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 October 2, 2013 1. Call to Order Ms. Chandler called the meeting to order at 7:06 p.m. Members present were Kathy Chandler, Charley O’Hara, Greg Rasnake, Leslie Rye, and Steve Selby. Staff members present were Danny Schlitt, Director of Recreation & Parks, and Debbie Woodbury, Recreation Program Supervisor. 2. Receipt of Public Petitions and Board Member Petitions Ms. Chandler 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 September 4th meeting as amended. Mr. O’Hara seconded the motion. Mr. Selby abstained from the vote. Upon voice vote, the motion passed. 4. Recreation Director’s Report • Fall Festival was a very successful event as people arrived earlier and stayed later. • Farm Day is on Saturday, October 12 from 10am-3pm. The department is considering adding more actives to this event. There is a need to reduce the time that families stand in line for activities. • The Eagle Scout project to convert the volleyball court in Cherry Hill Park to sand will take place this weekend. We will use $9,000 from the park maintenance budget. • Youth basketball registration begins on October 7th. • We added a porta-potty to Madison Park to accommodate the needs of youth soccer during the fall season. • Ashley Green has accepted the offer for the Teen and Summer Camp Supervisor position. We had a large number of applicants for the position. • Debbie Woodbury, Program Supervisor, reported that last year the department offered 199 classes and ran 107 of them which brought in approximately $168,000. This year we offered 275 classes and ran 178 of them and thus far have brought in approximately $146,000. This year we had 1,222 participants and last year 1,054. The Winter/Spring class offerings will include a new line of Zumba and ESL classes. We are also expanding our fitness class offerings to include weight lifting and kickboxing. • Ms. Woodbury reported that the preschool program is filled for the fall and winter/spring sessions with large waitlists. • On Thursday, November 21st the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NVRPA) invited the board to their meeting at the Community Center. The NVRPA approved the Tinner Hill park area plans.  • Mr. Schlitt spoke with the owner of the property on Lynn Place. It is the owners’ intention to contact us next April or May to enter into further discussions. • We continue to struggle with the ability to add playable rectangular field space. The Railroad Avenue property has the potential to be developed into a practice field as well as an area for community gardens. 5. New Business a. Development Services Director, James Snyder (presentation Q & A) • Development Services and the Planning Commission are currently working on updating the City’s Comprehensive Plan last updated in 2005. They are reformatting the plan and would like to work with Recreation & Parks to update the Open Space Plan. • The current project this committee is working on involves small area planning for eight business zones in the City. One location is the South Washington Street area which is primarily all zoned commercial. A site plan project to replace the Saab dealership, Meineke and used car lot with an open space plaza is moving forward to the Planning Commission. The plans include improved sidewalks, crosswalks, signals, and pathways that will increase the City’s walkability and assist in becoming more pedestrian friendly. • Also in that area, the City is working with Fairfax County and NVRPA to update and preserve the history at the Tinner Hill Heritage site. • The largest proposal in the South Washington Street plan is the Virginia Village area. The present land zoning calls for redevelopment to mixed use. The current thought process is that mixed use development is not the best use of the land and it should be used as open space with a sliver of residential housing. Eventually the City could buy up adjoining properties and create a large open space area to include a community center. • Another option in that area is to open Old Fairfax Road to limited traffic and restore it for community use such as an art fair or farmers market. • The North Washington Street plans include improvements to Four Mile Run such as opening it up to create park space. Another idea is to turn the parking lots into green space along Four Mile Run. • These plans are being reviewed by the City Council in late October after going through the Planning Commission. All boards and commissions were asked to review the plans. • The WO&D Trail is another focal point in the City that should be highlighted and improved. Development Services proposed a CIP for $150,000 to improve the trail. City staff worked with CACT and the NVRPA to develop a design. • At the Walter Mess Plaza, improvements include paving, benches, and informational signs. Near West Street, purchasing the adjacent Railroad Avenue property is an option to further enhance the plaza. Other additions to the plaza include a bold boundary line, bike rack, water fountain, bike repair station and historic pictures. Improvements are also designed for the Great Falls Crossing and the Eastern Entrance. The improvements to the trail near West End Park will be costly and will need development support. • A new project currently being discussed involves consolidation of four acres at West Broad & Park Avenue where the 7-11, Sunoco, and Mike’s Deli are 2  located. A development is being considered at for this underutilized area. This is near West End Park and the WO&D. Funding for future projects could be available from this redevelopment. • Popular methods that other jurisdictions have utilized to increase funding for Recreation & Parks include a bond driven by a campaign or adding a percent to the tax dollar. b. Madison Field • The primary use for the field is for our youth soccer programs. When it is not is use for that program there are unauthorized larger groups of adults using the space. • Instead of installing a youth only field sign let’s explore other options such as field monitors. Let’s assist those unauthorized groups with finding an alternative field. c. South Washington Street Motion • Mr. O’Hara motioned that the advisory board is in favor of overall concept of redeveloping the South Washington corridor. Ms. Rye seconded the motion. Mr. Rasnake abstained from the vote. Upon voice vote, the motion passed. d. Planting in the Parks • Ms. Chandler discussed with the FC Garden Club president about their potential interest and involvement with funding as well as planting in the parks. Their annual plant sale in May yields left over plants that could be available to our install in our parks. 6. Old Business • Mr. O’Hara requested an update and time line on the West End Park construction. • The City does not currently have regulations for mobile food vendors. Mr. Schlitt joined the committee developing these regulations to oversee the impact on the Recreation & Parks Department. • Mr. O’Hara motioned that the advisory board is in favor of Mr. Schlitt serving on the mobile food vendor committee and to actively pursue exemptions for Recreation & Parks sponsored events. Mr. Selby seconded the motion. Mr. Rasnake abstained from the vote. Upon voice vote, the motion passed. 7. Other Business • During the November meeting the board will discuss open space. • The Annual Report is due in December. 8. Adjournment Ms. Chandler moved to adjourn the meeting; Mr. O’Hara seconded the motion. Following a unanimous voice vote, Ms. Chandler adjourned the meeting at 9:16 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). 3