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 September 5, 2012 1. Call to Order Mr. O’Hara called the meeting to order at 7:06 p.m. Members present were Charley O’Hara, Kathy Chandler, Greg Rasnake, Ruth Rodgers, Leslie Rye, Steve Selby, and 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 June 6th meeting. Ms. Chandler seconded the motion. Ms. Rye abstained from the vote. Upon voice vote, the motion passed. 4. Recreation Director’s Report • The Tinner Hill Blues Festival was more organized than in previous years. This year the festival made a profit as reported by Tinner Hill. • The Fourth of July event was a success this year. The fireworks were shot 10 minutes earlier than planned due to the approaching storm. The department collected $1,091.00 in donations from the public at the event. This amount was $500 less than the previous year. Mr. Schlitt thanked Mr. O’Hara and his family for helping staff the donation boxes. • The summer camp programs ran effectively this year under the supervision of Ms. Maltese. The total receipts from the summer camp programs this year are approximately $700,000 and the registrations totaled 5,200. Mr. Schlitt stated that the Summer Fun program was exceptional this year with the direction of incredibly creative and enthusiastic staff. • Over the summer the field at Madison Park was replaced with bermuda grass. The field opened in time for the fall youth soccer season and looks extraordinarily healthy. Mr. Schlitt will move forward with plans to replace the field at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School next year. • The schools are planning to fix the tennis courts at George Mason High School and have the funds to do so immediately. The plan is to improve the drainage in and around the courts while resurfacing them. This project will cost approximately $100,000 and the schools have asked the Recreation & Parks Department to contribute funds that we deem appropriate. • A scout project took place at West End Park to preserve eroding timbers.  • The Community Center was closed for activities from August 27-September 3 for annual cleaning and maintenance. The gym floor was sanded, painted and recoated. The dance studio was also sanded and recoated. All of the drywall and trim in the center was repainted but not the cinderblock areas. • The Farmers Market received recognition in three magazines this year to include The Washingtonian, Northern VA, and Virginia Living. Voting for the Farmers Market through the American Farmland Trust took place again this year. We anticipate finishing in the top 3 in Virginia for medium markets. • The department purchased a new 15 passenger van this summer and utilized it for camp programs in the remaining weeks. Mr. Schlitt thanked the board for its continual support of Recreation & Parks needs. • Fall class registration began on August 20 for City residents and August 27 for non-City residents. The overall trend in the numbers suggests that registrations are up from last year. • Registration for fall youth soccer and flag football is concluded. The total number of soccer participants has increased with seven new teams. Flag football is completely filled with 36 teams and approximately 360 participants. Flag football is broken down into teams of 2nd -3rd, 4th -5th, and 6th -7th graders. • Mr. Schlitt became aware of a situation involving a permanent sign on the bike trail advertising a local bike shop. The bike shop received approval from the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NVRPA) and paid a $75 fee to have it installed by the NVRPA. The City is forming a committee to meet with the NVRPA regarding the future of signage on the bike trails located in the City. The City pays a yearly fee to the NVRPA for membership. • The summer Concerts in the Park series on Thursdays from June 21 to August 2 was a success again this year. The Sunset Cinema series on Fridays on August 24 & 31 and September 7 attracted a larger than usual crowd this year. • The Fall Festival and Taste of Falls Church is on Saturday, September 15 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The entertainment stage will be located by the tennis courts this year in an attempt to have the music closer to the festival. There will be tables set up in front of the stage to serve as an eating area. Thirteen restaurants are participating in the Taste of Falls Church. This year the event had one sponsor and thirteen supporters that overall contributed $13,650 to the event. At last year’s event we had ten sponsors contributing a total of $8,600. • The Frady Park gazebo that was destroyed in the storm will be replaced this fall. A tree fell onto the gazebo but the concrete structure remained intact. An exact replica of the gazebo will be installed. 5. New Business a. Lincoln Park • Part of the playground structure at Lincoln Park was hit by a car. The damaged equipment needs to be replaced and is approximately ten years old. Mr. Schlitt is exploring the possibility of replacing the damaged portion with a new and creative structure. During this process the park will be brought up to ADA compliance. The funds necessary to complete this project will come from the insurance collected and the remainder from the CIP. Mr. Schlitt estimates the total cost of this project between $180,000 to $200,000. 