Recreation & Parks Advisory Board

Regular Meeting of the Advisory Board of Recreation and Parks Held at the Falls Church Community Center, Kenneth R. Burnett Building 223 Little Falls Street, Falls Church, Virginia 22046 Minutes DRAFT November 7, 2018 1. Call to Order Charley O’Hara called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Members present were Kathy Chandler, Kim Hicks, Bill Brew, and City Council Liaison Letty Hardi. Staff members present were Danny Schlitt, Director Recreation & Parks and Amy Howell, Senior Administrative Assistant Recreation & Parks. 2. Receipt of Public Petitions and Board Member Petitions - None 3. Minutes for Approval: October 3, 2018 - Bill Brew motioned to approve the minutes, Kim Hicks seconded the motion. The motion passed. 4. Recreation Director’s Report - *Charley O’Hara and Bill Brew represented the Advisory Board at a Work Session of the City Council on October 15, 2018. Charley gave a well thought-out presentation. This presentation, along with backing of neighbors of the park and other citizens during the Regular Council Meeting on November 22, 2018, resulted in City Council asking the City Manager to find the additional funding for the project. Therefore, the City Manager asked Kim Callahan to proceed with the site plan. Danny specifically recognized Charley’s good work on behalf of the Department on this matter. - The Virginia Recreation and Park Society awarded Falls Church Recreation and Parks with their Best Health and Wellness Initiative for “Fit at the Farmers Market”. Special recognition to Amy Youngs for this award. - Soccer season is coming to an end. The season was very wet and the fields were frequently closed. - Flag football going on now. Games are taking place on the turf fields but practices have been difficult with the wet fields. - The Halloween Carnival was a success with many in attendance. Taylor Ford was in charge of the function this year and did a great job. - A farewell celebration was held for Chris Madison for his years of service. - Veterans Day and the Annual Holiday Craft Show are the next events that Recreation and Parks is preparing for. 5. New Business  - Nicholas Costa gave a presentation on his Eagle Scout Project to develop signage for Crossman Park. Nicholas has developed 4 signs to update and replace unreadable signs with help and funding from VPIS. 6. Old Business a.) Big Chimneys Park - Kim Callahan put together a timeline and revised the site plan. Wants to submit the site plan in early December. - The final construction contract will hopefully be done by March. b.) Howard E. Herman Stream Valley Park Entrance Design and Signage - There will be a preconstruction meeting November 14. - Installation of signage at the end of November or beginning of December. - A plan to fix the erosion issue will be included in a separate project. c.) No Smoking Project (student representatives) - No representatives present. Will pursue follow up at another time. d.) Monthly School Project Update - The concert band needs to/hopes to maintain storage at the campus. - Gym access is on the list to be further discussed. e.) Larry Graves - The site plan was submitted last week. f.) Downtown Plaza - The EDA originally had a larger plan that was voted down. - *Plan to regrade, move seating, and install a new surface (longer turf) to make the plaza more ADA accessible and create a more, overall, aesthetic appearance. - *The EDA hopes this small park will activate downtown and invest in programming (story time, park yoga, etc.). - Questions remain about Recreation & Parks involvement in use, management, and maintenance of the space. - Would ultimately like to dress up the space without expanding the footprint. 7. Adjournment - Bill Brew motioned to adjourn the meeting. Kim Hicks seconded the motion. Under unanimous vote, meeting adjourned at 8:00PM. 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).