Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutNov. 2007 - MinutesJEFFERSON COUNTY PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD MEETING Jefferson County Library Port Hadlock, Washington November 7, 2007 Noon — 2:OOPM OPENING BUSINESS Call to Order: Steve Crosland, Vice -Chair, called the meeting to order at 12:05 PM in the $hold Meeting Room of the Library, Port Hadlock, Washington. Members Present: Liz Coker, Steve Crosland, Joan Linderoth, Judith Lucia, Brian Miller, Phil Siemion Members Absent: Judi Mackey (Resigned), Jane Storm (Excused), Rick Tollefson (Leave of Absence) Staff Present: Matt Tyler Guests: Phil Johnson, BOCC Agenda: Judith Lucia requested that a discussion of how Metropolitan Park Districts are created be added to the agenda. Matt Tyler added that Pamela Roberts would be present to discuss the Challenge Course. Liz Coker moved and Joan Linderoth seconded for approval of the agenda. The agenda was approved, as amended, all in favor. Minutes: Two corrections were noted: Under Guests, name is Henderson, not Anderson; and Phil Siemion, not Judith Lucia, made the motion under Road Vacations. Judith Lucia moved for approval of the minutes, as amended. The minutes for October 2, 2007 were approved, as amended, all in favor. ROAD VACATIONS None REGULAR/OLD BUSINESS BUDGET UPDATE FOR 2008 Matt Tyler said that the budget he submitted for 2008 had included an additional $20,000 for staff. It also included a transfer from current expense, General Fund, to the H. J. Carroll Park Construction account. That transfer, in cash, had been saved in reserves ($40,000) by Parks and Recreation as match money for the H. J. Carroll construction project. However, due to a decline in revenue from sales tax and in order to balance the County budget for 2008, that $40,000 is not available for Parks and Recreation. The $20,000 permanent increase for staff has also been removed from the Parks and Recreation budget. In addition, because not all of the match money for the grant is available, all of the grant funds for the project must be returned to the State. This means the scope of the project must be adjusted to fit the smaller budget. He said that there are earmarked park improvement funds and a special H. J. Carroll fund still intact. Additionally, the cost of the project has risen by $140,000 since 2005 due to inflation. Matt said he had been trying to close that gap through private fund raising, and believes that would have been Page 1 of 6 accomplished. The plan is now to return the State funding and to reduce the scope of the project in accordance with the funds available: $90,000 in the H. J. Carroll fund and $80,000 in the Parks Improvement fund. He proposes to build the Skate Park ($50,000 from County) and the BMX Track ($4,000 from County), which are also being funded by private groups/donations. The new field and trail improvements would not be within the scope. Liz Coker asked if there was still time to try to raise the matching funds. Matt Tyler said the date had passed (about one week ago). He added that it would not be responsible to go through with this project even if the $40,000 was found, because the additional staff funding was also lost. There is also no possibility to reduce the grant request proportionately, according to the State's process. He distributed copies of a graph showing Total Revenue and Total Expenses over several years. The money saved in 2005 and 2006 is now gone. He said a small increase has been given in 2008 for staff, fuel, computers, etc. He pointed out the General Fund revenue has risen from about $400,000 to $425,000 in 2008. This must be used for higher level mandates such as sheriff, public health, auditor, treasurer, assessor, superior court, etc. He noted that the BOCC is acting responsibly and that there is no way Parks and Recreation can be allocated funds needed for those other services. Phil Johnson noted that the BOCC, prior to his election, had voted to phase out funding for Parks and Recreation entirely over a 5-year period at 20 percent per year. He said he and David Sullivan had worked to reverse that, i.e. "trying not to have the funding problems fall on the backs of children". Matt Tyler walked through other budget categories, e.g., the allocations for FTEs, showing that the division has been doing more and more with virtually no increases in staff. Meanwhile, the cost of staff has risen because of high benefit costs. Additionally, some other revenue has dropped; the $20,000 service fee for maintaining the Larry Scott Trail has been replaced with a billable hours arrangement that brings in less money. There was a discussion about additional ways to save on expenses or to bring in more funds. Matt Tyler recalled the recommendation made at the Retreat to cut Memorial Field. In light of the changes to plans for H. J. Carroll Park, he now believes that recommendation should be modified. He would recommend making a long term plan with the users of Memorial Field to remove it from the Parks and Recreation portfolio. It must be done in such a way that allows the school sports programs to continue. Based on the directions from PRAB to find a new source of dedicated tax revenue and governance, he had written a Letter to the Editor, which he read to the PRAB. After history and background information, it