2 6. Old Business a. Rain Garden • Mr. Widstrom updated the board members on the status of the rain garden projects at Crossman, Lincoln, and Berman Parks. The projects suffered various set backs including heavy rain causing flooding at Berman and incorrect soil installed at one of the sites. This is the second rain garden project that the City has undertaken. • At Crossman Park the seeding and irrigation projects need to be completed. The irrigation project was not in the initial part of the grant. This is because the City anticipated cost savings by having the Urban Forestry crew complete the installation. However, due to the set back in the timeline to complete the project, the irrigation will be completed by a contractor. The seed is ordered and delivery is expected next week. However, planting the seeds will not occur until the irrigation is complete. Mr. Widstrom was advised not to plant the seed before September 15th. Mr. O’Hara requested that Mr. Widstrom follow up with the contractor to remove concrete that is currently in the park and address the opening in the curb where there are sandbags. • At Lincoln Park they are over seeding in the grassy areas that did not initially take. Every two weeks the area is weeded and landscaped by the City contractor. The irrigation at this park is completed and is on an automatic timer. The rain garden will be watered heavily for the first two years. After two years the plants will be fully grown in and accustom to the changing weather conditions. Mr. Widstrom is working with Public Utilities to drop the valve for water service into a meter box. • Ongoing observation is taking place at Lincoln Park to determine the effectiveness of the under drain system. Initial testing indicated that the soil did not perk which required installation of under drains from the rain gardens to the storm drain. The under drain system was completed except for one connection to the system that required disturbance around a pin oak tree. Recent observations after rain events show that the soil is indeed perking and that the unfinished connection is not necessary at this time. • At Berman Park the heavy rains impeded progress as the initial hole excavated for the rain gardens needed to dry out before proceeding. The sides of the hole collapsed which led to an increase in the size of the rain garden. The north garden is completed and on a weeding schedule. Grading and plantings around the north garden are planned. The upper bank of the south garden was planted, and work remains on the lower area by the boardwalk. Burms were installed as well as erosion stone at the boardwalk edge to help alleviate the demand on the rain garden during a large storm. Once the grading is completed, seeding for turf grass will take place followed by irrigation. After irrigation they will install the remaining plants currently at the Property Yard followed by composting the area. • The consistent watering of the Berman Park rain gardens has been challenging since they are deeper into the park. Urban Forestry is working with the contractor to bring in irrigation. The quotes for this irrigation will be sought with the quote for the Crossman Park irrigation. • The raised boardwalk structure at Berman Park is nearly complete. Mr. Widstrom reported that they will attempt to decrease drop off by building up the ground with 3  4 inches of compost and plantings that will grow taller than the boardwalk. The board expressed concerns about the height of the drop and that camouflaging the drop off will only increase the hazard. Numerous additional safety concerns were expressed by the board to include: the curve to the right heading towards Kent St. is more drastic than anticipated; the bike ability of the boardwalk; the rocks underneath and around the boardwalk; and the storm sewer and storm drain. • Several potential solutions were discussed and the board concluded that proactive measures should be taken now to correct the potential hazard. Mr. Widstrom suggested constructing a separate asphalt bike path to the side of the boardwalk. Another option is to install railings around the curve and near the drains. Mr. Widstrom suggested that we could add more compost to bring up the height of the garden closer to the board walk. Ms.Chandler suggested building an additional boardwalk around the curve. Mr. Widstrom advised that this option would be very costly because of the curvature of the specialty recycled boards. b. Lynn Place Property • The owner is willing to speak with the City about entertaining the first right of refusal on the property. Mr. Schlitt is in the process of scheduling a meeting with the property owner and City Manager. c. Bike/Ped Plan Update • The Council instructed the committee to review the plan and to not reduce on street parking. There are three public hearings scheduled in September for citizens to express their opinions. The committee will meet with Council after these hearings. 7. Other Business • Mr. O’Hara suggested that the board review the West End Project site plans at the next meeting. 8. Adjournment Mr. Selby moved to adjourn the meeting; Ms. Chandler seconded the motion. Following a unanimous voice vote, Mr. O’Hara adjourned the meeting at 8:55 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