City Council

The City of Columbia City In Columbia County on the Columbia River PARKS COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES MARCH 26, 2013 - 6:00 P.M. CITY HALL, 1840 SECOND STREET COLUMBIA CITY, OR 97018 Present: Shannon Fitzgibbons, Chair Nell Harrison, Committee Member Jack Hruska, Committee Member Leahnette Rivers, City Administrator/Recorder Sally Ann Marson, City Council Member Tim Lammers, Columbia River PUD Jayson Hester, VFW Commander Dave Nelson, VFW Quartermaster Veterans Memorial Park: The Request for Proposal for the monument is ready to mail tomorrow. Responses will be due April 29 th. Committee Members agreed to change the April meeting date to April 30th so that proposals could be reviewed. Sponsors and partners are invited to participate in the review and selection process. Commander Hester and Quartermaster Nelson said that they have discovered that the VFW cornerstone won’t be an option for our site after all. They said they were pleased to see that we are recognizing the Merchant Marines in our project. Commander Hester said some parks separate the bricks into two sections - one for living veterans, another for deceased veterans. He said the bricks in the living section can be moved to the deceased section for permanent placement as needed. Commander Hester suggested we issue some sort of certificate for each brick that is purchased that identifies its location within the display. Members discussed the various types of bricks and tiles that could be used - clay bricks, concrete bricks with durable clay surfaces for etching, and clay tile bricks. Members agreed upon using the standard size of 4” x 8”. Members preferred the clean look of the clay tiles used in the OSU Alumni courtyard over the other choices. They are expected to cost more (possibly about $4 each instead of $1 each), but they should be easier to maintain and hold PO Box 189  1840 Second Street  Columbia City, Oregon 97018 Phone 503-397-4010  Fax 503-366-2870 E-mail colcity@columbia-city.org  Web site www.columbia-city.org up really well. Leahnette will contact some vendors for specific prices and color options. Members discussed possibly using a different colored tile to represent each branch of the service. Members preferred putting the memorial tiles in a wall of some sort (possibly a short wall extending along the top of the bank above the picnic area?) over placing the memorial tiles on the ground because they’ll stay cleaner and be easier to maintain. Blank tiles or bricks could also be used on the ground for the walkways. Members discussed brick sales - a batch will be sold before the improvements are made, and those bricks will be etched off-site and incorporated into the improvements with blank bricks for future sales. Leahnette said she’s found someone in Hillsboro that is able to come out to the site on an annual basis to etch the additional bricks we sell on-site after the improvements are all installed. Tim Lammers suggested we find out if there’s anyone else locally that can etch the bricks once they are installed to make sure we won’t be relying solely on one vendor that might not be in business forever. Tim also questioned what the vendor does in the event that a mistake is made during the etching process. Members discussed the importance of quality control with this type of project. Leahnette will get answers to both questions prior to the next meeting. The above method was preferred by the group over other options, such as building the facility in stages as you sell the bricks, or placing all of the bricks in sand and trying to remove blanks and replace them with etched bricks as sales occur. The group discussed inviting additional sponsors to assist with the project - contractors for the concrete work and brick and/or tile work, suppliers for gravel, sand, etc. Commander Hester said the National Guard may be able to assist with the project. Entrance Sign Site: Leahnette reported that the Columbia County Community Corrections Crew will start working for the City on Friday’s again, beginning April 5. She said they are scheduled to work at the Entrance Sign Site on April 5 to assist with the installation of the flag pole, installing conduit for the lighting fixtures, and removing the piles of leaves. McBride Creek Trail System Project: Leahnette said work on the trail system will begin again in April. She said she is looking into a grant opportunity that might work for the acquisition of the property along the north side of the creek, which is available to us in exchange for a fence constructed along the top of the bank of the creek. She said the fencing materials are expected to cost about $15,000, and we can hire the Columbia County Community Corrections Crew to install the fencing for us at a significant cost savings. Dog Park: Leahnette said she has not had an opportunity to prepare the proposal for the dog park. However, she said the Columbia County Community Corrections Crew has offered to donate their time to install the fence for us, and they have also offered to provide ongoing maintenance within the park at no charge to us. Tidelands: Jack provided Members with Department of State Lands brochures about the public use of Oregon’s rivers and lakes, and explaining the rights to use the surface, bed and banks of navigable waterways. He said during certain low water events, the public is permitted to walk along the beach area even when the adjacent property owner has title to PO Box 189  1840 Second Street  Columbia City, Oregon 97018 Phone 503-397-4010  Fax 503-366-2870 E-mail colcity@columbia-city.org  Web site www.columbia-city.org the tidelands. Leahnette said she recently made contact with the listing realtor for the Germer property to inquire about the City acquiring a public access easement across the tidelands, but the representative for the property did not return her call. Meeting adjourned 7:12 p.m. PO Box 189  1840 Second Street  Columbia City, Oregon 97018 Phone 503-397-4010  Fax 503-366-2870 E-mail colcity@columbia-city.org  Web site www.columbia-city.org