discusses the problem of rising costs, flat revenue and insufficient, aging facilities. It describes the proposal of the PRAB regarding how to deal with the immediate budget crisis that will have the least impact on children and families, while seeking a long term solution. Liz Coker asked if it is possible to reapply to the State program for a lesser amount of funding next year. Matt Tyler said that was possible and that it was not uncommon for grants to be returned for lack of matching funds. Phil Siemion asked how a rise, rather than a drop, in tax revenue would affect this situation. Phil Johnson said he did not see that as likely. He said the main factor has been the continuing decline in housing starts, i.e. the source of most of the sales tax. Further discussion revealed that in 2008, the County will receive sales tax on items delivered from outside the county, which is estimated to be about $250,000. This will also include items purchased on the Internet and delivered within the County. Matt requested feedback from the Board regarding the letter. Judith Lucia said she was in agreement with Matt's recommendations for cuts. There were questions as to whether other entities mentioned in the letter, such as Indian Island Park, had been contacted; not all of them had been contacted. Judith Lucia Page 2 of 6 said that the Leader had mentioned the request from the County to the City for assuming some costs for Memorial Field. Matt said he would also prepare a letter focusing on solutions. He would also contact all the groups working along the same lines such as Make Waves, schools, etc. about a Metropolitan Park District and possible issues regarding junior tax districts. The essential goal is to establish a stable revenue source and governance. There was a brief discussion about the suggestion in the letter of transferring North and East Beach Parks to the Parks Service. There was further discussion about possible sources of revenue and agreement that more research is needed. Phil Johnson noted that he is part of a County/City sub -committee is beginning discussions on ways to streamline overlapping services. The Board pointed out typographical errors and suggested some minor changes to the letter: rephrasing of the North and East Beach parks item and placing it later in the letter; fees for everyone; stating specifically which planned improvements will need to be cut; clarifying how and why Parks and Recreation has lost funding. Steve Crosland suggested that the entire Board sign on to the letter; others agreed. Brian Miller moved and Phil Siemion seconded that the Board endorse the letter, as amended, both as a body and individually. The motion was approved, all in favor. The Board commended Matt Tyler for taking this action, and he expressed his appreciation for their support. UPDATE ON 4-H CHALLENGE COURSE Pamela Roberts, 4-H Coordinator of Jefferson County There was a round of introductions for Pamela Roberts, who had arrived during the previous discussion. She introduced herself as 4-H Coordinator of Jefferson County. Since the equipment was not readily available, she said she would not be able to use her PowerPoint presentation, and hoped she would be able to cover everything of interest. Pamela Roberts described the struggling state of the 4-H organization when she began as Coordinator. She noted that much previously informal and undocumented critical information had since been institutionalized, i.e. published on the web and in handbooks where all can access it, and that there are now ongoing processes for maintaining the evolving knowledge base. In general, 4-H is beating the trends in that they have a growing number of children and youth participating in a great variety of interests and activities. Almost 900 children and youth were served by 4-H last year. In addition to clubs/project areas, 4-H does in -school service and special events which are geared to serve teens. There is more enrichment and more challenge for older age groups. For several schools, the entire student population is enrolled in 4-H. She said this is a healthy, exciting, full paradigm for 4-H that the State views as a model, statewide and nationally. 4-H is partnered with Parks and Recreation for the Challenge Course, which was started by Warren Steurer, and spearheaded by Parks and Rec. She gave a brief history of how 4-H began about 100 years ago. In 1900, the federal government created the university system that would serve rural America. Within four years, there was one land grant university in every state. 4-H is the youth arm of the land grant university system, created to serve Kindergarten to high school age children. Washington State University is the land grant school for this state. 4-H is a national organization and has a larger grant than each of the individual universities: "Our little Clover is actually bigger than the Cougar." There are 7,000,000 youth involved in 4-H nationwide, making 4-H the largest organization for youth in the county. 