Fairmont Parks Commission

FAIRMONT PARKS COMMISSION March 15, 2017 Members present: Marianne Moran, Brad Merrifield, Corwin Russell, JR Bennett, and Neil Stalnaker Members absent: Patrick Snively, Dora Grubb Advisors present: Hanna Weaver and Robin Gomez Guests Present: Nancy and Warren Hilsbos Call to Order: Hanna Weaver called the meeting to order at 6:04 pm. Item 1. Approval of Minutes. Marianne motioned to approve the minutes, JR 2nd. Minutes approved. Item 2. Communications & Announcements. All commissioners went around the room and talked about what they had observed in some of the parks they had visited. Neil Stalnaker went to Morgantown Ave park and spoke with the PE teacher from East Park who said the kids needed room to run and play, the basketball court needs retaining wall repairs, and asked if it was possible to move the gazebo. PE classes are held there when possible. Neil also went to the Connector Park. Saw some drainage issues and paint peeling on the climbing structure. Corwin Russell held soccer practice at Windmill Park. Visited 5th Street and noticed a large tree across the trail and mentioned the FSU Wilderness Explorer Club previously maintained the trail. Mentioned the Community Garden at Oliver Ave looks good, but the parking lot needs improvements. Several dirt bikes have been at Windmill Park and Robin Gomez advised that witnesses should call 911 to report it. Windmill Park fields need reseeded and more lighting. Morgantown Ave Park as no dedicated parking, which he sees as a problem, suggested flashing lights/sign for playground and dedicated crosswalk at intersection. Norwood Park needs a lot of work. Morris Park has cars driving through the Filtration Plant area on gravel road. Connector Park had smokers in the park. JR Bennett mentioned he had visited many of the parks. He met with a representative from GameTime playgrounds along with Hanna Weaver. JR thinks the Commission should set up meetings with Victory Baptist Church in regards to Norwood and the Board of Education to discuss Morgantown Avenue. He mentioned a previous plan to create a new entrance to Morris Park and if that was something still known or if anyone at the City knew where the plans were. Item 3. Parks Report. Hanna Weaver gave a brief report. There was a meeting with a representative from GameTime playgrounds. A quote is being worked up for Norwood Park for the all-inclusive playground that was previously discussed and for Windmill Park. Many of the parks need some fall zone work. None of the material is ADA compliant and only a certain type of wood chips are designated at ADA compliant. The Community Garden Agreement is being worked on, but there are no real changes and Learning Options Inc. will continue to lease the garden. The Commission needs to come up with a sort of priority list for parks projects. There are many things to do and there needs to be some kind of prioritization. Hanna asked if mini-grants were something that the Commission wanted to continue to offer. Robin Gomez shows the Commission photos of various areas in Parks that had been improved, mainly 5th Street’s new fencing and cleanup. He also brought up the Coal Run Greenway potential. Election of Officers. Tabled. New Business. Nancy and Warren Hilsbos had questions about Belview Park. There was a discussion about why the basketball court would be moved. They mentioned cameras for the park and various other issues. Brad Merrifield mentioned forming a committee in Bellview dedicated to the park and updating interested neighbors on the Parks Commission meetings. JR Bennett mentioned his priorites in regards to the parks projects after Hanna’s report. He believes that Norwood and Morgantown Ave Parks should be top priorities. He also mentioned fundraising for City parks by having music, cook-offs, and flea markets. Neil Stalnaker brought up creating a dog agility course at Morris Park since it seems to have become the “dog park” for the City. This would go in the current tennis courts. Another idea is for a mini soccer field for children. Brad Merrifield mentioned having different events in each park to fundraise. Neil Stalnaker mentioned having different block parties. There was more discussion about ideas ranging from an ATV Course at Windmill, expanding Windmill, and geocaching. Meeting was adjourned at 8:02 pm. Corwin Russell motioned, Neil Stalnaker 2nd. The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 19, 2017 at 6pm. Meetings will be held on the 3rd Wednesday of every month, as they were before.