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 April 3, 2013 1. Call to Order Mr. O’Hara called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m. Members present were Kathy Chandler, Charley O’Hara, Lori LaFave, Greg Rasnake, Leslie Rye, and Steve Selby. 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 Ms. Rye moved to approve the minutes from the March 20th meeting as amended. Ms.Chandler seconded the motion. Upon voice vote, the motion unanimously passed. 4. Recreation Director’s Report • The Annual Easter Egg Hunt was held on Saturday, March 30th. It was a beautiful day which increased the number of attendees. The line for the Easter Bunny was long and the wait was about one hour. This free event has been in existence for over 40 years and was initially held on a Thursday. About five years ago we perused sponsors and solicited donations for the event. • The revenue reports indicate that the Recreation & Parks Dept. is ahead of where we were last year at this time and on track to hit the projected revenue of 1.7 million. Our original revenue goal was changed from 1.62 to 1.7 million to accommodate an increase in the class contractor fees. • The Child Development Center will be relocated to a property on Hillwood Avenue in the City of Falls Church. This move has sparked dialogue about the potential of the adjacent Larry Graves Field parking lot to be used as additional employee parking for the neighboring center. The center is expecting approximately 170 students and is requesting the use of about 30 parking spaces during the 9am-5pm hours. The board is interested in the potential of renting the spaces to the center or permitting use without for a specified time frame without officially giving them the spaces indefinitely. Mr. Schlitt suggested that we offer them use of the specified parking for the public access to their playground. The board is interested to know if these parking spaces are a requirement for their site plan approval.  • The Lincoln Park playground equipment has been removed and the projected time frame for completion is in early May. • The Madison Park field is open for the season. The middle of the field is still a brownish color where the blankets did not cover over the winter. As the weather becomes warmer the field should turn green and the grass will further creep all over the field. It will take about another year until the grass fully grows. • This Saturday the Summer Farmers Market begins at 8 a.m. The no parking signs will be up at the adjacent medical building this weekend. These signs are not usually up for the Winter Market. 5. New Business a. Harris Teeter project for referral • The board was asked to review the project plans and comment. • The board reviewed the project in regard to how the project would affect parks. • The closest park to this development is Big Chimneys Park. The park will provide a substantial amenity to this development. These buildings bring more citizens to the parks which will require additional maintenance. • Mr. O’Hara stated that there will likely be an effect on the park during the construction phase to include dust, air quality and its possible effect on the trees. • Ms. Rye requested that the board draft a memo specific to this project. • In addition, the board agreed that a general statement should be drafted with regards to all construction projects adjacent to City parks. • Ms. Chandler motioned to send a reaction statement to the City Council that requests voluntary concessions from the developer to the Recreation & Parks Department for improvements and increased maintenance to Big Chimneys Park. Ms. Rye seconded the motion. Mr. Rasnake abstained from the vote. Upon voice vote, the motion passed. • The reaction statement will be drafted by Mr. O’Hara and reference the voluntary concessions previously granted to the Recreation & Parks Department to improve Big Chimneys Park by the City Center developer. • In addition, the reaction statement will include that as the City is developing projects adjacent to the parks, the City Council should be considering voluntary concessions with regards to Recreation & Parks. This consideration should take place at the beginning of the process so the developer is aware early on of the expectations. Old Business a. Operating Budget • Mr. Schlitt presented the operating budget to Council. The Recreation & Parks budget was with in the Council guidelines of a 3.2 % increase. It also included and additional $82,500 to cover contractor fees that will be offset by our revenue. The Recreation & Parks budget does not cause any increased cost to the tax payer. 2  • The recommended CIP still includes West End Park in FY 14. Other projects that remain in the CIP budget are the turf reconstruction at GMHS, master park improvement funds, and Howard E Herman Stream Valley Park (HEHSVP). b. CIP • Mr. Schlitt reported that he is a member of the selection committee that met last week to review the possible engineers for reconstruction of the stream at HEHSVP. The grant money from this project is nearing expiration and therefore the project is moving quickly towards choosing a contractor and beginning work. One of the goals of their project is to centrally locate the stream in the park. • In the bid packet for possible engineers, it stated the Recreation & Parks Department’s overall vision and master plan for the park. c. Reserve at Tinner Hill • The board is interested in receiving feedback from the City about whether they will enforce the no parking signs at Cavalier Trail Park during the construction of the project. There are currently signs that read the parking is for park users only. • The board will consider the potential of renting some parking spaces at Cavalier Trail Park to the developer during the construction phase only if it doesn’t interfere with parking for the current usage of the park. We presently hold tennis classes at Cavalier Trail Park in the mornings and evenings. There is also a roller hockey group using the tennis courts on Saturdays. • Ms. Rye motioned to draft a statement to the City Council that requests voluntary concessions from the developer to the Recreation & Parks Department for improvements and increased maintenance to Cavalier Trail Park. Ms. Chandler seconded the motion. Mr. Rasnake abstained from the vote. Upon voice vote, the motion passed. d. Schools/Recreation coordination • Mr. Schlitt contacted the school superintendent with concerns on the direction of the interaction between the entities. He expressed that they should continue to work as a team and remain in a cooperative relationship to the benefit all involved including City residents. • Mr. Rasnake expressed his concerns that the issue is about funding and the City’s transfer and not about the relationship between the entities. • The question arose that if the Council approves this transfer request, where would the sum of money be taken from? It is not in the Recreation & Parks budget. • Several board members expressed concern that the School Board members have not and should read the MOU. 7. Other Business • No other business to report. 3 8. Adjournment Ms. Rye moved to adjourn the meeting; Ms. LaFave seconded the motion. Following a unanimous voice vote, Mr. O’Hara adjourned the meeting at 8:05 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