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 May 6, 2015 1. Call to Order Mr. Selby called the meeting to order at 7:32 p.m. Members present were Kathy Chandler, Leslie Rye, Steve Selby, and Susan Kearney. Staff members present were Cindy Mester, Assistant City Manager, Danny Schlitt, Director of Recreation & Parks, and Ashley Williams. Peter Batten, Karen White, and Jeff Whitman of the Mason Row Project were also present. 2. Receipt of Public Petitions and Board Member Petitions Mr. Selby asked if there were any petitions. There were none. 3. Minutes Ms. Rye motioned to approve the April 1st meeting minutes. Mrs. Chandler seconded the motion. Upon unanimous voice vote, the motion passed. 4. Recreation Director’s Report a) The department is preparing for the summer camp season which begins next month. The new program supervisor for teen and summer camp supervisor, Jimmy Ruby, has officially been hired and will start on Monday. b) The City’s Memorial Day celebration will take place at the end of the month. Summer class registration has begun, and classes will begin the first week of June. 5. New Business a) CIP Strategy 1. Assistant City Manager, Cindy Mester presented on the Capitol Improvements Program and how its availability is intended for large, long term projects as opposed to projects that are more suited for the operating budget. 2. She also featured a “fly through” video that highlighted the CIP plans for the City Hall renovation. The board agreed that it would be a good idea to create such videos for the City’s park projects. b) Mason Row Referral – the Mason Row Referral team was present to discuss project plans and receive board member feedback. 6. Old Business a) Parks project updates 1. The Pearson branch of Howard E. Herman Stream Park is completely finished. The Herman side still has construction vehicles remaining on the property that should be cleared out by the end of June. 2. The Community Center tennis courts will be asphalted by end of the week; however, tennis courts must cure for at least 30 days. The Cherry Street courts will not likely be ready before the end of the summer. 3. Frady Park is unfortunately no longer ADA accessible. (It is the only ADA accessible park in the city. Danny will investigate what needs to take place to regain that accessibility.) b) Parks tour with city council (May 18th): 1. In hopes that more City Council members will join us, Mr. Selby has volunteered to create an informative insight discussing why the board would like council to join the tour. 2. Due to time and daylight constraints, we will be unable to visit every park. The plan is to show West End, Big Chimneys, and the Pearson Branch to start, and possibly schedule follow up visits at a later date. c) Parks for people 1. The comprehensive plan has been updated with the board’s recommendations. The Parks for People chapter has been approved by council and uploaded to the website. 2. The priority list portion of the plan should be revisited next board meeting. Although CIP funding has been lost through to 2019, this is an opportunity to rethink the park planning process and possibly plan a park project every fiscal year as well as consider other methods of source funding. 7. Adjournment Ms. Rye motioned to adjourn the meeting; Mrs. Chandler seconded the motion. Following a unanimous voice vote, Mr. Selby adjourned the meeting at 8:37 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).