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 June 5, 2013 1. Call to Order Mr. O’Hara called the meeting to order at 8:05 p.m. Members present were Kathy Chandler, Charley O’Hara, Lori LaFave, 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. Chandler moved to approve the minutes from the May meeting. Ms. Rye seconded the motion. Ms. LaFave abstained from the vote. Upon voice vote, the motion passed. 4. Recreation Director’s Report • The Memorial Day Parade & Festival was a success with beautiful weather in the 70’s which drew a larger crowd than usual this year. Attendance was high at the veterans’ memorial ceremony and continued until well after the parade. • The Tinner Hill Blues Festival will be held on June 14 in Cherry Hill Park. The City and Recreation & Parks Dept. continue to assist Tinner Hill with organizing the program. Next year our goal is to assist Tinner Hill farther in advance with the organization. • The parks crew will start planting flower beds around the new parks signs are being installed. Roberts Park will receive the first new sign and then eight more will be installed. • The shelter at Cherry Hill Park was fixed. New shingles were installed on the roof and other portions of the shelter were repaired. • Mr. Schlitt is still planning to move forward with converting the Thomas Jefferson Elementary field to Bermuda grass this summer into the fall. The field was damaged by the school’s construction of an addition. • The Madison Park field will be closed for maintenance as of June 10th and will re-open for the fall soccer season in early September. We are installing sod during the summer. • The summer camp programs will start in mid-June. The department is ahead of where we were last year with registrations and fees collected. • Diane Morse, Cherry Hill Farmhouse Coordinator, retired last Thursday. We are currently recruiting for her position and have several applications.  • The dance recitals for the Winter/Spring classes are taking place on June 1st and 15th. Those classes are currently rehearsing at George Mason High School and taking their dance class pictures. • The FC Times recently wrote an article about the Railroad Avenue property bringing several issues to light. 5. New Business a. Tripps Runn • While digging to install a sign on Lynn Place at Roberts Park our staff hit a large hole underneath revealing a rusted storm water pipe. The pipe is compromised and missing portions which will allow the water to continually erode it. It was installed in 1970 and has out lived its expectancy. • Mr. Jason Widstrom attended the meeting to discuss an option of day lighting the stream that is currently running underneath the park and return it to a naturalized state. In 2005 a study was conducted by the City which yielded this area as the fifth highest candidate to daylight. Returning this stream to its natural state will help the City in meeting its obligations with Chesapeake Bay. • The Chesapeake Bay requires a buffer of 100 feet with an existing stream. However, we would be creating one so we would try to meet as close to that as possible. • A Resource Protection Area would be created around the stream which limits the redevelopment rights of property owners. Within the first 50 feet of the stream buffer there are no exceptions for impervious surfaces. There are exceptions for the second 50 feet of that buffer. Some homes could be grandfathered. • Mr. Widstrom stated that the funding may be available pending on City Council approval of a utility tax yielding approximately 2 million dollars a year. This project is a potential candidate for FY 14. • If this project moved forward, the park would have to be redesigned to maximize the space. The playground, shelter and basketball court are in the path of where the stream would surface. A bridge over the stream would have to be built to connect Lynn Place with the park. • The board expressed its continual desire to create rectangular playing field at Roberts Park and stated that they would not want this project to necessarily interfere with that potential. • The board asked Mr. Widstrom to explore and present several potential park layouts keeping a playground, basketball court, shelter and added rectangular field. b. Lincoln Park Grand Re-opening • The event will take place on Sunday, June 9th at 4pm. We are serving a make- your-own trail mix in bags with the Recreation & Parks logo. The Mayor will speak as well as Mr. O’Hara. c. July 4th • There is a new pyrotechnic company shooting the fireworks display this year. The department had to go out to bid this year based on legal issues that last year’s 2  company sustained with another jurisdiction. However, we will have the same fireworks shooter since that new company employs the same person. • A Beatles cover band, Apple Core, will play on stage this year at the event and the FC Concert Band will play the national anthem. • We will have two ice cream trucks and the same BBQ vendor. 6. Old Business a. West End Park • The CBERT (Chesapeake Bay Environmental Review Task Force) requirements are complete and the plans are currently moving forward to the final approval. We have the necessary funds in the CIP ready for the project. 7. Other Business • The City is exploring a storm water management plan on the City Hall campus. This will require a retention and filtration system on the grounds. Mr. Widstrom suggested that the best solution would be to bury five large pipes that drain though to a system underneath the Community Center tennis courts. The goal would be to begin the project in late August or September but could be delayed based on recreation needs. • Mr. Schlitt has started the process of obtaining bids for court resurfacing at Cavalier, Cherry Street, Madison Park, and the Community Center. Construction could begin later this fall or early next spring. • Mr. Schlitt will set up a meeting with the City Schools and our Finance Department. A school representative communicated to Mr. Schlitt that the amount of the transfer appeared too high upon his initial review of Recreation & Parks use. The schools and City need to define the timing we are billed and clarify the amount. • Mr. Schlitt will review where the City is in the process of obtaining the right of first refusal on the Lynn Place house. • Mr. Schlitt will update the board over the summer about Frady Park, the tennis courts, and Larry Graves. 8. Adjournment Ms. Rye moved to adjourn the meeting; Mr. Selby seconded the motion. Following a unanimous voice vote, Mr. O’Hara adjourned the meeting at 8:20p.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). 3