn Hersey; Staff: Bill Kush, Director Guest: Commissioner Titterness (for portions of the meeting) and Commissioner Wojt Quorum: There was a quorum. Agenda: There were no changes to the agenda. Minutes: David Whipple moved to approve the minutes of the April 10 meeting. The motion was seconded and approved by unanimous vote II. OLD BUSINESS A. Larry Scott Trail: Nik Worden reported that this one -mile portion of SR 20 trail work - as well as the spurs amounting to '/z to 3/4 of a mile - is expected to take up to five weeks to complete. During discussion about future segments, he said it may be possible to complete the Trail to Nelson's Landing later in the year, but due to property ownership and obtaining right of way, certification is a problem. B. Chimacum Creek/Irondale Beach: With property appraisals complete, Staff can now begin negotiations. Although the appraisal was higher than expected ($600K), grant funds will cover the purchase. Rick Tollefson explained this property acquisition for guests. C. H.J. Carroll Park: Plans for the multi -purpose courts are proceeding. D. Comprehensive Plan: Warren reported that the plan is in its final stages and will be on the BOCC's agenda for the next two weeks. III. STAFF REPORTS Manager's Report: Summer programs have started and Staff is working on summer camps. Parks Staff will be working with David Whipple on a summer day camp project at H.J. Carroll Park and Memorial Field. The Fishing Derby is scheduled for May 25 at Lake Leland. Randy Kline will help conduct a soccer camp June 3-6 at Brinnon School. Port Townsend High School students will be fundraising for improving the basketball standards at the Courthouse court after which they plan to hold a 3-on-3 basketball tournament. The Port Townsend Preschool Co-op raised $14K toward the installation of playground equipment in addition to the $2K County Community Parks Grant. IV. NEW BUSINESS A. Introductions: Warren Steurer began the joint meeting by stressing that his intent is to facilitate a discussion of Citizen representatives. County Parks Board member Rick Tollefson explained the County Parks Board is made up of seven citizen representatives of the three districts. Barbara McColgan Pastore noted the City Parks & Recreation Advisory Board has seven members at large, each serving a three- year term. On behalf of the YMCA Board, Lyn Hersey announced that they will now be taking over the City's Recreation Programs. Bill Kush is now employed by the YMCA. The YMCA has also recently opened a third childcare facility in Chimacum. On Friday, there was a fundraiser kick off/potluck through which they are hoping to raise the remainder of their $10K goal. The nine -member board includes a president and four committees: capital facilities, finance, program development, membership/outreach comprised of two representatives on each. B. Agenda Share: Attendees were then asked to state what they wanted from today's meeting or their expectations in general from Boards and citizens working together. They also shared what they consider a major issue for Parks and Recreation today in Port Townsend and Jefferson County. What do you want from today's meeting: ■ Information about each other's activities and opportunities to cooperate ■ Information - because with the potential for three agencies, coordination will be important • Better understanding of the long-term vision of YMCA as a service provider in the County • Opportunities for cooperation and non -duplication of services ■ Service coordination — better understanding of shared resources • Explore another funding mechanism — figure out what to do about the $400K that County puts into P&R with other demands on County budget • Put faces with names and consider opportunities for a flow of information between City and County • Understand relationship between County and City • Explore a county -wide recreational district, privatization of services • Get to know each other • Broader understanding of all of the issues • Understand 5-year goals for YMCA and County ■ Citizen discussion, sharing of information Major Issues: • Funding in light of County's budget crunch • Efficient way to divide and address different needs in different locations • Maintaining the County general fund as a stable source of funding • Involving more youth in recreation as a prevention strategy • Financing Parks and Recreation • County/district funding - seeing facilities and properties are maintained for use • Finding consistent funding for operation, maintenance, and capital improvements • Find a way to keep services despite lack of funding ■ Personal interest in Chetzemoka Park and keeping parks as quiet places for all ages • Outreach, funding and partnering • Consistent and organized services for youth and families, especially in rural county • Services and facilities (Rec. Center/Memorial Field) Warren provided a historical perspective of parks facilities and talked briefly about the State funding crisis and the impacts to parks across the state. He noted that the County is exploring the possibility of a Parks and Recreation District. He then proposed discussing the following issues: current and future funding issues, what citizens want from Parks and Recreation services, and assets and opportunities for coordination. Jeff. Co. Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Minutes of May 8, 2002— Page 2 C. Current and Future Funding — Service District: David Whipple suggested that a discussion of funding be divided into three areas: capital facilities/maintenance (needs a stable funding source), staffing, and services. This led to a discussion of the pros and cons of a service district. Warren offered his understanding of service areas, recreation districts, and metro districts, all of which levy a certain amount of property tax. A service area can relate to a particular area and can be structured in a variety of ways: either 15% of a district would have to petition for it or the BOCC could also pass a resolution. A valid election requires 60% of those voting in the previous election and the vote has to pass by a super majority. You can create a service district in an incorporated area (Port Townsend), an unincorporated area (Jefferson County), or both. While a recreation district or a service area can go away, a metro district (such as exists in the City of Tacoma) is voted in permanently and can have different levels of taxing authority. Recent legislation now allows unincorporated areas to become a metro district. So the unincorporated areas of Jefferson County could become a metro park district or Port Townsend and Jefferson County could come together as a district. Pros: • A recreation district is one way for the public to express what they want • You can levy for a capital improvement • Multi -layers, different service area — metro district • Voters may understand issues and express their support • Elected officials might make coordination more official Cons: • Utilizing a levy for general maintenance and operations as opposed to a capital facilities project • Creates another layer of bureaucracy • Voters expect a certain level of service, but may not understand the issues • Youth programs and parks maintenance become political and compete with other districts • Have to levy for capital improvements • Not a panacea, could lose vital services if failed There was additional discussion about the variety of ways to form a recreation district and the possibilities for supplementing it. Warren noted that if Port Townsend became a recreation district the City would not necessarily deed over its property to the district. Also, the County Treasurer and Auditor are the official treasurer and auditor of the district. In a metro district you create a quasi -government and would elect commissioners or a board as decision makers, or you could have an advisory board with the governmental hierarchy, the same as now. Discussion then shifted to the County funding crisis. Commissioner Wojt said that while the BOCC understands the connection between parks and prevention, they are forced to look first at mandated services. There is no mandate to spend $400K in Parks. When considering what latitude exists to raise taxes, options are to go for the 1% increase for juvenile justice and another is to use banked capacity. Barbara Pastore commented that it seems less a matter of mandate than popularity. Parks may be one of the few issues that is popular enough that it could be dropped off as a district. Commissioner Wojt reiterated that, given the mandates in the areas of health, law and justice, other departments facing cuts, such as public works, will likely turn to unmandated services. Barbara Pastore said that if the County is considering starting a levy -driven district, you are saying to voters you have been paying $x amount for parks, so we are going to ask you to continue to pay this to the County (which will be used for something) and in addition, we are asking you for $400K in levy. Commissioner Wojt said it might be viewed this way but another way to look at it is that to provide the services we have to provide, there is a $400K hole and a Park and Rec. levy would take care of that. County Staff then talked about the data which came out of the recent survey as part of updating the Parks and Recreation and Non -motorized Plans. There was a lot of enthusiasm for services such as trails, access to waterfront, after -school programs and teen centers. While it may be possible to pass a levy for land for Larry Scott Trail or starting a youth program, it is less likely that a levy would pass for a new irrigation system or increases in liability insurance. For those projects that are not bond -fundable, another funding source is needed to carry the infrastructure burden. Jeff. Co. Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Minutes of May 8, 2002— Page 3 D. Current and Future Funding — Privatization/Partnering: Ideas and comments were noted as follows: • The County comprehensive plans talks about working with schools and even helping schools to improve facilities to help public access. • Lynn Hersey said the YMCA has joined the Healthy Youth Coalition and is trying to incorporate the "40 Developmental Assets" model for healthy youth development. The YMCA is here to fill in the gaps and possibly help run some programs more efficiently than can be done by government. • Steve Corra spoke about the value of cooperation and partnerships such as with schools. Law enforcement or tourist dollars may be available to help maintain parks. • Rick Tollefson noted that schools have facilities, but need funding. They seem willing to be involved with outcomes of kids they serve and they understand prevention and intervention. • David Whipple mentioned that one issue for schools is that their recreational facilities only last 2/3`ds of their expected life because they are overused. The obligation is that the school will have the facilities for the students, while the expectation is that these facilities will also be open to the community even though they do not get funding