Parks Commission

Approved Parks Commission Minutes. March 21, 2013 Present: Lyn Munno, Cara Robechek, Kip Roberts, Aaron Brondyke, Geoff Beyer, Emily Boedecker. 1. Lyn reviewed changes proposed to the minutes by Todd Bailey. Todd queried if Geoff had stated dogs were banned in other parks and why the minutes did not reflect positive comments in the survey. Geoff clarified he had mentioned that dogs are banned from the cemetery, and Aaron commented that the minutes reflected the comments made at the meeting and did not summarize the responses from the survey. The commission voted to approve minutes as submitted. All voted in favor. 2. Adjacent park land owner, Ben Huffman, spoke on behalf of 5 landowners who jointly own abutting property, raising the following issues. a. Park circle trail crosses a corner of private property. b. Corner marker is no longer in place c. “No Hunting” signs posted by Geoff misidentified where the property boundary was. Signs have now been posted to identify when the trail crosses onto private property, and erroneous “Posted” signs have been removed. Ben submitted revised draft agreement to the commission for consideration. Changes highlighted in review of the draft agreement included asking parks dept. to pay survey fee to reinstall corner pin, estimated at $200, and not to exceed $300. Property owners will grant permission to keep trail routing as long as a revocable permission form is signed by the Parks Department, and will formally record the agreement with the deed at their own expense. Ben presented to the commission a formal agreement document with a request that this be signed by city attorney on behalf of the city. Aaron offered apologies for the trail placement and the inaccurate sign posting on behalf of the commission. Emily agreed with proposal to regularize the situation, and suggested documents go to the City attorney for approval. Cara asked who should be the signatory? Commission discussed that legal liability is a city issue, the agreement to pay up to $300 from parks budget is a parks issue and needs commission approval. Ben indicated on map where he believes the trail crosses the private property. Aaron moved that we approve the landowners proposal with condition of approval from the City. Cara seconded. All voted in favor. Geoff will take next steps with the City. 3. Stephanie Rubin, on behalf of parents of River Rock school, requested that Blanchard Park be moved to priority list for summer projects. Projects proposed to make park usable for 50-60 kids during recess and for educational programming were outlined: a. Drainage. Path up the hill is slick whenever it rains, not just in mud season. b. Request for additional seating c. Clarification of boundaries to make sure know where park ends and private land starts d. Request to clear bush and other undergrowth e. Would like commission to consider installing some natural play equipment. Clarifying questions from the commission: What age are the kids? Kindergarten through 8th grade. Has drainage wall been repaired? No Would kids use it every day? Yes Geoff c ommented that the park is built on a clay hillside. Trail will be slick when it rains unless it could be moved to a ridge trail, or would require substantial tread material to be brought in. While past improvements have led to inappropriate use, such as camping, If school is able to be eyes and ears of Parks Dept. this could be of great assistance. Geoff suggested could be a great project for Volunteers for Peace, but if issue of suitable housing cannot be solved within one week we will lose the crew this year. Geoff proposed in the second year applying for a VYCC and grant funding to continue rehabilitation of Blanchard Park. Could River Rock help by providing accommodations for the International Volunteers for Peace? For 8- 10 college age kids, need a small kitchen area. Cots and bedding are provided. This would be for three weeks. Geoff will provide Stephanie with more information. Aaron suggested this might provide an opportunity to engage older River Rock students in ecological restoration. Geoff advised caution on too much clearing, hill and trees show evidence of having slipped on the clay soils. Stephanie offered people power, volunteer parents and engagement with the school in community projects. Identifying and if necessary, marking the property boundary is a necessary first step. One propane tank is on parks property, one adjacent owner was unhappy with attempts to clarify the boundary. General p tax parcel boundaries can be viewed and printed overlaid on an aerial photo from the City website, although they are not as accurate as a survey plan. Commission was pleased to see interest in this otherwise underutilized park and gave approval to move forward ensuring property boundary is identified. 4. Brad Watson spoke on behalf of MAMBA (Montpelier Area Mountain Biking Association) and mountain bike enthusiasts. They have worked with City in the past to build mountain bike trails on City Forest near Berlin Pond, and assisted in development of trail from North Branch Park to Sparrow Farm. Brad, Mayor John Hollar and others formed coalition this winter to make Montpelier more bike friendly. Brad stated that there is only one mile of designated mountain bike trail in town which leaves North Branch Park heading to Sparrow Farm. Brad estimated 16 mile of trails exist in Montpelier, only one mile is designated for mountain bikes. Brad proposed that the commission consider permitting mountain bikes on a perimeter trail of Hubbard Park, with alternate routes to bypass challenging areas. Tim Flynn spoke to benefits of mountain biking for the city, children and youth, and the environment. Bill Merrylees spoke on behalf of Community Connections which teaches mountain