City Council - Parks and Recreation Committee

City of Bellingham Parks and Recreation Committee Minutes September 12, 2022, 10:30 AM Mayor: Seth Fleetwood Contact: (360) 778-8100, mayorsoffice@cob.org Council Members: Edwin H. "Skip" Williams, Chair Contact: (360) 778-8200, ccmail@cob.org Hollie Huthman, Lisa Anderson https://cob.org/council All meetings are held in the City Hall Council Chambers at 210 Lottie Street, Bellingham, WA, unless otherwise noted. Call to Order The Parks & Recreation Committee meeting was called to order by Council President Stone at 10:40am. Roll Call Present: Committee Chair Edwin H. "Skip" Williams, Fourth Ward Committee Member Hollie Huthman, Second Ward Committee Member Lisa Anderson, Fifth Ward Council Standing Committee Meetings: Open to the public to attend. Note: there is generally no public comment period for Committee sessions. Standing Committee Members receive reports and information, ask questions and, when appropriate, vote on a recommended action for consideration by the full Council at the Regular Meeting. The notice of Committee Meetings identified below also serves as notice of Special Meetings of the City Council at the times identified as Council Members who are not members of the committee routinely attend and participate in the Committee Meetings. Committee Chairs give a report of the Committee Meeting at the Regular Meeting in the evening prior to deliberation and formal vote. 23441 1. Work Session on Hundred Acre Wood Master Plan (also known as p. 3 Chuckanut Community Forest) Mayor Fleetwood and Nicole Oliver, Director of Parks and Recreation, presented the draft Hundred Acre Wood Master Plan, which came before the City Council for a Public Hearing on August 29, 2022. In response to public input, additional revisions were made. These changes include,  Limit to the trail improvement proposed in Phase 1 to just the areas that are impacting wetlands or drainage or that are needed for access for restoration and maintenance  Adds the centrally-located "saddle" area to Phase 1 to address the main north- south connection Parks and Recreation Committee Minutes Page 1 September 12, 2022   Additional language that focuses on compatibility of allowed uses and encourages reducing impact and access to sensitive areas, but no changes are proposed to allowed uses, including bikes and on-leash dogs. The forest includes 5.3 miles of mapped trails, which equals 7% of the entire managed trail system in the City. This area was inherited by the City, and no trails were designed, but rather were built by the public over decades of use. The current plan is consistent with the conservation easement. Next steps include,  Council approval  Petition to dissolve Chuckanut Community Park District  Transfer easement to land trust  Budget for Phase 1 improvements  Monitor progress and revise if needed Hollie Huthman moved to recommend approval of the Master Plan for the Chuckanut Community Forest. MOTION CARRIED 3-0. 23425 2. Formal Naming of Hundred Acre Wood (aka Chuckanut Community p. 130 Forest) Nicole Oliver, Director of Parks and Recreation, reviewed the proposed Hundred Acre Wood name for the Chuckanut Community Forest. As part of the master planning of the Chuckanut Community Forest, the City includes a formal naming process. Per City policy PAR 1.01.01, the Park Director or staff solicit names from the public and forward all the proposed names to the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board (PRAB) for final recommendation to City Council. The PRAB approved the proposed name of Hundred Acre Wood on August 10, 2022 and a Public Hearing was held on the Master Plan August 29, 2022. Lisa Anderson moved to recommend approval of naming the Chuckanut Community Forest to the Hundred Acre Wood. MOTION CARRIED 3-0. Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 11:59am. Parks and Recreation Committee Minutes Page 2 September 12, 2022