Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency Commission

MINUTES Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency Board of Commissioners – October 17, 2013 Commissioners Present Chairman Carletta Thompson, M.D. Linda Barbeau Derald Polston Commissioners Absent Sara Kaynor Staff Present Cindy Lopez Kathleen Banks Others Present Walter Gage Julie Baird 1. ALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 4:14 p.m. by Chairman Thompson and there being a quorum, the following proceedings were duly had and taken. 2. APPROVAL OF THE SEPTEMBER 19, 2013 MEETING MINUTES A motion was made by Commissioner Polston and seconded by Commissioner Barbeau to approve the minutes of the September 19, 2013 meeting. This motion passed unanimously by a 3-0 vote. 3. a. BUSINESS FROM THE FLOOR Mr. Walter Gage made a presentation on Frisbee Golf at Boyd Park. Mr. Gage introduced himself and stated he currently lives in the El Paso Subdivision in Farmington. He has been playing Frisbee Golf since 1982 and currently he is the acting leader of local club Fore! Corners Disc Golf Club. Mr. Gage was last year’s River Reach president. Disc golf is his only form of exercise; it involves rigorous upper body movement and is a great workout. Mr. Gage stated that putting in a 9 “hole” course should be no problem at Boyd Park. Miller Bridge would be an ideal addition to the course and somewhere downstream we could put in a bridge for foot traffic. Commissioner Thompson asked exactly how much acreage is required per hole for a course. Mr. Gage replied that about an acre per hole is required and that to put on a tournament the course must have a minimum 18 holes. A championship course (18 holes) can be cut in half to nine holes that are repeated. It will need to include a tournament central, and restrooms. He is the architect of the RiverFest Disc Golf Course and has personal knowledge that the Riverine trail is going to expand which could open up other areas for the remaining 9 holes. The Lion’s Wilderness Park currently has 27 holes.  October 17, 2013 MRA Minutes Senior Planner Cindy Lopez inquired what is actually needed for a course. Mr. Gage replied obstacles are a good thing for a professional Frisbee disc golfer. You will need a minimum of 30 feet of clearance around each box. The suggested measurement is 7500 feet from t-box to basket. Because some of Boyd Park is in a Flood Zone dirt t-pads would probably be the best solution rather than cement t-pads. Trees should be professionally manicured. Senior Planner Cindy Lopez suggested that the course needs to be child friendly and useable year round. Mr. Gage stated that the first 9 holes could address that and the remaining 9 holes can be a little more challenging. Commissioner Polston stated he thought that it needed to be blocked off from pedestrian traffic. Mr. Gage said it probably should be, but most courses are not. The common practice is to yell Fore and let people know you are throwing. For Tournaments, the sponsors and promoters put up galleries for spectators, but people must be aware of thrown discs. On private land the course is usually closed off when there is an actual tournament going on. Mr. Gage did point out that city land has to be accessible to the public at all times; people cannot be kept off a city park. The rules for Disc Golf are actually very similar to regular golf playing rules. There are over 4000 courses installed nationwide currently. The Regional Four Corners Tournament is currently being held in Denver, Arizona and Utah; it doesn’t actually take place in the Four Corners. There is a minimum four course requirement to allow for Regional Tournaments. There are huge tournaments played in Scottsdale and Denver and the course is laid out so that walking paths are not compromised by play. He also mentioned that naming holes after donors with their name(s) is a way to hold down costs. Parks and Recreation maintenance would be able to create jobs for people. In general it would bring Eyes on the park, and the wholesome character of the golfers is another plus. Most players are very pleasant and outgoing, but Mr. Gage did inform us “DO NOT PICK UP THEIR DISCS”. Various Commissioners asked about costs associated with Disc Golf Courses. Mr. Gage stated that baskets (good ones) usually run $800; the base for each basket $30; and suggested we buy 2-3 bases per basket. Concrete T-pads are just like golf approximately $1000/hole. He suggested signage at every hole. There are the labor costs of manicuring of the lawns, trees and general up-keep. The existing course can always be changed up for tournaments. Mr. Gage suggested putting up signage to prohibit pedestrian traffic during actual tournaments and reminded the commission that public parks cannot be closed for tournaments. Multiple courses would allow for various tournaments to be held in the Four Corners. If there was a course put in at Westland Park also it would help meet the minimum 4 course(s) for regional tournaments. Mr. Gage suggested the commission and anyone else interested go to pdga.com for the tournament course requirements. Fifty-four players with 4 players per team would mean a minimum of 216 participants on those three courses. There are different rules and requirements for the amateur division and the championship divisions. To keep costs down volunteers can be used to assist at tournaments, but he also stated that Farmington is a difficult town to recruit volunteers. Senior Planner Lopez asked who would design the course. Mr. Gage stated he would be willing to design the course and set up the tournaments. Overall the consensus of the 2  October 17, 2013 MRA Minutes commission is that Disc Golf sounds like a viable solution to get traffic to Boyd Park. The Commissioners asked Mr. Gage to move forward with an actual proposal starting with land requirements and actual costs. Mr. Gage agreed and will make an actual proposal and stated that Boyd Park would be a perfect location. b. BUSINESS FROM THE CHAIR There was no business from the Chairman c. BUSINESS FROM THE MEMBERS Commissioner Barbeau had a couple questions. Do we have an accounting of the actual money that we have? Is there a time frame we must meet before we lose the funds? What funds are committed? Update on the signage? Commissioner Barbeau made a motion to petition the City to get big trucks off of Main Street. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Polston. The motion was passed unanimously 3-0. d. BUSINESS FROM STAFF Senior Planner Cindy Lopez reminded the commission about the Parks Master Plan meeting schedule. She suggested the commissioner’s sign up for attendance on different days so there is no quorum at any of the public meetings. Cindy will email the commissioners the meeting notification from PRCA. Reminder: Gateway signage kick-off meeting is Oct 29th 2-4 pm at the Executive Conference Room. Wear walking shoes as we will do a site visit. The contractor is DHM Design Coproration. Craig Stieffel’s team will be meeting here and they have 90 days to complete project. 4. ADJOURNMENT Commissioner Polston moved to adjourn and it was seconded by Commissioner Barbeau. Meeting was adjourned at 5:21 PM. ________________________________ ___________________________ Carletta Thompson, M.D., Chairman Kathleen Banks, Secretary 3