4-H is dual funded through the County and is a partnership between WSU and the County. There are three WSU extension faculty members, including Pamela Roberts, placed in Jefferson County to support Page 3 of 6 youth development. She partners with any and every entity that also serves youth: teen centers, public and private schools, youth groups, etc. In some situations, partnering is so tight that the entity enters 4-H. This can provide benefits such as consulting, insurance coverage, or additional resources. WSU is very committed to the challenge model, which is not just about ropes courses. The challenge model is the whole idea of taking groups of people, youth or adults, into a setting where they have a challenge by choice and support each other as a group to go through that challenge. She said it is a microcosmic experience that would imitate/reflect some challenge in the community, workplace or schools. Participants are able to observe, analyze and understand what happens in these situations and to learn about themselves and others. With the Ropes Course, 4-H acted as support infrastructure: provided insurance, helped design the course, coordinated all the volunteer groups, and arranged for course inspection. All that is still in place. During this year, there has been transitioning of day to day management from Parks and Rec toward 4-H auspices. She said that she is broadening the marketing of this program beyond Gibbs Lake. 4-H has invested in portable challenge materials and has hired two individuals who now manage and schedule this program. Ms. Roberts said this is becoming a state model and listed a number of the accomplishments of these individuals in working with the schools, the 4-H clubs, and out of county training. At the state level, there has been a disconnect between 4-H and the challenge program, but there a positive shift occurring. She said it is all very exciting and she is looking forward to coming in to do a full report with pictures and slides. She described a one -week student initiative camp that was held last summer for 14 middle school students. This included a day at H. J. Carroll Park with maze and disk golf challenges. She noted that since staff is trained to facilitate challenge activities, they can do this work at various locations. There was also a technology focused day. "In an ideal world, I would love to see our kids trained so well that they could go into our businesses as volunteers to do team building experiences, and help businesses get their staffs working better together and being more cognizant of leadership skills." Judith Lucia asked for more information on the portable challenge course, noting that her library colleagues were not enthusiastic about the suggestion of participating in a challenge course themselves. Ms. Roberts said these sessions are highly customized based on the particular organization or group and its unique real world challenges or issues to be addressed. She noted examples such as bringing out assumed but unstated belief systems and bringing new employees into the organizational culture. In response to a question from Liz Coker, she described her involvement with the Chimacum Teen Center. She said she began attending their board meetings about three years ago when the organization was struggling. She said this was a fairly typical 4-H story. She had facilitated some changes such as location, activities, linkage with the schools, etc. This has lead to a recent decision to become a 4-H Teen Center, which provides an insurance umbrella, support and high expectations for staff, plus increasing breadth and frequencies of activities. She said 4-H builds leadership through hands on learning and community service. She said that, ideally, this whole model leads to older youth sharing what they have learned with younger ones, a form of community service. She said the relationship with Parks and Rec is a good fit, since 4-H provides an alternative non- competitive sports strand and lots of activities that appeal to kids who are quieter and not as drawn to traditional sports. Liz Coker commended Pamela Roberts on her work. She noted that the challenge course has not been used as much by Port Townsend schools because of some insurance issues. She asked if the portable mode was now being done in the schools. Ms. Roberts said that 4-H would need to promote this with the teachers and administration, and they were planning a strong push for that. At this time, the Wooden Boat Foundation, through 4-H behind the scenes, is working with Blue Heron School on teacher training Page 4 of 6 and evaluations. She said 4-H also works to bring existing implicit models and assumptions to consciousness and helps to bring about needed changes in the classrooms through these types of programs. For example, it is important for everyone, especially teachers, to recognize that everyone has strengths, sometimes hidden. It is not uncommon for teachers to stereotype or categorize their students and to miss hidden/emergent talents or strengths. Training through challenge programs can bring that into the open for discussion of the implications and lead to more supportive classrooms. She added that ultimately 4-H wants to see the dissemination of service learning. That is, a community service activity is turned into an academic activity. Big Quil Enterprises is the best example — the entire Quilcene School, K-12, is involved in the propagation of oysters. They learn all the science; bring the product to market; and also learn from professional chefs how to prepare, cook and serve oysters. Phil Siemion added the example of growing plants from seed