Parks Commission

Parks Commission Minutes. July 18, 2013 Present: Cara Robochek, Lyn Munno, Kip Roberts, Emily Boedecker, Geoff Beyer Commission reviewed requested changes to the minutes concerning the role of the Aja Zorzi family in the Sabins Pasture meeting, the role of TPL, and in what capacity John Hollar had attended meetings on mountain bikes. Sabin’s details had been checked with Leigh Seddon and Roger Krussman of TPL. A member of the public requested that the minutes reflect a public comment made in the June meeting that mountain bike riders had been seen on trails that are pedestrian only. The commission voted to approve the minutes with the amendments. Lyn reported on the dog waste subcommittee. The subcommittee expects to submit a proposal for the commission’s consideration in August. One question under discussion is how to fund dog waste receptacles. It is likely the committee will recommend a mix of city and private funding. Lyn asked how the city and parks department would handle donations from citizens or orgranizatins/businesses specifically for the dog receptacles. Geoff said that as long as people designate in the memo line of a check or in writing what the money is for, the parks department and the city can designate specific funds for a given project. The parks dept already applies for grants, and donations for the parks dept .can be accepted by the City. If funding sources are located that require funds to flow through a 501 (c) 3 organization, Lyn mentioned that the groupw was thinking of talking to Montpelier Alive as a good partner. A member of the public submitted a cover letter, proposal and one copy of 300 signatures generated by a group of 13 residents concerning dog conduct and dog waste. Concerns were aired about how this proposal is being presented to individuals who are asked to sign on, and that two parallel conversations, the citizens group and the subcommittees, need to be incorporated. The commission discussed and agreed upon these ideas being incorporated into discussions of the two subcommittees. A member of the public (Todd Bailey) had expressed concerns that the dog conduct subcommittee was operating outside its remit, referencing minutes from the March meeting. Cara referenced the February minutes where the committee was set up by the Parks Commission. In those minutes, in addition to dog conduct the commission discussed charging the dog conduct subcommittee with reviewing “all written suggestions offered” After discussion the commissioners agreed and clarified that reviewing all comments that had been submitted to the Parks Commission was part of the intended purpose of the committee. Cara reported on the progress of the dog conduct subcommittee. The subcommittee has drafted proposed changes to the dog conduct policy and will be reviewing it again before submitting to the commission for consideration. The proposal by the groups of citizens self-identifying as ‘Friends of Dogs of Hubbard Park’, will be considered during this review. The commission agreed to wait until the proposals from the subcommittees were brought before the commission before further discussing next steps. A member of the public stated an opinion that non-dog owners are under represented on the subcommittee when comparing the ratio of dog owners to non-dog owners with the ratio of dog licenses to residents in Montpelier. When other members of the public started to react, Geoff mentioned that he wants to make sure folks are not intimidated from being heard. A member of the public then mentioned that one member of the public, a non-dog owner, who attend a previous parks commission meeting to report on an incident then came to the dog policy meeting and did not seem to be intimidated from returning. A member of the public asked for the commission’s opinion on the suggestion that a new dog park in Montpelier could alleviate issues of dog conduct in Hubbard Park. A member of the public expressed the opinion that Montpelier law says no dog should be at large, and that currently dogs off leash in the park were breaking the law. Creating a new dog park area would reward illegal behavior. A member of the public requested an ETA for the proposal from the conduct subcommittee. Cara responded that the emphasis was being placed on inclusive conversation and a well-thought through proposal rather than a delivery date. Sabin’s Pasture Aaron has attended a meeting on behalf of the commission. Geoff expressed an opinion that the previous community proposal developed by a process TPL convened is not being respected. Cara will check with Aaron on progress and anticipate a report at the next commission meeting. Park Gates Geoff reported on an issue with securing the park at night. The city receives state funds to maintain roads, including those in the park. State funded roads cannot be locked. A request was made to the police to stop locking the park gates as a result. Cara will talk to Todd Law to understand the specific s of how the roads are funded. The commission agreed that locking the gates is essential to ensure the protection of property and personal safety. Park Update Caretaker House: Cost of electrical work increased due to loss of community service electrician. Fire risk requires replacement of wiring for house to be to code. Commission discussed and agreed authorize Geoff to bring the house up to electric code even if it causes the project to go slightly over budget. Blanchard Park: 30 people came out to the community volunteer day. Technical engineer provided advice on securing the bank. Commission discussed and approved creating natural play structures with available wood on site. Trails Improvement: International volunteers are working hard despite challenging weather conditions. Winter trail improvement underway. Park Usage: Commissioners discussed potential use of Int’l Volunteers for mini-census on park usage, but determined one time census might not yield useful data but that if there was time and inclination that it would be fine for them to do this. AmeriCorps: AmeriCorps summer position has been hired, Crystal Capen. Strong candidates for year round position with expectation of making an offer shortly. Mountain Bikes: Geoff has not yet been able to make contact with adjacent landowners to discuss mountain bike trail proposal. Kip volunteered to help, and to ensure MAMBA is aware of commission plans to take up this topic again in September. Dog Incidents: Geoff discussed that an Int’l Peace volunteers was threatened by an aggressive dog this last week. He talked with the dog owner who was very apologetic. He asked the commission if there is anything else he should do. The commission agreed that Geoff needs to keep a written record of dog incidents. Town: Geoff has met with new assistant town manager to discuss opportunities to increase collaboration between the Parks, Rec and Cemetery departments and to explore the potential of combining depts. over time. Geoff will keep the commission up to date on conversations. Next meeting: August 29th, 7:30pm.