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HomeMy WebLinkAboutJune 2004 - MinutesJEFFERSON COUNTY PARKS & RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD MEETING MINUTES WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2, 2004 I. OPENING BUSINESS Chair Eileen Rogers called the meeting to order at 12:02 PM in the Main Floor Conference Room of the Jefferson County Courthouse, Port Townsend, Washington. Members Present: Bob Henderson, Eileen Rogers (Chair), Joan Linderoth, Brian Miller, Mike Ryan, Judi Mackey Members Absent: Rick Tollefson (Vice Chair) excused Staff Present: Warren Steurer, Nik Worden, Kelli Larson and Matt Tyler of Public Works Guests: Sheila Murphy, Port Townsend Little League; Mimi Hanley, Citizen Quorum: There was a quorum Agenda: Bob Henderson moved to approve the Agenda as reordered to address the following New Business items — Road Vacation and Port Townsend Little League Update ahead of Old Business. The motion was seconded and carried by a unanimous vote. Minutes: Joan Linderoth moved to approve the minutes of May 5, 2004. The motion was seconded and carried by a unanimous vote. II. NEW BUSINESS A. Road Vacation: Kelli Larson referred to a map of the area of West Eugene Street indicating the proposed vacation of a 25 x 75 parcel by the Petitioner. She noted that there were no negative comments on record and Staff would be recommending approval. Bob Henderson moved that the Parks Advisory Board accept the Road Vacation as submitted noting that the vacation has no significance to Parks and Recreation. The motion was seconded and carried by a unanimous vote. B. Port Townsend Little League Update: Sheila Murphy, President of the Port Townsend Little League, was present to report some conflicts that have arisen between the Little League and the Fair Board. A fundraising event scheduled for the Jefferson County fairgrounds coincides with the March 5 - June 13 baseball season. Safety concerns would hinder the Little League's use of the three ball fields for that weekend. Although the Little League has yielded in past conflicts, it does not want to sacrifice its fields this year to accommodate the Monster Truck Rally. Although Memorial Field was offered as an option and is used for junior team games and practices, that facility is not appropriate for the younger teams. The lack of field space in Port Townsend has been an issue for some time. She noted that one way the Little League could better utilize Memorial Field would be to purchase a portable mound. Warren added that such a purchase might be worthy of funding through the 2005 Community Parks Grant. Sheila noted that while the BOCC had mentioned they would be looking for roughly 7-10 acres, no money has been identified for this long-term goal of field development. Warren suggested that it might be feasible to Jeff. Co. Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Minutes of June 2, 2004 — Page 1 bring up to standard fields located on school properties, such as Grant Street, Mountain View, that are currently underutilized due to a lack of maintenance. III. OLD BUSINESS A. Larry Scott Trail: Nik Worden reported that he would soon be giving a presentation for a $350K grant of IAC funds to support the next phase of trail construction. A cash donation of $25K from the Peninsula Trails Coalition (PTC) and $17K in other pledges could be part of the County's match for the IAC grant. He then indicated the segments of the Olympic Discovery Trail, both open for use and planned to be developed or restored, that he would include in his presentation. He then showed a trail map produced by PTC showing possible trail routes between the Olympic Discovery Trail and the end of Larry Scott Trail at Four Corners. He clarified that Larry Scott Trail is the only County portion and that volunteer groups would coordinate the other work. A contract should be complete in the next month or so for paving Larry Scott Trail where it intersects SR 20. B. Irondale Beach: Warren Steurer reported that Fish and Wildlife's reclamation project of the property north of Moore Street has been postponed until after July 4. The County park property to the south of Moore Street is undergoing a SEPA review. He and Rick Sepler met with Randi Thurston and Port Director, Larry Crockett to talk about the Master Plan alternative, which includes exploring possibilities for boat access in South Port Townsend Bay. Currently, the priority is to improve the Port's boat ramp in Lower Hadlock, but there is a parking issue in that area. Any ramp development, whether at Lower Hadlock and/or at Irondale Beach, would employ new ramp technology. If the Irondale beach site were chosen for a ramp, there would be a lot of permitting and coordination with the Port of Port Townsend. In any event, all parties would need to wait until it is seen what the shoreline would do after Fish and Wildlife's restoration effort. C. Quilcene Community Center Meeting: The Parks Board then provided their perspectives of the May meeting. Members enjoyed the opportunity to tour the parks. There was support for holding one or two meetings a year in Quilcene and for improving the Quilcene Community Center Park. There was recognition of the need for more funding, leadership for new center programming, and to involve the many willing volunteers in the community. Warren has begun exploring less expensive alternatives for resurfacing the tennis court. The County would also complete its agreement to conduct the Fire Wise project in the Quilcene Park. Members were asked to consider future meeting dates in South County. D. H.J. Carroll Park: Warren Steurer reported that the coed softball season is beginning as the soccer season is ending. The labyrinth has been successfully relocated to the southeast portion of the park, leaving the old area to be developed, possibly for skateboarding. There are a lot of activities in the park, from sports to garden clubs. E. Gibbs Lake: Various groups are using the Challenge Course. This weekend's training class will bring to 27 the total facilitators trained in this first year of operation. Each must teach 2-3 times before being considered for certification. The road to Gibbs Lake is being chip sealed and some work has been done on the lake's trails. Jeff. Co. Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Minutes of June 2, 2004 — Page 2 F. Memorial Field. The successful use of the field for the Rhody carnival was not without some minor clean-up issues. The field is recovering nicely following watering and fertilization. Parks made $645 for the event. Although the high school baseball team is now using Lincoln Field, many other events and activities are being planned. G. OR Update: Judi Mackey reported good attendance at last week's meeting, at which the committee's mission, makeup, and expectations were established. They decided to invite all off -road user groups to the next meeting to discuss the criteria for an off -road area. The meeting is on June 22 at the Tri-Area Community Center — 7:00 PM. Warren Steurer distributed the meeting notes. H. Community Network: Warren Steurer reported that current discussion topics include funding for Quilcene, Hadlock and Boiler Room teen centers, among other issues. I. City/Metro Park District Task Force: The City's task force recommended that the City Council not pursue a parks district at this time, in favor of a parks and recreation levy within the boundaries of the Port Townsend School District. No Council action was taken, but the topic would be discussed at a budget retreat. J. Conservation Futures Committee: PAB representative Eileen Rogers reviewed the make- up of the committee, the advertisement, the workshop and application period, and criteria leading to the three project applications. She read the recommendations for the following projects and what the committee decided. On June 28, the BOCC will hear the Committee's recommendations: • Highway 20 Corridor Project at Jacob Miller Road requested by the Port Townsend Chamber of Commerce — not recommended: did not meet the criteria; • Quimper Wildlife corridor project from Chinese Garden Wetlands to Cook Avenue requested by the Jefferson Land Trust — recommended funding $57,750 of $115.5K; and • Tarboo Valley Conservation project reforestation and rerouting Tarboo Creek requested by the Northwest Watershed Institute — not recommended: did not meet the criteria K. P&R Advisory Board: The BOCC approved the reappointment of Mike Ryan and Brian Miller. III. NEW BUSINESS (CONTINUED) C. Joint Meetings with the City of Port Townsend Parks Advisory Board: There was discussion of the City's PAB recommendation to hold a joint meeting to discuss common issues. Eileen Rogers moved to send a letter proposing a joint meeting with the City of Port Townsend Parks and Recreation Advisory Board for August 4 at 7:00 PM and that the chairs of both committees meet with Warren to develop the agenda. The motion was seconded and carried by a unanimous vote. Jeff. Co. Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Minutes of June 2, 2004 — Page 3 D. Assistant Recreation Manager: Warren Steurer introduced Assistant Recreation Manager Matt Tyler, who talked about his experience and his excitement about his new position. He is becoming familiar with the summer recreation plans and day camp schedules. E. Community Parks Grants 2004: Warren Steurer reviewed the four grant applications for the $1 OK in grant funds available during this grant cycle. Following discussion, there was support for Warren inviting the following groups to present their proposals at the July meeting: • East Jefferson Little League - $2K for batting cages • Northwest Kiwanis Camp - $2K for facility improvements ■ Quimper Trails Association - $1.9K for equipment and trailer • South Jefferson Little League - $lK for plumbing and aluminum bleachers IV. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, and upon a motion duly made, seconded and unanimously approved, the meeting adjourned at 2:00 PM. The next meeting is Thursday July 15, 2004. Jeff. Co. Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Minutes of June 2, 2004 — Page 4 JEFFERSON COUNTY PARKS & RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD AGENDA June 2, 2004 12 noon to 2 p.m. 1 s' Floor Conference Room, Courthouse A. OPENING BUSINESS Call to order Introductions Roll Call Agenda Additions or changes Adoption Minutes Additions or changes Adoption B. OLD BUSINESS Larry Scott Trail Irondale Beach Quilcene Community Meeting: Debrief HJ Carroll Park: Warren Gibbs Lake/ Challenge Course: Warren Memorial Field/ Rhody Carnival, other... ORV Update Community Network City/ Metro Park District Task Force Conservation Futures Committee: Eileen R. P&R Advisory Board: Membership/ City PT, other C. NEW BUSINESS Road Vacations: Kelly Assistant Recreation Manager: Matt Tyler Summer Recreation Programs PT Little League: Update Joint Meetings with City of PT Parks Board Community Park Grants 2004 Other: D. STAFF REPORTS: Recreation Division / Parks Division F. ADDITIONAL BUSINESS AND CORRESPONDENCE G. SET NEXT MEETING DATE/ ADJOURNMENT