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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFeb. 2008 - MinutesJEFFERSON COUNTY PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD MEETING Jefferson County Library, Shold Conference Room Port Hadlock, Washington February 6, 2008 Noon — 2:20 PM OPENING BUSINESS Call to Order: Phil Siemion, Vice -Chair, called the meeting to order at 12:05 PM in the Shold Room of the Jefferson County Library. Members Present: Liz Coker, Joan Linderoth, Judith Lucia, Brian Miller, Phil Siemion, Davis Steelquist, Jane Storm Members Absent: Steve Crosland Staff Present: Matt Tyler; (Molly Hilt, Chris Macklin, and Phil Saxton were present from 2:00 to 2:30 PM) Guests: Frank Gifford, Director of Public Works & Interim County Administrator Ryan Monks, Ben Warren (student skate board park advocates) Agenda: Joan Linderoth moved and Davis Steelquist seconded for approval of the agenda. The agenda was approved, as written, all in favor. Minutes: Paper copies of January minutes were distributed. An outdated version had been distributed in electronic form, and updated paper copies were distributed. Approval was deferred until the next meeting to allow board members time to review the most recent version. ROAD VACATIONS There were no road vacations to discuss. REGULAR/OLD BUSINESS Study Circles Update Liz Coker said that she and Matt Tyler would like to demonstrate the principles and details by facilitating a sample session during this meeting. After explaining more about the history of Study Circles in the U.S. and Europe, she explained how the program and sessions would be set up. She said that she and Matt Tyler would work with volunteers (unpaid) trained to be facilitators. The fundamental goal is to get information back from the community. Good candidates for facilitators (about 10) would be college students and retired persons, for example. Ideally, it would be well to start with various groups which already exist for some other purpose or common interest and to "piggyback" onto their meetings. Possibilities are church groups, civic/service organizations, and recreational clubs, etc. One of the trained facilitators meets with the group, explains Page 1 of Matt Tyler said he thought the exercise was excellent. He noted the positive participation and lack of disagreements; he characterized the process as "dialog leading to action'. Liz noted her preference for making these sessions fun. She also noted that subsequent sessions do not need to be attended by exactly the same people. Matt Tyler said Liz Coker would be presenting this to the BOCC, but not as a workshop. She said the idea is to show how to get positive citizen participation in planning, prioritizing and creative solutions. Matt repeated that this is a "dialog to action'. Phil Siemion asked for cost information. Matt Tyler said that the Study Circle experts are being paid $2,000 — the Study Circles foundation is donating $9800 worth of consulting and training. FRIENDS OF JEFFERSON COUNTY PARKS AND RECREATION Sub -committee Report Matt Tyler, Jane Storm and Joan Linderoth had met since the last meeting. They plan to bring a proposal to the March PRAB meeting for approval. Once the concept is approved, they will receive free help from a local attorney to draft a new set of bylaws for the non-profit, which the PRAB will also need to approve. The process will take several more months of work. Tentative plans include: • Foundation will have 15 voting members, with some overlap to the PRAB and some representation from the current Rhody Run Board. • Major purpose is to raise funds for Parks and Recreation • Rhody Run annual event will continue and be run by a special committee and volunteers. ■ Certain key individuals such as Jan Carter, Warren Steurer will be involved, in addition to the PRAB • Another annual run event in South County has been discussed. • Jane Storm is beginning to plan how to sell memberships and to get contributions from local businesses. There was a lengthy discussion about the entire non-profit concept, fund-raising and the primary functions of the new organization. There is a strong interest in having this be a county -wide and inclusive outreach program. Concerns about the Rhody Run overshadowing the Friends of Parks and Recreation foundation were discussed. Davis Steelquist stressed that the non-Rhody aspects have to be developed in balance with the already prominent Rhody Run portion. Jane Storm noted that donors should have a voice in how their contribution is used, modeled after the UGN approach. All agreed that the Rhody Run is just the beginning and more fund raising ideas/events will evolve. Judith Lucia explained the Friends of the Library model, which has a governing board with open memberships and various fund raising events, such as book sales. Friends of Fort Worden was also described as a model. Matt Tyler summarized, saying all these assumptions and plans must be worked into a document, reviewed for agreement, and the bylaws must be approved. There was agreement that there must be linkage between the Friends and PRAB boards and the Rhody Run committee. Liz Coker volunteered to talk with both the library friends groups and bring back information about how they function and govern. Page 3 of Parks and Recreation Funding Davis Steelquist reported that, in researching the state laws, he found that the money may only be applied to address impacts or needs brought about by community expansion, i.e. population growth. This seems to preclude use of the funds for maintenance and operations. He said his next step is to review the County & Parks planning documents to identify costs. One criterion for requesting impact fees is to clearly identify what the funds are to be used for. He mentioned upgrades for the two camping parks, lavatory upgrades, grading and new parks facilities. Liz Coker asked for clarification on the earlier