Parks & Recreation Advisory Board

Burlington Parks & Recreation Advisory Board MEETING AGENDA Tuesday, 7/11/2023, 6:00PM Meeting Location: Burlington Parks & Rec Building, 900 E. Fairhaven Avenue Use NORTH ENTRANCE off Fairhaven Avenue Via Zoom: https://tinyurl.com/yf2swckh or 1-253-205-0468 Meeting ID: 864 1801 2624 Passcode: 236764 Agenda Item Presenter Time Allotted Action CALL TO ORDER Elizabeth T-B.  Approval of Minutes (06/13/23) Elizabeth T-B. 6:00-6:05PM Motion NEW BUSINESS  2024-2029 CIP Priorities Marv P. 6:05-6:45PM Discussion UNFINISHED BUSINESS STAFF REPORTS  Recreation Report Sarah W. 6:45-6:50PM Information OPEN COMMENT Elizabeth T-B. 6:50-7:00PM ADJOURNMENT Next Scheduled Meeting: Tuesday, August 8, 2023 6:00PM ENCLOSURES: : 06/13/23 Meeting Minutes 07/11/2023 Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Agenda Packet - Page 1 of 5 (This page left intentionally blank) 07/11/2023 Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Agenda Packet - Page 2 of 5  CITY OF BURLINGTON PARKS & RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD Tuesday, 06/13/2023 Meeting Minutes (The board meeting is conducted in-person) Representatives in Attendance Board Members: Marylynn Baker, Jennifer Eddleman, Orlando Macias, Elizabeth Turman-Bryant, and City Councilors: Jamie Weiss City Staff: Public Works Director Marv Pulst, Parks Supervisor Jim Rabenstein, Library & Rec Director Sarah Ward, and Shelley Johnstone, Admin Specialist Guest: Nick Turman-Bryant, Adam Ruiz, and Cami Franzen MEETING CALLED TO ORDER by Chairperson Elizabeth Turman-Bryant at 6:06PM MINUTES: Motion is made by Marylynn Baker/Jennifer Eddleman to approve the May 9, 2023 meeting minutes as written. All are in favor; motion is carried. NEW BUSINESS Rotary Park Pump Track. Adam Ruiz of Skagit Cycle Center and Cami Franzen join the meeting to offer their insight into the addition of a pump track to Burlington’s park system. Adam believes that the ideal spot for a pump track would be under the canopy of Maiben Park’s urban forest. Its topography lends easily to a pump track and the natural canopy would help preserve the track which would lessen maintenance concerns. Jim Rabenstein shares that a report received by an arborist recommended against the addition of a pump track in Maiben’s urban forest stating that it would be detrimental to the root system of the trees. After speaking with Eric Brown, director of Whatcom Mountain Bike Coalition, Adam estimates a 600 x 600sqft dirt track at Rotary Park would cost approximately $30,000 to implement and approximately $2,000-$3,000 for annual maintenance. He adds that maintaining adequate moisture in the soil will help reduce the amount of maintenance needed. Adam feels that the strong presence of mountain bike enthusiasts in the community would lend to a strong volunteer base to assist staff with maintenance. The optimal mix for the dirt track is a combination of sand, loamy top soil, and clay so that you have a composition that will retain moisture and compact-in, yet still drain well. He estimates an asphalt pump track would cost approximately $300,000-$400,000 to implement with relatively no maintenance. Adam feels there are two factors that are detractors from an asphalt track which are that it is permanent once installed and it is not particularly great for children or beginners. He recommends VeloSolutions as an expert in the field of asphalt pump track construction. Board members offer thanks to Adam and Cami for sharing their recommendations as well as the sentiments they are hearing from the community at-large. The advisory board will consider them as they enter into discussions about priorities for Parks’ 2024-2029 capital improvement plan. Process for 2024-2029 CIP (Capital Improvement Plan). Marv Pulst shares that August is the targeted timeframe in which the board should solidify their recommended updates to the 2024-2029 CIP. The July board meeting will include discussion about capital projects and what changes members feel are 07/11/2023 Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Agenda Packet - Page 3 of 5  necessary in keeping with current needs. Marv says he should be able to ascertain a fairly accurate idea of the projected capital budget by the July meeting. The board’s recommendations will then be evaluated by the city’s Planning Commission to ensure they align with Parks’ capital budget and city’s Comprehensive Plan before ultimately being presented to city council. Jamie Weiss says he would like to see the board’s recommendations documented. The city’s Planning Director, Brad Johnson will share a template that the board can use to make formal record. