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HomeMy WebLinkAboutApril 2002 - MinutesJEFFERSON COUNTY PARKS & RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD MINUTES WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 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. Members Present: Mike Ryan (Chair), Eileen Rogers, Randy Kline, David Whipple, Rick Tollefson, Brian Miller (Vice Chair), Frank Trafton, Jr. Staff Present: Warren Steurer, Tim Black and Nik Worden of Public Works Guest: Commissioner Wcjt (during the middle portion of the meeting) Quorum: There was a quorum. Minutes: David Whipple moved to approve the minutes of the March 13 meeting. The motion was seconded and approved by unanimous vote II. OLD BUSINESS A. YMCA: Warren Steurer reported sending a letter to the City of Port Townsend Parks and Recreation Commission and the Jefferson County YMCA Advisory Board, as directed by the Parks Board last month, inviting them to a joint meeting. The City has indicated they would endeavor to attend that meeting. It appears the City Council has put several stipulations on any contract with the YMCA. Warren said there is still an opportunity to work with the City on parks and recreation services within Jefferson County, possibly even including all of Jefferson County in a service area. He solicited possible topics to cover during that meeting. Rick Tollefson talked about the merits of getting citizens at a facilitated meeting to talk about (1) current and future funding, (2) what the public wants and is willing to pay for, and (3) looking at existing assets and opportunities for coordination. Frank Trafton, Jr. suggested talking first about the assets, then gaps. Eileen Rogers expressed interest in discussing how South County would benefit from the YMCA. Warren agreed to follow up on coordinating the joint meeting, which is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, May 8. B. Parks Board: Warren talked about the interest in holding a Parks Board retreat once Comprehensive Plan meetings and the joint meeting with the City are complete. He added that one outcome of a County management budget retreat on April 17 may be a strategy for creating a Park and Recreation service area or district and the hierarchical structure that may or may not be similar to what currently exists. Although there has long been discussion about Parks and Recreation Service districts, Warren said he believes it may now be a top down policy decision. The PAB may also consider the County Commissioners' recommendations on how the County is dealing with the discretionary, essential and mandated programs in County government, of which Parks and Recreation is considered discretionary. There was some discussion about The Leader article regarding potential cuts in full-time positions and the uncertainty of how these cuts might affect Parks and Recreation. Rick Tollefson stressed the importance of input from management in such a strategy. He commented that Parks is one of the few areas of government with direct citizen involvement. He and other Park's Board members talked about community involvement as critical to the success of projects such as H.J. Carroll Park which were driven by the advisory board and citizens. This involvement in turn provides the community with tangible rewards for their efforts. C. Larry Scott Trail: Nik Worden reported that much of the trail activity is also driven by budget concerns. Because of delays due to the burdensome requirements of the Department of Transportation, the County has decided to proceed with trail construction on the portion of the trail from Mill Road to the Highway 20 Bridge using its own machinery and staff and taking advantage of money allocated for training new crew members. Trail construction continuing west to Nelson's Landing Road would commence with any remaining funds. The Discovery Road bridge project is nearly complete and the culvert is in place. Commissioner Wojt suggested thinning the alder trees along the trail to provide room for the firs to grow. He also distributed information about a meeting of the Washington Wildlife Recreation Coalition, which is the lobbying body for IAC. He mentioned the director of the Coalition would be willing to make a presentation to the PAB. Nik Worden mentioned the County is applying for future IAC grants to finish the trail. There was mention of the many projects made possible by IAC funding, including Larry Scott Trail and Chimacum Creek projects. D. Chimacum Creek 7rondale Beach: Nik Worden reported that all expected grant funding has now been received. The appraisal review is expected to be complete by the end of April, leading to a BOCC resolution which would authorize Staff to negotiate the purchase. A beach clean up event occurred at the end of March on the Fish and Wildlife and the County properties. In response to the comment about the litter generated by beach camping and 4'h of July activities, Nik Worden said he believes one of the first efforts will be to limit vehicle traffic to the area immediately around Morris Street where parking and permanent barriers will require access on foot. There was some additional discussion about the planned beach reconfiguration. E. Olympic Discovery Trail: Nik Worden reported that he and Warren Steurer attended a meeting of the Peninsula Trails Coalition (PTC) two weeks ago at which Chuck Preble, a