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 April 2, 2014 1. Call to Order Ms. Chandler called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m. Members present were Kathy Chandler, Lori LaFave, Rob Meeks, and Charley O’Hara. Staff members present were Danny Schlitt, Director of Recreation & Parks, and Krissy Loerch, Senior Administrative Assistant, and Council Member Liaison, Nader Baroukh. 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. LaFave moved to approve the minutes from the March 5th meeting as amended. Mr. Meeks seconded the motion. Upon voice vote, the motion passed. 4. Recreation Director’s Report • The U.S. Army Old Guard Fife & Drum Corps will march in the Memorial Day parade this year dressed in period clothing from the 1700’s. Also, the U.S. Army Drill Team will perform a six minute program in front of the stage. Ms. Maltese along with a local recruiting office requested these groups this year. • On June 25th we will participate in a state wide emergency preparedness drill. The Community Center will act as an emergency shelter with staff performing the appropriate procedures. • The City Council will review the budget in a work session on April 7th. The Recreation & Parks operating budget did not change from the last discussion. The CIP items may be discussed and reviewed. • The Recreation & Parks Department is creating a newsletter that will be e-mailed to participants. It will highlight special events, spotlight volunteers, and communicate information on registrations, parks and more. We currently have over 600 people that have opted to receive the newsletter. • Spring classes are underway and the Summer Brochure will be available in mid-April. Summer Camp registration is strong and we are a little ahead of last year’s revenues. • The women’s basketball league is going well and is two games into the season. It has over 60 participants who were drafted onto teams this year. • Adult volleyball registration is underway. We continue to offer a women’s volleyball league that currently has four teams.  • We have 16 additional youth soccer teams than last year. Practices and games have been delayed due to the weather. Currently we provide soccer for ages 3-7 years and work with the Arlington Soccer Association (ASA) to provide a league for kids 8-12 years old. In the near future, we will explore offering soccer for 8-10 year olds without the ASA. • In order to accommodate the growing number of participants in our soccer program, our usage of Larry Graves Field needs to be explored further. Possibilities include reconfiguring the area to accommodate additional soccer field area and converting the field to Bermuda grass. Mr. Schlitt will continue to speak with Fairfax County regarding these options. 5. New Business a. Referral of Kensington project • The City Council invited the boards and commissions to join them at an open house next Monday for the developer of the Kensington project. The board can listen to a presentation from the developer and will have an opportunity to give input. • The Kensington project is scheduled to be reviewed by the Council after input is given by the boards and commissions. Official comments to the Council are due in early April. 6. Old Business a. Lynn Place property • Discussed in closed session b. CIP (projects) 1. West End Park • Funding is currently in the CIP for this project. The design phase is complete. The next step is to hire a contractor. • The bid documents that Pennoni developed are being reviewed by Public Works. • The City Council requested an information update on this project. 2. Tennis Courts • The Cherry Street courts are currently out of commission until the preschool construction is completed this fall. • The City has a contract and a quote for the court repairs. The City Council has approved the contract since it is over $100,000. We are currently in the scheduling phase. • Construction will begin on the courts at Cavalier Trail Park since it will take the longest to complete. The tennis courts are being replaced and the basketball court resurfaced. c. Park related proffers • Regardless of a development’s direct potential use the surrounding parks and their amenities; a standard proffer should be in place. 2  • The proffers could be used for the direct benefit of a park nearest to the development or for open space acquisition. 7. Other Business • Mr. Schlitt sent a letter to the Assistant City Manager regarding the time frame to replace the George Mason High School turf field. At this time, the CIP funding for the replacement will remain in FY 18. However, several school and government staff has expressed concern that replacement is needed earlier. • In FY 16 the field turf will become technically not safe to play competition matches. • In order to replace the field in the summer of FY 15, the Recreation & Parks Department needs notice by November 2014 for summer camp planning purposes. Also, the annual fourth of July fireworks event is held at GMHS and needs to be taken into consideration when scheduling the work. • Mr. Schlitt recommended to City management that the entire CIP funding for the GMHS turf replacement be transferred into the Recreation & Parks budget. 8. Closed Session pursuant to Virginia Code §2.2-3711. (A) 3. Discussion or consideration of the acquisition of real property for a public purpose, or of the disposition of publicly held real property, where discussion in an open meeting would adversely affect the bargaining position or negotiating strategy of the public body; [Lynn Place property] 9. Adjournment Mr. Meeks moved to adjourn the meeting; Ms. LaFave seconded the motion. Following a unanimous voice vote, Ms. Chandler adjourned the meeting at 8:16 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