Recreation & Parks Advisory Board

Regular Meeting of the Advisory Board of Recreation and Parks Held at the Falls Church Community Center 223 Little Falls Street, Falls Church, Virginia 22046 Minutes November 7, 2012 1. Call to Order Mr. O’Hara called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. Members present were Kathy Chandler, Charley O’Hara, Lori LaFave, Ruth Rodgers, Leslie Rye, and Steve Selby, Dave Tarter. Staff members present were Danny Schlitt, Director of Recreation & Parks, and Krissy Loerch, Senior Administrative Assistant. 2. Receipt of Public Petitions and Board Member Petitions Mr. O’Hara asked if there were any petitions from the public or board members. There were none. 3. Minutes Mr. Selby moved to approve the minutes from the October 3rd meeting as amended. Ms. LaFave seconded the motion. Mr. O’Hara and Ms. Rodgers abstained from the vote. Upon voice vote, the motion passed. 4. Recreation Director’s Report • Farm Day was held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, October 6 at the Cherry Hill Farmhouse. Diane Morse, Cherry Hill Farmhouse Director, organized a successful event again this year. The attendance was not as high as in previous years in part due to the weather. • The Halloween Carnival was a successful event again this year with high attendance. Most of the participation was towards the earlier part of the event. We charged $2 per child for the event and collected over $300 in fees from last year’s total. • The Holiday Craft Show is approaching on December 1 and 2nd. On Saturday the event is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The fee is $1 per person for an all-weekend pass. • Youth basketball registration is currently in progress and tryouts have started. The overall registration numbers are high but the girls’ leagues are struggling with registration. The basketball season begins in December with practices and the games continue until next March. • The Frady Park Gazebo is installed and is identical to the previous gazebo. • The plans for a frisbee golf course in Cherry Hill Park are on hold. Mr. Schlitt met with the City’s Arborist and he had serious concerns about the damaging effects on the trees.  Mr. Schlitt likes the idea of a frisbee golf course but will explore the possibility building it at another park with more open space and fewer trees to impact. • The roller hockey club continues to responsibly use the tennis courts at Cavalier Trail Park. We will make sure this group is able to continue to use the courts after they have been resurfaced. Members from this club volunteered at the Halloween Carnival and ran a hockey game station. • The Community Center served a comfort station during Hurricane Sandy. The center has an emergency generator that enables us to remain open and also serve as a shelter if needed. We were open for people to relax, charge their electronics, recreate, and have protection from the weather. 5. New Business a. Open Space Report • The Open Space Report needs to be reviewed, updated and presented to the City Council. Since last year, discussions and actions have happened with regard to Lynn Place and Railroad Avenue properties. Mr. Selby updated the report last year and volunteered again this year. Mr. Selby will update the report and bring it to the December 5th meeting. b. Tinner Hill Property • There is a piece of property off of South Washington Street that the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation is interested in preserving as a historical park. The park would commemorate the first rural NAACP chapter. Their initial idea is to create an outdoor gathering area such as a pavilion and stage that could be rented. • Part of the land is owned by Fairfax County. Discussions with Fairfax, the City and Tinner Hill originally began in 2009. The Recreation & Parks Dept. would provide maintenance with overall assistance from the NVRPA. The area is currently in residential zoning and not zoned as park land. 6. Old Business a. Lincoln Park project • Mr. Schlitt is working with Game Time also known as Cunningham & Associates to design the new playground. This company is part of a U.S. Communities which group which allows us move through the RFP process quicker. • The theme for the new equipment will be nature and incorporates tree trunks, limbs, logs, as well as mushrooms. We will not disturb any additional space in the park and only use the exact area that the playground is currently on. • The playground structures for the younger and older children will both be replaced as well as the swings. A few new elements will be added such as the mushroom table set and a log crawl through feature. The ground cover 2  will be replaced but remain as a manufactured rubber mulch. The playground equipment will be ADA compliant with accessibility to the first level of the equipment. • The overall project is expected to cost approximately $180,000 and the insurance will contribute $23,000 at the most. • The public and Lincoln Park neighbors will be invited to the December 5th advisory board meeting to view the new design. We will also invite Joseph Cox from Game Time to join us at the meeting. b. West End Park project • Dominion Virginia Power has continued to maintain its position that the City will need a special access letter to pass through their property. The cost of obtaining access is $6,000. Originally Dominion stated that they would let the City have access through their property during construction with no mention of a fee. • Once we receive the approval letter from Dominion, we have 2 years to access the park through the easement on the trail. • Mr. O’Hara suggested the department offer Dominion a sponsorship worth $6,000 at a special event. • Patton, Harris, Rust and Associates is in the process of confirming the updated cost of construction with Mr. Schlitt. c. George Mason projects • The tennis court project is under way. The contractor has cut down the center of the court to test and address the drainage problems. So far all of the tests have indicated that the new changes have been successful in solving the drainage issues. • The baseball net that was destroyed in the storm is being replaced. They are exploring installing a system to lower and raise the nets to prevent future damage. The infield is also being reconstructed due to the large cranes needed to install the netting. • The private funding to install lights at the GMHS baseball and softball fields is secured. We are currently holding $110,000 in our CIP for this school project. There is a possibility that this project may be completed by the spring of 2013. 7. Other Business • At the Berman Park rain garden we filled in more dirt around the boardwalk to elevate the ground. The asphalt path from Irving St. to the boardwalk was completed. The path from Kent St. leading to the board walk was not replaced because the process is more involved and time consuming due to the tree roots. This pathway is expected to be replaced next spring. • Mr. O’Hara suggested the board revisit the idea of dedicating the Falls Church Community Center to Ken Burnett as early as next spring 2013. The board previously worked with the City Council to change the 3  ordinance that would allow naming a public place after someone who is still living with the Howard E. Herman Stream Valley Park. • Ms. Rodgers motioned that the board present a proposal to the City Council to consider renaming the Community Center to the Ken Burnett Community Center. Ms. Rye seconded the motion. Upon voice vote, the motion passed unanimously. • Mr. O’Hara reported that the Bike/Pedestrian Planning Committee is waiting for guidance and action from the City Council. There is money allotted for the Safe Routes to Schools that must be spent and if not it would be returned to VDOT. The first project being considered is to add a sidewalk to West Street because of it’s proximity to Mount Daniel Elementary. In order to add the sidewalk, potentially more than the right- of-way is needed and additionally it will affect parking. 8. Adjournment Ms. Rye moved to adjourn the meeting; Ms. Rodgers seconded the motion. Following a unanimous voice vote, Mr. O’Hara adjourned the meeting at 8:13 p.m. The City of Falls Church is committed to the letter and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This document will be made available in alternate format upon request. Call 703-248-5027 (TTY 711). 4