PTC volunteer, presented a report on possible routes from Four Corners to the end of Discovery Bay. It is hoped that this project will emerge when the County completes this portion of Larry Scott Trail. It should be simpler to negotiate trail easements on top of the existing DNR or Puget Sound Energy easements there. F. H. J. Carroll Park: Warren Steurer reported that on April 27 Master Gardeners will pot bare -root trees from Weyerhaeuser as an Earth Day project. Master Gardeners have agreed to maintain the trees for the first year at Chetzemoka Park. The County has 400 of these trees designated to be placed eventually at H.J. Carroll Park, they consist of. 50 big leaf maple, 100 quaking aspen, 100 red alder, 100 vine maple, 50 lodge pole pines. Nik Worden noted that 50 additional trees in this package would be placed on Larry Scott Trail. Staff has been busy with maintenance at the site and with the outdoor multi -purpose court project. County Commissioners are working with Gene Seton and Robey Robichaux on the court project. In response to a question about their involvement, Warren said these individuals approached the Commissioners about making better progress on the project by donating labor and money. Construction documents and design criteria were given to these individuals. In response to a question and some concern about supervision of the project, Warren said the County still expects to meets its original project goals. Rick Tollefson reported that he, Warren Steurer and Timbercraft Homes have been meeting on the with picnic pavilion project. The $212K facility (including $50K sponsorship by Tri- Area Rotary) was designed as a backdrop for performing arts as well as community meetings, musical events, and picnics (with fire pit/cooking area). Warren Steurer said the range for construction was $140K to $212K depending on the scope of the project; other cost savings could be achieved with volunteerism and "sweat equity" from Rotary. Working on the budget and timeline are project manager Debbie Berreth, county engineer Bob Turpin and Warren. He noted that although it has often been called the "picnic shelter," it is meant to be a centerpiece for the park and, like the multi -purpose court, a state of the art facility. He added that in constructing beautiful facilities such as the basketball court and the picnic pavilion, care needs to be taken to assure that the project's designed significance will not be lost in the translation to the public. G. Comprehensive Plan: The PAB was invited to attend meetings at Public Works meeting room on April 22 and April 29 from 1:00 — 3:00 p.m. to discuss the final draft of the non -motorized transportation and parks, recreation and open space plans before review by the BOCC and the hearing examiner. The public process would follow. Jeff. Co. Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Minutes of April 10, 2002— Page 2 H. Community Network: Rick Tollefson said there will be a meeting today of providers of youth services including the YMCA, the sheriff, etc. One of the main focuses of the network has been to educate providers of programs and services that in order to obtain funding they need to be more performance - based and must demonstrate quantifiable results. I. Ropes Challenge Course: $8-9K has been raised toward a goal of $20K for all eleven course elements. J. Quimper Trails Association: Randy Kline reported that several individuals did trail work the first Sunday in April. K. Soul Salmon: Warren Steurer said he would attend the Soul Salmon auction this Saturday, where the salmon painted by Larry Eifert will be offered for a minimum bid of $4.5K. He recognized the significant work by the Soul Salmon project coordinators. L. Youth Opportunities Fair: Warren Steurer and Tim Black were among some 30 providers of recreation services who staffed booths at this event in the Chimacum multi -purpose gym. The goal was to assemble recreation providers and provide an opportunity for people to collect information about the many recreation opportunities. Evaluations from participants were excellent and there was support for holding an event next year M. Community Park Grant: The Port Townsend Playschool Cooperative raised $14K for new playground equipment at the Port Townsend Community Center. The County provided a $2K grant and installed the equipment, for a total contribution of $5K. HI. NEW BUSINESS — None IV. STAFF REPORTS Manager's Report: People are using the campgrounds which opened April 1" (Oak Bay, Lake Leland, and Chimacum Park). In response to a question about how much Chimacum Park is used, Warren said that usage has been increasing over the last several years and that revenues range from $1,200 to $1,500 a year. Recreation: Tim Black circulated a poster promoting a youth fishing derby organized by Trout Unlimited and Grey Wolf fly fishers. The event will be held at Lake Leland May 25' from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Sign up is through the Rec Department. Among the organized summer programs are July basketball guard and inside player camps for boys and girls for grades 7' through 12`h and a May 4'h three -on -three basketball tournament for 5'-8' grades. 1WA 311111:7►1U 1Biel _Y The meeting adjourned at 2:00 p.m. The next meeting is Wednesday, May 8, 2002. Jeff. Co. Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Minutes of April 10, 2002— Page 3