in green houses and using the process to raise money. Pamela Roberts suggested that Chimacum Schools could expand the concepts of their horticulture program to landscaping and develop a volunteer relationship with H. J. Carroll Park. This would facilitate service learning with H. J. Carroll Park, spending part of their academic activity there. Service learning provides community service while learning and developing new skills. Liz Coker commented that it would be well to borrow some of the portable challenge props and have a PRAB training. Phil Johnson said he was pleased to see 4-H coming back and regaining its appeal with youth. Ms. Roberts said that she had realized from the outset that re-establishing a strong program and organization would be a five year process. She spoke of the very significant changes in attitude and pride of the participants and everyone involved that have happened over just four years. In response to a question about funding, she said 4-H had positioned itself well. She said she had been a school principal in the past, but her real gift is as a systems analyst — being able to identify the holes in a system and push hard against that weakness. After studying the organization for four months, she began to emphasize the technical programs (SET: Science, Engineering and Technology) for which 4-H has been a leader nationwide. This includes web design, robotics, mechanical science, product design, electrical engineering, etc. They strongly emphasized Internet communication systems and getting their story out via the Internet. After a three process of this, WSU extension has become a state-wide model, Ms. Roberts has been working directly with the Pullman campus to position their Internet presence, and is now in the process of hiring the web manager for that system. Since 4-H Network News has been so active, there are over 700 films produced in the 18 months telling the story. This led to the national'4-H being able to leverage 100 free commercial spots with the Disney TV channel. In summary, the whole system has been positioned to a different level. She said she would be happy to talk in more depth at some future date about how this type of process could be of benefit to Parks and Rec. She said that when you push hard, there is movement and growth, and money begins to flow in, literally from everywhere. She mentioned that the $100,000 grant for Big Quil (from Northwest Area Foundation) had happened because 4-H was pushing hard on economic development with youth; this initiative has now become "poverty reduction". As a result, she was hired to train 27 eastern Washington communities on Internet communication systems. She said the $100,000 grant came. She said her father's advice to "do a lot for people and it will come back to you" is true. NEW BUSINESS RECREATION REPORT Matt Tyler gave a brief report, noting that the basketball league has almost 300 children in it. They will play three more games before the Holidays and end the season earlier to make time for baseball. Chris Macklin continues to do incredible work. Liz Coker asked which baseball activity he had referred to. There is co-ed adult recreation softball only. There are two other groups doing T-Ball. She asked who owns the ball fields at Chimacum near the Sheriff s office; Matt said they are county owned. She noted that Port Townsend teams use fields at the Fairgrounds and asked for clarification on the relationship Page 5 of 6 between the County and the County Fairgrounds. He explained that the Fairgrounds is a self supporting enterprise operated by an appointed board separate from County governments. It was mentioned that the Little League uses the fields and maintains them, as part of a lease agreement. Liz Coker asked whether there was any way for the Little League to use Memorial Field instead, citing the cold and flooding conditions. Matt said the field is used for certain events and for girls' soccer in the spring, but perhaps a schedule could be worked out. There was agreement that this could be discussed further at a later date. Liz Coker also asked Matt to review what parts of the H. J. Carroll construction project and programs can still be afforded given the losses of funds. He said they should be able to do the skate park, the BMX track, possibly $2,000 of access enhancements, and some improvements in the campgrounds. Matt reviewed the outline of the recreation programs, including the Quilcene after school programs, summer camps, tennis in Quilcene and Brinnon, sports leagues in the summer, indoor soccer and the Rec Center. Liz Coker said she is involved with two soccer leagues: regular and traveling. She suggested that Parks and Rec should be handling both levels of soccer, as well as all sports in the county. There was a brief discussion of about keeping fees low and the growth of the Parks and Rec program. FACILITIES REPORT Camp Grounds — Camp Grounds are closed for the season except for Lower Oak Bay. Matt Tyler said that Molly Hilt and Phil Saxton would like to come to the PRAB meetings to report, but their time is needed elsewhere. He said he had not had time to prepare a full report due to the budget and other matters discussed earlier. In response to a question from Judith Lucia, he said that his staff is definitely aware of the recommendations he has made