news about the calculation error, asking about the amount or percentage of the impact fees. He said it now seems clear that the list of needs should be done first. Matt Tyler said that the BOCC will likely wish to see a unification of the Study Circles and funding initiatives, as both relate to finding out what the community wants and values. He also noted that the Comp Plan needs to be updated, as part of this whole subject. Matt stressed that a unified approach, taken as a team, is critical to avoid confusion in the community. Frank Gifford agreed, adding that impact fees and any funding can be emotionally charged; clear proposals and communication are absolutely necessary. Liz Coker spoke in favor of choosing a fee or tax that is spread thinly and shared by everyone, not just those building new houses. Phil Siemion suggested an appropriate label such as recreational enhancement funding. All agreed that this idea needs very careful planning and a great deal of sensitivity in terms of community relations. NEW BUSINESS Riverside Park — Davis Steelquist Davis Steelquist distributed copies of a planning document he had prepared regarding clean up and maintenance of the Riverside Park area in Quilcene. He reported on a recent meeting with county DCD (Department of Community Development) staff about permitting needed for this project. The document includes a schematic drawing and outlines a phased approach to clearing the area of trash, blackberries and weeds, installing picnic tables and dike maintenance. He said Matt Tyler had been present for only a portion of the meeting. He was told by a wetlands biologist that, because the park has not been maintained as a park, the exemption under the Shoreline Management Act is no longer valid. That is, a 250 foot setback applies to an area only 110 feet wide. He said this means that even if the blackberries are removed, use of a power mower is prohibited. This opinion has not yet been put in writing. Mr. Steelquist said, in his opinion, an exemption can be obtained because it is zoned as Park area and has been used as a park during fishing season and by local youth. In response to PRAB members' questions, he said that DCD has the authority to determine the exemption. He said that the permit filing has not yet been done, pending this decision. Davis Steelquist said that DCD staff had not seemed able to substantiate their position with references to laws. Apparently, by the end of the meeting, the biologist had said that he had no problem with picnic tables being placed in this area. (He noted that Matt Tyler had been planning to move the picnic tables from Oak Bay Park before they are submerged in water.) According to Mr. Steelquist, most of the project would be done with volunteer labor, with some participants wishing to receive contribution receipts for tax purposes. He mentioned that truckloads of gravel and other materials would be available at little or no cost. Page 5 of Matt Tyler suggested that board members also visit Oak Bay. Judith Lucia said she had done so, and suggested that the local users be given permission to add gravel and any other maintenance, for one more year, if they do so at their own expense. Jane Storm said she had personally verified how the area is actually sinking. After additional discussion, Matt showed some photos of Indian Island Park. He said that a volunteer, Dennis Berg, would be on the agenda for the next meeting to talk about the park and signage. Rick Tollefson Memorial Matt Tyler described a possible new opportunity for honoring Rick Tollefson. He said that the Roads Department has plans and has already prepared for building a trail (non -motorized) between H. J. Carroll Park and downtown Port Hadlock. He suggested that this could be named after Mr. Tollefson. Matt thought that the scale may be more appropriate to the significant contributions Rick had made than simply a loop trial at H.J. Carroll. Frank Gifford agreed that such a "community feature" would be more apt than, say, an internal park feature. Matt said that a map could be provided at the next meeting if the PRAB is interested in this idea. (Liz Coker added that a memorial service for Rick Tollefson is scheduled for March 30.) Davis Steelquist made the observation that naming a piece or a feature within a memorial for someone else tends to diminish the significance for both; others agreed. Matt said that Warren Steurer is also interested in being involved in this process. Frank Gifford briefly described the general path and amenities that would be installed along the trail. He said that the concept is set; some details are yet to be finalized. Eventual expansion would likely evolve as connections to other sites become feasible, as with the Larry Scott Trail. He said he would very much like to use this opportunity to honor Rick Tollefson. Members were interested in hearing more information at the next meeting. SET NEXT MEETING DATE/ADJOURNMENT The next PRAB meeting is scheduled for March 5, 2008 at the Quilcene Community Center. Chair Phil Siemion adjourned the meeting at 2:20 PM. Page 7 of �$°" o Jefferson County 4� GZ Parks and Recreation Serving the Community ADVISORY BOARD AGENDA Wednesday, February 6th, 2008 12 noon to 2 p.m. Jefferson county Library Small conference Room in Back A. OPENING BUSINESS i. Call to order ii. Introductions iii. Agenda A. Additions or changes B. Adoption iv. Minutes A. Additions or changes B. Adoption B. REGULAR / OLD BUSINESS i. Study Circles ii. Friends of Jefferson County Parks and Recreation iii. Parks and Recreation Funding Impact Fees Proposal C. NEW BUSINESS i. Quilcene River Park ii. Grange Park at end of Fremont Rd Leading to Mouth of Big Quilcene River iii. Washington State Park Land Disposal -Beach Near Scout Ranch Near Brinnon D. ADDITIONAL BUSINESS AND CORRESPONDENCE i. Advertisement is pending for the open seat in District 2 E. SET NEXT MEETING DATE/ ADJOURNMENT