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Boerner Park Survey - Update. Sarah Ward reports that the digital version of the survey has been launched. A link for this digital version was shared via e-newsletters and lives on the city’s website. The paper version should be in the mail to the approximately 300 neighbors of the park within the week. Still to do is selecting a date and firming activity plans for an in-person outreach event at the park. She anticipates having the survey results evaluated by the end of July. Ideally, those results can assist in informing the board throughout their upcoming CIP discussions. Elizabeth Turman-Bryant expresses her interest in helping with the in-person event. Pickleball Courts – Update. Nick Turman-Bryant says he recently spoke with Larry Otos of Skagit Valley Pickleball Club (SVPC) who expressed support for the project. Before proposing a partnership to the club’s executive committee, Larry would like to see a more concrete plan for moving the project forward. Nick has put together a spreadsheet for board members which shares his findings on rough cost comparisons for 2-courts vs. 4-courts, lighted/unlighted, covered/uncovered, Quonset vs. Cathedral roofing style. The cost combinations range from $87,900 for 2-courts, uncovered, unlighted constructed by city staff to $496,400 for 2-courts, covered and lighted. These estimates do not reflect the benefit of the potential donation from Claude Blackburn. Marv says that he would prefer to see the courts constructed in a manner that will maximize their use year-round. In general the board feels that constructing 4 courts is the way to go given the popularity of the sport and the size of the Burlington community. Jennifer Eddleman suggests connecting with “Carpenters in Action”, a group of professionals who volunteer their time and may be able to assist with some components of the Maiben Park renovations. Marv will draft a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) as a next step in moving the project forward. The RFQ could serve to provide options for the various features the board is considering and it could also serve as the sign of forward progress SVPC needs to confirm their support for the project. Maiben RFQ - Update. Marv Pulst reports that there were 7 respondents to the Request for Qualifications, all very qualified. He along with a small committee will meet on June 14 to rank the submittals using an evaluation matrix with the intent of selecting the firm with the best overall understanding of the project. Marv says next steps will be to establish the price for the firm’s services. STAFF REPORTS: Recreation Report. Sarah Ward offers a brief report on upcoming Recreation happenings. The Berry Dairy Days’ festival begins this weekend. Recreation staff coordinate the Friday Night Fireworks Show and Saturday’s Lawn Mower Races. The Friday event will include a variety of family friendly games, inflatables, food court, live music, and of course fireworks. Staff are particularly excited for the relaunch of the Races and have been busy with site preparations and managing registrations - twelve participants to date. Events coming up next are the Touch-a-Truck event on June 28 along Washington Avenue; the Summer 07/11/2023 Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Agenda Packet - Page 4 of 5  Nights concert series beginning Friday, July 7; and July & August volleyball tournaments at Rotary Park. Registration for fall soccer closes June 30 which will have staff busy with the formation of teams, securing volunteer coaches, and coordinating field use. Challenger Sports and Skyhawks Sports are two companies that will host sports themed camps in Burlington throughout the summer. Sarah adds that planning for the November Veterans Day Parade has already begun and applications are now being accepted. OPEN COMMENT Introductions are made at the start of the meeting to welcome Orlando Macias to the board. The newest board representative’s appointment was made official at council’s June 8 meeting. Firecracker Tournament. Jim Rabenstein mentions that the annual youth soccer tournament run by NW United FC has received a record number of team registrations for the Skagit River Park venue. The tournament typically draws approximately 275; the 2023 event currently has 306 teams which is anticipated to draw between 12,000-14,000 visitors in Burlington throughout the 23-25 June weekend. Potential Rugby Interest. Jamie Weiss shares that he has introduced the idea of Skagit River Park playfields to friends that are affiliated with Seattle Saracens rugby club. The club’s semi pro team is looking for practice space outside of Seattle and the Burlington location may be ideal for them. He feels the potential use could be advantageous for both the club and the City even though some basic rugby equipment is needed at the playfields. Inclusive Playground. Marylynn Baker comments that she has reached out to several providers of playground equipment in advance of the anticipated award of the RCO grant. The providers will eventually need a level of detail not yet available, but can provide brochures to illustrate potential design elements. Sarah Ward adds that once the grant award has been made official, the sub-committee will resume meetings to take a closer look at design. More info to come. Parks & Recreation Building RFQ. Marv Pulst shares that the City recently launched a Request for Qualifications regarding a potential remodel to the Parks & Recreation building. This RFQ is intended to explore what can be done in the immediate future to update the building’s basic needs while a more extensive renovation might be considered as a long-term goal. ADJOURNMENT: Chairperson Elizabeth Turman-Bryant adjourns the board meeting at 7:39PM. NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, July 11, 2023 at 6:00PM. Minutes transcribed by Shelley Johnstone, BPR Admin Specialist. 07/11/2023 Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Agenda Packet - Page 5 of 5