in response to the budget cuts, and have participated in planning via several workshops recently. OTHER BUSINESS/CORRESPONDENCE PRAB Vacancy — Matt reported that Judi Mackey had submitted a letter of resignation and there is now a vacancy for the Quilcene PRAB position. Everyone is encouraged to suggest/recruit possible candidates. David Anderson was mentioned, but apparently does not reside in the Quilcene area. Matt will be advertising the vacancy. Judith Lucia suggested contacting the Chamber of Commerce in Quilcene about the vacancy. Annual Election of Officers — Judith Lucia reminded that this process is scheduled for the next meeting. According to the by laws, members may not serve more than one consecutive year as Chair or Vice Chair. Joan Linderoth volunteered for the nominating committee. After compelling persuasion from many voices, Steve Crosland and Phil Siemion said they would agree to nominations for Chair and Vice Chair, respectively. SET MEETING DATE/ADJOURNMENT Next Meeting: December 5, 2007, Noon — 2:00 PM, Quilcene Community Center Following a motion by Judith Lucia, seconded by Phil Siemion, Vice Chair Steve Crosland adjourned the meeting at 1:55 PM. Page 6 of 6 gON coG Jefferson County Parks and Recreation 0 Serving the Community ADVISORY BOARD AGENDA Wednesday, November 7th, 2007 12 noon to 2 p.m. Jefferson county Library Small conference Room A. OPENING BUSINESS i. Call to order ii. Introductions A. Special welcome to our new official board member Liz Coker B. Jane Storm is also new and official board member but is absent and excused iii. Agenda A. Additions or changes B. Adoption iv. Minutes A. Additions or changes B. Adoption B. ROAD VACATION i. None C. REGULAR / OLD BUSINESS i. Budget Update for 2008 ii. H.J. Carroll Project Update D. NEW BUSINESS i. Letter to the BOCC regarding the Retreat ii. Recreation Report iii. Facility Report E. ADDITIONAL BUSINESS AND CORRESPONDENCE i. Resignation Letter of Judi Mackey F. SET NEXT MEETING DATE/ ADJOURNMENT Jefferson County Parks and Rec for Serving the Community Dear Editor; Matthew L. Tyler, Manager Jefferson County Public Works Parks and Recreation Division P.O. Box 2070 623 Sheridan St. Port Townsend, WA 98368 Desk: 360.385.9129 Email: mt ler@count rec.corn During the late 1800's the American parks and recreation movement was born in two disparate places: the vast wilderness of the West, and the industrial cities of the East. Frederick Law Olmstead, Joseph Lee, and John Muir were pioneers. Olmstead and his colleagues created Central Park in New York City in 1850 and the `local public park' was born. The idea was uniquely American, totally new, and it spread across the world like wildfire. Olmstead held that all Americans had a right to leisure. Around the same time Joseph Lee established local public playgrounds in Boston. Lee felt that children deserved a place to play. Lee emphasized children's rights to space, light and air. In 1890, John Muir and Theodore Roosevelt set aside 148 million acres of forest and park land including Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks. Muir proposed that natural areas had recreational value. It is easy to forget these notions because they are well accepted today. But they were the key new ideas of a movement that began little more than 100 years ago! In their era, the movement founders were considered radicals, but now parks and recreation is so prevalent it is sometimes taken for granted. We need to ask ourselves if the parks and recreation movement is alive and well right now. Do we believe that children still deserve to play; there should still be someplace to go besides work, something to do besides shop; something we share besides pain and fear; not just for able-bodied people, people who can pay the fees, people who are white, people who are not white, new people, old people, young people, but, for every -person. This is not hyperbole. There is a serious problem in the parks and recreation movement in East Jefferson County. The root of the problem is that operating costs for the City and the County Parks and Recreation providers (staff, fuel, construction -materials, health care) are up, but revenues are the flat -lined. While we have opportunities for passive recreation (provided by our State and Federal Parks), there are not enough active recreation facilities such as basketball gymnasiums, fitness centers, tennis courts, athletic fields, aquatics centers, playgrounds, or multiple -purpose trails. Of what that we do have; all our active facilities suffer from design problems or deferred maintenance. rntyler @CoiiatyRec.com www.countyrec.com Examples of deferred maintenance include the basketball gym at the Port Townsend Recreation center, the picnic shelters at Chimacum Park, Quilcene Park, East Beach Park, and South Indian Island Park, and the Stadium at Memorial Field. Jefferson County Parks and Recreation is the only `un-mandated service' paid for by the `general fund' of the County Budget. When tax revenues collected by the County dip, parks and recreation is the first to feel it. It is important to note that this is not because our elected officials don't value parks and recreation, rather that the elected official's hands are tied. This year tax revenues from sales tax are dipping. $58,600 will be cut from the 2008 County