Recreation Commission

FREDERICKSBURG RECREATION COMMISSION Minutes of September 18, 2014 The September meeting of the Fredericksburg Recreation Commission was held on Thursday, September 18, 2014 at Maury Commons. The meeting was called to order at approximately 7:05 p.m. Present: Commissioners Marcus Tepaske, James Bailey (arrived late), Tim Duffy, John Gordon, George Foster (arrived late), Ken Kroko, and Susan Tyler. Absent: Gary Olsen. Also in attendance: Robert Antozzi, Michael Ward and Patricia Sparks . I. Approval of Minutes: The minutes of July 17, 2014 were unanimously approved. II. Public Comment: None III. Communications from the Director: The Commissioners reviewed the following reports: Financial Report – August 2014 Sports Report – September 2014 Leisure/Special Events Report – September/October 2014 Facebook Comment – Emily Taylor Recreation Commission List Updated – August 26, 2014 IV. Noteworthy Dates: The Commissioners reviewed upcoming programs and trips. V. Old Business: A. Pathways – Dr. Antozzi reported that the official opening of the VCR trail will be held Saturday, September 20, 2014 at 10:00 a.m. at the trailhead located near the entrance of the Apartments at Cobblestone Square on Lafayette Boulevard. He encouraged the Commissioners to attend the ceremony. This marks the completion of Phase I and II of the VCR Trail that ends at Route 1. Phase III of the trail is scheduled to open in February 2015. Phase IV has not been funded and will include the third bridge needed to complete the trail to Interstate 95. The Commissioners discussed signage to connect the Heritage Trail to the VCR Trail. There is not any signage at the end of Sophia Street connecting the two trails. Dr. Antozzi stated that this could be addressed at the next Pathway Committee Meeting. 1  B. Riverfront Park – Commissioner Kroko stated that the ARB presented their recommendation to City Council on the development of Riverfront Park. In the near future, City Council will address and make the final decision for the ARB’s recommendation in regards to keeping or demolishing the Masonic Lodge. Once the Masonic Lodge decision has been made, the City will move forward to do the construction drawings. Commissioner Duffy stated that City Council will also look at the plans to determine if the construction of the park can be done in phases due to the total estimated cost of the project. C. Park Signs – The Park Sign Committee presented the Commissioners with two final vinyl prototypes for park signs. The Commissioners were in agreement that the park sign with the tree/park/water logo in the center was more appealing. In addition, they agreed on using the font size that was presented therein. Commissioner Gordon stated that the sign wording should be symmetrical. The Commissioners discussed and agreed to remove the “Welcome to” on the sign. Commissioner Tepaske stated that the Commission’s priority this evening is to discuss the logo, the font and the color. The size of the sign would change depending on the location of the park. Recommendations were made to see if the tree/park/water logo could be enhanced. Dr. Antozzi recommended contacting Phil Brown in regards to enhancing the logo. Dr. Gordon stated he had sent Commissioner Tepaske a recommendation of a logo for a park sign that includes civil war references in the logo. Commissioner Tepaske stated that the sub- committee presented the Commissioners with two options tonight but he will e-mail the other recommendations to the Commissioners. The Commissioners also recommended placing the vinyl sign with the tree/park/water logo at Dixon Park to allow feedback from the community. The final sign will be composed of high density plastic. VI. New Business: A. Naming of the City Pool – Commissioner Kroko inquired as to where we were in naming the City pool. Dr. Antozzi stated that we are progressing on naming the pool. B. Bridge at Alum – Michael Ward presented the Commissioners with a study conducted by Downey and Scott, Construction Management Services, Preliminary Engineering Report and Cost Feasibility Study. The study, conducted in 2012, provided the City with the cost of removing the ford and replacing it with a steel truss bridge at the entrance to Alum Spring Park. The study provided the City with three options. Option 1, recommended by Downey and Scott, was to remove the ford and replace it with 16’ wide, 60’ long steel truss, one lane bridge. The width recommended would allow emergency equipment to 2  enter into the park to respond to emergencies. This option would avoid the stream and would not require any wetland permits. Therefore, it would save the City money. Permitting option 1 would extend construction for another year. The estimated total cost is $1,214,340.00, which was extended through 2013. At that time, the project was placed on the City’s CIP plan but has been reallocated to 20XX. Since the study in 2012, the City has had several issues with the ford. At times, the park was closed for durations ranging from numerous days to several weeks, which restricted the use of the park. The deterioration of the crossing increases dramatically each year. The attempts made to repair the ford are only temporary and short term fixes. Michael Ward presented the Commissioners with a recent proposal for Option 1 by W.C. Spratt for a total bid cost of $953,460.00. Option 1 would allow the bridge to be built outside the watershed area, decreasing cost and time With the opening of the VCR Trail, vehicular traffic will increase across the ford. Dr. Antozzi reported that the VCR Trail has added some complication to this situation. Currently, there is not a plan of action to recreate the back entrance for maintenance vehicles. If the ford collapses, there will be not be a way for vehicular traffic to access the park. C. Motts Run Bike Trail – Michael Ward reported that Fredericksburg Area Trail Maintenance Users Group (FATMUG) will begin building the trail after Motts closes for the season at the end of October. They will begin with the beginner loop with hopes of completion by spring 2015. The Commissioners discussed creating a parking lot closer to the road for out of season parking. VII. Commission Concerns and Topics: Commissioner Kroko stated that he would not be able to attend the opening ceremony for the VCR Trail. Commissioner Foster asked about the pool closing early due to low attendance. He feels that no matter the attendance, the pool should stay open. Dr. Antozzi stated that he agreed and will inquire as to what happened. Commissioner Gordon stated that he has been speaking with the Coach of the Fredericksburg Yellow Jackets, Mr. Anthony Poole, in reference to their practicing football at the Old Walker Grant lower field. 3 The lower field at the Old Walker Grant School is a public park; however, Fredericksburg City Schools is responsible for the maintenance of it. The Fredericksburg Boys and Girls Club uses the park until 7:00 p.m. The Fredericksburg Yellow Jackets are now practicing football at the same time. This places an enormous amount of traffic in that area at the same time. Commissioner Gordon is requiring that Mr. Poole provide proper documentation (insurance) when utilizing this property, which is required of any organization using school property. Commissioner Gordon was unsure if Parks and Recreation had any affiliation with the Fredericksburg Yellow Jackets. Dr. Antozzi stated that he was not aware of any and referred the question to Michael Ward. Michael Ward stated that the Fredericksburg Yellow Jackets play in a travel football league and we do not schedule games with travel leagues. The level of play would not be a fair competition and Parks and Recreation league players could be injured. Mr. Poole has not approached us in reference to using any of our parks or fields. The Parks and Recreation football teams practice at Old Mill Park. When the sun begins to set earlier, practice is held on the outfield at the new Walker Grant School baseball field. Games are played on Saturdays at Maury Stadium. Commissioner Gordon wanted to make Parks and Recreation aware of what is going on at the Old Walker Grant lower fields. The meeting adjourned at 8:20 p.m. ________________________ ______________ Dr. Robert K. Antozzi Date Next Meeting October 16, 2014 7:00 p.m. at Maury Commons, Suite 111. 4