City Council

The City of Columbia City In Columbia County on the Columbia River PARKS COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES OCTOBER 22, 2013 - 6:00 P.M. CITY HALL, 1840 SECOND STREET, COLUMBIA CITY, OR 97018 Present: Shannon Fitzgibbons, Chair Theodore (Ted) Burns, Committee Member Nell Harrison, Committee Member Sheila Bauer, Committee Member Larry Preston, Committee Member Jack Hruska, Committee Member Monica Burns, Committee Member (arrived 6:55 p.m.) Leahnette Rivers, City Administrator/Recorder Sally Ann Marson, City Council Member Veterans Memorial Park: Leahnette delivered the following report to the Committee:  Jason Jones has obtained the building permit for the monument and is preparing to start the foundation work.  The final visit to the Jones Sculpture Studio will be scheduled soon.  Knife River has agreed to donate the paved pathways and Hamer Electric will donate the electrical equipment, fixtures and installation.  Leahnette is waiting to hear back from Jayson Hester, VFW Post #1440 Commander, about requesting engineering and construction assistance from the National Guard Engineer Battalion. The request includes the design and construction of the picnic tables, park benches, memorial brick wall, and irrigation system, along with the installation of the flag pole.  Donation requests and brick sale forms will be mailed to the City’s vendor list.  As of last week, 21 bricks have been sold and over $650 in cash donations have been received.  Phase II grant applications are due November 8, 2013. Leahnette discussed the Phase II project, which will consist of six individual monuments and flags - one honoring each branch of the service, lighting, picnic tables, benches, and associated concrete and brick work. She estimated the project cost at $40,000. Members discussed the flag pole height, noting that they need to be tall enough to discourage vandalism, but shouldn’t be 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  so tall that they create a nuisance to the adjacent property owners. Leahnette will make contact with the adjacent property owners to discuss the project.  To date two letters of support have been received for Phase II.  The DAR is committed to making a donation to Phase II - the amount has yet to be determined. Leahnette hopes to include the DAR contribution as a match in the grant application. Leahnette has requested financial assistance from the industrial property owner to the north of the park for the development of a safer alternative access for vehicles to the site - via Pacific, Tahoma and Lincoln Streets, and then along a section of the bike path, which would be widened. Larry suggested we consider developing a safer alternative access for vehicles directly from Highway 30 at a point approximately 800 feet to the south of the existing access drive. He requested a meeting with ODOT representatives to discuss his idea, which Leahnette will coordinate. Dog Park: Leahnette reported that the fencing work is underway and the Columbia County Community Corrections Crew plans to string the chain link this Friday. She said the park signs have been made, the picnic table and bench have been acquired, and the Public Works crew is getting the trash cans and dog bag dispensers ready for installation. The Corrections Crew will install the bench, signs and dog bag dispensers. Leahnette said the park should be finished by mid-November. The Parks Committee will decide on a date for a grand opening during their November meeting. Harvard Park: Leahnette reported that the playground has been refurbished using $1900 in Risk Management Incentive Funds. She said the Corrections Crew was hired to re-establish a six-foot fall zone around all of the play equipment with a minimum of 9-inches of loose wood chips. She said the play equipment was power-washed, the graffiti has been removed, and the equipment has been repainted. Tables and benches were also power-washed and more bark dust was added. Committee Members discussed the row of arborvitae next to the playground. It was the consensus of the Committee that the branches around the base of the arborvitae be trimmed up to a height of approximately 3 feet for safety purposes. RRR/Pixie Parks: Leahnette said she has submitted a request to the Multnomah DAR for financial assistance to maintain RRR and Pixie Parks this next year. She has asked the DAR to pay for one work day per month for the Corrections Crew, purchase a supply of broadleaf killer and weed killer, and pay for irrigation water during the warm season. The DAR will meet later this month to consider the request. Other Business: Nell and Sally Ann said they will plant the spruce tree donated by Kathleen Devlin in the south part of Bundy Park on October 28 th. The next Parks Committee Meeting will be held on November 19 th at 6:00 p.m. Monica inquired about a new volunteer assignment for Ted now that the work on the trail system has ended. Sally Ann suggested raking leaves at the entrance sign site. Ted will rake the entrance site weekly during the fall season and remove ivy and unwanted maple shoot growth. Meeting adjourned 7:45 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