Parks and Recreation Commission

Inger Hiller, Chair Sarah Grider, Vice Chair Parks and Recreation Commission Rebecca Dunn Meeting Minutes Shawn L'Esperance Madeline Self Michael Smith Wednesday, June 16, 2021 5:00 PM The Millhouse at Philip S. Miller Park 1381 W. Plum Creek Pkwy. Castle Rock, CO 80109 NOTE: THIS MEETING IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. THREE OR MORE COUNCIL MEMBERS MAY ALSO ATTEND THIS MEETING, DURING WHICH THE ITEMS LISTED HEREIN WILL BE DISCUSSED. TIMES SHOWN ARE APPROXIMATE AND MAY BE ADJUSTED DUE TO CHANGES TO THE AGENDA. CALL TO ORDER ADDITIONS/DELETIONS/MODIFICATIONS TO THE AGENDA Parks and Recreation Commission Chair Inger Hiller called the meeting to order at 5:06 p.m. Council Liaison Caryn Johnson was present, as were Town staff including Jeff Brauer, Brian Peterson, Bob Maloney, Mike Kilman, Jeff Smullen, Jennifer Martin and Maia Aman. Present 6 - Chair Inger Hiller, Commissioner Rebecca Dunn, Vice Chair Sarah Grider, Commissioner Shawn L'Esperance, Commissioner Michael Smith, and Commissioner Madeline Self PUBLIC COMMENT DURING THIS TIME, MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE INVITED TO ADDRESS THE COMMISSION AND STAFF ON ITEMS THAT ARE NOT ON THE AGENDA. COMMENTS SHOULD BE LIMITED TO NO MORE THAN FOUR (4) MINUTES. None. WELCOME NEW MEMBER REBECCA DUNN The Parks and Recreation Commission and staff welcomed new member Rebecca Dunn. REGULAR BUSINESS PRAC Approval of the Minutes of May 19, 2021 2021-012 It was motioned by Shawn L’Esperance and seconded by Michael Smith to approve the minutes of the May 19, 2021 Parks and Recreation Commission meeting. "I move to approve the minutes of the May 19, 2021 Parks and Recreation Commission meeting." Yes: 6 - Chair Hiller, Commissioner Dunn, Vice Chair Grider, Commissioner L'Esperance, Commissioner Smith, and Commissioner Self Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes June 16, 2021 PRAC Selection of Chair and Vice Chair for 2021-2022 2021-013 It was motioned by Sarah Grider and seconded by Shawn L’Esperance to appoint Inger Hiller to serve as the Chair and to appoint Sarah Grider to serve as the Vice Chair of the Parks and Recreation Commission from June 2021 to May 2022. "I move to appoint Inger Hiller to serve as the Chair and to appoint Sarah Grider to serve as the Vice Chair of the Parks and Recreation Commission from June 2021 to May 2022.” Yes: 6 - Chair Hiller, Commissioner Dunn, Vice Chair Grider, Commissioner L'Esperance, Commissioner Smith, and Commissioner Self RECESS TO TOWN OF CASTLE ROCK NOXIOUS WEED ADVISORY BOARD MEETING RECONVENE TO ADVERTISED AGENDA ITEMS OF PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION PRAC Update on the Acceptance of a Donation of Real Property from the 2021-014 Estate of Robert F. Metzler Parks and Recreation Director Jeff Brauer provided an overview of generous land and homestead donation accepted by the Town of Castle Rock from the estate of Robert F. Metzler. Some of the original homesteaders of the area, the Metzlers were ranchers, educators, philanthropists, developers and had a true passion for thinking globally to act locally. Born in 1923, Bob Metzler was an incredible man who lived a life full of adventures and passed away at the age of 96 in 2020. Town Council accepted the approximately 60 acres in June. The Douglas Land Conservancy will hold a conservation easement for 49 of the acres, which includes the homestead. The remaining 11 acres will be subject to a declaration of restriction covenants. The Town is committing to restoring the historic silo on the property, but is not otherwise committing to the long-term preservation of the ranch house or other buildings. Town staff also plan to proceed with the installation of a parking lot, trails and signage. The official closing is scheduled for next week. Chair Inger Hiller expressed excitement regarding the donation and its opportunities and loved the idea of having school children tour the homestead to learn about local history and conservation. Michael Smith also expressed interest in similar ideas, such as turning the creamery into a place to get ice cream. Jeff Brauer explained that some of the buildings may not be salvageable, but that as future funding becomes available, planning discussions will continue to best assess how to proceed with the existing structures not required by the easement to remain. Inger also asked about the community building envelope and if there were any ideas as to what this future facility could provide to residents, such as a wildlife or local history museum or cultural center. Jeff noted that these discussions had not happened yet and explained that the covenants would limit facility types to ensure consistency with the intent of the donation. Shawn L’Esperance asked what parcel was connected to the site’s northern border and Jeff confirmed that the parcel is Town-owned open space. While no formal trails currently exist on this site, it may provide an opportunity for future connection. Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes June 16, 2021 Sarah Grider asked about the timeline for phase one and Jeff state that the Town has 18 months to develop the parking lot, trails and post signage. Councilmember Caryn Johnson asked what the approximate cost of the parking lot design would be. Jeff noted that Town staff don’t have an exact number to date but that designs are typically 8-12% of project costs. Madeline Smith noted that she likes the idea of being able to experience the homestead and buildings but was also concerned about potential graffiti and vandalism. Jeff echoed Madeline’s concerns and noted that security and safety will need to be a part of continuing planning discussions. PRAC Draft Memorandum of Understanding with Colorado Classic Baseball 2021-015 Assistant Parks and Recreation Director Jeff Smullen presented a draft Memorandum of Understanding with Colorado Classic Baseball (CCB) regarding a potential partnership agreement to fund and construct fields at Cobblestone Ranch Park. The Town is already investing $5.6 million in park improvements at Cobblestone Ranch, including picnic areas, playgrounds, bike features, parking, landscaping and infrastructure; however, the Parks and Recreation 5-year Capital Improvement Plan does not include funding for any additional improvements and it is unlikely that additional funds will be directed toward the park for quite some time. The park master plan does include ballfields and multi-use athletic fields, so the proposal to place baseball fields at Cobblestone Ranch is consistent with community vision. CCB is a Douglas County based baseball tournament company partnered with Five Tool Baseball. CCB runs tournaments throughout the Rocky Mountain West and coordinated 4,500 teams over the past year. CCB reserves fields throughout the Front Range of Colorado including fields from Castle Rock at Metzler Ranch Community Park and the Douglas County School District. CCB is interested in creating a baseball complex in Castle Rock as a base of operations. CCB has explored the potential to acquire private land to construct a facility, but a privately owned facility is cost prohibitive due to the combination of land and development costs. CCB’s proposal includes three full-sized baseball fields with additional fields in subsequent phases, which could include two additional fields between the park entry road and the Cherry Creek, along with a championship field and indoor sports venue. CCB is also interested in additional fields at the northern end of the park. CCB has indicated the potential ability to fund $4 to $5 million for field development. CCB funding does not include the cost of parking and infrastructure needed to serve the fields. The MOU draft places the development responsibility for parking, utility extension and overlot grading to the boundary of the proposed lease area on the Town. The Town may be able to commit additional funding toward these expenses as the improvements will benefit park users and Castle Rock teams. The purpose of the MOU is to form the basis for the parties’ continued due diligence and negotiations with the goal of developing future definitive and binding agreements, likely through a land lease agreement, required to bring the project to fruition. No contractual or other legal rights or obligations are created by execution of the MOU. Rather, the execution of the MOU signifies that the parties have identified mutually acceptable general parameters for the project and their commitment to continue concerted and good-faith efforts to develop the project. Commission Chair Inger Hiller asked if fields would be synthetic turf and if they would be Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes June 16, 2021 baseball or softball. Jeff confirmed that they would be synthetic turf and that the fields could be used for both sports. Inger also noted she likes the idea of tournaments generating local revenue. Shawn L’Esperance asked if a tournament is held whether or not enough parking would be available. Jeff noted that they would