back from the community. Schools do not always feel it is a fair partnership. • Frank Trafton, Jr. expressed concern about the impacts to law and justice (e.g., the need for another jail) if there is not proper funding of parks. • Barbara Pastore said there have been discussions about possible economies of scale in maintenance or transfers of property with County. While the City is willing to work with the County, they need to understand whether there is a need for a short-term solution to the $400K budget hole or if there is a desire to find a new way of doing business together. North Beach, Memorial Field, tennis courts, and the Rec. Center are facilities of interest. She pointed out that the County is paying for mandated services with property tax and expressed concern about not continuing to provide quality of life with programs and open space. • Commissioner Wojt talked about the history of the Rec. Center ownership and the shifting of facilities dependant on funding, most recently the loss of the Motor Vehicle Excise Tax funds. • Lynn Hersey suggested working with volunteer groups such as the Friends of Chetzemoka Park as another form of partnering. Steve Corra said that while volunteer groups help, the deferred maintenance problem persists. • Warren Steurer talked about similar partnerships for instance County Parks has Master Gardeners and Quimper Trail Association. He added that the County maintains 93 campground units throughout the County, which provides a small revenue source. However, running parks like a business means that fees for facility rental, program fees, and field reservations need to cover the cost of service. • Barbara Pastore said another idea discussed by the City is direct donations to the parks. She talked about the idea of purchasing savings bonds, which might fund a particular project and the interest is then used to defray the maintenance. She mentioned that Clallam has an actual 501(c)3 fund to be used only for those activities. + David Whipple said this idea still shifts responsibility to taxpayers. This is a "political will" issue. It is important to make this issue a priority in the County whether we are mandated by the State or not. • Steve Corra asked if it is all -or -nothing. Is there a back up plan if voters shoot it down? • Warren Steurer said that if Jefferson County ends up going in this direction, it will require Commissioners that support Parks and Recreation and the help of advisory boards. There are also tax issues to be considered.What would the County position be if the district vote did not succeed? • Rick Tollefson said he would like to talk more about the County's prevention strategy. He said the funding is more complicated. Good recreation programs decrease the costs to law and justice and Jeff. Co. Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Minutes of May 8, 2002— Page 4 increase property values near parks. There needs to be political buy -in about why are we doing this. He spoke to the importance of developing a prevention strategy for the whole county, including the City. • Barbara Pastore said if you say that parks are not mandated and that you must provide the mandated services, she would tend to agreed with David that the purpose for city and county governments is not simply to execute the state mandate but to provide for the common good, of which a major component is Parks & Recreation. • Commissioner Wojt said, in defense of the BOCC, that to date there have just been discussions and no decisions. The BOCC is thinking a district is one way to get more taxes. A 10% property tax increase would bring the County $400K. • Lynn Hersey observed that the option of user fees was not discussed today. • In response to a question from Warren Steurer about the YMCA's role, Bill Kush said that while long-term they are looking at the possibilities of a facility, short-term the YMCA is a program provider. They are also working with the Chimacum School district to do after -school childcare. • David Whipple asked about the YMCA philosophy of providing services. He said his experience with YMCA basketball is with the North Olympic Basketball league, which is not an introductory level and there is a lot of cost and travel. Bill Kush said the goal has been to not duplicate services. • Warren Steurer remarked on the importance of a new kind of funding of services for youth in Brinnon, Quilcene and South County. He thinks there has been good discussion about taxes, but he would like to see some common direction and agreement so that there can be success, not sabotaging the process. • Lynn Hersey said after recently attending annual key leadership conference for the YMCA, she believes there are many ways to benefit locally from the national YMCA's knowledge. There was support for having another joint meeting in the future. Warren Steurer said discussions with the City over properties will need to continue over the next several months. Barbara Pastore suggested the PAB review Lee Springate's presentation. Commissioner Wojt noted that on Friday, the WWRC representative is visiting. The PAB received an invitation to attend, but the representative would also be willing to make a presentation in the future. There was support for having her present at a future board meeting. V. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 2:00 p.m. The next regular meeting of the Jefferson County Parks & Recreation Advisory Board is Wednesday, June 12, 2002. Jeff. Co. Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Minutes of May 8, 2002— Page 5