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 DRAFT Minutes December 4, 2013 1. Call to Order Ms. Chandler called the meeting to order at 8:04 p.m. Members present were Kathy Chandler, Charley O’Hara, 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 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 November 6th meeting as amended. Mr. Selby seconded the motion. Upon voice vote, the motion passed. 4. Recreation Director’s Report • Mr. Schlitt thanked the board members for their support at the NVRPA meeting where Mr. Ken Burnett was recognized for his service to recreation and parks. • The City Council passed the resolution to name the Community Center after Ken Burnett. We have ordered a new sign for the front of the center to read “The Falls Church Community Center, Ken Burnett Building.” Installation of the sign will be in conjunction with an event to recognize Mr. Burnett. • The Holiday Gift & Craft Show is December 7th & 8th and there are approximately 45 vendors. The event offers a variety of activities in the building including breakfast with Santa, kids’ crafts, and the GMHS school choir. We advertised a coupon for half off of admission in the Washington Post again this year. About 120 people took advantage of that coupon last year. • Youth basketball team registration is closed and we have 75 teams with approximately 720 kids participating in the 2nd grade and above leagues. We are offering seven basketball clinics for Kindergartners and 1st graders with approximately 140 kids registered. • Mr. Schlitt attended a VPIS forum where he was invited to sit on a panel about population growth in the City. There was strong support and appreciation for the Recreation & Parks Department. Mr. Schlitt encouraged support for the new school to be a community use building available for recreation activities, community meetings and more. • The schools are moving forward with construction in January on the former Child Dev. Center property. 5. New Business a. Public Works Coe and Pearson Branch stream projects • Mr. Jason Widstrom and Mr. Matt Hansen from the Dept. of Public Works were in attendance to present projects scheduled to commence in January 2014. They have already met with residents of the adjoining properties and the representatives from the Scout House. • The City is spending 1.8 million dollars gathered through various sources including grant money from Congress, the Storm water Utility, and the CIP. Two projects will be completed with this funding. • The first project at the Pearson Branch will impact Berman Park. The section of stream by Irving St. will be returned to a natural state and the concrete will be removed. The lower portion of the stream is on the Scout house property. They will be removing retaining walls which will add more capacity to the stream. Pooling areas will be created in the stream to promote the development of aquatic life. The stream is currently 10 ft. wide and will be increased to 30 feet. Trees will be taken down from the left and right bank of the stream but will be replanted. A pervious path will follow next to the stream as well as benches and signage. The project is currently out for bid. • The second project is at the Coe Branch stream that runs through Howard E. Herman Stream Valley Park (HEHSVP). Construction is set to begin in early February 2014. The firm that designed the plans will be on site to oversee construction. This stream constantly floods causing damage to homes on Sherrow Ave. The stream is currently 10 ft. wide and will be increased to 35 feet. This shallow stream will have pooling areas to promote aquatic life. Trees will be taken down from both sides of the stream but will be replanted. During the project, invasive plant species will be removed from a portion of the park. Rock sills, cross veins and river stone will be added to help with the flooding. The redesign on the Coe Branch was challenging because they had to work around a sanitary sewer line and a specimen tree. The old pipe will be left in place and filled with sand. The concrete structure in the park where the currently ends will be blocked off instead of removed. A five ft. wide pedestrian path will be created from Board St. to Tripps Run with blue stone dust as a part of this project. - A pedestrian bridge should be built after the project is complete. - The Advisory Board is interested in obtaining a quote for complete invasive plant removal at HEHSVP to be completed in conjunction with this construction. • The Dept. of Public Works intends to replace a section of piping that is collapsing under Westmoreland Road and Cavalier Trail Park. Mr. Widstrom solicited opinions from the board about several possibilities for the park including another rain garden. Mr. Widstrom will hold a neighborhood meeting next January to gain input and also review concepts from Dewberry. Overall, the board is interested in revitalizing this section of Cavalier Trail Park and will wait to see the results from these meetings. The board is in favor of replacing the playground equipment, creating a defining entranceway, replacing the pathway, and keeping the parking area using pervious materials. 2  b. CIP budget process • In FY 14 our CIP funds are designated for West End Park construction. The FY 15 CIP has $200,000 available for Master Park Improvement. In FY 16 the CIP has $116,000 for the design of HEHSVP. In FY 17 there is $448,000 for construction at HEHSVP. • Mr. O’Hara suggested we ask the City Council to reallocate $100,000 from the FY 15 Master Park Improvement funds to HEHSVP in FY 16. • The Advisory Board is in favor of using CIP money to complete projects at HEHSVP in conjunction with the stream restoration project. Additional projects to complete with CIP funds could include edging the trail, invasive plant removal for the remainder of the park and a bridge. 6. Old Business a. West End Park • Mr. Schlitt is working to get the bids out and will require assistance from Public Works to move forward. • The project will require hiring someone to put bid specifications together which will require spending funds. • The technical specifications will be completed by an engineering company and City staff will have to work on other aspects of the project. At this time approximately $5,000 will be taken from our Master Park Improvement funds to complete this. b. Open Space Report • Ms. Chandler suggested that the idea of the urgency to spend these funds should be added to the report. • The Advisory Board commented that the report should be presented to Council this year instead of just submitting it. • Over the next few weeks send comments and additions to Mr. Selby and the report will be revisited at the January 2nd meeting. 7. Other Business • Mr. O’Hara suggested that the department conduct a survey asking the public about their recreation needed and desires. The last survey was conducted approximately 24 years ago. 8. Adjournment Mr. Selby moved to adjourn the meeting; Ms. Rye seconded the motion. Following a unanimous voice vote, Ms. Chandler adjourned the meeting at 9:14 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