enhance the phase one plan to provide enough parking, especially since participants come and go while attending tournaments. Michael Smith asked if the fields would be lit and asked for clarification regarding the directionality of potential lighting. Jeff explained that the fields would likely not be initially lit, but could potentially be overtime. Staff would do their best to address neighborhood concerns as availability allows. Councilmember Caryn Johnson asked if this plan would limit anything from the currently planned phase one. Jeff confirmed that phase one will proceed as is. Madeline Smith asked what happens when the lease-agreement expires and if the ownership or responsibility would all defer to the Town. Jeff Brauer explained that answering this question will be an essential part of the discussions in preparing the agreement. Several Commission members expressed concerns pertaining to Castle Oaks Drive not having the appropriate capacity to address tournament traffic. Jeff explained that a traffic study would be a component of the project and that the drive will eventually be expanded to include additional lanes. PRAC Discussion on Parks and Recreation Services in the Post-pandmic 2021-016 The purpose of this agenda item was to inquire how Parks and Recreation Commission members viewed the future of services post pandemic. Parks and Recreation Director Jeff Brauer led a discussion and several themes emerged, including the importance of local and outdoor events, finding ways to give space or opportunities to teens to celebrate missed life moments, adding new events like food truck frenzies or outdoor picnic experiences and continuing to support local businesses. PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT COMMENTS Staff provided Commission members with the following updates: · Construction pre-applications were underway for the park renovation projects at Mitchell Gulch, Plum Creek area and Butterfield parks. · White Construction Group had began to mobilize on site to prepare for phase one development at Cobblestone Ranch Park. · Staff received 90% drawings for the Colorado Front Range Trail in Castle Rock; permits have also been requested to receive approvals from appropriate federal agencies. · First Fridays and the Tunes for Trails Concert series have been very successful to date. The Summer Concert series also hit a record for ticket revenue only mid-way through the season. · Attendance to recreation facilities has returned to 2019 levels and revenue from athletic programs is also trending very strong, demonstrating a return to normal. · The Recreation Division looks forward to welcoming a new Aquatics Supervisor and just posted to recruit a new Therapeutic Recreation Specialist. · The Park Operations and Maintenance Division has focused efforts on open space Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes June 16, 2021 mowing and spraying, completed stair construction at Legacy Trail, installed new landscaping project at Town Hall, amped up irrigation and athletic field maintenance for the season and has replaced trees and completed significant weeding due to the wet spring. · Sculptures for the 2021-2022 Douglas County Art Encounters program were installed and this year Castle Rock will feature seven throughout Town. Residents will be able to use a free mobile app called Otocast to tour each sculpture and hear from the artists themselves. · A mural unveiling event was held to celebrate the installation of I Love You So Much at The Fort CPA Group, 407 Wilcox Street. The event was successful and the mural was very well received. · To initiate the budget planning process, budget requests for 2022 were submitted to the Town Managers office. The Town Manager’s office will review and seek future Council input and approval. The approval of the requests will determine future priorities. COMMISSION COMMENTS Shawn L’Esperance inquired about a low spot where water is gathering in the grass at Plum Creek South Park. Brian Peterson explained that staff were retaining water onsite to address water restrictions and that the situation will continue to be assessed. Shawn also expressed concern over the pickleball gate at Parrish Park and Bob said they would look at it to address it. Michael Smith asked about the memorial damage at Parrish Park. Brian Peterson noted that staff were working with Police and IT to install cameras and are researching fabrication options to make the future memorial more vandal proof. ADJOURN The meeting adjourned at approximately 6:56 p.m.