biking skills to kids. He is also involved in Safe Routes to Schools for Union Elementary, a national program to encourage kids biking and walking safely to school. Having a safe place in town to work on biking skills with younger children would be of benefit to the community. Cara expressed concern that trails in Hubbard Park are heavily used, and how to manage traffic? Brad said education would be an important element of this being successful. Emily asked for a trail walk with the commission, and to consider how to make multi-use practical and we all play well together. Aaron asked to review the map of the proposed route. One meeting participant spoke up in favor and said was encouraged by discussion of outdoor activities for children. One meeting participant spoke up in favor of increased usage on perimeter trail to discourage inappropriate use. Brad left maps for review by commission, and after review the Commission will schedule a site visit. 5. Lyn summarized decision from last meeting to create two subcommittees to look at i) dog waste to be led by Lyn, and ii) to discuss code of conduct, proposed changes, and communication to be led by Kip and Geoff. People volunteering for dog waste committee are: Elizabeth Grupp, Susan Ritz, Sharon Asay, Jennifer Skinder. There may possibly be another couple people interested. For the dog policy committee we are looking for 6-8 members. Lyn reiterated the need for the group to represent diverse views and user groups, and its goals which are to further discuss ideas generated by public input, and to bring suggestions back to the parks commission. All decisions on changes to the code of conduct must be approved by the parks commission. Kip and Geoff reported back on outreach to potentially interested volunteers. Volunteers who have responded so far include: Marilyn Mode, Wendy Harrell, Ben Huffman . Discussion ensued on how to make sure we have provided enough opportunity for people to volunteer for this committee One meeting participant expressed concern about creating a committee, and suggested instead that this be further discussed in a public meeting. One meeting participant expressed concerns that underlying issues are not being addressed, there is no longer an opportunity to enjoy the quiet of the park, that there is more sociable use of the park, and that different user groups are seeking to draw more users, including many non-Montpelier residents, to a park that is supported by the tax payers. Geoff responded that the dog policy group is in his opinion a good next step, and that the Parks Commission should consider other proposals in light of the larger context of park purpose and use. Cara agreed that we are responding reactively to each individual request without a full vision for the park. Geoff took action to get to commission any documents related to the purpose of the original land grant, the town plan, and the prior work on park mission and vision, and that we discuss the larger park vision at the next meeting in April. Commission discussed the composition of the committee and agreed it should include people from the Montpelier dog community, and other dog walkers, and individuals who do not have dogs which should include someone with children, an abutter, and a runner/skier. Aaron proposed a motion to appoint Geoff and Kip to cast the net broader to identify volunteers for the committee, to send out message to all email names we have from the survey and meeting, to determine what user group each volunteer falls into, and to select a representative committee. Emily seconded the motion. All voted in favor. A meeting participant mentioned that the group might be able to discuss things more openly if they could just meet themselves as a group Lyn said that it if members of the public came that they were respectful to allow the subcommittee to work together. Commission discussed if committee meetings need to be warned. Lyn will confirm what is required by Vermont’s open meeting laws. A meeting participant asked if there have been any complaints about dogs since the last meeting? Geoff said there have been two complaints but no reportable incidents. A meeting participant noted a significant decrease in the amount of dog poop left in the park since the last meeting. A meeting participant reported an incident last Sunday where a dog owner, after being asked to leash her dog that was jumping on her, responded with verbal aggression. A meeting participant asked what action a park visitor should take when a dog incident occurs. Geoff said to act according to comfort level in speaking or not with the dog owner, and to report the incident to Geoff or the police. 6. Caretaker position. City Council asked for review of value of rental property. Black Ink property mgmt. reviewed and confirmed value of $1,000 to $1,100 per month. Kip proposed motion to set rent at $1,100. Emily seconded the motion. All voted in favor. Geoff will ensure position is posted this week, and resumes are to be submitted no later than April 15, 2013. 7. Parks Update. Bill Fraser will approach Bethany Church for Volunteers for Peace accommodation, must be secured within one week to confirm group for this year. He will also follow up with the River Rock School on this. Mud season road closure at Hubbard Park anticipated next week . Geoff anticipates moving out of the park within month. Byron will house sit until a caretaker is appointed. Estimate is need 4-6 weeks to complete needed repairs on the Park Caretaker House. 8. Rotating Parks Commission Chair. Lyn brought up need to select next chair of the Parks Commission. Kip proposed a motion to elect Cara as chair for a period of no more than one year. Aaron seconded the motion. All voted in favor. Meeting adjourned at 10:00pm Minutes take by: Emily