Parks Rec budget proposal. Full time staff lay-offs will be avoided by `hiring -out' our crews to take care of County roads and other facilities and reducing season workers. This is `the straw that broke the camels back'. However, County Parks and Rec still wants to manage parks and service cuts as responsibly as possible. Working with elected officials, staff and the general public, the Jefferson County Parks and Rec Advisory Board is proposing following decision making guidelines: (1) cut planned improvements first; (2) try to keep programs and facilities that can offset part of their costs through fees; (3) seek to retain parks and services for children and their families; (5) spread the cuts geographically so anyone community is not overly impacted, (4) find a long term solution. Using these parameters the County Parks Advisory Board and staff have worked together to provide an initial recommendation for 2008: (1) return $216,000 to the State of Washington from a grant to improve H.J. Carroll Park and cancel the construction project; (2) give North Beach and East Beach parks to the Washington State Parks; (3) stop mowing the grass at the Courthouse Park and the Indian Island Parks; (4) ask the Chimacum and Port Townsend School Districts to paint the field �,ines and clean up the trash at Memorial Field for their own games. If the current financial trends continue further cuts will occur each year. There are no easy options. Unlike the County Library, County Transit, or the school districts, the Parks and Rec movement has not yet gained a dedicated source of tax funds and governance. Whatever is done, keeping parks and recreation alive will cost lots of money, and will result in a tax increase. I can confidently say that the Jefferson County Commissioners and the City of Port Townsend Councilors value parks and recreation but has their hands tied. But by working with our partners in a coordinated effort, responsible opportunities for the community to safeguard the movement can be provided. In another letter, the Jefferson County Parks Advisory Board will outline an approach to supporting existing initiatives and working together to create a solution. mtvie _,CountyRec.com www.countyrec.com 11 /7/07 To: Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners From: Parks and Recreation Advisory Board (PRAB) Subject: Parks and Recreation Services On Saturday, October 20'`, eight members of Jefferson County Parks and Recreation Advisory Board (PRAB) and a facilitator met for an Advisory Board Retreat. As a result, the PRAB feel that we need to raise public awareness of what we do at Parks and Recreation and our financial situation. Our financial situation is this: parks and programs have been added, the cost of doing business has increased, and neither tax nor fee revenue has kept up despite fee increases in 2002, & 2006-2009. The Parks and Recreation staff has been `leased' more and more to the County Roads Department to help cover overhead and avoid layoffs. Every year Parks and Recreation has to compete with other departments for money. We need more parks and the parks we have need more maintenance. Programs need more support and volunteers are `maxed-out'. We are at a tipping point. Business as usual is not a responsible course of action. We feel that we are the ones who should attempt to solve this problem and so we have made a list of possible short and long term options that deserve more study: • Make new partnerships with the City of Port Townsend and the School Districts to operate and improve Memorial Field or surplus it starting 2008; ■ Use banked capacity; ► Sell surplus County land; ■ Stop taking care of non -park properties that we don't get paid back for; • Identifying win/win agreements with other organizations; • Create a special district like a metropolitan park and recreation district. We want to base our final recommendations about what to do based on public input. We recommend Matt Tyler be freed up so he can dedicate half time to conducting public forums in the following communities: Brinnon, Quilcene, Port Ludlow, Tri Area, Gardner, Cape George, Kala Point, and two in Port Townsend. We want to invite people to participate in these forums through the media, direct mail, and by attending public meetings of other stakeholders. This effort will be concluded with Matt preparing a report for PRAB outlining what people want and recommendations for making it happen. This process of public involvement is also the first step of the Parks and Rec. Comp. Plan required by State of Washington law. We feel this is an opportunity to form new models of partnership, to find allies, and to co -create a solution that will work for all. For example, forming an inter -agency agreement among the city, schools, and Parks and Rec. to maintain Memorial Field could be a model for a Metropolitan Parks District for other parks and a long-term solution to our financial crisis. We feel our financial situation is grave. We value having the parks be accessible to all and keeping program fees affordable. We feel we need an opportunity to hear from the public before making any decisions regarding the future of Parks and Rec. We therefore request that Matt Tyler be freed up to dedicate half time to this important forum effort. Regards, Parks and Recreation Advisory Board